MUMBAI: The Game Show Network (GSN) in the US has announced that it has acquired the off-network rights to episodes of the Emmy Award-winning adventure reality series The Amazing Race.
In India, the show airs on AXN while in the US it has helped CBS go from strength to strength in the ratings sweepstakes.
GSN made the acquisition from King World Productions. This marks the first time that The Amazing Race episodes will have been seen since their original airings on CBS.
The Amazing Race executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer said, "We are pleased that the one-of-a-kind adventures offered by the show have found a second home on GSN. We have received an outpouring of responses from our viewers that they would love to see the series again and we have many fans who came to the series after its beginning. The Amazing Race on GSN will satisfy both groups and hopefully bring in new fans."
For the uninitiated, the show sees 11 pairs of contestants racing around the globe, completing challenges in hopes of capturing the $1 million grand prize. The series has toured South Africa, Paris, the Sahara Desert, Beijing, Alaska, and scores of other exotic locations. One episode even visited India.
In addition to the arduous traveling and grueling breakneck speed of the competition of the game, contestants along the way have had wallets stolen; sprained ankles; danced and begged for money; bungee jumped; skydived; rappelled down treacherous slopes; sold escargot; traveled in crowded hot and muggy trains and fought airport security. And if these globe-trotting obstacles were not enough, contestants also have had to overcome serious spats with their partners and other teams. Accusations of cheating, arguments over driving, anger and fear are some of the issues and emotions that have added to the excitement of this series.
The show's co-creator Bertram van Munster says, "The Amazing Race is the most unpredictable of all game shows. Each episode is self-contained from different world wide locations fuelled by dramatic characters and a powerful, original story and ending."
GSN's deal includes the rights to the first eight editions and more than 100 hours of the series, as well as the option for the next two installments. The network will telecast each season consecutively and will program special marathons at various times throughout the year.
The Amazing Race premiered on CBS on 5 September 2001. The series has delivered consistent ratings growth over the last four years and had its best season to date in season seven.
The show is now preparing for its eighth season which will feature families of four, adding a new twist to the series.
