The Amazing Race: Two former contestants set Guinness World Record for most casinos visited in a day

Two The Amazing Race alums just turned Sin City into their own finish line and made history doing it. Joel Strasser and Garrett Smith, former runners-up on the CBS adventure show, decided running around the world wasn’t wild enough. So, they spent 24 hours sprinting across Las Vegas, hitting 115 casinos without missing a beat. Their marathon started at 3 p.m. on September 25 and wrapped exactly a day later, probably with sore feet and a new appreciation for slot machine carpets.

If you’ve ever watched The Amazing Race, you know it’s all about speed, strategy, and not losing your cool when you’re jet-lagged and holding a map upside down. Turns out, those same skills came in handy here.

Their record crushed the previous one of 74 casinos, set back in 2017. One team tried to beat it earlier this year with 110 stops, but Guinness said nope, because helicopters and SUVs aren’t exactly “on foot.” The Amazing Race's Strasser and Smith stuck to public transport, quick thinking, and pure hustle and walked straight into the record books.

The Amazing Race’s Joel and Garrett’s journey to breaking the Guinness World Record

The team had a huge obstacle from the start: Las Vegas does not actually have 115 classic casinos with live table games. Guinness World Records resolved this constraint by broadening permitted venues to include facilities that provide electronic table games, such as bars with gaming machines.

This rule modification allowed Strasser and Smith to cast a wider net across the city. They couldn't limit themselves to major Strip properties or downtown casinos. Instead, they needed to map out an efficient route encompassing smaller gaming locations throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

The 24-hour window demanded constant movement. Every minute counted when averaging roughly one casino every 12.5 minutes. This pace left minimal room for delays, wrong turns, or extended breaks. Guinness World Records requires substantial proof for any record attempt. Strasser and Smith couldn't simply claim they visited 115 locations, they needed tangible evidence.

The former The Amazing Race pair collected casino chips from each property they entered. These physical tokens served as primary proof of their presence. They also gathered vouchers from gaming machines, adding another layer of documentation.

Photography played a crucial role in verification. Strasser and Smith captured images at every venue, creating a visual timeline of their journey across Las Vegas. This photographic evidence allowed Guinness officials to confirm the authenticity of each stop. The combination of chips, vouchers, and photos created an irrefutable record trail. Without this meticulous documentation, their accomplishment would have faced the same fate as the February attempt that reached 110 casinos but lacked official recognition.

Gary Meyer and Kimo Ah Yun held the official record since 2017 with 74 casinos visited. Their achievement stood for eight years before Strasser and Smith more than doubled it. The unofficial February attempt by Armijn Meijer and Dominique van der Geer reached 110 properties but violated transportation rules. Their use of a helicopter to Primm and an SUV for property-to-property travel disqualified them from Guinness consideration. The organization's guidelines likely require public transportation or walking to maintain fairness and difficulty.

How did being on The Amazing Race help them?

Strasser and Smith's background as The Amazing Race contestants clearly prepared them for this marathon effort. The show trains participants in rapid decision-making, navigation under pressure, and physical stamina during extended challenges.

Contestants learn to optimize routes, manage time efficiently, and maintain focus despite exhaustion. These exact skills translated directly to their casino record attempt. Their runner-up status demonstrates they possessed the talent to compete at elite levels, even if they fell short of the show's grand prize.

Setting a Guinness World Record requires more than ambition, it demands planning, execution, and verification. Strasser and Smith proved that reality television skills can transfer to real-world accomplishments. Their 115-casino journey pushed the boundaries of what seemed possible in a single day, creating a new benchmark for future challengers.

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The Amazing Race airs Wednesdays on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

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