Peking Express (2004)

In this original format, eight pairs of candidates, some lifelong partners (e.g. twins, father and child) or nearly (even divorced from each-other), other acquaintances or even strangers before the show, engage in a race to or from Peking transversing a good part of Europe and/or Asia. They have no budget and so depend completely on the willingness of local people -mostly very poor by the candidates' western standards- to give them free transport, food and sleeping accommodation. Times of arrival after each leg and a few varied tests (for bonus time/headway on the next leg or extra money in case of victory) determine which couples get eliminated on the way. The first season is a Transsiberian route from Moscow to Peking, the second route is from Peking to Bombay (via the Himalayas), the third is a variation of the same called the 'Mekong route' (via South East Asia). In the fifth season the name no longer applies to the route, which is now in South America. Generally equal numbers of candidate pairs selected from the public at large come form the co-producing Netherlands viz. Flanders; a VIP version is Dutch only.