Expect to see the gameplay ramped up to a whole new level on The Amazing Race Season 39. Over the years, the show has added new elements to the game that have made an impact.
Something new is coming this fall when TAR returns. For Season 39, the show is raising the stakes with a new element that will keep racers on their toes like never before.
Here’s what we know, and how it could change the game forever.
The Amazing Race Season 39 twist could change things entirely
Like Oprah Winfrey with her studio audiences, Phil Keoghan and the producers of TAR are in a giving mood for Season 39. The big twist is that everyone gets an Express Pass to begin the game. While multiple teams getting one is not new, having everyone with one to start is.
In theory, it means that everyone could be on a level playing field at any point of the race. That is until the twist expires by leg six. Contestants must think hard about how they can best use this advantage. They must also remember those behind them could catch up in an instant.
Teams might have to do something we rarely see on the show: actual strategizing. In the past, the strategy consisted of helping weaker teams or your friends at Roadblocks or Detours or slowing others down at U-Turns.
With everyone having an Express Pass, contestants must talk in depth to each other. They’ll have to get a read on them and their intentions. In the same way a Survivor castaway plans for an idol play or try to convince someone not to play it, I believe we’ll see similar gameplay with this twist on TAR. Expect to see more strategizing on flights and in airports.
I can see people offering deals not to play the Express Pass, like navigational help or assistance on a challenge in exchange for not playing it. We could also see teams plotting with others to use the advantage strategically. That might be to ensure those ahead stay alive, assuming only one can be used per leg.
Either way, this twist will make self-preservation even more important and force teams to think critically and quickly. Expect more strategizing and manipulation and teams pushing hard to gather information and to figure out whether the info they’re getting is legit or a bluff. That adds a paranoia level rarely seen on TAR. No matter how you look at it, there are varying elements of excitement that will come from this.
This twist should generate plenty of buzz from fans in what’s been a difficult time for the show. TAR producers are being sued by Jonathan and Ana Towns, a former team that claims the show manipulated footage to paint Jonathan as an abusive husband.
Season 39 of The Amazing Race premieres on September 30 and is available to stream on Paramount+.
TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE THIS EXPRESS PASS TWIST WILL RAMP UP THE GAMEPLAY FOR RACERS?
