A journey of 40,000 miles began with the first big step at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. From there, teams journeyed to the snow-capped peaks of Italy, careening into the first Pit Stop at the Hotel Lajadira in the snowy village of Cortina, nestled among the fabulous vistas of Italy's Dolomite Mountains.
Traveling from the snow-capped peaks of Cortina to the intricate latticework of the streets in Venice, Italy, the teams faced a gauntlet of bewildering and sometimes overwhelming challenges, obstacles and mazes.
With tension growing after married couple Reichen & Chip's standoff at the Venice train station in the previous leg, The Amazing Race moved to Vienna, Austria, where tempers flared as teams battled for the lead at the city's historic and cultural landmarks.
Set against the beautiful countryside and charming cities of France, teams again battled over position in line outside a portside gate in Marseilles. After spending the night in their cars, teams cried foul as models Tian & Jaree and married couple Reichen & Chip drove their cars to the front of the gate.
As teams headed to Amsterdam, relationships within teams began to crumble, as the stress of being lost proved overwhelming. Trying to maintain their lead from the previous leg, models Tian & Jaree were almost eliminated as Jaree accused Tian of sabotaging their team.
Teams experienced culture shock as racers journeyed from Amsterdam to Mumbai, India. Many were emotionally affected upon witnessing the extreme poverty and crowded living conditions.
Trying to hold onto their lead, best friends David & Jeff found themselves together with the other teams again as all waited for a train to Ernakulam. Once there, the dynamic duo set the pace for the entire leg, arriving first at the Detour, the Roadblock and a second consecutive time at the Pit Stop.
At the Pit Stop, married couple Reichen & Chip announced their relationship to the other unsurprised teams, but Millie & Chuck's virginity revelation raised several shocked eyebrows.
Kelly & Jon began the ninth leg of The Amazing Race with nearly insurmountable odds. Starting in last place, the pair missed the opening of the first route marker, pushing them even further behind.
After a last-place finish and near elimination in the previous two legs, engaged couple Kelly & Jon came roaring back as teams traveled to South Korea.
Leaving Seoul, South Korea for Brisbane, Australia, four teams battled for three available spots in the finals. Best friends David & Jeff decided to use their Fast Forward and arrived at the Pit Stop in first place.
With only three teams remaining, competition grew fierce as the million-dollar prize grew closer. After taking the lead from engaged couple Kelly & Jon at a crocodile feeding route marker, best friends David & Jeff never looked back, cruising to their fourth first-place finish.
After 4 continents, 24 cities, and 44,000 miles, married couple Reichen & Chip won The Amazing Race. Starting the leg in second place, the pair took the lead heading into Hawaii when engaged couple Kelly & Jon missed their connecting flight in Tokyo and best friends David & Jeff became stranded in Sydney.