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CBS’s The Amazing Race Season 35 feels like a blast from the past as fans see the return of commercial flights and old twists. The Express Pass is officially back this season, as is the U-Turn. So, what is The Amazing Race Express Pass and U-Turn? Here’s what to know.

CBS’s ‘The Amazing Race’ Season 35 brings back the Express Pass

The Amazing Race Season 35 shows 13 teams competing in a race around the world, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds as they fly, run, hike, bike, and drive their way to the eventual finish line. Many fans noticed that the Express Pass was missing from recent seasons. Thankfully, The Amazing Race Season 35 brings the Express Pass back.

The Express Pass is a significant boon for the team that receives it. A team with the pass can use it to skip any non-Fast Forward task of their choosing, allowing them to receive their next clue. The team with the pass has to use it before the leg that it expires. Typically, teams can receive an Express Pass by making it first in a particular leg of the race, but teams with multiple passes can also award one to another team. Additionally, past seasons showed how teams could win an Express Pass by participating in another optional task.

In The Amazing Race Season 35, competitors could try to win the Express Pass by eating fried insects. Morgan and Lena Franklin decide to try the task — and they complete it, giving themselves the highly-coveted pass. This will provide Morgan and Lena with a huge advantage moving forward.

Phil Keoghan standing at the end of the first leg with a woman from Thailand in 'The Amazing Race' Season 35
‘The Amazing Race’ Season 35 | Nicolas Axelrod/CBS
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‘The Amazing Race’ Season 35 Full Schedule

What is a U-Turn?

The Amazing Race Season 35 doesn’t just bring back the Express Pass; fans will see the competitors go through a mandatory U-Turn.

In the past, teams with a U-Turn could force another team to complete both Detour tasks in a single leg. This season, it sounds like all the teams will have to complete a U-Turn at some point, which can severely affect their game.

U-Turns weren’t present in the competition for the last few years due to coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols. “According to Phil, it’s because, with coronavirus, they are trying to not have the contestants be on the leg longer than what is essential, which means that things that keep them out longer, like U-Turns, are on hiatus,” a fan on Reddit explained.

Host Phil Keoghan talks changes with ‘The Amazing Race’ Season 35

Aside from the Express Pass and the U-Turn, The Amazing Race Season 35 sees significant changes. Host Phil Keoghan spoke to Daily Blast Live about those changes.

“Well, for the first time ever, we’re going with 13 teams. We’ve never done that before,” he said. ” … The other thing that’s really new is that we have never done a whole season of 90-minute episodes. We’ve done 60-minute episodes for a long time, and occasionally we’ll have a premiere or a finale that’s 90 minutes, but having 90 minutes with the 13 teams, it just means we can show more character development, we can show more of where we are, we can give more context, we can let shots breathe more than we normally would.”

Ultimately, Keoghan hopes that the longer episodes will allow viewers to feel like they’re also seeing more of the world.

The Amazing Race Season 35 airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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