Every Amazing Race Season Ranked Worst To Best

Season 32 of "The Amazing Race," which premiered on October 14, 2020, ranks at the bottom of all the seasons. While it had several "firsts" for the show, including the first marriage proposal between a gay couple (eventual winners Will Jardell and James Wallington), the season failed to gain good footing with fans. Many were unhappy with the early "Mine Five" alliance between five teams, made worse when a sub-alliance of what would become the top three teams helped each other so egregiously the element of surprise was eliminated.

"The Amazing Race" Season 10, which premiered on September 17, 2006, was the first time "The Amazing Race" had a Muslim American team, as well as two Asian American teams. The race itself also went West first instead of East, as was the previous custom. Other innovations included a surprise elimination — two teams instead of one were cut during the first leg — and the Intersection, which compelled two teams to work together until told otherwise. As with any long-running show, the producers were looking to mix things up so the Racers wouldn't know what to expect. Needless to say, teams weren't the only ones caught off guard, as fans clearly weren't happy about the changes. Models Tyler Denk and James Theodore Branaman were the eventual winners.

"The Amazing Race" Season 13 premiered on September 28, 2008 and featured siblings Nick and Starr Spangler, who, despite a lack of travel experience, used their athleticism to win. The season was the first in which a U-Turn was available but was never used. While the U-Turn can be used by one team to hinder another's progress in the game, there are many fans who don't care for it, preferring the teams to just focus on their own game. The teams in Season 13 chose to do just that, which reduced the drama (and is perhaps one of the reasons that the season is ranked so low on IMDb).

Premiering February 18, 2007, "The Amazing Race" Season 11 was the first All-Stars season and featured returning teams including Rob and Amber Mariano, who had married by then. By contrast, dating couple John Vito Pietanza and Jill Aquilina appeared on All-Stars as a formerly dating couple. Season 1 "villains" Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek, aka Team Guido, returned but went out in 6th place despite being up to their old tricks — or maybe because of that. Uchenna and Joyce Agu were the only returning winners. Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner from Season 9, who actually competed on opposing teams then, arrived at the final mat to win the first All-Stars, which was also the last season to have 13 legs. 

"The Amazing Race" Season 22 premiered on February 17, 2013. In addition to a regular Express Pass, there was a second Express Pass that had to be given away to another team to use. This season was also notable for a team that had to pull out of the Race due to one member being injured: Father and son team Dave and Connor O'Leary were unable to complete the race because Dave tore his Achilles tendon and eventually was advised by the show's medical staff to get surgery, leading to their "self-elimination." Brothers and professional hockey players Bates and Anthony Battaglia, targeted early on by other teams who were afraid their athleticism would power them to the end, managed to overcome both that and their own missteps to finish in first place.

"The Amazing Race" Season 15 introduced the Starting Line Task and Starting Line Elimination, the latter of which was not very popular because a team was axed before they had a chance to race. Premiering September 27, 2009, Season 15 also introduced the Switchback, which was a reprise of a difficult task from a previous season. Though the season included a team of professional athletes, Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton from the Harlem Globetrotters, it was dating couple Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney who triumphed in the end — they were a dominant force throughout and deserved the victory.

"The Amazing Race" Season 7 premiered on March 1, 2005. Former "Survivor" contestants Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich — married now but engaged at the time — were among the Racers, and they brought their castaway tactics to the show. For example, in a Roadblock where one member of the team had to eat four pounds of meat, Rob not only opted to take the four-hour penalty for not completing the task, but also convinced two other teams after him to do the same, thus giving his team a cushion against coming in last. Many people felt as though this season focused on Rob and Amber a little too much, and these viewers were no doubt thrilled when married couple Uchenna and Joyce Agu came first.

Premiering on March 30, 2017, "The Amazing Race" Season 29 introduced a new gimmick: The contestants didn't know each other ahead of time and had to complete a task that decided who would pick a partner first. Consequently, team dynamics developed in real time over the course of the season. Some teams, such as Becca Droz and Floyd Pierce, aka Team Fun, had a good time together, whereas the likes of Brooke Camhi and Scott Flanary had more of a push/pull relationship. However, the fraught dynamic didn't stop Brooke and Scott from winning the $1 million prize, and fans seemed to enjoy the different teams learning their partner's strengths and weaknesses as they competed.

After the disaster that was "Family Edition," "The Amazing Race" went back to its roots with Season 9 and circumnavigated the globe with groups of two. The season premiered on February 28, 2006, with its usual mix of best friends, couples, and family members. Season 9 marked the first time the Race went to Japan and Greece, as well as reaching the milestone of 100 teams overall. Winners B.J. Averell and Tyler MacNiven were a popular best friends duo whose goofy antics endeared them to fans, though maybe not so much to fellow racers. B.J. and Tyler went from competent Racers to making mistakes that resulted in them coming in last twice — but lucked out in that those were Non-Elimination Legs.

September 26, 2014 saw the premiere of "The Amazing Race" Season 25, which introduced a Save pass that a team could use to prevent their own elimination. This was also the first time the starting point was public knowledge — people gathered at Times Square in New York City to see the teams embark on their journeys. Chipper food scientists Amy DeJong and Maya Warren beat out surfers Adam Dirks and Bethany Hamilton and dentists Misti and Jim Raman at the finish line. Amy and Maya were constantly underestimated because they were not the most athletic pair, making their win a true underdog moment. Bethany's inspirational story, which was the basis of the 2011 film "Soul Surfer," was a big draw for fans as well. Sadly, Jim passed away in 2019 at age 42.

It's a little surprising that "The Amazing Race" Season 5, which premiered July 6, 2004, doesn't rank higher. Apart from being a generally enjoyable watch with a fantastic finish, the season gifted the world with Colin Guinn's epic meltdown at the Plow detour, which involved having an ox plow a muddy field to dredge up a clue. Colin's ox would not cooperate, causing him to yell in anguish, "My ox is broken!" He and his then-girlfriend and now-wife Christie Woods also set a record for most legs won in a season (though that record was eventually broken). They were also the first to be both U-turned and yielded — the Yield being a new addition to the Race — by other teams. Married couple Chip and Kim McAllister beat Colin and Christie to the final mat.

The second season of "The Amazing Race," which premiered on March 11, 2002, brought in elements that became Race staples, including changing the route markers to the familiar yellow and red and having host Phil Keoghan greet everyone at the mat. It also had one of the most dramatic finishes in Race history, with winners Chris Luca and Alex Boylan literally running past bickering partners Tara Lynch and Wil Steger to the final mat. Well, they just passed Tara — both partners need to be on the mat in order to check in and she was behind Wil. Ironically, part of Tara and Wil's fighting was due to Tara helping Chris and Alex to her own team's detriment.

"The Amazing Race" Season 6, which premiered on November 16, 2004, is best remembered for a couple of controversies. The season was won by models Freddy Holliday and Kendra Bentley. Kendra made some offensive comments in Africa that riled a lot of people. "This country is wretched and disgusting," she said while in Senegal. "And they just keep breeding and breeding in this poverty. I just can't take it." She later blamed the editors and insisted that her comments had been taken out of context. "I was actually talking about the government and how they put people in these situations," she said (via Reality Blurred). "They don't give them opportunities for education or birth control."

Meanwhile, contestant Jonathan Baker drew the ire of viewers after verbally abusing his wife Victoria Fuller in Berlin. His behavior got so bad that executive producer Bertram van Munster had a talk with him. "I told him you've got to tone it down, you have to stop this kind of stuff, it's not cool — until then, I'd never given advice to a reality show player before to chill out," he told the New York Post. Baker also blamed the show's editors. "The editing wasn't kind to me, was it?" Baker told the Providence Journal. "We do love each other. But the way we're represented, I'm abusing her."

So, why does Season 6 rank so highly on IMDb? Probably because of the heartwarming growth in the father-daughter relationship of Gus and Hera McLeod and the heartbreak of close sisters Lena and Kristy Jensen going out on a grueling hay bale challenge. That's the kind of drama that fans have always seemed to prefer.

"The Amazing Race" Season 20 debuted on February 19, 2012 and racked up several firsts for the show. This was the first time two teams fell victim to the Double U-Turn in one leg yet still managed not to be eliminated, and the first time both a Speed Bump and Fast Forward (which allows a team to skip all tasks and go straight to the Pit Stop) appeared in one leg. Rachel and Dave Brown Jr., a married couple, overcame several obstacles on the way to winning, including missing the final Roadblock and being turned away from the Finish Line in order to go back and complete it. We cannot imagine what it would be like to think you've won, only to be told you missed a major task.

"The Amazing Race" Season 24 — the second All-Stars season — premiered on February 23, 2014 and had one crucial difference from the original All-Stars: One team was a composite duo made up of members from two previous teams. Season 20's Mark Jackson and Bopper Minton were scheduled to return, but Bopper unfortunately became ill and the medical team wouldn't allow him to continue. Mark was paired with Mallory Ervin, who previously raced with her father, Gary, on seasons 17 and 18. The two didn't make it past the second leg. In an inspiring finish, however, Dave and Connor O'Leary, both cancer survivors, became the first parent/child team to win "The Amazing Race."

Debuting on October 2, 2002, "The Amazing Race" Season 3 featured the first female winner: Flo Pesenti. She became known for whining, not doing Roadblocks, and literally being carried by her teammate and friend, Zach Behr. However, some viewers feel that she wasn't as bad as many people like to make out. "Yes, she yelled at Zach a lot. Yes, she was frustrating sometimes. But she really didn't start to give out until the later legs of the race," Redditor u/kkranberry said. "I don't think people are being fair to her considering the conditions, the homesickness, the lack of sleep, and the heat." Despite fan antipathy toward Flo, though, many rooted for Zach to win just for putting up with her, which is one of the reasons the third season is so highly rated.

After a production delay of over a year due to COVID-19, both contestants and viewers were looking forward to the return of "The Amazing Race" with Season 33. The show was forced to adapt to COVID-19 protocols and restrictions, and, as such, many changes were implemented. This resulted in a much-needed refresh of the show's long-running structure. These well-received changes included flying on charter planes, self-driving, a Europe-centric route, and more. There was also the fact that, with the elimination of U-Turns this season, there wasn't as much drama or interaction between teams as you would usually expect on the show. However, what the season lacked in drama, it more than made up for in suspenseful legs.

All things considered, fans were left impressed with how the production team and the contestants were able to pull off such a universally beloved season. Like other well-received seasons, one of the biggest factors was the likeability of the teams. For the most part, everyone was high energy, kind, and strategic in a way that's always great to see in "The Amazing Race" (and competitive reality shows in general). The casting choices gave audiences plenty of people to root for every step of the way and kept viewers engaged until the very end. Overall, IMDb reviewers found this season to be a welcome turning point for the modern iteration of the show. Internet personalities Kim and Penn Holderness were the winners.

Sometimes, you just can't beat the original. Topping the list as the most highly rated season of "The Amazing Race" is Season 1, which premiered on 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 includes appreciating where you are, being kind to the locals, and ripping through tasks as efficiently as you can in order to get to the next 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 ever winners. Season 1 also had Joseph "Joe" Baldassare and William "Bill" Bartek (aka Team Guido) being delightfully villainous and getting their (extremely satisfying) comeuppance in the final leg