The Amazing Race has returned to CBS after more than a year! The iconic show, now in season 32, will mark a brilliant new milestone. During The Amazing Race season 32, the show will have traveled more than one million miles. During the new season, contestants went from the Hollywood Bowl to Trinidad and Tobago. While contestants pushed heavy barrels in the middle of Trinidad Carnival celebrations, The Amazing Race fans were inspired by the Caribbean nation. Host Phil Keoghan dubbed Trinidad and Tobago a “rainbow country.”
Possibly the perfect show to watch while in quarantine, The Amazing Race lets a viewer embark on an adrenaline-pumping adventure from the comfort of their couch. The 2020 edition was set for a two-hour special premiere in May but got pushed back by the pandemic. Now that the “Race” is finally back on screens, it has 11 new teams hopping from one scenic country to another, trying to claim the $1 million prize. Notable names enlisted for the reality TV challenge for season 32 are NFL players DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge, Olympic hurdlers LaVonne Idlette and Kellie Wells-Brinkley, and pro volleyball players Riley and Maddison McKibbin. The first episode of The Amazing Race flagged off with Keoghan telling the participants about, “The world waiting for them”, as they embarked on a 33,000-mile quest. Clue #1 found the racers in Trinidad and Tobago, as the island flaunted its annual Carnival celebration.
Located off the coast of northeastern Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean, because of its immense oil and gas reserves. Inhabited by people of African and Indian descent, the two islands of the state are supposed to be as different as chalk and cheese. The larger among them, Trinidad, is a bustling haven of commerce and diversity. It is the birthplace of the steel drum and the limbo. UsNews describes Trinidad as “a cosmopolitan oasis of Creole” and calls Tobago “the sleepy island.” While Calypso music and steel drum bands are a highlight of Trinidad’s famed carnival, held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, Tobago is a quieter paradise for nature lovers, thanks to its immaculate white-sand beaches.
Paula Gopee-Scoon, the Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, spoke about The Amazing Race, which averages about 10 million viewers every season, saying that the show will highlight: “several of the cultural aspects of Trinidad and Tobago, steelpan, the Carnival costumes, goat racing.” Along with featuring locations such as Exodus Panyard, Nylon Pool, Pigeon Point, the Buccoo Racing Facility, as noted by Loop Cayman, the show, which was filmed in Tobago in 2018, hired 310 locals and spent $1,915,000 filming on location.
The Amazing Race was halfway through shooting season 33 when the COVID-19 situation put the brakes on production. However, with season 32, which showcases Trinidad and Tobago, as well as France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and other exciting places, fans won’t be missing out on much… other than their vacation plans for the year. The first episode of the CBS series saw Nathan Worthington and Cody Buell finish last. They were eliminated from the enthralling race. However, the fast-paced adventure of The Amazing Race is just getting started.
The Amazing Race airs Wednesday on CBS at 9pm EST.
