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The Amazing Race

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The Amazing Race
TAR MRT.png
The logo for the game show
PresenterMcYoshi26
No. of seasons13
No. of legs113
Production
CreatorMcYoshi26
ProducersMcYoshi26
6687kittycat (season 1)
Logo creatorDeevyDeev
Production locationsSee: Towns and servers visited
Release
Show runJune 14, 2014‎ - present
External links
InspirationThe Amazing Race - Wikipedia

The Amazing Race is a racing game show hosted by McYoshi26 (known as MinecraftYoshi26 for the first eleven seasons) based on the show of the same name from the United States of America.

The race is split into legs interspersed with physical and mental challenges and requires racers to deduce clues, navigate themselves in unfamiliar areas, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel using train, bus, plane, horse, and by foot. Teams are progressively eliminated at the end of most legs, with the final leg having a grand prize.

The franchise was officially announced as concluded on May 28, 2021, alongside MinecraftYoshi26's resignation from staff; however, the show was renewed for a twelfth season on July 2, 2022.

Format

Teams

Typically, each cycle of the Race features around eight teams, with pairs applying together. Each team is composed of two people (with the exception of the fifth season, which featured singles). The stress of racing against someone, staying ahead of the competition, completing the assigned tasks, dealing with little rest, and often a team's inability to cope with the fatigue is what is ultimately responsible for a team's elimination from the Race.

The Race features a diversity of players that are often from the MRT Server, with an exception of techladdie from season three, who joined the server to solely participate in the Race. Each team member is required to have at least the Member rank.

The team format has varied in some other seasons. Seasons seven and eight featured one team of singles mixed with eight other teams of pairs. Season ten had all applicants apply as singles and were paired up by production.

Money

Teams are expected to use their own personal money to pay for transportation, such as taking warps. They are not reimbursed for their transportation costs.

Route Markers

A standard Route Marker

Route Markers are uniquely colored flags that mark the places where players must go. Most Route Markers are attached to the boxes that contain clue envelopes, but some may mark the place where the players must go to complete tasks or may be used to line a course that the players must follow.

Route Markers can also come in the form of red and yellow arrows pointing teams in the direction to travel.

Clues

The second clue box in the season one was on a small stage in front of the Cytus Hotel in Cytus.

When teams start a leg, arrive at Route Markers, or complete certain tasks, they typically receive a book that contains their next clue inside. After retrieving the clue, teams open the book and read aloud the instructions given on the clue sheet and then follow those instructions. Teams were generally required to collect each clue during each leg and keep that information with them until they reach the next Pit Stop, surrendering them once they have checked in. Teams may not take an excess of clues from the clue box. Otherwise, they are given a penalty. Teams are not directly penalized for misplacing their clue but will lose time either searching for it or trying to learn from other teams where to go next.

At Route Markers, clues are placed inside a chest mounted to a banner. In the first two seasons, the clues were placed into a chest mounted to a fence with a map on it. Extra books are left in clue boxes to prevent teams from indirectly determining their current placement in the leg by counting books.

In some cases, clues – most often of the Route Info type – have been provided by more unorthodox means, such as by a renamed head or on a hidden sign.

In the seventh and ninth seasons, teams had visited the server of Amberstone, where they could not open chests. Thus, clues were read to them and placed on signs. In season seven, teams visited the server of Esterlon and used a Google Form to receive clues.

Route Info

Route Info clues instruct the teams where to go next. Such a clue usually provides only the name of the team's next destination - it is up to the teams to figure out how to get there. On some occasions, teams are told directly how to reach a location or are given specified options. When traveling to some hard-to-reach destinations, teams may be provided with directions for a specific means of transportation. Route Information clues may also provide cryptic clues about the next location, leaving players to figure out where they must go.

At times, Route Info restrict teams to specific modes of transport, commonly requiring teams to travel on a certain mode of transport to their next destination when specified. If a team goes to the next destination using the wrong type of transport, they receive a time penalty at the Pit Stop or Finish Line or be sent back.

In some cases, Route Information clues require all teams to complete a non-Detour, non-Roadblock task before getting the clue to their next destination.

Detour

Detour symbol

A Detour presents teams with a decision between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. The two tasks are named, often based on rhymes, puns, or plays on words, such as "Lunch" / "Launch" to differentiate between a task involving crafting food against crafting fireworks. Teams are given several details about both tasks but may need to travel a short distance by foot or car to different task locations. The two tasks generally involve different skills, often pairing physical tasks alongside tasks that rely on intelligence or craftsmanship. The decision about which task to attempt lies solely with the team. Though, due to logistical constraints, some Detours may impose additional limits, such as how many teams may attempt one of the tasks at one time or when a task may be available.

A team may choose to switch tasks as many times as they wish with no penalty other than the time lost in attempting the tasks and traveling between task locations. Unless otherwise instructed, teams work together to finish a Detour option. Once a team has completed one of the tasks, they are given the clue to their next location.

If a team cannot complete either Detour option, they will incur a time penalty, which has varied among seasons. Currently, teams can opt to take a 25-minute time penalty which they must wait out before continuing the course.

Roadblock

Roadblock symbol
In season two, teams had faced an infamously difficult Roadblock where they had to recreate a map to check into the Pit Stop a few blocks away at Xandar Plaza in Xandar.

A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. A Roadblock clue is typically given as a cryptic question, such as "Who's ready to hear and see the sights of Disney?" (leading to a task involving a fireworks show) or "Who's ready to dig their way to victory?" (for a task related to spleef). Based on this information and observation of any other racers at the task, the team has to decide which member will complete the task before reading the full task description. Once a team announces their decision of who will complete the Roadblock, the decision cannot be changed. The Roadblock task is performed only by the selected racer while their partner waits in a designated area, although, the partner is sometimes able to supply words of encouragement and advice. Unless directed by the task instructions, the selected racer can gain help from other racers that have been selected to do the Roadblock. Some Roadblocks may have involved the non-selected racer, such as leading a llama their partner rides or helping their partner solve a puzzle. On completing the Roadblock, the selected racer receives their next clue, which they then return to their partner to read. If a racer cannot finish a Roadblock or opts to quit the Roadblock, the team must take a 20-minute penalty, which either starts immediately or when they reach the Pit Stop for that leg.

Some legs feature two Roadblocks, often in the first leg. The second Roadblock generally requires that the non-participating racer from the first Roadblock perform it.

A team member may only complete a maximum number of Roadblocks, typically about half the number of Roadblocks in a season, effectively making both racers share an equal number of Roadblocks. By the end of the season, the final teams should have an even or close to even amount of roadblocks done.

As the fifth season consisted of singles, all of the questions were rephrased, beginning with "Ready to" and effectively forced the single racer to complete it in that season only.

Fast Forward

Fast Forward symbol

A Fast Forward is a task that, once completed, allows the team that completes it to bypass all remaining tasks in the leg and proceed directly to the Pit Stop.

The Fast Forward clue is given with another task clue and is a separate task from the others. Only one team may complete a Fast Forward in any given leg, and a team may only complete one Fast Forward in the entire Race. Teams that win the Fast Forward are not guaranteed a first-place finish for that leg and still face elimination if they arrive at the Pit Stop last. Multiple teams may undertake Fast Forward tasks, but only the first team to complete the task gets the credit. If a team fails to get the Fast Forward (either by quitting the task or being beaten to it), they must return and complete the leg as normal. This creates a risk in going for the Fast Forward and potentially losing time with the other teams for that leg.

Fast Forwards sometimes take the team directly to the Pit Stop by a provided mode of transportation. In other cases, teams have to find their own way to the Pit Stop by their own means of transportation unless specific transportation limits are specified.

Switchback

Season eight featured a Switchback from the fourth season, where teams had to re-perform an infamous task in which listen to pieces of music and recall their titles when read or heard back in the Lubov Theater in Kolpino City.

The Switchback is a task that is based on an iconic location or task that was markedly difficult or memorable that was performed on an earlier season of the Race. The Switchback is often associated with the same city as the original task and often done at the same specific location.

Some Switchbacks are used in Fast Forwards. For example, in the seventh season, the only Fast Forward offered involved an infamously difficult task from season three involving a sliding puzzle originally in Easest recreated in Covina.

Obstacles

Besides clues, players may encounter the following that may or may not affect their placements or possibly slow them down:

U-Turn

U-Turn symbol

The U-Turn is always placed immediately after a Detour. After completing their Detour option, a team may use their U-Turn ability to force another team to backtrack and complete the Detour option they did not previously complete. The team using the U-Turn places a sign with the people they want to U-Turn with their names on the U-Turn marker stand. It is possible for a team to U-Turn a team that have already passed the U-Turn (or skipped it by means of a Fast Forward), nullifying its effects. A team can only use their U-Turn power once per Race. Teams are warned of an upcoming U-Turn on the first clue they receive at the beginning of the leg.

Starting in season four, teams were met with a new variation of the Double U-Turn called a "Blind Double U-Turn." If teams use a Blind U-Turn, they do not have to publicly reveal themselves as the perpetrators. The first iteration of a single U-Turn occurred in season six.

A U-Turned team can U-Turn another team and this can be done before they complete their extra Detour branch in a Double U-Turn. However, it is possible for another team to strategically U-Turn a team that they are aware has already passed the U-Turn, thus nullifying the opportunity for another team that had already been U-Turned to use it. As of season eight, there have only been Blind Double U-Turns and never been a Blind U-Turn.

In certain situations, such as in season eight in Espil, if one of the Detours is closed, then the U-Turn forces the team who was U-Turned to perform the Detour again before continuing with the Race.

Dead End

Dead End symbol

Introduced and only appearing in season nine, a Dead End was a decision point where a team must answer a question and choose between two answers. Each answer gave teams a clue to travel to a different location. The incorrect answer took a team to a location which they were told to head back to the decision point and grab the other clue. If teams took the correct answer, they bypassed the incorrect clue and continue with the race course. Choosing the incorrect answer wasted valuable time, as teams had to go to unnecessary locations.

Once teams take a clue out of either clue box, they cannot open the other clue box until they have found the next clue. Both team members had to stay together traveling to the next destination and cannot have one team member wait as a teleport point.

One Way

The first One Way appeared at Wall Street in Redwood during the third leg of the eleventh season.
One Way symbol

Introduced in the eleventh season, the One Way is a variation on the Double U-Turn board. Appearing before a Detour, the team who chooses to exercise the One Way forces a second team to perform one specific task of the Detour and are unable to switch. A team may only exercise their One Way power once during a whole season. It was possible for a team to One Way a team that had already passed the One Way board (or skipped it by means of a Fast Forward), nullifying its effects. A team can only use their One Way power once per Race. Teams are warned of an upcoming One Way on the first clue they receive at the beginning of the leg.

A One Way-ed team can One Way another team. However, it is possible for another team to strategically One Way a team that they has already passed the One Way board, thus nullifying the opportunity for another team that has already been One Way-ed to use it.

Head-to-Head

Head-to-Head symbol

Introduced in the twelfth season, the Head-to-Head forces teams to compete against each other one-on-one in a specific task. The winning team is given the next clue, while the losing team must wait for the next team's arrival to start the task over. The Head-to-Head typically appears near the start of a leg, and the team that loses the last round receives a five minute penalty issued at the Pit Stop before receiving the next clue.

Race legs

Structure

Each leg of The Amazing Race generally consists of teams leaving from the previous Pit Stop and traveling to a different location, where they perform two or more tasks, generally including one Detour and one Roadblock, before being given instructions to go to the next Pit Stop. It is each team's goal to complete each leg as quickly as possible, as the first team to check in at the Pit Stop will win a prize; the prizes have included money, airplane gates, and advantages to be used during the race. The last team to arrive at the Pit Stop will generally be eliminated from the competition. Occasionally, the last team to arrive is allowed to continue racing, though they are sometimes given a Race-imposed disadvantage in the next leg.

Starting line task

At the starting line task in season four, teams had to pick a correct head from the seats by solving an image puzzle at the MRT National Theatre in New Phoenix.

First introduced in The Amazing Race 4, the starting line of the Race may feature a task that teams have to complete before being allowed to continue racing (compared to seasons that simply had teams run towards the first clue box). Teams that complete this task first may be given spots for the first of two or more departing flights to their first city, giving those teams a time advantage on the first leg, such as occurred in the fourth season with a helicopter flight.

Mandatory starting line tasks were used in seasons four and six onward, excluding season ten.

An optional starting line task was used in seasons ten, eleven, and thirteen for the Express Pass.

Express Pass

The Express Pass

The Express Pass, introduced in season two allows the team to skip any single task (including Roadblocks, Detours, and miscellaneous tasks, but not the Fast Forward task) once during the race. The choice of which task to skip was at the team's discretion, but the power, if unused, expires at the end of a certain leg depending on the season.

As of the eleventh season, the Express Pass has been awarded to six teams. Four of the teams have made it to the final leg of the race, and two teams have gone on to win the grand prize. A total of ten racers have been on a team that have been awarded an Express Pass. Cortesi holds the record for being awarded the Express Pass the most, having been a part of three out of the five teams who have been awarded it.

The Express Pass was given as a prize for winning the first leg. In seasons ten and eleven, the Express Pass was not awarded to the team that arrived first at the Pit Stop in the first leg, but rather through an optional challenge at the Starting Line. In season twelve, the Express Pass was awarded to the team that completed the Starting Line task first.

Pit Stop

The Pit Stop is the final destination in each leg of the race, and where all non-eliminated teams go after checking in at the mat. Each Pit Stop is a mandatory rest period that allows teams to rest, converse with each other, and watch other racers complete the race course.

In season seven, the second leg, which occurred on the server Amberstone, had all of the teams leave the Pit Start at the same time from Le Gros Chat, due to production issues.

Teams are responsible for being ready to leave at the correct time and are given no time credit should they miss their departure time. In most cases, teams leave from the same location they ended the previous leg at. In some instances, all teams may be released from the Pit Start at the same time regardless of placement from the last leg.

Continuation legs

Some Races have included a continuation leg, where teams were not checked in at a Pit Stop but instead given a clue to continue racing.

The first iteration of the continuation leg occurred in season three.

Non-elimination legs

A number of legs on each Race are predetermined "non-elimination legs", where the last team to check in is not eliminated. Teams who have finished in last place in a non-elimination leg have been subjected to a Speed Bump.

Speed Bump
Speed Bump symbol

The penalty for finishing last in a non-elimination leg is that the affected team will have to perform a "Speed Bump" task at some point during the next leg. The Speed Bump itself is displayed with a clue box labeled accordingly. From season eight and onward, the heads of the team who incurred the Speed Bump were placed next to the chest.

Once the team completed the Speed Bump task, they have to backtrack to the location of the clue box to get their next clue. The tasks that teams have been called on to perform are generally not very difficult or time-consuming, and a handful of teams that have been hit by the Speed Bump have recovered from it quickly enough to avoid immediate elimination.

If the team fails to complete the Speed Bump, they will receive a 20 minute penalty at the Pit Stop.

In certain occasions, such as the first instance in season five, a team may not have to do a Speed Bump after arriving last in a non-elimination leg due to reasons including, but not limited to, the absence of a planned Speed Bump or issues with the leg.

Final leg

The first-ever memory challenge in the final leg occurred in the MRT Convention Centre during season one. Teams had to recall each leg's Pit Stop city to form their next destination.

The final leg of the race is generally run by the three remaining teams. The only exception was in the tenth season where only two teams raced in the final leg.

Teams have to complete all of the tasks in the final towns before they are directed to the finish line mat to claim the cash reward for the winning team. The grand prize for the winner varies each season. Season one had the prize set as $1,000. Every subsequent Race, except for season five, has had the prize at $10,000. At the check-in mat, the host and, in most cases, some of the other eliminated teams celebrate the arrival of the teams. Generally, the rest of the teams are allowed to arrive. In some cases, teams may choose to forfeit the Race after the first place or second place teams have made it to the finish line, but may lose participatory compensation if they opt to do so.

Usually, the final leg features a challenge or multiple challenges that test the racers on their time spent during the race, such as the locations they visited or how well they know the challenges they have done. Such a challenge is usually a "Route Info" task but sometimes appears as a "Roadblock" task.

Rules and penalties

A tutorial video for the Race was released prior to the opening of the applications of The Amazing Race 11.

All teams have to abide by the rules set at the beginning of the race. Failure to do so could result in time penalties, which may negatively affect the finishing position in that leg of the race.

Formerly, there was an in-game set of official rules can be found in the form of the "TAR Handbook", an in-game book which had versions updated often, usually before a new season. The last time one was released and used on the Race was during season eight. The last version was TAR Handbook v4.

Transport and travel

  • If a lift, bus, rail, etc is broken, it is not up to production to fix it. If a team member is stuck, then the team may notify the host to get aid to continue racing.
  • Teams are prohibited from punching others' carts, boats, and other modes of transportation.
  • Teams are prohibited from using any modified forms of transportation that are not provided to them by production or specified in a clue.
  • Teams may not use private homes or warps.
  • Teams may not use warps not linked to a form of transport.
  • If a clue specifies to take a train, teams may opt to take either a warp train or a minecart rail line; however, if one is specified, teams must take that form of transportation.
  • Teams are prohibited from blocking or adding obstacles to transportation routes.
  • If official Amazing Race Horses were used during the Race, a team may take an unattended horse as long as the horse can reasonably be assumed to be unattended.
  • Both team members are required to take the same route and form of transportation as their partner when traveling between route markers unless specified. Searching an area does not apply to this rule.

Clues and clue boxes

  • One team member must read the clue out loud in voice chat, if possible.
  • Teams are allowed to only take one clue per team member out of the clue box initially and are allowed to take more if needed, such as if a clue is lost. Teams may not take an excessive amount of clues out of a clue box.

Items

The Race kit at the start of the leg, which includes the items when the command '/kit race' was run (cooked steak, minecarts, and oak boats), Amazing Race Horse spawn eggs, and an Amazing Race Horse Remover golden sword
  • Teams only are allowed to have Race-approved items in their inventory. The list of items includes steak, minecarts, boats, Amazing Race Horse spawn eggs, an Amazing Race Horse Remover, and any other provided items along the Race in their inventory. Spawning in items or taking items not provided by the Race is prohibited.
    • The TAR Handbook was an approved item, but was removed from the approved Race items list after season eight.
    • As uCars were not on the server in season ten, teams are provided a specified number of official Amazing Race Horse spawn eggs per team member at the start of a leg, and diamonds were removed from the approved items list. If a racer is running alone, they are given the total number a two-person team would be given.
    • In the eleventh season, a golden sword enchanted with sharpness 100, named the Amazing Race Horse Remover, was added to the allowed items list.
  • If a team runs out of the Race approved items, such as diamonds, minecarts, etc, then they may ask the host for more items unless specified otherwise. No time credit is given for the delay in the giving of items.
  • Teams are not allowed to take items from chests that are not indicated for the Race, except for taking minecarts from stations.

Prohibited actions

  • Teams may not use commands, except for non-staff teleport commands, messaging commands, and lift commands.
  • Teams may not use staff powers.
  • Teams are allowed to use the Wiki unless specified, but are not allowed to use Dynmap or any other travel aids, such as MRT RapidRoute on the course.
  • Teams are prohibited from using X-ray texture packs and hacked clients.
  • Teams are prohibited from using mini maps, Schematica, fast-clickers, and any other type of application or mod. Optifine and other certain mods are allowed.
  • Teams are prohibited from taking screenshots or photos during a challenge unless specified.
  • Teams may only break blocks if it was allowed in a task or if they think they must, such as to get a clue. An example of this would be in Spring Valley in season eight.
  • Teams may not ride on other players' heads.

Challenges

  • To skip a task, a team has to notify the host and the adjudicator of the challenge.
  • Team members may not teleport to each other during a parkour challenge.
  • In any tasks that provide teams with equipment, tools, animals, guides, or other props, teams are forbidden from using them in another task. Teams are forbidden from interfering with such equipment for other teams. After season four, teams are prohibited from sabotaging other teams' items.
  • Unless otherwise stated, during Roadblocks, the team members not doing the task must not interfere with racers doing the challenge.
  • Teams must complete each challenge as specified by the clues given to them throughout the Race. Should a team fail to properly complete a challenge, violate any provisions made in a clue or task description, or miss a clue altogether (unless specifically allowed to do so, e.g., by winning the Fast Forward, or by using an Express Pass), they must either go back to the location of the challenge and complete the challenge or incur a penalty when they check in.

Interactions with others

  • Teams may follow other teams and work together; however, the task must be completed by each team separately.
  • Teams are prohibited from harming other racers unless specified.
  • Teams are prohibited from touching another team's belongings. Teams also may not intentionally hinder another team by hiding the materials needed for a task.
  • Teams may ask for the assistance of non-racers; however, they may not teleport to them, allow them to join the voice channel, follow them to locations, or complete a task for them.
  • Once a team has checked in, they may not contact other teams still racing; however, they may watch Dynmap and streams to see other teams who were still racing.

Miscellaneous

  • If a team member has to leave, then the team must notify the host immediately.
  • Teams are required to abide by all server laws of the server where they are racing.
  • Teams are not allowed to see other voice channels while racing unless specified otherwise or in the case of an emergency, to stop teams from knowing who has or has not finished.
  • At the end of a leg, all clues must be surrendered or destroyed.
  • All rules and penalties are up to the discretion of the host.

Penalties and time credits

If a team trying to check in at the Pit Stop has committed an infraction during the leg, the team generally must return to the point of the infraction and perform the task or action correctly before being allowed to check in. If it is impossible or deemed out of the way to correct the action, the team is instead asked to wait nearby to serve a penalty period before being allowed to officially check in. The penalty for most rule infractions is 10-15 minutes, plus any time gained from breaking the rule. Minor violations for various tasks have a penalty of 5-10 minutes. Some violations have longer penalties, with current penalties as: up to 20 minutes for failing to complete a miscellaneous task, 20 minutes for failing to complete a Roadblock or Speed Bump, 25 minutes for failing to complete a Detour (or completing a Fast Forward incorrectly), and two hours for skipping a final memory task. If teams incur multiple penalties, the penalties are cumulative.

Teams may receive time credits as a result of production mishaps. This has only occurred once in season seven regarding a Detour in Kitania.

Seasons

Season Premiere date Finale date Start line location Finish line location Winner(s) No. of
teams
No. of
legs
No. of
towns
Notes
0 June 14, 2014 Yuki Mountain, Wishington Pagoda, Tranquil Gardens N/A 7 of 2 2 8 Test season, canceled
1 November 15, 2014 December 21, 2014 Harbourfront Beach, Spawn City Fairfax Fairgrounds, Fairfax hawksfan1010 &
KittyCat11231
6 26
2 May 23, 2015 July 5, 2015 Yawkey Park, Silver Spring Grand Park, Kitania Just_robinho &
kekkomatic
8 of 2 9 34 Introduced the Express Pass and first time visiting the New World
3 November 21, 2015 December 6, 2015 Gare d'Orsay, Saint Roux Kessler Cathedral, Kessler CortesiRaccoon &
_Kastle
7 of 2 28 Introduced continuation legs
4 April 9, 2016 May 7, 2016 MRT National Theatre, New Phoenix Spurnton Point, Birdhall godzilltrain &
mine_man_
8 21 Introduced the Blind Double U-Turn
5 August 14, 2016 White Point Chapel, Whitechapel Columbia Island, Whitechapel mine_man_ 8 of 1 7 8 Mini season
6 January 7, 2017 January 28, 2017 Anchor Statue, St. Anna Mt. Silver, Inchmuir godzilltrain &
mine_man_
6 of 2
1 of 1
8 29 Introduced the single U-Turn
7 June 10, 2017 July 1, 2017 Sixth Street Bridge, Covina Central Park, Central City Narnia17 &
jphgolf4321
8 of 2
1 of 1
9 25 First time visiting other servers
8 December 23, 2017 January 27, 2018 L'isola di Porco Rosso, Fort Yaxier godzilltrain &
mine_man_
38 First time visiting Epsilon terrain
9 July 1, 2018 July 28, 2018 Edelfort Citadel, Quiris Maverick Bridge, Verdantium AyyLion &
Cookie46910
10 of 2 42 Introduced the Dead End and first time visiting fully Epsilon towns
10 January 4, 2020 February 8, 2020 Souter Point Lighthouse, Secunda Lubov Theater, Kolpino City KittyCat11231 &
lil_shadow59
9 of 2 25 Singles paired up by production and first two-team final leg
11 September 12, 2020 October 3, 2020 Apex Towers, Kantō Bandit Stadium, San Vincenzo KittyCat11231 &
lil_shadow59
12 of 2 10 30 Introduced the One Way and first time visiting Zeta
12 August 13, 2022 September 4, 2022 The Getty, Gray Cloud La Châtre National Park, Rivarennes hvt2011 &
MikeRoma
11 33 Introduced the Head-to-Head
13 July 8, 2023 July 24, 2023 Palace of Kansai, Kansai Alcázar de Caravaca, Caravaca FredTheTimeLord &
ArizTrad
9 of 2 9 33

Towns and servers visited

Most race routes in The Amazing Race start from one MRT town and ending in another while traveling between the Old and New worlds. Exceptions include:

  • In four seasons, the race ran only on one MRT world: the Old World (1) and the New World (4, 10, 11, 13).
  • In two seasons, the race began and ended in the same city: Whitechapel (5) and Fort Yaxier (8); only in season eight was the starting line and finish line in the same place (L'isola di Porco Rosso).
  • Season seven and nine featured other servers.

As of the thirteenth season, The Amazing Race has visited 232 different towns across two worlds on the MRT and five other servers.[a] The most visited town in the series is Whitechapel with six visits, followed by Spawn City with five visits. The town with the most Pit Stops is Arisa with three Pit Stops (2, 3, 7). The most visited locations in the series are Central Park in Central City (3, 4, 7), the Lubov Theater in Kolpino City (4, 8, 10), and Wall Park in Covina (4, 7, 11), with three visits respectively.

Ward counts

These counts are based on the Zeta Ward Boundaries, which became effective on February 29, 2020.

The second season of The Amazing Race was the first season to visit the New World and visited five wards in total. Season three extended the Race route to Wards 1, 4, and 9. Season four was the first time in Ward 6. Since season nine, all of the seasons have featured all Wards. Wards 7 and 8 have been featured in every season that has visited the New World.

Mandatory layovers, transfer locations, and airports in multiple towns or no towns are not counted nor listed.

Rank Ward Seasons visited Pit Stops[b]
1 Ward 7 12 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 14
Ward 8 12 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 8
3 Ward 5 11 (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 9
4 Ward 3 10 (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 12
Ward 9 10 (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 6
6 Ward 4 9 (3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 9
Ward 2 9 (2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 5
8 Ward 1 8 (3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 7
Ward 6 8 (4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) 7

Notes

  1. This count only includes towns that fielded actual route markers, clue boxes, challenges, or finish mats. Mandatory transport locations with no clue box, airport layovers, transfer locations, and airports in multiple towns or no towns are not counted or listed. Additionally, season zero's destinations are not counted nor listed.
  2. a b c d e f g h i j Includes finish lines.
  3. Including the districts of Flag of Melrose.png Melrose (2), Flag of Vergil.png Vergil (2), and Flag of Victorian City.png Victorian City (2, 4), which were separate towns at the time of being featured.
  4. Including the former towns of Flag of Coronado.png Coronado (3) and Flag of Huntington.png Huntington (3), which were merged together to form the Hummingbird Islands after the indicated featured season.
  5. Including the district of Flag of Easest.png Easest (3), which was a separate city from at the time of being featured.
  6. Including the district of Flag of Heampstead.png Heampstead (8), which was a separate city from at the time of being featured.
  7. Including the former towns of Flag of Xandar.png Xandar (2, 8) and Flag of Vekta.png Vekta (8), which were considered fully integrated together after the indicated featured seasons.
  8. Including the district of Flag of Orio.png Orio (8), which was a separate city from at the time of being featured.

Cancellation and renewal

On May 28, 2021, MinecraftYoshi26 announced that the franchise had officially ended alongside his resignation from staff. In his parting letter, he stated:

"I don't really have the time to do plan anything big scale in-game anymore, even if I wanted to. Thus, I most likely won't be running any more game shows, meaning that The Amazing Race will be officially canceled. I am 'canceling' the show instead of giving it away, meaning that I would not want anyone to run any games under that brand. I don't want this to get misconstrued: I don't want to stop people from running similar events, I just would not want anyone to run it under that branding and name. If anything, I'd encourage people to make their own racing-style events for the future."

Nearly two years after the season's cancellation, McYoshi26, formerly known as MinecraftYoshi26, announced the show's renewal for a twelfth season on July 2, 2022, by stating the following message in the MRT Discord:

"With the poll earlier getting the reaction interest needed, I am excited to reveal the event similar to The Amazing Race I was hinting at. I decided to try to make an event again after a long break due to some people's excitement and my own itch to make an event. The upcoming game show I am planning to hold is... THE AMAZING RACE 12. I know that earlier I said that I would be too busy to make a large-scale event; however, in this case, I've tried to portion out my time (and procrastinate, which I probably shouldn't, but oh well) to be able to make the event. The announcement of this season does not guarantee any other further seasons following this season. Hopefully, this season goes well!"

Impact and reception

The Amazing Race is one of the server's most popular game show franchises, with numerous spectators and participants willing to sign up as more seasons were produced. The test season of the show (at the time dubbed as The Amazing Race 1 before being renamed to The Amazing Race 0) was produced following The Mole 2: The Double Agent Strikes Once Again. While the size of the cast was equivalent to the first successful season of the show, many participants had to leave before the second leg was able to be completed. Furthermore, a difficult challenge in the first leg created an imbalance that made the first leg take longer than expected. A mixture of those issues resulted in the season being cancelled and the show's future became uncertain. Following the first season of Whodunnit?, another edition of the Race was being developed. The show's first season was a success, which led to further seasons being created frequently. While actual participation in the Race has varied from season to season, the show's popularity has generally been an upward trend, with later seasons garnering larger audiences and individuals interested in participating.

As the server is heavily tied with transit and city-building, The Amazing Race's format fits the server's atmosphere and member base. Furthermore, many members enjoyed seeing their towns featured.

Legacy

The Amazing Race Museum in Arcadia features structures, maps, and clue books from various seasons of the Race.
  • Media companies, such as the MBS and the Box Television Network, and Frumple have broadcasted the show live, either from the perspective of a participant or a spectator. These broadcasts have garnered hundreds of views on YouTube, which have resulted in some guests joining the server after hearing about the show and, at times, solely for the show.
  • The Race can be credited with popularizing the concept of racing-style games and events. Some other racing-style games and events that have been created include Hunt for The Money, The Amazing Glitch, and Get to X.
  • BART Airlines had its start as a commissioned flight alternative for the The Amazing Race 1 and has since grown to become a major airline.
  • Iconic moments in the Race often have become memes that have been repeated years following the relevant season, such as when many fails were referenced at the September 2018 GSM in a Nothing.
  • Advertisements for the show have become a meme throughout the server, resulting in advertisements for the show appearing in numerous BluRail and IntraRail stations. An official "Amazing Race Museum" was opened in Arcadia in a BluRail station on August 13, 2020, which was later visited in the Race in The Amazing Race 13 on July 24, 2023.
  • In The Amazing Race 7, racers ran a leg on the server of Esterlon and were allowed to use the /speed command to travel around the server. MikeRoma enjoyed the ease of travel and wanted to propose the command to be made available for members on the MRT. After proposing the addition at a staff meeting, it was approved and Trustees and above were subsequently given access to the command.

Awards and nominations

The Amazing Race has been nominated for various awards at The Glowlight Awards and has won four awards in total. The show has not garnered any other nominations or awards outside of The Glowlight Awards, as there are no other awards that offer categories that are applicable for the show.

Summary of awards and nominations
Year Type Category Nomination Result
2021 The Glowlight Awards Outstanding Game Show Franchise The Amazing Race Won
Outstanding Event Moment Guest in Central Park (The Amazing Race 4) Won
St. Anna Lighthouse (The Amazing Race 8) Nominated
Outstanding Contestant godzilltrain (nominated in conjunction for The Mole) Won
autobus22 (nominated in conjunction for The Mole) Nominated
KittyCat11231 (nominated in conjunction for The Mole) Nominated
lil_shadow59 (nominated in conjunction for the MRTvision Screenshot Contest) Nominated
mine_man_ (nominated in conjunction for Big Brother) Nominated
Event for Impact The Amazing Race Won
Outstanding Marketing Campaign "Not A TAR Clue" Nominated
Outstanding Video "The Amazing Race 7 Trailer (MRT Server)" Nominated