The Amazing Race 33 is the thirty-third season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around Europe to win US$1,000,000. Though filming started in February 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused production to be placed on hold for over a year and a half. The race resumed in September 2021 with most of the original teams and a modified route. This season visited two continents and seven countries and traveled over 22,000 miles (35,000km) during eleven legs. Starting from the racers' homes in the United States, racers traveled through England and Scotland before production was suspended. After reuniting in St. Gallen, racers traveled through Switzerland, France, Greece, and Portugal before returning to the United States and finishing in Greater Los Angeles. An element of the show that returned for this season was having teams start from their homes instead of a centralized location. The season premiered on CBS on January 5, 2022, and the season finale aired on March 2, 2022.[1]
Married internet personalities Kim and Penn Holderness were the winners of this season,[2] while flight attendants Raquel Moore and Cayla Platt finished in second place, and best friends Ryan Ferguson and Dusty Harris finished in third place.
Production
Development and filming
The 33rd season of The Amazing Race started filming on February 22, 2020, with teams being informed to travel to Trafalgar Square in London.
Filming began on February 22, 2020, as usual, after host Phil Keoghan finished filming the first season of Tough as Nails.[4][5] This season of The Amazing Race started with Keoghan contacting teams at their homes, instructing them to travel to London, and it was expected to conclude in mid-March.[6][7][8] However, filming was suspended on February 28 after three legs had been completed in England and Scotland with the contestants and production crew sent home as a precaution due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.[9][7][10] According to van Munster, he contacted CBS after he and his crew arrived in Sweden to film in Lapland, where the fourth leg was to take place, to halt the season due to the dangers of the emerging pandemic.[11][12] In addition to Sweden, the remainder of the original racecourse prior to production shutdown would have visited Austria, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, South America, and a first-time visit to Nepal.[11][13][14]
COVID-19 shutdown
After the season was suspended, Phil Keoghan stated that the show intended to resume filming where it had left off,[15][16] but he also acknowledged that filming could not resume until viral transmissions declined.[17]Kelly Kahl, the President of CBS Entertainment, stated that the show would film "as soon as we can safely get back into production" with the producers working to "plot out a race that sticks to countries that are safe" but acknowledged the difficulties of "literally [having] to navigate some international waters."[18] Kahl also stated that he wasn't aware of any contestants that had dropped out of the season.[19] Keoghan stated a year later that he could not guarantee that every team would be able to return once filming restarted.[20] In April 2021, Mitch Graham, SVP of Alternative Programming, stated that production looked at the option of going to COVID-light countries but that it was unlikely as it would not lead to the same experience of traveling the globe.[21] The following month, the creators of the show stated that they have plans to resume filming the season once they can assure team safety with mass vaccinations in target travel locations.[22][23] Kahl stated that he hoped to have the season air in the midseason of the 2021–22 television season provided that enough countries open up in the coming months to film the remaining legs.[24] In an interview with Gold Derby in June 2021, Keoghan stated that a plan to film safely had been established.[25]
Resumption of filming
When production resumed in September 2021, teams flew on charter planes to travel between countries for the remaining legs.
In September 2021, Thom Sherman, the Senior Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Entertainment, announced at the Television Critics Association that the show was in pre-production and would return for the 2021–22 television season.[26] In order to restart the season, production chartered an Amazing Race-branded Titan AirwaysBoeing 757 for subsequent travel by teams and crew, which included four COVID testing teams, to reduce infection risk.[7] To account for common travel on the chartered jet, teams were released from the charter plane in a number of groups, with those who had checked in at the previous Pit Stop earlier able to start the next leg earlier.[27] Keoghan said that the use of a chartered jet was something they had considered previously as it would have eliminated problems with airports, and in this season, they at times did not inform the racers where their next destination was until they landed.[28] New tasks were developed with social distancing in mind, with preference for outdoor activities rather than crowded indoor ones. Teams were still made to rely on either their own driving or using public transportation where production affirmed that drivers took COVID precautions.[29]
Racers traveled to Switzerland and resumed racing on September 19, 2021, after 1year, 6months, and 22days (nearly nineteen months).[30][31][7] The remaining legs after Scotland were altered to have travel proceed through locations with the lowest COVID-19 rates: Zürich, Lugano, Corsica, Halkidiki, Thessaloniki, and Lisbon before returning to Los Angeles.[7][32][33] However, four teams were unable to return after production resumed due to extenuating circumstances: Anthony was unable to return due to work; Caro & Ray had broken up during the hiatus and Caro's work visa had expired, meaning she was unable to return to the United States due to travel restrictions against non-U.S. citizens; Connie and Sam were expecting a child when the restart was planned; and Taylor was on bereavement following the death of his brother from COVID-19 which had occurred shortly before the planned restart.[34][35] Two teams that had been originally eliminated before the production shutdown, Michael & Moe and Arun & Natalia, were brought back to the competition.[33][36] Filming of the season wrapped in October.[37][38]
Casting
This season saw Jesse Tannenbaum, who was recently promoted to casting director of Survivor starting with Island of the Idols, become the show's new casting director, a role he previously held during season 29 and season 30,[39] after Lynne Spillman's contract with CBS expired in 2018.[40][41]
The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order. Note that the race was suspended at the end of leg 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed a year-and-a-half later.
A red placement with a dagger (†) indicates that the team was eliminated.
An italicized and underlined placement indicates that the team was the last to arrive, but there was no rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were instructed to continue racing. There was no required Speed Bump task in the next leg.
An underlined blue placement with a double-dagger (‡) indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop in a non-elimination leg, and was the only team to begin the subsequent leg in the final departure group.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Anthony & Spencer, Caro & Ray, Connie & Sam, and Taylor & Isaiah were unable to return to The Amazing Race when filming resumed due to extenuating circumstances. As a result, Michael & Moe and Arun & Natalia re-entered the competition as replacement teams.
↑ This team arrived last at the Pit Stop, but were instructed to continue racing.
↑ Lulu & Lala initially arrived 1st, but had not completed the leg's final two tasks, having found the Pit Stop by chance. They were required go back and complete all remaining tasks before checking in. All of other teams checked in during this time, dropping Lulu & Lala to last.
Instead of a traditional starting line, teams received a video message from Phil Keoghan informing them of the start of The Amazing Race. Teams then had to fly from their local airports to London, England, travel to Trafalgar Square, and find one of four men dressed as a red telephone box with their next clue. They were then instructed to travel by foot down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they found their next clue.
This season's first Detour was a choice between Artist Den or Digiben. In Artist Den, teams had to properly paste a 36-piece Banksy-style poster to a wall in order to receive their next clue. In Digiben, teams had to find a bobby in Parliament Square by Big Ben, then find a promoter by Little Ben, who sent them to DJ Digiben in Piccadilly Circus tube station, who had their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had to find "The Queen and Boris Johnson having a nosh" (a pair of impersonators) at The Chipping Forecast in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop beneath the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum.
Leg 2 (England)
The Roadblock during the second leg in England was set in the Mail Rail.
Episode 2: "It Can't Be That Easy" (January 5, 2022)
At the start of this leg, teams had to travel to the Postal Museum in London in order to find their next clue.
In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to ride a train along the Mail Rail to a loading dock and sort through a bin filled with packages and envelopes in order to find their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to travel to Leicester Square, where they found their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Bullseye, Mate or Decorate. In Bullseye, Mate, both team members had to score a bullseye on a dartboard in the same round in order to receive their next clue. In Decorate, teams were presented with twelve cakes decorated like the flags of various countries. Teams had to determine which two flags belonged to countries that were part of the European Union (France and Germany) and then replicate the two cakes in order to receive their next clue.
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to travel on an overnight Caledonian Sleeper train to Glasgow, Scotland, where they found their next clue on the windshield of a marked vehicle at NCPCar Park. Teams had to drive to Òran Mór in order to find their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to find their next clue at the Saracen Fountain in Alexandra Park.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Kilt or Rebuilt. In Kilt, teams had to learn and perform the song "Donald Where's Your Troosers?" in Highland dress in order to receive their next clue. In Rebuilt, teams had to remove the top two metal hoops from two whisky barrels, hammer a new head into each barrel's croze, and then replace the hoops in order to receive their next clue.
After arriving in Scotland, teams had to drive to Culag Lochside Guest House on the shores of Loch Lomond and use a mallet to pop a bung out of a barrel in order to retrieve their next clue. This task was unaired.[52]
At the end of the leg, Phil Keoghan gathered all of the teams at the Pit Stop to announce that production of the race was suspended on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and all teams were sent home.
After a nineteen-month break in filming, teams gathered outside St. Gallen Cathedral in St. Gallen, Switzerland, to resume the race. Anthony & Spencer, Caro & Ray, Connie & Sam, and Taylor & Isaiah were unable to rejoin production, while Michael & Moe and Arun & Natalia, who had been originally eliminated before production was suspended, were brought back to rejoin the race.
At the start of this leg, teams had to search the Museumstrasse for one of three buses to the Schwägalp Pass, where they had to take a cable car to the summit of the Säntis in order to find their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to navigate a via ferrata to their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to drive to Gasthaus Sonne in Urnäsch in order to find their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Punch It or Toss It. In Punch It, teams had to attach ornaments to a Swiss belt in a specific order in order to receive their next clue. In Toss It, teams had to learn and correctly perform a Swiss flag throwing routine known as Fahnenschwingen in order to receive their next clue.
Teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: the Marktgasse in Altstätten.
Additional note
Michael & Moe and Arun & Natalia had to complete a Speed Bump after the Detour that involved one team member running inside a ball resembling a cabbage while being directed by their partner to knock down haystacks before they could continue racing. This task was unaired.[53][54]
Leg 5 (Switzerland)
Parco Ciani in the lakeside city of Lugano served as the fifth Pit Stop.
Episode 5: "Stairway to Hell" (January 26, 2022)
Prize: A trip for two to Dominica (awarded to Ryan & Dusty)
Lugano (Salita degli Angioli or Gabbani Salumeria)
Lugano (Parco Ciani)
Episode summary
At the start of this leg, teams departed from Altstätten in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop.
This leg's Roadblock was a Switchback from season 14, where one team member had to perform a 722-foot (220m)bungee jump off of the Verzasca Dam along with their TravelocityRoaming Gnome in order to receive a satchel with a miniature clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to find their next clue at the Piazza Carlo Battaglini in Lugano.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Bartender Race or Sausage Encase. In Bartender Race, teams had to deliver twelve bottles of wine and twelve bags of chestnuts from street vendors to a cocktail party atop the Salita degli Angioli stairway in order to receive their next clue. In Sausage Encase, teams had to squeeze out nine feet (2.7m) of luganighetta sausage, and then divide it into four coiled portions in order to receive their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had to retrieve a photograph from their gnome's satchel and figure out that it depicted the Pit Stop: Parco Ciani.
Additional note
This was a non-elimination leg.
Leg 6 (Switzerland → France)
Once in Corsica, teams traveled to the commune of Corte.
During the Pit Stop, teams were flown to Corsica and began the next leg at the Ponte Novu. Teams departed in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop. Teams had to drive to Belvédère de Corte and find their next clue and a canister of goat milk, which they needed for the Detour.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Say Cheese or Mule, Please. In Say Cheese, teams had to make three baskets of cheese and then deliver them to a storage cave in order to receive their next clue. In Mule, Please, teams had to properly strap a harness to a mule and then deliver two milk canisters to the fromagerie without spilling any of the milk in order to receive their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had to drive to Verghellu Canyon Altipiani in order to find their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to go canyoning through a 1.5-mile (2.4km) river course in order to find their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to inflate a kayak and then paddle up the Tavignano River to the Pit Stop at the Cardiccia Dam.
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to drive to the Tour de Fautea in Zonza, where both team members had to eat a piece of bread with casu marzu (cheese containing maggots) in order to receive their next clue. Teams departed in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Gently Down the Stream. In Row, Row, Row Your Boat, teams had to paddle a transparent kayak into the Mediterranean Sea and retrieve ten matching metal fish in order to receive their next clue. In Gently Down the Stream, teams had to take a 15-minute cruise on a glass-bottom boat, look for ten metal fish, and then find a chart with the same sequence of fish at the dive shop in order to receive their next clue.
After the Detour, teams had to drive to Port de Plaisance in Bonifacio in order to find their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to repair the holes in a fishing net in order to receive their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to search U Rastello for a Napoleon impersonator, who directed them to the Pit Stop at the Bonifacio Cliffs.
During the Pit Stop, teams were flown to Thessaloniki, Greece, and began the next leg at Peraia Beach. Teams departed in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop. Teams had to drive to Konstantinos Olive Grove and search among the olive trees for their next clue directing them to Marianna's Vineyard.
In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to properly make 60 dolmades in order to receive their next clue.
After the first Roadblock, teams had to drive to Mamo's Kantina Stand, order the dish of the day (souvlaki), spell its name, and then eat it before finding their next clue on the wrapper, which directed them to Saint George Church.
In this leg's second Roadblock, the team member who did not perform the previous Roadblock had to listen to a 15-minute sermon from a Greek Orthodox priest, who listed facts about ten Eastern Orthodox saints. They were then asked five questions about what they'd heard and had to answer correctly in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop: the Nea Kallikrateia Pier.
At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to drive to the Theatro Dassous in Thessaloniki. Teams departed in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to turn over stones until they found one of four gold coins that they could exchange with an Oracle of Delphi impersonator for their next clue.
After the Roadblock, teams had to listen to words of wisdom from a Socrates impersonator at the Trigonion Tower before receiving their next clue.
This season's final Detour was a choice between Bring 'Em or Break 'Em. In Bring 'Em, teams would have delivered 300 plates uphill to the Cafe Jasmine in order to receive a miniature clue from the restaurant owner. In Break 'Em, team members had to alternate breaking plates while a band played until they found a miniature clue. All teams chose Break 'Em.
During the Pit Stop, teams were flown to Lisbon, Portugal, and began the next leg at the Sanctuary of Christ the King. Teams were instructed to drive to the Fortaleza de São Filipe, where they had to climb to the top of the fort, search for an Amazing Race flag, and then drive to its location in order to find their next clue. Teams departed in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop.
In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to search among several rowboats named after famous Portuguese individuals until they found one of four named after a Portuguese explorer (Bartolomeu Dias, Fernão de Magalhães, Pedro Álvares Cabral, or Vasco da Gama). They then had to row it across the marina to a fisherman in order to receive their next clue.
After the first Roadblock, teams had to select a sardine can at the Mercearia Confiança de Troino, travel on foot to Rua Vasco da Gama, and then paint its design on a specified door in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to Santuário de Cabo Espichel.
In this season's final Roadblock, the team member who did not perform the previous Roadblock had to count the church's columns while standing within a stone boundary and give the correct number to a monk, who then directed them to the Pit Stop: the Farol de Cabo Espichel.
During the Pit Stop, teams were flown to Los Angeles, California, and began the final leg simultaneously on the roof of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. There, teams had to find a clue box atop three of the hotel's four towers and spot the combination "going up and down" on an elevator that they needed to unlock their next clue.
At the El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, one team member had to direct their partner, who was blindfolded with a luchador mask, to hit three specific piñatas that held the three parts of their next clue. When assembled, their clue directed them to S.I.R. Hollywood, where teams had to use props to add sound effects in sync to five silent video clips from previous seasons in order to receive their next clue.
Teams were next instructed to find the home of the LA Galaxy: Dignity Health Sports Park. There, teams had to answer thirteen riddles by placing the correct tennis rackets with images of people, places, and items that they'd encountered since Leg 4 onto the riddles before a chair umpire directed them to the finish line at the nearby soccer stadium.
Question
Answer
You were greeted at the pit stop with these words
We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less.
This mode of transportation took you the rest of the way
Legs 10 and 11 aired back-to-back as a special two-hour episode.
Reception
Critical response
The Amazing Race 33 received mixed-to-positive reviews. Andy Dehnart of reality blurred wrote that "The Amazing Race 33 was a great season overall. Even with some very thin legs, it felt to me like a throwback to earlier seasons, especially with the post-restart season not having any U-Turns or Yields."[55] Sage Negron of Comic Book Resources wrote that "Season 33 ended up being one of the show's stronger outings."[56] Sandy Casanova of Hidden Remote called it "another amazing season".[57] Dustin Rowles of Pajiba called it "a strange and almost surreal season of The Amazing Race."[58] Denton Davidson of Gold Derby wrote that he "loved most of the cast, but the pandemic and changes it caused this race really hurt the season overall."[59] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the season was "generally muted and limited challenge-wise" due to the pandemic.[60] In 2024, Rhenn Taguiam of Game Rant placed this season within the bottom 13 out of 36.[61]
Ratings
U.S. Nielsen ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of The Amazing Race 33
↑ "Έρχεται το Amazing Race στη Χαλκιδική"[The Amazing Race is coming to Halkidiki]. Status FM 107.7 (in Greek). September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
↑ The Holderness Family (January 6, 2022). "Amazing Race Recap - Ep 1 & 2". Apple Podcasts (Podcast). Event occurs at 50:21. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022. They cut out a task. So, I think they cut it out because the order didn't really change too much. We had to climb the Orbit Tower.
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