Host Phil Keoghan and The Creators of THE AMAZING RACE Say COVID-Related Changes Make Season 33 Unique and Exciting

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede The most amazing thing about the 33rd season of THE AMAZING RACE is that it exists. With a two-hour debut on Wednesday, Jan. 5, starting at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca and the CTV app, THE AMAZING RACE is finally back, following an epic disruption in production due to the pandemic. Filming initially started in February 2020, but then production went on hold for almost a year and a half. The race resumed in September and October 2021, with the same teams but an altered route, with pandemic safety protocols in place. “We had challenges – and I think we adapted and we’ve come back with some new elements that I think the fans are going to like, just because we’ve freshened up some of the ways we’ve done things,” said host and executive producer Phil Keoghan in a virtual panel interview, alongside co-creators and executive producers Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster. One of those changes had to do with airplanes. Production obviously did not want the competing teams travelling commercially anymore, so a plane had to be chartered, and the teams and the crew travelled together, through what were deemed to be the most COVID-safe countries at the time of filming. “It made for a very intense and exciting race, because the teams were actually closer together,” said Doganieri, who also stressed that the integrity of the competition was not compromised, because timing adjustments were made, so that teams could maintain the leads they had built, etc. “We wanted to keep it fair – as fair as we could do, during these COVID protocols.” The previous season of THE AMAZING RACE, a.k.a. Season 32, aired in late 2020 (it had been filmed prior to the pandemic). So that means this upcoming season will be the first one to air since the franchise turned 20 years old, having first debuted on Sept. 5, 2001. “The world is waiting for you? It’s the other way around now,” van Munster joked. “We’ve been waiting for two years. So we put this very, very complex production together again successfully, thank God. We figured out how to do it, that’s for sure, after 20 years.” Keoghan was asked what keeps him coming back after all this time. “Well, first of all, just the opportunity to be a part of THE AMAZING RACE,” he said. “When we started 20 years ago, it was mind-blowing. I’ll always be thankful to Bertram and Elise for coming up with a great idea that sort of fits right in with my passion for travel, and people. And I would not have believed that we would still be here 20 years later, with a show that feels as fresh as the day we started it. It’s never the same.” Season 33 is certainly not the same. But Keoghan, Doganieri, and van Munster believe that it’s different in a good way, and they indicated that some of the changes made could become permanent fixtures in future seasons, the ongoing state of the pandemic notwithstanding. “The audiences are absolutely desperate for us to get back,” Keoghan said. “You live, you learn, you adapt, and you try to make the best of the situation. I can promise you that this season, it’s a special one, and I know fans are going to really enjoy it when they tune in on Jan. 5.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv