'The Amazing Race' Season 29: 22 Strangers Race Around the World in Game-Changing Season
CBS' Emmy Award-winning reality series "The Amazing Race" is changing things up in its 29th season by featuring 22 individual contestants who are complete strangers to each other instead of the usual two-man teams with pre-existing relationships. How will this strategy affect the dynamics of the game?
The recently aired premiere episode sent the contestants on a frenzied hunt for a piece of luggage with the Panamanian flag on it inside a store with dozens of suitcases with similar looking flags on them. Based on who found the right luggage first, host Phil Keoghan lined everyone up for a schoolyard pick style of teaming up.
After the 11 teams of two were set, the contestants were then sent off to Panama for the season's first Detour, wherein they were given a choice between an archery challenge involving wooden fish stuck on poles and a rowing challenge against professional rowers.
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Both challenges required the contestants to get in a canoe, which posed a challenge for everyone. In the end, the first team formed at the schoolyard pick, police officer Seth and lady firefighter Olive came on top, while professional model Jenn and athletic trainer Kevin were the first to get eliminated due to a time penalty.
In an interview with CBS Local, host Keoghan said that the motivating factor for the major change implemented in this season was to try something new. The idea was also inspired by applicants who may have been good for the show but did not have the best partner, or individual applicants who wanted to be in the show but just couldn't find someone to go with.
"So this is an opportunity for a great individual who is prepared to roll the dice and try racing with a complete stranger," Keoghan said. "We just thought it would be an interesting experiment."
The next episode of "The Amazing Race" season 29 airs on Thursday, April 6 at 8 p.m. EDT on CBS.
