# The Amazing Race 37

The Amazing Race 37 is the thirty-seventh season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it features fourteen teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the world to win US$1,000,000. This season visited three continents and nine countries and traveled over 29,000 miles (47,000 km). Starting in Los Angeles, teams traveled through Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, France, and Portugal before returning to the United States and finishing in Miami. It has been described as a "season of surprises", as each leg of the race is said to include a twist in the form of an obstacle or a unique task. New elements introduced this season include the Fork in the Road and the Driver's Seat. Elements of the show that returned for this season include the double elimination leg, the Intersection, and the Fast Forward. The season premiered on CBS on March 5, 2025.

## Production
### Development and filming

On May 2, 2024, the show was renewed for a thirty-seventh season with CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach teasing a potential new twist for the show. In an interview before the finale of the thirty-sixth season, Phil Keoghan stated, "We know the audience loves the airports; we know the audience loves mixing things up. We know that the audience loves going to new places, like Slovenia in Season 35. We got so much great feedback about Slovenia, so expect to see some new destinations, and also trying some new things."
Filming for this season began on May 18, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles with teams then flying to Hong Kong. On May 21, teams left Hong Kong for Osaka, Japan. On June 10, a leg was filmed in Sabrosa, Portugal. Filming concluded on June 14 in Miami. This season also included visits to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Strasbourg, France as well as a first-time visit to Bulgaria. In total the season visited nine countries across 29,000 miles (47,000 km).
In August 2024, Keoghan stated in an interview, "We wanted to do a season where there were a few surprise elements, so I guess that's what I would say would summarize what we did. There's just some things that come of left field for the contestants and I think the viewers will find it fun. Not necessarily new twists but just surprises."
This season was dubbed the "Season of Surprises" by CBS, where every episode features a "game-changing twist". These twists include longstanding staples of the show including the Fast Forward (last seen in season 29) and U-Turn as well as a new twist called the "Fork in the Road" during the first leg in Hong Kong, where teams have to choose one of two race routes to the Pit Stop and two teams are eliminated at the end of the leg. The Intersection returned for the first time since season 16. The fourth leg also introduced a new twist called the Driver's Seat.

### Casting

Casting for the season began on December 4, 2023.

## Release
### Broadcast

In May 2024, CBS announced that the thirty-seventh season would air in 2025 on Wednesday nights alongside Survivor 48 with 90-minute episodes. On November 13, 2024, CBS announced that the season's premiere date as March 5, 2025.

### Marketing

The first episode of this season was screened at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta during a panel with Phil Keoghan, Han & Holden, and Nick & Mike on February 5, 2025. The first trailer for this season was released on February 19, 2025.

## Cast

Scott and Lori Thompson were revealed early on January 9, 2025, during the cast announcement for the second season of Raid the Cage. The full cast was revealed on February 5, 2025. With fourteen teams, this season features the largest cast for the American edition of The Amazing Race.
| Contestants | Age | Relationship | Hometown | Status |
| Jackye Clayton | 51 | Sisters | Waco, Texas | Eliminated 1st & 2nd (in Hong Kong) |
| Lauren McKinney | 61 | Sisters | Waco, Texas | Eliminated 1st & 2nd (in Hong Kong) |
| Mark Crawford | 63 | Retired Firefighters | Watertown, Tennessee | Eliminated 1st & 2nd (in Hong Kong) |
| Larry Graham | 59 | Retired Firefighters | Bartlett, Tennessee | Eliminated 1st & 2nd (in Hong Kong) |
| Ernest Cato | 59 | Father & Daughter | Chicago, Illinois | Eliminated 3rd (in Minoh, Japan) |
| Bridget Cato | 28 | Father & Daughter | Somerville, Massachusetts | Eliminated 3rd (in Minoh, Japan) |
| Alyssa Borden | 31 | Married Nurses | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Participating |
| Josiah Borden | 32 | Married Nurses | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Participating |
| Bernie Gutierrez | 31 | Friends | Dallas, Texas | Participating |
| Carrigain Scadden | 33 | Friends | Denver, Colorado | Participating |
| Brett Hamby | 36 | Married Vegas Performers | Las Vegas, Nevada | Participating |
| Mark Romain | 37 | Married Vegas Performers | Las Vegas, Nevada | Participating |
| Carson McCalley | 28 | Best Friends & Gamers | Brooklyn, New York | Participating |
| Jack Dodge | 27 | Best Friends & Gamers | Brooklyn, New York | Participating |
| Courtney Ramsey | 33 | Dating Nurses | Leland, North Carolina | Participating |
| Jasmin Carey | 34 | Dating Nurses | Leland, North Carolina | Participating |
| Han Nguyen | 26 | Siblings | Los Gatos, California | Participating |
| Holden Nguyen | 22 | Siblings | Los Gatos, California | Participating |
| Jonathan Towns | 42 | Married Parents | Pomona, California | Participating |
| Ana Towns | 35 | Married Parents | Pomona, California | Participating |
| Melinda Papadeas | 66 | Mother & Daughter | Chandler, Arizona | Participating |
| Erika Papadeas | 32 | Mother & Daughter | Englewood, Colorado | Participating |
| Nick Fiorito | 32 | Brothers | Brooklyn, New York | Participating |
| Mike Fiorito | 28 | Brothers | Brooklyn, New York | Participating |
| Jeff "Pops" Bailey | 65 | Father & Son Lumberjacks | St. Louis, Missouri | Participating |
| Jeff Bailey | 36 | Father & Son Lumberjacks | St. Louis, Missouri | Participating |
| Scott Thompson | 47 | Married Parents of Eight | Salt Lake City, Utah | Participating |
| Lori Thompson | 49 | Married Parents of Eight | Salt Lake City, Utah | Participating |

## Results

The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
* A red placement with a dagger (†) indicates that the team was eliminated.
* A violet + indicates that the teams encountered an Intersection.
* A teal γ indicates that the teams encountered a Fork in the Road.
* A maroon Δ indicates that the teams encountered a Driver's Seat.
Team placement (by leg) :
| Team | 1γ | 1γ | 2+ |
| Jonathan & Ana | 2nd | | 1st |
| Scott & Lori | 3rd | | 2nd |
| Alyssa & Josiah | 1st | | 3rd |
| Carson & Jack | | 1st | 4th |
| Melinda & Erika | 6th | | 5th |
| Courtney & Jasmin | | 6th | 6th |
| Pops & Jeff | 4th | | 7th |
| Bernie & Carrigain | | 4th | 8th |
| Brett & Mark | | 2nd | 9th |
| Nick & Mike | | 5th | 10th |
| Han & Holden | 5th | | 11th |
| Ernest & Bridget | | 3rd | 12th† |
| Mark & Larry | | 7th† | |
| Jackye & Lauren | 7th† | | |
* ↑ This leg featured a Fork in the Road, where teams were presented with two routes to the Pit Stop. Teams in the left column chose the Sing route, while teams in the right column chose the Dance route.
* ↑ This leg featured an Intersection. The teams were paired up thusly: Ernest & Bridget and Brett & Mark, Carson & Jack and Jonathan & Ana, Alyssa & Josiah and Nick & Mike, Courtney & Jasmin and Pops & Jeff, Han & Holden and Melinda & Erika, and Bernie & Carrigain and Scott & Lori.

## Race summary
### Leg 1 (United States → Hong Kong)

* Episode 1: "Double the Stakes, Double the Eliminations" (March 5, 2025)
* Prize: US$3,000 (awarded to Carson & Jack and Alyssa & Josiah)
* Eliminated: Mark & Larry and Jackye & Lauren

#### Locations

* Los Angeles, California (Academy Museum of Motion Pictures) (Starting Line)
* Los Angeles → Hong Kong
* Hong Kong (Tian Tan Buddha)
* Hong Kong (Central Piers → Cheung Chau Ferry Pier)
* Hong Kong (Cheung Chau Family Walk)
* Hong Kong (Pak Tai Temple Playground)
* Hong Kong (Cheung Chau Ferry Pier → Central Piers)
* Hong Kong (Lok Kwan Street Park (in Chinese))
* Hong Kong (Jao Tsung-I Academy (in Chinese) or Xiqu Centre)
* Hong Kong (West Kowloon Cultural District – Art Park Terrace)

#### Episode summary

* Teams set off from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and drove to the airport, where they had to book one of two flights to Hong Kong. Once there, teams had to travel by Lantau Taxi to the Tian Tan Buddha and climb up the stairs to the clue box. Teams then traveled to Central Piers, took the Sun Ferry to Cheung Chau, and searched the promenade in Cheung Chau Family Walk for their next clue.
* In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to climb a Cheung Chau Bun Festival bamboo tower at the Pak Tai Temple Playground and retrieve their next clue from the top.
* After the Roadblock, teams had to take the ferry back to Central Piers and then find their next clue at Lok Kwan Street Park.
* Teams encountered the Fork in the Road and had to choose one of two routes to the Pit Stop: Dance (跳舞 – tiu3 mou5) or Sing (唱歌 – coeng3 go1). In Dance, teams had to travel to Jao Tsung-I Academy and perform a short lion dance routine before receiving their next clue. In Sing, teams traveled to Xiqu Centre, where they had to dress up in traditional costume and make-up and perform a section of a Cantonese opera, fully in Cantonese, before receiving their next clue. Each route had a limit of seven teams, and teams had to reveal their choices for later-arriving teams.
* After completing either route, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: the Art Park Terrace in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

#### Additional note

* This was a double-elimination leg. The last team to arrive on each route was eliminated.

### Leg 2 (Hong Kong → Japan)

* Episode 2: "Very Strong Warrior Energy" (March 12, 2025)
* Prize: Cashback rewards for a trip for two to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (awarded to Jonathan & Ana)
* Eliminated: Ernest & Bridget

#### Locations

* Hong Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade)
* Hong Kong (Crocodile Center (in Chinese) – Skywards Travel)
* Hong Kong → Osaka, Japan
* Osaka (Tsūtenkaku Tower)
* Osaka (Namba Hatch (in Japanese))
* Osaka (Dōtonbori Bridge)
* Sakai (Ohama Daishin Arena or Ohama Sumo Arena)
* Minoh (Katsuō-ji Tahōtō)

#### Episode summary

* Teams start their leg at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade overlooking the Avenue of Stars. At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Osaka, Japan, with teams required to book their flight at the Crocodile Center. Once there, teams had to travel to the Tsūtenkaku Tower and find their next clue, which sent them to Namba Hatch.
* Teams encountered an Intersection, which required two teams to join together and complete tasks together until further notice. The teams were paired up thusly: Ernest & Bridget and Brett & Mark, Carson & Jack and Jonathan & Ana, Alyssa & Josiah and Nick & Mike, Courtney & Jasmin and Pops & Jeff, Melinda & Erika and Han & Holden, and Bernie & Carrigian and Scott & Lori.
* In this leg's Roadblock, one member from each of the newly-joined teams had to memorize and perform a taiko drum routine alongside a drum group before receiving their next clue. After this task, teams were no longer joined.
* After the Roadblock, teams had to travel on foot to the Dōtonbori Bridge, which had their next clue.
* This season's first Detour was a choice between Mochi or Mawashi. In Mochi, teams had to pound steamed rice with a large mallet and then make twelve mochi balls before receiving their next clue. In Mawashi, both team members had to properly wrap a mawashi on each other and then push a sumo wrestler out of a sumo ring before receiving their next clue.
* After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: Katsuō-ji Tahōtō in Minoh.

### Leg 3 (Japan)

* Episode 3: "Chaotic, Crazy, That's What We're Used To" (March 19, 2025)

#### Locations

* Osaka → Kyoto
* Kyoto

#### Episode summary

* At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to travel by bullet train to Kyoto.
* In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to play kemari (a game similar to hacky sack) and complete five passes of a ball among three other players before receiving their next clue. One team had the option of winning an Express Pass if both team members could complete the Roadblock.

### Leg 4 (Japan → Indonesia)

* Episode 4: "There's No Addresses in the Jungle" (March 26, 2025)

#### Locations

* Osaka → Denpasar, Indonesia

#### Episode summary

* At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Denpasar, Indonesia, on the island of Bali.

### Leg 5

* Episode 5: "It's Not Personal, It's Business" (April 2, 2025)

#### Locations
### Leg 6 (United Arab Emirates)

* Episode 6: "It Smells Like the Desert" (April 9, 2025)

#### Locations

* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Dubai

### Future legs

* Bulgaria
* France
** Strasbourg
* Portugal
** Sabrosa
* United States
** Miami, Florida

## Reception
### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Amazing Race 37 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) | Ref. |
| 1 | "Double the Stakes, Double the Eliminations" | March 5, 2025 (2025-03-05) | 0.3/5 | 2.62 | 0.3 | 1.58 | 0.6 | 4.20 | |
| 2 | "Very Strong Warrior Energy" | March 12, 2025 (2025-03-12) | 0.3/5 | 2.56 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |