Oh, the stresses of traveling. Scheduled Ubers to the airport that cancel at the last minute, security check lines that seem to be long enough to reach another airport, rental car buses that don’t show up, unfamiliar road signs…you name it.
Now, try to imagine how much stress there would be if you took all these unforeseen obstacles, then added fellow travelers competing to beat you to your final destination in order to claim a million dollar prize. For most, that would be a trip with too much anxiety to even attempt. Luckily, over almost two decades, The Amazing Race has allowed us to experience these hair-pulling moments all the way to the finish line, minus the tension. Well, at least not enough tension that a couch snack wouldn’t cure.
For those who haven’t yet watched (or for those wanting to relive) each heart pumping Detour, every nail-biting U-Turn, and every pearly-white smile on Phil’s face, every season of this thrilling reality show is available to watch on streaming services.
And to ease the stress even more, any Roadblocks you might come across when trying to figure out which seasons to watch are all taken care of. We’ve got a list here to Fast Forward you right to the best seasons of The Amazing Race.
Season 5
Season 5 pushed the distance envelope as the teams had to travel the most miles yet, featuring a trek across Egypt. In fact, with yet another first, Season 5 had the contestants booking it on every populated continent in the world. With a never-ending ox-pulling competition and a mountain of caviar to ingest (to name a few of the fun challenges), this season rises to the top.
To add another layer of drama, there were no strangers on this season, as all eleven teams of two had pre-existing relationships. These included a pair of twins, a formally engaged couple and newlyweds experiencing an extremely unique honeymoon.
This season also gave fans a brand new game addition. The “Yield” option now allowed teams to halt other competitors in their tracks for a predetermined amount of time. On top of this, no longer were teams allowed to finish in a tie.
Season 19
We had a reality show (Survivor) crossover with Season 19, as former island contestants Ethan and Jenna took a shot at standing in front of a grinning Phil. The past-reality show stigma threw a wrench in this team’s travel plans, as they were targeted immediately by the other contestants. This season, we also got our first ever Double Elimination leg, in which two teams were taken out before the finish line. That addition was enjoyable, but good ol’ fashioned excitement was the star of Season 19, with nearly every leg of this contest ending with a nail-biting footrace.
Season 17
Even though at this point, an entire sixteen seasons had been completed, fans were given a few new additions to the game during Season 17. The first of these additions was the Express Pass, which allows teams to skip any challenge without incurring a penalty. Second was the U-Turn, which gives a team the power to force a competing duo of their choosing to play both Detour tasks in order to move on with the race.
Location-wise this season was the first time that the contestants crossed the Arctic Circle, providing chilling drama. But the most significant aspect of Season 17 was the woman power, as viewers rooted for team Kat and Nat to become the first all-female winners. Did they prevail? You’ll have to check out this season to find out.
Season 2
With a full first season behind them, the producers knocked out all the kinks, and proved to audiences that this new hit show wasn’t a fluke and was here to stay. The Roadblock competitions were harder and longer lasting, unforeseen obstacles kept popping up, and connecting-flight mayhem forced mortified fans at home to watch through their fingers.
Season 2 brought the contestants across eight different countries in 28 days, over 52,000 miles total, including trips to Australia and Brazil. Along with one of the most exciting final legs of all the seasons combined, this sophomore race gave us edge-of-your-seat thrills from start…to Phil.
Season 14
This season, which aired back in 2009, gave long-time fans a familiar face, as well as a significant end-of-race controversy. The familiar face came with Mike White, a Hollywood writer and actor (best known for School of Rock). Mike and his father delighted fans with comedic relief, as well as a very interesting family dynamic. The bond that formed before our eyes made it very easy to root for this duo.
More than one controversy came along with Season 14. First, contestants Marc and Michael were given 30 minute penalties each for intentionally damaging bike pumps and hiding them from other contestants. Also, fans were not happy with the fact that the final leg was located in China, giving brother/sister contestants Victor and Tammy, an unfair advantage due to the fact that they spoke Chinese.
Season 7
Season 7 of The Amazing Race gave fans an exciting reality-show crossover as former Survivor contestants/power-couple Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich stepped into this CBS parallel dimension. The duo seemed to be rolling along perfectly until they hit a meat-eating Roadblock challenge, where one member of their team had to devour over four pounds of different meats. This marked the first time a team purposely threw the competition, taking a four-hour penalty, as a gameplay tactic. Using his chessboard reality show strategy, not only did Boston Rob purposely take the penalty for not eating the meat, but he also talked other teams into doing the same thing, evening out the playing field. The race itself, towards the second half, rolled through beautiful parts of Europe making this go-around one of the show’s most scenic.
Season 1
Here’s your chance to see where it all started. There’s a special feeling to this first season, as teams genuinely seemed to really appreciate the different places and cultures they were experiencing, just a little bit more than focusing on the race itself. It was here that audiences got their first taste of frantic traveling that they didn’t have to actually experience themselves.
This inaugural season consisted of best friends, a new couple, mother and daughter, as well as a villain pair, Team Guido. With the future wide open to possibilities, Season 1 set the bar and laid out the blueprints for all the upcoming races ahead of it. A fantastic finish with three teams racing to the first ever million dollar prize was more than satisfying..and included the perfect ending for Team Guido.