Throughout its 32-years on the air, The Amazing Race has produced some of television's most spellbinding and dramatic moments. The adventure reality game show follows a team of two who race across foreign lands by any means needed, going through challenges to see who will win the grand prize of one million dollars as the first team to complete the race. As with any long-running series, The Amazing Race has had its share of seasons that have elevated this grand adventure to legendary status among reality television shows.
Fans on IMDb have had their say on which seasons are the best, and here are the 10 best Amazing Race seasons according to fans on the movie and television database site.
Season 7 (7.0)
Season 7 was a season in which The Amazing Race was firing on all cylinders. Survivor stalwars Rob and Amber Mariano truly dominated this season, and while seasons in which one team dominate usually makes for boring TV, Rob and Amber, one of the most memorable couples to compete on The Amazing Race, were anything but. There were other great attributes to this season as well, including the great move by producers to save the European leg of the race until the end. It is simply magnificent.
Season 4 (7.3)
Season 4 elicits a mixed response from fans of the show. It may be an unpopular opinion to rank this season as among the best, but fans on IMDb say the season in a different light. A solid season all around, season 4 may not have had a cast that was particularly likable, but it did visit some cool locations, including Australia, which always bring it when it comes to challenges and Roadblocks.
Season 26 (7.4)
Normally, when a television show is over 20 years in, that may signal a decline. Whether or not The Amazin Race should stay on the air or be canceled, it has already managed to buck the dreaded "20-year jinx" with one of its strongest seasons coming in the 26th season. Sure, there were some viewers who disliked this season, but it was a truly suspenseful race throughout the season, and the cast was thoroughly likable, so much so that you hated for any team to get bumped off of this season.
Season 23 (7.3)
When the season first ran seven years in 2013, it was seen as one of the show's dullest seasons yet. However, when looked at through retrospective eyes, it was a season that had to grow on the viewer, and many fans seemed to have given this season a more favorable look than they did back when it was still new. Season 23 had a great cast and went to some truly stunning places in countries such as Chile and Indonesia. Season 23 proved that you can't judge a season just by its cover.
Season 5 (7.4)
Season 5, which premiered in 2004, saw the teams traverse the globe from the United States to Egypt. The show literally touched every continent during this groundbreaking season, making for a truly worldwide race.
The season's episodes clearly ranked well with IMDb users, averaging out to a 7.4. This season contained one of the series best endings, in which the teams' race to Calgary proved to be full of suspense and drama. In the end, Chip and Kim took home the grand prize, putting a cap to an otherwise near-perfect season.
Season 19 (7.6)
Some viewers will find Season 19 all over the place, but that's part of the beauty of The Amazing Race. Sure, it had some legs that kind of underwhelmed, but overall, the drama and suspense of the race trumped the season's shortcomings, which were rather minute, to be honest. Fans seemed to overlook this season's flaws as well, giving it a pretty nice score on IMDb.
Season 3 (7.8)
The older seasons will always carry the nostalgic weight that the latter seasons seemingly lack. The show was still very much in its infancy when season three premiered, but this season will be among the best thanks to its cast, which many fans consider the best cast in the show's history. This is a series that 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.
Season 18 (7.8)
This was the season in which fans came to the understanding that The Amazing Race is a show that just gets better with time. The legs are fantastically planned and executed, the suspense was high, and viewers even got some emotional eliminations. All in all, season 18 delivered some of the best moments from all The Amazing Race seasons. Also, the race went to Australia and Switzerland, two countries that usually deliver thrills, and the two countries didn't disappoint in this season, either.
Season 1 (7.9)
This was the season that started it all. From the word "Go!" in New York City's Central Park, The Amazing Race was on its way into reality television lore. It had a great cast, truly awesome locations, and challenges that kept the viewer on the edge of their seasons. Season 1 will always rate highly among fans of The Amazing Race, and they may not have known it back in 2001, but the creators of the show truly hit gold with this concept and it was worked to near-perfection in its opening season.
Season 2 (8.3)
Coming in with an average of 8.3, the second season of The Amazing Race was the one in which the show finally earned its sea legs. This season went bold with its Roadblocks, and it also contained a good amount of drama that kept fans on the edges of their seats all season long. For hardcore fans of the show, season 2 is the perfect nostalgia season, and it was just a sign of great things to come for this series.