The Amazing Race 8
The Amazing Race 8 (also known as The Amazing Race: Family Edition) is the eighth installment of the American reality television show "The Amazing Race". As opposed to other installments of the series, which featured pairs of adults with a pre-existing relationship, this season featured ten families of four and allowed the participation of minors as young as eight years old. Filming ran from July 7, 2005 to July 31, 2005. The show premiered on Tuesday, September 27, 2005, and concluded on Tuesday, December 13, 2005. Siblings Nick, Alex, Megan, and Tommy Linz were the  winners of this season. At 19 and 21 years of age respectively, Tommy and Megan became the youngest male and female to win the American series of "The Amazing Race" (Starr Spangler of Season 13 later equaled Megan's record). Production. Development and filming. The eighth season of "The Amazing Race" spanned , the shortest route of the series. This season placed much less emphasis on international travel as numerous legs were contained within the continental United States, and all locations were inside North America with Panama and Costa Rica visited for the first time. Filming took place between July 7 , 2005 and July 31, 2005. Route Markers were colored yellow and white with black lining, similar to the yellow and white Route Markers of season one (and in contrast to the yellow and red markers used in all other seasons). As with "The Amazing Race 7", the winners of this season were revealed in an online betting scandal just before the finale aired. For this season, the supplied credit card covered not only airfare but also gasoline, which otherwise had to be purchased with the supplied cash. The rule change was made necessary by the fact that most of the  transportation took place in automobiles rather than airplanes. The limits on individual Roadblock attempts, introduced in season six, did not apply for this season. Furthermore, some Roadblocks in this edition required the participation of two team members. Also, for the first time since Season five, a mid-season leg (specifically, Leg 4) was aired as not having a Roadblock. During Leg 1, Renee Rogers fell at the Starting Line and suffered a concussion. The Rogers Family did not realize the severity of the injury until they had gone to a hospital after being eliminated from "The Amazing Race" during the  next leg. Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg from Season 1 made a cameo appearance during the first leg handing out clues to teams in New York City at a hot dog stand. This season featured a visit to New Orleans in Legs 4 and 5, where filming occurred about a month before the Hurricane Katrina struck the region. The episodes aired after the hurricane had devastated the region. A special message was inserted at the beginning of the episodes featuring Louisiana, including one spoken by Keoghan himself, dedicating them to the victims and to those helping the recovery. The Schroeder  family, from New Orleans, had befriended the Rogers family from Shreveport in the northern part of the state during the Race. As Katrina neared landfall, the Rogers offered the Schroeders safety at their home. Katrina wiped out the Schroders' home and most of their possessions, and after staying with the Rogers for about two weeks, they were able to get more permanent housing in Baton Rouge, and most of the other teams from this Race chipped in to help the family out. During Leg 6, at Poás Volcano, the clue envelope appeared to contain Fast Forward instructions; however, this was  not mentioned or described, since either no team took advantage or plans for the task fell through. The Fast Forward in Leg 5 was introduced as the only one in the season as the show was televised. An online source claims that the task was simply not used, and all references were excised in editing. According to an interview with Wally Bransen on RFF Radio, producers originally planned a leg in Belize but had to cancel it due to Hurricane Emily and gave teams an extra day off in Costa Rica after Leg 6. Cast. In March 2005, host Phil  Keoghan toured several cities in the United States (Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Los Angeles) to scout contestants for the show. Final casting interviews took place in Las Vegas. The full list of families that participated the season (with their relationships) follow, in alphabetical order: Linda Weaver's husband, Roy, a track safety worker, was killed in an accident when he was run over by a race car at Daytona International Speedway in 2004. She reluctantly participated in two challenges directly related to racing. One was a go-kart race in Arizona, and the  other involved traveling around Talladega Superspeedway on a party bike. Billy and Carissa Gaghan wrote introductions for "My Ox is Broken", a book about "The Amazing Race". Renee Rogers died on November 24, 2013, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, at the age of 51. Future appearances. No team from this season has competed on a subsequent returnee season. Stassi Schroeder later appeared in the Oxygen reality series "Queen Bees" and finished in 7th place. Schroeder later appeared on the Bravo reality series "Vanderpump Rules" as a part of that cast for eight seasons. In 2011, Brian and Marion  Paolo appeared on the HGTV reality show "House Hunters". Results. The following teams participated in the season, 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 content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order: Episode title quotes. Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers. Prizes. Individual prizes were awarded to the first family to complete each leg, with trips provided by Travelocity. The prizes were: Race summary. Leg  1 (New York → New Jersey → Pennsylvania). Airdate: September 27, 2005 This season's first Detour was a choice between Build It or Buggy It. In Build It, teams had to use a set of provided materials to construct a functioning scale model of a watermill then use two buckets of water to power the mill and receive their next clue. In Buggy It, two members from each team had to pull a traditional Amish buggy along a course while the other two rode inside to receive their next clue. Leg 2 (Pennsylvania → Washington, D.C. → Virginia). Airdate : October 4, 2005 In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to search for one of ten spies among 50 people carrying an identical briefcase around the Tidal Basin. To identify the spy, he or she had to whisper a code phrase, "The sky is blue", but only a spy would respond with the countersign phrase, "The sea is green", and the spy swapped briefcases with the team member, where they would find their next clue upon opening the briefcase. This task was later revisited on Season 22 as a Switchback. This leg's Detour at an American  Civil War reenactment was a choice between Heat of the Battle or Heat of the Night. In Heat of the Battle, teams had to use stretchers to transport five wounded soldiers off the battlefield to a surgical tent. In Heat of the Night, teams had to roll a barrel of oil to a workstation, where they had to fill 20 oil lamps. Once done, they had to take the lamps to the quartermaster and light all of them. Leg 3 (Virginia → South Carolina → Alabama). Airdate: October 11, 2005 This leg's Detour was a choice between Forrest Gump  or Muddy Waters. In Forrest Gump, teams had to drive to Wando Shrimp Co. in Mount Pleasant, and hop onto a shrimp boat. They then had to use their hands to de-head of shrimp to receive their next clue. In Muddy Waters, teams had to drive to Ridgeville and find the Ridgeville Mud Run. Once there, teams drove a 4x4 SUV one lap through a mud obstacle course, including a gully filled with mud, to receive their next clue. If they got stuck, they would have to wait to be towed out and restart the course. In this season 's first special Roadblock, two team members had to ride in a centrifuge and endure a gravitational pull of 3.2"g" to receive their next clue. Leg 4 (Alabama → Mississippi → Louisiana). Airdate: October 18, 2005 In this leg's Roadblock, which was aired as a miscellaneous task, one team member to climb to the top of the World's Largest Office Chair to retrieve their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Work or Play. In Work, teams first had to don flannel clothing then use a two-man saw to cut four slices off a  log, in diameter, to receive their next clue from a sawyer. In Play, teams had to don traditional New Orleans clothing, make their way by canoe to a riverboat, where they had to play a game of blackjack against a professional dealer. To win a round, the hand of each team member needed to have a combined total of more than the dealer's hand without going over 21 after the dealer stays with a hand of at least 17 or goes bust (goes over 21). When the team won three rounds, the dealer would give them their clue. Leg  5 (Louisiana → Panama). Airdate: October 25, 2005 For this season's only aired Fast Forward, one team had to find a crane at the Pacific side of Panama Canal, on Pier 14 in Balboa. Once there, the family had to split into pairs and perform a tandem bungee jump above sea level to win the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Rhythm or Coos. In Rhythm, teams traveled to Casco Viejo to collect four musical instruments: a saxophone (from Teatro Nacional de Panamá), a trumpet (from Escuela Simón Bolívar), a conga drum (from Casa  Góngora) and a trombone (from ). Once they retrieved all the instruments, they had to deliver them by foot to Take Five Jazz and Wine where the band leader would hand them their next clue. In Coos, teams traveled to El Parque Metropolitan, where they had to use binoculars to search the rainforest canopy for wooden replicas of five local bird species from a provided bird identification card. Once a bird was found, they had to circle the correct species on the card. When they had five correct circles, they had to present the card to the bird expert to get  their next clue. However, if they circled the wrong birds, they would have to repeat the task. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member to had to play baseball against a local little-league champion inside Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena. If they got a base hit or home run, the umpire would give them their next clue. But if a player failed after three pitches, they would have to go back to the end of the line to try again. Leg 6 (Panama → Costa Rica). Airdate: November 1, 2005 There was an unaired Fast Forward during this leg , as teams were seen holding a Fast Forward at Poás Volcano National Park. However, this Fast Forward was unaired, and further details are unknown. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search through an pile of coffee beans to find the one red bean that they had to give to the plantation manager for their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Relic or Ripe. In Relic, teams traveled to a nearby rainforest within Manuel Antonio National Park, where they had to search for four Mayan relics on six road bridges. Once they delivered  each of these relics to an archaeologist, they would receive the next clue. In Ripe, teams traveled to the Frutas Selectas del Tropico banana plantation, where they had to gather 15 bushels of bananas and load them onto hanging tracks. Teams then had to use a local pulley-system to haul the fruit to the distribution center to receive their next clue from the foreman. Leg 7 (Costa Rica → Arizona). Airdate: November 8, 2005 This leg's Detour was a choice between Brush or Barrel. In Brush, teams had to travel to Taller Eloy Alfaro in Sarchí. Once there , they must choose two partially painted cartwheels, and use the provided pattern to fill-in the missing section. When they finished decorating the wheel and the artist approved their work, they would receive their clue. In Barrel, teams traveled to a sugarcane factory called Ingenio La Argentina, where they had to load a tractor with of harvested sugarcane, then transport it to the rum factory Fabrica Nacional de Licores. Once the sugarcane was delivered, they had to search a warehouse to find a marked barrel-rack hidden among dozens of rum barrels to receive their next clue. In this leg 's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a racing go-kart at Bondurant SuperKart School for 50 laps of the race track, with a brief pit stop after the 25th lap, to receive their next clue. Leg 8 (Arizona). Airdate: November 8, 2005 In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to fly in a fighter plane and, following the pilot's direction, perform a 360-degree loop to receive their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Bearing or Bailing. For both Detours options, the teams traveled by motorized raft to Horseshoe Bend along  the Colorado River. In Bearing, teams had to choose one of five color-coded card with unique compass bearing. They then followed the bearing to the next card and repeated the process until they obtained four cards. Once teams had all four cards, they could exchange them for the next clue. In Bailing, teams had to use their hands and provided tools to bail water out of a submerged boat until it was light enough to carry. Once the boat had been carried ashore and across a line in the sand, teams would receive their next clue. Leg 9 (Arizona  → Utah). Airdate: November 22, 2005 This leg's Detour was a choice between Ride Down or Drop Down. In Ride Down, teams had to choose bikes and ride a course down the mountain, then to Bull Canyon to retrieve their next clue. In Drop Down, teams completed a two-stage rappel, totalling , to reach Bull Canyon and their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to put on skis and descend a ski-jump training ramp into an Olympic pool to receive their next clue. Leg 10 (Utah → Wyoming → Montana). Airdate: November 29 , 2005 This leg's first Detour was a choice between Spike It or Steam It. In Spike It, teams used historic materials and tools to complete a section of railway track. In Steam It, teams used buckets to fill the tender of a steam locomotive with nearly of coal. In both Detours, teams would need to get their work approved by a railway engineer before receiving their next clue. In this leg's first Roadblock, two team members had to mount horses and herd six cattle a quarter-mile (400 m) from a holding pen into a corral to receive  their next clue from a cowboy. Airdate: December 6, 2005 This leg's second Detour was a choice between Pioneer Spirit or Native Tradition. In Pioneer Spirit, teams had to attach four wheels to a covered wagon, hook up a team of horses, and drive along a quarter-mile (400 m) course. In Native Tradition, teams had to use traditional materials and tools to build a teepee. In this leg's second Roadblock, two team members chose a colored flag and attached it to a Buick Lucerne golf cart. They then drove to the Red Lodge Mountain golf course and  searched for balls the same color as their flag. Once the task was completed, the golf pro would give them their next clue. Leg 11 (Montana → Canada → New York). Airdate: December 13, 2005 This leg's first Detour was a choice between Slide It or Roll It. In Slide It, teams traveled to Glenfinnan Rink at McGill University to participate in the sport of curling. Each team member glided a granite stone down the ice to the house target. Once a team member got a stone into the house or touched the house with a total of 4  targets, they would receive their next clue. In Roll It, teams traveled to Morgan Arboretum and had to use lumberjack tools to roll four wooden logs along the course to receive their next clue from the lumberjack. In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to successfully complete a flying trapeze maneuver known as a "catch" to receive their clue. This season's final Detour was a choice between Ship or Shoe. In Ship, teams had to sail across Toronto Harbour from Queens Quay to the schooner "Kajama", where one team member had to climb to the top  of the mast to retrieve a nautical flag that they could exchange with the captain for their next clue. In Shoe, teams traveled to Bata Shoe Museum, where they had to choose a pair of shoes and search among 100 women for the one woman who fit the shoes to receive their next clue. In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to assemble a 71 piece giant jigsaw puzzle map of Central and North America (excluding the Caribbean). Once the puzzle was completed, teams were allowed to go to the Finish Line. Reception. Critical response. Fans, critics , and racers were negative over the format changes implemented in this edition of "The Amazing Race". The main issues were the lack of international travel and watered-down challenges tailored to families, and the expanded cast also made it more difficult to develop individual story lines. Dalton Ross of "Entertainment Weekly" commented that "Half the fun of "The Amazing Race" has always been watching the inter- and intra-couple bickering that goes with being chronically late and lost in a foreign land. Seeing parents yell at their children in exotic New Jersey? Not so fun". Robert Bianco of "USA Today  shared similar opinions, adding that the idea of being trapped in the back seat for a forced cross-country family drive comes closer to a nightmare relived than a dream come true." Linda Holmes of "Television Without Pity" called the decision to have 40 contestants "baffling" and was disappointed with the tasks and locations on this season. Scott Pierce of "Deseret News" wrote "this 'Family Edition' of 'Amazing Race' is by far my least favorite. None of the families really seemed worth rooting for and the competition has been watered down to something less than scintillating to accommodate the family  element." In 2016, this season was ranked last out of the first 27 seasons by the "Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race" correspondents. Conversely in 2021, Val Barone of "TheThings" ranked the Family Edition as the show's 10th best season. Racers were also disappointed that they did not have a chance to travel to more exotic locations; in one episode Marion Paolo commented "What are we going to Phoenix, Arizona for? I want to go to New Zealand!" – a statement that also summed up the general opinion of the season. In hindsight, the production team has admitted that the  concept of a Family Edition "looked good on paper" but failed in execution, since child racers limited foreign travel for that season. Producers Bertram van Munster and Jonathan Littman doubt that the family format will be revived in the future.