What is an Express Pass on ‘The Amazing Race’? Season 39 twist explained
‘The Amazing Race’ Season 39 premiered on September 30, features 13 new teams. The brand-new season of the fan-favorite competition show also introduced a new twist: Express Pass. Previously, the reality show had Express Passes, but not as introduced in the current season. It was first introduced in Season 17, but in Season 39, it has become a major twist. Earlier, teams could win an Express Pass by winning the previous leg or completing a task in the early leg of the race. But now, each of the 13 teams is given an Express Pass from the beginning of the race.
So, having an Express Pass from the start means participants can use it whenever they want. Notably, they might also get eliminated before they even have a chance to use their Express Passes. According to the show host, Phil Keoghan told Parade, the strategy part of the race is “highly important.” He added, “It’s important as far as why fans tune in. They want to see how we choose to use advantages that we get, the choices that we make, how we tackle different challenges. ‘Are we going to align with this team?’ Fans love that stuff.”
For viewers wondering how an Express Pass given to all the teams would work, here’s the answer: It allows a one-time skip of a Detour, Roadblock, or task for a team. The show host further said, “What we got as a result of this is that it just totally changed the order and some of the predictability.” He added, “Right out of the gate, the stronger teams show themselves, and they tend to show themselves all the way through the race. If you’re strong in the beginning, you tend to be strong all the way throughout the race, and if you’re weaker, you tend to get eliminated early.”
Let’s talk about how the Express Pass worked out in ‘The Amazing Race’ Season 39 Premiere. The first episode featured a few teams using their Express Pass to move ahead. This included Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla. The two used their Pass at the “Fly Fishing” Roadblock. They were in 12th place, but with the Express Pass, they went straight to 1st. Another team that used their Express Pass was Doug Matter and Dylan Matter. They used it at the Detour and skipped the “Paddle It Out” task after they were in 9th place. It would be exciting to see which teams use their Express Pass in upcoming episodes and how it helps them get ahead of competitors by skipping a task.
