‘The Amazing Race’ spoilers find that the world’s longest pit stop is officially over and the second part of The 33rd race around the globe started up again on Wednesday evening.
Yes, it looks a little different these days, and probably will for a while, but the fundamentals are still there- teams of two race around the world in hopes to win a cool million bucks and face a bunch of challenges along the way.
And we don’t necessarily mean the Road Blocks and Detours that see team members jump from planes, eat grubs and shave their heads.
Recently show creators and executive producers, Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster opened up about some of the behind-the-scenes secrets TV audiences don’t get to see.
Firstly, though there are only two competitors, it is a team of four that is traipsing around the world. The unseen team members are the camera and sound people.
The two crew members switch from team to team throughout the race so the foursome doesn’t get too buddy-buddy with each other, but everything revolves around a team of four- including all travel.
‘The Amazing Race’ Spoilers: Producers Spill Behind the Scenes Secrets !
Things have changed a little now that the teams are taking private planes and transport, but back in the day contestants had to book their own flights. That means four seats on the plane, not two. This narrowed options down quite a bit. Lots of flights have last-minute space for two-four is a different story.
“If they can’t get tickets for the four members on the plane, they have to wait until they can find four seats. Their entire crew has to travel with them,” Van Munster explained.
A rule that had to be put in place after the first few seasons was that racers were not allowed to sabotage other teams by booking out flights with more seats than what they needed.
According to Van Munster, the “creativity” of booking additional tickets to prevent other teams from getting on a plane had to be banned because “it was getting out of hand. We had one team order over $300,000 worth of tickets for one flight, it was just ridiculous. They would book every flight out of town! So now they can only book one flight – ensuring that’s the flight they want to be on.”
Anyone want to bet that was Boston Rob Mariano and wife Amber Brkich pulling out their Survivor villain tricks?
Planes are not the only vehicles that crew members need to have room made for them.
Ever wondered why, when driving, one contestant drives and the other sits behind them in the back seat? That’s because the crew needs to get in the car too (those poor, poor, crew- they better get danger pay).
While that is cramped enough. Cabs need to be able to fit the racers, the crew, and their equipment, as do busses, trains ANY way the Racers get around… well, except…
If contestants are taking tuk-tuks or are on bicycles or a motorbike, the crew will be in a separate one, travelling beside them. This means contestants would need to hail two tuk-tuks on the busy streets of Thailand or India etc.
“The crew has a very good way of choreographing and squeezing themselves in [public transport] with the camera and sound equipment,” Doganieri assured while Van Munster added that the crew is in “incredible shape”.
This level of fitness is essential as it is also a rule that contestants must stay within 20 feet of their crew at all times. If a crew member needs a bathroom break or has equipment issues, the teams have to wait.
Another reason racers can’t just jet off sometimes is due to waivers being signed. Any time a competitor interacts with a local the person must sign a waiver, which the crew carries with them in pretty much every language under the sun.
This may explain why you’ll sometimes see teams try to muddle through without asking for help, however Doganieri insists that almost everyone, everywhere knows what The Amazing Race is and said, “It’s tiny. You read it real fast. They sign it.”
Added van Munster, “We ran through the airport in India, in New Delhi, people know who we are. We go to Africa, they know who we are. South America, Sao Paolo, people know exactly who we are.”
Being that the show is so multi-cultural, contestants all go through a week-long training session before they begin racing. This is aimed at preventing a Racer from disrespecting the cultures of the places they visit and includes speaking with the contestants about appropriate clothing and teaching other specific customs.
“I always say to the contestants, ‘You are a guest in that country, so behave yourself accordingly,'” Van Munster claimed.
Neither producer mentioned anything about stick shift training…and it is obvious! Rule #1 after being selected to go on The Amazing Race- learn how to drive stick!!!!
Another secret we learned about The Amazing Race is that not only do eliminated contestants not go home empty-handed, they actually don’t go home!
Doganieri explained that “every team gets a cash prize,” not to mention “a beautiful trip around the world.” She then revealed that, much like the Survivor jury who head to Ponderosa to live out the rest of their Survivor days until someone else wins, eliminated Amazing Raze teams are “sequestered” until they are called back to cheer on the final two or three teams racing for the finish line.
“They go to a fun location,” Van Munster explained “Very often we send them to Lisbon, Portugal or Costa Rica. So, they have a good time … It’s not bad at all to sit by the pool with your friends.”
Not bad at all! But we’d rather keep racing.
The Amazing Race season 33 airs Wednesdays on CBS!
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