The Amazing Race - So You Want To Be A Contestant?

You're a big fan of the show, maybe you've only watched a few episodes, or maybe you've only heard about how you can win $1,000,000 by winning a race around the world. Perhaps you just want to get your mug on television and any show will do. CBS recently ordered another season of the Emmy Award-winning reality show and it's quite possible The Amazing Race (TAR) will be around for a long time to come. So even though the competition to become a contestant is stiff, there should still be opportunities if you're willing to give it a try.
If you are a big fan of the show, then you probably have a good idea of what it takes to compete in the race. You may have already explored or attempted to get on TAR. But what about those other folks who are not so familiar with The Amazing Race? What about those who nontheless are very competitive, love a big challenge and think this would be, well, an amazing way to travel the world, see incredible sights and do things they would have never otherwise done on their own?
If this describes you then here are some things you may want to consider:

First of all, let's go over the premise of The Amazing Race. Each episode documents an individual leg of the race. It's not a linear path around the globe but rather a series of zig-zagging trips to various locations.
The leg starts off from a checkpoint and may stay in one city, one country or may require travel to a different continent entirely. Along the way, contestants are required to perform a series of tasks. These tasks must be completed properly before a team may proceed to the next check-in point, the finish line for that leg of the race. At each checkpoint, the last team to arrive is usually eliminated from the race. This goes on each episode until the final leg where 3 or 4 teams race to the finish line.

Now, let's take a quick look at the application process. The Amazing Race is a competition among usually about 10 teams, each consisting of two members. So, of course, you will need a partner, and team members must submit their applications together. You may attend a casting call held at various local CBS affiliates around the country or you may
apply by mail. Basic requirements are that both members must be at least 21, US citizens and have valid US passports. Visit the CBS website for more information and to download application forms.

Choosing a race partner. The Amazing Race is the type of reality show, or game show, that is "cast", much like a sitcom or drama series. Since it is intended as entertainment for a wide audience, careful consideration is made to select a mix of contestants who will appeal to a broad range of viewers. The producers of The Amazing Race have made good use of a formula to achieve such a mix that is also intended to bring intriguing subplots to the story that will hopefully produce some "good TV". This formula mostly involves the relationship between teammates. TAR doesn't cast pairs who are essentially strangers to each other. So, for instance, an immediate or close family member would be an obvious consideration. The race has seen all combinations of mothers, sons, daughters, fathers, grandmothers, etc. Also common are married and dating relationships, as well as best friends and co-workers. But what the producers apparently would like to see is a relationship that has "something going on". The application will ask about the relationship you have with your partner and what you hope to get out of participating in the race. Maybe you've never been that close with your father and you're hoping that traveling and working so closely and intensely together will serve as a bonding experience. Many times, dating couples have used the racing experience to get a gauge on how they may function together in the long run.
TAR has always tried to include diversity, people from all walks of life, in each season. You will invariably see a mix of people of various ethnicities, multi-racial couples, people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, city folks and country folks, athletic and intellectual, young and old in each season's cast. But regardless of whether or not you represent some idea of a "token" demographic or have some interesting relationship backstory, one thing that should go a long way is personality. Like the slogan of one cable network goes, "characters welcome". Cocky Type-A leaders, charmers, quirks and bubbly personalities are all types that may stand out from the rest of the applicants.
Whoever you decide to partner with, you will be most successful in the race if it's someone with whom you can work well. Bickering will only slow you down and good communication is essential. Also needed from both team members is a careful attention to detail. There will be many instructions along the way and failure to properly follow them could cost you dearly. In addition, a sloppy contestant might tend to lose or leave behind important items, such as passports, which would surely mean the end of their race.
Aside from casting considerations, here are some other things both you and your partner should be prepared for, because they come into play just about every season:
Obviously, travel experience is a basic asset. Using the internet to search for flights, buying tickets, making your way quickly through airports and bus terminals, catching taxis and taking public transportation are all things of which you would be doing a lot. Also fundamental is a decent knowledge of world geography. Mistakes have been made in the past because teams were unfamiliar with or didn't recognize a country's name and confused it with another. Don't book travel to the Slovak Republic when you're supposed to be going to Slovenia. Language goes hand in hand with geography.
It takes time to learn a new language from scratch, but if you already know the basics of ,say, Spanish or German, it would be a good idea to brush up on what you already know. You may not understand the language of the land anywhere else you visit, but that one country where you could speak a bit of Spanish, or German or Russian could end up being a difference-maker in the race.

Skills, attributes and hang-ups. It's one thing to "do" The Amazing Race but if you want to do it well, and have a good chance of winning you must be aware of these facts: no all-female team has ever won and no one over the age of 46 has ever won. That doesn't mean you can't be the first! But it does illustrate the harsh reality that the race really demands certain attributes, not the least of which are physical strength and endurance. Could you with your partner carry a 150 lb pig for at least 5 minutes to an Hawaiian luau? Could you alone push for hours huge, heavy bales of hay, unrolling them until you found a hidden item? Could you run a mile in your underwear through the streets of a foreign city? Start lifting weights, jogging and doing cardio workouts now, because you will need to be in good enough shape to get through challenges like these.
In addition to the aforementioned travel and language skills, it would be immensely helpful if both you and your partner knew how to drive a standard transmission car. You could be required to drive some unusual vehicle through city streets or a rental car for miles to your next destination, and you don't want to waste time fidgeting with the stick-shift and clutch.
About hang-ups. Leave them and your fears at home. If you are a vegetarian, be aware that you may be required to eat meat, and not prime rib but usually some unusual animal part that we Americans would never touch. It may not even be "meat", try fried insects. A strong stomach and big appetite will help you wolf your way through an eating challenge. And of course there are the highwire acts. Several times throughout the race you will find yourself at dizzying heights. Do you have the guts to rappel down from the roof of a sixty-story building? How about inching your way along a cable stretched high across a deep gorge?
Finally, one common task could involve skill, endurance and fear. You and preferably your partner should know how to swim. And not just doggy-paddle but cruise along at a good rate for at least several pool lengths. And if you don't know how to swim you may be afraid of the water, and if you're afraid of the water, well, you probably can't swim. Get over it, takes some lessons at the YMCA. One promising team was eliminated because a member refused to go down a fairly tame waterslide at a resort! She let both her fear of heights and water win and let down herself and her partner. Also, you will probably want practice paddling a canoe, both together and separately.
These pointers are by no means all-inclusive, but if you've taken into account these basics and are still enthusiastic about going on The Amazing Race, then I say good luck and bon voyage!