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The Amazing Race 26 is the twenty-sixth installment of the reality television show, The Amazing Race. It premiered on February 25, 2015, Wednesday, on CBS, before returning to the previous season's regular Friday schedule, beginning February 27.[2] The teams were officially announced on January 20, 2015.

Production[]

On June 17, 2014, it was announced the applications were open for all dating couples and even singles looking for blind date, it was closed in September 2014. Semi-finalist interviews and final casting interviews were both held in October 2014.

Filming for The Amazing Race 26 began on November 12, 2014, and ended on December 6, 2014. For the first time in the Race's history, all 11 teams were dating couples, five of which had never met each other prior to the race.[3] Also introduced this season was the "Date Night" ticket, in the team who retrieves the special clue for each leg would be able to participate in a one-on-one romantic-related activity at the Pit Stop.[4]

This season traveled through five continents and eight countries, under a distance of 35,000 miles (56,000 km).[5]

Teams[]

Laura & Tyler
 1st place 
Laura & Tyler
Blind Dating
Jelani & Jenny
 2nd place 
Jelani & Jenny
Blind Dating
Hayley & Blair
 3rd place 
Hayley & Blair
Blind Dating
Mike & Rochelle
 4th place 
Mike & Rochelle
Dating
Matt & Ashley
 5th place 
Matt & Ashley
Dating → Engaged
Aly & Steve
 6th place 
Aly & Steve
Dating Olympians
Jeff & Jackie
 7th place 
Jeff & Jackie
Blind Dating
Bergen & Kurt
 8th place 
Bergen & Kurt
Blind Dating
Harley & Jonathan
 9th place 
Harley & Jonathan
Dating
Libby & CJ
 10th place 
Libby & CJ
Dating
Jeff & Lyda
 11th place 
Jeff & Lyda
Dating

Episodes[]

Episode Air Date Leg Destination First Place Last Place Finish Viewership
(millions)
Ratings/Share
(18-49)
1 "Great Way to Start a Relationship" February 25, 2015 1 United States → Japan Jelani & Jenny Jeff & Lyda 1st Eliminated
11th Place
6.16[6] 1.5/4[6]
2 "I Got the Smartest Dude" February 27, 2015 2 Japan Jelani & Jenny Libby & CJ 2nd Eliminated
10th Place
6.15[7] 1.1/4[7]
3 "#MurphysLaw" March 6, 2015 3 Japan → Thailand Mike & Rochelle Harley & Jonathan Non-Elimination
Leg
6.07[8] 1.2/5[8]
4 "The Great Amazing Nasty Race" March 13, 2015 4 Thailand Bergen & Kurt Harley & Jonathan 3rd Eliminated
9th Place
6.29[9] 1.1/4[9]
5 "Get in That Lederhosen, Baby" April 3, 2015 5 Thailand → Germany Aly & Steve Bergen & Kurt 4th Eliminated
8th Place
6.07[10] 1.3[10]
6 "Smells Like a Million Bucks" April 10, 2015 6 Germany → France → Monaco → France Hayley & Blair Jeff & Jackie 5th Eliminated
7th Place
5.75[11] 1.1/4[11]
7 "Back in Business" April 17, 2015 7 France → Namibia Matt & Ashley Aly & Steve Non-Elimination
Leg
5.46[12] 1.1/4[12]
8 "Moment of Truth" 8 Namibia Laura & Tyler Aly & Steve 6th Eliminated
6th Place
9 "Can I Get a Hot Tub!" April 24, 2015 9 Namibia → Netherlands Laura & Tyler Matt & Ashley Non-Elimination
Leg
5.75[13] 1.1/4[13]
10 "Fruits of Our Labor" May 1, 2015 10 Netherlands → Peru Hayley & Blair Matt & Ashley 7th Eliminated
5th Place
5.52[14] 1.1/5[14]
11 "In It to Win It" May 8, 2015 11 Peru Hayley & Blair Mike & Rochelle Ordered to
Continue Racing
5.48[15] 1.1/5[15]
12 "Monster Truck Heroes" May 15, 2015 12 Peru → United States Laura & Tyler Mike & Rochelle 8th Eliminated
4th Place
5.72[16] 1.1/5[16]
Hayley & Blair 3rd Place
Jelani & Jenny 2nd Place

Leaderboard[]

Place Team Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4 Leg 5 Leg 6 Leg 7 Leg 8 Leg 9 Leg 10 Leg 11 Leg 12 Average Roadblock
1 Laura & Tyler 3 2 4 4 6 6 2 1 1 4 3 1 3.08 5-6
2 Jelani & Jenny 1 1 3 7 4 5 4 4ϵ 3 2 2 2 3.17 6-5
3 Hayley & Blair 8 9 2 2 5 1 3 3 2 1 1 3 3.33 5-6
4 Mike & Rochelle 7 8 1 6 7 3 5 5 4 3 4 4 4.75 6-4
5 Matt & Ashley 9 7 6 8 2 4 1 2 5 5 4.90 5-3
6 Aly & Steve 4 3 5 3 1 2 6 6 3.75 3-3
7 Jeff & Jackie 2 6 8 5 3 7 5.17 2-2
8 Bergen & Kurt 6 5 7 1 8 5.40 2-0
9 Harley & Jonathan 5 4 9 9 6.75 1-1
10 Libby & CJ 10 10 10.00 1-0
11 Jeff & Lyda 11 11.00 0-0
Notes [1] [2] [3] [4] [5][6]
Legend:
     The team finished in first place
     The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race
     The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg
     The team that won The Amazing Race
     The team that crossed the Finish Line second
     The team that crossed the Finish Line third
ϵ The team used the Express Pass somewhere during the leg
The team used the U-Turn
Recipient of the U-Turn
The team that used the second slot of the "Double U-Turn"
Recipient of a second U-Turn due to the "Double U-Turn" twist
The team that found and won the Date Night ticket

Notes:
1: Jeff & Lyda Blind U-Turned Jeff & Jackie, who had already passed the U-Turn point and were therefore unaffected by it.
2: Bergen & Kurt abandoned their provided vehicle due to difficulties driving it and were thus unable to complete the Route Information task which required use of their vehicle. Throughout the leg, Bergen & Kurt had to walk or use public transportation. Additionally, Bergen & Kurt got lost in finding the Detour location of their choice and fell behind all the other teams. Later, when all the other teams had checked in at the Pit Stop, host Phil Keoghan met with them at where they rested to eliminate them.
3: Jelani & Jenny used the Express Pass to bypass the Play Detour. However, they still had to do the other side of the Detour since Matt & Ashley U-Turned them before they got to the board.
4: Leg 11 had no mandatory rest period between legs, and all teams were ordered to continue racing. The team who checked in last on this leg did not face a Speed Bump in the next leg.
5: Leg 12 featured two Roadblocks and no Detour. The team member who sat out the first Roadblock was required to perform the second one.
6: Mike & Rochelle arrived last at P2 Ranch, an elimination point. Instead of being allowed to perform the task, they were eliminated.

Trivia[]

Franchise[]

US[]

  • This season has the second-most teams without a pre-existing relationship (5 teams), and is the first season not to feature returning racers to do so.
  • This season had the second Finish Line in Texas after The Amazing Race 5.
  • This season had the second visit to Namibia since The Amazing Race 2, breaking the record for the largest gap between one country's visit in a season and its previous visit (24 seasons).
  • The first, and so far only, season to feature no all-female teams and 2 all-male teams.
  • The second season after The Amazing Race 7 to visit Peru.
  • The first season since The Amazing Race 13 to feature a Detour on the first leg.
  • The first season to feature a U-Turn on the first leg.
  • First season to have a Detour assigned by luck rather than a team choosing which Detour option.

Reception[]

  • Andy Dehnart at realityblurred (01/20/2015): "Amazing Race really is becoming The Bachelor"
  • Jessica Liese at RHAP (02/05/2015): "Five Broken Game Twists, and how to Improve Them"

References[]

  1. http://www.cbs.com/shows/2015-finales/photos/1003956/these-are-the-season-finale-storylines-for-your-favorite-shows/81801/the-amazing-race/
  2. CBS News - "The Amazing Race" season 26 cast revealed
  3. Reality Blurred - Amazing Race drops pre-existing relationships for blind date twist
  4. CBS.com - The Amazing Race 26 Will Be The Most Extreme Blind Date Ever
  5. wikipedia:The Amazing Race 26
  6. 6.0 6.1 Zap2it - Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Empire', 'American Idol', 'Survivor' & 'Arrow' Adjusted Up; 'The 100', 'black-ish' & 'Nashville' Adjusted Down
  7. 7.0 7.1 Zap2it - TV Ratings Friday: 'Cristela' & 'Last Man Standing' Rise, 'Hawaii Five-0' Slides + 'World's Funniest Fails' Flat
  8. 8.0 8.1 Zap2it - Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustment for 'Glee', 'Hawaii Five-0', or 'Shark Tank'
  9. 9.0 9.1 Zap2it - Friday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race', 'Cristela', 'Hawaii Five-0' & 'Blue Bloods' Adjusted Down
  10. 10.0 10.1 Zap2it - Friday Final Ratings:'The Amazing Race' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Grimm' or 'Hawaii Five-0'
  11. 11.0 11.1 Zap2it - Friday Final Ratings: '20/20' Adjusted Down; No Adjustments to 'Grimm' or 'Hawaii Five-0'
  12. 12.0 12.1 Zap2it - Friday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' Adjusted Up; '20/20' Adjusted Down
  13. 13.0 13.1 Zap2it - Friday Final Ratings: "Shark Tank' Adjusted Up; 'Cedric's Barber Battle', 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' & 'The Messengers' Adjusted Down
  14. 14.0 14.1 http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/sdsdskdh279882992z1/friday-final-ratings-the-amazing-race-barber-shop-battle-adjusted-down/398951/
  15. 15.0 15.1 http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/1/friday-final-ratings-shark-tank-hawaii-five-0-the-amazing-race-adjusted-up/402060/
  16. 16.0 16.1 http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/sdsdskdh279882992z1/friday-final-ratings-the-amazing-race-adjusted-up-the-messengers-adjusted-down/405287/
  17. The World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency) - Field Listing :: Area
  18. World Bank - Population, total

External links[]

The Amazing Race Season Index
United States 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33
Asia 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
Australia 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
Brazil 1
Canada 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8
Central Europe Cancelled
China 1 · 2 · 3 · 4
China Rush 1 · 2 · 3
France 1
Israel 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8
Latin America 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
Norway 1 · 2
Philippines 1 · 2
Ukraine 1
Vietnam 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
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