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OK, maybe we’re being greedy, but we desperately want to see two seasons of The Amazing Race every year. The CBS reality competition series has never had a normal release schedule — it started with two seasons per year, sprinkled in a couple of summer installments, and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic surely didn’t help. And now, after CBS’s recent renewal news, The Amazing Race is back to one race a year.

Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss, who starred in 'The Amazing Race' Season 34, film a confessional. Derek wear a light purple shirt. Claire wears a black shirt and light pink baseball cap.
Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss | Photo: CBS

‘The Amazing Race’ Season 35 won’t premiere until the 2023-2024 television season

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, CBS reported that they had renewed The Amazing Race for season 35 for the 2023-2024 season. The announcement came a couple of months after the season 34 finale, which saw Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss claiming the $1 million grand prize.

Fans weren’t shocked by the news, especially since the cast and crew had already filmed the upcoming race in late 2022. But they were more surprised to hear that it would be a long wait before season 35 premiered.

Since production on The Amazing Race Season 35 has already concluded, many assumed it would air alongside Survivor Season 44 in the spring of 2023. But now we know it is attached to the 2023-2024 season, meaning season 35 will air in the fall of 2023 or the spring of 2024. For the sake of our mental health, we hope that season 35 debuts this fall.

Why CBS needs to find a consistent schedule for the series

We were supremely disappointed to learn that only one season (if that) of The Amazing Race would air this year. If it were up to us, we would implore CBS to liken The Amazing Race‘s schedule to Survivor‘s. Two seasons a year is perfect for both shows, whereas the network wisely only produces one Big Brother season per year.

As evidenced by the decline in ratings from season 31 to season 32, The Amazing Race suffers when it’s off the air for too long. Audiences get confused by its changing schedule and sometimes lose interest. Of course, The Amazing Race still pulls in average ratings for CBS. But we believe the show could perform much better if it had a consistent schedule. Plus, we are admittedly greedy and want more seasons.

We started getting our hopes up when CBS aired seasons 33 and 34 in 2022. But with the recent news, we’re back to frequently wondering how many The Amazing Race seasons we’ll get a year and when the next race will premiere. All of the constant speculation gets to be tiring after a while.

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‘The Amazing Race’ Fans Unhappy After Season 34 — Do They Have a Point?

Will ‘The Amazing Race’ ever return to normal in future seasons?

Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced The Amazing Race producers to pivot their strategy during season 33. Since then, the show’s format has been limited to protect the cast and crew from the virus. And one significant change has been the introduction of a charter plane, meaning no more airports.

These changes may coincide with the show’s inconsistent schedule, but the everchanging premiere dates started before COVID-19. So it’s unclear if we’ll ever see the CBS reality series consistently air two seasons a year. But we do know that The Amazing Race will return to pre-COVID times when governments lift safety regulations.

It’s only a matter of time before airport drama returns. However, don’t expect to see these changes in season 35, which will also feature the infamous charter plane.

All seasons of The Amazing Race are available to stream on Paramount+.

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