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Pekin Express is a little similar to The Amazing Race in the idea but, in the same time, has a lot of differences.
What's similar ...
A dozen of teams of 2 racing and facing elimination at the end of the leg.
What's different ...
- They covers a smaller territory and teams knows in advance where they go. For instance, in season 3, the race takes place in South America, starting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Teams race trough Brazil, Bolivia and the finish line will be in Lima, Peru. Teams didn't know the itinerary before they started but it was roughly revealed at the starting point of the race. Details are given at the start of each leg.
- Teams have 3 days to cover each leg.
- Teams travel on a very short budget : 1 euro per person, per day ! Money can be used only to eat. However, locals can give them money. Teams can also ask locals food for free.
- Teams travels mainly by road and they have to hitchhike to find transportation. They are forbidden to pay for transportation. However, they are allowed to exchange their belongings to get transportation.
- During the leg, teams must find a place to sleep ... they have sleeping bags so they are allowed to sleep outside but for their comfort, it is highly recommended for them to ask locals for hospitality. They can not continue to race during the night.
- At the end of each leg, winner team earns a medal (sort of) with a money value related ... but ... only the winner team of the final leg will be allowed to get the money value out of its medals. So they have to collect as much as they can. When a team is eliminated, they have to give their medals to another team ... so you'd better be popular too !
- At some points, teams can get "bonuses" like a roof for the night, a cab ride for one hour, a red flag to stop other teams etc.
- In each leg, there is a special task. Depending on the task, only the 2 or 3 teams can qualify to do the task (based on their position to arrive at the special task checkpoint). The winner team of the special task cannot be eliminated, even if they are last to arrive.
- There are some legs without eliminations. The team which arrive last in those legs will have an additional difficulty for next leg. For instance, carry a box of eggs, carry 60 lbs of sugar in suitcases ...
- Times are not cumulative ... all teams leaves at the same time for each leg.
So, with all this regulations, it makes a race quite different from the Amazing Race but I like that a lot. Pekin Express is really more based on the experience they can get from the exchange with locals, performance of the teams is really depending on their ability to communicate with the locals and to convince them to get help. Imagine how teams like Cara & Jaime from the Amazing Race would be miserable in Pekin Express !!
It's also a very physical race ... they can have very difficult legs. For instance, in this week leg, teams had to walk 30 kms (and spend a night) in a salt desert in Bolivia : cold in night, sun in day, winds, extreme light reflected on the white salt, altitude ... must really not be easy !
Moreover, if teams cannot get help from locals, with their budget, they have access to a very limited amount of food, so they can become weaker and weaker. If they are not able to get hospitality from locals and have to sleep outside, they (most of the time) cannot sleep very well, so they're more tired next day.
I would not say the Amazing Race is easier but the difficulties are not at the same levels ... so that make both shows differents but both interresting.
Hello !
ReplyDeleteI don't know the Amazing Race but I have to say that Pekin Express is an amazing challenge even tougher with the 4th season ! Some new rules make the competition even harder which create more strain on the candidates' relashionship. As a result we can see sometimes the bad side of human nature !
Anne.
This show how the French treat other races/nationalities.
ReplyDeleteFor their own greed, they trick some of the world poorest people into transporting them for many a kilometer. The indigenous people rely on being paid to make a iving (literally mae a LIVING some of these people have nothing and can barely feed their families).
The French often insult these people when they are unable to assist them. Often times they call them horibble names (in French of course!) when these people become irate when they dont get paid.
How would the French view it if a group of people from the 3rd world attempted to do a race accross France with no money!
If the front national di not kill them first, the polica would have them banged up in Songat o the first day!
It's not fair to humilate these poor people then deride them on TV!!
I wonder if the French will do the next season in the Islands of the pacific ocean?
Actually I don't think they will as they detonated a nuclear bomb there 12 years ago rendering 30 POPULATED islands unihabitable for the next 200 years!!!!
Vive la France!!!
I agree with annonymous, can you beleive how the French act? You have to watch it to beleive it!
ReplyDeleteIt makes you sick, especially when they show you how privileged the contestants are (when they film a video at home) then they have the nerve to go and leech of the worlds poorest (and probably the worlds most generous) people.