The race begins in Los Angeles and the first stop is Shannon, Ireland. Teams that make the first flight are delayed in London, and arrive late. Tasks on this leg include guiding a donkey carrying peat and crossing a seaside chasm on a bicycle. Written by Ron Kerrigan [email protected]

After a rest period teams start out from Ireland beginning at midnight and head to Amsterdam. Once there tasks include a detour in which teams can either haul furniture up the side of a building with a hoist or search for color coded bicycles. The roadblock tests pole-vaulting skills as one teammate must jump a muddy ditch to retrieve the clue. One parent's overbearing behavior tests his offspring's patience. Written by Ron Kerrigan [email protected]

Culture shock awaits teams as they travel from cosmopolitan Amsterdam to the west African nation of Burkino Faso. Once there they must deal with camels and the local language to reach the pit stop. One team's benevolent gesture may have cost them the race as they are edged into last place by a team they just helped finish a task. Written by Ron Kerrigan [email protected]

Staying in Burkina Faso, one task involves loading a bicycle with many items and delivering the items to a particular stall in a maze of market stalls. Then teams choose between trying to impress local celebrities with their tribal dancing skills or panning for gold. A U-Turn in which a team must perform both tasks, puts one team so far behind that they are in jeopardy of being eliminated, and bring down the scorn of racers on the team that penalized them. Written by Ron Kerrigan [email protected]

Remaining teams race back to Europe, taking three different routes. All reach their destination city, Vilnius, Lithuania, within hours of each other and start their assigned tasks: delivering small packages to people whose name they must remember, then either counting hundreds of fence posts or walking on stilts as part of a Lithuanian folk festival. The use of the U-turn in Africa comes back in the form of karma to haunt the last place tram. Written by Ron Kerrigan [email protected]

Teams leave Vilnius and travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia. One team's ticket agent's error in booking business class tickets puts them hours behind. Once in Croatia tasks involve finding the right block to help rebuild damaged city walls, flying through the air on a zip line from an ancient castle's battlements, and either rowing around the harbor or climbing up and down walls. A team's misreading of the clue costs them at least one placement position, not making them very happy. Written by Ron Kerrigan [email protected]

The five remaining teams travel from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Florence, Italy. Fatigue and stress cause one team to break down. Another team take some drastic measures in order to improve their position in the race. A new twist is revealed for the last team to reach the Pit Stop. Written by Allister Coots

The five teams travel from Florence, Italy to Mumbai, India. When one person shows signs of his former self, progress in his team's relationship comes to a halt. Another team resort to performance art in an attempt to throw off their competitors. Written by Allister Coots

The four remaining teams travel from Mumbai, India to Osaka, Japan. One person becomes physically exhausted and unable to perform the Road Block. Another person blows a gasket after their team are dropped off at the wrong part of the airport by their taxi driver. Written by Allister Coots

The four teams travel from Osaka, Japan to Taipei, Taiwan. One person celebrates their birthday on this leg, but the only present she wants is a place in the final three.

The final three teams travel from Taipei, Taiwan to Anchorage, Alaska. The pressure mounts as one team that normally works well together hit a major bump in the road, while a misread clue threatens the position of another team. The first team to arrive at the finish line wins the US$1 million prize. Written by Allister Coots