The Amazing Race 3 is the third season of the Americanreality competition showThe Amazing Race. Hosted byPhil Keoghan, it featured twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the world. This season visited four continents and thirteen countries, traveling approximately 41,000 miles (66,000 km) over thirteen legs. Filming took place between August 9 and September 8, 2002. Starting in theEverglades, racers traveled through Mexico, England, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam before returning to the United States, traveling through Hawaii, and finishing inSeattle. The season premiered onCBS October 2, 2002, and concluded on December 18, 2002. Friends Flo Pesenti and Zach Behr were the winners of this season, while married parents Teri and Ian Pollack finished in second place, and brothers Ken and Gerard Duphiney finished in third place.
The Amazing Race is areality television show created byBertram van Munster andElise Doganieri, and hosted byPhil Keoghan. The series follows teams of two competing in a race around the world.[1] Each leg of the race requires teams to deduce clues, navigate foreign environments, interact with locals, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel on a limited budget provided by the show. At each stop during the leg, teams receive clues inside sealed envelopes, which fall into one of these categories:
Route Info: These are simple instructions that teams must follow before they can receive their next clue.
Detour: A Detour is a choice between two tasks. Teams may choose either task and switch tasks if they find one option too difficult. There is usually one Detour present on each leg.
Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one team member can complete. Teams must choose which member will complete the task based on a brief clue they receive before fully learning the details of the task. There is usually one Roadblock present on each leg.
Fast Forward: A Fast Forward is a task that only one team may complete, which allows that team to skip all remaining tasks on the leg and go directly to the next Pit Stop. Teams may only claim one Fast Forward during the entire race.
Most teams who arrive last at the Pit Stop of each leg are progressively eliminated, while the first team to arrive at the finish line in the final episode wins the grand prize of US$1,000,000.[2]
The third season ofThe Amazing Race spanned a total of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) and visited four continents and thirteen countries, twelve of which were new to the series: Mexico, England, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.[3][4] Casting for this season began in April 2002.[5] Filming began on August 9, 2002, and finished on September 8, 2002.[6][7]
The cast ofThe Amazing Race 3 included twelve teams. Jill and her brother F.T. had originally applied forseason 1, but after F.T. was killed onSeptember 11, John Vito and Jill applied in memory of him.[8]
In 2021, Andrew Shayde (né Hyde) appeared onNaked and Afraid and lasted 13 days inSouth Africa before being removed for a possibleMRSA infection.[10][11] In 2023, Shayde returned forNaked and Afraid's fifteenth season once again in South Africa.[12] Shayde later appeared on the spin-offNaked and Afraid: Castaways.[13] Shayde also competed on the CBS reality competition showBuddy Games.[14] In 2024, Shayde appeared onNaked and Afraid XL.[15]
^abFlo and Zach, and John Vito and Jill, tied for 4th place after both teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time.
^Derek and Drew initially arrived 3rd, but had inadvertently skipped the Roadblock and had to backtrack to complete it. Ken and Gerard checked in during this time, dropping Derek and Drew to last.
^Andre and Damon initially arrived 7th, but were issued a 78-minute penalty for not following the donkey route correctly, and started the next leg 9th.
^Heather and Eve initially arrived 1st, but were issued a 37-minute penalty because they had taken a taxi to the Pit Stop instead of traveling on foot as the clue had specified. All of the other teams checked in during this penalty time, dropping Heather and Eve to last.
From the Everglades, teams drove themselves toMiami International Airport, where they had to book one of two flights to Mexico City, Mexico. Once there, teams had to travel to the Angel of Independence, where they received a picture of a man named Pablo. They had to use the picture as reference in order to find him at the Zócalo, where he gave them their next clue, which directed them to the Hotel de Cortes. There, teams had to sign up for one of three charter buses leaving the next morning to an unknown destination (San José Vista Hermosa).
This season's first Fast Forward required one team to travel to Plaza Santo Domingo and search for the one street typist out of dozens who had a "special message": the Fast Forward award. Ken and Gerard won the Fast Forward.
This season's first Detour was a choice betweenWings andWheels. InWings, teams had to board a plane, climb to an altitude of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and then each team member had toskydive in tandem with an instructor in order to receive their next clue. InWheels, teams had to choose a donkey-drawn cart and use a supplied map to direct a driver, who didn't speak English, along a seven-mile (11 km) course in order to receive the next clue.
At the start of this leg, teams had to drive themselves to the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan and climb up to the top of the pyramid in order to retrieve their next clue, which instructed them to travel by bus to Cancún and find their next clue at the San Marino marina.
This leg's Fast Forward required one team to travel to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and join a group of performers called theVoladores by climbing a 100-foot (30 m) pole and swinging around the pole while suspended on ropes. Derek and Drew won the Fast Forward.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenMan Power andHorse Power. InMan Power, teams had to use akayak to search a small section of the lagoon for their next clue, which was hanging from a tree. InHorse Power, teams had to use aWaveRunner to search a large section of the lagoon for their next clue, which was attached to a buoy.
After the Detour, teams had to land at the marina and then drive to Playa del Carmen, where they boarded a ferry to the island of Cozumel. From there, teams had to find Chankanaab Park to find their next clue.
In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to jump into the lagoon andswim with a pod of dolphins to find their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to return to Playa del Carmen via ferry and then drive to the Pit Stop: the Diamante K Bungalows in Tulum.
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to London, England. Once there, teams had to travel by train to Cambridge and find their next clue outside Scudamore's Punting.
This leg's Fast Forward required one team to travel to the Duxford Imperial War Museum and maneuver atank through a battlefield obstacle course within 90 seconds. Dennis & Andrew won the Fast Forward and were driven to Dunnottar Castle in a limousine.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenPunt andBike. InPunt, teams rowed apunt with only a long pole and small paddle to navigate down theRiver Cam. InBike, teams rode atandem bicycle along a marked course through Cambridge. After either Detour task, team retrieved their next clue from under the Magdalene Bridge.
After the Detour, teams had to take one of three charter buses leaving the next day to Aberdeen, Scotland, and then find their next clue at Dunnottar Castle.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to complete threeHighland games: thecaber toss, thehammer throw, and thestone put. Once done, teams could go directly to the nearby Pit Stop at Dunnottar Castle.
Additional note
Dennis and Andrew had difficulty booking a flight fromMexico City to London and arrived long after the other teams. Even though they won the Fast Forward, they still arrived at Dunnottar Castle last and were eliminated.[16]
At the start of this leg, teams had to walk to Stonehaven Harbour and search for a "message in a bottle": a bottle with their next clue on the inside label, which instructed them to fly to Porto, Portugal. Once there, teams had to travel to the Calem Port Lodge in order to find their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenOld School andNew School. InOld School, teams had to load a barrel ofport wine onto a traditional Portuguese boat, row across theDouro River, and then deliver the wine to a restaurant. InNew School, teams loaded nine crates of wine bottles onto a truck and drove them to three different restaurants. For both options, teams had to get signatures from each restaurant to prove that they had made the deliveries correctly in order to receive their next clue.
After the Detour, teams were instructed to travel by train to Lisbon and then find their next clue at the Estádio do Restelo.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to block onepenalty kick from a teenage soccer player to receive their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to travel on foot to the Pit Stop: the Torre de Belém.
Additional note
Heather and Eve were the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop, but they had misread the clue that told them to walk rather than take a taxi. They received a seven-minute time penalty for the advantage gained, plus an additional thirty-minute penalty. Since all of the other teams arrived less than thirty-seven minutes afterward, Heather and Eve were eliminated.[17]
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to find the westernmost point ofContinental Europe, which they had to figure out wasCabo da Roca, in order to find their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenRopes andSlopes. InRopes, teams had to take a shuttle bus to the Ursa cliffs and rappel down to the shore below. InSlopes, teams hiked down a long trail to the same shore below. Once teams reached the shore, they could retrieve their next clue.
After the Detour, teams were instructed to drive to theport in Algeciras, Spain, and then travel by ferry to Tangier, Morocco. Once there, teams had to find the Viajes Flandria travel agency and sign up for charter buses to the Old City of Fez, where they had to search for their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to navigate through the Dar Dbagh Chouara Tannery and search through 25vats of dye in order to find their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams drove themselves to the Pit Stop: the Borj Nord.
Additional note
During the drive from Portugal to Algeciras, four of the eight teams incorrectly fueled their cars usingunleaded gasoline instead ofdiesel, rendering the cars inoperable. Teri and Ian recovered almost immediately when Ian borrowed a siphoning line, drained the tank, and refilled with diesel; Flo and Zach found an open repair shop in the middle of the night that fixed their vehicle; Aaron and Arianne called for a tow truck and were taken to a different repair shop after a very long delay; and Kathy and Michael had the car brought back to the station, left it overnight, and became the last team to get underway with a fixed car.[18]
At the start of this leg, teams had to drive themselves to the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, where they found their next clue. They were instructed to travel by train to Marrakesh and then travel to the Palmeraie Oasis, where they found their next clue.
This leg's Fast Forward required one team to look through piles of carpets in a carpet shop to find the one with the Fast Forward design sewn into it. Teri and Ian won the Fast Forward.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenNow You See It andNow You Don't. InNow You See It, teams would have ridden on horseback to a route marker visible from their starting point and dug up a clue in a marked square of sand. InNow You Don't, teams chose asand bike and rode to a route marker that wasn't visible from their starting point, where they found a clue etched on a stone. They had to make a rubbing of the clue onto a piece of paper. All teams choseNow You Don't.
After the Detour, teams had to translate their clue fromArabic in order to find their next clue at the Café Glacier.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to team up with a food vendor, help assemble their stall, and then sell five bowls ofescargots in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop: the Riad Catalina.
Additional note
Andre and Damon were officially detained when their taxi took them far out of the way in Morocco and they encountered a local official who wanted to seize their passports. Andre and Damon refused and the show's security team had to come extricate them from the situation.[19]
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Munich, Germany. Once there, teams had to travel to the Angel of Peace (German:Friedensengel) and find a puppet namedKasperle, who handed them their next clue. Teams were then instructed to travel by train to Innsbruck, Austria, where they found their next clue at the St. Anne's Column (German:Annasäule).
This leg's Fast Forward required one team to find asurfer on the Eisbach River in Munich. Flo and Zach won the Fast Forward.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenSled andSkate. InSled, teams had to ride abobsled with a team of professional bobsledders down the Olympic Bobsled Track in order to receive their next clue. InSkate, teams would have had to run a skating relay with a pair of professionalice skaters at theOlympic Ice Stadium in order to receive their next clue. All teams choseSled.
After the Detour, teams had to ride theNordkette Cable Car to the Seegrube Station in order to find their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to put on safety gear and descend 230 feet (70 m) to the ground on a rescue cable in order to receive their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to drive themselves to the Pit Stop: Schloss Bullachberg, located beneathNeuschwanstein Castle, in Schwangau, Germany.
Additional note
Andre and Damon fell so far behind, due in part to their delay in the previous leg and also due to falling asleep on the train from Munich to Innsbruck and missing their stop, that all of the other teams had already checked into the Pit Stop before Andre and Damon arrived at the Detour. Instead of performing the Detour, they were instructed to go directly to the Pit Stop for elimination.[20]
At the start of this leg, teams traveled to the Augustinerhof Farm in Füssen and searched a large haystack for their next clue. Teams were instructed to drive to Friedrichshafen and then travel by ferry to Romanshorn, Switzerland. Once there, teams had to travel by train to Schaffhausen and continue to the Rheinfall, where they had to travel by ferry and retrieve their clue from the top of a rocky outcropping in the middle of the waterfall. Teams were then instructed to travel by train to Zürich. At the Lindenhof, teams searched for a Swiss officer, who led them into a vault with their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenCount the Money andRun the Numbers. InCount the Money, teams had to count a large amount ofSwiss currency inside a fishbowl sitting right next to the safe. InRun the Numbers, teams had to search the streets of Zürich for three different numbers: the number on theZüri-Familie sculpture at the intersection of Sihlstrasse andBahnhofstrasse,[21] the sum of the numbers on the north face of a clock onSt. Peter's Church, and the number of trees in Lindenhof marked with ribbons. The resulting numbers from both tasks formed the combination to the safe that contained the next clue. All teams chose to performRun the Numbers, although Ken and Gerard did beginCount the Money until they gave up in frustration.
After the Detour, teams had to travel by train to Grindelwald and then find a route marker in a field east of the railway station, where they found their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to use acrossbow toshoot an apple off a mannequin's head to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop: the Chalet Arnika.
At the start of this leg, teams had to travel to the Gletscherschlucht. There, they had to venture into the gorge to find a key to one of the provided cars containing their next clue.
This season's final Fast Forward required one team to find a cheese-making cabin near Saxeten and eat enough pieces ofSwiss cheese from a massivecheese wheel so as to completely reveal the Fast Forward award hidden underneath. John Vito and Jill won the Fast Forward.
Teams who were unable to attempt the Fast Forward had to drive to Kandersteg, where they loaded their car onto acar train and rode through theAlps to Goppenstein. Teams then had to drive to the Niouc Bridge, where they found their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenExtreme Swiss andVery Swiss. InExtreme Swiss, each team member had to walk onto a narrow bridge and take abungee jump into the gorge below in order to receive their next clue. InVery Swiss, teams had to drive to a nearby farm and then find a key inside the bell around a goat's neck in order to unlock their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had the option to make one phone call to their family or friends back home, but they had to complete the call before they could continue to their next destination: the Château de Chillon in Veytaux.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to properly assemble aSwiss army bicycle from a pile of parts using an identical pre-assembled bike as a reference in order to receive their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to ride both bicycles to the Basset Marina in Montreux. There, teams had to use apaddle boat in order to reach the Pit Stop aboard the steamshipSavoie, which was floating on Lake Geneva.
Before the leg began, the steamshipSavoie sailed from Montreux to Lausanne. At the start of this leg, teams had to travel to the Jet d'Eau in Geneva, where they received asmall flag representing their next destination – – and instructions to find the Petronas Towers. Using this information, teams had to figure out that their next clue was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
At the Petronas Towers, teams had have their picture taken in front of the towers using a digital camera. Teams then had to walk to the Ampang Park shopping center, where they developed their pictures and found their next clue printed on the back of the photo. Teams were then instructed to travel by train to Singapore and search the National Orchid Garden of the Singapore Botanic Gardens for anorchid called "Margaret Thatcher" in order to find their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenDry andWet. InDry, teams drove to an apartment block in Choa Chu Kang. From there, they had to locate Unit #10-137, where they met Singaporean TV starGurmit Singh, in his alter egoPhua Chu Kang, who handed them their next clue. InWet, teams had to drive to the Singapore Zoo and find the "Mermaids of the Sea": the zoo'smanatees. Once at the manatee enclosure, they had to swim through the pool to receive their next clue.
At Suntec City, one team member had to run three times around the center of the Fountain of Wealth before retrieving their next clue from the middle of the fountain.[22] Afterwards, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: Mount Faber.
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Once there, teams had to find the statue of Bac Ho in Rex Square in order to find their next clue, which directed teams to the Mekong Delta in Cái Bè.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenEasy Buy andHard Sell. InEasy Buy, teams rode a traditional boat called asampan into the floating market of Cái Bè in order to find the only vendor selling water coconuts, from whom they received their next clue. InHard Sell, teams chose a shoulder basket and carried enough fruit into the land market so as to sell enough in order to make 40,000₫ (roughly $2.50) that they could exchange for their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had to travel to 2A Ton Duc Thang Street in order to find their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to transport their teammate on acyclo along a marked course through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and onto a ferry across theSaigon River to the Pit Stop: the Café Thu Thiem.
Additional note
All route markers in Vietnam were colored solid yellow instead of red and yellow in order to avoid confusion with theformer South Vietnamese national flag, which was also red and yellow.
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to travel by train to Huế. Once there, teams had to search the Hiển Lâm Các Pavilion inside the Imperial City for their next clue. Teams then had to travel to the bridge in Nam Ô to find their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice betweenBasket Boats andBasket Bikes. InBasket Boats, each team member had to cross a stretch of theCu Đê River in a roundbasket boat using only a single paddle in order to reach the clue box on a nearby island. InBasket Bikes, each team member took a bicycle laden with dozens ofshrimp baskets and had to ride one mile (1.6 km) in order to receive their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had to go to the Bach Dang dock in Hội An and board asampan that took them to a route marker on the Thu Bồn River.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb onto a fishing platform and use a wooden winch to raise a fishing net out of the water in order to retrieve the clue dangling underneath, which directed them to the Pit Stop: China Beach in Da Nang.
Additional notes
The Detour task involving the bicycle and shrimp baskets was revisited inseason 29 as aSwitchback.[24]
At the start of this leg, teams had to travel to the Quang Minh Temple in Da Nang, where they found their next clue at the Buddha's feet, which instructed them to travel by train to Hanoi and then fly to Honolulu, Hawaii. Once there, teams had to drive to Puaena Point and receive a blessing from akahuna, who also gave them their next clue. Teams were then instructed to fly to the island ofKauaʻi and drive to Wailua River State Park, where they found their next clue.
This season's final Detour was a choice betweenQuick Drop andSlow Walk. InQuick Drop, teams took a quick drop from the top of a waterfall on azipline. They then had to swim to shore and follow the flags to a clue behind the waterfall. InSlow Walk, teams would have walked down a much longer marked trail to the same clue box behind the waterfall. All teams choseQuick Drop.
After the Detour, teams were instructed to fly to Seattle, Washington, and find their next clue at Kerry Park. Teams then had to travel on foot to the International Fountain at the Seattle Center, where they found their next clue directing them to Lincoln Park.
In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to choose atotem pole and spin the animal faces so that they were aligned in the order that teams encountered them on the race: donkey (Mexico), dolphin (Mexico), horse (Morocco), goat (Switzerland), and manatee (Singapore). Once the animals were in the correct order, the bottom of the totem pole opened to reveal the final clue, which directed teams to the finish line: Gas Works Park.
Additional notes
Due to Vietnamese law, teams had to book a flight at a travel agency before they could enterNoi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.
Legs 12 and 13 aired back-to-back as a special two-hour episode.
The Amazing Race 3 received positive reviews.Linda Holmes ofTelevision Without Pity wrote that this season was good, but was not satisfied by the ending.[25] Dalton Ross ofEntertainment Weekly praised the unpredictability of this season, writing that "you never truly know what's going to happen."[26] In 2016, this season was ranked 2nd out of the first 27 seasons by theRob Has a Podcast Amazing Race correspondents.[27] Kareem Gantt ofScreen Rant wrote that this season "thrives on team chemistry to hook a viewer in and did this cast lock in their viewers. The locations were also fantastic and the suspense was at the perfect pitch."[28] In 2021, Jane Andrews ofGossip Cop ranked this season as the show's 6th best season.[29] In 2023, Rhenn Taguiam of Game Rant ranked this season as the 11th best season.[30] In 2024, Taguiam's ranking was updated with this season becoming the fifth-best season.[31]
While reviews for this season were positive, reactions to Flo Pesenti co-winning this season were largely negative.[32]Andy Dehnart ofreality blurred was negative towards the win due to Flo "threatening to quit the race repeatedly and shrieking more than a banshee with its leg stuck in a trap".[33]Television Without Pity co-creator Tara Ariano called Flo "malingering".[34] John Crook of theLos Angeles Times called Flo "spoiled" and "petulant".[35]
Air travel 
Rail travel 
Water travel 
Bus travel
Helicopter travel 
Bicycle travel 
Gondola travel
Detour 
Roadblock 
Fast Forward 
Pit Stop_03_2014_Mex_8129.JPG)
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– and instructions to find the Petronas Towers. Using this information, teams had to figure out that their next clue was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
