The Amazing Race 7

The Amazing Race 7
Presented by	Phil Keoghan
No. of teams	11
Winners	Uchenna & Joyce Agu
No. of legs	12
Distance traveled	40,000 mi (64,000 km)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	12 (including 1 recap)
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	March 1 (2005-03-01) – May 10, 2005 (2005-05-10)
Additional information
Filming dates	November 20 (2004-11-20) – December 19, 2004 (2004-12-19)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 6 Next → Season 8
List of episodes

The Amazing Race 7 is the seventh installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. It featured 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. This installment premiered on March 1, 2005 and completed its broadcast run on May 10, 2005.

Married couple Uchenna and Joyce Agu were the winners of this season.

Production[]

Development and filming[]

The Amazing Race 7 took place over 29 days and traveled nearly 40,000 miles (64,000 km). Filming began on November 20, 2004 and finished on December 19, 2004. The teams raced in ten countries, five of which were not previously visited in the series. The new countries were Peru, Chile, Botswana, Turkey, and Jamaica. Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, also appeared for the first time.

This was the first edition to not circumnavigate the world by traveling continuously either west or east while crossing each meridian. Once teams traveled as far east as India, they returned to the United States traveling westward through Europe and the Caribbean. However, the route does approach that of a great circle on the globe.

In this season, a change was made to the non-elimination leg penalty. In addition to being stripped of all their money and receiving no allowance for the next leg, teams were forced to surrender all of their possessions, except for their passports and the clothes they were wearing, for the remainder of the season. They were also no longer allowed to beg for money prior to the start of the next leg (after the next leg started, they could beg for money). The racers could also receive or buy clothing or toiletries from other teams.

Leg 2 featured Chilean model Pamela Díaz as the Pit Stop greeter in Santiago, Chile.^[1]

Leg 3 featured a difficult Roadblock in which players had to eat 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of meat and organs. Four players quit this food-eating task: Rob, Meredith, Deana, and Patrick, the most to ever quit a task in a single leg at the time. Although it was not aired on television or in the DVD, Patrick quit the Roadblock but later decided to complete it. The aired portion had Patrick eating and finishing the meat and never taking the four-hour penalty.

Host Phil Keoghan greeted teams at the check-in mat midway through Leg 8 to hand them their next clue, marking the first time on The Amazing Race that teams stepped on the check-in mat to be handed their next clue, and to have their next clue handed to them by Keoghan.

Controversy surrounded the final leg of the season when Rob & Amber and Uchenna & Joyce arrived at the airport in San Juan, they were both sold tickets for a flight leaving later than one whose gate was about to close. While Rob & Amber managed to get on this earlier departing flight, Uchenna & Joyce were shown through the gate as the boarding corridor between the gate exitway and airplane began to shut. After a commercial break, the boarding corridor reopened to the gate to pick up Uchenna and Joyce. No explanation was given as to why the gate reopened, which has led to widespread speculation about intervention by the production staff.^[2][3] In the "Revisiting the Race" special feature on the Season 7 DVD, Uchenna, Rob, and host Phil Keoghan deny the accusations of intervention by the production crew. Uchenna describes his experience with finding the same airline agent at the gate who had previously informed him that there was no earlier available flight. Rob describes Uchenna running around frantically trying to get onto the flight, which the final edited version of the show does not portray. Phil cites the fact that the decision to reopen the door rested solely with the pilot, and that intervention by the production crew would have resulted in someone leaking such information out.

Cast[]

Applications for The Amazing Race 7 were closed on August 11, 2004. Semi-finalist interviews were held in September 2004, and final casting interviews were held in Los Angeles between September and October 2004.

Uchenna & Joyce were originally slated to be contestants on The Amazing Race 6. They were sequestered in Santa Monica, California but were cut at the last minute before the season began in Chicago, and they are the first team that ever came back from no money from the last leg to winning The Amazing Race.

Joyce Agu previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Ensign Gates (credited as Joyce Robinson), a background character who piloted the USS Enterprise.^[4] Ron Young was a former Apache helicopter pilot who was shot down in Iraq and held as a prisoner of war for 22 days, and Kelly McCorkle was a former Miss South Carolina.^[5] Brian Thomas Smith previously competed on Christmas Fear Factor and was eliminated on the second stunt.^[6] Amber Brkich originally appeared on Survivor: The Australian Outback and Rob Mariano appeared on Survivor: Marquesas. Both were called back to compete on Survivor: All-Stars where Rob finished second and Amber won.

Future appearances[]

Rob & Amber and Uchenna & Joyce were selected for The Amazing Race: All-Stars among a cast of returning teams from Seasons 1–10.^[7]

On May 25, 2005, CBS aired Rob & Amber's wedding at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, a trip they won during the season, during a special entitled Rob and Amber Get Married.^[8] After competing on The Amazing Race, Rob was later called back for a third time to compete on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, finishing in 13th place, and a fourth time to compete on Survivor: Redemption Island, which Rob went on to win. Rob & Amber later both returned to Survivor to compete on Survivor: Winners at War, where they finished in 17th and 20th place respectively.^[9] Rob also returned as a non-playing mentor alongside Sandra Diaz-Twine in Survivor: Island of the Idols.^[10]

Brian Smith would later appear on The Big Bang Theory as Penny's dim-witted boyfriend, Zack.^[11] On May 23, 2016, Rob Mariano appeared on a Survivor-themed The Price is Right primetime special.^[12]

Awards[]

In September 2005, The Amazing Race 7 won the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program", the third consecutive award for the television series. Although Seasons 5 and 6 were also eligible, producers chose Season 7 since it was the most recent installment of the show.

Marketing[]

Travelocity replaced the show's previous regular sponsors, American Airlines Vacations and Royal Caribbean International, and would become the main sponsor in subsequent seasons. In addition to trips, the company also provided a special prize of US$20,000 in vacation money, won by Ron & Kelly, in a random drawing on Leg 9 after matching the marking on the bottom of the company's mascot gnome.

Distribution[]

The DVD for Season 7 was released on December 20, 2005. Lynn & Alex, Brian & Greg, Rob & Amber, and Uchenna & Joyce did commentary on four episodes.^[13]

Results[]

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:

Team	Relationship	Position (by leg)													Roadblocks performed
		1	2	<3>	4	5	6	7	<8>4		9	10	11	12
Uchenna & Joyce	Married	8th	4th	2nd	3rd	6th	3rd	3rd2	3rd	1stƒ	1st	3rd	3rd	1st	Uchenna 6, Joyce 5
Rob & Amber	Engaged	3rd	1st	5th1	1st	5th	2nd	1st	1st	3rd	3rd	1st>	2nd	2nd	Rob 6, Amber 6
Ron & Kelly	Former POW/Pageant Queen	10th	2nd	4th	4th	2nd	1st	2nd	2nd	2nd	4th	2nd<	1st	3rd	Ron 6, Kelly 6
Meredith & Gretchen	Married/Retired	6th	7th	7th1	7th	7th	5th	5th3	5th	4th	2nd	4th			Meredith 6, Gretchen 4
Lynn & Alex	Boyfriends	5th	5th	1st	5th	4th	4th	4th	4th	5th					Lynn 4, Alex 4
Brian & Greg	Brothers	4th	9th	3rd	2nd	3rd	6th	6th							Brian 3, Greg 3
Ray & Deana	Dating On and Off	7th	3rd	6th1	6th	1stƒ	7th								Ray 2, Deana 2
Susan & Patrick	Mother/Son	2nd	8th	8th	8th										Susan 1, Patrick 2
Debbie & Bianca	Lifelong Friends	1st	6th	9th											Debbie 2, Bianca 0
Megan & Heidi	Roommates	9th	10th												Megan 1, Heidi 0
Ryan & Chuck	Best Friends	11th													Ryan 0, Chuck 0

Key

• A red team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
• An underlined blue team placement indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop in a non-elimination leg. The teams were forced to relinquish all of their money and belongings (except for passports and the clothes on their back) for the remainder of the season. In addition, they were not allotted money for the next leg.
• A green ƒ indicates that the team won a Fast Forward.
• A yellow > indicates that the team chose to use the Yield; < indicates the team who received it; <> around a leg number indicates a leg where the Yield was available but not used.
• Italicized results indicate the position of the team at the midpoint of a two-episode leg.

Notes

Episode title quotes[]

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.^[14]

1. "Courteous? This Is a Race!" – Megan
2. "The Whole Country Hates Me" – Lynn
3. "Do You Need Some Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation?" – Gretchen
4. "What a Gaucho You Are!" – Gretchen
5. "I've Been Wanting a Face-Lift for a Long Time" – Gretchen^[a]
6. "Houston, We Have an Elephant!" – Uchenna
7. "They Saved The Eyeball" (Recap Episode) – Gretchen
8. "Mow'em Down, Like Grass" – Ron^[b]
9. "We Have a Bad Elephant" – Gretchen^[c]
10. "We Got a Gnome! We Got a Gnome!" – Joyce
11. "The Devil Made Me Do It" – Kelly
12. "Five Continents, 25 Cities and More Than 40,000 Miles" – Phil Keoghan^[d]

Prizes[]

Individual prizes were awarded to the first team to complete a leg unless otherwise noted. Trips were provided by Travelocity. The prizes awarded were:

• Leg 1 – US$10,000 cash for each racer
• Leg 2 – A trip to Atlantis Paradise Island, The Bahamas with accommodations at the Royal Towers
• Leg 4 – A trip to London with a five-night accommodation in The Landmark London
• Leg 5 – Two Toyota RAV4 vehicles
• Leg 7 – A trip to Monaco
• Leg 9 – A $20,000 shopping spree on Travelocity.com and a stay in a first class suite at the Four Seasons Hotel during the Pit Stop^[e]
• Leg 10 – A JVC home entertainment system for each racer
• 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    Fast Forward    Yield    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 → Peru)[]

Airdate: March 1, 2005

• Long Beach, California, United States (Shoreline Aquatic Park) (Starting Line)
• Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport) to Lima, Peru (Jorge Chávez International Airport)
• Callao (Jorge Chávez International Airport) to Lima (Plaza de Armas)
• Lima to Ancón
• Ancón (Playa Hermosa) (Overnight Rest)
• Lima (Jorge Chávez International Airport) to Cusco (Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport)
• Huambutio (Virgen del Carmen Kiosk)
• Huambutio (Gorge)
• Huambutio (Police Station)
• Písac (Písac Market)
• Cusco (Convento de La Merced)

This season's first Detour was a choice between Rope a Llama or Rope a Basket. In Rope a Llama, teams had to rope two llamas and lead them to a nearby pen to receive their next clue from the herder. In Rope a Basket, each team member had to carry a 35-pound (16 kg) basket of alfalfa two-thirds of a mile (1.1 km) to a store called Tienda Victoria Valdivia to receive the next clue.

Additional tasks

• At Los Angeles International Airport, teams had to book one of two flights to Lima, Peru. The six teams on the American Airlines flight would arrive eighty-five minutes before the remaining five teams on the United Airlines flight.
• Once in Lima, teams had to travel by bus to Plaza de Armas to find their next clue.
• Once in Ancón, teams rode a rickshaw to Playa Hermosa. On the beach, teams had to search through three sand piles for a set of LAN airline tickets to Cusco, leaving the next morning at 6:00 a.m., 7:00 a.m., or 7:40 a.m.^[f]
• Once in Cusco, teams were given two bottles of mate de coca outside the airport before finding their next clue, which instructed them to travel via marked taxi to the town of Huambutio and receive another clue from the owner of a marked kiosk. From there, teams continued by taxi across a bridge to the top of a gorge, where they rode two ziplines to the bottom of the gorge to receive the next clue.
• After the Detour, teams made their way to Huambutio Police Station to board a marked delivery truck, which departed every 20 minutes with no more than three teams per truck. When the truck brought them to Písac, teams had to search the local market to find their next clue.

Leg 2 (Peru → Chile)[]

Airdate: March 8, 2005

• Cusco (Terminal Terrestre Cusco) to Arequipa (Terminal Terrestre Arequipa)
• Arequipa (Sindicato Único de Lustradores de Calzado)
• Arequipa (Rodríguez Ballón International Airport) to Santiago, Chile (Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport)
• (Funicular de Santiago) Santiago (San Cristóbal Hill – Virgin Mary Statue)
• Santiago (Mercado Central or Libreria Chilena and Library of Congress of Chile)
• Santiago (Cerro Santa Lucía – Neptune Fountain (in Spanish))

In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to work as a shoeshiner and polish five pairs of shoes on the street for a fee of one Peruvian nuevo sol per pair. After earning five soles, racers had to find their partner at the shoeshine union headquarters to receive their next clue.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Shop or Schlep. In Shop, teams traveled to Mercado Central to find the Donde Augusto restaurant, where the chef would give them a shopping list. Teams then had to buy the proper quantities of five ingredients on the shopping list (a three-kilogram (6.6 lb) corvina fish, one colinabo, two tomatoes, one onion, and a clove of garlic) to receive their next clue from the chef. In Schlep, teams traveled to Libreria Chilena, where they had to load 180 books onto a hand truck, deliver the books eight blocks to the Library of Congress of Chile inside the Former National Congress Building, and place the books on a designated shelf to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• Upon arrival in Arequipa, teams had to search for Sindicato Único de Lustradores de Calzado to find their next clue.
• Based on the order team members finished the Roadblock, teams were given plane tickets on one of two flights to Santiago, each of which carried five teams and departed forty-five minutes apart. Once in Santiago, teams had to travel to San Cristóbal Hill and ride the funicular to the Virgin Mary Statue to get their next clue.

Leg 3 (Chile → Argentina)[]

Airdate: March 15, 2005

• Santiago (Paseo Bulnes)
• Uspallata, Argentina (Puente Viejo)
• El Challao (Camping Suizo)
• Las Heras Department (Estancia San Isidro)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Paddle or Pedal. In Paddle, teams had to whitewater raft seven miles (11 km) down the Mendoza River to their next clue. In Pedal, teams had to pedal mountain bikes seven miles (11 km) down a railroad track to their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to eat a four-pound (1.8 kg) traditional Argentinian feast containing cow rib, pork sausage, blood sausage, cow intestine, cow udder, cow kidney, and part of a cow's salivary gland to receive their next clue.

Additional task

• At the start of the leg, teams had to choose a marked Nissan Pathfinder at a car park on Paseo Bulnes, drive themselves through the Andes Mountains to Argentina, and find both the Yield and their next clue at Puente Viejo.

Leg 4 (Argentina)[]

Airdate: March 22, 2005

• Lunlunta (Cabaña La Guatana Gaucho Ranch)
• Mendoza (Gabrielli Airport) to Buenos Aires (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery)
• Buenos Aires (Plaza de la Fuerza Aérea (in Spanish) – English Clock Tower)
• Buenos Aires (Estación Retiro) to Tigre (Estación Tigre (in Spanish))
• Tigre (700 Lavalle - Docks)
• Vicente Casares (La Martina Polo Ranch)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to complete a traditional gaucho challenge by riding a horse through a barrel racing course, then using a stick to spear a ring, within 40 seconds to receive the next clue.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Shipwreck or Island. In Shipwreck, using only a 30-year-old picture as a reference, teams had to find an abandoned ship within a seven-square-mile (18 km²) area to receive their next clue. In Island, teams used a map to travel four miles (6.4 km) up the San Antonio River and find a marked island with their next clue.

Additional task

• After the Roadblock, teams had to drive to the Mendoza airport to take one of two flights, departing five hours apart, to Buenos Aires. Once there, teams made their way to the English Clock Tower in Plaza de la Fuerza Aérea and find a man in a raincoat with their next clue, which instructed them to travel by train to Tigre and search the docks for their next clue.

Leg 5 (Argentina → South Africa)[]

Airdate: March 29, 2005

• Buenos Aires (Ministro Pistarini International Airport) to Johannesburg, South Africa (Johannesburg International Airport)
  • Soweto (Orlando Cooling Towers)
• Krugersdorp (Wild Cave Adventures) or Broederstroom (Lesedi Cultural Village)
• Soweto (Baragwanath Market)
• Soweto (Orlando Children's Home)
• Soweto (Ngakane Street – Soweto Overlook)

This season's first of two Fast Forwards required one team to go to the Orlando Power Station in Soweto. There, they would be taken to the top of one of the cooling towers and had to walk across a suspension bridge 30 stories above the ground to win the Fast Forward award.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Tunnels or Tribes. In Tunnels, teams went to Wild Cave Adventures in Krugersdorp, where they had to rappel 45 feet (14 m) into a dark cave and search for their next clue. In Tribes, teams traveled to the Lesedi Cultural Village in Broederstroom, where they would find six items and had to deliver the correct item to each of the village's five tribes: Ndebele (beads), Pedi (pot), Sotho (hat), Xhosa (pipe), and Zulu (shield). For every correct item teams delivered, a chief would give them a necklace. Once teams had five necklaces, they could exchange them for their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search the Baragwanath Market and buy five items from vendors, one toy, ten diapers, one backpack, two shirts, and one blanket, to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• After arriving in Johannesburg, teams had to find a marked Toyota Condor containing their next clue on the car's windshield.
• After the Roadblock, teams had to deliver their purchased items to the Orlando Children's Home to receive their next clue.

Leg 6 (South Africa → Botswana)[]

Airdate: March 29, 2005

• Krugersdorp (Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve) (Overnight Rest)
• Johannesburg (Johannesburg International Airport) to Gaborone, Botswana (Sir Seretse Khama International Airport)
• Gaborone (Gaborone Railway Station) to Francistown (Francistown Railway Station)
• Francistown (Francistown Bus Terminal) to Gweta (Giant Aardvark)
• Xau Xarra (Cattle Post)
• Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (Makgadikgadi Pans)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to complete a traditional bushman hunting training exercise by throwing a spear 20 feet (6.1 m) into a swinging bag to receive their next clue.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Food or Water. In Food, teams had to use two sticks and a wooden container called a kika to pound corn into powder until they could fill a basket to the marked line to receive their next clue. In Water, teams had to fill 12 ostrich egg shells with water from an underground spring using reed straws and bury them to receive their next clue.

Additional task

• At the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve, teams had to sign up for one of two shuttles, departing one hour apart, that would take them through the reserve and then feed the lions to receive their next clue.
• After arriving in Botswana, teams had to travel by train and bus to a giant aardvark statue near Gweta to find their next clue.
• After the Roadblock, teams had to drive themselves along a marked road to a cattle post at Xau Xarra, where they would find their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams had to drive themselves along a marked road to the Makgadikgadi Pans on the edge of the Kalahari Desert to find the Pit Stop.

Leg 7 (Botswana)[]

Airdate: April 6, 2005

• Sankuyo Village (Water Tower)
• Khwai (Khwai River)
• Khwai (Khwai River Lodge)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Carry It or Milk It. In Carry It, each team member had to carry 3 items on their heads (a bucket of water, a basket of corn, and a bundle of wood) to a cooking area 70 yards (64 m) away without using their hands to receive their next clue. In Milk It, teams had to select up to four goats from a pen and milk them until they filled a 10-US-fluid-ounce (300 ml) cup up to a line to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive their vehicle across a crocodile-infested crossing of the Khwai River. Then, they had to choose a marked path by removing a flagged post and use their vehicle to remove two trees felled by elephants before retrieving their next clue at the end of the path.

Additional tasks

• At the start of the leg, teams had to drive themselves through Maun and then continue to Sankuyo Village to find their next clue beneath a water tower.

Additional note

• Teams were required to follow the marked roads to each destination throughout the leg.

Leg 8 (Botswana → India)[]

Airdate: April 13, 2005

• Khwai (Khwai River Airport) to Francistown (Francistown International Airport)
• Francistown (Francistown International Airport) to Lucknow, India (Amausi Airport)
• Lucknow (Bara Imambara)
• Lucknow (Kohinoor Steel Emporium)
• Lucknow (Aishbagh – Indane Bhushan Gas Service)
• Lucknow (Mehrotra Coal Depot and K.K. Jaiswal Charcoal Merchants or Sharma Tea Corner and Nagar Nigam Office)
• Lucknow (Rooftop of Charbagh Multistory Flats)

In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to search among the 600 metal boxes in the emporium for one of ten that contained their next clue.

This leg's first Detour was a choice between Solid or Liquid. In Solid, teams traveled to Mehrotra Coal Depot, where they had to break up 175 pounds (79 kg) of coal, load it onto flatbed tricycles, and then deliver it to K.K. Jaiswal Charcoal Merchants to receive their next clue. In Liquid, teams traveled to the Sharma Tea Corner, where they picked up a tea cart, traveled to a three-story office building to find five people from a list of ten, and exchanged cups of tea for business cards. When they received all five business cards, teams had to return the carts to the tea shop and exchange the cards with the owner for their next clue.

Additional tasks

• Teams had to sign-up for one of three charter flights to Francistown, where they obtained tickets to Mumbai and could book flights to reach Lucknow.
• At Bara Imambara, teams had to don a head cover or headscarf and search the Bouli to find their next clue.
• From Bara Imambara, teams had to travel by horse-drawn tonga to Kohinoor Steel Emporium to find their next clue.
• From Kohinoor Steel Emporium, teams had to travel by cycle rickshaw to Indane Bhushan Gas Service to find their next clue.

Airdate: April 20, 2005

• Lucknow (Charbagh Railway Station) to Jodhpur (Jodhpur Railway Station)
• Jodhpur (Sardar Market)
  • Jodhpur (Kailashoham Gaure Shwar Mahadev Mandir)
• Jodhpur (Panna Niwas and Shri Kunj Bihari Temple or Dyeing House)
• Jodhpur (Deora Krishi Farm)
• Jodhpur (Jaswant Thada)

This season's second of two Fast Forwards required one team to participate in a traditional Hindu good fortune ritual at Kailashoham Gaure Shwar Mahadev Mandir on Kaylana Lake: completely shaving their head. Teams would not know that the ritual was head shaving until they arrived. Once both team members were bald, they would win the Fast Forward award. This task was later revisited on Season 20 as a Switchback.

This leg's second Detour was a choice between Trunk or Dunk. In Trunk, teams had to travel to Panna Niwas, then push a 600-pound (270 kg) teak elephant 1/2 mile (0.80 km) through the streets of Jodhpur's old city to the Shri Kunj Bihari Temple, where they received the next clue from the temple priest. In Dunk, teams made their way to a dyeing house, where they had to dye 25 sheets of fabric from a basket until they found the one with their next clue printed on it.

In this leg's second Roadblock, one team member had to complete two laps of a course in a camel-driven cart to receive their next clue.

Additional task

• The clue from the rooftop of Charbagh Multistory Flats told teams to travel across the street to the train station, find Platform 2, and board overnight train to a mystery destination. While on the train, a porter delivered the next clue, which told them to search the train station in Jodhpur for their next clue. From there, teams had to travel to Sardar Market, where they would find their next clue at the top of the clocktower.

Leg 9 (India → Turkey)[]

Airdate: April 27, 2005

• Jodhpur (Jodhpur Airport) to Istanbul, Turkey (Istanbul Atatürk Airport)
• Istanbul (Atatürk Havalimanı to Eminönü)
• Istanbul (Sirkeci Ferry Terminal to Üsküdar Ferry Terminal)
• Istanbul (Kız Kulesi)
• Istanbul (Galata Kulesi)
• Istanbul (Fatih – Binbirdirek Cistern or Eminönü – Yeni Mosque)
• Istanbul (Rumeli Hisarı)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Columns or Kilos. In Columns, teams traveled to Binbirdirek Cistern and had use a map with coordinates to find four columns, each of which had a number for the combination to open a padlocked box containing their next clue. In Kilos, teams had to travel to the Yeni Mosque, located at the old Jewish quarter of Eminönü, and find a man with a box of scales. Using one of the scales, teams had to weigh enough people on the street until they reached a total of 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb). Once done, teams had to return their scale and show their weights to the man to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb a 25-foot (7.6 m) ladder up the side of Halil Paşa Kulesi. Once at the top, team members then climbed to the top of a tower to retrieve a key, then rappelled down the side of Sarlica Paşa Kulesi. Once at the bottom, they had to use the key to open a book which contained their next clue that instructed racers to have the guard open the gate to allow their partner to enter the castle and then search the grounds for the Pit Stop.

Additional task

• Upon arrival in Istanbul, teams took a train and ferry to Kız Kulesi to find their next clue that instructed them to search for one of four Travelocity Roaming Gnomes, which they had to carry for the duration of the leg, and then travel to Galata Kulesi to find the next clue.

Additional note

• Teams were not informed that the team carrying a gnome with an airplane marking on the bottom would receive a prize at the Pit Stop.

Leg 10 (Turkey → England)[]

Airdate: May 3, 2005

• Istanbul (Sirkeci Train Station)
• Istanbul (Istanbul Atatürk Airport) to London, England, United Kingdom (Heathrow Airport)
• London (Abbey Road)
• London (London Eye)
• London (London Marriott Hotel County Hall)
• London (Four locations (See below) or Battersea Park)
• London (Millennium Dome – North Greenwich Coach Park)
• London (Potters Fields Park)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Brains or Brawn. In Brains, teams had to take the London Underground and solve a series of three riddles: (1) Teams had to exchange a luggage tag at Left Luggage, a baggage storage in Waterloo station, for their first item (a bag with a magnifying glass). (2) Teams had to find the three naked men of Hammersmith, a statue in Hammersmith tube station, to find the second item (a pipe and tobacco). (3) Teams had to find the station on the street where Victorian London's most famous detective lived to find the third item (a deerstalker hat). Teams then had to take the items to 221B Baker Street, home of the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and exchange the items with Sherlock Holmes for their next clue. In Brawn, teams made their way to Battersea Park where they had to transport five 160-pound (73 kg) boats from a lake to the storage area, 500 yards (460 m) away, to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a double-decker bus through a marked course. If they hit any cones, the bus driver would reset the course and would drive the bus back to the start of the course. Once they completed the course, the team member had to park the bus in the designated parking area to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At Sirkeci Train Station, teams had to walk past a group of whirling dervishes to their next clue.
• Upon arrival in London, teams had to find their next clue at the zebra crossing made famous on an album cover by The Beatles, which they had to figure out was Abbey Road.
• At the London Eye, teams had to board a capsule and survey the city from the Ferris wheel to locate a Route Marker and their next clue, which was at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall.

Leg 11 (England → Jamaica)[]

Airdate: May 10, 2005

• London (Heathrow Airport) to Kingston, Jamaica (Norman Manley International Airport)
• Port Antonio (Frenchman's Cove) (Overnight Rest)
• Port Antonio (Grants Level)
• Hopewell (Round Hill - Cottage 16)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to do the limbo to determine their departure time from Frenchman's Cove. For every level they passed, they could depart 15 minutes earlier the next morning, starting at 9:15 a.m. with the earliest departure at 8:15 a.m. After eight attempts at the limbo, teams would receive their next clue instructing them to spend the night and then depart at the time they earned.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Raft It or Build It. In Raft It, teams had to travel eight miles (13 km) down the Rio Grande on a bamboo raft with only a pole to steer to receive their next clue. In Build It, teams had to build a bamboo raft using the tools provided. When their work was to the supervisor's satisfaction, teams then paddled across the Rio Grande to find their next clue on top of a hill.

Leg 12 (Jamaica → Puerto Rico → United States)[]

Airdate: May 10, 2005

• Lucea (Cool Breeze House Onion Shack)
• Negril (3 Dives Jerk Shack)
• Montego Bay (Rose Hall)
• Montego Bay (Sangster International Airport) to San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States (Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport)
• San Juan (Castillo San Felipe del Morro)
• Aguadilla (El Muelle de Azucar)
• San Juan (Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport) to Miami, Florida (Miami International Airport)
• Miami (Rickenbacker Causeway)
• Miami (Little Havana – El Rey de los Habanos)
• Fort Lauderdale (Bonnet House)

This season's final Detour was a choice between Pony Up or Tee It Up. In Pony Up, teams had to ride a horse into the ocean then hang onto its tail as it went around buoys and returned to shore to receive their next clue. In Tee It Up, teams had to dress in proper golfing attire and go out to the driving range, where one team member had to hit a golf ball onto the 16-foot (4.9 m) green, 140 yards (130 m) away, to receive their next clue.

In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to jump 30 feet (9.1 m) off of a pier, swim 90 yards (82 m) to a buoy with their next clue, then board a boat that would return them back to shore and their partner.

Additional tasks

• At Cool Breeze House Onion Shack, teams had to pick up a sack of fifty onions, then travel to 3 Dives Jerk Shack to chop the onions to the satisfaction of the chef to receive their next clue.
• Once in San Juan, teams had to find a marked car and then drive themselves to Castillo San Felipe del Morro to find their next clue. From there, teams traveled to an abandoned sugar refinery in Aguadilla, where they would find their next clue.
• After arriving in Miami, Florida, teams had to travel by taxi to their next clue beneath the Rickenbacker Causeway.
• In Little Havana, teams had to find "The King of the Havanas", which they had to figure was a cigar shop known by its Spanish name "El Rey de los Habanos", to find their final clue.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

The Amazing Race 7 received mostly positive reviews. Andy Dehnart called this season satisfying by the end.^[15] In 2016, this season was ranked 4th out of the first 27 seasons by the Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race correspondents.^[16] Kareem Gantt of Screen Rant wrote that it was "a season in which The Amazing Race was firing on all cylinders."^[17] In 2021, Jane Andrews of Gossip Cop ranked this season as the show's 6th best season.^[18] Val Barone of TheThings ranked this season as the show's best season.^[19] In 2022, Jason Shomer of Collider ranked this season among the show's top seven seasons.^[20] Conversely, Linda Holmes of Television Without Pity wrote that it was an "incredibly ungenerous, pinched, unpleasant season" due to it turning "into such a bitchy, moralizing, self-righteous morass, and it's not Rob and Amber who made that happen. It's primarily Lynn and Alex, with help from Meredith and Gretchen, Ron and Kelly, and -- unfortunately -- Uchenna and Joyce."^[21][22]

Ratings[]

U.S. Nielsen ratings[]

#	Episode	Rating	Share	Rating/Share (18-49)	Viewers (millions)
1	"Courteous? This Is a Race! "	N/A	N/A	4.9/12	11.76
2	"The Whole Country Hates Me"	7.2	11	4.8/12	11.69
3	"Do You Need Some Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation"	N/A	N/A	5.0/12	12.71
10	"We Got a Gnome! We Got a Gnome!"	8.3	13	5.2/12	13.27
11	"The Devil Made Me Do It"	8.0	12	5.2/13	12.84
12	"Five Continents, 25 Cities, And More Than 40,000 Miles"	9.6	15	6.8/11[23]	16.01

Canadian ratings[]

Order	Episode	Viewers (millions)	Rank
1	"Courteous? This Is a Race!"	2.93	#1[24]
2	"The Whole Country Hates Me"	2.70	#5
3	"Do You Need Some Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation?"	3.04	#1
4	"What a Gaucho You Are"	2.94	#1
5	"I've Been Wanting a Face-Lift for a Long Time"	3.14	#3
6	"Houston, We Have an Elephant!"	3.41	#1
7	"They Saved The Eyeball"	3.04	#3
8	"Mow 'Em Down, Like Grass"	3.36	#2
9	"We Have a Bad Elephant!"	3.36	#2
10	"We Got a Gnome! We Got a Gnome!"	3.33	#1
11	"The Devil Made Me Do It"	3.27	#1
12	"Five Continents, 25 Cities and More Than 40,000 Miles"	3.84	#1

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website