Some questions about logistics ...

[fan999]

Couple general questions I've wondered about for anyone who might know the answers. 1/ I understand that contestants are prohibited from bringing laptops, cell phones, GPS units etc. Are they given lists of things they are required to bring, like warm and cold weather clothing, shoes for running and hiking, swimsuits, etc? Obviously it would be an advantage to travel as light as possible, but if you didn't have what you needed when you needed it you'd have to spend precious money buying it after you spent precious time finding it (like the guys last season who somehow lost their only shoes and had to go shopping). 2/ Are contestants required to carry all their stuff with them throughout the race, or does the show transport excess baggage directly from pit stop to pit stop (I've read conflicting reports about this)? 3/ Are packs required to be carry-on size, or is that just good strategy? I don't recall ever seeing anyone checking bags or picking them up at a carousel (or having an airline lose them). But if the show doesn't transport excess baggage separately, putting everything for a month in a carry-on means no nail clippers, no scissors, no Swiss Army knives, no aerosols, tiny containers of toiletries, etc. 4/ What determines the length of a penalty, and do contestants know it in advance? 30-minute penalties are assessed pretty frequently for errors, but if I recall a few seasons ago Romber lost four hours for failing to complete an eating challenge. It surprised me (though not too much) last season that nobody refused to prance through the streets in his/her underwear. Maybe for some complex tasks taking the penalty might not put a team too far behind or might even be an advantage (like the hay-unrolling thing). What are the consequences if a team says "I can't/won't do that; start the clock," and does the team know the consequences in advance? 5/ Roadblocks are intended to be performed by one person. Suppose one partner agrees to do the task, and then for whatever reason wants to change his mind (maybe a physical task that he just can't do, or a fear of heights, or eating weird stuff). Can the other person do the roadblock (starting from scratch, which would itself put the team behind), or would the team be penalized for failing to complete the task?

[ElizabethG]

Amazingly good questions!!!! Would like to see these answers too.

[MsDll]

You can find most answsers at wikipedia. The time penalties are all explained there. Just do a search for The Amazing Race. There are different penalties for different infractions. You can't just say start the clock when you have to complete the task to get your next instructions. Someone asked why the poker players didn't just go to the mat. Answer was... they didn't know where it was.

I don't know about the luggage thing, but I'm assuming they only have their backpacks as luggage. Why would they want to bog themselves down with extra baggage?

[CCL]

1-3)We've never seen them check luggage - that would involve wasted time at the baggage carousel waiting for their luggage to appear. They've always had the big backpacks that I recall. I don't know if they are told what to bring - I seem to recall them having to change into their bathing suits to run down a cold street and someone didn't have a bathing suit and did it in their underwear (but I could be remembering wrong). I'm sure a lot pack for all contingencies. They could carry mini toiletries easily (you can carry them check-in as long as they are under a certain size) but they'd have to bring a number of them to last a month. It is possible the show transports that for them. I wonder about medications. Regarding scissors, nail clippers etc (things not allowed in your check-in luggage) ...I could easily go a month without those things and so I think the contestants could, too. Hotels often have nail files and stuff if they need to do some grooming.
5) The switching participants in roadblocks question is interesting...I've never seen it done. I'd imagine there was some sort of penalty, though.
4) I believe the contestants are made aware of the various time limits for penalties (I believe they are given a rule book though it is possible they are told (or reminded) during the race).