Twenty-five years ago, in September 2001, television looked a lot different than it does today. “E.R.” was in its prime, “Grey’s Anatomy” was just an idea somewhere in Shonda Rhimes’ mind, and the CSI franchise was less than a year old at CBS. The network was also becoming a leader in a relatively new genre of TV — the reality competition show. It sparked a phenomenon when a show called “Survivor” premiered in May 2000. Producers shipped strangers off to an island to brave the wilderness and outsmart one another, and they haven’t stopped yet. Plus, a show called “Big Brother,” featuring strangers isolated in a house together and competing to win America’s favor and a cash prize, premiered months later in July 2000.
CBS was years away from learning if these shows had staying power or if America’s attention span would last, but the network wasn’t content with a couple of hits; it wanted a trifecta. So another competition show, called “The Amazing Race” — featuring 11 couples racing around the world from New York City and back again — premiered on September 5, 2001. NBC attempted to challenge “The Amazing Race” the same night with a reality competition show premiere of its own called “Lost,” which featured three teams of two strangers dropped in an unknown location and racing each other to Manhattan. “Lost” lasted only one season, so it wasn’t much of a battle. “The Amazing Race” will soon kick off Season 39.
The Amazing Race is now an international franchise
Although CBS’ reality TV trifecta is still going strong, “The Amazing Race” has emerged as the superior of the three programs in one important category — Emmy wins. The show has 15 wins and 108 nominations in its 25-year history compared to seven wins and 78 nominations for “Survivor” over its 50 seasons in 26 years. Notably, “The Amazing Race” won the first-ever outstanding reality/competition program Emmy in 2003, beating out “Survivor” and “American Idol.”
Another measure of the success of “The Amazing Race” is its franchise power. As of 2026, the show has spawned more than a dozen international spin-offs. Finland’s version, the newest edition, premiered in 2023.
Phil Keoghan, who has hosted the American edition of “The Amazing Race” since its inaugural season, has a pretty simple explanation for the show’s success. “I love that our show is the show that people say nice things about,” he told Parade in 2024. He told a funny story about being incognito at Coachella and constantly being stopped by fans telling him that they watched the show with everyone from their kids to their grandparents. “Our show is not a controversial show,” he said, noting that he thinks this makes “The Amazing Race” stand out from similar shows.
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