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The Amazing Race 2 (Chinese season)

The Amazing Race 2
Season 2
Presented byAllan Wu
No. of teams8
WinnerHan Geng & Wu Xin
No. of legs10
Distance traveled39,600 km (24,600 mi)
No. of episodes10
Release
Original networkShenzhen TV
Original releaseJuly 10 (2015-07-10) –
September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25)
Additional information
Filming datesJune 2 –
August 16, 2015
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3

The Amazing Race 2 (Chinese: 极速前进第二季) is the second season of the Chinese reality competition show The Amazing Race (Chinese: 极速前进; pinyin: Jísù Qiánjìn). Loosely based on the American reality TV series The Amazing Race, it initially featured six teams of two in a race around the world. Singapore based Chinese-American actor Allan Wu, who was also the host of The Amazing Race Asia and The Amazing Race: China Rush and episodes 3 to 10 of the first season returned for this season. Starting in Sydney, racers traveled through Australia, Turkey, Spain, France, Namibia, Mauritius, and Thailand before finishing in Chengdu. This season premiered on Shenzhen TV on July 10, 2015 and concluded on September 25, 2015.

Friends Han Geng and Wu Xin were the winners of this season, while married couple Yang Qianhua and Ding Zigao finished second, and Xiao Yang and Wang Taili finished third.

Production

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Development and filming

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The Starting Line of the second Amazing Race was at Watsons Bay in Sydney, Australia.

Filming began June 2, 2015 at Sydney and ended on August 16, 2015 at Chengdu, Sichuan. Unlike the American version and most other versions that always start and end in the same country, this was the first season where both the Starting Line and Finish Line were held in different nations, and also the first season overall in the entire franchise the Starting Line was not held in the show's home country.

This season introduced two new twists. Invasion was a new twist that allowed several teams to join in the game as intruders. The intruders entered at the start of a given leg. In their Invasion leg, the intruders had to finish in a given position (top two in Leg 7, or first Leg 9) in order to continue racing. If they failed their invasion, they would be eliminated as if they had finished last. If they succeeded, the intruders would keep on racing in future legs.[1]

This season also introduced the Intersection with Integration Versus, which was a combination of Intersection and Versus for some tasks. At the start of the leg, the four remaining teams had to choose which team they want to be Intersected by voting. Once two teams chose each other at the same time, they would be Intersected. Then, the pairs of teams would complete in either a head-to-head or a timed task. The team that won the task would earn two points. After five rounds, the teams with the most points would automatically finish in first place. The second pair would compete in a final task, and the winning team would keep racing while the losing team was eliminated.

Marketing

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The show was sponsored by Infiniti, Sohu, Pepsi and RRS.com. Eastroc Super Drink returned to sponsor, and teams could still pick up their drinks as energy supplements during the legs.

Cast

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Similar to the first season, this season featured celebrities who were chosen to race on the show. Notable casting members including singers Deng Ziqi and Super Idol winner Zhang Yunjing, the Chopstick Brothers notable for the viral video "Little Apple", as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics gymnast Feng Zhe.[2]

Contestants Age Relationship Hometown Status
Feng Zhe (冯喆) 27 Dating Chengdu, Sichuan Eliminated 1st
(in Cairns, Australia)
Zhu Zhu (朱珠) 30 Beijing
Zeng Zhiwei (曾志伟) 62 Father & Daughter Hong Kong Eliminated 2nd
(in Uçhisar, Turkey)
Zeng Baoyi (曾宝仪) 42
Deng Ziqi (邓紫棋) 23 Friends Shanghai Eliminated 3rd
(in Cabrières-d'Avignon, France)
Zhang Yunjing (张芸京) 31 Taipei, Taiwan
Yuan Zihui (原子鏸) 37 Siblings Hong Kong Eliminated 4th
(in Savanne District, Mauritius)
Yuan Heyu (原和玉) 30
Kim Jong-kook (金鐘國) 39 Friends Seoul, South Korea Eliminated 5th
(in Nonthaburi, Thailand)
Lee Kwang-soo (李光洙) 30 Namyangju, South Korea
Xiao Yang (肖央) 35 Partners Chengde, Hebei Third Place
Wang Taili (王太利) 46 Weifang, Shandong
Yang Qianhua (杨千嬅) 41 Married Hong Kong Second Place
Ding Zigao (丁子高) 35 Shanghai
Han Geng (韩庚) 31 Friends Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Winners
Wu Xin (吴昕) 32 Shenyang, Liaoning

Future appearances

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Zhu Zhu competed on Race the World in 2016, with Yuan Heyu appearing as a replacement contestant for two episodes.[3]

Results

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The following teams participated in the season, each listed along with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Team Position (by leg) Roadblocks
performed
1 2 3 4+ 5+ 6 7 8 9 10
Han Geng & Wu Xin 2nd 4th 2nd4 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 1stθ 4th9 1st Han Geng 6, Wu Xin 1
Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao 1st 2nd 1st 3rdε5 2nd 3rd7 4th 1stθ 3rd 2nd Yang Qianhua 1, Ding Zigao 6
Xiao Yang & Wang Taili 5th 5th3 4th4 4th 3rd 2nd 3rd 3rd^ 1st 3rd Xiao Yang 63, Wang Taili 1
Kim Jong-kook & Lee Kwang-soo 2nd∇8 Kim Jong-kook 0, Lee Kwang-soo 1
Yuan Zihui & Yuan Heyu 1st 4th^ Yuan Zihui 0, Yuan Heyu 0
Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing 6th2 3rd 5th 1st 4th 4th Deng Ziqi 3, Zhang Yunjing 2
Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng Baoyi 4th1 1st 3rd 5thə6 Zeng Zhiwei 21, Zeng Baoyi 1
Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu 3rd 6th Feng Zhe 1, Zhu Zhu 1
Key
Notes
  1. ^ Zeng Zhiwei chose to forfeit the Roadblock at Leg 1 and he & Zeng Baoyi were issued a 1-hour penalty at the Roadblock site.
  2. ^ Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing elected to quit the Detour challenge and were issued a 1-hour penalty at the Pit Stop.
  3. ^ Xiao Yang chose to forfeit the Roadblock at Leg 3 and he & Wang Taili were issued a 1-hour penalty at the Roadblock site.
  4. ^ Han Geng & Wu Xin and Xiao Yang & Wang Taili were each issued 15-minute penalties before starting the Detour because they both received money from locals earlier in the leg, which was prohibited per the rules for Leg 3.
  5. ^ Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour on Leg 4.
  6. ^ Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng Baoyi were subject to various placement changes on Leg 4:
    • They were forced to quit the Versus because of an injury Zeng Zhiwei sustained during the task. They were issued a 15-minute penalty which started after the last team of the Versus had served their 15-minute penalty.
    • They used the Express Pass given to them by Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao to bypass the underground city task on Leg 4.
    • They initially arrived at the Pit Stop 2nd, but were issued a 1-hour penalty for not completing the last task on Leg 3 after checking in which involved finding a local's house and spending the night there. All other teams trailing them checked-in during their penalty time, dropping Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng Baoyi to last place and resulting in their elimination.
  7. ^ Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao chose to quit the Detour challenge and they were issued a 1-hour penalty before they could continue racing.
  8. ^ Due to modification to the "Intruders" rule on Leg 9, Kim Jong-kook & Lee Kwang-soo were required to win this leg (finish 1st) in order to continue racing. They placed 2nd in this leg, resulting in their elimination. The placement at the end of the leg did not affect the other two teams (Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao and Han Geng & Wu Xin).
  9. ^ Han Geng & Wu Xin were issued a time penalty as they had failed to deliver a chicken to Allan. They arrived at the Pit Stop last, but they were not issued a penalty. They were also notified that Jin Zhongguo & Li Guangzhu failed their Invaders mission (see note 8), and they were safe from elimination.

Voting History

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Similar to the Israeli, Australian and Philippine versions, teams on the second leg voted for who should receive the U-Turn. The team with the most votes had to complete the other Detour option they did not select.

Leg #: 2
U-Turned: Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
3–2–1
Voter Team's Vote
Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
Xiao Yang & Wang Taili Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng Baoyi Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao
Han Geng & Wu Xin Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao
Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing Xiao Yang & Wang Taili

Prizes

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The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. In most legs (except Leg 5 and 8), the winners of the leg were also given Infiniti Fund of CN¥500,000 to donate to their charity of choice. Additional prizes were awarded as follows:

  1. ^ An item that can be used to skip any one task of the team's choosing. The winning team keeps one for themselves but must relinquish the second to another team before the end of the sixth leg.
  2. ^ Two teams arrived in first place, due to the leg modification with "Intersection with Integration Versus" (see below). However, both teams (Han Geng & Wu Xin and Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao) were each given the same prizes.

Race summary

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The route map of The Amazing Race 2.
Destinations Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel
Helicopter travel    Bicycle travel    Gondola travel
Route Markers 绕道 (Detour)    路障 (Roadblock)    对抗 (Versus)    联合 (Intersection)
回转 (U-Turn)    减速带 (Speed Bump)    中继站 (Pit Stop)

Leg 1 (Australia)

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At the Sydney Opera House, teams took part in square dancing.

Airdate: July 10, 2015

This season's first Detour was a choice between 滑溜溜 (Huáliuliū – Slippery) or 软棉棉 (Ruǎnmiánmián – Soft). In Slippery, one team member had to put on a helmet, a wetsuit, and watermelon shoes and then surf along a slippery 40-metre (130 ft) track while being pulled on a rope by a rugby player and their partner, much like the during the Chinchilla Melon Festival, without falling to receive their next clue. In Soft, teams had to catch three sheep and calm each sheep for at least three seconds by placing a cowboy hat over their eyes to receive the next clue.

In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to don a diving suit and enter a shark cage. Once the cage was submerged, they had to unravel five ropes in the cage to retrieve the key that opened the cage to receive their next clue from the diver.

Additional tasks

Leg 2 (Australia)

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Teams ended the second leg at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns.

Airdate: July 17, 2015

This leg's Detour was a choice between 烤魚 (Kǎoyú – Fish) or 長矛 (Chángmáo – Lance). In Fish, teams had to get flint from the locals and start a fire to cook a fish to receive their next clue from the Tribe Master. In Lance, teams had to take turns to throw 10 lances into the target boards, five for each team. The board nearest to the teams was worth one point, the furthest are worth six point, and the target between these two worth three points. Once teams scored six points, they would receive their next clue. If teams used up all their lances, they would serve a three-minute penalty before they could continue with the task, but the points earned would not reset.

In this leg's Roadblock, teams made their way to AJ Hackett Cairns Bungy and drew lots to determine which jump style the chosen team member had to perform to receive their next clue. The Double Bungee Jump required both team members to jump together. The Superman Jump required the team member to jump while wearing a Superman suit.

For their Speed Bump, Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing had to step on to a slackline and ride a zip line across a saltwater crocodile enclosure with raw chickens attached to both team members' feet before they could continue driving to the Pit Stop.

Additional tasks

Leg 3 (Australia → Turkey)

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Teams visited the streets of İstiklal Avenue for the Detour.

Airdate: July 24, 2015

This leg's Detour was a choice between 手艺 (Shǒuyì – Crafts) or 才艺 (Cáiyì – Arts). In Crafts, teams had to polish leather shoes, with each pair of shoes polished for 4 Turkish lira, until they earned ₺40 to receive their next clue. In Arts, teams had to choose one piece of equipment for the task: Chinese dancing clothes and pieces of cloth, a guitar, clown clothes and twisting balloons, a sword and a bağlama. Teams then had to perform in the streets to earn ₺40, in coins, using one of these five sets of items to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member to climb up a 33-metre (108 ft) ladder to the top and sound the gong within five minutes before their partner was lowered into a tub of dirty water below to receive their next clue. If racers were unsuccessful, they would incur a 15-minute penalty before receiving their next clue.

Additional tasks
Additional note

Leg 4 (Turkey)

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Teams visited the ruins inside Ozkonak where they paid tributes to Ottoman wedding rituals.

Airdate: July 31, 2015

This leg's Detour was a choice between 上馬 (Shàngmǎ – Horse) or 下水 (Xiàshuǐ – Salt). For both Detour choices, teams had to drive their Infiniti to the respective locations. In Horse, teams took part in Turkish archery. They had to select three arrows and a horse and hit the bull's eye target while mounted on a horse to receive their next clue. In Salt, teams had to carry 25-kilogram (55 lb) bags of salt and dump the contents in a pool until they could achieve neutral buoyancy and float in the pool while reading a newspaper article regarding the teams to receive their next clue.

For this season's first Versus, teams competed in Turkish oil wrestling. Teams had to strip down to pants, don a belt to indicate the team color, and then oil their bodies before facing off to take the other team's belts. The first team to take both belts from the other team would receive their next clue. The losing team had to wait for the next team, and the last losing team would serve a 15-minute penalty before they could continue racing.

Additional tasks

Leg 5 (Turkey → Spain)

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One side of the Detour had teams participating in Spanish Bullfighting.

Airdate: August 7, 2015

For this leg's Versus, teams would choose one of five items – a lance, a tennis racket, a pillow, a Chinese fan, or a pork leg – with the order of choice determined through the placements from the previous leg. Teams would battle head-to-head against the other team of a lower placement by knocking the other team out of the balance beam to receive their next clue. The losing team had to redo the battle against the next team, and the last team had to wait out five-minutes before they were given their next clue.

This season's final Detour was a choice between 横冲直撞 (Héngchōngzhízhuàng – Rampage) or 天旋地转 (Tiānxuándìzhuǎn – Descent). In Rampage, teams made their way to Plaza de Toros to take part in Spanish-style bullfighting. One team member had to build a gate using the pieces given, while the other would be a bullfighter and stop the bull. If the bull was able to get past the gate without damaging it, and perform the task properly, a torero would give the teams their next clue. In Descent, teams made their way to the Aranjuez Constitution Square. There, each team member had to inflate a Bubble bump football and had to stick one of the four coloured stickers (one with black, red, blue and yellow, the other one with white, red, blue and yellow) placed around the plaza as well as colliding to the locals. Once each team member stuck all four coloured stickers, they would receive their next clue. If they were unable to complete the task within five minutes, they could restart the task again with the field reset but the stickers collected would carry over.

In this leg's Roadblock, teams took part in La Tomatina. The team member performing the Roadblock had to stand on the performer zone and would be routinely doused with tomato juice on their head. Their partner had throw a tomato through the mouth of the board while being pelted by locals to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 6 (Spain → France)

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At Arles Amphitheatre, racers took part in a Roadblock inspired by the film Mission: Impossible.

Airdate: August 14, 2015

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to cross through a field of lasers without touching a beam to get their next clue.

For their Speed Bump, Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing had to get a picnic box, ride a bike to the marked area, and finish all the food inside the picnic box by feeding each other before they could proceed to the swinging task.

Additional tasks

Leg 7 (France → Namibia)

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The last task before heading to the Pit Stop had teams take part in the Bushman culture.

Airdate: August 21, 2015

Additional tasks

Leg 8 (Namibia → Mauritius)

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Teams competed the last series of Versus inside Black River Gorges National Park, which also served as the Pit Stop for this leg.

Airdate: August 28, 2015

For this leg's first Versus, the Intersected teams competed in kicking the coconut the racers while walking on a pair of stilts across a stretch of beach. Racers underwent an eight-minute coaching session before facing off against the other Intersected team. Teams had to kick the coconuts in stilts to a marked line in a five-minute match to score one match point. The first Intersected team to score two match points would win.

This leg's second Versus had each Intersected team assign one member to command the team while caged. The other three members, blindfolded and tied together, must navigate through a mud run obstacle course, while grabbing three numbered puzzle pieces in each obstacle. Afterwards, they have to make their way to the slide and arrange the numbered puzzle pieces to allow the toy car to move up. The team member in the cage would then retrieve the key from the toy car and unlock the cage to complete the task. The Intersected team who unlocked the cage in the fastest time would win.

This leg's third Versus had each Intersected team assign one member to retrieve three keys and jump through from height of 28 metres (92 ft) from cliff down to the sea after being geared by the helicopter. Then, the team member had to release from the safety harness and swim across one of three boats and unlock the padlock to free the other team member. The team member then had to swim to the other boats for the two other members. The Intersected team who freed the teams in the fastest time would win.

In Black River Gorges National Park, each pair of Intersected team had to assign one team to compete in either one of the two upcoming Versus. For this leg's fourth Versus, one team member had to scale six poles to retrieve five pieces of clothing. The team member would then have to wear the clothing while on top, and must do the same for the other four pieces. The team member who wore all five pieces of clothing and strike the gong first would win. If their piece of clothing was dropped, they must descend down to the ground and retrieve the piece of clothing before they could continue with the task.

This leg's fifth Versus had to be performed by the team who did not do the previous Versus. For this task, one team member had to arrange a series of gears of different sizes into a larger gear which would trigger a mechanism to raise the flag. Each gear has a peg that have to be fitted in the holes, which are arranged in different places across the board. The first team to complete the board and raise the flag would win.

For this leg's final Versus, one team member would be secured to a large wheel of death. Before the task, the person would answer five questions relating to their opinion of the four remaining teams:

Their answers determined a five-digit code which would stop the wheel from spinning. The other team member had to guess his or her teammate's answers, by rotating the rotary discs to the corresponding numbers to stop the wheel. The first team to guess correctly and stop the wheel would win.

Additional notes

Leg 9 (Mauritius → Thailand)

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After the Roadblock, teams took part in Thailand's water-dousing festival known as Songkran (this is taken from Chiang Mai)

Airdate: September 11, 2015

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to stack up 36 fruit crates and retrieve the clue attached from above, while their partner could assist through stacking the crates from the ground.

Additional tasks

Leg 10 (Thailand → China)

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While in Chengdu, teams had to feed each other a plate of Sichuan Liangfen to receive the next clue.

Airdate: September 25, 2015

In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to slide along a 15-metre (49 ft) thin plastic film sheet suspended in mid-air from one end to the other to get their next clue. Should any point the film break before reaching the other end, they have to start over.

Additional tasks

Ratings

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China Shenzhen Television premiere ratings (CSM50)
Episode Date Rating Share Ranking
2/01 10 July 2015 0.667 2.22 7
2/02 17 July 2015 0.752 2.37 7
2/03 24 July 2015 0.732 2.34 7
2/04 31 July 2015 0.689 2.37 9
2/05 7 August 2015 0.729 2.287 8
2/06 14 August 2015 0.777 2.45 6
2/07 21 August 2015 0.672 2.08 9
2/08 28 August 2015 0.632 1.955 11
2/09 11 September 2015 0.726 2.353 10
2/10 25 September 2015 0.476 1.557 16
  1. The data determined by CSM.
  2. Ratings ranked above not including CCTV.
  3. Information source:卫视小露电.

References

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  1. ^ "《极速前进》第二季开播 本季首创"踢馆赛制"" (in Chinese). July 10, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  2. ^ ""跑男"踢馆《极速2》 韩庚自诩能力超金钟国". Sohu (in Chinese). June 28, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "《非凡搭檔》的「CP哲學」" (in Chinese). May 15, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
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