The Amazing Race 19

''The Amazing Race 19'' is the nineteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world.

The season premiered on CBS on September 25, 2011, and the finale aired on December 11, 2011.

Engaged couple Ernie Halvorsen and Cindy Chiang were the winners of this season, while dating couple Jeremy Cline and Sandy Draghi finished in second place, and married couple Marcus and Amani Pollard finished in third.

Production

Development and filming

This season traveled a little over to 20 cities across four continents. This season included first-time visits to Denmark, Indonesia, Malawi, and Belgium. Filming started on June 18, 2011, with teams seen leaving Los Angeles International Airport and heading to Taiwan. As with the previous season, racers had a task they had to perform before receiving tickets to their first destination. American film crews were also spotted in Hillerød.

Two new game elements were introduced in this season. Leg 1 introduced the Hazard: a penalty that one team incurred for being the last team to finish the starting line task. According to Phil Keoghan, the Hazard was added to "test people's mental strength out of the gate", and claimed that it had a "rolling effect" throughout the rest of the season. Leg 2 was the first time in which two teams were eliminated at the pit stop.

During the first leg, Kaylani Paliotta lost her passport at a gas station while en route from Hsi Lai Temple to Los Angeles International Airport. Kaylani & Lisa returned to the gas station to search for the passport, but could not find it and opted to proceed to the airport, hoping that another racer had picked it up. The camera crew accompanying the team had seen the dropped passport, but could not act on it, and instead informed production of the situation. Production prepared to conduct an impromptu elimination and Phil Keoghan rushed to the airport. The passport was found by two bystanders who had previously helped another team at the gas station. After posting about the incident on Twitter, a fan of the show advised them to take the passport to the airport, and they were able to return it to Kaylani before her scheduled flight.

Leg 5 was supposed to take place in Laos. However, a monsoon caused heavy flooding in the country and forced the production team to construct an additional leg in Thailand instead. Laos would eventually be visited later in ''The Amazing Race 31''.

Marketing

Discover gift card returned as one of the sponsors. Travelocity continued to sponsor the show, while Ford also returned as one of the sponsors, with their fifth generation Ford Mustang appearing as a prize car in the 10th leg, customized by the winner.

Cast

The cast included former '' Survivor'' winners and dating couple Ethan Zohn (the winner of '' Survivor: Africa'') and Jenna Morasca (the winner of '' Survivor: The Amazon''); Zac Sunderland, the first person under 18 to sail solo around the world, former Indianapolis Colts tight end Marcus Pollard and his wife, Amani; and former Olympic snowboarders Andy Finch and Tommy Czeschin.

;Future appearances
Ernie & Cindy appeared on the final episode of ''The Amazing Race 29'' where they handed tickets to the final three teams entering Wrigley Field in their hometown of Chicago.

Ethan Zohn returned to compete on '' Survivor: Winners at War''.

Results

The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
*A placement with a dagger () indicates that the team was eliminated.
*An placement with a double-dagger () indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a pit stop in a non-elimination leg, and had to perform a Speed Bump task in the following leg.
* An ''italicized and underlined'' placement indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a pit stop, but there was no rest period at the pit stop and all teams were instructed to continue racing. There was no required Speed Bump task in the next leg.
* A indicates that the team used an Express Pass on that leg to bypass one of their tasks.
* A indicates that the team used the U-Turn and a indicates the team on the receiving end of the U-Turn.

;Notes

Race summary

Leg 1 (United States → Taiwan)

*Episode 1: "Kindness of Strangers" (September 25, 2011)
*Prize: The Express Pass (awarded to Ernie & Cindy)
;Locations
*Hacienda Heights, California ( Hsi Lai Temple) (Starting Line)
* Los Angeles → Taipei, Taiwan
* Taipei (Ximending Commercial District)
*Taipei (Taipei Confucius Temple)
*Taipei (Core Pacific City Mall)
*Taipei (Dajia Riverside Park)
*Taipei (Martyrs' Shrine)
;Episode summary
*At Hsi Lai Temple, teams had to search through hundreds of oil-paper umbrellas for one that had the correct set of letters – TAI – printed on it. When combined twice with their clue of six other letters – WANPEI – it revealed the name of their first destination: Taipei, Taiwan. Once they presented Phil with a correct umbrella, he gave them keys to one of the vehicles parked outside the temple. The last team to complete this task (Kaylani & Lisa) would be penalized with a Hazard later in the leg.
*The first eight teams to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport were booked on an earlier flight to Taipei via China Airlines with the remaining three teams booked on a second flight via EVA Air that departed twenty minutes later. Once in Taipei, teams had to travel to the Ximending Commercial District, where they were told to "look up" for their next clue and had to figure out that their clue was displayed on a digital billboard at Jun Plaza: red and yellow balloons that revealed the Chinese characters ''(Taipei Confucius Temple)''.
* In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to find a nearby payphone and call a given phone number. The person on the other end gave the racer one of Confucius's proverbs: ''"In all things, success depends on previous preparation, and without such previous preparation, there is sure to be failure."'' Without writing down any of the message, they had to repeat the proverb verbatim to a monk in order to receive their next clue. If they were incorrect, they had to call the number again before trying again.
* The Hazard required Kaylani & Lisa to travel to the Core Pacific City Mall, where one of them had to perform an indoor bungee jump before they could continue racing.
*After completing the Roadblock, teams had to make their way to Dajia Riverside Park, where they had to join a dragon boat team. One team member kept pace by beating a drum while the other team member joined the paddling crew on the Keelung River. Once they made it through the course, they received their next clue directing them to the pit stop: the Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei.
;Additional notes
*This was a non-elimination leg.

Leg 2 (Taiwan → Indonesia)

*Episode 2: "The Sprint of Our Life" (October 2, 2011)
*Prize: A trip to the Carton House in Ireland (awarded to Andy & Tommy)
*Eliminated: Ron & Bill Ethan & Jenna
;Locations
*Taipei (Martyrs' Shrine)
* Taipei → Jakarta, Indonesia
* Jakarta → Yogyakarta
* Piyungan (Bukit Indah Restaurant & Hotel) (Unaired)
* Semanu ( Goa Jomblang)
*Yogyakarta (Intersections near Yogyakarta's Kilometer Zero Mal Malioboro)
*Yogyakarta ( Aisyiyah Orphanage)
*Yogyakarta ( Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat)
;Episode summary
*At the beginning of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Jakarta, Indonesia. Once in Jakarta, teams had to travel by train to Yogyakarta, and then make their way to Goa Jomblang, where teams found their next clue.
* In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to descend into Goa Jomblang and search for a traditional Javanese mask and a dagger known as a ''kris''. Once they located them, team members had to climb a bamboo ladder and deliver them to the chieftain in exchange for their next clue.
* For their Speed Bump, Bill & Cathi had to untangle a rope until they had enough length to reach a carabiner across a field before they could continue with the Roadblock.
* This season's first Detour was a choice between Shake Your Money Maker or Be a Ticket Taker. In Shake Your Money Maker, teams had to dress in costumes, with one team member dancing in the streets while the other played a ''gamelan'', and had to earn Rp 30,000 (roughly $3.40) in order to receive their next clue. In Be a Ticket Taker, teams had to go to the Mal Malioboro, work as motorbike parking attendants, and earn Rp 15,000 (roughly $1.70) before exchanging their ticket book for their next clue.
*After completing either Detour, teams traveled to the Aisyiyah Orphanage, home to orphans of the 2010 eruptions of Mount Merapi, where they had to donate all of the money in their possession. Teams received a coat of arms from the children and had to figure out that it belonged to the Sultan and that the pit stop was at his palace: Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Eight of the teams arrived at the pit stop without having donated all of their money as they'd been instructed, and had to go back before they could check in.
;Additional notes
*In an unaired segment, teams traveled to the Bukit Indah Restaurant & Hotel after arriving in Yogyakarta, where they had to randomly choose a key, which was marked with one of two departure times the next morning.
*This was a double-elimination episode.

Leg 3 (Indonesia)

*Episode 3: "Don't Lay Down on Me Now!" (October 9, 2011)
*Prize: A trip to Atlantis The Palm, Dubai (awarded to Andy & Tommy)
*Eliminated: Kaylani & Lisa
;Locations
*Yogyakarta ( Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat)
* Yogyakarta (Fort Vredeburg)
*Salakmalang Village ( Lesehan Restaurant)
*Magelang (Borobudur)
;Episode summary
*At the beginning of this leg, teams had to join a series of Dutch colonial-era Bicycle Guard reenactors and ride ''omafiets'' with their group from Kraton through the streets of Yogyakarta to Fort Vredeburg, where they received their next clue directing them to the Salakmalang Village.
* This leg's Detour was a choice between Rice Field or Grass Fed. In Rice Field, teams carried lunch to rice paddy workers and, while the workers ate their lunch, planted 300 rice seedlings in order to receive their next clue. In Grass Fed, teams had to fill two bags with freshly cut grass and then pick up two sheep from a shed. After delivering the grass and sheep to a farm, they had to retrieve six buckets of water from a well, using only two buckets at a time, in order to fill a trough for the sheep and receive their next clue.
*After completing the Detour, teams traveled to the Borobudur. They had to use the international entrance, where they were given batik sarongs to put on. They then walked up to the top of the temple, where they received their next clue.
* In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to walk around the top tier of the Borobudur in a clockwise direction, counting the statues of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, while also paying attention to the ''mudra'' depicted on the statues. Each racer had to provide the correct numbers of Buddhas by ''mudra'', including a demonstration of each, in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the nearby pit stop.

Leg 4 (Indonesia → Thailand)

*Episode 4: "This Is Gonna Be a Fine Mess" (October 16, 2011)
*Prize: 5,000 each (awarded to Andy & Tommy)
;Locations
*Yogyakarta ( Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa)
* Yogyakarta → Phuket, Thailand
* Mueang Phuket (Nonthasak Marina)
* Ao Phang Nga National Park (Khai Nai Island)
* Ao Phang Nga National Park (Soap Island)
* Ao Phang Nga National Park ( Koh Yao Noi)
* Ao Phang Nga National Park ( Koh Panyi – Soccer Field)
;Episode summary
*At the beginning of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Phuket, Thailand. Once in Phuket, teams had to travel to the Nonthasak Marina in order to find their next clue.
* This leg's Detour was a choice between Coral Reconstruction or Beach Preparation, both tasks designed to help Thailand recover following the 2004 tsunami. In each task, teams rode on speedboats to Khai Nai Island. In Coral Reconstruction, teams built a coral nursery out of pipes. Once complete, they used a kayak to take the nursery and several coral fragments out to a buoy where they had to set the nursery on the ocean floor and then properly set the coral fragments into the nursery in order to receive their next clue. In Beach Preparation, teams had to properly set up a series of twenty beach chairs and ten umbrellas marked with a specific symbol given in their clue in order to receive their next clue.
*After completing the Detour, teams were given a compass and a medallion and were instructed to travel north for thirteen minutes until they reached the island shown on the medallion: Soap Island.
* In this leg's Roadblock, teams traveled to Koh Yao Noi, where one team member had to climb the island's sheer rock wall until they reached a bird's nest that held their next clue.
*After the Roadblock, teams were given a map of Phang Nga province and a compass and were instructed to lead their boat captain to the pit stop at Koh Panyi.
;Additional notes
*This was a non-elimination leg.

Leg 5 (Thailand)

*Episode 5: "I Feel Like I'm in the Circus" (October 23, 2011)
*Prize: A trip to Bali, Indonesia (awarded to Amani & Marcus)
*Eliminated: Liz & Marie
;Locations
*Ao Phang Nga National Park ( Koh Panyi – Soccer Field)
* Mueang Phang Nga ( Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area – Anda Adventures)
*Mueang Phang Nga (Song Phraek – Spirit House Shop)
*Mueang Phang Nga (Noppring – Wat Chanathikaram)
* Mueang Phuket → Bangkok
*Bangkok (Wat Suwannaram – Bangkok Noi Canal)
*Bangkok ( M.R. Kukrit Heritage House)
;Episode summary
*At the beginning of this leg, teams had to travel to the Ton Pariwat Wildlife Conservation Area. There, teams had to ride elephants up the Khlong Song Phraek River to their next clue.
* For their Speed Bump, Liz & Marie had to clean up elephant dung and wash an elephant before they could ride it to the Roadblock.
* In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member searched for a man playing a traditional Thai flute and then had to search the water around him for a bundle that contained a ceramic carp with their clue inside.
*After completing the first Roadblock, teams had to travel to a nearby store, take apart a traditional spirit house, and then deliver it to Wat Chanathikaram, where they found their next clue.
* In this leg's second Roadblock, the team member who did not perform the previous Roadblock had to correctly rebuild the spirit house in order to receive a bag of fish food and their next clue.
*After completing the second Roadblock, teams had to travel by bus to Bangkok and then make their way to the Bangkok Noi Canal, where they had to feed the fish at the canal in order to receive their next clue. Teams were then directed to the pit stop: the M.R. Kukrit Heritage House in Bangkok.

Leg 6 (Thailand → Malawi)

*Episode 6: "We Love Your Country Already; It Is Very Spacious" (October 30, 2011)
*Prize: A trip for two to the British Virgin Islands (awarded to Andy & Tommy)
;Locations
*Bangkok ( M.R. Kukrit Heritage House)
* Bangkok → Lilongwe, Malawi
*Lilongwe (Limbe Tobacco Warehouse)
*Lilongwe (Memorial Tower)
*Lilongwe (Old Market – White Horse De-Signs Tailor Shop Lilongwe LEA School)
*Lilongwe (Mchesi – R-K Furniture Shop)
*Lilongwe (Kumbali Village)
;Episode summary
*At the beginning of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Lilongwe, Malawi. Once in Lilongwe, teams had to make their way to Limbe Tobacco Warehouse, where they found their next clue.
* In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to transport ten bales of tobacco leaves through a warehouse, using only a handcart that could carry one bag at a time, to a drop-off zone in another part of the warehouse in order to receive their next clue.
*After completing the Roadblock, teams had to travel to the Memorial Tower, where they found their next clue.
* This leg's Detour was a choice between All Sewn Up or Not Grown Up. In All Sewn Up, teams went to the White Horse De-Sign Tailor Shop in the old market and chose a customer. They then used manual sewing machines to finish the customer's suit in order to receive their next clue. In Not Grown Up, teams traveled to Lilongwe LEA School, where they had to use provided materials to build two toy trucks. Once they were properly constructed, the headmistress gave the trucks to students, who tested them before the team received their next clue.
*After completing the Detour, teams had to make their way to the R-K Furniture Shop, where they had to transport two handcrafted wooden beds to Kumbali Village and then carry the beds to the pit stop. They were allowed to ask the shop owner to call a truck for them. Teams used the beds to spend the night at the village.
;Additional notes
*This was a non-elimination leg.

Leg 7 (Malawi)

*Episode 7: "Move Goat" (November 6, 2011)
*Prize: 15,000 (awarded to Andy & Tommy)
*Eliminated: Justin & Jennifer
;Locations
*Lilongwe (Kumbali Village)
* Lilongwe → Salima
*Chigumukile Village (Lake Malawi)
*Chigumukile Village (Jamaica Shop)
*Senga Bay (Sunbird Livingstonia Beach)
;Episode summary
*At the beginning of this leg, teams were instructed to travel by bus to Salima.
* In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to use a bicycle taxi known as a ''kabaza'' to take a customer carrying fish to one of three different destinations written on a board tied to the fish. After they dropped off their customer at their required address, they headed back to the bus station to trade their earnings of MK100 (roughly $0.66) for their next clue.
* For their Speed Bump, Amani & Marcus had to solve a sliding puzzle that depicted the flag of Malawi before they could continue racing.
* This leg's Detour on Lake Malawi was a choice between Dugout or Lugout. In Dugout, teams had to participate in the annual Lake Malawi Dugout Canoe Race and use a traditional canoe to paddle out to drummers on the lake before paddling back to shore in order to receive their clue. In Lugout, teams had to wade to a ferryboat on the lake and unload passengers and cargo by carrying them ashore. Once they unloaded all of the cargo and passengers, they received their clue.
*After completing the Detour, teams had to travel to the Jamaica Shop in Chigumukile Village, where they received their next clue directing them to the pit stop: Sunbird Livingstonia Beach at Senga Bay.
;Additional notes
*Ernie & Cindy used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour on this leg.
* Laurence & Zac attempted to use the U-Turn on Amani & Marcus. However, Amani & Marcus had already passed the U-Turn by this point and were therefore unaffected.

Leg 8 (Malawi → Denmark)

*Episode 8: "Super Shady" (November 13, 2011)
*Prize: A trip to Fiji (awarded to Ernie & Cindy)
*Eliminated: Laurence & Zac
;Locations
*Senga Bay (Sunbird Livingstonia Beach)
* Lilongwe → Copenhagen, Denmark
*Copenhagen ( Church of Our Saviour)
*Hillerød