The Amazing Race 2
The second season of "The Amazing Race" traveled 52,000 miles (third longest route after season 5 and 9) in 28 days, spanning 5 continents and 8 countries. Location scouting took place during September 2001 but was paused for a month and a half following the September 11 attacks. Filming occurred between January and February 2002. "The Amazing Race 2" featured first time visits to the countries of Brazil, Namibia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, was the first season to travel to the continents of South America and Oceania, and was the only season (excluding "The Amazing Race 8", which was run only in North America) to not stop in Europe. The edition marked the debut of several show traditions. The color scheme for all route markers and flags was changed to yellow and red after the previous season's yellow and white. In addition, host Phil Keoghan and a local greeter welcomed all teams arriving at the Pit Stops at the end of each leg. Previously, Keoghan appeared only to greet and usually eliminate the last-place team. Leg 1 featured Heloísa Pinheiro, the real-life "Girl from Ipanema", who teams had to find on the "Beach" Detour option. Contestant Cyndi Kalenberg claimed that there was confusion about the vehicle replacement rules in Leg 2, in which the racers were informed that if their designated jeep broke down, the racers themselves would have to pay for repairs and wait for it to be fixed. Blake & Paige, however, were provided with a new vehicle when their jeep broke down, helping them to beat Hope & Norm in a race for second-to-last place to the Pit Stop. This enabled Blake & Paige to stay in the competition, while Hope & Norm were eliminated. For the next season, show policy was changed so that a team would receive a replacement if a production-provided vehicle broke down or became unsafe to drive through no fault of the team. Teams would not be given any time credit in the event of a break down. Graham Keating, Sydney's famous town crier, served as the Pit Stop greeter during Leg 8. Towards the end of the final leg, Chris & Alex passed Tara and later Wil in a footrace to the Finish Line. This marks the closest finish in the American version of "The Amazing Race". During pre-production, producers were planned a leg in Argentina but due to the political instability when its economy failed in that country. Although Argentina would be eventually visited in "The Amazing Race 5". Casting for the second season began during the summer of 2001 before the first season premiered. Casting finals took place in Los Angeles in September during the September 11 attacks. Eleven teams participated in the second season of "The Amazing Race". The cast featured twins, a mother/daughter duo, siblings, grandmothers, pastors, and childhood friends. Gary Rosen later worked as a story producer for the fifth season of "The Amazing Race". Blake Mycoskie went on to found Toms Shoes, a footwear company that donates a pair of shoes to children in need for every pair sold. In 2006, Paige Mycoskie founded Aviator Nation, a California-based lifestyle brand inspired by 1970s fashion and culture. Oswald & Danny were selected to race in "The Amazing Race: All-Stars" among a cast of returning teams from the first ten seasons. Alex Boylan went on to create and host the first season of the WGN America online reality show "Around the World for Free", in which he journeyed around the world with no money to his name, relying on the generosity and hospitality of locals to continue on. Blake Mycoskie appeared as a guest shark during the twelfth season of "Shark Tank". This season had two official sponsors: American Airlines and Royal Caribbean International. These two sponsors provided the prizes that were sometimes awarded to first place teams. 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:
Key

Notes
#There is ambiguity over the spelling of Deidre's name. In the first two episodes, the opening and on-screen graphics show her name as "Deidre". Beginning with the third episode, the opening shows her name as "Diedre". #^ Blake & Paige and Hope & Norm both agreed to a 4th place tie after both teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time. #^ Blake & Paige and Shola & Doyin both agreed to a 5th place tie after both teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time. #Peggy & Claire left the Pit Start in Foz do Iguaçu 37 minutes late since they overslept and missed their departure time. This did not affect their departure placement in Leg 3.
#^ In their respective elimination legs, Peggy & Claire (Leg 3), Shola & Doyin (Leg 4), and Mary & Peach (Leg 7) all fell so far behind by the time where all the other teams had already checked in (Peggy & Claire arrived at the Route Marker in Robben Island; Shola & Doyin were unable to complete the Detour; Mary & Peach arrived at the Roadblock location). Instead of being allowed to complete all tasks left in the leg, they were each instructed to go directly to the Pit Stop for elimination. #^ Gary & Dave and Chris & Alex initially arrived 2nd and 7th, respectively, but they were each issued a retroactive 42-minute penalty for speeding during the leg (30-minute standard penalty plus 12-minutes for time gained). Both teams elect to serve their penalties at the start of Leg 5; while Chris & Alex's position was not affected by the penalty, Gary & Dave departed 3rd on the next leg. # Tara & Wil attempted to do the Fast Forward on Leg 8, but they did not want to wait with the hours of operation. As a result, no team claimed the Fast Forward. #^ Wil and Blake both incorrectly performed the Roadblock with their partners and had to completely re-do the Roadblock before getting their next clue. This did not affect either teams' placements. #Tara & Wil initially arrived 2nd, but were given a 1-minute credit due to a minor production difficulty. This allowed them to tie for 1st with Blake & Paige, and were also given the prize for winning the leg as a result. Starting with this season, episode titles are taken from quotes made by the racers in each episode. Quotes were sometimes altered slightly for humorous effect. The episode titles are:
#"The World Is Waiting: Go!" – Phil Keoghan
#"Help Me, I'm American!" – Blake
#"My Alarm Clock Didn't Go Off!" – Claire
#"This Game Is About Minutes" – Shola
#"Welcome To The World Of Being Human" – Mary
#"I'm Gonna Take His Girl" – Alex
#"I'm Gonna Throw Up On Phil's Shoes" – Oswald
#"I'm Not a Miner! No, You're An Idiot!" – Wil and Tara
#"Ready To Lose Our Lives" – Oswald
#"It's Hammer Time" – Chris
#"Follow That Plane!" – Wil Individual prizes were awarded to the first team to complete certain legs. Airdate: March 11, 2002 This season's first Detour was a choice between Mountain or Beach. In Mountain, teams had to rappel down the face of Sugarloaf Mountain to receive their next clue. In Beach, teams had to take the gondola back to the ground and proceed to Ipanema Beach to find the woman who inspired the song "The Girl from Ipanema" (Heloísa Pinheiro) with only a photo and a specific lifeguard station for reference who would give teams their next clue. Additional tasks Airdate: March 13, 2002



This leg's Fast Forward required teams to travel to Copacabana Beach and play a volleyball game against a local team. While the participating team was allowed to use their hands, the locals they were playing against could only use their feet, as per local regulations. The first team to score ten points would win the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Freak Out or Seek Out. In Freak Out, teams had to hang glide in tandem with a local instructor, gliding from the mountain to the beach below. Once both teammates had landed on the beach, they were immediately given their next clue. In Seek Out, teams had to travel down to the same beach and use a marked metal detector to find their next clue buried somewhere along a stretch of sand. In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to ride a speedboat and use a map to direct the driver to Iguaçu Falls. At the falls, racers had to spot the route marker at the top of a rock formation to retrieve their next clue and head back to the dock. Additional tasks Airdate: March 20, 2002




This leg's Detour was a choice between Dance or Deliver. In Dance, teams had to perform a gumboot dance with a local troupe until they made R25 in tips, which they could exchange with the troupe leader for their next clue. In Deliver, teams had to carry fish from a boat and transfer it to the marked scales until they had transferred of fish to receive their next clue from a fishmonger. In an unaired and unclaimed Fast Forward, one team had to find the Mooiberge Strawberry Field in Stellenbosch and retrieve the Fast Forward award from inside a "Zebra", a large zebra-shaped scarecrow. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search through Langa township to buy a box of Epsom salts and a "Smiley" (a local name for a roasted sheep's head). After finding the items, they then had to deliver the Smiley as an offering to Ndaba Sangoma, who made a bitter potion out of the salts which the team member had to drink to receive the next clue. Additional task
Additional note Airdate: March 27, 2002



This leg's Fast Forward required one team to look "where the railway tracks used to run". Once the team realized that the Swakopmund Hotel had been a railway station, they then had to search the hotel grounds for the Fast Forward award, which was in the center of the pool. This leg's Detour was a choice between Slide or Stride. In Slide, teams had to take a safety briefing from an instructor and then slide down the steep side of a dune to their next clue at the bottom, reaching speeds of up to . In Stride, teams had to walk down the opposite side of the dune along a marked path to their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to buy five wood animal carvings (lion, rhino, buffalo, leopard, and elephant) for the lowest price possible, using their own money, and bring the carvings to a bushman, who exchanged them for a large wood giraffe carving with the next clue attached. Additional tasks Airdate: April 3, 2002




In an unaired and unclaimed Fast Forward, one team had to find the Amulet Market at Wat Ratchanadda. Here, one team member had to complete a Buddhist ritual to shed their vanity, which they would find out was having their head shaved, to win the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Confusion Now or Confusion Later. In Confusion Now, teams had to search for a specific water taxi dock to find the correct taxi that would take them to a bird market. Once there, they simply had to buy and release a cage full of sparrows for good karma. In Confusion Later, teams had to take a taxi to Charoen Krung Soi 21 in Chinatown, where they had to purchase a "car" to burn and send to their ancestors from the Lee Ti Biew shrine. However, teams had to figure out that the "car" they needed was one of the many small paper cars sold at multiple booths near the shrine. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to don a protective mask, gloves, and boots due to dangerous bacteria and venture into a nearby cave filled with millions of bats to retrieve the next clue. Additional task Airdate: April 10, 2002



This leg's Detour was a choice between Boat or Beast. In Boat, teams had to travel down the river using a bamboo raft with long wooden poles as the locals do. In Beast, teams had to ride the same on the back of an elephant down the path next to the river. For both tasks, teams would find their next clue on a marked car at Mae Taeng River Camp. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to wash a series of chalk decorations from a religious ceremony off an elephant using only water, some soap, and sponge to receive their next clue. Additional task Airdate: April 17, 2002




This leg's Fast Forward required one team to travel to Wong Tai Sin Temple in Wong Tai Sin, where they found fortune teller Amelia Chow in the basement of the Fortune-telling and Oblation Arcade, who then gave one team member a face reading and the other a palm reading before giving them the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Wishing Tree or Herbal Tea. In Wishing Tree, teams had to take a taxi to Lam Tsuen and find a wishing tree. Once there, both team members had to write a wish on a scroll and throw it into the tree's branches to receive the next clue. In Herbal Tea, teams had to walk to a nearby herbalist shop (生生藥行) on Reclamation Street and ask for a bitter herbal tea that both team members had to each drink a cup of to receive the next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb into a crane and use the controls to lift one shipping container off of a truck and onto the ground. The same team member then had to return the crane to its original position. Once this was done, the other team member was allowed to get the next clue from the side of the shipping container. Additional tasks

Additional notes Airdate: April 24, 2002




This leg's Fast Forward required one team to find Po Lin Monastery and then climb 268 steps to the Tian Tan Buddha to find the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Dragon or Lion. In Dragon, teams had to row a dragon boat, usually suited for twelve people, through a short, marked course to receive the next clue. In Lion, teams had to carry a ceremonial lion normally made for two through a course through narrow markets and steep stairs to receive the next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to follow a series of clues written in Australian slang. First, they had to take a bus to a "surfie" (surfer) in the "lairy daks" (flashy, colorful shorts) at Martin Place and say "g'day mate", then find a "true blue ankle biter" (child) riding a bicycle around Archibald Fountain at Hyde Park, then find a "sheila" (woman, usually single and attractive) in the "Aussie cozzie" (swim suit) near the Captain Cook Statue in Hyde Park and ask for "the good oil" (useful information), then find a "bushie" (country person who resides in the Australian Outback) in Circular Quay. Team members had to continue this task until they received a clue instructing them to reunite with their partner. Additional task Airdate: April 24, 2002





This leg's Fast Forward required one team to go to Harry's Cafe de Wheels, where each team member had to eat a meat pie to win the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Cool Down or Heat Up. Before leaving The Metal Tree for their chosen Detour, teams had to retrieve a pair of coveralls and hardhats or a set of golf clubs. In Cool Down, teams had to find Opal Quest at Tom's Working Opal Mine, descend into the cool tunnels, and use traditional mining tools to search within a large pile of dirt for an opal that they had to bring to a miner to receive their next clue. In Heat Up, teams had play three holes of golf on the driest golf course in the world to receive their next clue. However, the holes all criss-cross each other, and teams had to play in the intense heat of up to using only a map and one ball. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to throw a boomerang from within a circle such that the boomerang would leave, return to, and land within the circle to receive their next clue. Additional tasks Airdate: May 1, 2002



This leg's Fast Forward required one team to make their way to Shotover River. There, they had to ride a jetboat and spot a Route Marker to find the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Quick Jump or Long Hike. In Quick Jump, teams had to take a tandem bungee jump down to the clue at the bottom of the canyon, the second-highest bungee-jump in the world at the time. In Long Hike, teams had to hike down a long trail to the bottom of the canyon to reach the clue box. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to enter a pen full of sheep and separate the three black sheep from 22 white sheep to a second pen at the end of the corral. When they were finished, teams could then run to the nearby Pit Stop. Additional tasks Airdate: May 8, 2002



This season's final Fast Forward required one team to perform a "scree run" down Mount Tarawera, a run down the loose rock walls directly into the mouth of the dormant volcano, to obtain the Fast Forward award. This leg's Detour was a choice between Drop or Climb. In Drop, teams had to descend into a cavern known as "The Lost World" and then walk a short distance to Jesus Rock to receive the next clue. In Climb, teams had to climb down a ladder into the same cavern, then walk a much longer distance to reach the next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to ride an ATV through a challenging off-road course over difficult terrain, then collect the clue at the end of the course. Additional note Airdate: May 15, 2002



This leg's Detour was a choice between Bike or Walk. In Bike, teams had to search the large pineapple field on a pair of bikes to find the only red plastic pineapple for the clue inside. In Walk, teams searched the same field on foot to find one of four yellow plastic pineapples also for the clue inside. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to snorkel near the sunken island and find and open one of three yellow cases chained underwater to retrieve the clue sealed inside. Additional tasks Airdate: May 15, 2002 In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to use any combination of the tools they picked up from the hardware store – a hammer, a chisel, a drill, and a flamethrower – to retrieve the clue frozen inside a large globe of ice. Additional tasks "The Amazing Race 2" received positive reviews with the final footrace to the finish often regarded as one of the show's best moments. Linda Holmes of "Television Without Pity" wrote that "the teams weren't as compelling as personalities this go-round" compared to the previous season but it was "still just a really good show." In 2016, this season was ranked 11th out of the first 27 seasons by the "Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race" correspondents. Kareem Gantt of "Screen Rant" wrote that this season was "where the show finally gained its sea legs. This season went bold with its Roadblocks, and it also contained a good amount of drama that kept fans on the edge of their seats all season long." In 2021, Jane Andrews of Gossip Cop ranked this season as the show's overall best season. In 2022, Jason Shomer of Collider ranked this season among the show's top seven seasons.
Production
The Amazing Race 2 is the second season of the American reality television show "The Amazing Race". It featured eleven teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. Lifelong friends Chris Luca and Alex Boylan were the winners of this season.