We're about three weeks away from the premiere of The Amazing Race 13.  The teams have been unveiled and we can now easily identify the favorites.  What?  Did you say it might be a little premature to know which teams have a good chance of winning The Amazing Race 13?  Well, frankly, you're wrong (and, yes, the arguing-with-yourself device is a cheap way to start an article).  The Amazing Race has been on for twelve seasons now, and patterns have emerged, more so than you probably realize.  Only a certain few types of teams have taken home the million dollars.  We're going to take a look at this scientifically.  Below you will find the winners of the first eleven legitimate seasons of The Amazing Race (I DO NOT count the Family Edition because, in my eyes, that disgrace never actually happened) in terms of what they were, generally, as a team. 

The Amazing Race 1 - Male best friends
The Amazing Race 2 - Male best friends
The Amazing Race 3 - Male/female friends
The Amazing Race 4 - Gay male couple 
The Amazing Race 5 - Married parents
The Amazing Race 6 - Engaged models
The Amazing Race 7 - Married couple
The Amazing Race 9 - Male best friends
The Amazing Race 10 - Male model best friends
The Amazing Race 11 - Dysfunctional couple
The Amazing Race 12 - Hippie couple


Breaking Down the Numbers:

Five all male teams have won.

Six male/female teams have won.

An all-female team has still never won The Amazing Race.

Six of the eleven winning teams were romantically involved at the time.

Of the six, four of the couples remain together.  (Chip/Reichen and Eric/Danielle have since split).

Only two winning teams have had members over 40 years old. 

No one over fifty has ever won. 

Nine of the winning teams featured one or both members in their twenties. 

No multi-generational team has won.  Furthermore, no winning team has had an age gap of over ten years.

No winning team has consisted of siblings, cousins, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, etc.  Zero blood relatives have won. 

Two married teams have won. 

Two sets of models have won. 


If history is to repeat itself, and the trends listed above keep true, here are the teams from this season we can remove from contention and why:

Marisa and Brooke - All-Female
Toni and Dallas  - Multi-Generational
Nick and Starr – Siblings
Anita and Arthur – Over 50 Years Old
Kelly and Christy – All-Female
Ken and Tina – Over 50


Given the history of The Amazing Race, here's how one would have to rank the favorites: 

5) Mark and Bill
3) Aja and Ty
3) Anthony and Stephanie
2) Andrew and Dan
1) Terence and Sarah


Mark and Bill would become the oldest all-male team to win The Amazing Race, but would not be the oldest people in general to win.  I have Aja/Ty and Anthony/Stephanie tied because, while they are young couples, both have relationship issues.  Those with healthy, normal relationships tend to fare better than ones without.  Aja and Ty are a long-distance couple, while Anthony and Stephanie have previously broken up, though are now back together.   Andrew and Dan, the only all-male team this season, have history on their side, but I worry about their seeming lack of fitness.  Terence and Sarah are young, happy and active, giving them a good shot to win.

So, there you have it – one of those five teams will win.  Go to Vegas and bet the rent on Terence and Sarah.  It's a good investment. 


-Oscar Dahl BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of BigBrotherCaps.com)