We open on the landmarks of New York City. Phil: This is New York City: beacon of freedom and cultural diversity for nearly 400 years, and from this great city a first in the history of The Amazing Race, ten families will embark on a race for 1 million dollars. Phil goes on to explain that the ten families (teams of four) are speeding by water taxi to Fault and Ferry State Park in Brooklyn. 

The families: The Gaghan Family who feel that they will be underestimated by the other teams are marathon runners (Mom, Dad, and two kids). The Linz Family, all siblings (three brothers and a sister Megan), are pranksters. The Paolo Family is headed by Tony an Italian-American who immigrated to the US when he was 12 years old and is living the American Dream (Mom, Dad, and two boys). The Black Family is African-Americans and they too feel they will be underestimated but are very supportive of each other (Mom, Dad, two young sons). The Bransen Family are comprised of a father and three adult daughters who love to tease their dad. The Weaver Family are dealing with the tragedy of losing the father of the family (Mother/widow and three children). The Aiello Family is comprised of a father and his three sons-in-law. The Schroeder Family is a father, stepmother and two children team but the dad is considered boisterous outside of the family circle. The Godlewski Family is four blonde sisters who say not to let their blonde hair fool you and think they will be underestimated. The Rogers Family (Mom, Dad, two older kids) are from the south (Louisiana) and they think people have a stereotype of southerners that will leave them underestimated.

In the park, the teams are lined up for the start of the race. Phil: In just a few minutes  you will be leaving on the ultimate family adventure. As you travel you will have to complete various tasks. Some of these tasks will require individual strength or endurance. But in most cases, success will depended on your ability to work as a team. The race is divided into many legs. At the start of each leg of the race, you will receive a small amount of cash that has to cover your expenses except airline tickets and gasoline. At the end of each leg of the race: There is a pit stop, seven of these are elimination points. So you need to get to them as fast as you can, because if you’re last you will be eliminated. Does everyone understand that? (They all do.) Their clues are waiting on top of their luggage across the park. Phil opens the race with: “Good luck. Travel safe. Go!”

The families race across the park to get their first clues. This stream of forty individuals, ten teams, young and old run to their bags and the race is on! One of the Rogers’ women falls and skims her knee and ear (How do you do that?). The Paolo’s are slow getting from their bags to the waiting vehicle. The first clue on the bags tells them to drive to Sotho and find Eastern Mountain Sports. They are instructed to get supplies for the long trip ahead: 4 Sleeping Bags, 4 Camping Mats, and 4 lights. Part One [11 minutes]

Everyone finally gets into their vehicles and head off to the sporting goods store. Rebecca Weaver begins by driving the wrong way on a one-way street but still hold on to second place. The Gaghan Family is in first. Char Schroeder tells us a little about Mark her husband: "Mark is very hardcore and aggressive. If someone was to maybe overhear him they may take it the wrong way." Sure enough, he is making fun of the other teams. The Paolo family is bickering. After a lot of driving and confusion, the Linz Family followed closely by the Gaghan Family arrive at the store. In the rush to shop, one of the Weavers knocks over a display in the store. After they purchase the listed supplies they are handed their next clue.

They are to find a Franks Stand on 91st between Park and Lexington. Phil: "Teams must now navigate more than 90 blocks through the streets of New York and find a Hot Dog Stand. It’s here that they will find their next clue." The frenzied traffic of New York City is highlighted. In one SUV, Mark Schroeder: "To bad we don’t have a handicapped child we could push in the traffic to block the traffic and get ahead in the game."

The Linz Family finds the Hot Dog Stand first. The vendors at the stand are hilarious offering commentary (New York  Style) as each team checks in. The observe that the Aiello father looks like he is going to have a heart attack and observe they would like to be on the Bransen Family team when they see the daughters. The vendors hand out the next clue instructing all the families to drive across the George Washington Bridge and head to Washington’s Crossing. Everyone debates how to get there, but the Aiello’s do get there first.

On the banks of the Delaware River, are row boats and tour guides dressed in period costumes looking like George Washington himself. The objective is to get in a row boat, cross the river, retrieve a 13 state flag and return it to the original shore and observe a flag-folding ceremony. The Bransen Family in second place get stuck on the sandbar and dad jumps into the water to push the boat loose. Eventually the Black Family arrives (7th place) and they have a hard time fighting the current as their two young sons are too weak to really row the boat. When rowing across and back, each boat has their own George Washington who holds the flag in a historical pose, prompting the father of the Black Family to say “Keep the General baby!” 

The Aiello Family finishes first and get the next clue. The teams are directed to make their ways to the city of Philadelphia and Fairmont Park and find Belmont Plateau. Once there they have to pitch their tents. When their tents are set up, eagle scouts will give them a departure time for the morning. Leaving at 10 am are: Aiello, Weaver and Gaghan. 10:30 am: Rogers, Bransen and Schroeder. 11:00 am: Black, Godlewski, Linz and Paolo. The final teams are given help setting up their tents by other families. It’s a rainy night and rainy morning when they all head out.

They have to travel 92 miles to a farm in Mount Joy Pennsylvania to get their next clue. It is a detour (a choice between two tasks): Build It or Buggy It. Build It: Construct a mini water mill which is slow and tedious. Buggy It: Two team members ride in an Amish buggy while two others pull it, very physically demanding. All three of the first teams to arrive (Aiello, Weaver, and Gaghan Families) choose to buggy it. The Gaghan family children find it a lot of fun and sing and laugh while their parents pull their buggy. The Weavers have a hard time of it with the buggy careening out of control on a downhill slope and Mom Weaver falling. The Weavers change their minds and decide to Build It when they can’t budge a stuck front wheel. The Linz family arrives and wants to “Buggy It” too, but one brother gets a cramped leg and another throws up because of the farm smells. The Aiello boys are passed by the mom and dad team of the Gaghan Family. All of the other families decide to Build It: Godlewski, Rogers, Schroeder, Paolo, Black and Bransen. The building is tedious and the Schroeder Family has trouble with a stuck pin while one of the Black sons falls trying to get water to get the water mill wheel to turn.

It gets dramatic at the first pit stop! Phil greets everyone as they arrive. The Godlewski girls (dubbed the pink ladies) check in first and are awarded a $20,000 prize. It’s the Weavers versus the Gaghan Family for second place, with the Gaghan Family barely edging out the Weavers in a foot race. The rest of the teams check in as follows: #4 Rogers, #5 Schroeder’s, #6 the bickering Paolo’s (who hug and celebrate), #7 Bransen, and #8 Aiello. 

The drama as always moves to the last two teams. The Black Family plods along building their water mill while the Linz Family struggles with the buggy. They both virtually end their tasks at the same time with the Black Family getting the lead in the vehicle. The Linz Family starts out following the Black Family then veer off to take another route to the pit stop, something the sister did not want to do. The Linz boys are convinced they need to make this move. We are at the pit stop waiting for team #9 who is shown running to the mat. It paid off as we see the Linz Family race to the coveted #9 position. 

(You guessed it!) The Black Family arrives last and is the first team to be eliminated. The mother, father and two young sons are informed of the news by a downcast Phil. The dad says sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but he is proud of how his family raced. Both kids are fighting back tears. The mom says her boys stepped it up and showed they aren’t babies anymore. Part Two [10 minutes]

Contributors: fuskie, Jem, ranster627 and Smirnoff. A big Morty’s Thanks!

Hi!  I'm Morty of Morty's TV.  A couple years ago, fans of my Big Brother page asked if I'd start a Survivor Fan Page for them.  I said I would, as long as I wouldn't have to write it.  The Survivor page was a big hit, and now I'm not writing an Amazing Race page for you.  The way it works is that viewers, like yourself, write up re-caps of the show, post them in our forums, and our moderators paste it together to make a complete summary of the show.  We call this "team coverage."   We became the "go-to site" for fans of Survivor that may have missed an episode, and now we're doing the same thing for "The Amazing Race." 

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The Gaghan family, Glastonbury, CT

The Rogers family,  Shreveport, LA

The Paolo family of Carmel, N.Y.

The Aiello, of Mansfield, MA

The Linz Family, Cincinnati OH

The Schroeders, New Orleans, LA

The Black family,  Woodbridge, VA

Godlewski Sisters of Des Plaines, Il

The Bransens of Park Ridge, Il

The Weaver family, Ormond Beach, Florida.

The latest edition of "The Amazing Race" kicks off in a few weeks with a twist. This time the mad dash around the globe is going to have a lot more competitors for the $1 million top prize.   Meet the Amazing Race 8 Teams [3 minutes]

It's being dubbed "The Amazing Race, Family Edition," and will feature 10 teams of four, instead of two. Each team will be made up of members of families.

First up is the Gaghan family, from Glastonbury, Conn. Nine-year-old Carissa sums up the family's competitive spirit when she says, "It's either you'll be a zero or you'll be a hero."

The Rogers family hails from Shreveport, La., and is used to competition and winning: Daughter Brittney is a former Miss Louisiana, USA.

No glitz or glamour for the Paolo family of Carmel, N.Y., just a desire to win, a little chaos, and a matriarch at the top, the Paolo mom, Marion. She says, "I think there's going to be a lot of personality clashes, but ultimately, Mommy screams the loudest and stomps her feet the hardest, so I might have the ultimate say."

Not all the teams consist of parents and their kids. Team Aiello, of Mansfield, Mass., is led by Tony, who's bringing along his sons-in-law. The guys agree the goal is to win, and not disappoint their father-in-law. "Oh, it's a great motivating factor!" exclaims one of the sons-in-law, Kevin Kempski.The Linz family, three brothers and sister Megan, from Cincinnati, has a rallying cry ready to go: "Who dey, who dey, who dey think they gonna beat them Linzes? Nobody!"

The Schroeders, from New Orleans, say they have their own family language, which will give them an advantage. And they say they don't just want to win, they need to. "We've already been writing checks on that million dollars. If it doesn't come through, we're going upstate," says Mark Schroeder.

The Black family calls Woodbridge, Va., home. The whole family competes in tae kwon do tournaments. For them, winning is all about unity. Says Reggie Black: "That's one of our slogans, 'Together, whatever!' "

When an accident killed their husband and father last year, the Weaver family of Ormond Beach, Fla., was nearly torn apart. They hope "The Amazing Race" will pull them back together. "I think this is going to help prove it to us," says Linda Weaver, "that we're still a strong family; we're still a unified, strong family."

It's girl power all the way for Tricia Godlewski and her sisters from Des Plaines, Ill. They describe themselves as smart, energetic and outgoing.

But they're not the only sisters in the race. Wally Bransen, of Park Ridge, Ill., has his daughters Lindsay, Lauren and Beth with him. He says, "The girls are just great personalities and great people. They have the ability to connect with all types of people. They're extremely outgoing."

Ten families, from across the country, from every walk of life; some old, some young; all focused; all ready to run the race of their lives.

You can catch the debut of "The Amazing Race, Family Edition" on Tuesday, Sept. 27 on CBS.  You can read more about the teams on the official CBS web site.