The Amazing Race 30

The Amazing Race 30
Presented by	Phil Keoghan
No. of teams	11
Winners	Cody Nickson & Jessica Graf
No. of legs	12
Distance traveled	29,000 mi (47,000 km)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	8
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	January 3 (2018-01-03) – February 21, 2018 (2018-02-21)
Additional information
Filming dates	October 1 (2017-10-01)[1] – October 24, 2017 (2017-10-24)[2]
Season chronology
← Previous Season 29 Next → Season 31
List of episodes

The Amazing Race 30 is the thirtieth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. It features eleven teams of two in a race around the world for a US$1 million grand prize. The season premiered on January 3, 2018, airing in CBS's Wednesday 8:00 p.m. EST time slot for a month before moving to the 9:00 p.m. slot from February 7 due to the premiere of Celebrity Big Brother.^[3] The 2-hour season finale aired on February 21, 2018.

Dating reality stars Cody Nickson and Jessica Graf were the winners of this season, making them the first team previously cast on Big Brother to win The Amazing Race.^[4]

Production[]

Development and filming[]

As seen before in the twenty-fifth and twenty-seventh seasons, the show's website announced they would begin filming on October 1, 2017, at Washington Square Park in New York City, and invited fans to join them as they saw the new teams off.^[1]

This season introduced "Head-to-Head" competitions, pitting two teams directly against one another. Additionally, for the first time, teams swapped partners with another team and ran most of a leg with them instead.

This season has the fewest episodes than any other American series at eight. For four weeks during the season's eight-week run, two legs each aired on one, 2-hour episode. Since The Amazing Race 14, the format of the season has been a 12 leg race resulting in either 12 episodes for each leg, or 11 episodes with only one 2-hour special episode (usually the first or the final episode).

Miss Iceland Ólafía Ósk Finnsdóttir appeared as the Pit Stop greeter during Leg 1.^[5]

This season was the first time The Amazing Race visited Bahrain.^[6]

After being used for thirteen seasons since its introduction in season 17, the Express Pass was retired from the show.

Casting[]

While the team of Big Brother houseguests Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson from the recently concluded Season 19 was announced earlier,^[1] the full cast of 11 teams of two was revealed on December 7, 2017. Among these include former NBA players Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion, IndyCar racers Conor Daly and Alexander Rossi, freestyle skiers Kristi Leskinen and Jen Hudak, Well-Strung members Trevor Wadleigh and Chris Marchant, and competitive eaters Joey Chestnut and Tim Janus.^[7]

April Gould from Team Goat Yoga previously competed on Season 7 and Season 9 of American Ninja Warrior but failed to make it past the qualifier for both seasons.^[8][9]

At the Pit Stop of Leg 5, Lucas Bocanegra proposed to Brittany Austin, who accepted,^[10] becoming the fourth team to do so after Hayden & Aaron from The Amazing Race 6,^[11] Chad & Stephanie from The Amazing Race 17,^[12] and Matt & Ashley from The Amazing Race 26.^[13]

Future appearances[]

No team from this season has competed on a subsequent returnee season.

Cody & Jessica appeared on the premiere of Celebrity Big Brother 1 and on the seventh episode of Big Brother 20, during the latter of which they hosted a Power of Veto competition and announced their engagement.^[14][15]

Results[]

As announced by CBS, the following teams participated in the season. Each team is listed with the unique hashtag team name that the show's graphics use to identify them.

Team	Relationship	Team name	Position (by leg)												Roadblocks performed
			1	2+	3	4+	5	⋐6⋑	73	8	9	10	11	12
Cody & Jessica	Dating Reality Stars	Team Big Brother	2nd	1st	5th	2nd	6th	6th⊃	5th+	5th⊂	4th	2nd	2nd	1st	Cody 6, Jessica 3
Henry & Evan	Dating Debaters	Team Yale	3rd	8th	1st	6th	4th	3rd	3rd–	4th⋐	3rd	4th	1st	2nd	Henry 4, Evan 5
Kristi & Jen	Professional Skiers	Team Extreme	1st	3rd	3rd	3rd	2nd	1st	5th+	2nd	2nd	3rd	3rd	3rd	Kristi 5, Jen 4
Alex & Conor	IndyCar Drivers	Team IndyCar	5th	5th	2nd	1st	5th	4th	1st^	3rd⋑	1st	1st	4th5		Alex 4, Conor 4
Lucas & Brittany	Dating→Engaged Lifeguards2	Team Ocean Rescue	7th	6th	8th	8th	1st	5th	1st^	1st⊃	5th4				Lucas 3, Brittany 3
Eric & Daniel	Twins	The Firefighters	8th	9th	7th	7th	3rd	2nd	3rd–	6th					Eric 3, Daniel 3
Trevor & Chris	Dating Violinists	Team Well Strung	4th	4th	4th	5th	7th	7th⊂							Trevor 3, Chris 3
Joey & Tim	Competitive Eaters	Team Chomp	6th	7th	6th	4th	8th								Joey 2, Tim 3
Cedric & Shawn	Former NBA Players	Team Slam Dunk	9th1	2nd	9th	9th−									Cedric 2, Shawn 2
April & Sarah	Goat Yoga Moms	Team Goat Yoga	10th	10th−											April 0, Sarah 2
Dessie & Kayla	Models	The Ring Girls	11th												Dessie 1, Kayla 0

Key

• A red team placement means the team was eliminated.
• An orange + next to a leg number indicates that there was a Head-to-Head on that leg, while an orange − indicates the team that lost the final Head-to-Head and was eliminated.
• A brown ⊃ or a cyan ⋑ indicates that the team chose to use one of the two U-Turns in a Double U-Turn, while a ⊂ or ⋐ indicates the team who received it; ⋐⋑ around a leg number indicates that only one of the two available U-Turns was used.
• An underlined blue placement indicates the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump during the next leg.
• An underlined leg number indicates that there was no mandatory rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were ordered to continue racing. An underlined team placement indicates that the team came in last, was ordered to continue racing, and didn't have to perform a Speed Bump in the next leg.
• Matching colored symbols (pink +, teal ^ and magenta –) indicate teams who swapped partners. In order to check-in at the Pit Stop, team members had to reunite with their original partner.

Notes

Episode title quotes[]

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.^[16]

1. "You're a Champion, Prove It" – Cedric
2. "You're the Best French Fry Ever" – Trevor
3. "It's Gonna Be a Fragrant Day" – Trevor
4. "Gotta Put Your Sole Into it" – Eric
5. "The Claws Are Out" – Evan
6. "All's Fair in Love and War" – Brittany
7. "The First Rule of Amazing Race Club" – Conor
8. "It's Just a Million Dollars, No Pressure" – Jessica

Prizes[]

The prize for each leg, with the exception of Legs 7^[a] and 11, was awarded to the first place team for that leg. Trips were provided by Travelocity. The prizes were:

• Leg 1 – A trip for two to Santorini, Greece
• Leg 2 – US$2,500 each
• Leg 3 – A trip for two to Zurich, Switzerland
• Leg 4 – US$5,000 each
• Leg 5 – A trip for two to Bali, Indonesia
• Leg 6 – A trip for two to Perth, Australia
• Leg 8 – A trip for two to Saint Lucia
• Leg 9 – US$7,500 each
• Leg 10 – A trip for two to Curaçao
• Leg 12 – US$1,000,000

Race summary[]

Destinations	Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel Helicopter travel    Bicycle travel    Gondola travel
Route Markers	Detour    Roadblock    Head-to-Head    U-Turn    Speed Bump    Pit Stop
Icons placed after a location indicate the clue was picked up at this location, while icons placed before a location indicate that the clue was picked up at a prior location.

Leg 1 (United States → Iceland)[]

Airdate: January 3, 2018^[17]

• New York City, New York, United States (Washington Square Park) (Starting Line)
• New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport) to Reykjavík, Iceland (Keflavík International Airport)
• Húsafell (Geitárgljúfur (in German))
• Mosfellsbær (Esjumelar)
• Reykjavík (Ingólfstorg (in Icelandic))
• Reykjavík (Reykjavíkurtjörn – Iðnaðarmannahúsið (in Icelandic))

In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to ride an off-road buggy driven by a professional driver in the foothills of Mount Esja. Without taking notes, the team member had to memorize 11 Icelandic letters placed along the riverbed, and was left to notice that each letter had a number denoting its order in the solution. They then had to arrange tiles with those letters in the correct order to spell out their next destination, Ingólfstorg, to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At Washington Square Park, teams had to find their first clue below the waterline of the park's fountain before making their way to John F. Kennedy International Airport, where the first seven teams would receive tickets for the first flight to Iceland.^[18]
• At Geitárgljùfur, one team member had to pull themselves along a zip line high above the Geitá river canyon until they could retrieve a flag of Iceland suspended from the line. After grabbing the flag, their partner would pull them back to the canyon's edge so they could exchange the flag for their next clue.
• At Ingólfstorg, teams had to find a group of strongmen. When they did, CrossFit Games champion Katrín Davíðsdóttir would ask teams two questions about two national tonics: "What do Icelanders call the drink known as 'Black Death'?" (Brennivín) and "What is Þorskalýsi?" (cod liver oil). When teams were able to provide the correct answers, one team member would drink a shot of Brennivín and the other would drink a shot of Þorskalýsi to receive their next clue.

Leg 2 (Iceland → Belgium)[]

Airdate: January 10, 2018^[17]

• Reykjavík (Keflavík International Airport) to Amsterdam, Netherlands (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol)
• Haarlemmermeer (Schiphol Airport Railway Station) to Antwerp, Belgium (Antwerpen-Centraal Railway Station)
• Antwerp (Paleis op de Meir (in Dutch) – The Chocolate Line)
• Antwerp (Willemdok (in Dutch))
• Antwerp (Plantin-Moretus Museum or Diamond Quarter – ADC Building)
• Antwerp (Grote Markt)

In this leg's Roadblock, teams had to make their way to Antwerp's waterfront to find the "SkyClimb", a crane with four suspended rope ladders. There, one team member had to climb 100 feet (30 m) to the top of a free hanging ladder while a crane raised the racers upwards to retrieve the next clue before the ride ended.

This season's first Detour was a choice between Old Print or Diamond Glint. In Old Print, teams made their way to the Plantin-Moretus Museum, where they had to arrange type pieces following the example of a provided clue keeping in mind that the type pieces needed to be arranged in a mirror image of their clue. They then had to carry their template to be printed using a printing press and would be given the message as their next clue if it matched the provided clue. In Diamond Glint, teams traveled to the ADC Building within the Antwerp diamond district, where they had to calculate the value of three diamonds based on their carat, color, and clarity and add the value to the price of an unfinished necklace to receive their next clue.

In this series' first Head-to-Head, two teams had to compete against each other in a "Frietrace". After both members of each team donned French fry costumes, each team had to nominate one member to run an obstacle course while pushing a dolly with eight bags of frites. Bags of frites that fell off had to be replaced before continuing. A team could immediately check in at the nearby Pit Stop after winning a heat, while the losing team had to wait until the next team arrived. Unlike Roadblocks, losing teams could alternate racers between heats. The team that lost the final heat was eliminated.

Additional tasks

• After arriving in Antwerp, teams made their way to The Chocolate Line where a chocolatier named Stan would hand them their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams were given a clue, written in Dutch, that required them to "go to a large public place where you will find the city hall and Silvius Brabo" directing them to the Grote Markt.

Additional note

• Due to limited availability of flights, teams were given a set of pre-arranged flights to Amsterdam, where they would take a train to Antwerp, but could book an earlier flight if they were able to find one.^[19]

Leg 3 (Belgium → Morocco)[]

Airdate: January 17, 2018^[17]

• Antwerp (Antwerpen-Centraal Railway Station) to Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands (Schiphol Airport Railway Station)
• Amsterdam (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol) to Tangier, Morocco (Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport)
• Tangier (Medina Fish Port)
• Tangier (Kisariate Jbala Souk)
• Tangier (American Legation Museum, Kasbah Museum (in German), and Tele Boutique)
• Tangier (Grand Socco or Restaurant Mamounia Palace)
• Tangier (Moulay Hafid Palace)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to navigate the streets and rooftops of Tangier, similar to a scene from The Bourne Ultimatum. They first made their way to the roof of the American Legation Museum, where the Travelocity Roaming Gnome would zip-line over the city to another rooftop. Team members had to navigate the city's narrow streets to find the roof where the Roaming Gnome landed. When they found the gnome, they were instructed to travel to the Kasbah Museum, where they would perform the same task. After finding the gnome for a second time, team members were instructed to find a payphone at a Tele Boutique, where they had to use the coins in the gnome's pouch to operate the phone and listen to the Arabic phrase for Good Morning, Sabah al-khair (صباح الخير). After reiterating this phrase to the shopkeeper, he would hand them their next clue, which they could only open after reuniting with their partner back in the Kisariate Jbala Souk.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Drop it Off or Shake it Off. In Drop it Off, teams had to travel to a food wholesalers' truck within Grand Socco and deliver crates of food by dragging them along the ground to three locations (squash to Bab Kasbah, chickens to Marhaba Palace Restaurant, and oranges to Bab el-Assa), where they would receive a receipt stamped with one of the three words in the name of the Pit Stop that they could exchange for their next clue. In Shake it Off, teams had to travel to the Manounia Palace Restaurant, don traditional belly dancing attire, then dance among the dancers and musicians in the restaurant while searching for the three words in the name of the Pit Stop that they had to list to the waiter in any order to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• In the city's fishing port, teams had to find a marked crate of fish, transfer the fish into a basket, and arrange all the fish with their heads facing outwards like an example to receive their next clue from a fisherman.
• After completing the fish basket task, teams made their way on foot into the Medina quarter to find the Kisariate Jbala Souk, where they would greet a merchant with the Arabic greeting of As-salām Alaykum (السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ). They would then receive their next clue and a Travelocity Roaming Gnome.

Leg 4 (Morocco → France)[]

Airdate: January 24, 2018^[17]

• Tangier (Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport) to Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France (Nice Côte d'Azur Airport)
• Saint-Tropez (Sailing School Water Company De Saint-Tropez)
• Saint-Tropez (La Tarte Tropézienne or Sandales Tropéziennes)
• Saint-Tropez (Place des Lices)

For their Speed Bump, Cedric & Shawn had to stack a set of fifteen Optimist dinghies in numerical order before they could continue racing.

In this leg's Roadblock, one member had to attach a sail to an Optimist dinghy, then sail across the bay without being given any prior lessons and with the boat's rudder removed. Team members had to sail their boat to a set of two buoys, each containing one half of their next clue. If they could grab the two clue halves, they could return to the shore to reunite with their partner and open their next clue.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Bread or Tread. In Bread, teams made their way to La Tarte Tropézienne, where had to form 50 baguettes from 30 pounds (14 kg) of dough to the satisfaction of the baker. In Tread, teams made their way to Sandales Tropéziennes, where each team member had to correctly make a Tropezienne sandal. After either task, teams had to deliver a baked baguette or a finished pair of sandals to a person in a restaurant to receive their next clue.^[20]

In this leg's Head-to-Head at Place des Lices, two teams competed in a game of pétanque. With one team using black metal balls and the other white, each team member would roll three boules to try to get it as close as possible to a smaller ball on the field known as a jack. Once all team members had taken their turns, the team whose ball was closest to the jack was the winner and could check in at the Pit Stop. The team that lost the final game was eliminated.

Leg 5 (France)[]

Airdate: January 24, 2018^[17]

• Les Baux-de-Provence (Château des Baux)
• Maussane-les-Alpilles (Café de la Fontaine)
• Arles (Arles Amphitheatre or Pont Van Gogh)
• Les Baux-de-Provence (Hotel Benvengudo)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to correctly build a trebuchet from supplied parts following an example and to the satisfaction of a soldier to receive their next clue. For the duration of the task, the non-participating team member would be held in a stockade.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Full of Bull or Colorful. In Full of Bull, teams had to check satchels on 100 artificial bulls scattered around the stands of the Arles Amphitheatre to find a total of three ribbons, one in each of the colors of the French flag (blue, white, and red), and exchange them with the bullfighter in the ring for their next clue. In Colorful, teams traveled to the recreated Pont Van Gogh. There, they found a replica of one of Vincent van Gogh's paintings of the original Langlois Bridge at Arles, which was actually an elaborate sliding puzzle, requiring them to slide elements of the painting in a specific sequence in order to unlock the easel and retrieve their clue inside.

Additional task

• At Café de la Fontaine, teams had to find a patron drinking red wine who would give them their next clue.

Leg 6 (France → Czech Republic)[]

Airdate: January 31, 2018^[17]

• Arles (Église Notre Dame de la Major (in French)) (Pit Start)
• Marseille (Marseille Provence Airport) to Prague, Czech Republic (Prague Václav Havel Airport)
• Prague (Rudolfinum)
• Prague (Staropramen Brewery and Náplavka – Fidelio (in Czech) or Charles University)
• Prague (Andělská Lázeň Beer Spa)
• Prague (Stará Čistírna Odpadních Vod)
• Prague (Romantický Hotel U Raka) (Unaired)^[21]
• Prague (Letenské Park)

This leg's Detour was a Blind Detour, where teams would learn about the task they chose at its location, was a choice between This or That. In This, teams traveled to the Staropramen Brewery, where they discovered that they had to properly re-stack a pallet of empty beer kegs, searching for the one keg that was full. They then had to tap the keg and properly pour a mug to the satisfaction of the brewmaster. Once approved, they finally had to deliver the keg on a hand truck to Fidelio at Vltava, leaving them to figure out that Vltava is the name of the river flowing through Prague and "Fidelio" was the name of a floating vessel docked along Náplavka Riverbank, to receive their next clue from the captain. In That, teams traveled to the astronomy hall at Charles University, where they discovered that they had to listen to two lecturers in English, one debating that the Earth is round and the other that it is flat. Without taking any notes, they had to pass an oral exam by answering these questions: (1) What is the distance in miles that Copernicus calculated between the earth and the sun? (3,391,000 miles); (2) What is the name of the second lecturer? (Professor Bergler); (3) Which planet did Copernicus say was the second farthest from the sun? (Jupiter); (4) What is the law which causes objects to disappear as they move away from us? (Law of perspective); (5) Question not shown (blue); (6) Up to how many miles away can a lighthouse be seen? (40 miles); (7) What year did Copernicus publish his astronomical model? (1543); (8) Is the earth round or flat? (round). Once teams answered every question correctly, the professor would hand them their next clue.

The leg's Roadblock was a Switchback from Season 15, where one team member had to enter a room filled with hundreds of ringing telephones and search for the eight that had a person on the other end of the line. A voice from each phone would give the team member one word of a Franz Kafka quote, "The meaning of life is that it stops". Without taking notes, team members had to memorize the eight words then write them in the correct order on a provided form to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the start of the leg, teams were provided a smartphone with the Travelocity app to book their flight to Prague.
• After the Detour, teams traveled to Andělská Lázeň Beer Spa to receive their next clue from patrons bathing in beer.

Leg 7 (Czech Republic → Zimbabwe)[]

Airdate: February 7, 2018^[17]

• Prague (Prague Václav Havel Airport) to Harare, Zimbabwe (Harare International Airport)
• Harare (Harare Station) to Marondera (Marondera Train Station)
• Mashonaland East Province (Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy) (Overnight Rest & Partner Swap)
• Mashonaland East Province (Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy – Imire Lake)
• Mashonaland East Province (Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy – Lookout Tower)
• Mashonaland East Province (Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy – Savannah Plains Overlook)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Rhino Track or Bush Whack, each with a limit of three stations. In Rhino Track, teams had to ride horses with a guide along a marked path through the reserve, along the way spotting and collecting eight pieces of evidence left behind by poachers in designated locations. Once all eight were collected, they returned to the starting point to receive a map of the reserve with photographs of the locations and had to correctly place all eight items on the map matching their respective locations to receive their next clue. In Bush Whack, teams had to drive an off-road vehicle along a marked course to pick up supplies, including a full canteen of water, at a designated point. The course then continued through two mud bogs, which they had to wade through to determine the best point at which to cross, then attempt to drive the vehicle through the bogs without getting stuck. Once through, teams would arrive at a ranger station, where they had to dig up an empty canteen and bury the full one they picked up earlier in its place. After returning to the starting point, teams received their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy's bush camp, teams had to properly set up a provided safari tent in which to spend the night. They were then woken up by Phil Keoghan at 4:00 a.m., who explained that for the remainder of this leg, they would choose another team to switch partners with, in the same order their tents were approved.
• The newly formed teams then had to paddle a makeshift raft around Imire Lake to spot their next clue, which was in a pair of canteens hung in a tree. When they found the canteens, they would paddle to their next destination.

Additional note

• At the Pit Stop, teams had to wait for their original partners to arrive and reunite with them before they could check in. Additionally, as it was a No-Rest Pit Stop, teams were given their next clue informing them to go to Harare.

Leg 8 (Zimbabwe)[]

Airdate: February 7, 2018^[17]

• Harare (Khan Fabrics, Haberdashery and Sports)
• Harare (Eastgate Mall or Magaba Tyres and Cameron Hardware)
• Harare (Harare Gardens)
• Harare (First Street Pedestrian Mall)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Handle with Care or Just Get it There. In Handle with Care, teams traveled to Eastgate Mall, where they made their way to the mail room and received a total of seven large packages to carry and deliver to various businesses around the mall. After delivering each, they were given outgoing mail to return to the mail room. Once all the deliveries were complete, teams would receive their next clue. In Just Get it There, teams had to locate Magaba Tyres to pick up one small tire and one large truck tire. Then, teams had to roll them through the market onto the back of a waiting marked truck parked near Cameron Hardware to receive their next clue.

Additional task

• At Harare Gardens, teams had to choose a vocal coach who would teach them the pronunciation of the Shona language lyrics of the Four Brothers song "Pasi Pano Pane Zviedzo". They then had to perform the song on stage accompanied by a band with the correct pronunciation and rhythm while dancing to the beat to receive their next clue.

Leg 9 (Zimbabwe → Bahrain)[]

Airdate: February 14, 2018^[17]

• Harare (Africa Unity Square) (Pit Start)
• Harare (Harare International Airport) to Manama, Bahrain (Bahrain International Airport)
• Muharraq (Dhow Shipyard)
• Manama (Bahrain Bay) (Unaired)
• Muharraq (Hussein Mohammad Showaiter Sweets)
• A'ali (Delmon Pottery Industry)
• Zallaq (Bahrain Endurance Village)
• Sakhir (Tree of Life)

Additional tasks

• At the dhow shipyard, teams had to carry and place a total of 300 pounds (140 kg) of timber onto a balance scale to receive their next clue.
• At Hussein Mohammad Showaiter Sweets, teams asked for the "King of Halwa", a local jelly dessert that each team member was given a sample to eat for their next clue.
• At Delmon Pottery Industry, teams chose a pouch containing ten various small items to memorize. They then had to search inside hundreds of clay pots around the shop for the matching items and bring pots back to the starting point, one at a time, to be verified. Once all the matching items were collected, teams received a pot to break open containing their next clue.
• At Bahrain Endurance Village, teams had to choose a camel herder, who would show them how to milk a camel. One team member then had to collect enough milk to fill a glass while their partner kept the camel calm to receive their next clue.

Additional note

• In an unaired task at Bahrain Bay, team members were asked three questions and without consulting each other had to answer to whom the question applied. The three questions were: (1) Who has carried the most weight in the race?; (2) Who is the first to quit on a task? (3) Who knows their partner best? Team members had to answer these questions with one member standing on a plank on a boat floating on the sea. If the answers did not match, then the person on the plank had to dive into the bay and teams would start over. When teams matched all three answers, they would receive their next clue.^[22][23]

Leg 10 (Bahrain → Thailand)[]

Airdate: February 14, 2018^[17]

• Muharraq (Arad Walkway – Falcon Statue) (Pit Start)
• Manama (Bahrain International Airport) to Chiang Mai, Thailand (Chiang Mai International Airport)
• Chiang Mai (Royal Park Ratchaphruek)
• Chiang Mai (Patara Elephant Farm or Baan Kaew Rice Field)
• Chiang Mai (Original Khum Khantoke Restaurant)
• Chiang Mai (Wat Chedi Luang)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Size It or Seize It. In Size It, teams had to travel to Patara Elephant Farm, where they would calculate the height and weight measurements of an elephant while in the presence of her calf. If the veterinarian deemed their measurements to be correct, teams would ride their elephant along a trail and feed it to get their next clue. In Seize It, teams had to catch 20 bullfrogs in a flooded rice paddy to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to consume three cooked scorpions and a bullfrog to receive their next clue. For the duration of the task, the non-participating team member would have to stand with live scorpions crawling on them.

Additional task

• After arriving in Chiang Mai, teams were told to find white elephants at Royal Park Ratchaphruek, a series of statues, where they would find a garland that they had to give to one of four women with an umbrella in the vicinity of the garden in exchange for their next clue.

Additional note

• Once in Chiang Mai, teams had to choose a provided songthaew to serve as their transportation for this leg.

Leg 11 (Thailand → Hong Kong)[]

Airdate: February 21, 2018^[17]

• Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai International Airport) to Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong International Airport)
• Central and Western District (Victoria Peak – Lions Pavilion (in Chinese))
• Southern District (Aberdeen Promenade)
• Southern District (Aberdeen Floating Village or Ap Lei Chau Main Street – Jin Bao Seafood Restaurant)
• Central and Western District (Central Pier #4)
• Central and Western District (Lan Kwai Fong)
• Wan Chai District (Intersection of Johnston Road and Wan Chai Road)

For their Speed Bump, Henry & Evan had to light and place flameless candles into 40 hung paper lanterns before they could continue racing.

This season's final Detour was a choice between Hairy Crab or Grub Grab. In Hairy Crab, teams had to properly wrap and pack 50 live hairy crabs in a basket, while subjected to simulated typhoon conditions, to receive their next clue. In Grub Grab, one team member had to take 8 restaurant orders in Cantonese, then relay it to their partner in the kitchen, who had to find the corresponding dishes, which were labeled phonetically. Once every patron was served correctly, teams received their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to suit up in protective equipment and smash a pile of old electronics with a baseball bat to find two that contained half of a clue. Once they received both halves, they then splattered a gallon of paint over the pile to create a work of "rage art". Meanwhile, the non-participating team member was handcuffed to a briefcase.

Additional tasks

• Upon arrival in Hong Kong, teams traveled to Victoria Peak, where they had their picture taken overlooking the Hong Kong skyline. After their photograph was printed, teams would be given the photograph and their next clue.
• After completing the Roadblock, teams had to search the streets of Lan Kwai Fong for three signs depicting things seen in previous legs and recall the leg numbers where those things were seen (the Washington Square Arch from Leg 1, a fez hat from Leg 3, and a bull from Leg 5). These numbers corresponded to the combination to open the briefcase still handcuffed to the wrist of the team member who did not perform the Roadblock. The correct order of numbers was different for each briefcase. Inside the briefcase was the key to the handcuffs and the location of the Pit Stop: the intersection of Johnston Road and Wan Chai Road.

Leg 12 (Hong Kong → United States)[]

Airdate: February 21, 2018^[17]

• Chep Lap Kok (Hong Kong International Airport) to San Francisco, California, United States (San Francisco International Airport)
• San Francisco (AT&T Park – "Say Hey Kid" Statue)
• San Francisco (McCovey Cove)
• San Francisco (San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge)
• San Francisco (Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company)
• San Francisco (San Francisco City Hall) (Unaired)^[24]
• Alameda (USS Hornet )

In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to use jumars to pull themselves up 200 feet (61 m) to the top of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge center anchorage. They then had to enter the structure and put on a harness and covered with bright lights before free falling from a plank to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• After arriving in San Francisco, teams had to find their next clue near the "'Say Hey Kid' statue", leaving them to figure out that this was a reference to the statue of former San Francisco Giants player Willie Mays outside AT&T Park.
• In McCovey Cove, teams had to paddle kayaks to find three numbered baseballs corresponding to the digits in the number of career home runs hit by Willie Mays, leaving them to figure out the correct number (660), while Giants mascot Lou Seal threw more balls into the water from the ballpark to receive their next clue from an umpire.
• The clue received from the Roadblock was a rebus that left teams to figure out they had to travel to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. There, they had to properly make 102 fortune cookies, 51 per team member, to receive a giant fortune cookie that they had to break open to find their next clue.
• On the USS Hornet, teams had to choose a fuselage of a large model airplane on the flight deck, then search the entire aircraft carrier for twelve parts of matching color (two propellers, four wings, four horizontal stabilizers, and two vertical stabilizers) with which to complete the model. Each part had different pictures depicting objects the teams had encountered during the season. After finding all twelve parts, the team member who did not perform the Roadblock had to assemble the airplane with the correct combination of six parts (one propeller, two wings, two horizontal stabilizers, and one vertical stabilizer) that would fit correctly on the fuselage and represent all twelve legs without duplication (solution below):

Leg #	Country	Associated object
1	Iceland	Off-road helmet
2	Belgium	French fry
3	Morocco	Fish
4	France	Rudder
5	France	Knight
6	Czech Republic	Magnifying glass
7	Zimbabwe	Canteen
8	Zimbabwe	Microphone
9	Bahrain	Scale
10	Thailand	Elephant
11	Hong Kong	Handcuff
12	United States	Oar

Once approved, the team member had to push the airplane to their partner, and the team could proceed to the Finish Line at the opposite end of the flight deck.

Additional note

• During the flight to San Francisco, the final 3 teams received a free upgrade to business class.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

The Amazing Race 30 received mostly positive reviews. Andy Dehnart of reality blurred called it "a decent season of the race."^[25] Jodi Walker of Entertainment Weekly was positive towards the teams and competitiveness of this season calling it "a truly great season".^[26] Ken Tucker of Yahoo! was critical of this season doubling up episodes and the cliquishness of this season towards the later episodes.^[27]

Ratings[]

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Amazing Race 30

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)	Ref(s)
1	"You're a Champion, Prove It"	January 3, 2018	1.6/6	7.33	0.4	1.47	2.0	8.80	[28][29]
2	"You're the Best French Fry Ever"	January 10, 2018	1.4/5	6.98	0.5	N/A	1.9	N/A	[30][31]
3	"It's Gonna Be a Fragrant Day"	January 17, 2018	1.5/6	6.89	0.4	1.41	1.9	8.30	[32][33]
4–5	"Gotta Put Your Sole Into it"	January 24, 2018	1.2/5	6.17	0.4	1.40	1.6	7.57	[34][35]
6	"The Claws Are Out"	January 31, 2018	1.3/5	6.54	0.4	1.40	1.7	7.98	[36][37]
7–8	"All's Fair in Love and War"	February 7, 2018	1.1/4	5.07	0.6	2.18	1.7	7.25	[38][39]
9–10	"The First Rule of Amazing Race Club"	February 14, 2018	0.9/3	4.12	0.5	1.85	1.4	5.96	[40][41]
11–12	"It's Just a Million Dollars, No Pressure"	February 21, 2018	0.9/3	4.34	0.4	1.68	1.3	6.02	[42][43]

• Episodes 9 & 10, "The First Rule of Amazing Race Club", aired during the opening week of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website