The Amazing Race Wiki
Advertisement

The Amazing Race 33 is the thirty-third installment of the reality television show, The Amazing Race.

Production[]

Filming began on February 22, 2020 scattering around the United States, much like The Amazing Race 28, there was no traditional Starting Line. Instead, teams began the race in their homes and only met each other in their first destination where they received their first physical clue. But unlike season 28, there was no public live-stream as the destination was revealed to be London, England from host Phil Keoghan. On February 28, nearly a week on its scheduled three-week production run, filming was suspended for the first time in the show's history after three episodes were completed — two in England and one in Scotland — with the contestants and production crew sent home as a precaution due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

After the season was suspended, Keoghan stated the show where they had left off and filming could not resume once viral transmissions declined. CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl told the show would film within "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." He stated that he was aware that any contestant would drop out for personal reasons. A year later, Keoghan told that he could not guarantee every team to be able to return from production once filming could resume. 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. 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. Kahl said that he had hoped to provide the countries within low vaccination rates to film the remaining legs, and Keoghan stated that a plan to film safely having established.[3]

Filming resumed on September 19, 2021 in Switzerland after a year and a half of additional planning and rerouting the rest of the originally planned routes prior to the suspension. Reports emerged of an Amazing Race-branded Titan Airways Boeing 757 charter plane, with routes taking place in St. Gallen, Lugano, Corsica, Chalkidiki, Thessaloniki, Lisbon, and Los Angeles for the remainder of the Race. Filming finally concluded on October 6, 2021, nearly 20 months where it had begun.[4][5]

The fourth leg was originally intended to travel to Sweden, according to Bertram van Munster after he contacted CBS when he an his crew arrived in Lapland when the leg was to take place.[6][7] In addition to Sweden, the original route prior to the COVID-19 shutdown was to be Austria, Italy, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, Chile, and Peru. If the plans had went ahead, Nepal would be the first visit in the American version, the only new country in this season, and the second in the franchise following HaMerotz LaMillion 7.[8][9] Austria and Italy were eventually revisited in the following season, while Sweden, Thailand, and Vietnam would eventually be revisited in the thirty-fifth season, and Chile in the thirty-sixth season.

Casting[]

Applications for this season were originally due on March 2019 but was postponed to August of that year. Casting began in late September 2019,[10] and casting finals occurred during the end of December 2019.[11]

Notable contestants including Love Island season 1 couple Caro Viehweg and Ray Gantt, married internet personalities Kim Holderness and Penn Holderness, Buffalo Singing Cops Michael Norwood and Moe Badger, 2015 Thalys train attack heroes Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone, and former convict Ryan Ferguson.

Teams[]

Kim & Penn
 1st place 
Kim & Penn
Internet Personalities
Raquel & Cayla
 2nd place 
Raquel & Cayla
Flight Attendants
Ryan & Dusty
 3rd place 
Ryan & Dusty
Best Friends
Arun & Natalia
 4th place 
Arun & Natalia
Father/Daughter
Lulu & Lala
 5th place 
Lulu & Lala
Twins/Radio Hosts
Akbar & Sheri
 6th place 
Akbar & Sheri
Married Educators
Michael & Moe
 7th place 
Michael & Moe
Singing Police Officers
Anthony & Spencer
 8th place 
Anthony & Spencer
Childhood Friends
Connie & Sam
 9th place 
Connie & Sam
Married
Caro & Ray
 10th place 
Caro & Ray
Dating
Taylor & Isaiah
 11th place 
Taylor & Isaiah
YouTube Sensations
Placement of the discharged teams is unofficial.
They are sorted by the order they finished on Leg 3.

Episodes[]

Episode Air Date Leg Destination First Place Last Place Finish Viewership
(millions)
Ratings/Share
(18-49)
1 "We're Back!" January 5, 2022 1 United States → United Kingdom Anthony & Spencer Michael & Moe 1st Eliminated
11th Place
4.40[12] 0.7[12]
2 "It Can't Be That Easy" 2 United Kingdom Ryan & Dusty Lulu & Lala Ordered to
Continue Racing
3 "Who Has This One in the Bag?" January 12, 2022 3 United Kingdom Kim & Penn Arun & Natalia 2nd Eliminated
10th Place
3.49[13] 0.5[14]
4 "Ready to Restart the Race" January 19, 2022 4 Switzerland Ryan & Dusty Taylor & Isaiah Discharged 3.66[15] 0.7
Caro & Ray
Connie & Sam
Anthony & Spencer
Michael & Moe 3rd Eliminated
7th Place
5 "Stairway to Hell" January 26, 2022 5 Switzerland Ryan & Dusty Arun & Natalia Non-Elimination
Leg
3.93[16] 0.6[14]
6 "Say Cheese" February 2, 2022 6 Switzerland → France Kim & Penn Akbar & Sheri 4th Eliminated
6th place
3.76[17] 0.6
7 "Gently Down the Stream" February 9, 2022 7 France Kim & Penn Arun & Natalia Non-Elimination
Leg
2.97[18] 0.6
8 "Souvlaki" February 16, 2022 8 France → Greece Kim & Penn Lulu & Lala 5th Eliminated
5th place
3.17[19] 0.5
9 "Rock Bottom" February 23, 2022 9 Greece Raquel & Cayla Ryan & Dusty Non-Elimination
Leg
3.28[20] 0.5
10 "No Room For Error" March 2, 2022 10 Greece → Portugal Raquel & Cayla Arun & Natalia 6th Eliminated
4th place
3.97[21] 0.7
11 "In the Hands of The Amazing Race Gods" 11 Portugal → United States Kim & Penn Ryan & Dusty 3rd Place
Raquel & Cayla 2nd Place

Leaderboard[]

Place Team Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4 Leg 5 Leg 6 Leg 7 Leg 8 Leg 9 Leg 10 Leg 11 Average Roadblock[1]
1 Kim & Penn 4 5 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 2 1 2.09 5-6
2 Raquel & Cayla 3 4 6 3 4 2 2 2 1 1 2 2.72 7-4
3 Ryan & Dusty 2 1 2 1 1 3 3 3 4 3 3 2.36 6-5
4 Arun & Natalia 9 3 10 6 6 4 5 4 3 4 5.40 6-5
5 Lulu & Lala 10 10 7 4 2 5 4 5 5.87 4-4
6 Akbar & Sheri 6 8 9 5 5 6 6.50 2-3
7 Michael & Moe 11 7 9.00 0-1
8 Anthony & Spencer 1 7 3 Dis 3.66 1-1
9 Connie & Sam 7 2 4 Dis 4.33 1-1
10 Caro & Ray 5 6 5 Dis 5.33 1-1
11 Taylor & Isaiah 8 9 8 Dis 8.33 1-1
Notes: [2] [3] [4][5] [6]
Legend:
     The team finished in first place
     The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race
     The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg
     The team that won The Amazing Race
     The team that crossed the Finish Line second
     The team that crossed the Finish Line third

Notes:
1: The Roadblock count was officially reset to zero when filming resumed. The count listed on this wiki includes all Roadblocks, including those from the first three legs.
2: Connie & Sam were given a time credit, which was not shown in the episode, after their film crew was kicked out of the Piccadilly Circus tube station by station security and were held up waiting for the police.
3: Leg 2 had no mandatory rest period between legs, and all teams were ordered to continue racing. The team who checked in last on this leg did not face a Speed Bump in the next leg.
4: Anthony & Spencer, Caro & Ray, Connie & Sam, and Taylor & Isaiah were unable to return to The Amazing Race when filming resumed due to extenuating circumstances. They were officially discharged before Leg 4 began.
5: Michael & Moe and Arun & Natalia rejoined the cast following the hiatus.
6: Lulu & Lala initially arrived 1st after accidentally coming across the Pit Stop while searching for the souvlaki vendor. They had to backtrack and perform the other tasks. By the time they finished, all the other teams had reached the Pit Stop, resulting in their elimination.

Trivia[]

  • Due to the filming suspension caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this season is chronologically the longest, lasting around 19 months.

Franchise[]

  • This is the season whose premiere date aired 23 months after filming had begun (tied with The Amazing Race 32).
  • First season to be filmed across two calendar years.
  • First season to bring back eliminated teams due to some of the remaining teams opting not to continue when the race resumed.
  • First season to have multiple teams perform a Speed Bump in the same leg.
  • First (and only) season to have a Restarting Line.
  • First season to use an Amazing Race charter plane rather than an airline with scheduled commercial flights. The production team rented Titan Airways Boeing 757 for the remaining legs.
  • This season is the first time to prohibit using public transportation to avoid interacting with people due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, production required marked private vehicles to contain self-driving throughout the Race.
  • First season to have departure times where teams started by groups.
  • First season to not feature the U-Turn or Speed Bump since their introduction in The Amazing Race 12.
    • However, the Speed Bump itself was unaired, but this was the first season to penalize teams with a Speed Bump for reasons other than finishing last in a Non-Elimination Leg.
  • First season to not feature a Megaleg since its introduction in the previous season.

US[]

  • First season with a majority of person of color contestants: 14.
  • Second season to feature a Virtual Starting Line, with the teams starting the race in their homes after The Amazing Race 28.
  • This was the first season to be filmed in separate filming periods.
  • This was the first season to feature a previously eliminated team returning to the Race.
  • This was also the first season to visit only two continents, the fewest overall in standard format.
  • This was the sixth season overall with no new countries visited (after seasons 21, 22, 23, 24 and 29).
  • First season to have a non-elimination point of some kind in Leg 2.
  • First season to implement the Departure Time Penalty as the penalty for the last team to arrive at a Non-Elimination Leg.
  • First season to not visit Asia, excluding The Amazing Race: Family Edition, which never left North America.
  • Fewest countries visited, 6 (in standard format).
  • First season since The Amazing Race 26 to have four Non-Elimination Legs.
    • Therefore, this would be the last season to feature a Non-Elimination Leg.
  • First season since The Amazing Race 13 to feature only eleven single legs.
  • First season where no one under the age of 30 crossed the Finish Line.

Reception[]

Gallery[]

Videos[]

References[]

The Amazing Race Season Index
United States 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36
Asia 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
Australia 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7
Brazil 1
Canada 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10
Central Europe Cancelled
China 1 · 2 · 3 · 4
China Rush 1 · 2 · 3
Finland 1 · 2
France 1
Israel 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8
Latin America 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
Norway 1 · 2
Philippines 1 · 2
Ukraine 1
Vietnam 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
  1. Andy Dehnart (September 24, 2021). Amazing Race 33 appears to be filming again, and using a charter plane. reality blurred.
  2. Amazing Race Recap - Ep 4 (Bonus) (January 20, 2022). “It was a Sunday.”
  3. The Amazing Race 33 - Wikipedia
  4. Έρχεται το Amazing Race στη Χαλκιδική (el). Status FM 107.7 (September 21, 2021).
  5. Schneider, Michael (December 9, 2021). Inside the Herculean Effort to Resume 'The Amazing Race' After Its 18-Month COVID Shutdown (Exclusive). Variety.
  6. An Interview with Bertram van Munster, Executive Producer and Co-creator of "The Amazing Race"
  7. The Amazing Race at Paley Front Row 2020
  8. YouTube: Amazing Race DP Tests Positive - Explains his Experience (March 23, 2020).
  9. Bloom, Mike (January 3, 2022). The Amazing Race Producers Talk Filming Before and During the Pandemic and Preview Changes for Season 33. Parade.
  10. I start casting The Amazing Race next week. Get a jump start, apply below! | Andy Sloan Twitter
  11. ASAP | Phil Keoghan Twitter
  12. 12.0 12.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-1-5-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  13. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-1-12-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  14. 14.0 14.1 https://www.spoilertv.com/2021/06/live7-ratings-202122-updated-23rd-june.html
  15. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-1-19-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  16. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-1-26-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  17. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-2-2-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  18. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-2-9-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  19. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-2-16-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  20. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-2-23-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  21. https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-3-2-2022-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html

Advertisement