Peking Express is a Dutch–Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Beijing (only in the first three seasons; the following seasons are set elsewhere around the world). The series, first broadcast on 14 March 2004, ran for seven seasons from 2004 to 2008 and was revived in 2012 (as a sole Dutch production) and again in 2017. In the Netherlands, it was screened by Net 5 and in Belgium by VT4 during its original 2000s run before moving to Q2 in 2017. The game show concept has also been sold to a number of countries around the world since 2005.
| Peking Express | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Created by | Ludo Poppe |
| Theme music composer | Brian Tyler |
| Country of origin | Belgium Netherlands |
| Original language | Dutch |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 76 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Gert van Kerckhove |
| Production location | Various |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Net 5 (Netherlands) Play4, Q2 (Belgium) |
| Release | 14 March 2004 – 28 May 2017 |
| Related | |
| The Amazing Race | |
General theme
editThe theme of the show is to demonstrate how various couples deal with the challenges and pitfalls of attempting a long-distance hitchhike to a strange city, together with all the difficulties presented by trying to communicate in a language they don't understand. Tension was added by including couples who had broken up "in real life", but were willing to work together for the sake of winning the race.
In somewhat similar fashion to The Amazing Race, couples that come in last at various checkpoints along the way are eliminated from further competition. In the second series, each of the couples was given €1 per person/per day as their stipend along the route.
Theme music
editThe music used during the opening sequence is "Summon the Worms" from Brian Tyler's soundtrack to the 2003 miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
Winning couples in the international versions
editAfrica
editMoroccan seasons
edit| Dakar Fès Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Hind & Abd el Hakim | Dakar to Fez | ||
| 2012 | Samid Ghilan & Younès Lazrak | Sulawesi to Manado |
America
editColombian seasons
edit| Asia Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jairo & Eliseo | Hai Duong to Bangkok |
Mexican season
edit| Abandonados Asia | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Gabriel & Guillermo | Hai Duong to Bangkok |
Asia
editIsraeli Seasons
edit| פקין אקספרס - מסלול הדרקון Peking Express - The Dragon Track |
Season | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Oz Zehavi | Ram Strauss & Tal Eros | Siem Reap to Bangkok |
Europe
editBelgium/Netherlands seasons
edit| Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Rani & Hans | Moscow to Beijing | ||
| 2005 | Karla & Sophie | Beijing to Mumbai | ||
| 2006 | Yves & Wendy | Mekong Delta to Lhasa | ||
| 2006 VIP |
Chimène van Oosterhout & Bart Veldkamp | Gangotri to Kochi | ||
| 2007 | Pascal & Miranda | Rio de Janeiro to Lima | ||
| 2008 | Mark & Marlinde | Mexico City to Caracas | ||
| 2012 | Annebet & Quintin | Seoul to Manila | ||
| 2017 | Brecht & Cedric | Hạ Long to Angkor |
Denmark/Sweden/Norway seasons
edit| Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Tyra & Stefan | Moscow to Beijing |
French seasons
edit| Pékin Express | Season | Season's
subtitle |
Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | La Route du Transsibérien The Transsiberian Route |
Stéphane Rotenberg | Fathi & Médi | Paris to Beijing | ||
| 2007 | La Route de l'Himalaya The Himalayan Route |
Nadine & Sylvie | Beijing to Mumbai | |||
| 2008 | La Route des Incas The Incas' Route |
Gérard & Cédric | Rio de Janeiro to Lima | |||
| 2009 | La Route des Dragons The Dragons' Route |
Albert & Laurence | Ha Long bay to Bali | |||
| 2010 | La Route du bout du monde The Edge of the World's Route |
Cécilia & Mathieu | Equator/Amazon rainforest to Ushuaia | |||
| 2010 VIP |
Duos de choc Shock duos |
Taïg Khris & Chloé (season 5) | Bhatwari to Pondichery | |||
| 2011 | La Route des grands fauves The Big Cats' Route |
Jean-Pierre & François | Cairo to Cape Town | |||
| 2012 All-Stars |
Le Passager mystère The Mystery Passenger |
Ludovic & Samuel (season 7) | Seoul to Sydney | |||
| 2013 | Le Coffre maudit The Cursed Chest |
Linda & Salim | Habana to Miami | |||
| 2014 All-Stars |
À la découverte des mondes inconnus Discovering the Unknown Worlds |
Caroline (season 4) & Sabrina | Man Lawae to Colombo | |||
| 2018 | La Course infernale The Infernal Race |
Christina & Didier | Kuching to Tokyo | |||
| 2019 | La Route des 50 volcans The 50 Volcanoes' Route |
Laeticia & Aurélie | lake Atitlan to Bogotá | |||
| 2020 All-Stars |
Retour sur la Route Mythique Return on the Mythical Route |
Julie & Denis (season 9) | Moscow to Beijing | |||
| 2021 | Sur les pistes de la Terre Rouge (episodes 1-3) On the Red Soil's Tracks La route des 3 continents (episodes 4-10) |
Christophe & Claire | Entebbe to Istanbul[1] | |||
| 2022 | Sur les terres de l'Aigle Royal On the Royal Eagle's Lands |
Lucas & Nicolas | Son-Kul to Dubai | |||
| 2022 VIP |
Duos de choc Shock duos |
Inès Reg & Anaïs | Negombo to Colombo | |||
| 2023 | Le choix secret The secret choice |
Xavier & Céline | lake Titicaca to Rio de Janeiro | |||
| 2024 | Sur les traces du tigre d'or In the footsteps of the golden tiger |
Romain & Laura | Bali to Hanoi | |||
| 2024 All-Stars |
TBA | TBA | Agra to New Delhi | |||
| 2025 | TBA | TBA | Arusha to Johannesbourg | |||
| TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
German seasons
edit| Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Anja & Marc | Moscow to Beijing | ||
| Star Race | 2012 | Jimi & Nino | Bolinao to Manila |
Greek seasons
editIn this version, there are only celebrity couples.
| Asia Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Konstantinos Vassalos & Fipster | Angkor to Bangkok |
Hungarian seasons
editIn this version, there are mainly Hungarian VIP couples.
| Ázsia Expressz | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | A sárkány útja | Ördög Nóra | Ambrus Attila & Berki Krisztián | Haidong to Bangkok | ||
| 2019 | Horváth Gréta & Meggyes Dávid | Negombo to Chiang Mai | ||||
| 2022 | Halastyák Fanni & Szlépka Armand | Aqaba to Tashkent | ||||
| 2023 | Felfedezzük Amerikát! | Kucsera Gábor & Tóth Dávid | Queretaro City to Antigua Guatemala | |||
| 2024 | Béres Anett & Sáfrány Emese | Lucena to Taipei | ||||
| 2025 | TBD | TBA to TBA |
Italian seasons
editIn this version, there are mainly VIP couples.
| Pechino Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Avventura in Oriente (Adventure in the East) |
Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia | Alessandro Sampaoli & Debora Villa (Gli attori) | Haridwar to Beijing | ||
| 2013 | Obiettivo Bangkok (Goal: Bangkok) |
Costantino della Gherardesca | Massimiliano Rosolino & Marco Maddaloni (Gli sportivi)[2] | Hanoi to Bangkok | ||
| 2014 | Ai confini dell'Asia (At the boundaries of Asia) |
Stefano Corti & Alessandro Onnis (I coinquilini) | Mandalay to Bali | |||
| 2015 | Il nuovo mondo (The new world) |
Antonio Andrea Pinna & Roberto Bertolini (Gli antipodi) | Quito to Rio de Janeiro | |||
| 2016 | Le civiltà perdute (The lost civilizations) |
Alessio Stigliano & Alessandro Tenace (I socialisti) | Bogotá to Mexico City | |||
| 2017 | Verso il Sol Levante (Towards the Rising Sun) |
Ema Stokholma & Valentina Pegorer (Le clubber) | Pagbilao to Tokyo | |||
| 2018 | Avventura in Africa (Adventure in Africa) |
Patrizia Rossetti & Maria Teresa Ruta (Le signore della TV) | Tangier to Cape Town | |||
| 2020 | Le stagioni dell'Oriente (The seasons of the East) |
Nicole Rossi & Jennifer Poni (Le collegiali) | Ko Phra Thong to Seoul | |||
| 2022 | La rotta dei Sultani (The sultans route) |
Costantino della Gherardesca & Enzo Miccio | Victoria Cabello & Paride Vitale (I pazzeschi) | Uçhisar to Dubai | ||
| 2023 | La via delle Indie (The Indies route) |
Joe Bastianich & Andrea Belfiore (Gli italoamericani) | Mumbai to Angkor | |||
| 2024 | La rotta del Dragone (The route of the Dragon) |
Costantino della Gherardesca & The Jackal | Damiano Carrara & Massimiliano Carrara (I pasticceri) | Tam Cốc to Sigiriya | ||
| 2025 | Fino al tetto del mondo (To the roof of the world) |
TBD | TBA to TBA |
Polish seasons
editIn this version, there are only celebrity couples.
| Azja Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Michał Żurawski & Ludwik Borkowski | Hai Duong to Bangkok | ||
| 2017 | Antoni Pawlicki & Paweł Ławrynowicz | Sigiriya to Mumbai | ||
| Ameryka Express | 2018 | Aleksandra Domańska & Dawid Domański | San Antonio de Ibarra to Cusco | |
| 2020 | Karolina Pisarek & Marta Gajewska-Komorowska | Antigua Guatemala to Cartagena | ||
| Azja Express | 2023 | Angelika Trochonowicz & Luka Trochonowicz | Istanbul to Tashkent | |
| 2024 | TBD | TBA |
Romanian seasons
editIn this version, there are only celebrity couples.
| Asia Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Drumul Dragonului (The Dragon Road) | Gina Pistol and Marius Damian | Raluca Nistor & Ana Baniciu | Hạ Long to Bangkok | ||
| 2019 | Drumul Elefantului (The Elephant Road) | Gina Pistol, Liviu Vârciu and Andrei Ștefănescu | Eduard Mihail Andreianu & Ionuț Dongo | Negombo to Mumbai | ||
| 2020 | Drumul Comorilor (The Treasure Road) | Gina Pistol, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian | Sorin Bontea & Răzvan Fodor | Lucena to Taipei | ||
| 2021 | Drumul Împăraților (The Emperors Road) | Irina Fodor, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian | Mihai Petre & Elwira Duda | Edirne to Jerusalem | ||
| America Express | 2023 | Drumul Aurului (The Gold Road) | Cătălin Bordea și Nelu Cortea | Querétaro City to Cartagena | ||
| 2023 | Drumul Soarelui (The Sun Road) | Irina Fodor and Marius Damian | Laura Giurcanu & Sânziana Negru | Medellin to Buenos Aires | ||
| Asia Express | 2024 | Drumul Zeilor (The Gods Road) | Irina Fodor and Marius Damian | TBA | Chiang Rai to Bali | |
| 2025 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA to TBA |
Spanish seasons
edit| Pekín Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | La Ruta del Transiberiano The Trans-Siberian Route |
Fernando & María (couple in crisis) | Pskov to Beijing | ||
| 2009 | La Ruta del Himalaya The Himalayan Route |
Carmela & Antonio (rural friends) | Beijing to Mumbai | ||
| 2010 | La Ruta del Dragón The Route of the Dragon |
Sandra & Belinda (sisters) | Hanoi to Bali | ||
| 2011 | Aventura en África Adventure in Africa |
Mar & Vanesa (sisters) | Great Rift Valley, Kenya to Cape Town | ||
| 2015 | La Ruta de los Mil Templos The Route of the Thousand Temples |
Ángel & Bea (siblings-in-law) | Mandalay to Singapore | ||
| 2016 | La Ruta de los Elefantes The Route of the Elephants |
Matías & Nabil (geek cousins) | Anuradhapura to Mumbai | ||
| 2024 | Objetivo Angkor Objective Angkor |
TBD | Cát Bà Island to Angkor |
International versions
editA German version was shown in 2005. The concept has also been sold to Scandinavia where it was broadcast for the first time in the autumn of 2007. The Scandinavian version is shown on Kanal 5 in Sweden, TVNorge in Norway and Kanal 5 in Denmark.
A French version named Pékin Express is screened by M6, with twelve seasons aired so far from 2006 to 2019, and a thirteen and fourteen planned for 2020. It can be seen on TV5 outside France. In Spain, the first four seasons of local version Pekín Express aired on Cuatro from 2008 to 2011; Atresmedia acquired the rights in 2015 and has produced two seasons since.[3] An Italian version has been produced since 2012 by RAI and shown on Rai 2 successfully until 2020, when it passed on Sky Uno. In Poland, the series has been broadcast on TVN since 2016 and was known for its first two seasons, which were set in Asia, as Azja Express. From season 3 onwards, it has been known as Ameryka Express, with its production location changing to America; a fourth season premiered in spring 2020. In Romania, the series has aired successfully on Antena 1 since 2018 as Asia Express for its first four seasons, with the upcoming season being titled America Express, following the changing of its production location into Americas. In Greece, the series has started airing on Star Channel as Asia Express in fall 2022.
References
edit- ^ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the route was changed after 6 months of shooting put on hold. Original plans were to travel through Ethiopia and United Arab Emirates finishing in Dubai, but it was possible to shoot only the 3 first episodes in Uganda.
- ^ "Pechino Express".
- ^ Migelez, Xabier (16 January 2015). "Antena 3 arrebata a Cuatro el reality 'Pekín express'". FormulaTV.