The Amazing Race Season 19 Episode 1 Live Recap 09/25/11

The Amazing Race Season 19 Episode 1 Live Recap 09/25/11Another season of The Amazing Race is starting tonight.  Can you believe it is the 19th season already?  Eleven teams will once again be racing around the world for a $1 million dollar prize. This season’s race will cover 40,000 miles and 20 cities on four continents. The teams will start in foothills of Southern California and head to Taiwan. In coming weeks, they’ll hit Indonesia, Malawi, Belgium and Denmark.

There is a new twist/penalty this season called the Hazard which starts right at the starting line. The teams will also face the series’ first-ever double elimination.

Season 19 begins tonight with eleven new teams on a race around the world, which team will rise to the top and ultimately win The Amazing Race. There are 12 legs on this race, the first team to check in at the pit stop will win the Express Pass. The first challenge is a word puzzle that spells their destination, Taipei, Taiwan.

Andy and Tommy are the first ones to solve the puzzle and get the keys to a car that will help them get to the airport. The first eight teams will travel on China air and the rest 20 minutes later on another flight.

The last team was Kaylani and Lisa, for finishing last they will get a hazard penalty. as well, Kaylani dropped her passport at a gas station where they asked for directions.  Kaylani and Lisa return the gas station and don’t find the passport, they head off to the airport in hopes that another team picked it up.

Kaylani and Lisa start arguing back and forth at the airport, there is no lost passport to be found.  Some of the teams are talking and they figure out that Ethan and Jenna are former Survivor winners.  Meanwhile, someone found Kaylani’s passport and turned it in at the airport.

Some of the teams are talking and they figure out that Ethan and Jenna are former Survivor winners.  Meanwhile, someone found Kaylani’s passport and turned it in at the airport.

Once the teams arrive in Taipei, instead of finding a clue box, they must find a billboard that gives them a clue to their next destination. The teams arrive and they are all passing by the billboard without figuring out that the clue is on it. Amani and Marcus are the first to figure out that the clue is on a billboard filled with balloons – they have to head to Taipei Confucius Temple.

At the temple the teams must listen to a Confucius proverb on a phone and repeat it to a Monk to get their next clue.

Jennifer and Justin are the first team to get the clue and are now on their way to Riverside Park to ride a dragon boat. Meanwhile Bill and Cathi have yet to find the clue with the balloon billboard, they are all over the city and off track completely. Team after team are finishing with the Monk and heading to the dragon boats. Ernie and Cindy are the first ones to finish the dragon boat and are headed to the Pit Stop.

Kaylani and Lisa finish with the Monk but they have a little detour because they got the hazard penalty. They arrive at the location and one of them have to drop head first down this building to get thier next clue.

The first team to arrive at the Pit Stop are Ernie and Cindy, they win the Express Pass.  Jeremy and Sandy are team number two, Justin and Jennifer are team number three.

Bill and Cathi finally arrive at the temple, they are the last team there but they complete the task with the first try.

Ethan and Jenna arrive at the Pit Stop, they are team number four. Amani and Marcus are team number five. Laurence and Zack are team number six. Andy and Tommy and team number seven.

Ron and Bill are team number eight. Kaylani and Lisa are team number nine. Jeremy and Sandy are team number ten. Cathi and Bill are the last team to arrive, but this is not an elimination race.

In the next leg, for the fist time in The Amazing Race history, it will be a double elimination race.