Should The Amazing Race 30 air in early 2018 alongside Celebrity Big Brother?
If you recall, the long-running CBS reality show was not listed on the schedule for the fall, and we’re even still waiting to see it filmed. There were casting calls earlier this summer, but whether or not that was for season 30 or a potential season 31 down the road remains to be seen. Nobody has said explicitly that season 30 is the final one for the franchise, so we’re not banking on this being the end of the road of the franchise for certain.
So when will The Amazing Race 30 film? Host Phil Keoghan told Reality Blurred earlier this year that it would be on the other side of the summer; to avoid bad weather, our assumption is this fall. That means that the race should be done before the holidays, and that could position the show for a premiere virtually anytime from late January until April depending on how long the editing process takes.
As for specific premiere dates, much of that unfortunately still feels dependent on what some of CBS’ scheduling needs are, and it’s going to be a chaotic winter for them. With the Olympics coming, the network may not want to air their scripted programming up against it. There’s a chance that they could premiere the new Amazing Race opposite that while some other shows are getting a breather, and after a premiere on a Wednesday or Thursday they could move it over to a Sunday night after awards season in March. (The midseason schedule for CBS isn’t all that clear yet, but we don’t have a lot of confidence in their Sunday show Wisdom of the Crowd lasting until spring.)
Or, another interesting experiment for the network could be to air new episodes multiple times a week, possibly paired alongside Celebrity Big Brother to create more of an event atmosphere around it. Maybe this would be overwhelming to some fans, but we feel like others could eat it up. It’s a chance to get a lot of the Race in a short period of time, and we don’t think airing opposite the Winter Olympics necessarily is a kiss of death. In terms of ratings, the Winter Games aren’t a nail in the coffin in the same way that the summer ones are. The only other thing to worry about when it comes to competition are the Bachelor Winter Games, ABC’s attempt to get into counter-programming come early next year.
If you were to pair up Celebrity Big Brother and the Race, the downside/upside depending on who you are is that there would probably be a Big Brother team there.
Ultimately, when do you want The Amazing Race 30 on?
Are you fine waiting until the spring for it, or do you want it to come back in the winter potentially alongside Celebrity Big Brother? Share in the comments below, and head over here to get some more CarterMatt insight on the Race. (Photo: CBS.)