‘Amazing Race’ Season 33 Update: When CBS Series Could Return To Filming

A 33rd season of the show was halted in the early stages of filming due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and while most film and television projects have been able to get back on track by following protocols, the same cannot be said for the CBS reality competition series “The Amazing Race.” However, while the series won’t be jetting off just yet, there are still high hopes that it will be able to film again soon.

CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl revealed that there are hopes to get the show, which has become a midseason staple in its later years, back into that timeslot next year, though it still remains unclear when it will be safe for production crews and cast members back out into the literal world.

“We hope to get them out as soon as there is a piece of the world that opens up that allows enough legs of travel. It’s literally a day-by-day situation, the team is ready to go and we certainly hope to get a greenlight before the end of the year,” he told Deadline. “We hope to have it for midseason, but that all depends on when they get out.”

Unlike other shows, which film in closed-off locations or on soundstages and studios, “TAR” has always filmed around the world, with the entire crew and cast jetting off to destinations around the globe, taking various means of public transportation and completing challenges. Whichever team crosses the final finish line, which sees teams return to the United States, first, wins a $1 million prize.

Due to the nomadic nature of the show, it was unable to continue filming a 33rd season in 2020, when everyone was sent home after the third leg. In addition, while the destinations for the entire planned route were unknown, the show often visits certain countries more than others. Over the years since the series debuted, the American version has visited 91 total countries, 18 of which have featured in at least five seasons. The three which have been visited the most have been China, France and India, which featured in 14 and 12 seasons each.

According to the World Health Organization, China has registered a grand total of 117,000 cases since the pandemic began in Wuhan, though it’s unclear what percentage of the population has been vaccinated. As for France, where 5.6 million cases have been registered throughout the pandemic, only 24% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times. India, which was where the new Delta variant, which is considered dangerous, was first discovered, had registered 29 million total cases, with 62,000 new ones. There, the percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated sits at only 3.6%.

With those numbers in mind, and considering several other countries are also dealing with outbreaks of new variants and low vaccination numbers, it could still be a while before it is deemed safe for the show to resume filming.