The 35th season of Amazing Race is just around the corner and it’s set to be a supersized season as the CBS show will now run for 90 minutes instead of 60. Executive producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri and EP and host Phil Keoghan spilled on the changes that viewers can expect when the show returns on September 27.
“We wanted to put more locations in, include more creative,” Doganieri told Variety about the “mega-sized” episodes coming our way. “We’re going to let the story play out a little more, get to know the relationships between contestants a little better. We always feel that there’s so much that we don’t get to show in the series because we have to cut it down for the one-hour episodes. Now we have a little more breathing room.”
The first notable change is the playing field, which has now been increased to 13 teams for the first time ever. The cast of 26 racers was announced on August 30. According to Doganieri, the 13-team format will allow EPs to get rid of non-elimination legs. “There is an elimination every leg of the race,” she told the publication. “There’s no security blanket anymore. You will be eliminated if you’re last every leg of the race. Again, it’s upping the ante, keeping the energy up. There’s no downtime.”
In more great news for the show, viewers will see a return of wild sprints in the airports and harried conversations trying to book themselves on the first available flight to the next destination. Season 35 will mark the first time since the pandemic that contestants will be back to commercial flights instead of charters. “I’m definitely excited to have that element back, that randomness, the ability to change up the lead,” Keoghan shared.
The longer episodes will also see the return of the “Express Pass” option, which gives racers the option to complete a different task and jump to the finish line. However, it’s a big risk for contestants who can lose a lot of time if another team beats them at that task, not to mention the time it can take just to get to the task location. The “U-Turn” is also back, though Doganieri teased there will be a new twist this season. “It’s a little bit different this time around,” she shared. “When it happens, you’re going to be very surprised.”
Finally, season 35 will bring in a new destination that Amazing Race hasn’t traveled to yet: Slovenia. Van Munster described the country as a “spectacularly beautiful” spot, akin to a “fairytale.” As for the show’s host, he said it was his first time in the European country as well and a “real highlight” of the season.