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The Amazing Race 4

The Amazing Race 4
Season 4
Region 1 DVD cover
Presented byPhil Keoghan
No. of teams12
WinnerReichen Lehmkuhl & Chip Arndt
No. of legs13
Distance traveled44,000 mi (71,000 km)
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseMay 29 (2003-05-29) –
August 21, 2003 (2003-08-21)
Additional information
Filming datesJanuary 18 (2003-01-18) –
February 14, 2003 (2003-02-14)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 3
Next →
Season 5
List of episodes

The Amazing Race 4 is the fourth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the world to win US$1,000,000. This season visited four continents and nine countries and traveled over 44,000 miles (71,000 km) during thirteen legs. Starting in Los Angeles, racers traveled through Italy, Austria, France, the Netherlands, India, Malaysia, South Korea, and Australia before returning to the United States, traveling through Hawaii, and finishing in Phoenix. The season premiered on CBS on May 29, 2003, and concluded on August 21, 2003.

Married couple Reichen Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt were the winners of the season, while engaged couple Jon Corso and Kelly Parks finished in second place, and best friends David Dean and Jeff Strand finished in third place.

Production

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Development and filming

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The starting line was on the grounds of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

The fourth season of The Amazing Race spanned 44,000 miles (71,000 km) across four continents and featured first-time visits to two countries: the Netherlands and South Korea. Filming for the show began on January 18, 2003, and finished on February 14.[1]

Casting

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Casting for this season began in late August 2002.[2]

Cast

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Al Rios
Reichen Lehmkuhl

This season's cast included a gay married couple, NFL wives, a pair of circus clowns, and air traffic controllers. The "NFL Wives", Monica & Sheree, were respectively married to Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchanan, both of whom played for the Atlanta Falcons the season before the television series was filmed.[3][4] At the time this season was filmed and broadcast, same-sex marriage had not yet been made legal in the United States. Reichen & Chip were never legally married, although they were married in a religious ceremony. CBS decided for the purpose of the show to respect the fact that they recognized themselves as a married couple.[5] Not long after the season ended, Reichen revealed that he and Chip had separated.[6]

Contestants Age Relationship Hometown Status
Debra Carmody 49 Married Parents Louisville, Kentucky Eliminated 1st
(in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy)
Steve Carmody 40
Amanda Adams 25 Dating Sioux Falls, South Dakota Eliminated 2nd
(in Venice, Italy)
Chris Garry 28
Russell Brown 32 Friends & Dating Hermosa Beach, California Eliminated 3rd
(in Gmunden, Austria)
Cindy Duck 39 Los Angeles, California
Steve Cottingham 47 Father & Son Santa Barbara, California Eliminated 4th
(in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France)
Josh Cottingham 21 Los Angeles, California
Steve Meitz 46 Air Traffic Controllers Chicago, Illinois Eliminated 5th
(in Muiden, Netherlands)
Dave Cottingham 43
Monica Ambrose 29 NFL Wives & Moms Duluth, Georgia Eliminated 6th
(in Mumbai, India)
Sheree Buchanan 31
Tian Kitchen 30 Friends & Models Miami, Florida Eliminated 7th
(in Alleppey, India)
Jaree Poteet 33
Millie Smith 29 Dating 12 Years & Virgins Chattanooga, Tennessee Eliminated 8th
(in Sepilok, Malaysia)
Chuck Shankles 28
Jon Weiss 40 Best Friends & Clowns Long Island, New York Eliminated 9th
(in Mooloolaba, Australia)
Al Rios 34
David Dean 32 Best Friends Los Angeles, California Third place
Jeff Strand 37
Kelly Parks 30 Engaged Miami, Florida Runners-up
Jon Corso 28
Reichen Lehmkuhl 28 Married Los Angeles, California Winners
Chip Arndt 36
Future appearances

In 2005, Reichen Lehmkuhl appeared on a "Reality All-Stars" episode of Fear Factor.[7] Reichen also appeared as part of the cast of The A-List: New York in 2011.[8] Monica & Sheree, now both divorced, appeared on Atlanta Exes in 2014.[9]

Results

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The following teams are listed with their placements in each episode. Placements are listed in finishing order.

Team placement (by episode)
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Reichen & Chip 9th 2nd 3rd 5th 4th 2nd 5th 2nd 1stƒ[a] 2nd 3rd[b] 2nd 1st
Kelly & Jon 6th 3rd 8th 7th 3rd 3rd 3rd 5th 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 2nd
David & Jeff 10th 5th 7th 6th 6th 1st 1st 4th 3rd 4th 1stƒ[a] 1st 3rd
Jon & Al 7th 6th 6th 2nd[c] 2nd 6th 2nd 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Millie & Chuck 1st[d] 8th 5th 2nd[c] 1stƒ[a] 4th 4th 3rd 5th
Tian & Jaree 11th 4th 4th 1stƒ[a] 7th 5th 6th
Monica & Sheree 4thƒ[a] 10th 2nd 4th 5th 7th
Steve & Dave 5th 1stƒ[a] 9th 8th 8th
Steve & Josh 1st[d] 9th 1stƒ[a] 9th
Russell & Cindy 8th 7th 10th
Amanda & Chris 1st[d] 11th
Debra & Steve 12th
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g This team won the Fast Forward on this leg.
  2. ^ Reichen & Chip initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 35-minute penalty because they drove to the Pit Stop instead of traveling on foot as the clue had instructed. Kelly & Jon checked in during this penalty time, dropping Reichen & Chip to 3rd.
  3. ^ a b Jon & Al and Millie & Chuck tied for 2nd place after both teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time.
  4. ^ a b c Amanda & Chris, Millie & Chuck, and Steve & Josh all tied for 1st place after the three teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time.

Race summary

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The route of The Amazing Race 4.
Destinations Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel
Helicopter travel    Bicycle travel    Gondola travel
Route Markers Detour    Roadblock    Fast Forward    Pit Stop

Leg 1 (United States → Italy)

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Teams' first stop in Milan was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 2 (Italy)

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The Ponte delle Guglie in Venice was the starting point of this leg's Detour.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 3 (Italy → Austria)

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The Detour in Vienna paid homage to two iconic figures of classical music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (left) and Ludwig van Beethoven (right).
Locations
Episode summary
Additional note

Leg 4 (Austria → France)

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Teams visited the Circuit Bugatti in the French city of Le Mans in the fourth leg.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 5 (France → Netherlands)

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This leg's Fast Forward took place at the Molen van Sloten windmill in Amsterdam.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 6 (Netherlands → India)

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For one half of the Detour in Mumbai, teams had to wash a bundle of clothing in Dhobi Ghat to find a printed clue.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 7 (India)

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The Finishing Point houseboat at Punnamada Lake in Alleppey served as the Pit Stop for this leg.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 8 (India → Malaysia)

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Teams traveled to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo during this leg.
Locations
Episode summary
Additional note

Leg 9 (Malaysia)

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For the Roadblock, team members climbed Gomantong Caves, known for their intricate limestone formations.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 10 (Malaysia → South Korea)

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Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul was the Pit Stop for this leg.
Locations
Episode summary
Additional note

Leg 11 (South Korea → Australia)

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Teams traveled to Brisbane, Australia in this leg.
Locations
Episode summary

Leg 12 (Australia)

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Ellis Beach near Cairns was the Pit Stop for this leg.
Locations
Episode summary
Additional note

Leg 13 (Australia → United States)

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The season's final leg required teams to visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Phoenix, Arizona.
Locations
Episode summary
Additional note

Reception

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Critical response

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Compared to the first three seasons, which were positively received, The Amazing Race 4 received more mixed reviews. Linda Holmes of Television Without Pity wrote "I loved a lot of things about the season, but that ending blew."[12] Heather Havrilesky of Salon wrote that "'The Amazing Race' has always been an imaginative and well-produced show, but this year's lineup of couples has offered more hilarious calamities and personality clashes than usual."[13] Kareem Gantt of Screen Rant wrote that "season four may not have had a cast that was particularly likable, but it did visit some cool locations".[14] In 2016, this season was ranked 22nd out of the first 27 seasons by the Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race correspondents.[15] In 2024, Rhenn Taguiam of Game Rant placed this season within the bottom 13 out of 36.[16]

Awards

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In 2004, this season of The Amazing Race won the series its second consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Married and millionaires—amazing!". The Advocate. August 22, 2003. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Andy Dehnart (November 19, 2002). "CBS picks up Amazing Race 4". reality blurred. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Newberry, Paul (February 12, 2000). "Falcons Sign Ambrose, Jefferson". Associated Press. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Chappell, Mike (July 6, 2014). "Ray Buchanan reluctant to pass on football passion to sons". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  5. ^ Barrett, John (October 14, 2003). "Reichen & Chip: Reality sets in". The Advocate. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Shulman, Randy (October 2, 2003). "Reichen's Reality". Metro Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Episode 4.24 (Reality All-Stars) - February 28". Game Show Newsnet. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (July 29, 2011). "The A-List? They Must Be Grading on a Curve". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "EXCLUSIVE – #HollywoodExes Plans Atlanta Spin-Off! Meet the Cast… [PHOTOS]". Straight From The A. August 1, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  10. ^ Barrett, Annie (November 4, 2013). "The Amazing Race recap: 'Choir Boy at Heart'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  11. ^ "Reichen And Chip: 'Race' Winners". www.cbsnews.com. August 22, 2003. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Holmes, Linda (August 27, 2003). "The Pill of victory". Television Without Pity. Retrieved March 27, 2021.[dead link]
  13. ^ Heather Havrilesky (August 19, 2003). "Those amazing animals!". Salon. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Gantt, Kareem (November 30, 2020). "Amazing Race: 10 Must-Watch Seasons, Ranked According To IMDb". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Mike Bloom; Jessica Liese; Dan Heaton (February 5, 2016). "Amazing Race | Ranking the Season". Rob Has a Podcast (Podcast). Event occurs at 30:31. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Taguiam, Rhenn (September 24, 2024). "23 Best Seasons Of The Amazing Race". Game Rant. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Slack, Liam (October 20, 2016). "Trump and the 'Rigged' Emmy Awards: A History of Snubs". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
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