Each season is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in foreign areas, interact with locals, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel by air, boat, car, taxi, and other modes of transport.

The Asian cable TV network AXN Asia was among the first to acquire the rights to produce a version of The Amazing Race for its territories.

A total of 80 participants have joined The Amazing Race Asia, many of which have been celebrities in their native country.

Because of the various languages spoken around Asia and the fact that the show is broadcast on an English-language network, participants are all required to be able to communicate in English.

Participating countries include all citizens of the continent of Asia except the Middle East, Laos, North Korea, Russia and East Timor, but including Palau and non-Asian workers who are living in Asia for a long period of time.

Route Markers were, however, coloured yellow and white in the second leg of season 3 to avoid confusion with the flag of South Vietnam.

Instead of having an elevated red carpet with The Amazing Race logo enlarged on it as in the American edition, the Finish Line consists only of a regular check-in mat for the final three teams.

Each race has a number of predetermined non-elimination legs, in which the last team to arrive at the Pit Stop is not eliminated and is allowed to continue.

Teams would be alerted to the upcoming Speed Bump by a Route Marker clue prior to it, while the Speed Bump itself is displayed in a manner similar to the Yield showing the affected team's picture at a stand near to the regular Route Marker.

If the team fails to complete the Speed Bump, they will receive a four-hour penalty at the Pit Stop.

Like in the show's American counterpart, The Amazing Race Asia has featured double-length legs or "superlegs".

In season 1, teams were instructed to "Find Allan Wu", avoiding the term Pit Stop.

On-screen graphics displaying "Proceed to Pit Stop" were used on the show so that viewers wouldn't guess that a superleg was coming up.

[19] It was the highest rated program of its timeslot among all international channels in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

[22] The fifth season returned after a six-year hiatus, and its premiere and finale were the highest rated show in its timeslot among all regional English language entertainment pay-TV channels in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

While time penalties were generally served prior to the team being allowed to check into the Pit Stop (therefore possibly pushing them down the ranking lists and opening them to a possible last place finish and certain elimination, as was the case with Sahil & Prashant in Leg 5, Season 1), controversy has arisen over the fact that some time penalties are served at the beginning of the next leg.

Had this 92-minute penalty been applied prior to Andy & Laura being allowed to check into the Pit Stop at the end of Leg 6, it would have pushed them into last place and certain elimination.

The executive producer and co-creator of The Amazing Race, Bertram van Munster, conceded that there were more product placements, but said that they had much less money to work with for The Amazing Race Asia, that he was "not too crazy about blatant product placement, but the bill has to be paid.