The Amazing Race/Season Eighteen

Season Eighteen
The Amazing Race
Season Premiere	February 20, 2011
Season Finale	May 8, 2011
Episode Count	11
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Season Eighteen of The Amazing Race premiered on February 20, 2011.

In-Depth

• Contestant Information: Information of all the teams on the season and their placements throughout the race
• Placement and Results: A table listing of the results of every leg on the race, including leg-to-leg results of each team

Episodes

#	#	Title			Airdate
205	1	Head Down and Hold On			February 20, 2011
206	2	I Never Looked So Foolish in My Entire Life			February 27, 2011
207	3	We Had a Lot of Evil Spirits Apparently			March 6, 2011
208	4	This is the Most Stupid Day Ever			March 13, 2011
209	5	Don't Ruin the Basketball Game			March 20, 2011
210	6	I Feel Like a Monkey in a Circus Parade			March 27, 2011
211	7	You Don't Get Paid Unless You Win			April 10, 2011
212	8	I Cannot Deal With Your Psycho Behavior			April 17, 2011
213	9	We're Good American People			April 24, 2011
214	10	Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen			May 1, 2011
215	11	This is Where It Ends			May 8, 2011

Recap

11 teams from previous seasons returned to settle some unfinished business. At the Starting Line, they were hit with a twist. The team that finished the first task last would be given an automatic U-Turn. Teams scurried for correct paper airplanes. Engaged couple Amanda & Kris found the last correct paper airplane and were given a U-Turn. The 8 teams in the first flight were delayed by an emergency landing due to a sick passenger, allowing the trailing teams on the second flight to pass them. In Australia, teams took scuba diving Roadblock in the Aquarium tank. Cowboy brothers Jet & Cord went in the wrong direction and missed the ferry, pushing them behind. Vyxsin panicked tyring to find a way out of the tank. Father and daughter Gary & Mallory deciphered the compass puzzle correctly, and edged out Amanda & Kris for a first place finish and winning the Express Pass. But in a twist, there is no rest period. As dating goths Kent & Vyxsin broke away from the struggling cowboys at the Roadblock, Jet broke down. But as they finally finished the puzzle, they were granted a reprieve.

With no rest period at the pit stop, the teams continued in Australia. Some teams ran into problems solving a detailed information "to sail to stop", and it takes its toll on them both physically and mentally. As Ron reverted to his bad nagging habits at Christina, Mel struggled to fight the pain. Sisters Kisha & Jen and best friends Zev & Justin quickly solved the riddle first and went to the Sydney Town Hall and snagged the first of two charter flights to Broken Hill. Gary & Mallory and Amanda & Kris got lost and were forced to take a second charter flight. Even though Jet & Cord suffered the same problems, they still managed to keep up and make the second flight. In Broken Hill, teams encountered a mosaic Detour. Kent & Vyxsin misread their clue by dancing around the work of art instead of on top of it. While father and daughter Ron & Christina fell apart, Amanda & Kris worked vigorously to complete the other Detour due to an automatic U-Turn. Teams go crazy in kangaroo costumes. Margie and her deaf son Luke tried catching up to Zev & Justin, but Margie lost one of her foot coverings allowing Zev & Justin to hop into first place. With Amanda & Kris still behind, Ron's behavior caused him and Christina to break off from Gary & Mallory and head in the wrong direction. But it wasn't enough for Amanda & Kris to keep up and they were eliminated.

In the next leg, teams flew to Tokyo, Japan where former NFL cheerleaders Jaime & Cara wrecked a pedestrian's car, but with minor damage. Teams had bow and arrow difficulties at the Roadblock. Zev & Justin get all muddy and claimed another first place finish. Globetrotters Flight Time & Big Easy mistakenly took Ron & Christina's fanny pack and were issued a penalty. The frigid temperature and muddy task took its toll on father and son Mel & Mike, and while they were taken in for medical attention, Jaime & Cara escaped defeat and Mel & Mike were eliminated.

In the next leg, Kent & Vyxsin got off to shaky start and got lost, causing them to miss the required flight to Kumming, China. In Lijiang, some teams had little difficulties with their yaks. At the Roadblock, Zev had problems getting the Zodiac pattern in correct places, allowing Kent & Vyxsin to catch up to them. But Vyxsin had similar problems as Zev. Margie & Luke came out on top, but were not given a rest period. The Goths fell behind again when they discovered they accidentally left their fanny pack in the gondola. Although they arrived last, they were not eliminated, but had to face a penalty for missing the required flight to Kumming.

As the race continued in China, most of teams learnt they had to wait until 7:05 for the train to depart, allowing Kent & Vyxsin to catch up to everyone. While waiting, teams enjoyed a 3-on-3 basketball game. All teams took the same train to Kumming, where Kent & Vyxsin corrected their previous mistake in Season 12 when they U-Turned Jaime & Cara behind them instead of U-Turning a team in front. Jaime & Cara tried to fight back by U-Turning the Globetrotters. But building a dinosaur skeleton at the Roadblock proved to be too tough for most of the teams. Gary & Mallory wisely used the Express Pass to skip the Roadblock and advance to the Pit Stop. But they got lost looking for the mat allowing Jet & Cord to jump into first. While Kent & Vyxsin shrugged off the 30-minute penalty despite dropping from fourth to fifth, many teams were confused with the hipbones. The Roadblock took its toll mostly on Jaime, and in the end, the cheerleaders couldn't recover and were eliminated.

In the next leg, teams flew to Kolkata, India where they forced cab drivers to reckless driving. The tea tasting Roadblock confused some teams. But with a bad case of deja vu that involved putting the surfboards in the correct order in Season 14, it was Luke who struggled the most, causing him to break down. Gary & Mallory cruised to their second first place finish. While Luke finally finished the Roadblock, Flight Time & Big Easy spilled brown paint on a part of a statue. But in the end, it was all for naught as the Globetrotters escaped defeat and Margie & Luke had an emotional farewell.

In the next leg, Jet & Cord got off to a shaky start when they booked the wrong flight to Varanasi, pushing them to last place. In Varanasi, the noisy crowd overwhelmed the autistic Zev. At the Roadblock, Kent and Gary teamed up until Kent bolted, while Ron wandered off course, allowing the cowboys to climb out of last place. At the Detour, Season 15 allies Flight Time & Big Easy and Zev & Justin had a hay of a good time, literally, and the Globetrotters came in first with Zev & Justin in 2nd. While Kisha & Jen fumbled with patties, Kent & Vyxsin had problems with their water taxi, and tensions mounted. But in the end, Ron & Christina came up short and were eliminated.

In the next leg, Jet & Cord made a risky decision by taking a slower flight to Vienna, Austria. In Vienna, the move appeared to have paid off when Gary & Mallory couldn't decipher the clue that was on the pavement when they didn't use a backup camera on the back of the Ford Focus car. At the Detour, teams had little problems carrying a heavy couch, and Kent & Vyxsin fell apart. But Gary & Mallory couldn't stuff their food in fast enough in a twelve minute ferris wheel ride. Teams got down and dirty with the chimney sweeping. Flight Time & Big Easy got lost searching for the pit stop, allowing Zev & Justin to regain first place. Gary & Mallory couldn't keep up, but were granted a reprieve, and had to face a Speed Bump in the upcoming leg.

In the next leg, teams took a train to Feldkirch and took taxis to cross the country border to Liechtenstein where Gary & Mallory performed the Speed Bump with a quick pace. Riding a bike and counting the mileage at the Roadblock proved to be a challenge for most of the teams. Jen lost her map but Justin recovered it for her. Jet made an incorrect guess after adding wrong turns to his count and has to start over. Flight Time helped out Gary, but the cowboys fell behind. In Switzerland, Zev & Justin struggled with the cheesy fondue, but they managed to defend their first place finish. While Flight Time & Big Easy made a couple of errors, this allowed Jet & Cord to catch up, and it came down to a footrace for the Double U-Turn. In the end, the Globetrotters found it first and U-turned the cowboys, ultimately sealing their elimination.

In the next leg, teams traveled to the Matterhorn. Vyxsin lowered Kent into the crevasse just too far down. The freezing temperatures and windy conditions tooks its toll on Zev & Justin as they struggled to dug a dummy out of the deep snow, pushing them to last place. At the Roadblock, Big Easy and Kent boiled over the accusations of the missing chocolate mold. Still, the Globetrotters claimed another first place finish. As Zev continued with the Roadblock, Kent & Vyxsin misread their clue by taking a taxi to the pit stop when they should've traveled on foot. In the end, the 30-minute penalty proved to be fatal as Zev & Justin escaped defeat and Kent & Vyxsin were eliminated.

In the next leg, teams traveled to Brazil where Flight Time & Big Easy's slow cab caused them to miss the tram with other teams on it. But Zev had problems with the samba dance at the Roadblock dropping them to third. While they finished ahead of the Globetrotters, Zev & Justin fell to last when their cab driver got lost searching for the salon, where teams endured a painful body waxing. While three teams had easy bartending at the Detour, Zev & Justin struggled to sell bakinis, and were rejected by various sunbathers. In the end, the best friends couldn't keep up and were eliminated.

The final leg began as the final three teams flew to Florida. While Gary & Mallory had suffered taxi woes, Flight Time & Big Easy and Kisha & Jen strived through not one Roadblock, but two. The Globetrotters gained slim lead over the sisters only to find their taxi missing. As it came back, the driver told them he needed gas. The two teams found themselves dead even heading into the final challenge where they had to not just set up the trailer home, but they also had to fight against formidable winds, allowing Gary & Mallory to catch up. Kisha & Jen finally set up the home correctly. And although they came up short of reaching the final three in Season 14 due to an untimely bathroom break, redemption could not have been sweeter as the sisters crossed the finish line as winners of The Amazing Race.