The Amazing Race 15 (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 15 featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world.

The fifteenth cycle started on Sunday, September 27, 2009, with a two hour premiere. It aired on CBS in the United States, and CTV in Canada. The Amazing Race 15 aired on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT with the season finale on December 6, 2009. The show is again hosted by Phil Keoghan. In Asia, it was on-air on AXN.

Dating couple Meghan Rickey Whitney and Cheyne Whitney were the winners of this Race.

Production

Development and filming

CBS aired the fifteenth season during the start of the 2009-2010 television season. The announcement is the first such television series announcement to be made by a broadcaster on Twitter, following Keoghan's own initial announcement of the renewal via Twitter.

The fifteenth season spans eight countries in 21 days and travels miles visiting Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands and Sweden, as well as Estonia and the Czech Republic, which appeared for the first time. It also introduces new features to the race: One team was eliminated right at the Starting Line and a new twist was added, the Switchback, where teams were sent back to one of the series' most challenging Roadblocks. The race revisited the infamous Stockholm Roadblock of Season 6, in which one team member had to unroll one of 270 hay bales with only 20 containing clues. Instead of being an exact duplicate, however, this Race's Stockholm Roadblock involved fewer bales (186) and instead of 20 clues, only seven flags were hidden. Additionally, the original version had the nine teams competing; by the time this race reached the task, only five teams were involved. Also, the original version's task leg was an elimination leg, but the leg that featured the Switchback was a non-elimination leg.

All route markers and clue boxes in Vietnam were colored yellow with a white stripe rather than the typical yellow with a red stripe to avoid confusion with the flag of former South Vietnam. This was also done in Season 10. These were also the original route markers in Season 1.

This was the second season with a surprise elimination at some location other than a Pit Stop; the other was Season 10. The eliminated team, Eric & Lisa, who were eliminated at the Starting Line, acknowledged in a post-race interview that they were the first team voluntarily to leave the show instead of spending the remainder of the Race at the Elimination Station. As a consequence, they were not present at the Finish Line (the second team not to be in the season finale at the finish line, the first being in Season 13) and had no knowledge of the outcome of the Race before the season finale aired.

This was the first season since Season 11 to have more than two non-elimination points (Season 11 had four non-elimination points). This was also the first US season where the first leg was a non-elimination leg. As such, all clues leading to the Pit Stops (including the first leg) ended with the sentence "The last team to check in may be eliminated."

Wayne Newton appeared in the season finale; teams were instructed to find him in a suite at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, where he then gave them the location of the Finish Line.

Cast

Applications were originally due by February 24, 2009, but the deadline was later extended. Semi-finalist interviews were held between March 20 and March 29, 2009. Following this, finalists were invited to Los Angeles between April 23 and April 30, 2009, for final interviews with the producers. From there, 12 teams were selected as contestants. Filming took place around July and August 2009.

Casting calls were also held as host Phil Keoghan cycled across the United States during the months of April and early May 2009 to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Keoghan made stops to help with those casting calls.

Some of the more prominent members of the cast are professional poker players Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap, Harlem Globetrotters Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton and country singer-songwriter Canaan Smith.

One member of the cast, Zev Glassenberg, has Asperger's Syndrome. His teammate, Justin Kanew, is the son of Jeff Kanew, who directed Revenge of the Nerds.

Meghan and Cheyne were married on May 7, 2011; the teams of Sam and Dan, Maria and Tiffany, and Brian and Ericka were in the wedding party. Brian and Ericka recently decided to have a divorce prior to this event.

Friends Zev Glassenberg & Justin Kanew and Harlem Globetrotters Nate "Big Easy" Lofton & Herbert "Flight Time" Lang raced again in The Amazing Race 18 among a cast made up of returning teams from seasons 12-17.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Note this table does not necessarily reflect all content broadcast on television due to inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order.

Team	Relationship	Position (by leg)												Roadblocks performed
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Meghan & Cheyne	Dating	1st	6th	2nd	5th	1st	1st	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	Meghan 5, Cheyne 6
Sam & Dan	Brothers	9th	2nd	5th	1st	5th	3rd	1st	4th	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd	Sam 6, Dan 6
Brian & Ericka	Married	6th	10th	4th	3rd	2nd	4th	5th	3rd	4th		3rd	3rd	Brian 6, Ericka 6
	Harlem Globetrotters	5th	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd	6th	3rd	1st	3rd	3rd
Gary & Matt	Father/Son	7th	1st	3rd	4th	4th	5th	4th						Gary 4, Matt 5
Maria & Tiffany			7th	6th	8th	6th	2nd							Maria 2, Tiffany 5
Mika & Canaan	Newly Dating	10th	8th	7th	7th	7th								Mika 1, Canaan 5
Lance & Keri	Engaged	3rd	4th	9th	6th									Lance 3, Keri 2
Zev & Justin	Friends	2nd	5th	8th										Zev 2, Justin 2
Marcy & Ron	Dating	4th	9th											Marcy 1, Ron 2
Garrett & Jessica	Dating On & Off	8th												Garrett 1, Jessica 1
Eric & Lisa	Married Yoga Teachers													Eric 0, Lisa 0

• A team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
• A indicates that the team won a Fast Forward clue.
• An team's placement indicates that the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump task in the following leg.
• A means the team chose to use a U-Turn; indicates the team who received it; around a leg number indicates a leg where the U-Turn was available but not used.

1. ^ Eric & Lisa were eliminated at the Starting Line as per the provisions of the starting line task (see below).
2. ^ Mika & Canaan arrived at the Pit Stop in 10th place, but had lost one of the tourists that they were required bring with them. They backtracked to find their missing tourist before checking in, again. This did not affect their placement.
3. ^ Maria & Tiffany arrived at the Pit Stop in 11th place, but had lost two of the tourists that they were required bring with them. Rather than backtrack to find them, Maria & Tiffany elected to take a 2-hour penalty. Because they were in last place and it was a non-elimination leg, the 2-hour penalty would be applied to their starting time for the next Leg.
4. ^ In an unaired scene, Lance & Keri used a Blind U-Turn on Sam & Dan. However, Sam & Dan were already in front of them and the U-Turn had no effect.
5. ^ Zev & Justin initially arrived 1st, but discovered after being checked in at the mat that they were missing Zev's passport. They were told that they could not be checked in unless they had their travel documents, and backtracked to find it. All other teams checked in to the Pit Stop before they could find Zev's passport, resulting in Zev & Justin being eliminated.
6. ^ Mika & Canaan did not finish the task at the Atlantis, The Palm resort due to Mika's fear of heights and swimming/water. Already in last place, they proceeded to the Pit Stop where they checked in and were eliminated.
7. ^ Brian & Ericka initially arrived 5th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty because they did not travel by bicycle to the Detour as instructed in their clue. This did not affect their placement.
8. ^ Maria & Tiffany failed to complete either of the Detour tasks and elected to take a 24-hour penalty for failing a Detour. Already in last place, the penalty wasn't issued and Phil came out to them on the race course and eliminated them.
9. ^ Brian & Ericka initially arrived 3rd, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for writing down the letters in the Roadblock task before reaching the office, which was explicitly prohibited in the clue. This did not affect their placement and was unaired.
10. ^ At the Ekotechnické Museum, where the location of the Roadblock was, Big Easy decided that he could not finish the task and he & Flight Time decided to take the 4-hour penalty. By the time they arrived at the next Route Marker at the Kryocentrum, all the other teams had already checked in at the mat, and the clue instructed them to go directly to the Pit Stop, where they were eliminated.

Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.

1. "They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street (Japan/Vietnam)" " Flight Time
2. "It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars (Vietnam)" " Lance
3. "Sean Penn Cambodia Here We Come (Cambodia)" " Justin
4. "I'm Like Ricky Bobby (Dubai)" " Cheyne
5. "Do It for the Hood! Do It for the Suburbs! (Dubai)" " Flight Time/Sam
6. "This Is Not My Finest Hour (Netherlands)" " Ericka
7. "This Is the Worst Thing I've Ever Done in My Life (Sweden)" " Meghan
8. "We're Not Meant for the Swamp (Estonia)" " Brian
9. "We're Not Working With Anybody, Ever, Anymore! (Czech Republic)" " Ericka
10. "It Starts With an 'F', That's All I'm Saying (Czech Republic)" " Dan
11. "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound (Las Vegas)" " Elvis Presley impersonator; a cluegiver (non-racer)

Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips are sponsored by Travelocity.

• Leg 1 – A trip for two to Aspen and Vail, Colorado
• Leg 2 – A kayak for each person
• Leg 3 – A trip for two to Aruba
• Leg 4 – A pair of motorcycles (unaired)
• Leg 5 – A trip for two to Jamaica
• Leg 6 – Two personal watercrafts
• Leg 7 – A pair of dune buggies
• Leg 8 – A trip for two to the Turks and Caicos Islands
• Leg 9 – A red cedar sauna
• Leg 10 – A trip for two to Lanai, Hawaii
• Leg 11 – A pair of 52 inch HD LCD TVs
• Leg 12 – $1,000,000

Elimination Station

After elimination, five of the first six teams eliminated were sequestered at a villa in Phú Qu"?c, Vietnam to await the finale. The exception was Eric and Lisa, who chose to leave the show upon their elimination. CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode aired in the Pacific Time Zone to show the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.

• Leg 1 was a non-elimination leg, hence no team was sent to the villa and no episode was shown as no teams had arrived at the villa. Eric and Lisa were the first team eliminated which is at the Starting Line, but they did not go to the Elimination Station (see above).
• After Leg 2, Garrett and Jessica were the second team eliminated and were the first team sent to the villa. They both expressed their disappointment after having been in second place earlier in the leg and then being the first eliminated. Garrett believed that either Maria and Tiffany or Mika and Canaan would be the next team eliminated but both agreed that any of the teams could be eliminated next because of the animal challenges that presented them in the leg prior. Garrett noticed that Jessica was extremely bummed since being eliminated and Garrett wanted to ask her to marry him at the Finish Line. Garrett proposed to Jessica at the beach and she said yes, after which her mood was significantly raised.
• After Leg 3, Marcy and Ron were the third team eliminated and were the second team sent to the villa. Ron told Garrett and Jessica that the intensity had gone up a notch between the remaining racers in the last leg. The eliminated teams did a Vietnamese Martial Arts Exercise, then went out to a luxurious restaurant called "Vi"?t X?a." They took different views as to who would be the next team eliminated; Marcy believed that Flight Time and Big Easy would be eliminated next, Garrett, Jessica and Ron went with Meghan and Cheyne, Sam and Dan, and Mika and Canaan respectively.
• After Leg 4, Zev and Justin were the fourth team eliminated but were not immediately sent to the villa due to Zev losing his passport. At the villa, Marcy and Ron asked Garrett and Jessica about the marriage proposal. Noting it had been two days since the next eliminated team was supposed to arrive, the two teams discussed what might have happened to the next eliminated team. Ron speculated that the team had either lost their passports or were seriously injured. Meanwhile, in Phnom Penh, Zev and Justin went to the U.S. Embassy to request a replacement passport for Zev, only to find it had been found in a temple near the Roadblock and was turned in. They grew even more disappointed when they figured out the passport likely fell out of the fanny pack when Justin opened it to retrieve a headlight while they were searching for the Roadblock in the wrong place. They later called the villa and informed the two teams there of their elimination due to the passport mishap and told them that they would join them as soon as they could.
• After Leg 5, Lance and Keri were the fifth team eliminated. The two teams at the villa were discussing Zev and Justin, speculating about their elimination. A van arrived at the villa and the teams went outside, fully expecting to see Zev and Justin. They were surprised to see that the van contained Lance and Keri ; the third team to arrive at the villa. They explained to the other two teams at the villa of their bad directional skills that led to their elimination, as well as the lodging conditions during the Cambodia Pit Stop. The three eliminated teams at the villa drove down to a nearby river and started a race in a traditional Vietnamese boat between the boys (Garrett, Ron and Lance) and the girls (Jessica, Marcy and Keri).
• After Leg 6, Mika and Canaan were the sixth team eliminated. In the race teased in the previous episode, the eliminated girls managed to beat the boys in the boat race by nine seconds. Back at the villa, as the other three eliminated teams were relaxing, they noticed that Zev and Justin showed up ; the fourth team to arrive at the villa. The three eliminated teams were happy to see Zev and Justin showed up at the villa. They explained how they got eliminated and what they went through after being eliminated from the race. The four eliminated teams went out to the night market where Zev sampled a chicken foot. Mika and Canaan were the fifth and last team to arrive at the villa. They explained to the other four eliminated teams of Mika's fear of water and heights that led to their elimination. Canaan noted they were at the water slide for around 45 minutes.
• After Leg 7, Maria and Tiffany were the seventh team eliminated. While the eliminated teams were playing cards, Maria and Tiffany called the villa to inform them of their elimination. They tried to explain to the other teams the true reason they were eliminated, but none of the eliminated teams believed their story, as Maria and Tiffany had lied about their professions in the early stages of the race. Maria and Tiffany told the teams they would see them at the End City. Several teams expressed their resentment of Maria and Tiffany as well as their satisfaction that they were eliminated from the race and would not be joining them at the villa. The teams at the villa traveled to a rough-looking soccer field where they believed they would be playing against 7-9 year old children from the area, but instead played against a teenage-looking group of soccer players.
• Leg 8 was a non-elimination leg, hence no new teams were sent to the villa. In the soccer match teased in the previous episode, the Vietnam soccer players easily defeated the eliminated boys 4-0. The eliminated teams at the villa had a Shaman visit the villa where teams had their futures told to them. Canaan decided to break up with Mika, saying the reason was not because of the Race, but because he was not ready for a relationship and hopes they remain friends. In a post race interview, however, they mentioned that they made up.
• After Leg 9, Gary and Matt were the eighth team eliminated. Prior to the call, the eliminated teams at the villa made predictions on who would be eliminated next. All teams believed it was Brian and Ericka, except for Zev and Justin who believed it would be Gary and Matt who would be eliminated next. Gary and Matt then called the teams at the villa to inform them of their elimination. They told them about their Speed Bump that helped lead them to their elimination, saying they were just minutes behind the last team. When asked who would win the race, they believed any one of the teams could win.
• Leg 10 was a non-elimination leg, hence no new teams were sent to the villa. A taekwondo instructor was brought in to teach the eliminated teams how to spar. Lance, who was a blackbelt, took on the taekwondo master's student - ultimately cheating by wrestling him onto the floor. They all then tried breaking tiles with their hands. All the eliminated teams had to pack up and fly to the End City. Jessica believed it was in Portland, Oregon, or maybe in Los Angeles, California, while Lance wished for it to be on the East Coast so he could return to Boston, Massachusetts easily afterward.
• After Leg 11, Flight Time and Big Easy were the ninth and final team eliminated. Elimination Station showed the five of the six eliminated teams arriving at the End City in Las Vegas, Nevada. After arriving in Las Vegas, the teams checked in to a hotel. Once they checked in, they discuss to each other prior to a phone call from the ninth team eliminated. The teams at the hotel were shocked and disappointed to hear about Flight Time and Big Easy's elimination especially Zev and Justin who wanted them to win. They told them about what went wrong at the Roadblock. Flight Time and Big Easy said that they want to see Meghan and Cheyne to win it all and they told them that they'll see them at the Finish Line. Lance and Keri are happy to see the end of the race and to know who they think is going to win. Garrett said that it's anybody's race. All the eliminated teams wants to see Meghan and Cheyne to win, except for Garrett and Jessica who wanted to see Sam and Dan to come in 1st, Brian and Ericka in 2nd, and Meghan and Cheyne in 3rd.
• Leg 12 was the final leg of The Amazing Race 15. Maria and Tiffany, Gary and Matt, and Flight Time and Big Easy reunited with the other eliminated teams at the Finish Line minus Eric and Lisa. Most of the teams believed that they wanted to see Meghan and Cheyne to win. Teams expressed their opinions about the final three teams at the Finish Line along with their joys and disappointments.

Race summary

Leg 1 (United States "?"? Japan)

Airdate: September 27, 2009

• Los Angeles, California, United States (Los Angeles River " Sixth Street Viaduct) (Starting Line and Elimination Point)
• Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport) to Tokyo, Japan (Narita International Airport)
• Minato (Tokyo Tower Studios [ ])
• Shibuya (Konn? Hachimang? Shrine [ ])

In the first Roadblock of the Race, one team member had to participate in a Japanese-style game show called Sushi Roulette. Once all the teams arrived at the Roadblock location, the host would spin a wheel with 11 plates of sushi, 2 of which were "wasabi bombs"—temaki-style sushi filled only with hot wasabi. If the racer received a wasabi bomb, he or she had 2 minutes to eat it in order to receive their next clue. If they failed to finish it within the time allotted, they had to play again until they received a new wasabi bomb and could complete the task. Racers who received plain sushi had to eat the sushi and play until they received a wasabi bomb.

Additional tasks

• At the Starting Line, teams had to search through over 1,000 license plates for one of 11 Japanese plates from Shinagawa, Tokyo, and present it to Phil to receive tickets for one of two flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo. The kanji for were given in the clue, though not explicitly. The team without a license plate were not given tickets to Tokyo and was eliminated.
• After the Roadblock, teams received a colored flag and had to lead a group of 20 Japanese tourists wearing the same colored visors as their flag to the Pit Stop via the scramble crossing in Shibuya. Teams were not allowed to check in unless all 20 members of their group were present at the mat.

Leg 2 (Japan "?"? Vietnam)

Airdate: September 27, 2009

• Tokyo (Narita International Airport) to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Tan Son Nhat International Airport)
• Ho Chi Minh City ( ) to Cái Bè, Tien Giang province (Cái Bè Bus Terminal)
• Cái Bè (B?n Tàu Du L"?ch Dock)
• Cái Bè (Fruit Farm Mud Pits)
• Cái Bè (Sân V?n ??ng Th"? Tr?n Cái Bè [Cai Be Township Sports Ground])
• Cái Bè (Ch? Cái Bè [Cai Be Market] - Bassac III Riverboat)

For this leg's Speed Bump, Maria and Tiffany had to prepare a serving of the Vietnamese soup ph? for the B?n Tàu Du L"?ch dockmaster by collecting the ingredients at a soup stand and then combining and serving him the completed ph?. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to herd 150 ducks out of their pen, lead them across a bridge and back, and then return them back into their pen in 10 minutes using two flags as a means to guide the ducks. With only three available fields, if the team member failed to complete it within 10 minutes, they would have to relinquish their spot and wait for another turn.

Additional task

• At the B?n Tàu Du L"?ch boat dock, teams had to take a sampan along the Mekong Delta to a fruit farm. There, teams had to collect nutrient-rich mud in buckets and pile it at the base of a fruit tree to a designated line to receive their next clue.

Leg 3 (Vietnam)

Airdate: October 4, 2009

• Cái Bè to M? Tho (M? Tho Boat Pier)
• Ho Chi Minh City (Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre [}}])
• Ho Chi Minh City (Ho Chi Minh City Post Office)
• Ho Chi Minh City ( or Hotel A Dong)
• Ho Chi Minh City ()
• Ho Chi Minh City (Reunification Palace)

During the Pit Stop, the Bassac III traveled from Cái Bè to M? Tho with all of the teams on board. In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Child's Play or Word Play. In Child's Play, teams had to find a kiosk named in Tao Dan Park and transport a concrete animal statue to a children's playground, collecting five different colored balloons along the way, in order to receive their next clue. In Word Play, teams had to go up to Hotel A Dong's observation deck and search the traffic circle of (Six-way Intersection of the Republic) in front of the hotel for six Vietnamese letters hidden atop vehicles passing through the circle, then get assistance from the locals to unscramble the letters to spell the Vietnamese word "'", which means "independence." In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to disassemble and organize the hardware of two VCRs in order to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre, teams had to grab a flag containing their clue from the mouth of a dragon puppet moving about in the water. This clue consisted solely of a postage stamp concealed inside a small container. Teams were left to figure out that the stamp depicted the Saigon Central Post Office (referred to as the "Ho Chi Minh City Post Office" in the show), where their next clue was located.

Leg 4 (Vietnam "?"? Cambodia)

Airdate: October 11, 2009

• Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) to Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Phnom Penh International Airport)
• Phnom Penh (Foreign Correspondents' Club)
• Phnom Penh (Raffles Hotel Le Royal)
• Phnom Penh (Russian Market)
• Phnom Penh (Wat Toul Tom Pong)
• Phnom Penh (Wat Phnom)

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Cover or Wrap. In Cover, teams headed to a marked motorcycle helmet shop (located at Russian Market), choose four helmets, then sell them using just their persuasion to a family of four (two adults and two children) for US$10. When completed, they would hand the money to the store owner who would hand them their next clue in exchange. In Wrap, teams had to find the Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung) and find stalls 980 and 981, where the shopkeeper handed them a silk scarf. They then had to search the market for a woman wearing an identical scarf and bring the woman back to the stall. When they correctly matched the two scarfs, the shopkeeper would hand them their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to put on a monkey mask and tail, then perform three Classical Khmer monkey dance maneuvers as demonstrated by the monkey dancer. If it was to the satisfaction of the monkey dancer, he would hand them their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Foreign Correspondents' Club, teams had to find two correspondents reading newspapers and whisper to them, "May I have my next assignment?" They then would receive their next clue hidden inside a newspaper.
• Inside the clue given at the Foreign Correspondents' Club was a duplicate photo of King Norodom Sihanouk and Jacqueline Kennedy taken in 1967. Teams were left to figure out that such a photo could be found at a hotel suite named after Kennedy at the Hotel Le Royal, where they would receive their next clue.

Leg 5 (Cambodia "?"? United Arab Emirates)

Airdate: October 18, 2009

• Phnom Penh (Phnom Penh International Airport) to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Dubai International Airport)
• Dubai (Burj Dubai)
  • Dubai (Dubai Autodrome)
• Dubai (The Dubai Mall - Park # P2)
• Margham () (Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve [])
• Dubai (Mall of the Emirates " Ski Dubai)
• Dubai (Souk Madinat Jumeirah)

In the Race's only Fast Forward, teams travelled to the Dubai Autodrome where one team member had to operate a Formula Three open wheel race car and complete a single lap around the track of the Dubai Autodrome in 45 seconds or less. If successful, they would win the Fast Forward and be driven to the Pit Stop in a Maserati. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member chose a traditional water bag and had to search the Desert Reserve for a series of urns buried in the sand. Some of the urns contained water, while others were empty. When they found enough water to fill their bag, they gave it to a Bedouin and his thirsty camels to receive their next clue. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Build a Snowman or Find a Snowman. In Build a Snowman, teams had to take snow from Ski Dubai and carry it outside, where the temperature was approximately . They then had to build a snowman – complete with two coal eyes, carrot nose and a top hat – before the snow melted. If the snowman was to the attendant's satisfaction, she would hand them their next clue. In Find a Snowman, teams had to ride the ski lift to the top of the artificial mountain, sled down to the bottom, dig through piles of snow for a toy snowman buried within it, then give it to a person in a polar bear suit who would hand them their next clue.

Additional task

• Teams arrived at the Dubai Fountain to sign up for one of two departure times to Burj Dubai (now Burj Khalifa) the following morning. At the designated time, the teams boarded an elevator bound for a balcony located on the 120th floor of then still-under construction tallest building in the world, where their next clue was located.

Leg 6 (United Arab Emirates)

Airdate: October 25, 2009

• Dubai (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
• Dubai (Abra Station in Souq quarter of Dubai to Deira, Dubai)
• Dubai (Deepu Jewellers or Spice souk)
• Palm Jumeirah (Atlantis, The Palm - Aquaventure - The Leap of Faith)
• Palm Jumeirah (Atlantis, The Palm - Dolphin Bay Beach)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to row an inflatable dinghy out to a yacht anchored offshore and meet a sheikh on board who gave the team member a watch. After rowing back to the dock, he or she would have to open a locked briefcase they were told to pick up at the beginning of the leg, figuring out that the time displayed on the watch corresponded with the combination to the briefcase's lock (8:35 "?"? 8-3-5). In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Gold or Glass. In Gold, teams had to find Deepu Jewellers in New Gold Centre in Deira where they would use a precision scale to weigh out US$500,000 worth of gold to the nearest ounce. The price of gold per ounce was displayed on a television monitor and changed by the minute. Once the correct amount was on the scale, they would receive their next clue. In Glass, teams made their way to a spice market in Deira where they had to open a crate and assemble twelve hookahs – using all parts from the crate and using three displayed hookahs as guides – before receiving their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Atlantis Aquaventure Park, both team members had to slide down the resort's Leap of Faith water slide which dropped them six stories down a nearly 90° incline and through a tunnel beneath the aquarium's shark lagoon. At the bottom, teams would find their next clue. If multiple teams were at the top of the slide at the same time, the leading team had two minutes to go down the slide; if the two minutes elapsed, the leading team was required to move aside and allow the trailing team the opportunity to slide down.

Leg 7 (United Arab Emirates "?"? The Netherlands)

Airdate: November 1, 2009

• Dubai (Dubai International Airport) to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol)
• Afsluitdijk (Cornelis Lely Monument)
• Groningen (Martinitoren)
• Vierhuizen , De Marne (Windmill De Onderneming )
• Zoutkamp (Harbor)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb to the top of the Martinitoren and count all of the bells in the carillon. When they gave the right number (62) to the carillonneur, they would receive their next clue. If they provided the wrong number, they would have to climb back up to the carillon to count again. This Roadblock's hint is a reference to the first (aired) Roadblock ever on The Amazing Race. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Farmer's Game or Farmer's Dance. In both Detours, teams dressed in traditional Dutch costumes—one male and one female—and rode bicycles to their Detour choice. In Farmer's Game, teams had to strip down to their Dutch underwear and swim across a creek. On the other side, they had to retrieve a special set of golf clubs and play 3 holes of Farmersgolf. Team members took turns with each stroke and had to finish within par of 8 strokes on each hole to receive their next clue. In Farmer's Dance, teams had to find a country festival where one team member had to hit the bell on a high striker (if that team member failed, team members would take turns until they hit the bell). They then had to enter a dance hall to learn a traditional Dutch folk dance and perform that dance in front of a crowd. If the dance was to the instructor's satisfaction, the instructor would give each team member a serving of soused herring which they had to eat in order to receive their next clue.

Leg 8 (The Netherlands "?"? Sweden)

Airdate: November 8, 2009

• Amsterdam (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol) to Stockholm, Sweden (Stockholm-Arlanda Airport)
• Stockholm (Arlanda North Station) to (Stockholm Central Station)
• Stockholm (Tivoli Gröna Lund - Fritt Fall)
• Stockholm (Tivoli Gröna Lund - Ring Toss Booth)
• Skokloster , Uppsala County
• Väsby, Sollentuna Municipality (Bögs Gård Farm )

In this leg's Detour, teams choose between Nobel Dynamite or Viking Alphabet. In Nobel Dynamite, teams traveled to a rock quarry and had to fill sandbags to create a protective bunker in the rock quarry. Once they were protected, they set off an explosion with dynamite, which would unearth a metal box containing their next clue. In Viking Alphabet, teams had to decode a message in Elder Futhark on a runestone (using smaller stones with both runes and letters) that told them to "Find the Strong Viking" to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member participated in an Amazing Race Switchback of the notorious Roadblock from the Sweden leg of Season 6: the team member had to search through 186 hay bales to find one of seven flags (the Season 6 Roadblock had sisters Lena & Kristy searching for their clue for nearly 10 hours). When teams found one of the flags, they were allowed to proceed to the nearby Pit Stop.

Additional tasks

• At the Tivoli Gröna Lund amusement park, one team member had to ride the Fritt Fall drop tower to look for an arrow that pointed them in the direction of their next clue, located among some carnival games.
• After successfully locating the clue from the Fritt Fall, teams had to play a game of ring toss until they ringed a cone with a Travelocity Roaming Gnome concealed beneath it. If successful, the game operator would hand them the gnome, which had their next clue on the bottom of its base. Teams had to keep the Roaming Gnome with them for the remainder of the leg.

Leg 9 (Sweden "?"? Estonia)

Airdate: November 15, 2009

• Stockholm (Frihamnsterminalen ) to Tallinn, Estonia (Port of Tallinn)
  • Tallinn (Saunabuss )
• Tallinn (Mustpeade Maja )
• Tallinn (Pikk Hermann Tower Garden)
• Keava, Rapla County
• Keava (Keava raba Outlook Tower)

For this leg's Speed Bump, Gary and Matt had to find a Saunabuss parked nearby, strip naked, and spend five minutes in a sauna with some locals. In this leg's Roadblock, teams went into the cellar of the Mustpeade Maja and participated in a ceremony of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads Guild. Team members took a candelabra with a room number attached from a table of revelers. When they found that room, they were given what appeared to be a blank scroll and a crayon. Team members had to figure out that their next clue was written in invisible ink and could be revealed by holding the scroll over the light of the candle. In this leg's Detour, teams choose between Serve or Sling. In Serve, teams participated in a game of volleyball in the Keava bog, where they had to score a total of five points against a local team in order to receive their next clue. In Sling, teams put on bog shoes and walked out onto the bog where they used slingshots to fire assorted vegetables at a target, which when hit would collapse a table full of cabbages along with their next clue.

Additional task

• At the beginning of the leg, teams were given a set of keys along with their clue. When they arrived at the Mustpeade Maja, they had to find the right key that would sound an alarm to open the door.

Leg 10 (Estonia "?"? Czech Republic)

Airdate: November 22, 2009

• Tallinn (Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport) to Prague, Czech Republic (Ruzyn"? Airport)
• Prague (Old Town Square)
• Prague (Vltava - Kajaky Trója)
• Prague (Estates Theatre)
• Prague (Prague Castle)

In this leg's Detour, teams chose Fast & Furious or Slow & Steady. In Fast & Furious, teams had to row a kayak down a manmade whitewater rafting course used by professional kayakers and grab a ribbon suspended over the course which had their next clue written on it; if their boat capsized before reaching the clue, they had to start the course over. In Slow & Steady, teams had to pull themselves along an aerial rope course suspended above the rafting course. When they reached the end of the rope, they would get ribbons that had their next clue written on them. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search the Estates Theatre for a miniature mandolin. Once they found it, they had to bring it onstage to an actor dressed as the titular character from the Mozart opera Don Giovanni (which premiered at the theatre), who would hand them their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At Old Town Square, teams had to find a man in a vintage Praga who would give them their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams had to figure out that the words on their ribbons – – referred to the Estates Theatre, their next destination.

Leg 11 (Czech Republic)

Airdate: November 29, 2009

• Prague (Spanish Synagogue)
  • Prague (M1 Lounge)
• Prague (Ekotechnické Museum )
• Prague (Kryocentrum )
• Prague (Charles Bridge)
• Prague (Old-New Synagogue or Pivovar a Restaurace "U Flek?" to Restaurace Kozi?ka )
• Prague (St?elecký Ostrov )

For this leg's Speed Bump, Brian and Ericka had to find the M1 Lounge, where each of them had to prepare and drink a traditional shot of absinthe. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member entered the museum and search among several hundred ringing telephones for the five that had a person on the other end of the line. A voice from each phone would give the team member one letter to the word "FRANZ"—a reference to Franz Kafka. After obtaining all five letters, the team member had to fill out a form with several biographical questions and attempt to unscramble the five letters to form his name. If they were correct, the inspector would hand them their next clue. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Legend or Lager. In Legend, teams built a golem by placing wet clay around a hay frame, then transported it to the Old-New Synagogue. If the golem was to the rabbis' satisfaction, they would hand them their next clue. In Lager, teams had to carry a total of 30 glasses of beer from a brewery called Pivovar a Restaurace "U Flek?" through the busy town square and deliver them to a bar named Restaurace Kozi?ka to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Kryocentrum, teams had to strip down to their underwear and spend two minutes in a cryotherapy chamber which reached temperatures of . After the two minutes were up, they received their next clue.

Leg 12 (Czech Republic "?"? United States)

Airdate: December 6, 2009

• Prague (Ruzyn"? Airport) to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (McCarran International Airport)
• Las Vegas (Graceland Wedding Chapel)
• Las Vegas (Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino)
• Las Vegas (The Mirage)
• Las Vegas (Monte Carlo Resort and Casino)
• Las Vegas (MGM Grand Las Vegas)
• Las Vegas (Wayne Newton's House, the Casa de Shenandoah)

For the season's final Roadblock, one team member had to rappel down the exterior of the Mandalay Bay hotel tower face-down in order to retrieve their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Mirage's Love theater, one team member was harnessed in a bungee cord and launched by his or her teammate in an attempt to retrieve a bouquet of flowers dangling in the air. Once the entire bouquet was obtained, they had to hand it to an actress acting as a flower girl to receive their next clue.
• The clue received at the end of the bungee cord task instructed teams to go to "the most famous casino in Monaco", and left them to figure out that this was a reference to the namesake of the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.
• At the Monte Carlo, teams had to count out a total of $1,000,000 worth of poker chips which were scattered on several poker tables. Once the dealer verified their count was correct, they would receive a chip worth $1,000,000 and their final clue. This task was incorrectly presented as a roadblock.
• At the MGM Grand, teams had to find Suite 88 where they would find Wayne Newton, who would tell them the location of the Finish Line: his house.

Ratings

US Nielsen ratings

#	Airdate	Episode	Rating	Share	Rating/Share (18-49)	Viewers (millions)	Rank (Overall)
1 - 2	September 27, 2009	"They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street"	6.5	10	3.3/8	10.40	#25
3	October 4, 2009	"It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars"	5.9	9	2.8/7	9.95	#26
4	October 11, 2009	"Sean Penn Cambodia Here We Come"	6.7	10	3.0/8	10.52	#20
5	October 18, 2009	"I'm Like Ricky Bobby"	5.8	9	3.0/7	10.92	#20
6	October 25, 2009	"Do It for the Hood! Do It for the Suburbs!"	6.4	10	3.4/8	11.20	#22
7	November 1, 2009	"This Is Not My Finest Hour"	6.5	10	3.3/8	11.22	#18
8	November 8, 2009	"This Is the Worst Thing I've Ever Done in My Life"	6.9	10	3.5/9	11.62	#24
9	November 15, 2009	"We're Not Meant for the Swamp"	6.6	10	3.2/8	11.39	#24
10	November 22, 2009	"We're Not Working With Anybody, Ever, Anymore!"	6.9	11	3.7/9	12.19	#20
11	November 29, 2009	"It Starts With an "F", That's All I'm Saying"	6.8	10	3.4/8	11.61	#18
12	December 6, 2009	"Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound"	7.1	11	3.7/9	12.32	#9

Canadian ratings

#	Airdate	Episode	Viewers (millions)	Rank (Overall)
1 - 2	September 27, 2009	"They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street"	2.861	#6
3	October 4, 2009	"It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars"	2.669	#5
4	October 11, 2009	"Sean Penn Cambodia Here We Come"	2.001	#13
5	October 18, 2009	"I'm Like Ricky Bobby"	2.413	#9
6	October 25, 2009	"Do It for the Hood! Do It for the Suburbs!"	2.619	#5
7	November 1, 2009	"This Is Not My Finest Hour"	2.575	#3
8	November 8, 2009	"This Is the Worst Thing I've Ever Done in My Life"	2.763	#3
9	November 15, 2009	"We're Not Meant for the Swamp"	2.619	#8
10	November 22, 2009	"We're Not Working With Anybody, Ever, Anymore!"	2.260	#9
11	November 29, 2009	"It Starts With an "F", That's All I'm Saying"	2.419	#7
12	December 6, 2009	"Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound"	3.074	#1

Awards

In 2010, The Amazing Race 15 was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Reality Program" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.

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