The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 1

''The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 1'' is the first season of '' The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel'', a Latin American version of the American reality television show '' The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two with a pre-existing relationship, in a race across Latin America to win US$250,000. The season was produced by RGB Entertainment. The host of the show is Harris Whitbeck.

''The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel'' premiered on Sunday 20 September 2009 at 10:00 p.m. ( UTC-5). The season finale was aired on 13 December 2009 at 10:00 p.m. ( UTC-5).

Argentine married couple Matías Franchini and Tamara Reichelt were the winners of this season.

Production

Development and filming

Discovery Channel greenlit the first installment in November 2008.

Filming lasted for 23 days and covered nearly . The first season spanned nine countries in two continents. This season was the first-time any ''Amazing Race'' franchise outside of the original American version visited North America. Among the countries visited this season, 7 had been visited by the original American version, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru. At the time the season aired, Colombia and the Dominican Republic hadn't been visited by the American version, with Colombia later visited in the twenty-eighth season of the original American version in 2016.

The route markers in this season were colored blue and black, including the clue envelopes and the Pit Stop. Also different from other editions is the fact that the opening shows the teams' country of origin.

Only two teams, both of which were Mexican teams (Casilda & Casilda and Guillermo & Gabriel), appeared at the Finish Line in Mexico City.

Casting

Applications were accepted from 17 November 2008 to 31 January 2009.

Marketing

Visa, Palm Treo Pro and Nintendo were the sponsors of this season.

Cast

This season counted with eleven teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. The cast includes the first team in the history of the franchise composed of a godfather and a godson, a homosexual dating couple, and a team of non-identical twins.

Results

The following teams participated in the season, with their relationships at the time of filming. Placements are listed in finishing order:

;Key
*A team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
*A and team placement indicates that the team won a Fast Forward.
*An team placement indicates that the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump in the next leg.
*A indicates that the team chose to use the Yield; indicates the team who received it; around a leg number indicates that the Yield for that leg was available but not used.
*A indicates that the team chose to use a U-Turn; indicates the team who received it.
*''Italicized'' results indicate the position of the team at the midpoint of a two-episode leg.

;Notes

# Ariel & Nora initially arrived 3rd, but were issued a 4-hour penalty for not completing the Speed Bump. All other teams trailing them checked-in during their penalty time, dropping Ariel & Nora to last place and resulting in their elimination.
#^ For unknown reasons on the subsequent leg, the starting placements of Ferna & Fran and Mario & Melissa were switched, resulting in Ferna & Fran and Mario & Melissa starting in 9th and 8th place, respectively.
#^ Diego & Miguel and Mario & Melissa were both issued 1-hour penalties for not completing an additional task. At that time they were the only two teams left to check in at that point, and since Diego & Miguel began their penalty first, they were allowed to check-in with their penalty time to be assessed at the start of the next leg, while Mario & Melissa were eliminated without the 1-hour penalty being issued.
# Casilda & Casilda initially arrived 2nd, but they were issued a 1-hour penalty for doing the option not chosen by them on the Detour. All other teams trailing them checked-in during their penalty time, dropping Casilda & Casilda to last place; however, they were notified the leg was non-elimination, and the remaining penalty would be assessed at the start of the next leg.
# Casilda & Casilda didn't complete the Roadblock. Already in last place, Casilda & Casilda proceeded to the Pit Stop where they checked in and were eliminated without the 4-hour penalty being issued.
# Daniel & David and Daniel & Carlos both agreed to a 2nd place tie after both teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time.
# Leg 12 was a double-length leg. It featured a Virtual Pit Stop and had two Detours and two Roadblocks shown over two episodes.

Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg.

*Leg 1 – $200 credit card issued by Visa for each team member.
*Leg 2 – $200 credit card issued by Visa for each team member.
*Leg 3 – $300 credit card issued by Visa for each team member.
*Leg 4 – $300 credit card issued by Visa and a Nintendo DSi for each team member.
*Leg 5 – $300 credit card issued by Visa and a Wii for each team member.
*Leg 6 – $400 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member.
*Leg 7 – $400 credit card issued by Visa and a Wii for each team member.
*Leg 8 – $500 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member.
*Leg 9 – $600 credit card issued by Visa and a Nintendo DSi for each team member.
*Leg 10 – $800 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member.
*Leg 11 – $1000 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member, and a 7-night stay at The Fairmont Mayakoba Hotel & Spa located at the Riviera Maya, Mexico with a spa treatment.
*Leg 12:
**Midpoint – 2 tickets courtesy of Mexicana Airlines, 7 nights in the State of Yucatán (2 nights at Hotel Mayaland Resort, Chichen Itza + 3 nights at the Hacienda Xcanatún, Mérida + 2 nights at Hotel Lodge Uxmal, Uxmal).
**Finish Line – $250,000

Race summary

Leg 1 (Brazil)

Airdate: September 20, 2009
* Iguaçu National Park, Paraná, Brazil (Iguaçu Falls Heliport) (Starting Line)
*Iguaçu National Park ( Garganta do Diabo Falls)
* Iguaçu National Park (Espaço Naipi to Mirante 2)
* Iguaçu National Park ( Cânion Iguaçu to Puerto Macuco)
* Foz do Iguaçu ( Foz do Iguaçu International Airport) to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (Salgado Filho International Airport)
*Porto Alegre (Hotel Deville)
*Gramado (Portico Taquara)
* Gramado ( Lago Negro or Aldeia Do Papai Noel)
*Gramado ( Mini Mundo )
*Gramado (Hotel Ritta Höppner)

This series' first Detour was a choice between ''Flores'' (Flowers) or ''Árbol'' (Tree). In ''Flores'', teams made their way to Lago Negro, where they had to paddle a swan boat across the lake to pick up a basket of flowers from a villager. Then they had to go back to the dock and give the basket to a female villager to receive their next clue. In ''Árbol'', teams made their way to the Aldeia Do Papai Noel, where they had to search the "Arvore dos Desejos" for a wooden block called a "mimo" with their names written on it that they had to give to an elf to receive their next clue.

;Additional tasks
*At Garganta do Diabo Falls, teams were instructed to find bikes at Espaço Naipi and then ride to Mirante 2. From there, teams had to walk to the Canion Iguaçu entrance to find their next clue.
*At Canion Iguaçu, teams had to rappel down to the Iguaçu River and then raft down the river to Puerto Macuco to find their next clue.
*At Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, teams had to sign up for one of two flights to Porto Alegre. The first flight would carry six teams and would depart just over ten hours before the second flight with the remaining five teams. Teams would be released in the order and with the time differences when they signed up.
*At Hotel Deville, teams had to wait until noon for the hotel's valet to give them keys to a car with their next clue.
*At Mini Mundo, teams were given a board with five pictures of characters and five pictures of places and had to search the park to correctly match each place where a character was located to receive their next clue.

Leg 2 (Brazil → Argentina)

Airdate: September 27, 2009
*Porto Alegre (Estádio Olímpico Monumental)
* Porto Alegre (Estádio Olímpico Monumental to Estação Rodoviária de Porto Alegre)
* Porto Alegre ( Rodoviária Station to Airport Station)
* Porto Alegre (Salgado Filho International Airport) to Buenos Aires, Argentina ( Ministro Pistarini International Airport)
*Buenos Aires ( Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales)
* San Isidro ( Centro de Entrenamiento Jockey Club)
*Buenos Aires ( Zoológico de Buenos Aires)
*Buenos Aires (Plaza de las Naciones Unidas – ''Floralis Genérica'')

In this series' first Roadblock, one team member had to search the stadium for a gym bag with Go Visa-branded goalkeeper clothing inside, don the clothing, and then successfully block a penalty kick to receive their next clue. If they were unsuccessful after five minutes, they had to let another racer try to complete the task.

For their Speed Bump, Ariel & Nora had to drive a van and deliver a pack of newspapers to five newsstands before they could continue racing.

This leg's Detour was a choice between ''Caballos'' (Horses) or ''Caballerizas'' (Stables). In ''Caballos'', teams had to ride horses around the arena and pick up two flags that they could exchange for their next clue. In ''Caballerizas'', teams had to completely clean a stable and take the waste in a wheelbarrow to the fertilizer reservoir to receive their next clue.

;Additional tasks
*From Estádio Olímpico Monumental, teams had to travel by bus and metro to the Porto Alegre airport to sign up for a flight to Buenos Aires. Teams would be released in the order and with the time differences when they signed up.
*At Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, teams had to build a scale-model ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' to the satisfaction of a paleontologist to receive their next clue.
*After leaving the Jockey Club, teams had to hire a remise to go to the Buenos Aires Zoo, where they would find a living statue of a gaucho to whom they had to give money to receive their next clue.

Leg 3 (Argentina)

Airdate: October 4, 2009
* Buenos Aires (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery) to Mendoza ( Francisco Gabrielli International Airport)
*Mendoza ( Parque San Martín)
** Mendoza ( Monumento al Ejército de los Andes)
*Luján de Cuyo (Bodega Ruca Malen)
* Villa Potrerillos ( Rotonda)
* Villa Potrerillos (Mendoza River ( Cerro Tunduqueral )
* Puente del Inca Village (Feria de Puente del Inca)
*Aconcagua Provincial Park ( Mirador Aconcagua)

In this season's only Fast Forward, one team had to arrange 1,000 toy soldiers to make 25 rows with 40 soldiers in each to win the Fast Forward award.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search a vineyard for 18 wine bottles of three different colors, label them, and put the bottles in their corresponding boxes to receive their next clue.

This leg's Detour was a choice between ''Aire'' (Air) or ''Piedra'' (Stone). In ''Aire'', teams had to ride a zip-line over the Mendoza River

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