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A handful of teams didn’t return to CBS‘s The Amazing Race Season 33 once production restarted after the coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown, including Caro and Ray. Different circumstances prevented the duos from coming back. And, now, fans know why Caro and Ray left the race for good following the third leg.

'The Amazing Race' Season 33 contestant Caro Viehweg wears a yellow shirt and a yellow bandana around her head.
Caro Viehweg | Photo: Screengrab/CBS

Caro and Ray didn’t return to the competition in ‘The Amazing Race’ Season 33

Production was forced to shut down in February 2020 after the third leg due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the teams had to endure a 19-month pit stop as filming didn’t resume until Sept. 2021.

Only seven teams were able to rejoin The Amazing Race Season 33 in the fourth leg. And two of the pairs had already been eliminated to make up for the contestants who couldn’t return. So, in total, four teams didn’t make it back to the race.

Caro and Ray, Anthony and Spencer, Taylor and Isaiah, and Connie and Sam were among the missing pairs in The Amazing Race Season 33 Episode 4.

Caro explains why she couldn’t race again in ‘The Amazing Race’ Season 33

Caro recently posted a YouTube video where she explained why she and Ray didn’t return during the fourth leg of The Amazing Race Season 33.

“I got a call from the producers,” she revealed. “And they were saying, ‘Caro, we can’t have you go back on The Amazing Race because of your German passport.’ So, around this time, the U.S. created a restriction where they aren’t letting anybody in unless you are a U.S. citizen. So, legally, because of COVID, I was not allowed to go back into the states with a German passport because the borders were closed.”

Caro added, “And, fun fact, you guys, I believe I’m the first non-U.S. citizen to run The Amazing Race. I’m a German and Brazilian citizen. For that reason, I was not able to reenter back into the race.”

Caro then confirmed that the fact that she and Ray were no longer together had no impact on her not returning to The Amazing Race Season 33. She said, “No breakup is stopping me from getting a million dollars. OK?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLYQ1f0RM5k
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‘The Amazing Race’ Season 33 Spoilers: Only 7 Teams Returned Following the COVID-19 Shutdown

Host Phil Keoghan reveals how the show filmed during a pandemic

The Amazing Race Season 33 host Phil Keoghan spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how the producers adjusted the competition to keep the racers safe.

“There are certain protocols that have to be followed, and CBS has strict guidelines for what they call a return to work policy,” Keoghan shared. “And doing something like Amazing Race is very different from putting together a return to work policy for a show that shoots in the 30-mile zone in and around Los Angeles. And so yes, where we went, how we did things was very much dictated by where COVID was, where we felt that we could ensure the safety of everybody.”

The host continued, “I think one of the best things that came out of all of this is we literally got our own plane — a plane that says The Amazing Race on it … And it added another layer to the race that we haven’t had before. So yeah, we didn’t get the running through the airport. But we got these great moments where teams would get on the plane and wouldn’t necessarily know where they were going. And so it was sort of like a mystery tour!”

The Amazing Race Season 33 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

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