Mon, Mar 11, 2002
The eleven teams arrive via helicopter in the desert outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Their destination is unknown until they rip open the clues waiting on their backpacks. Making their way to the airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, the teams fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and find a clue located at the "Big Man" (aka the statue of Christ the Redeemer). The clue instructs them to take a ferry to Paqueta Island and kiss "Fat Maria" (a tree). The next morning, the boats ferry teams back to Rio de Janeiro where they travel by gondola to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. Teams face a detour--either return back down Sugarloaf, go to Ipanema beach and track down the "Girl from Ipanema" or rappel 590-feet down the granite face of Sugarloaf Mountain. After the detour is complete, teams travel by boat to the finish line--located on a yacht anchored in the harbor. The last team to arrive will be eliminated form the race.
Wed, Mar 20, 2002
Teams jet from Brazil to Cape Town, South Africa, where they must overcome cultural challenges and their own deepest fears to avoid elimination, Nine teams make the treacherous journey from the jungles in Brazil to South Africa, where they must interact with locals at harbor and township communities. One team sleeps past its departure time while another must decide whether to awaken the rival team; one team helps another but falls behind, and several must overcome major obstacles en route to Cape Town. A third team is eliminated.
Wed, Apr 24, 2002
Five teams race from Hong Kong to Sydney and into the Australian Outback in a mad intercontinental dash. Two teams fail to follow instructions at one of the challenges, resulting in a major set back for them. With an elimination looming, every decision the teams make could cost the race.
Wed, May 8, 2002
Four teams race from New Zealand's South Island to the capitol city of Auckland, along the way encountering an imposing tribe of Maori warriors, a no-holds-barred All-Terrain Vehicle race and a 350-foot drop into the "Lost World" caves - the longest free rappel in the world. A seventh team is eliminated and the final three teams are determined.