Season 29 begins with 22 strangers meeting at the starting line in Los Angeles and then pairing up to form 11 teams who then fly to the first destination, Panama City.

Racers travel to Zanzibar, Tanzania where teams build and deliver desks to a local school. Also, tensions rise when teams face a blind double U-turn, and one team's Race may be in jeopardy when they misplace their passports.