The Amazing Race 8 | |
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Season 8 | |
![]() Region 1 DVD cover | |
Presented by | Phil Keoghan |
No. of teams | 10 |
Winners | Nick, Alex, Megan & Tommy Linz |
No. of legs | 11 |
Distance traveled | 11,000 mi (18,000 km) |
No. of episodes | 11 |
Release | |
Original network | CBS |
Original release | September 27 – December 13, 2005 |
Additional information | |
Filming dates | July 7 – July 31, 2005 |
Season chronology | |
The Amazing Race 8 (also known as The Amazing Race: Family Edition) is the eighth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race . Hosted by Phil Keoghan, this season of the series, which normally features pairs of adults with a pre-existing relationship, featured ten families of four, including the participation of minors as young as eight years old, competing in a race across North America to win US$1,000,000. This season visited twelve states, one federal district, and three additional countries and traveled over 11,000 miles (18,000 km) during eleven legs. Starting in New York City, racers traveled through New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Panama, Costa Rica, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada before finishing in Lewiston, New York. A new twist introduced in this season includes select Roadblocks performed by two team members. The season premiered on CBS on September 27, 2005, and concluded on December 13, 2005.
Siblings Nick, Alex, Megan, and Tommy Linz were the winners of this season; while father Wally Branson and his three daughters, Beth, Lauren, and Lindsay, finished in second place; and widow Linda Weaver and her three children, Rebecca, Rachel, and Rolly, finished in third place.
The eighth season of The Amazing Race spanned 11,000 miles (18,000 km). This season placed much less emphasis on international travel as numerous legs were contained within the continental United States, and all locations were in North America, with Panama and Costa Rica visited for the first time. Filming began on July 7, 2005, with reports of the show at Washington Crossing State Park in New Jersey. [1] From July 12 to July 13, teams were in Alabama. [2] Filming concluded after 25 days on July 31. [3]
Route Markers were colored yellow and white with black lining in contrast to the yellow and red markers used in all other seasons. As with The Amazing Race 7 , the winners of this season were revealed in an online betting scandal just before the finale aired. [4]
For this season, the supplied credit card covered not only airfare, but also gasoline, which otherwise would have had to be purchased with cash. This rule change was made necessary by the fact that most of the transportation took place in automobiles rather than airplanes.
The limits on individual Roadblock attempts, introduced in season six, did not apply for this season. Furthermore, some Roadblocks in this edition required the participation of two team members.
During the first leg, Renee Rogers fell at the starting line and suffered a concussion. She did not realize the severity of the injury until she went to a hospital after being eliminated during the next leg. [5]
This season featured a visit to New Orleans in the fourth and fifth legs, where filming occurred about a month before Hurricane Katrina struck the region. The episodes aired after the hurricane had devastated the region. A special message was inserted at the beginning of the episodes, including one spoken by Phil Keoghan, dedicating them to the victims and to those helping with the recovery. The Schroeder family, who were from New Orleans, had befriended the Rogers family from Shreveport in the northern part of Louisiana during the season. As Hurricane Katrina neared landfall, the Rogers family offered the Schroeders safety at their home. Hurricane Katrina wiped out the Schroeders' home and most of their possessions, and after staying with the Rogerses for about two weeks, they were able to find more permanent housing in Baton Rouge, and most of the other teams from this season chipped in to help the family. [6]
According to an interview with Wally Bransen on RFF Radio, producers had originally planned a leg in Belize, but had to cancel it due to Hurricane Emily. [7]
Casting for this season took place in early 2005 with team members as young as eight allowed to apply. Casting closed on March 11, 2005. [8]
This season's cast consisted of ten teams of four family members each.
Contestants | Age | Relationship | Hometown | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reggie Black | 42 | Dad, Mom & Kids | Woodbridge, Virginia | Eliminated 1st (in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) |
Kimberly Black | 40 | |||
Kenneth Black | 11 | |||
Austin Black | 8 | |||
Denny Rogers | 46 | Dad, Mom & Kids | Shreveport, Louisiana | Eliminated 2nd (in Middleburg, Virginia) |
Renee Rogers | 42 | |||
Brittney Rogers | 22 | |||
Brock Rogers | 19 | |||
Tony Aiello | 57 | Father and Sons-in-Law | Mansfield, Massachusetts | Eliminated 3rd (in Huntsville, Alabama) |
Kevin Kempskie | 31 | |||
Matt Hanson | 31 | |||
David Alverson | 26 | |||
Mark Schroeder | 40 | Dad, Stepmom & Kids | New Orleans, Louisiana | Eliminated 4th (in New Orleans, Louisiana) |
Char Schroeder | 39 | |||
Stassi Schroeder | 17 | |||
Hunter Schroeder | 15 | |||
Bill Gaghan | 40 | Dad, Mom & Kids | Glastonbury, Connecticut | Eliminated 5th (in Quepos, Costa Rica) |
Tammy Gaghan | 42 | |||
Billy Gaghan, Jr. | 12 | |||
Carissa Gaghan | 9 | |||
Tony Paolo | 52 | Dad, Mom & Kids | Carmel, New York | Eliminated 6th (in Page, Arizona) |
Marion Paolo | 52 | |||
D.J. Paolo | 24 | |||
Brian Paolo | 16 | |||
Michelle Godlewski | 42 | Sisters | Des Plaines, Illinois | Eliminated 7th (in Absarokee, Montana) |
Sharon Godlewski | 39 | |||
Christine Godlewski | 37 | |||
Tricia Godlewski | 26 | |||
Linda Weaver | 46 | Widow & Kids | Ormond Beach, Florida | Third place |
Rebecca Weaver | 19 | |||
Rachel Weaver | 16 | |||
Rolly Weaver IV | 14 | |||
Wally Bransen | 51 | Dad and Daughters | Park Ridge, Illinois | Runners-up |
Beth Bransen | 25 | |||
Lauren Bransen | 22 | |||
Lindsay Bransen | 20 | |||
Nick Linz | 24 | Siblings | Cincinnati, Ohio | Winners |
Alex Linz | 22 | |||
Megan Linz | 21 | |||
Tommy Linz | 19 |
Stassi Schroeder later appeared in the Oxygen reality series Queen Bees . [9] Schroeder later appeared on the Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules as a part of that cast for eight seasons. [10] In 2011, Brian and Marion Paolo appeared on the HGTV reality show House Hunters . [11] Billy and Carissa Gaghan wrote introductions for My Ox Is Broken, a book about The Amazing Race. [12]
The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10a [a] | 10b | 11a [b] | 11b |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Linz Family | 9th | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st> [c] | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
Bransen Family | 7th | 6th | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 5th‡ | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
Weaver Family | 3rd | 1st | 5th | 5th | 2nd | 5th< [d] | 2nd | 3rd | 4th‡< [c] | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd |
Godlewski Family | 1st | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 6th‡ | 4th | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 4th | 4th† | ||
Paolo Family | 6th | 8th | 6th | 2nd | 1stƒ [e] | 1st> [d] | 4th | 5th† | |||||
Gaghan Family | 2nd | 7th | 7th | 6th | 5th | 6th† | |||||||
Schroeder Family | 5th | 4th | 3rd | 7th† | |||||||||
Aiello Family | 8th | 5th | 8th† | ||||||||||
Rogers Family | 4th | 9th† | |||||||||||
Black Family | 10th† |
Destinations | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Route Markers | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Fans, critics, and racers were negative over the format changes implemented in this edition of The Amazing Race. The main issues were the lack of international travel and watered-down challenges tailored to families, and the expanded cast also made it more difficult to develop individual story lines. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly commented that "Half the fun of The Amazing Race has always been watching the inter- and intra-couple bickering that goes with being chronically late and lost in a foreign land. Seeing parents yell at their children in exotic New Jersey? Not so fun". [13] Robert Bianco of USA Today shared similar opinions, adding that "the idea of being trapped in the back seat for a forced cross-country family drive comes closer to a nightmare relived than a dream come true." [14] Linda Holmes of Television Without Pity called the decision to have 40 contestants "baffling" and was disappointed with the tasks and locations on this season. [15] Scott Pierce of Deseret News wrote "this 'Family Edition' of 'Amazing Race' is by far my least favorite. None of the families really seemed worth rooting for and the competition has been watered down to something less than scintillating to accommodate the family element." [16] In 2016, this season was ranked last out of the first 27 seasons by the Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race correspondents. [17] In 2024, Rhenn Taguiam of Game Rant placed this season within the bottom 13 out of 36. [18] Conversely in 2021, Val Barone of TheThings ranked the Family Edition as the show's 10th best season. [19] Racers were also disappointed that they did not have a chance to travel to more exotic locations; in one episode Marion Paolo commented "What are we going to Phoenix, Arizona for? I want to go to New Zealand!" – a statement that also summed up the general opinion of the season.
In hindsight, the production team has admitted that the concept of a Family Edition "looked good on paper" but failed in execution, since child racers limited foreign travel for that season. Producers Bertram van Munster and Jonathan Littman doubt that the family format will be revived in the future. [20]
Order | Episode | Viewers (millions) | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Go, Mommy, Go! We Can Beat Them!" | 2.62 | #5 [21] |
2 | "How Do We Know We Arent Going to Get Shot?" | 2.34 | #4 |
3 | "I Dont Kiss, I Make Out" | 2.30 | #4 |
4 | "Think Like an Office Chair" | 2.65 | #5 |
5 | "Were Getting Out of the Country, Girls" | 2.14 | #5 |
6 | "Im Sick of Doing Stuff I Can't Do" | 2.14 | #5 |
7 | "You Look Ridiculous" | 2.12 | #8 |
8 | "How's That Face Feel?" | 2.20 | #7 |
9 | "Dont Talk to Me Like I Was an Animal or Something" | 1.97 | #9 |
10 | "The Family Christmas Card" | 2.25 | #5 |
11 | "25 Days, 50 Cities, And More Than 600 Consecutive Hours Together as a Family" | 2.66 | #1 |