Every Amazing Race Season Ranked Worst To Best

When "The Amazing Race" debuted on September 5, 2001, the ratings were modest and the show spent a few seasons "on the bubble" before it began dominating the Reality Competition awards at the Emmys — it amassed 13 by 2014, among other awards. Created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Dognaieri and hosted by Phil Keoghan, the show has now run for 32 seasons, and has spawned several other editions, including in Canada, Australia, Asia, and the Philippines.

"The Amazing Race" also has a loyal fanbase called "TARflies." Beginning with a community that sprung from the forums at the now-defunct Television WIthout Pity website, TARflies created TARCon, an in-person fan event that was held in New York City to watch the finale and which was often attended by both present and past Racers. There was also a TARflies Times website that is now defunct. Fans continue to congregate on sites such as Reddit and Facebook, though TARCon appears to have ended.

The show has spawned its own lingo as well, including "killer fatigue" to describe tired Racers, "Philimination" to describe being eliminated from the Race by host Keoghan, and "airport drama" for, well, drama occurring at airports as teams jockey to get the best flights. Contestants are referred to as "Racers" and many have team nicknames that were either fan- or self-given. Having covered over a million miles and 89 countries visited by dozens of teams competing for one million dollars, here are the 32 seasons of "The Amazing Race," ranked from worst to best by their IMDb ratings.

Season 28, which premiered on February 12, 2016, could be subtitled "The One Where Everyone's a Social Media Star," as that was the hook for casting. 

An obvious bid to tap into the younger demographic who may be unfamiliar with the previous 27 seasons of the show, a cast made up of YouTubers and Instagrammers didn't seem to impress long-time fans. Engaged choreographers and YouTubers Dana Borriello and Matt Steaffanina bickered their way to the million dollar prize, but that didn't make for pleasant or memorable watching. Host Phil Keoghan got in on the social media aspect, too, livestreaming the show on Twitter — which only annoyed West Coast fans wanting to avoid spoilers for the episodes.

The first and only "The Amazing Race: Family Edition" occurred during Season 8, which premiered September 27, 2005. 

The Linz family — siblings Nick, Alex, Megan, and Tommy — powered through what many fans considered easier tasks than a "normal" Race, even leading EW's recapper, Josh Wolk, to deem the season "uninspiring." The route stayed on one continent, though the families visited four countries: the U.S., Canada, Panama, and Costa Rica. There were also 40 people racing in 10 teams of four family members each, with the youngest Racer being Austin Black, who was only 8 at the time his family competed.

Season 26, which premiered February 25, 2015, was the "dating season" that featured one twist: five of the dating teams were actually blind dates who met for the first time on the Race. 

That one of the "blind date" couples, Laura Pierson and Tyler Adams, wound up winning was a bit of a kick for the longer-term dating couples, though it may be that not having any "issues" to work on allowed Laura and Tyler to avoid the relationship bickering that sometimes drags teams down. It was also the first season with no all-female team.

September 25, 2015 saw the premiere of Season 27, which introduced into the Race mechanics an "Express Pass" that had to not only be given to another team after the team which found it used it, but the recipients were then forced to use it in the next leg or they would lose the advantage.

An Express Pass allows the team holding it to skip the task at hand and move on to the next part of the leg, and was first used in Season 4. Production switched things up by including two Roadblocks and a Detour in one leg — normal legs have one of each type of task. Kelsey Gerckens and Joey Buttitta, a pair of dating news anchors, won the season.

Season 12 premiered November 4, 2007 and was the first season to have the controversial U-Turn, as well as the more widely-accepted Speed Bump. 

The U-Turn allows a team to force a team behind them to complete both tasks in a Detour, which is a choice between two different tasks. It is a way to slow down the competition and hopefully knock them out of the Race. The Speed Bump was an innovation connected to a Non-Elimination Leg, or "NEL." 

Previously, if a team came in last place on a leg that turned out to be non-elimination, there was no consequence other than being the last team to start the next leg. This time, the "NEL" team had to complete an extra task called a "Speed Bump" in order to continue the Race. Newly dating couple TK Erwin and Rachel Rosales won.

Season 21 is notable for including contestants from CBS sister show "Survivor," as "Twinnies" Natalie and Nadiya Anderson competed against teams such as Chippendales dancers Jaymes Vaugh and James Davis. 

The season premiered September 30, 2012 and included a "Double Your Money" prize — final winnings would be doubled if the team who won the first leg also won the final leg — and a "blind" Double U-Turn, which meant the teams who were U-turned didn't even know who made them complete both tasks of a Detour. Rock Star/Lawyer duo James LoMenzo and Mark "Abba" Abbattitsta provided a lot of drama, as the two frequently left important items (such as money and Abba's passport) behind. The lost passport led to their elimination in Russia. 

Goat farmers Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, who placed 7th in the first leg, were the ultimate winners.

On February 14, 2010, "The Amazing Race" began its 16th season, which included former contestants from CBS's "Big Brother" in another bit of stunt-casting. 

The season was notable for using the Intersection again, as well as having Racers climbing the outside of San Francisco's famous Coit Tower during the final Roadblock. Although brothers Jet and Cord McCoy, a.k.a The Cowboys, were one of the season's most popular teams and made two more appearances in later seasons, the winners were actually brothers Dan and Jordan Pious.

Season 4 premiered on May 29, 2003, and featured several LGBTQ+ firsts for "The Amazing Race": the first married gay couple (Reichen Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt) who were also the first LGBTQ+ contestants, and who were also the first romantic couple to win the Race. 

Ironically, the two split up after the Race ended, which was not too much of a surprise given how often they fought. No doubt the stress and fatigue of racing around the globe contributed to that, and despite the arguments, the two were competent in challenges and able to overcome their mistakes. 

In contrast, the season also featured Millie Smith and Chuck Shankles, two self-described virgins who had been dating 12 years, fought with each other constantly and questioned their relationship. While entertaining on a dramatic level, some of the behavior made for an uncomfortable watch.

One of the most notable aspects of Season 14, which premiered on February 15, 2009, was the team of writer/actor Mike White and his father, Mel. 

White ("School of Rock," "Nacho Libre") is a huge fan of the Race and showed that joy in almost every moment. The season also had its first Deaf contestant, Luke Adams, who raced with his mother, Margie. It's strange to see this one rank so highly, though, as many fans complained about the winners (siblings Tammy and Victor Jih) having an "unfair" advantage because the Race spent several tasks towards the end in China, and Tammy and Victor speak Chinese.

However, that's just Race luck, the same with getting a good versus bad cab driver or picking a Roadblock that plays to a teammate's strengths versus a teammate afraid of heights being forced to skydive, for instance. Also, Luke came received a lot of criticism for being so whiny.

Season 30 premiered January 3, 2018, introducing two new elements, the "Head-to-Head" competition and the "Partner Swap." 

The Partner Swap is simple: Teams change partners for one leg until they reach the Pit Stop and get back with their original teammate. The "Head-to-Head" challenge involved a task where teams would compete against each other until only one team was left; that team would receive a 15 minute penalty before moving on. 

Because the Head-to-Head occurred before the Pit Stop, however, the final team wound up eliminated. "Big Brother" contestants Cody Nickson and Jessica Graft won in the end. To date, they are the only team who had appeared on another CBS competition to win "The Amazing Race."

Season 23 premiered September 29, 2013 and marked the first time two teams used an Express Pass to skip a difficult task. 

Cousins Leo Temary and Jamal Zadran were the breakout personalities, returning twice more in the second All-Stars season and in Season 31. Because other teams found them rather annoying, they wound up being U-turned twice, but managed to overcome both setbacks. However, their luck eventually ran out and they placed 4th. 

Dating couple Jason Case and Amy Diaz, who allied very early in the Race with married ER doctors Nicole and Travis Jasper, topped the pack.

It took 17 seasons, but Doctors Nat Strand and Kat Chang became the first all-female team to win "The Amazing Race." 

Their competency and cool demeanors, coupled with the support they offered each other, endeared them to fans. Season 17 premiered September 26, 2010, introducing the Express Pass and the Double U-Turn to the game dynamics. 

It also introduced a very GIF-able moment when Claire Champlin took a watermelon to the face in the first leg. Claire's teammate (and fellow Home Shopping host) Brooke Roberts could only watch from the sidelines since the task was a Roadblock. Fortunately, Claire was cleared to continue, and the pair wound up in second place in the final leg.

Known as "The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business," Season 18 debuted on February 20, 2011, and featured returnees who had previously lost and wanted a second chance. 

Fan favorite returnees included father/son Mel and Mike White, Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time and Big Easy, Cowboys Jet and Cord, and sisters Kisha and Jen Hoffman, who went on to win. 

In Kisha and Jen's first appearance in Season 14, they had trouble communicating, causing numerous issues for them, but by Season 18, they had become much better at listening to each other. Allying themselves with Flight Time and Big Easy also gave Kisha and Jen a push in the right direction. While some teams (such as Margie and Luke) wound up repeating past mistakes, Kisha and Jen showed growth and were rewarded with $1 million.

Season 19 featured then-dating couple Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca, both of whom had already won "Survivor," leading to the other teams targeting them for elimination. It was their own failure to see a clue, however, that led to their Philimination in the second leg. 

Engaged couple Ernie Halvoresn and Cindy Chian, on the other hand, raced carefully and efficiently on their way to securing the $1 million prize. Season 19 (which premiered September 25, 2011) introduced the Double Elimination Leg — wherein two teams were eliminated in the second leg. It was also the first to use the Hazard, a penalty similar to a Speed Bump given to the team who finished last on the Starting Line task. Needless to say, that was not a popular innovation and hasn't appeared since.

Season 31 was hyped as a "reality showdown," as the teams all came from CBS's three reality competition shows: "The Amazing Race," "Survivor," and "Big Brother." 

Debuting April 17, 2019 and suffused with CBS synergy, the season brough back such returning Racers as Art and JJ from Season 20 and Leo and Jamal from Seasons 23, 25, and 31, alongside newbies Rupert and Laura Boneham from "Survivor" and Nicole Franzel and Victor Arroyo III from "Big Brother." 

But it was the return of now-married Racers Colin Guinn and Christie Woods that had fans excited, with many hoping his tendency to melt down would return. Unfortunately for them, Colin and Christie returned with a Zen attitude that, coupled with their racing skills, created a redemption arc that ended with them winning. In terms of the "showdown," the final three teams were all returning Racers. Take that, synergy!.

Sometimes, you just can't top the original.

Topping the list as the best season of "The Amazing Race" is Season 1, which premiered September 5, 2001 and had memorable teams who, much like the castaways on the first season of "Survivor," created a blueprint for how teams should compete on the Race. 

That blueprint included appreciating where you were, being kind to the locals, and ripping through tasks as best you could in order to get to the next leg. It also had Team Guido being delightfully villainous, and getting their (extremely satisfying) comeuppance in the final leg. 

Teams were made up of friends, romantic partners, families, and roomies. The first three teams to finish leg one raced to the end in the final leg, with best friends Rob Frisbee and Brennan Swain becoming the first winners, and the Guidos being the first team to not complete the final leg because they were so far behind the production told them the other Racers had already crossed the finish line.