The Amazing Race has been racing around the world for twenty truly amazing years. The 33rd installment of the record-breaking adventure competition is finally taking off after its longest ‘pit stop’ due to the reality of the global Pandemic. It’s back now, starting January 5, 2022, on CBS.
For two decades the executive producers/co-creators Elise Doganieri and Bertram Van Munster have been masters at offering memorable moments of wanderlust for the show’s fans and competitors each season. That has lead to the show picking up a boat load of Emmys and other awards for their spectacular efforts.
The wanderlusting married couple producers were not deterred when Covid shut down the current race that began almost two years ago. The 33rd edition of the series was on pause for 19 months midway through the race. It resumed when they adapted their filming with safety protocols that actually enhance the excitement of the show.
“The world is waiting for you, but we were waiting for the world longer,” Van Munster enthused via CBS’ Zoom interview session to announce The Amazing Race premiere date, January 5th, 2022. He told the Television Critics Association (TCA) the production’s world travel was put on hold but they got it back on track and “we put this very, very complex production together again successfully, thank God, and CBS, for that.”
As they were filming Van Munster said he had been calling his friends around the world, in Kathmandu and South America, and they were telling him “‘Something really bad is going on.’ So we’ve got to stop this production. We were being very, very careful.”
This season which started in London pre-pandemic, became a waiting game to resume, and not too long ago wrapped October 2021. Doganieri said, “The good thing is that we were able to finish up. It was possible, we just had to make some adjustments. (Such as) we chartered a plane, a Boeing 757, so the contestants wouldn’t be on public transportation, but staggered the release times. With the teams closer together there’s a very intense race every single leg of the race”
“I actually think some of those adjustments were things that we could implement for the future. There were silver-lining moments that came out of the race in different ways. It’s improved in some ways, and we can’t wait for everyone to see that.”
Host and executive producer Phil Keoghan noted there will still be the same Amazing Race detours and roadblocks, pit stops, check-ins, eliminations, and an amazing cast. Keoghan said, “I am thankful to Bertram and Elise for coming up with a great idea that fits right in with my passion of travel and people. It was groundbreaking 20 years ago, and honestly, maybe feels even more relevant today. What we’ve tried to do is embrace the change and use it on our advantage.”
“It was challenging, for sure,” Doganieri explained to the TCA about getting on the road again. “We started planning almost nine months prior to leaving (again). But with the protocols and the things that were implemented I think everybody came home safe. No, I don’t ‘think,’ I know everyone came home safe. And we can’t wait to do it again.”
Tune in the 33rd installment of The Amazing Race, Wednesdays on CBS.
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