Line #27 Heartwarming/TheAmazingRace


1	!!General:
2	* A few times over the course of the series, a team gets trapped in a Roadblock. In spite of their best efforts, the challenging member just can't seem to clear it. Multiple times. [[TenMinuteRetirement There is talk of quitting (or at least taking the 4-hour skipping penalty).]] There are {{Rousing Speech}}es to not give up. And then, eventually, once he/she [[{{Determinator}} finally clears it]], the nearby natives who had been watching the whole thing ''cheer and give what looks a lot like a group hug''. That team, as expected, usually winds up coming in last, though if it turns out to be a non-elimination leg, it just makes it even more heartwarming.
3
4	!!American Version:
5	* In Season 3, Zach and Flo escape elimination for the first time due to a non-elimination leg, and Flo lets loose some of the most heartfelt words about her teammate, about how he stayed positive no matter what despite her giving up. Even if she was a liability for Zach, especially in the later half of the season, these words were especially heart wrenching.
6	** Similarly, Ian was seen as somewhat of a blowhard. He constantly bickered with his wife Teri, but when they both won the penultimate leg, Ian recites some genuinely sweet words to Phil about her, saying that Teri was not only his [[LikeAnOldMarriedCouple lover]], but his [[VitriolicBestBuds friend]].
7	** At the Leg 5 Detour in Portugal, Michael decided to face his fears and do "Ropes" (rappel down the cliff) instead of "Slopes" (walk down the hill). When Flo had trouble on the same task (before switching to Slopes), he tried to reassure her that it was okay and that he was scared too. Many contestants have been less supportive than that toward their ''own'' partners, let alone someone on ''a rival team''.
8	* In Season 4, Reichen and Chip's Fast Forward meeting the world's most adorable orang-utans.
9	* In Season 5, coming in last, Charla and Mirna end their race by thanking Phil for the experience, and Charla (who has dwarfism) talked about how she showed the world what she could do.
10	* In Season 6, after being eliminated from the race, Aaron says he had been waiting until the finish line to propose to Hayden, so he does it there. Even though they didn't win the race, they won each other.
11	** Kris & Jon's relationship.
12	* In Season 7, Uchenna going back to help Meredith and Gretchen with "Brawn" even though they were racing for last place.
13	* In Season 10, Duke was the first racer on the show to actually have trouble coming to terms with his child's sexuality. Despite their short stint on the race, by the end he seemed to have been coming around saying such things like he'll be the one who has to change not his daughter and when they were eliminated even stating that gay or straight, he still loves Lauren.
14	* Season 12's finale. Between Rachel declaring T.K. her favorite person, Ronald finding first place in his daughter Christina's heart, and the cheers of "Grandpa! Grandpa!" for Nicholas and Donald, the entire Final 3 had heartwarming moments to go around and made it seem that they were all winners.
15	* Season 14 had the racers face a difficult final roadblock which involved searching 300 surfboards with pictures and place 11 of them featuring an event from each leg in order (with the pictures being not immediately obvious). Luke and Jaime were both missing one each and were getting increasingly frustrated figuring out which one it was. After knowing that they won't win the race and just wanted to move on, Luke shows Jaime the one she's missing at his mother Margie's advice, and Jaime in turn reveals the completed order to him. The two of them had a close bond throughout the race, and despite both of them having been shown as intense competitors, in the end, their friendship turned out to be far more important than their final standings.
16	* Upon getting eliminated for losing a passport in Season 15, Zev (who's mildly Autistic) went out, not by saying, "I showed the world what disadvantaged people could do", but, "I showed ''myself'' what ''I'' could do". And again in ''Unfinished Business'', he and Justin decided to soak in the scenery in Brazil when it became clear they were done for, with him claiming the experience was worth more than a million dollars despite how often the race took him out of his comfort zone.
17	** The two's friendship is this as well. Zev reveals that they met at camp and Justin welcomed him into his group of friends, this can mean a lot to anyone with autism and had trouble making friends growing up. Especially considering Season 15 aired in 2009, and autism wasn't really brought into the mainstream until the mid-2010s. Even more so as mathematically this meant the two have been friends since the 90's right when high-functioning autism was first recognized as a thing. Three seasons later, the duo's friendship would be explored further. Justin is unflailingly patient and understanding to Zev's difficulties on the course whether it be dealing with the loud noise in China, Zev losing his patience at the zodiac roadblock, or Zev accidentally insulting Justin at the Roadblock. Justin and Zev's friendship isn't just special for autistic viewers, it's special period.
18	* In Season 17, Nick and Vicki go through some heavy arguing in Ghana, with Vicki being on the receiving end of a "Shut Up!" and being blamed for not being able to push a hoop with a stick. [[ItMakesSenseInContext It's harder than it sounds.]] Later on in Leg 6, Nick steps back and they work together as a team to triumph over a detour that required switching, then switching BACK (from identifying music in a room full of pianos, to finding frames of film in a gigantic stack of film comprising an entire movie, then back to the pianos) Only to have to have Nick dress in a dress and shove cow manure on potatoes. After the detour, 6th place had finished and they ran over to the mat in last. It was a non-elimination leg.
19	** One team was comprised of a mother and daughter who had pretty much never met. While race journey was cut short, they had a more soul searching relationship in Elimination Station.
20	** Chad and Stephanie were a dating couple, who had quite a bit of friction in the race, but learned in Saint Petersburg to start trusting each other, and they became much friendlier to each other. The next leg, in Oman, Chad decided to propose to Stephanie using his mother's ring, which he had brought with him, waiting for the right moment to propose. She accepted, and their status changed from "Dating" to "Engaged". What's more, they came in first on that leg for the first time and got them a honeymoon trip!
21	* Upon winning Season 18, Kisha and Jen donated all the prize money to their mom so she could start her own business. Even better: the episode where they won just happened to air on Mother's Day.
22	** Earlier in that same season, the teams had a long wait for a train that would take them to their next destination. One of them found a basketball court, and one of the Globetrotters had a basketball. Zev and Justin, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Keisha and Jen had a 3-on-3 game, with Jamie and Kara cheerleading, and everyone else just enjoying themselves watching. After all that they went through and the stresses of the race, it was nice to see all the teams come together and blow off some steam just enjoying an activity and having a good time together.
23	** Christina reveals that she fell in love with Azaria from her season and the two are engaged now. It comes as a surprise since the two barely interacted in their season, both focusing on their race. The two are still married to this day and have three kids. Both parties lost despite being two of the strongest teams in their season, but they ended up finding something they weren't looking for (as both were dating other people at the time) that ended up being exactly what they needed.
24	* In Season 20, Bopper and Mark come in last, after Bopper had been talking about how he's on the Race to help his daughter, who has numerous health issues. It turns out to be a non-elimination leg, but before that's revealed, Art and JJ, who had just received $10,000 for finishing first, told him they'd share it with him.
25	* Season 21, James and Abba lose their money in Bangladesh, and they were forced to look for another way to pay for money. And a group of locals all donated to them and paid for cabfare.
26	** In a later leg, the racers have to do a task that involves the locals to donate thirty Euros. An elderly lady pays ten euros to James and Jaymes to finish a task. Then when Abbie and Ryan are stuck on the same task and spend awhile asking for locals to stop (in the rain), a woman pays just enough to finish the task. Rather than cheering, all Abbie can do is hug the woman and cry into her shoulder.
27	** Josh and Brent, who, as a gay couple, were not able to really show each other any affection in several countries during the race, finally getting a kiss in as they win the race after Josh collapses to his knees, overwhelmed.
28	** Abbie and Ryan's (''especially'' Ryan's) reaction to Josh and Brent winning. After spending several legs at the back of the pack with them, waiting for each other, and helping each other with challenges, they both can be seen jumping around, and cheering their hearts out as the Beekmans reached the finish line first.
29	* Season 23's exes Tim and Marie. Marie spent an entire season fighting, screaming, and generally being a gigantic pain to both Tim and the viewers. But at the Finish Line, Marie admitted that no matter what, she really did love Tim.
30	* Before the start of the race, Bopper was ejected and replace with Mallory to team up with Mark in Season 24 due to his pancreas. It was sad that some of the teams at the airport felt sorry for Mark losing his partner. This happens again when Mark and Mallory were eliminated and all the teams clap their hands for their effort in trying to win the race for Bopper.
31	** At the end of Leg 2, seven teams managed to reach the Pit Stop at the same time. When Phil's count got thrown off, the teams didn't hesitate to correct him instead of using the mistake to their advantage.
32	** Leg 4, Brendon & Rachel and Margie & Luke were struggling at the Cocktail Detour and were fighting to avoid elimination. When Luke just starting to have a tantrum, both Brendon and Rachel helped him calm down and gave him a pep talk, even doing the ASL sign for applause. While this decision turned out to be horrible for Brenchel, Margie & Luke were grateful for her and admit that they saw her in a positive light. Fortunately for Brenchel, it's a non-elimination leg.
33	** Dave and Connor. In Leg 7, they give Caroline and Jennifer second place as a thanks for helping them in the Roadblock. Then in Leg 8, once Dave and Connor got U-turn, they U-Turn Leo and Jamal. When both teams met, Dave & Connor TELLS Leo & Jamal they've been U-turn with a good reason namely AND helped them in the Detour. Leo and Jamal comment that they don't called it a U-Turn but a gift. To top things up, Leo and Jamal even tag along with Dave and Connor once they finish before them to say thanks.
34	* Dave & Connor winning. Their elimination was one of the most heartbreaking in race history as it wasn't their fault and they had one of the best chances of winning of the 22 cast. They came back, had one of the best winning games of any team in franchise history, winning six legs along the way, and won the million dollars.
35	* Season 30's team Ocean Rescue has been dating for 9 years at the time of the race, and Lucas secretly wants to find a perfect moment to propose... but they have a weak showing in the first three legs, and Lucas and Brittany are having a really bad go of it in Leg 4. They are barely spared elimination and got into a bad argument, and conversations indicate Brittany's father doubt's Lucas's commitment to his daughter. Then, in Leg 5, they spring ahead at the Roadblock and stay in the lead to everyone's surprise ("We're being beaten by Ocean Rescue..."), finish the Detour, and get to the Pit Stop first, trailed by the X-Games girls Kristi and Jen. The camera focuses on Lucas's hand slipping into his pocket... and then after a rather obnoxiously-placed commercial break, we see Lucas propose to Brittany and slide a ring on her finger. Several more teams arrive and celebrate their engagement and we learn Lucas and Brittany have resolved to stay together no matter what and the arguing made Lucas realize how important it is to keep by his fiance.
36	** Cody and Jessica deciding to tie the knot after winning The Amazing Race 30.
37	* In 31, Victor letting Nicole do the elephant roadblock because he’d traveled more than her. His dad is retired military and he’s lived all over the world so he’d seen wild elephants before but this was Nicole’s first time out of the country. She clearly loved every minute of the task.
38	** Nearly every racer was clearly having the time of their lives during that roadblock. Leo even yells out how much he loves the race.
39	* In the 31 finale, Colin and Christie's SoProudOfYou moment when they finally win.
40	* Season 32 had a task in Paraguay that had teams using trash to build a cello that can be played by the kids making up the orchestra. The team members who didn't do the roadblock all bonded with a mutual {{Squee}} at how adorable and inspiring the project was, and it's not hard to see why.
41	** In the same leg, after Kaylynn & Haley are spared via a non elimination leg, we learn their reason for wanting to win the race: their father is very sick, they can't afford the treatment for him and want to use the race money to help him.
42	** The final three teams from season 32, Will and James, Riley and Maddison and Hung and Chee's, sheer joy in realizing that they get to race it out in the finale. As Riley puts it, your best games are when you face your friends.
43	** After winning, Will proposes to James, who doesn't even have to think about it before saying yes.
44	** Post race Kaylynn and Hayley are invited to Leo and Alana's wedding which they accept. The latter having forgiven the former for yielding them, who reveal that their friendship has grown from the race.
45	* Season 33
46	** Ryan notes that, in spite of him being wrongfully jailed for ''ten years'', Dusty never gave up on him.
47	** In spite of Arun being the reason they fell behind in Leg 3, Natalia refuses to get angry with her father and tries to encourage him.
48	** After struggling for nearly two hours with the coin Roadblock, Ryan takes Dusty aside and helps him calm down by enjoying the view of Thessaloniki with him, reminding him of how much he means to him, especially given how long Ryan spent locked up in prison. This helps Dusty pull through, and his primal yell upon finally finding the coin is something else.
49	** Upon winning the race, Kim and Penn request that applause and airtime be given to the camera crew, who unlike the teams had to be fully masked at all times and maintained their distance yet still powered through to ensure the season would be filmed.
50	** Similarly, Penn singles out Kim's drawing in her notebook the different tasks as the thing that helped them win, saying she won it for them. Awww.
51	* Season 34
52	** During the second leg, part of the reason Michelle is so excited to do the dancing part of the Detour is because it's a wedding dance so she can relive her wedding to Luis.
53	** Dom helping Derek calm down when Claire was struggling with the Motorcycle roadblock.
54	* Season 35.
55	** When Anna Leigh is in the middle of a HeroicBSOD over being in last and assuming she and her dad are going home without a doubt, both Morgan and the Beards actually attempt to encourage her, telling her that it's not over until Phil tells them it is. She actually takes it to heart and is shown to be much more cheerful for the rest of the leg.
56	** Robbin & Chelsea's arc. Chelsea used to bully Robbin, and became her best friend, sticking by her through Robbin's weight loss journey, bout with cancer, and loss of her husband. The two were a very opportunistic team, but it's clear they only did it because they wanted to win for their families. During the last leg, when it's clear that they have no chance of recovery, they appreciate the opportunity they've been given and are glad to have done this for their family. It's a return to pace to have that nuance for a team that made no secret they wanted to be there to win after many seasons post-COVID seasons edited teams as obviously fake, with painted on smiles, or as unequivocally bad for simply trying to win.
57	** Rob & Corey's relationship is one big one. Rob, despite his disability, is never treated any less by his competitors and goes into every challenge eager to prove himself, even getting to use his deafness to his advantage, while Corey ensures that his father is able to understand and enjoy every moment with him, with both of them encouraging each other anytime one of them struggles. And when they reach the Finish Line, the other teams do the deaf applause to show their appreciation.
58	** Garrett's reason for doing the show: He needed a service dog for his handicapped daughter that would cost $60,000. Even more touching is how despite the fact they lost, Joel crowdfunded money to help his friend and they reached the goal only ''five days'' after the finale aired.
59	* Season 36: Michelle and Sean are a pair of married double dutch aerobics instructors and mention how one of the things they want to do when they win is give a Phil a lesson. They end up being the fourth team sent home, but Phil offers to let them give him a lesson anyways. He even seems to be having just as much fun as Michelle and Sean!
60
61	!!Australian Version:
62	* TAR Australia Season 2, Leg 1: The winning team for that leg received the Salvage Pass, which would either give them a head start on the next leg (on top of any lead they had anyway) or save the last team from elimination. The team that won it (Ross & Tarryn) ended up using the Salvage Pass to save the last team (Lucy & Emilia) from elimination. Cue hugs all around upon hearing the news.
63	* TAR Australia Season 3, leg 6 (Australia Vs. New Zealand): At the pit stop Tyson reveals that he's been together with Sally for 4 years, he proposes to her on bended knee which she accepts (cue [[TearsOfJoy tears of joy]]).
64	* TAR Australia Season 4, leg 2: Judy & Therese write a lengthy good will ribbon at the North/South Korean border, and take a lengthy time to pray (knowing that they risk falling behind the other teams).
65	* TAR Australia Season 4, leg 3: All the racers stop outside a theatre in Vietnam to sing [[HappyBirthdayToYou Happy Birthday]] to Mikayla (their fellow competitor).
66	* Jerome, seeing a very young girl interact with his wife Jasmine in the same leg, is reminded of their son back home and inspired to pull through. There are several other times during the race where thinking of their son gets them through difficult challenges.
67	* TAR Australia Season 4, leg 6: Viv & Joey, having struggled in the leg from swapping detours and encountering bad traffic are helped by a very young boy to reach the pit stop.
68	* TAR Australia Season 4, legs 7 & 8: The detours in this leg are related to helping the African villagers at Mukuni & Chisuma Village, with several racers commenting that it was nice to give back to those with less than them.
69	* TAR Australia Season 4, leg 8: Viv & Joey struggle with the physically demanding water bucket task, particularly given their short stature. They push through, with Joey encouraging Viv and taking short breaks when it becomes too much. One hour later they check in at the last minute of Sid & Ash's penalty time (for deliberate speeding) and continue racing till the last leg.
70	* TAR Australia Season 5, leg 7: Skye-Blue (who was born without a left hand) stops to help Jess retrieve a knife from the raft, despite being at the back of the pack. In a post interview Skye-Blue said "At the end of the day, you still want to be a good person".
71	* TAR Australia Season 5, leg 9: Jaskirat & Anurag took time out to console Dwes & Katherine into reconciling after an argument.
72	* TAR Australia Season 5: Chris' unconditional support for Aleisha (and vice versa) during the race. Often carrying her bag when running to the pit stop (and 2 extra bags when sabotaged) and even opting to complete the egg eating challenge on her behalf so that one of them can still keep their vegan restrictions.
73	* TAR Australia Season 5 leg 24:Brendan & Jackson, pull through the final climb to the pitstop by thinking of their children:
74	--> "Who are we doing this for?"
75	* The Sikhs Jaskirat & Anurag successfully reach the last pit stop despite being ill.
76	* TAR Australia Season 6, leg 1: Beau asked at the Pit Stop whether Rachel was okay after she broke down crying trying to finish the stunt Detour (she found her bandages, a requirement for the task, suffocating) and incurred a 30 minute penalty for her and her dad.
77	* TAR Australia Season 6, Leg 14: Knowing that their time may have been up on the second Belize leg, Jodie & Claire decided to complete their leg together with Tiffany & Cynthia, with Claire even encouraging her partner to climb up the stairs. When they learn they’re the last team to check in by a millisecond, Jodie & Claire were nothing but humble and happy to take part in the adventure. However, largely because of Fliss & Tottie withdrawing due to injury, [[BittersweetEnding Jodie & Claire get to fight another day, and Beau ended up consoling both couples by hugging them.]]
78	* TAR Australia Season 6, Leg 20: With Kelly & Georgia, Angel & Frankie and Heath & Toni becoming the official final three in a close race to the finish, they all decide to cheer on Tiffany & Cynthia to finish their last leg. Tiffany and Cynthia were proud of where they finished, with the former happy to take part with her niece, while the pit stop greeter congratulated them.
79	* TAR Australia Celebrity Edition, Leg 9: After they finish their Start the Giggles Detour, Emma and Hayley are greeted by a theatre worker who communicates with sign language. He congratulates them on finishing the Detour, with Emma thanking him back in sign language.
80	* TAR Australia Celebrity Edition, Leg 12: Darren & Tristan arrive at the final check in first… but they wait for Emma & Hayley and Alli & Angie to get there as well, so that the three teams can complete the journey together and get something for their charities. With the teams in agreement, they jump onto the mat altogether, and Beau acknowledges all three teams as the winners of The Amazing Race, each getting a split of the $100,000 prize for their charities.
81
82	!!Other International Versions:
83	* In Season 1 of the Asian version, the non-elimination penalty required the last team to relinquish all of their money and not receive any money for the next leg. The Heartwarming Moment comes on the next day, when nearly all the other teams leave Sandy & Francesca (the last team) some money on their car under the windshield wiper. The total given was a little bit more than the teams were given during the start of the leg.
84	** Leg 4: Couple Kym & Donna got themselves lost in Dubai while trying to find the location of a racecourse and also blew a tire in the process. While other teams in similar circumstances take it out on their partner or whoever's nearby, Kym instead walks away from his fiancée to vent his frustrations and then comforts her.
85	** Cops Shane & Andrew shining the shoes of the locals as part of the Shine detour. One of the customers has a 3-year-old boy with him. Afterwards, one of the cops has a small conversation with the customer and pulls out a toy kangaroo from his backpack to give to the child. The child's face absolutely lights up upon receiving the toy, but if you look closely, you can see that the cop had actually brought along a whole bag of toy kangaroos to give out during the race.
86	*** They also gave a toy to the boy they had to teach 10 slang words to.
87	* Season 3 of China Rush had a task where you had to eat 2.2 kilograms of an extremely spicy dish. StarCrossedLovers Zhang Yelin and Li Yang reached a obstacle when Li Yang started crying from the spiciness, so Zhang Yelin stopped what he was doing to play her a song on the guitar to help her feel better.
88	* The friendship between Simon & Katherine, Mary & Cecilia, and Summer & Eachan on Leg 4. Summer & Eachan wasted a U-Turn to save Mary & Cecilia then quit because Eachan's grandmother had cancer. Simon & Katherine and Mary & Cecilia walked to the Pit Stop at the same time to try to make sure neither one got eliminated. It ended up not mattering because of the aforementioned quit, but Mary & Cecilia made it their mission to stay in as long as possible for Summer and Eachan and believed the friendship they made with them was more important than the race.
89	* China Season 2, Leg 2 had a Roadblock which involved bungee jumping, which the racers' pre-race interviews showed was a challenge they would absolutely fear facing. All of the female racers visibly demonstrated their fear of heights to varying degrees, such as Wu Xin and Baoyi breaking down into tears en route to the top. In the end, they managed to do the Roadblock with one another's motivation and comfort and all took the plunge successfully.
90	* In Season 1 of the Canadian version, teams hard to become street performers to earn money. Jody doesn't have anything to perform so he comes up with a brilliant solution of telling people how he lost his leg in Iraq. We learn that the EMT who saved his life later became his wife and he started a family with her. Even better, they win the leg.
91	* Season 8 was the first Canadian edition to be shown since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and both Jon and the teams were stoked from the beginning to show how much Canada has rebounded after all that happened over the past two years.

Context Heartwarming / TheAmazingRace