It’s a feat in itself that “The Amazing Race” has been on for nearly 24 years now. However, perhaps the most amazing aspect of the CBS reality competition show is actually just how much coordination goes into making a race around the world.
For Season 37, 14 teams of two traveled across nine countries, 18 cities and over 29,000 miles to the finish line, earning six Emmy nominations in the process: Picture Editing, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Directing, Casting and Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
According to series co-creators and real-life couple Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster, it’s a life-changing experience for everyone involved that you cannot find anywhere else.
“There’s something really special about filming ‘The Amazing Race’ where we do get access to places that the typical person would never even think about going. We like to find those little hidden gems, off-the-beaten-path locations that the average traveler may not go to,” Doganieri told TheWrap. “We see so much culture and beauty in the world just on our show, that when we come home, sometimes it’s just nice to be in our backyard barbecuing and that feels like a little mini-vacation. Sometimes being home feels like vacation time.”
“We’ve had tremendous relationships around the globe for many, many, many years, so we’re very familiar with what’s going on around the globe and who our facilitators are, the people we work with. We have fantastic people around the globe that know how to do a show like this,” van Munster agreed. “The other thing is, our reputation around the globe is very well-known. People love to work with us, come up and supporting us. It’s really a fantastic combination of effort.”
Since its debut in September 2001, “TAR” has won 15 Emmys — including the first seven years of Outstanding Reality Competition Program even being a category, ultimately winning the top award 10 times out of 12, with 2025 being its 13th nod. As such, some of the other crew members have also been around since the series’ inception.
“We’ve been in production for over 20 years. People that started at 35 are now 55, we’ve all grown up together. It’s pretty hard to do this thing.” van Munster noted. “Elise takes one half of the world, I take the other half.”
“We also love working with each other. There have been people that have been on the race since Season 1 — not a lot of people, but there are a few of us that have been with it forever. We all enjoy each other’s company,” Doganieri echoed. “You actually get to work with a team that is very harmonious together and understands the pace at which we work, the quality of which we expect; so we are a community of producers, camera people and creatives that really enjoy our time together. We all have one goal: to make the best show possible.”
Plus, despite the production taking place across the planet, their schedule does not allow for any wiggle room — including for longtime host Phil Keoghan.
“The logistics are one of the most difficult pieces of the show to figure out,” Doganieri shared. “First of all, Bertram and I try to figure out where we’re going to go, then how do we connect the dots of all those locations? How do we get there? The flights, the trains, the busses, the dates. Can we get to this location on this date? Because we have a very tight schedule, and once they lock the schedule and the locations, there’s no adjusting it.”
“Also, we shoot the show in real time — go, go, go. No waiting, no second takes, none of that. So we are bound by the travel schedule we’ve created,” van Munster explained, to which his wife added: “If it rains, we’re shooting in the rain; if it snows, we’re in the snow. It literally is like a live sporting event for three and a half weeks.”
In fact, most of the challenges are based on what they see outside the car window while scouting locations. So how would this husband-wife team handle the competition, hypothetically?
“We would be out very, very quickly,” Doganieri admitted. “Bertram and I are both very Type A and both think of ourselves as leaders and kind of know everything. We have a hard time just driving to a restaurant at night. We’re better behind the scenes. Although, honestly, we’ve been told we would make a great team because of the drama that happens all the time.”
Elsewhere in the CBS trifecta of reality television, three-time Racer and two-time finalist Rachel Reilly is currently competing on “Big Brother” Season 27.
“She’s a rock star. I love that they keep bringing her back. I think she’s doing incredibly well and we loved having her on ‘The Amazing Race,’” Doganieri said. “We’ve kind of seen her grow up on television. When she first started on ‘Big Brother,’ she and Brendon [Villegas] were only just dating and now they’re married, they have two kids. She really is an evergreen.”
And speaking of “Big Brother,” next month’s 38th iteration of “The Amazing Race” will feature 14 past houseguests and their loved ones as they race throughout Europe.
“Coming from ‘Big Brother,’ there’s a lot of history with some of the contestants, so it does affect decisions that they make; it does affect the strategy that they move forward with. Some people can’t let bygones be bygones,” Doganieri teased. “It was very interesting because the beauty of our show is that we have teams of two, people who know each other — for most of our seasons. This is like a group of people who know each other, so it’s almost like the most crazy, dysfunctional family you can ever imagine, bringing a partner or a loved one that nobody’s ever seen. And I tell you, we were really impressed with how everyone played the game. The cast is phenomenal.”
“The Amazing Race” Season 38 premieres Sept. 25 on CBS before streaming on Paramount+, while the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards air Sept. 14.
