The Amazing Race 30
The Amazing Race 30 is the thirtieth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. It features eleven teams of two in a race around the world for a US$1 million grand prize. The season premiered on January 3, 2018, airing in CBS's Wednesday 8:00 pm EST time slot for a month before moving to the 9:00 pm slot from February 7 due to the premiere of Celebrity Big Brother. The 2-hour season finale aired on February 21, 2018.
Dating reality stars Cody Nickson and Jessica Graf were the winners of this season of the Race, making them the first team previously cast on Big Brother to win The Amazing Race.
Production and filming
Development
As seen before in the twenty-fifth and twenty-seventh seasons, the show's website announced they would begin filming on October 1, 2017, at Washington Square Park in New York City, and invited fans to join them as they saw the new teams off.This season introduced "Head-to-Head" competitions, pitting two teams directly against one another. Such competitions already appeared in several international versions of the show. Additionally for the first time, teams swapped partners with another team and ran most of a leg with them instead.
This season has the fewest episodes than any other American series at eight. For four weeks during the season's eight-week run, two legs each aired on one, 2-hour episode. Normally a 12-leg season has either 12 episodes for each leg, or 11 episodes with only one 2-hour special episode.
This season was the first time The Amazing Race visited Bahrain.
The Express Pass, which has been a feature of every season since its inception in The Amazing Race 17, did not appear in this season.
Casting
While the team of Big Brother houseguests Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson from the recently concluded Season 19 was announced earlier, the full cast of 11 teams of two was revealed on December 7, 2017. Among these include former NBA players Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion, IndyCar racers Conor Daly and Alexander Rossi, freestyle skiers Kristi Leskinen and Jen Hudak, Well-Strung members Trevor Wadleigh and Chris Marchant, and competitive eaters Joey Chestnut and Tim Janus.April Gould from Team Goat Yoga previously competed on Season 7 and Season 9 of American Ninja Warrior but failed to make it past the qualifier for both seasons.
At the Pit Stop of Leg 5, Lucas Bocanegra proposed to Brittany Austin, who accepted, becoming the fourth team to do so after Hayden & Aaron from The Amazing Race 6, Chad & Stephanie from The Amazing Race 17, and Matt & Ashley from The Amazing Race 26.
Results
As announced by CBS, the following teams participated in the Race. Each team is listed with the unique hashtag team name that the show's graphics use to identify them.- A team placement means the team was eliminated.
- An next to a leg number indicates that there was a Head-to-Head on that leg of the Race, while an indicates the team that lost the final Head-to-Head and was eliminated.
- A or a indicates that the team chose to use one of the two U-Turns in a Double U-Turn, while a or indicates the team who received it; around a leg number indicates that only one of the two available U-Turns was used.
- An placement indicates the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump during the next leg of the Race.
- An underlined leg number indicates that there was no mandatory rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were ordered to continue racing. An underlined team placement indicates that the team came in last on a "continue racing" leg and was ordered to continue racing.
- Cedric & Shawn initially arrived 8th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty upon reaching the Pit Stop because Cedric provided illegal assistance at the Roadblock. Eric & Daniel checked in during their penalty time, dropping Cedric & Shawn to 9th.
- April & Sarah and Dessie & Kayla arrived at the mat nearly simultaneously. Because Dessie was the last person to physically step on the mat, Dessie & Kayla were eliminated.
- At the Leg 5 Pit Stop, after coming in first, Lucas proposed to Brittany. She accepted, and they were engaged for the rest of the Race.
- Teams had to swap partners for a duration of the leg. Cody paired with Jen, Jessica paired with Kristi, Lucas paired with Conor, Brittany paired with Alex, Henry paired with Eric, and Evan paired with Daniel. Because of this, in order to check in at the Pit Stop, team members had to reunite with their original partner. Cody & Jen arrived 1st, Brittany & Alex arrived 2nd, Lucas & Conor arrived 3rd, Daniel & Evan arrived 4th, Eric & Henry arrived 5th, and Jessica & Kristi arrived last. Teams swapped back to their original partners once both partners checked in.
- Lucas realized that he lost his passport while on a connecting flight from Zimbabwe to Bahrain. As a result, Lucas & Brittany did not arrive in Bahrain until many hours after all the other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop. When they arrived at the Dhow Shipyard, Phil met them to inform them of their elimination.
- After all the other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop, Alex & Conor were still at Lan Kwai Fong, and Phil went to see them to inform them of their elimination.
Episode title quotes
- "You're a Champion, Prove It" – Cedric
- "You're the Best French Fry Ever" – Trevor
- "It's Gonna Be a Fragrant Day" – Trevor
- "Gotta Put Your Sole Into it" – Eric
- "The Claws Are Out" – Evan
- "All's Fair in Love and War" – Brittany
- "The First Rule of Amazing Race Club" – Conor
- "It's Just a Million Dollars, No Pressure" – Jessica
Prizes
- Leg 1 – A trip for two to Santorini, Greece
- Leg 2 – each
- Leg 3 – A trip for two to Zurich, Switzerland
- Leg 4 – each
- Leg 5 – A trip for two to Bali, Indonesia
- Leg 6 – A trip for two to Perth, Australia
- Leg 7 – None
- Leg 8 – A trip for two to Saint Lucia
- Leg 9 – each
- Leg 10 – A trip for two to Curaçao
- Leg 11 – None
- Leg 12 –
Race summary
Leg 1 (United States → Iceland)
Airdate: January 3, 2018- New York City, New York, United States
- New York City to Reykjavík, Iceland
- Húsafell
- Mosfellsbær
- Reykjavík
- Reykjavík
;Additional tasks
- At the Starting Line, after Phil Keoghan said "Go," teams had to find their first clue below the waterline of the park's fountain before making their way to John F. Kennedy International Airport, where the first seven teams would receive tickets for the first flight to Iceland.
- At Geitárgljùfur, one team member had to pull themselves along a zip line high above the Geitá river canyon until they could retrieve a flag of Iceland suspended from the line. After grabbing the flag, their partner would pull them back to the canyon's edge so they could exchange the flag for their next clue.
- At Ingólfstorg, teams had to find a group of strongmen. When they did, CrossFit Games champion Katrín Davíðsdóttir would ask teams two questions about two national tonics: "What do Icelanders call the drink known as 'Black Death'?" and "What is Þorskalýsi?". When teams were able to provide the correct answers, one team member would drink a shot of Brennivín and the other would drink a shot of Þorskalýsi to receive their next clue.
Leg 2 (Iceland → Belgium)
- Reykjavík to Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Haarlemmermeer to Antwerp, Belgium
- Antwerp
- Antwerp
- Antwerp
- Antwerp
The first Detour of the Race was a choice of Old Print or Diamond Glint. In Old Print, teams made their way to the Plantin-Moretus Museum. Once there, teams had to arrange type pieces following the example of a provided clue keeping in mind that the type pieces needed to be arranged in a mirror image of their clue. They then had to carry their template to be printed using a printing press. If the printed paper's message matched the provided clue exactly, teams would be given the message as their next clue. In Diamond Glint, teams traveled to the ADC Building within the Antwerp diamond district. Once there, teams had to evaluate three diamonds based on their carat, color, and clarity. After weighing and measuring the diamonds and establishing a base rate, teams had to find any imperfections and discolorations and deduct from their values accordingly based on a provided formula. When teams correctly calculated the total value of all three diamonds and added the value to the price of an unfinished necklace, they would receive their next clue.
In the first Head-to-Head of the Race, two teams had to compete against each other in a "Frietrace." After both members of each team donned French fry costumes, each team had to nominate one member to run an obstacle course while pushing a dolly with eight bags of frites. Bags of frites that fell off had to be replaced before continuing. A team could immediately check in at the nearby Pit Stop after winning a heat, while the losing team had to wait until the next team arrived. Unlike Roadblocks, losing teams could alternate racers between heats. The team that lost the final heat was eliminated from the Race.
;Additional tasks
- After arriving in Antwerp, teams made their way to The Chocolate Line where a chocolatier named Stan would hand them their next clue.
- After the Detour, teams were given a clue, written in Dutch, that required them to "go to a large public place where you will find the city hall and Silvius Brabo" directing them to the Grote Markt.
- Due to limited availability of flights, teams were given a set of pre-arranged flights to Amsterdam, where they would take a train to Antwerp, but could book an earlier flight if they were able to find one.
Leg 3 (Belgium → Morocco)
- Antwerp to Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
- Amsterdam to Tangier, Morocco
- Tangier
- Tangier
- Tangier
- Tangier
- Tangier
This leg's Detour was a choice between Drop it Off and Shake it Off. In Drop it Off, teams had to travel to a food wholesalers' truck within Grand Socco and pick up crates of squash, chickens, and oranges. Dragging their crates along the ground, they had to deliver specified items to three locations, where they would receive a receipt stamped with one of the three words in the name of the Pit Stop. Once they completed all three deliveries, teams could exchange the receipts for their next clue. In Shake it Off, teams had to travel to the Manounia Palace Restaurant and put on traditional belly dancing attire. They then had to dance among the dancers and musicians in the restaurant while searching for the three words in the name of the Pit Stop. Once teams gave the three correct words to the waiter, he would hand them their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- In the city's fishing port, teams had to find a marked crate of fish and transfer the fish into a basket. Following an example, teams had to arrange all the fish with their heads facing outwards. When teams filled the basket to the fisherman's satisfaction, they would receive their next clue.
- After completing the fish basket task, teams made their way on foot into the Medina quarter to find the Kisariate Jbala Souk, where they would greet a merchant with the Arabic greeting of As-salām Alaykum. They would then receive their next clue and a Travelocity Roaming Gnome.
Leg 4 (Morocco → France)
- Tangier to Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
- Saint-Tropez
- Saint-Tropez
- Saint-Tropez
In this leg's Roadblock, one member had to attach a sail to an Optimist dinghy, then sail across the bay without being given any prior lessons and with the boat's rudder removed. Team members had to sail their boat to a set of two buoys, each containing one half of their next clue. If they could grab the two clue halves, they could return to the shore to reunite with their partner and open their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Bread or Tread. In Bread, teams made their way to La Tarte Tropézienne, where had to form 50 baguettes from of dough to the satisfaction of the baker. In Tread, teams made their way to Sandales Tropéziennes, where each team member had to correctly make a Tropezienne sandal. After either task, teams had to deliver a baked baguette or a finished pair of sandals to a person in a restaurant to receive their next clue.
In this leg's Head-to-Head at Place des Lices, two teams competed in a game of pétanque. With one team using black metal balls and the other white, each team member would roll three boules to try to get it as close as possible to a smaller ball on the field known as a jack. Once all team members had taken their turns, the team whose ball was closest to the jack was the winner and could check in at the Pit Stop. The team that lost the final game was eliminated from the Race.
Leg 5 (France)
Airdate: January 24, 2018- Les Baux-de-Provence
- Maussane-les-Alpilles
- Arles
- Les Baux-de-Provence
This leg's Detour was a choice between Full of Bull or Colorful. In Full of Bull, teams had to check satchels on 100 artificial bulls scattered around the stands of the Arles Amphitheatre to find a total of three ribbons, one in each of the colors of the French flag: one blue, one white, and one red. Once teams found all three, they could exchange them with the bullfighter in the ring for their next clue. In Colorful, teams traveled to the recreated Pont Van Gogh. There, they found a replica of one of Vincent van Gogh's paintings of the original Langlois Bridge at Arles, which was actually an elaborate sliding puzzle, requiring them to slide elements of the painting in a specific sequence in order to unlock the easel and retrieve their clue inside.
;Additional task
- At Café de la Fontaine, teams had to find a patron drinking red wine who would give them their next clue.
Leg 6 (France → Czech Republic)
- Arles
- Marseille to Prague, Czech Republic
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
The leg's Roadblock was a Switchback to Season 15, where one team member had to enter a room filled with hundreds of ringing telephones and search for the eight that had a person on the other end of the line. A voice from each phone would give the team member one word of a Franz Kafka quote, "The meaning of life is that it stops". Without taking notes, team members had to memorize the eight words then write them in the correct order on a provided form to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At the start of the leg, teams were provided a smartphone with the Travelocity app to book their flight to Prague.
- After the Detour, teams traveled to Andělská Lázeň Beer Spa to receive their next clue from patrons bathing in beer.
- Teams began the sixth leg at the ancient fortification behind Notre Dame de la Major back in Arles.
Leg 7 (Czech Republic → Zimbabwe)
- Prague to Harare, Zimbabwe
- Harare to Marondera
- Mashonaland East Province
- Mashonaland East Province
- Mashonaland East Province
- Mashonaland East Province
;Additional tasks
- At Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy's bush camp, teams had to properly set up a provided safari tent in which to spend the night. They were then woken up by Phil Keoghan at 4:00 am, who explained that for the remainder of this leg, they would choose another team to switch partners with, in the same order their tents were approved.
- The newly formed teams then had to paddle a makeshift raft around Imire Lake to spot their next clue, which was in a pair of canteens hung in a tree. When they found the canteens, they would paddle to their next destination.
- At the Pit Stop, teams had to wait for their original partners to arrive and reunite with them before they could check in.
Leg 8 (Zimbabwe)
- Harare
- Harare
- Harare
- Harare
;Additional task
- At Harare Gardens, teams had to choose a vocal coach who would teach them the pronunciation of the Shona language lyrics of the Four Brothers song "Pasi Pano Pane Zviedzo". They then had to perform the song on stage accompanied by a band with the correct pronunciation and rhythm while dancing to the beat to receive their next clue.
Leg 9 (Zimbabwe → Bahrain)
- Harare
- Harare to Manama, Bahrain
- Muharraq
- Manama
- Muharraq
- A'ali
- Zallaq
- Sakhir
- At the dhow shipyard, teams had to carry and place a total of of timber onto a balance scale to receive their next clue.
- At Hussein Mohammad Showaiter Sweets, teams asked for the "King of Halwa", a local jelly dessert that each team member was given a sample to eat for their next clue.
- At Delmon Pottery Industry, teams chose a pouch containing ten various small items to memorize. They then had to search inside hundreds of clay pots around the shop for the matching items and bring pots back to the starting point, one at a time, to be verified. Once all the matching items were collected, teams received a pot to break open containing their next clue.
- At Bahrain Endurance Village, teams had to choose a camel herder, who would show them how to milk a camel. One team member then had to collect enough milk to fill a glass while their partner kept the camel calm in order to receive their next clue.
- Teams began the ninth leg at nearby Africa Unity Square.
- In an unaired task at Bahrain Bay, team members were asked three questions and without consulting each other had to answer to whom the question applied. The three questions were: Who has carried the most weight in the Race?; Who is the first to quit on a task? Who knows their partner best? Team members had to answer these questions with one member standing on a plank on a boat floating on the sea. If the answers did not match, then the person on the plank had to dive into the bay and teams would start over. When teams matched all three answers, they would receive their next clue.
Leg 10 (Bahrain → Thailand)
- Muharraq
- Manama to Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Mai
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to consume three cooked scorpions and a bullfrog to receive their next clue. For the duration of the task, the non-participating team member would have to stand with live scorpions crawling on them.
;Additional task
- After arriving in Chiang Mai, teams were told to find white elephants at Royal Park Ratchaphruek, a series of statues, where they would find a garland that they had to give to one of four women with an umbrella in the vicinity of the garden in exchange for their next clue.
- Teams began the tenth leg by the Falcon Statue around the Arad Walkway in Muharraq.
- Once in Chiang Mai, teams had to choose a provided songthaew to serve as their transportation for this leg.
Leg 11 (Thailand → Hong Kong)
- Chiang Mai to Chep Lap Kok, Hong Kong, China
- Central and Western District
- Southern District
- Southern District
- Central and Western District
- Central and Western District
- Wan Chai District
This leg's Detour was a choice between Hairy Crab or Grub Grab. In Hairy Crab, teams had to properly wrap and pack 50 live hairy crabs in a basket, while subjected to simulated typhoon conditions, to receive their next clue. In Grub Grab, one team member had to take 8 restaurant orders in Cantonese, then relay it to their partner in the kitchen, who had to find the corresponding dishes, which were labeled phonetically. Once every patron was served correctly, teams received their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to suit up in protective equipment and smash a pile of old electronics with a baseball bat to find two that contained half of a clue. Once they received both halves, they then splattered a gallon of paint over the pile to create a work of "rage art". Meanwhile, the non-participating team member was handcuffed to a briefcase.
;Additional tasks
- Upon arrival in Hong Kong, teams traveled to Victoria Peak, where they had their picture taken overlooking the Hong Kong skyline. After their photograph was printed, teams would be given the photograph and their next clue.
- After completing the Roadblock, teams had to search the streets of Lan Kwai Fong for three signs depicting things seen in previous legs of the Race and left them to recall the numbers of the legs where those things were seen. These numbers corresponded to the combination to open the briefcase still handcuffed to the wrist of the team member who did not perform the Roadblock. The correct order of numbers was different for each briefcase. Inside the briefcase was the key to the handcuffs and the location of the Pit Stop: the intersection of Johnston Road and Wan Chai Road.
Leg 12 (Hong Kong → United States)
- Chep Lap Kok to San Francisco, California, United States
- San Francisco
- San Francisco
- San Francisco
- San Francisco
- San Francisco
- Alameda
;Additional tasks
- After arriving in San Francisco, teams had to find their next clue near the "'Say Hey Kid' statue", leaving them to figure out that this was a reference to the statue of former San Francisco Giants player Willie Mays outside AT&T Park.
- At AT&T Park, teams had to paddle kayaks around McCovey Cove and find three numbered baseballs corresponding to the digits in the number of career home runs hit by Willie Mays, leaving them to figure out the correct number, while Giants mascot Lou Seal threw more balls into the water from the ballpark. Once teams had the correct numbers, they would receive their next clue from an umpire.
- The clue received from the Roadblock was a rebus that left teams to figure out they had to travel to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. There, they had to properly make 102 fortune cookies, 51 per team member. Once approved, they received a giant fortune cookie to break open for their next clue.
- On the USS Hornet, teams had to choose a fuselage of a large model airplane on the flight deck, then search the entire aircraft carrier for twelve parts of matching color with which to complete the model. Each part had different pictures depicting something encountered on a leg of the Race. After finding all twelve parts, the team member who did not perform the Roadblock had to assemble the airplane with the correct combination of six parts that would fit correctly on the fuselage and represent all 12 legs without duplication :
- During the flight to San Francisco, the final 3 teams received a free upgrade to business class.
Ratings
- Episodes 9 & 10, "The First Rule of Amazing Race Club", aired during the opening week of the 2018 Winter Olympics.