The Amazing Race 9


The Amazing Race 9 is the ninth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. The season featured eleven teams of two, all with pre-existing relationships, in a race around the world for a grand prize. The show premiered on Tuesday, February 28, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2006.
Best friends B. J. Averell and Tyler MacNiven were the winners of this Race.
A DVD set of this season was released on October 23, 2012, via Amazon.com's CreateSpace program.

Production

Development and filming

The Amazing Race 9 lasted 27 days during which participants traveled over. Filming ran from November 7 to December 3, 2005. The Race visited ten countries on five continents, three of which were new: Greece, Japan, and Oman. Previously visited Race destinations included Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Thailand. This season of the Race had the second longest course, behind The Amazing Race 5.
Additionally, this season of the Race was the first one to start and end at the same location: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the world-famous outdoor concert venue outside Denver. Other seasons have started and ended in the same city, but the location of the Starting and Finish Lines were different.
As a result of scheduling conflicts after the season finale aired, runners-up Eric & Jeremy were unable to attend the premiere of The Da Vinci Code, which had moved from Hollywood to the Cannes Film Festival and was their prize for securing first place in Leg 6. They later announced that CBS had given them a different prize as compensation.

Cast

Applications for The Amazing Race 9 were closed on July 26, 2005. Semi-finalist interviews were held sometime in September 2005. Final casting interviews took place in October 2005.
Following the Family Edition experiment of Season 8, which featured teams of four family members racing in the United States and Central America, this season returned to the traditional format of eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The teams included hippie best friends, a couple married for 40 years, and sisters living in different states.
After the season finale, Eric announced that he was dating Danielle and had planned to move to New York to be closer to her. After the two participated in the All-Star season in 2007, Eric & Danielle said in a post-show interview that they were no longer dating due to distance and were now just friends. Danielle married in 2011 and is now a mother of two young daughters, born in 2009 and 2012.
Ray proposed to Yolanda on The Early Show the morning after the season finale, and she accepted. This episode also showed their full progress on the final leg of The Amazing Race, including Yolanda's progress on the Roadblock.
Joseph & Monica got married a few years after the Race ended, but it ended in divorce. Monica remarried Green Bay Packers long snapper Brett Goode.
Lisa Hinds died on August 2, 2017, following a battle with cancer, at the age of 60.

Future appearances

Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner were also selected to race in The Amazing Race: All-Stars among a cast of returning teams from seasons 1-10.
Since September 2019, Lake and Michelle Garner have starred on their own local TV show called The Tooth Hurts. The show features both their home lives and their business lives. It is also available for viewing on both the show's YouTube homepage and Facebook homepage.

Awards

On August 27, 2006, Season 9 won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, the fourth consecutive award for the series. Producers nominated this season instead of the critically lambasted Family Edition, which was also eligible for the award.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, each listed along with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all of the content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:
  1. Leg 3 was a double-length leg. It featured a Virtual Pit Stop, and had two Detours and two Roadblocks shown over two episodes.
  2. ^ Ray & Yolanda and BJ & Tyler were each issued 15-minute penalties for taking a bus instead of a train to the Isthmos Train Station. While the penalty resulted in Ray & Yolanda dropping to 3rd, BJ & Tyler's placement was not affected. Lake & Michelle were also subject to the same penalty, but they were the last team to arrive to the Pit Stop, resulting in their elimination without the penalty being assessed.
  3. While neither Ray nor Yolanda was shown performing the Roadblock on the final leg before arriving at the Finish Line, a montage shown on The Early Show the next day showed Yolanda as the member who had done the Roadblock task. This is included in the Roadblock count.

    Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "Here We Go, Baby, Off to Win a Million Bucks!" – John
  2. "I'm Filthy And I Love It" – Monica
  3. "I'm In Russia Playing With Dolls" – Jeremy
  4. "It's Not Over Until The Phil Sings" – Tyler
  5. "Good Thing I Took That Human Anatomy Class in High School" – Tyler
  6. "Sleep Deprivation Is Really Starting to Irritate Me" – Lake
  7. "Herculean Effort for Some Herculean Dudes" – Tyler
  8. "Here Comes The Bedouin" – Fran
  9. "Do You Know How Much Running I Did Today, Phil?" – Jeremy
  10. "Man, They Should Have Used Their Fake Names" – Eric
  11. "I Think This Monkey Likes Me" – Eric
  12. "5 Continents, 9 Countries, More Than 59,000 Miles" – Phil Keoghan

    Prizes

Individual prizes were awarded to the first team to complete a leg unless otherwise noted.

Leg 1 (United States → Brazil)

Airdate: February 28, 2006
The first Detour of the season was a choice between Motor Head or Rotor Head. In Motor Head, teams had to travel to a motorcycle shop named Caverna Moto Peças and assemble a motorcycle using the parts provided with a finished model for reference. When the motorcycle is properly assembled and the mechanic could start the bike, the team would receive their next clue. In Rotor Head, teams had to travel to Campo de Marte Airport, where they had to use a flight directory to locate one of three buildings from a helicopter; each location varied in distance with only a limited number of tickets provided for each. The options were: :pt:Edifício São Luís Gonzaga|Edifício São Luís Gonzaga, and . Once teams found their destination, the pilot would land the helicopter on the rooftop of that building so they could search a designated area for their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: March 7, 2006
In the first Roadblock, one racer from each team had to climb one of three stairwells on the building's fire escape. Once at the top, they would put on a harness and rappel down the building to receive their next clue. The order which they arrived at the top determined the order of descent.
The Detour was a choice between Press It or Climb It. In Press It, teams had to drive to Camping Bela Vista to process raw sugar cane and distill its juice. Then, teams had to make 500 milliliters of ethanol to fuel their cars as an alternative fuel source. After completing the task, teams poured the newly created ethanol into their cars and the chemist handed them their next clue. In Climb It, teams travelled to Usina Jacaré and hiked to a nearby waterfall. Once there, they climbed up a waterfall using mechanical ascenders to the top to receive their next clue
;Additional tasks
Airdate: March 14, 2006
The Roadblock for the first half of the leg required one team member to put on a bathing suit, dive off a diving platform into the pool below, and then swim to retrieve their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Scrub or Scour. In Scrub, teams had travel to a trolley bus depot at 8 Trolley Park and had to thoroughly wash a Russian public trolleybus inside and out to the satisfaction of the trolleybus attendant to receive their next clue. In Scour, teams had travel to Dubrovka Theatre to search among 1,500 pieces of Russian nesting dolls to find one of 10 with a microscopic clue hidden inside a doll.
;Additional tasks
and ended at the Siegestor in Munich.
Airdate: March 21, 2006
In the second Roadblock of this leg, one team member had to search among 150 hats and feet scattered across a large field for one of eleven hidden Travelocity Roaming Gnomes containing the next clue.
The second Detour for the leg was a choice of Break It or Slap It. In Break It, teams broke stunt bottles over each other's heads until they found , the German word for cheers, written on the back of the label to receive their next clue. However, they could only smash one bottle per cuckoo from a traditional German cuckoo clock. In Slap It, teams had to learn a traditional Schuhplattler dance and correctly perform it to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: March 28, 2006
The Detour was a choice of Foundry or Laundry. In Foundry, teams had to walk a nearby metal works called Premiata Fonderia Birrione Campane at 8 Via Renda to carry a iron-cast bell. Then, teams have to use Ape to drive the bell, drop-off at Via Don Leonardo Zangara and delivered it to Chiesa Maria SS. Del Soccorso to a priest to receive their next clue. In Laundry, teams needed to find Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi to search through over 2,400 items of laundry for one of sixteen items of clothing bearing a red and yellow tag that they had to give to a laundry lady for their next clue.
The Roadblock required one team member to correctly piece together a classical Greek statue, while the racers were not told that there were two extra pieces that did not belong until they went to an archaeologist to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 5, 2006
The Detour was a choice between Big Fish or Little Fish. In Big Fish, teams had to travel by foot to a street vendor in Via Alessi and pick up a 32-pound swordfish, then carry it for another third of a mile to Il Mercato Storico la Pescheria. At the market, teams had to find Jagino, the fish market vendor, to receive their next clue. In Little Fish, teams had to travel by foot to the same fish market and sell of a small fish known as triglia to receive their next clue from a vendor.
The Roadblock had one racer participate in a popular Italian sport: kayak polo. They would join a professional team and participate in an ongoing match. When the team member scored one goal, a coach would give them their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: April 12, 2006
The Fast Forward had teams travel on foot less than a mile to Stamatopoulos Taverna and take part in a traditional Greek method of dispelling mischievous spirits: plate breaking. Teams had to break plates to find a route marker flag baked into only one of hundreds of plate. The first team to find the flag would win the Fast Forward award.
The Roadblock required one team member had to bungee jump into the Corinth Canal to receive their next clue from the bungee master. This task would be revisited again on Season 29 as a Switchback.
For the Ancient Greek-inspired Detour, teams drove to the Ancient Stadium in Nemea and chose either Herculean Effort or It's All Greek To Me. In Herculean Effort, teams had to complete three events from the Ancient Olympic Games. One team had to throw the discus a competitive distance. While the other team had to do the javelin throw the same distance. Finally, both teams had to participate in Greco-Roman wrestling in a circle to receive their next clue. In It's All Greek To Me, teams entered an archaeological site to search a specific section for nine pieces of pottery containing Greek letters. Then, teams have to translate from Greek to English letters and unscramble them to spell a location on a Greek map, Dimitsana, to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 19, 2006
The Detour was a choice of Camel or Watchtower. In Camel, teams first had to make their way across the creek on a ferry to opposite bank, where they had to lift a camel into a pickup truck using a winch. Then, they had to use a map to drive to a Bedouin camp and deliver the camel to receive their next clue. In Watchtower, teams had to cross the river and search in three watchtowers for an Arabian message box scroll. However, not every watchtower had a scroll. After they found it, they had to travel to Al-Sayegh Gold and Silversmith to exchange their scroll for their next clue.
The Roadblock required one team member to search and dig any of 117 sand dunes to find one of 6 Omani underground ovens with a shuwa, a woven pouch with a meal of lamb wrapped in a dried palm leaf bag and steamed in the oven, which they would have for dinner. Once they found the shuwa, a Bedouin would give teams their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 26, 2006
The Detour for the leg took place at Salmon Bay, was a choice between Sand or Sea. In Sand, teams had to drag 40 branches to a marked sand dune, an activity known as "brushing the beach," which helps to prevent erosion. Once the pile is completed, teams received their next clue. In Sea, teams had to dive in the waves and searched among 50 underwater crayfish traps on the ocean floor for those with live Western rock lobsters, each team member had to retrieve one rock lobster. Once the lobster crates were given to a fisherman, they received their next clue.
For the Roadblock, one racer had to search a block of Fremantle Prison for one of several cells within Division 4 that contained Duracell Copper-Top batteries and a flashlight. They would use the flashlight to search for an entrance to a darkened cavern, and descend underground to wet and dry tunnels for the next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 3, 2006
For this Roadblock, one team member had to choose a plane that would climb to an altitude of before they would perform a tandem skydive. Once on the ground, the instructor would give teams their next clue.
The Detour was a choice of Wet or Dry. In Wet, teams drove to a swimming hole called Buley Rockhole, then hiked and swam down a river infested with "spiders and poisonous plants". When they complete the trek, they would receive their next clue. In Dry, teams drove on-road, then another off-road to a rock formation known as The Lost City. Once there, teams had to select a didgeridoo and following the sound of music in the air to locate a nearby Aboriginal musician with a matching didgeridoo, who would teach each team member to play a note so they could receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 10, 2006
The Fast Forward required teams to travel to a restaurant outside of Lopburi to complete a favorite local after-school activity, which they would discover was eating a bowl of fried crickets and grasshoppers. The first team to clear the bowl would win the Fast Forward and the right to go directly to the Pit Stop.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to recreate a properly carved and arranged fruit ceremonial feast and give it to monkeys at Prang Sam Yot, much like locals do during an annual festival, to receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Move It or Altar It. In Move It, teams made their way on foot to Jom Jam Pottery Factory to transport clay pots through the streets of a market to a docked boat. Teams had to carry these clay pots on wooden boards balanced on their shoulders. Once teams delivered the 72 clay pots, a merchant would give them their next clue. In Altar It, teams made their way by foot to Wat Chimphi temple, where they had to properly assemble a shrine then apply gold leaf to a statue of Buddha to receive their next clue.
;Additional note
Airdate: May 17, 2006
The Detour was a choice of Maiden or Messenger. In Maiden, teams traveled to Hamarikyu Gardens and used a traditional Japanese palanquin to transport a young Japanese woman to a tea ceremony pavilion for the next clue. In Messenger, teams travelled by foot to a parking lot where they picked up a pair of foldable bicycles as well as messenger bags each containing a parcel. Teams then have to assemble the bikes, and ride them through the streets of Tokyo to deliver the packages to Shinjuku Park Tower and Shinjuku Chuo Koen buildings in Shinjuku. When they were done, teams returned to the bike parking lot to receive their next clue.
For the Roadblock, one team member had to ride on three extreme rides in the following order: The Pizza, Dodonpa, and Fujiyama. While riding, they had to spot a man holding a message somewhere along one of the rides. After their third ride, they had to tell the park manager what message they saw to receive their next clue; if not, they would have to go on all three rides again.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 17, 2006
The final Detour of the Race was a choice between Drill It or Deliver It. In Drill It, teams had to drill 10 holes in the ice, push an ice fishing shack to their holes, and properly position the shack over at least two of the holes. Once completed, the ice fisherman would hand them their next clue. In Deliver It, teams had to load a bush plane with medical supplies, fly with a pilot over to Girdwood to deliver the supplies, receive their next clue and fly back.
The final Roadblock of the Race required one team member to retrieve one of 285 flags for each of the nine foreign countries they visited during the Race and place them in chronological order. Teams had a reference board with the correct flags along with the flags of India, Benin, and Tuvalu as decoys. Their teammate could guide them but were not allowed to physically assist. The correct order was:
CountryBrazilRussiaGermanyItalyGreeceOmanAustraliaThailandJapan
Flag

Once teams got the correct order of flags, they could run to the Finish Line.
;Additional tasks

Canadian ratings