- The Amazing Race Season 39 winner: The historic first mother-daughter team to win the race after 39 seasons.
- Major twist: Every one of the 13 teams received an Express Pass, changing strategy completely.
- New destination: The race visited Vancouver, Canada for a full leg.
- Key lesson: Strong first-leg performance historically predicts deep runs, but the Express Pass shook up the order.
- Where to watch: CBS carries the season, with companion "Unpacked" episodes breaking down each leg.
Season 39 Winner: The Historic Mother-Daughter Champions
The Amazing Race Season 39 winner made franchise history. After 39 seasons of the Emmy-winning competition series, Season 39 delivered the first-ever mother-daughter team to claim the $1 million prize. Host Phil Keoghan teased the milestone on the official CBS companion show, saying that "after 39 seasons, the first mother daughter Amazing Race winner" would finally be crowned, confirming the historic nature of this edition.
The victory capped a season defined by a brand-new strategic layer: 13 Express Passes in play at once. That twist kept even the strongest teams second-guessing their rivals, and it gave underdog teams a way back into contention after early mistakes.
Video Highlights:
- Phil Keoghan confirms the first mother-daughter winner in show history
- The 13-Express-Pass twist explained by the host himself
- Vancouver, Canada hosts a leg for the first time
- The emotional first elimination of the season discussed
Before Season 39, no mother-daughter duo had ever won the race in the show's entire run. The Season 39 champions broke that streak, making this one of the most talked-about outcomes in recent Amazing Race history.
| Winner Detail | Info | | Season | The Amazing Race Season 39 | | Winning Team Type | Mother-daughter duo | | Historic First | First mother-daughter winners in 39 seasons | | Grand Prize | $1 million | | Network | CBS |
The Express Pass Twist: How It Shaped the Race
Season 39 introduced the biggest rule change in years. For the first time in Amazing Race history, all 13 teams started the race with an Express Pass, allowing each team to skip a single task of their choosing at any point.
| Strategy | How It Works | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Early burn | Use the pass on Leg 1 to avoid first elimination | Low risk, low long-term value |
| Mid-race save | Hold it for a difficult Roadblock around the middle legs | Medium risk, strong value |
| Insurance card | Keep it as long as possible for an emergency skip | High risk, maximum flexibility |
Start with the Pass
Every team receives an Express Pass before the first leg begins, creating immediate strategic pressure.
Read the Field
Top teams must guess when weaker teams will play their passes, since everyone holds the same advantage.
Choose the Moment
Teams announce "We'd like to use our Express Pass" at a task and receive the next clue without completing it.
Ride the Advantage
A well-timed pass can flip leg order entirely, as seen multiple times throughout Season 39.
Phil Keoghan called the 13-pass format a "game changer." It gave slower starters a chance to catch up and forced the strongest teams to rethink the usual front-runner playbook, where Leg 1 performance tends to predict overall success.
Season 39 Route: Vancouver and Beyond
Season 39 answered years of fan requests by staging a leg in Vancouver, Canada. Canadian viewers had long asked Phil Keoghan to bring the American version north, and the show delivered against a backdrop of rain-fed greenery and rare spectacular sunshine.
Vancouver, Canada
- First Canadian leg for the US version
- Green cityscape, frequent rain
- Fan-requested destination
- Mid-season showcase leg
Opening City
- Frantic mass start
- First elimination pressure
- 13 teams rip their first envelopes
Final Stretch
- High-stakes final legs
- Mother-daughter team prevails
- $1 million finish line
Some Season 39 teams had applied seven or eight times before finally making the cast. Phil reminds every team that simply making the show means beating out thousands of applicants, calling them winners before the race even starts.
Notable Teams and Eliminations
The first elimination of Season 39 landed on Zach and Nate, who raced across the opening city and completed tasks many fans could hardly imagine, yet still came in last. Their exit set the emotional tone for the season.
| Team | Season 39 Story | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Mother-daughter duo | Consistent, strategic, historic chemistry | Winners, $1 million |
| Zach and Nate | Hard-charging opening leg, close finish | First team eliminated |
| Front-runner teams | Dominant early legs, forced to adapt to pass twist | Varied results |
| Underdog teams | Used Express Passes to stay alive | Deep mid-season runs |
Leg 1 eliminated a team within hours of the starting line. As Phil acknowledged, being cut first after years of applications is the hardest exit in the race, and Season 39 wasted no time proving it.
Season 39 Key Moments to Remember:
- First mother-daughter winning team in show history
- 13 Express Passes in play for the first time
- First-ever Vancouver, Canada leg
- Zach and Nate eliminated first after a close finish
- Phil Keoghan's 39th season as host
How to Watch and Follow Season 39 Coverage
CBS airs The Amazing Race Season 39, with the official "Unpacked" companion series on YouTube providing post-episode breakdowns hosted alongside Phil Keoghan. Each Unpacked episode unpacks eliminations, twists, and unaired moments.
| Content | Platform | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Season 39 episodes | CBS | Full race legs and eliminations |
| Unpacked companion show | Official CBS YouTube | Behind-the-scenes analysis |
| Season 39 fan wiki | This site | Winner info, team guides, twist explainers |
Watch each week's episode first, then the Unpacked breakdown. The companion show reveals strategy details, like how teams timed their Express Passes, that the main episodes rarely show.
FAQ
Q: Who is The Amazing Race Season 39 winner?
Season 39 was won by the first mother-daughter team in the show's 39-season history, claiming the $1 million grand prize. The historic nature of the win was confirmed by host Phil Keoghan on the official CBS Unpacked companion show.
Q: What was the big twist in Season 39?
For the first time ever, all 13 teams started the race with an Express Pass, allowing each team to skip one task. This changed strategy dramatically, letting weaker early teams catch up and forcing front-runners to second-guess the field.
Q: Did Season 39 visit Canada?
Yes. The race staged a leg in Vancouver, Canada, fulfilling years of requests from Canadian fans who wanted the American version to race north of the border.
Q: Which team was eliminated first in Season 39?
Zach and Nate were the first team eliminated, arriving last on the opening leg just hours after the race began, despite a strong and closely contested effort across the city.