The Amazing Race 28

The Amazing Race 28 is the twenty-eighth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship and including at least one notable social media personality, competing in a race around the world in order to win US$1,000,000. This season visited four continents and ten countries and traveled over 27,000 miles (43,000 km). Starting from the racers' homes in the United States, racers traveled through Mexico, Colombia, Switzerland, France, Armenia, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and China before returning to the United States and finishing in Santa Barbara wine country. A new twist introduced in this season includes having teams start from their homes instead of a centralized location. The season premiered on CBS on February 12, 2016, and the season finale aired on May 13, 2016.
Engaged choreographers Dana Borriello and Matt Steffanina were the winners of this season, while mother and son pair Sheri and Cole LaBrant finished in second place, and best friends Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl finished in third place.
Filming of The Amazing Race 28 began on November 15, 2015, with host Phil Keoghan broadcasting each team's arrival at the first clue location, the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City, via social media. Unlike previous seasons, the season began in the teams' hometowns rather than at a traditional starting line.
In total, this season spanned 18 cities and 10 countries over 27,000 miles (43,000 km) and included first-time visits to Armenia, Colombia, and Georgia. Racers were reported near Cartagena, Colombia on November 19, 2015. Filming of the show was also reported within and near Tbilisi, Georgia at the Narikala fortress, Rustaveli Theatre, the Bridge of Peace, and the Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta on November 27, 2015. Filming concluded on December 6, 2015, after 21 days.
Phil Keoghan stated that the use of social media stars was considered a "social experiment" attempting to bridge the gap between long-time fans of the show and younger viewers who may not have been born when the show debuted in 2001. Keoghan stated that bringing in contestants whom younger viewers may be more familiar with, particularly when promoted over social media, generated interest in earlier seasons of the show. Executive producer Bertram van Munster stated that the use of social media stars was also something suggested by CBS, due to the fact that CBS wanted to see the show to gain more involvement with social media.
The cast was announced on November 15, 2015, prior to the start of filming, and consisted of Internet celebrities and their relatives and friends. Most of the cast had achieved prior fame through social media platforms, such as YouTube, Vine, and Instagram.
Tyler & Korey returned to compete on The Amazing Race: Reality Showdown.
On May 25, 2016, Tyler & Korey and Erin & Joslyn appeared on an Amazing Race-themed primetime special episode of The Price Is Right. On August 7, 2018, Tyler & Korey competed together on a social media-themed episode of Fear Factor.
The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
While the casting twist for this season was criticized by long-term fans before the premiere, reviews for The Amazing Race 28 were more mixed. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that this season was one of multiple recent seasons that "sullied" The Amazing Race. Ken Tucker of Yahoo! called this season "dreadful". Luke Gelineau of TV Equals called this season "an agonizing series of frustrating legs filled with stupid decisions and vapid contestants." Phil Naegely of FanSided wrote that this season "was filled with many memorable moments" and "had drama in each and every leg." Jenni Powell of Tubefilter wrote that this season "was for the most part a very fun ride" and "a very good season." In 2024, Rhenn Taguiam of Game Rant placed this season within the bottom 13 out of 36.
Canadian broadcaster CTV also aired The Amazing Race on Fridays. Episodes aired at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Central (9:00 p.m. Pacific, Mountain and Atlantic).
Canadian DVR ratings are included in Numeris's count.