Peking Express
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; seasons four and five are set in South America). The series has already gone through five seasons. In the Netherlands it is screened by Net 5 and in Belgium by VT4.
Peking Express | |
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Official logo | |
Created by | Ludo Poppe |
Theme music composer | Brian Tyler |
Country of origin | Belgium Netherlands |
Original language(s) | Dutch |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 76 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Gert van Kerckhove |
Release | |
Original network | Net 5 (Netherlands) VT4 (Belgium) |
Original release | 2004 – present |
Chronology | |
Related shows | The Amazing Race |
External links | |
Website |
A 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.[1] An Italian version has been produced since 2012 by RAI and shown on Rai 2 successfully. 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, with three seasons so far.
General theme
The 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
The 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
Africa
Moroccan Seasons
Dakar Fès Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Hind & Abd el Hakim | |||
2012 | Samid Ghilan & Younès Lazrak |
America
Colombian Seasons
Asia Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Jairo & Eliseo | |||
2020 (on hold due to Covid-19 pandemic) |
TBD |
Mexican Season
Abandonados Asia | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Gabriel & Guillermo |
Europe
Belgium/Netherlands/Flemish Seasons
Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Rani & Hans | |||
2005 | Karla & Sophie | |||
2006 | Yves & Wendy | |||
2006 VIP |
Chimène & Bart | |||
2007 |
Pascal & Miranda | |||
2008 |
Mark & Marlinde | |||
2012 |
Annebet & Quintin | |||
2017 |
Brecht & Cedric |
Denmark/Sweden/Norway Seasons
Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Tyra & Stefan |
German Seasons
Peking Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Anja & Marc | |||
Star Race | 2012 | Jimi & Nino |
French Seasons
Pékin Express | Season | Season's
subtitle |
Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | La Route du Transsibérien | Fathi & Médi | |||
2007 | La Route de l'Himalaya | Nadine & Sylvie | |||
2008 | La Route des Incas | Gérard & Cédric | |||
2009 | La Route des Dragons | Albert & Laurence | |||
2010 | La Route du bout du monde | Cécilia & Mathieu | |||
2010 VIP |
Duos de choc | Taïg Khris & Chloé (saison 5) | |||
2011 | La Route des grands fauves | Jean-Pierre & François | |||
2012 All-Stars |
Le Passager mystère | Ludovic & Samuel (saison 7) | |||
2013 | Le Coffre maudit | Linda & Salim | |||
2014 All-Stars |
À la découverte des mondes inconnus | Caroline (saison 4) & Sabrina | |||
2018 | La Course infernale | Christina & Didier | |||
2019 | La Route des 50 volcans | Laeticia et Aurélie | |||
2020 All-Stars |
Retour sur la Route Mythique | Julie & Denis | |||
2020 (on hold due to Covid-19 pandemic) |
TBD | TBD |
Hungarian Seasons
In this version, there are mainly Hungarian VIP couples.
Ázsia Expressz | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Runner up | Third placed | Continent | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | A sárkány útja | Ördög Nóra | Ambrus Attila & Berki Krisztián | Kulcsár Edina & Szabó András "Csuti" | Megyeri Csilla & Molnár Zsolt | Asia | |||
2019 | Horváth Gréta & Meggyes Dávid | Janicsák Veca & Ladányi Jancsó Ábel | Demcsák Zsuzsa & Kandász Andrea | ||||||
2020 (on hold due to Covid-19 pandemic) |
TBD | TBD | TBD |
Italian Seasons
In this version, there are mainly VIP couples.
Pechino Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Runner up | Third placed | Continent | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Avventura in Oriente | Emanuele Filiberto | Alessandro Sampaoli & Debora Villa (Gli Attori) | Andrés Gil & Anastasia Kuzmina (I Ballerini) | Costantino della Gherardesca & Barù (Zio e Nipote) | Asia | |||
2013 | Obiettivo Bangkok | Costantino della Gherardesca | Massimiliano Rosolino & Marco Maddaloni (Gli Sportivi)[2] | Francesca Fioretti & Ariadna Romero (Le Modelle) | Daniel Moreno Mendoza & Laura Caratelli (I Laureati) | ||||
2014 | Ai confini dell'Asia | Stefano Corti & Alessandro Onnis (I Coinquilini) | Amaurys Perez & Angela Rende (I Pérez) | Eva Grimaldi & Roberta Garzia (Le Cougar) | |||||
2015 | Il nuovo mondo | Antonio Andrea Pinna & Roberto Bertolini (Gli Antipodi) | Christian Kang Bachini & Son Pascal (Gli Espatriati) | Giulia Salemi & Fariba Mohammad Tehrani (Le Persiane) | America | ||||
2016 | Le civiltà perdute | Alessio Stigliano & Alessandro Tenace (I Socialisti) | Diego Passoni & Cristina Bugatty (I Contribuenti) | Lory del Santo & Marco Cucolo (Gli Innamorati) | |||||
2017 | Verso il Sol Levante | Ema Stokholma & Valentina Pegorer (Le Clubber) | Antonella Elia & Jill Cooper (Le Caporali) | Achille Lauro & Boss Doms (I Compositori) | Asia | ||||
2018 | Avventura in Africa | Patrizia Rossetti & Maria Teresa Ruta (Le Signore della TV) | Fabrizio Colica & Tommy Kuti (Gli Scoppiati) | Linda Morselli & Rachele Fogar (Le Mannequin) | Africa | ||||
2020 | Le stagioni dell'Oriente | Nicole Rossi & Jennifer Poni (Le Collegiali) | Enzo Miccio & Carolina Gianuzzi (I Wedding Planner) | Ema Kovac & Dayane Mello (Le Top) | Asia | ||||
Pekin Express | 2021 (On hold due to Covid-19 pandemic) | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBA | TBA to TBA | TBA |
Polish Seasons
In this version, there are only celebrity couples.
Azja Express | Season | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Michał Żurawski & Ludwik Borkowski | |||
2017 | Antoni Pawlicki & Paweł Ławrynowicz | |||
Ameryka Express | 2018 | Aleksandra Domańska & Dawid Domański | ||
2020 | Karolina Pisarek & Marta Gajewska-Komorowska |
Spanish Seasons
Pekín Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Winning couple | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | La Ruta del Transiberiano | Fernando & María (couple in crisis) | |||
2009 | La Ruta del Himalaya | Carmela & Antonio (rural friends) | |||
2010 | La Ruta del Dragón | Sandra & Belinda (sisters) | |||
2011 | Aventura en África | Mar & Vanesa (sisters) | |||
2015 | La Ruta de los Mil Templos | Ángel & Bea (siblings-in-law) | |||
2016 | La Ruta de los Elefantes | Matías & Nabil (geek cousins) |
Romanian Seasons
In this version, there are only celebrity couples.
Asia Express | Season | Season's subtitle | Host | Winning couple | Runner up | Third placed | Continent | Route | Visited countries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Drumul Dragonului | Gina Pistol and Marius Damian | Raluca Nistor & Ana Baniciu | Liviu Vârciu & Andrei Ştefănescu | Daniela Crudu & Vica Blochina | Asia | |||
2019 | Drumul Elefantului | Gina Pistol, Liviu Vârciu and Andrei Ștefănescu | Eduard Mihail Andreianu & Ionuț Dongo | Ana Claudia Grigore & Adrian Robert | Andra Gheorghe & Bogdan Boantă | ||||
2020 | Drumul Comorilor | Gina Pistol, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian | Sorin Bontea & Răzvan Fodor | Ștefan Sprianu & Ștefania Codreanu | Ada Alexandra Moldovan & Cătălin Rizea | ||||
2021 (On hold due to Covid-19 pandemic) | TBA | Gina Pistol | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBA | TBA to TBA | TBA |
International versions
Name | Country | Host | Route and Visited countries | Channel | Website |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peking Express | Ernst-Paul Hasselbach (2004) Art Rooijakkers and Roos Van Acker (2005-2008) Sol Wortelboer (2012) Sean Dhondt and Rik van de Westelaken (2017) |
2004: Moscow – Beijing 2005: Peking – Mumbai 2006: Rach Gia – Lhasa 2006: Gangotri – Kochi 2007: Rio de Janeiro – Lima 2008: Mexico City – Caracas 2012: Seoul – Manila 2017: Hạ Long – Angkor |
NET 5 VT4 (2004-2008) Q2 (2017) |
Official website Netherlands Official website Belgium | |
Peking Express Star Race |
Patrice Bouédibéla Roberta Brandao |
2005: Moscow – Beijing 2012: Bolinao – Manila |
RTL | ||
Pékin Express | Stéphane Rotenberg | 2006: Paris – Pskov – Beijing 2007: Beijing – Mumbai 2008: Rio de Janeiro – Lima 2009: Ha Long Bay – Bali 2010: Nueva Loja – Ushuaia 2010: Gangotri – Pondicherry 2011: Cairo – Cape Town 2012: Seoul – Sydney 2013: Habana – Miami 2014: Lashio – Colombo 2018: Kuching – Tokyo 2019: lake Atitlan – Bogotá 2020: Moscow – Beijing 2021: Entebbe – Dubai |
M6 | Official website | |
Peking Express | – | 2007: Moscow – Beijing |
TVNorge Kanal 5 |
Official website Norway | |
Pekín Express | Paula Vázquez (2008) Raquel Sánchez-Silva (2009–2010) Jesús Vázquez (2011) Cristina Pedroche (2015–2016) |
2008: Madrid – Pskov – Beijing 2009: Beijing – Mumbai 2010: Hanoi – Bali 2011: Rift Valley – Cape Town 2015: Mandalay – Singapore 2016: Anuradhapura – Mumbai |
Cuatro (2008–2011) Antena 3 (2015) laSexta (2016) |
Official website (Cuatro) Official website (Antena 3) Official website (laSexta) | |
Dakar Fès Express | Hicham Mesrar | 2011: Dakar – Fez 2012: Wori – Manado |
2M | Official website | |
A Grande Aventura | Fernanda Serrano | 2012: Manado Tua – Manado |
TVI | Official website | |
Pékin Express | Michel De Maegd | 2012: Wori – Manado |
RTL | Official website | |
Pechino Express (1–8) Pekin Express (9–) |
Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia (2012) Costantino della Gherardesca (2013–2020) TBD (2021–) |
2012: Haridwar – Beijing 2013: Hanoi – Bangkok 2014: Mandalay – Bali 2015: Quito – Rio de Janeiro 2016: Bogotá – Mexico City 2017: Pagbilao – Tokyo 2018: Tangier – Cape Town 2020: Ko Phra Thong – Seoul 2021: TBD |
Rai 2 (2012–2020) Sky Italia (2021–) |
Official website | |
Asia Express | Ivan Lalinde | 2016: Hanoi – Bangkok 2021: TBA |
Caracol Televisión | Official website | |
Abandonados Asia | Paola Nuñez | 2016: Hanoi – Bangkok |
Azteca 7 | Official website | |
Azja Express (1-2) Ameryka Express (3-4) |
Agnieszka Woźniak-Starak (2016-2018) Daria Ładocha (2020-) |
2016: Hanoi – Bangkok 2017: Sigiriya – Mumbai 2018: San Antonio de Ibarra – Cusco 2020: Antigua – Cartagena |
TVN | Official website | |
Ázsia Expressz | Nóra Ördög | 2017: Hải Dương – Bangkok 2019: Negombo – Chiang Mai 2021: Lucena – Taipei |
TV2 | Official website | |
Asia Express | Gina Pistol (2018-) Marius Damian (2018, 2020-) Liviu Vârciu (2019) Andrei Ștefănescu (2019) Ionuț Dongo (2020-) |
2018: Hạ Long – Bangkok 2019: Negombo – Mumbai 2020: Lucena – Taipei 2021: TBD |
Antena 1 | Official website |
Annual routes
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On hold | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||