Amazing Race 29 April 2017 Release Date Finally Confirmed, 2-Hour Premiere Scheduled

It has been a very long time, but CBS has finally announced that The Amazing Race Season 29 would begin airing on April 21, 2017, returning to its usual Friday 8 p.m. ET/PT timeslot. What’s more, CBS has announced that The Amazing Race 29’s debut this coming April would be a two-hour season premiere. With this, it seems like TAR is definitely back, and it won’t be long before the Emmy award-winning reality series hits the airwaves once more.

The Amazing Race 29 caused a notable stir among its massive fanbase when CBS decided to remove the reality show from its Fall 2016 lineup. With CBS being extremely silent on the subject over the last few months, longtime supporters of the hit reality TV series have become very apprehensive, to the point where some voiced their concerns about the future of the family-friendly show. Despite speculation that the show would be canceled, CBS’ recent announcement appears to prove that The Amazing Race is here to stay.

“The multi-Emmy Award-winning reality series The Amazing Race returns on Friday, April 21 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), with a two-hour premiere one week after the season finale of MacGyver, then moving to its regular Friday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) time period on April 28.”

With the recent announcement, it appears that CBS will finish the run of its new series, MacGyver, before finally airing The Amazing Race 29. Despite the good news, however, the apprehension and annoyance among avid fans of the reality series remains palpable. This is because The Amazing Race has always aired two seasons every year. Thus, by the time TAR 29 starts its run in April 2017, it will be a year since its last season aired.

FINALLY!!! Why so long especially since it's the BEST reality show on TV

— Zakir Khan (@zmak916) November 30, 2016

While the reasons behind CBS’ decision to hold off on the start of The Amazing Race 29 might never be revealed, what really matters is that the much-loved wholesome series will return very soon. The future of the franchise seems pretty solid for now, especially since that The Amazing Race‘s official website is still accepting applications for participants in the epic race around the globe.

Considering the extremely long wait, as well as the fact that filming for The Amazing Race 29 was concluded earlier this year, the apprehension from fans seems to be well-justified. After all, it’s not like the fast-paced reality series is lacking in support from longtime viewers. It easily ranks just as high as veterans in the field such as Survivor and Big Brother in terms of the size of its fanbase, and its wholesome nature has been noted by many to be a breath of fresh air for reality TV.

Details about The Amazing Race have not been officially disclosed, though some notable leaks have emerged over the last few months. According to reality TV-themed website Reality Blurred, The Amazing Race 29 will follow a fairly unique team selection system, with each team being selected through a schoolyard pick depending on the results of a pre-race event. The pre-race task was quite simple, as all the participants had to do was acquire a flag from an F&M Gallery which was located about 1.7 miles from Grand Hope Park in Los Angeles, where the race would start.

The results of the pre-race event would allegedly determine who gets to pick their selected teammate first. Thus, the first participant back from the park gets to pick first, until the 11th participant arrives and selects the final TAR 29 player. The Amazing Race 29 will be the first season that will follow this unique system, as the participants for this season appear to be absent of any gimmicks or celebrity status. On a positive note, numerous fans of the series have welcomed the schoolyard pick system, with many stating that it provides a fresh twist to the game.

As for the route that The Amazing Race 29 will follow, official details remain scarce, but speculation is high that racers will begin in Los Angeles, travel to Panama, then proceed to a series of countries, including Brazil, Tanzania, Norway, Italy, Greece, and Vietnam before going back to the United States. While the details could not be confirmed as of this date, the pattern of the alleged route does seem legitimate.

The Amazing Race 29’s absence on CBS’ Fall 2016 lineup has been felt significantly by fans of the long-running, Emmy award-winning reality TV series. Despite the long wait, however, avid supporters of the family-friendly TV show are optimistic about TAR 29 and its succeeding seasons. With a new team selection system, a two-hour premiere, and a definite April 2017 release date, it appears that the future of The Amazing Race has become very bright once again.

[Featured Image by Jemal Countess/Getty Images]