The thirty-fourth installment of the Emmy award winning television show, The Amazing Race premiered on September 12, 2022 and concluded on December 7, 2022. This season had multiple firsts; One of which was that for the first time in history for the American installment, the teams would start the race internationally! This season was also the first to contain no non-elimination legs; meaning that each leg, one team would be eliminated.

Among the teams includes a pair of reality television stars, long-lost twins, motivational speakers, and a former NFL coach!

Teams scrambled throughout the first leg, literally. In another The Amazing Race first, teams completed the tasks in the premiere leg in any order they desired. Though the primary goal of producers was to shorten all tasks and legs to prevent too much interaction while on the racecourse, it was slightly criticized by the fanbase as the tasks appeared too easy or simple.

Although this season was widely praised for its diverse cast and likable personalities, it was criticized over its route and tasks. The tasks became quite short and repetitive. The majority of the tasks often revolved around assembling something, memorizing a foreign phrase, or dancing.

The premiere leg was rather captivating seeing how the scramble affected teams’ performances. This leg was very engaging with constant lead changes. Unfortunately, lead changes were not something that entirely continued for the remainder of the season.

Considering the primary mode of transportation was self driving, it began to make the season less captivating seeing the same teams struggle to navigate and the same teams dominate.

One of the more intriguing elements of the race is the relationship and communication within the teams. Rumors spread around moments the season began filming about Big Brother 23, alumni Claire Rehfuss and Derek Xiao participating on this season. Fast forwarding to when the season began, they became one of the fans’ favorites. Another team that won America’s hearts was the team of long-lost twins, Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert. Over the course of the race, viewers saw their relationship grow as they learned more about one another.

Overall, it was nice to have a new edition of The Amazing Race considering just a few seasons ago, the show itself was quite close to being canceled. Although the route and tasks were not the best they have been, it helps show how the race is mapped out when attempting to avoid the biggest obstacle, the coronavirus.