Twelve teams of two people line up at the start on the Los Angeles River, but in a surprise twist, the team that fails to complete the first task is eliminated without leaving the country. The eleven remaining teams travel to Tokyo, Japan, where one person from each team becomes a Japanese game show contestant at the Road Block, then to Cái Bè, Vietnam, where they have to face mud, sweat and tears as they take part in a local farmer's festival.