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CBS returned with Season 33 of The Amazing Race at the beginning of this year. The competition series featured 11 teams, but after Episode 3, only seven were seen.
The major reason behind it is that the first three episodes were filmed in February 2020. Then COVID-19 hit the world and everyone went into lockdown. Host Phil Keoghan was seen in Episode 3 informing contestants in Scotland that the race has been suspended.
After 19 months, the filming began in Switzerland but not all the contestants were able to resume the competition. The break between the shoots is now called “the longest pit stop in the show’s history.”
Who didn’t return in 'The Amazing Race' Season 33?
1) Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone
Paris train heroes Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler were not seen on episode 4 of The Amazing Race. Their reasons for leaving the race came out recently on Instagram. In a video, Sadler said:
“It was just a scheduling thing for me and Spencer. At the time of the reshoot we just couldn’t attend because of some other obligations.”
Another clip by Stone explained that Sadler got promoted and thus, couldn’t give time to the competition. And the former was starting “some school” during the filming period.
2) Caro Viehweg and Ray Gantt
The reason behind the Love Island couple’s exit was their break-up. They shared the news in July last year in a YouTube video.
Viehwag said:
“We’re not dating any more. I really tried my hardest in this relationship. … I just don’t feel like he was committed to the relationship how I was, and that’s why I decided to break up with him.”
However, the clip posted by The Amazing Race's Instagram handle featured Viehwag saying they couldn't return due to travel restrictions. The latter informed that she is a German citizen and that the borders were closed for non-US citizens.
3) Connie and Sam Greiner
The Greiners didn’t return because they got pregnant. The couple welcomed their newborn in December and shared their news on social media. Connie posted several stories on Instagram, citing why they discontinued the race post pandemic.
4) Taylor Green-Jones and Isaiah Green-Jones
The married couple recently shared their reasons for not returning to The Amazing Race. The YouTube darlings explained in an Instagram post that they came back to finish the race, but had to leave due to a family member’s death.
Read the full post:
Adjustments made in ‘The Amazing Race’ after COVID-19
In the previous episode, Keoghan said that producers were thinking of canceling the show due to the pandemic. The contestants also shared their COVID-19 stories where Raquel Moore and Cayla Pratt lost their jobs, and the twins, Lala and Lulu’s grandmother died due to the virus.
As the world recovers, the show’s creators also had to make adjustments. Instead of commercial flights, the participants traveled via chartered planes to avoid any risk of transmission. Furthermore, a lot of self-driving became part of the teams’ Season 33 journey.
The teams that returned post pandemic include flight attendants Moore and Pratt, married couple Akbar and Sheridan Cook, twins Lulu and Lala, internet personalities Kim and Penn Holderness and best friends Ryan Ferguson and Dusty Harris.
The Amazing Race also brought back a few eliminated teams, including singing cops Michael Norwood and Moe Badger and father-daughter duo Natalia and Arun Kumar. They were eliminated before the lockdown and are now given second chances.
The new episodes air every Wednesday at 8.00 p.m. ET on CBS.
