Peking Express

Summary

Peking Express is a DutchFlemish 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
GenreReality
Created byLudo Poppe
Theme music composerBrian Tyler
Country of originBelgium
Netherlands
Original languageDutch
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes76
Production
ProducerGert van Kerckhove
Production locationVarious
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkNet 5 (Netherlands)
Play4, Q2 (Belgium)
Release14 March 2004 (2004-03-14) –
28 May 2017 (2017-05-28)
Related
The Amazing Race

General theme edit

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 edit

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 edit

Africa edit

Moroccan seasons edit

Dakar Fès Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2011 Hind & Abd el Hakim Dakar to Fez   Senegal
  Mauritania
  Western Sahara
  Morocco
2012 Samid Ghilan & Younès Lazrak Sulawesi to Manado   Indonesia

America edit

Colombian seasons edit

Asia Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2016 Jairo & Eliseo Hai Duong to Bangkok   Vietnam
  Laos
  Cambodia
  Thailand

Mexican season edit

Abandonados Asia Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2016 Gabriel & Guillermo Hai Duong to Bangkok   Vietnam
  Cambodia
  Laos
  Thailand

Europe edit

Belgium/Netherlands seasons edit

Peking Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2004 Rani & Hans Moscow to Beijing   Russia
  Mongolia
  China
2005 Karla & Sophie Beijing to Mumbai   China
    Nepal
  India
2006 Yves & Wendy Mekong Delta to Lhasa   Vietnam
  Cambodia
  Laos
  China
2006
VIP
Chimène van Oosterhout & Bart Veldkamp Gangotri to Kochi   India
2007 Pascal & Miranda Rio de Janeiro to Lima   Brazil
  Bolivia
  Peru
2008 Mark & Marlinde Mexico City to Caracas   Mexico
  Nicaragua
  Venezuela
2012 Annebet & Quintin Seoul to Manila   South Korea
  Philippines
2017 Brecht & Cedric Hạ Long to Angkor   Vietnam
  Laos
  Cambodia

Denmark/Sweden/Norway seasons edit

Peking Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2007 Tyra & Stefan Moscow to Beijing   Russia
  Mongolia
  China

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   France
  Russia
  Mongolia
  China
2007 La Route de l'Himalaya
The Himalayan Route
Nadine & Sylvie Beijing to Mumbai   China
    Nepal
  India
2008 La Route des Incas
The Incas' Route
Gérard & Cédric Rio de Janeiro to Lima   Brazil
  Bolivia
  Peru
2009 La Route des Dragons
The Dragons' Route
Albert & Laurence Ha Long bay to Bali   Vietnam
  Cambodia
  Laos
  Thailand
  Indonesia
2010 La Route du bout du monde
The Edge of the World's Route
Cécilia & Mathieu Equator/Amazon rainforest to Ushuaia   Ecuador
  Chile
  Argentina
2010
VIP
Duos de choc
Shock duos
Taïg Khris & Chloé (season 5) Bhatwari to Pondichery   India
2011 La Route des grands fauves
The Big Cats' Route
Jean-Pierre & François Cairo to Cape Town   Egypt
  Kenya
  Tanzania
  Lesotho
  South Africa
2012
All-Stars
Le Passager mystère
The Mystery Passenger
Ludovic & Samuel (season 7) Seoul to Sydney   South Korea
  Philippines
  Australia
2013 Le Coffre maudit
The Cursed Chest
Linda & Salim Habana to Miami   Cuba
  Mexico
  United States
2014
All-Stars
À la découverte des mondes inconnus
Discovering the Unknown Worlds
Caroline (season 4) & Sabrina Man Lawae to Colombo   Myanmar
  India
  Bhutan
  Sri Lanka
2018 La Course infernale
The Infernal Race
Christina & Didier Kuching to Tokyo   Malaysia
  Philippines
  Japan
2019 La Route des 50 volcans
The 50 Volcanoes' Route
Laeticia & Aurélie lake Atitlan to Bogotá   Guatemala
  Costa Rica
  Colombia
2020
All-Stars
Retour sur la Route Mythique
Return on the Mythical Route
Julie & Denis (season 9) Moscow to Beijing   Russia
  China
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)
The 3 Continents' Route

Christophe & Claire Entebbe to Istanbul[1]   Uganda
  Greece
  Turkey
2022 Sur les terres de l'Aigle Royal
On the Royal Eagle's Lands
Lucas & Nicolas Son-Kul to Dubai   Kyrgyzstan
  Uzbekistan
  Jordan
  United Arab Emirates
2022
VIP
Duos de choc
Shock duos
Inès Reg & Anaïs Negombo to Colombo   Sri Lanka
2023 Le choix secret
The secret choice
Xavier & Céline lake Titicaca to Rio de Janeiro   Bolivia
  Paraguay
  Brazil
2024 Sur les traces du tigre d'or
In the footsteps of the golden tiger
Bali to Hanoi   Indonesia
  Malaysia
  Vietnam
2024
All-Stars
TBA Agra to New Delhi   India
2025 TBA Caracas to Mexico city   Venezuela
  Panama
  Mexico

German seasons edit

Peking Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2005 Anja & Marc Moscow to Beijing   Russia
  Mongolia
  China
Star Race 2012 Jimi & Nino Bolinao to Manila   Philippines

Greek seasons edit

In this version, there are only celebrity couples.

Asia Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2022 Konstantinos Vassalos & Fipster Angkor to Bangkok   Cambodia
  Laos
  Thailand

Hungarian seasons edit

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 Edina Kulcsár & Szabó András "Csuti" Megyeri Csilla & Molnár Zsolt Asia Haidong to Bangkok   Vietnam
  Cambodia
  Laos
  Thailand
2019 Horváth Gréta & Meggyes Dávid Janicsák Veca & Ladányi Jancsó Ábel Demcsák Zsuzsa & Kandász Andrea Negombo to Chiang Mai   Sri Lanka
  India
  Thailand
2022 Halastyák Fanni & Szlépka Armand Nyári Darinka & Kiss Ernő Zsolt Gyebnár Csekka & Mérai Katalin Aqaba to Tashkent   Jordan
  Turkey
  Georgia
  Uzbekistan
2023 TBD TBD TBD America Queretaro City to Antigua Guatemala   Mexico
  Guatemala
2024 TBD TBD TBD Asia Lucena to Taipei   Philippines
  Taiwan

Italian seasons edit

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
(Adventure in the East)
Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia Alessandro Sampaoli & Debora Villa (Gli attori) Andrés Gil & Anastasia Kuzmina (I ballerini) Costantino della Gherardesca & Barù (Zio e nipote) Asia Haridwar to Beijing   India
    Nepal
  China
2013 Obiettivo Bangkok
(Goal: Bangkok)
Costantino della Gherardesca Massimiliano Rosolino & Marco Maddaloni (Gli sportivi)[2] Francesca Fioretti & Ariadna Romero (Le modelle) Daniel Moreno Mendoza & Laura Caratelli (I laureati) Hanoi to Bangkok   Vietnam
  Cambodia
  Laos
  Thailand
2014 Ai confini dell'Asia
(At the boundaries of Asia)
Stefano Corti & Alessandro Onnis (I coinquilini) Amaurys Perez & Angela Rende (I Pérez) Eva Grimaldi & Roberta Garzia (Le cougar) Mandalay to Bali   Myanmar
  Malaysia
  Singapore
  Indonesia
2015 Il nuovo mondo
(The new world)
Antonio Andrea Pinna & Roberto Bertolini (Gli antipodi) Christian Kang Bachini & Son Pascal (Gli espatriati) Giulia Salemi & Fariba Mohammad Tehrani (Le persiane) America Quito to Rio de Janeiro   Ecuador
  Peru
  Brazil
2016 Le civiltà perdute
(The lost civilizations)
Alessio Stigliano & Alessandro Tenace (I socialisti) Diego Passoni & Cristina Bugatty (I contribuenti) Lory del Santo & Marco Cucolo (Gli innamorati) Bogotá to Mexico City   Colombia
  Guatemala
  Mexico
2017 Verso il Sol Levante
(Towards the Rising Sun)
Ema Stokholma & Valentina Pegorer (Le clubber) Antonella Elia & Jill Cooper (Le caporali) Achille Lauro & Boss Doms (I compositori) Asia Pagbilao to Tokyo   Philippines
  Taiwan
  Japan
2018 Avventura in Africa
(Adventure in Africa)
Patrizia Rossetti & Maria Teresa Ruta (Le signore della TV) Fabrizio Colica & Tommy Kuti (Gli scoppiati) Linda Morselli & Rachele Fogar (Le mannequin) Africa Tangier to Cape Town   Morocco
  Tanzania
  South Africa
2020 Le stagioni dell'Oriente
(The seasons of the East)
Nicole Rossi & Jennifer Poni (Le collegiali) Enzo Miccio & Carolina Gianuzzi (I wedding planner) Ema Kovač & Dayane Mello (Le top) Asia Ko Phra Thong to Seoul   Thailand
  China
  South Korea
2022 La rotta dei Sultani
(The sultans route)
Costantino della Gherardesca & Enzo Miccio Victoria Cabello & Paride Vitale (I pazzeschi) Natasha Stefanenko & Sasha Sabbioni (Mamma e figlia) Gianluca "Fru" Colucci & Aurora Leone (Gli sciacalli) Uçhisar to Dubai   Turkey
  Uzbekistan
  Jordan
  United Arab Emirates
2023 La via delle Indie
(The Indies route)
Joe Bastianich & Andrea Belfiore (Gli italoamericani) Federica Pellegrini & Matteo Giunta (I novelli sposi) Carolina Stramare & Barbara Prezja (Le mediterranee) Mumbai to Angkor   India
  Malaysia
  Cambodia
2024 La rotta del Dragone
(The route of the Dragon)
Costantino della Gherardesca & The Jackal TBD TBD TBD Tam Cốc to Sigiriya   Vietnam
  Laos
  Sri Lanka
2025 Ascesa all'Olimpo
(Ascension to Olympus)
TBD TBD TBD Europe Danube Delta to Athens   Romania
  Bulgaria
  Greece

Polish seasons edit

In this version, there are only celebrity couples.

Azja Express Season Winning couple Route Visited countries
2016 Michał Żurawski & Ludwik Borkowski Hai Duong to Bangkok   Vietnam
  Laos
  Cambodia
  Thailand
2017 Antoni Pawlicki & Paweł Ławrynowicz Sigiriya to Mumbai   Sri Lanka
  India
Ameryka Express 2018 Aleksandra Domańska & Dawid Domański San Antonio de Ibarra to Cusco   Ecuador
  Peru
2020 Karolina Pisarek & Marta Gajewska-Komorowska Antigua Guatemala to Cartagena   Guatemala
  Colombia
Azja Express 2023 TBD Istanbul to Tashkent   Turkey
  Georgia
  Uzbekistan
2024 TBD TBA   Philippines
  Taiwan

Romanian seasons edit

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 (The Dragon Road) Gina Pistol and Marius Damian Raluca Nistor & Ana Baniciu Liviu Vârciu & Andrei Ştefănescu Daniela Crudu & Vica Blochina Asia Hạ Long to Bangkok   Vietnam
  Laos
  Cambodia
  Thailand
2019 Drumul Elefantului (The Elephant Road) Gina Pistol, Liviu Vârciu and Andrei Ștefănescu Eduard Mihail Andreianu & Ionuț Dongo Ana Claudia Grigore & Adrian Robert Andra Gheorghe & Bogdan Boantă Negombo to Mumbai   Sri Lanka
  India
2020 Drumul Comorilor (The Treasure Road) Gina Pistol, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian Sorin Bontea & Răzvan Fodor Ștefan Sprianu & Ștefania Codreanu Ada Alexandra Moldovan [ro] & Cătălin Rizea Lucena to Taipei   Philippines
  Taiwan
2021 Drumul Împăraților (The Emperors Road) Irina Fodor, Ionuț Dongo and Marius Damian Mihai Petre & Elwira Duda Emanuel Popescu & Adrian Popescu Lidia Buble & Estera Buble Edirne to Jerusalem   Turkey
  Georgia
  Jordan
  Israel
America Express 2023 Drumul Aurului (The Gold Road) Cătălin Bordea și Nelu Cortea Andreea Antonescu și Andreea Bălan Cătălin Scărlătescu și Doina Teodoru America Querétaro City to Cartagena   Mexico
  Guatemala
  Colombia
2023 Drumul Soarelui (The Sun Road) Irina Fodor and Marius Damian Laura Giurcanu & Sânziana Negru Alexia Eram & Aris Melkior Giulia Anghelescu & Vlad Huidu Medellin to Buenos Aires   Colombia
  Ecuador
  Argentina
Asia Express 2024 Drumul Zeilor (The Gods Road) TBA TBA TBA TBA Asia Chiang Rai to Bali   Thailand
  Malaysia
  Indonesia

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   Russia
  Mongolia
  China
2009 La Ruta del Himalaya
The Himalayan Route
Carmela & Antonio (rural friends) Beijing to Mumbai   China
    Nepal
  India
2010 La Ruta del Dragón
The Route of the Dragon
Sandra & Belinda (sisters) Hanoi to Bali   Vietnam
  Cambodia
  Laos
  Thailand
  Indonesia
2011 Aventura en África
Adventure in Africa
Mar & Vanesa (sisters) Great Rift Valley, Kenya to Cape Town   Kenya
  Tanzania
  South Africa
2015 La Ruta de los Mil Templos
The Route of the Thousand Temples
Ángel & Bea (siblings-in-law) Mandalay to Singapore   Myanmar
  Malaysia
  Singapore
2016 La Ruta de los Elefantes
The Route of the Elephants
Matías & Nabil (geek cousins) Anuradhapura to Mumbai   Sri Lanka
  India
2024 TBA TBD TBA TBA

International versions edit

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.[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.

Country Name Channel Route Host Website
  Belgium (Dutch)
  Netherlands
Peking Express NET 5
VT4 (2004–2008)
Q2 (2017)
2004: MoscowBeijing
2005: PekingMumbai
2006: Rach GiaLhasa
2006: GangotriKochi
2007: Rio de JaneiroLima
2008: Mexico CityCaracas
2012: SeoulManila
2017: Hạ LongAngkor
Ernst-Paul Hasselbach (2004)
Art Rooijakkers and Roos Van Acker (2005–2008)
Sol Wortelboer (2012)
Sean Dhondt and Rik van de Westelaken (2017)
Official website Netherlands
Official website Belgium
  Belgium (French) Pékin Express RTL 2012: WoriManado Michel De Maegd Official website
  Colombia Asia Express Caracol Televisión 2016: HanoiBangkok Ivan Lalinde Official website
  Denmark
  Sweden
  Norway
Peking Express TVNorge
Kanal 5
2007: MoscowBeijing Thomas Mygind
Martin Björk
Synnøve Skarbø
Official website Norway
  France Pékin Express M6 2006: ParisPskovBeijing
2007: BeijingMumbai
2008: Rio de JaneiroLima
2009: Ha Long BayBali
2010: Nueva LojaUshuaia
2010: GangotriPondicherry
2011: CairoCape Town
2012: SeoulSydney
2013: HabanaMiami
2014: LashioColombo
2018: KuchingTokyo
2019: lake AtitlanBogotá
2020: MoscowBeijing
2021: EntebbeIstanbul
2022: Son-KulDubai
2022: NegomboColombo
2023: La PazRio de Janeiro
2024: BaliHanoi
2024: AgraDelhi
2025: TBA
Stéphane Rotenberg Official website
  Germany Peking Express
Star Race
RTL 2005: MoscowBeijing
2012: BolinaoManila
Patrice Bouédibéla
Roberta Brandao
  Greece Asia Express Star 2022: AngkorBangkok Petros Polychronidis Official website
  Hungary Ázsia Expressz TV2 2017: Hải DươngBangkok
2019: NegomboChiang Mai
2022: AqabaTashkent
2023: Mexico CityAntigua Guatemala
2024: LucenaTaipei
Nóra Ördög Official website
  Israel פקין אקספרס - מסלול הדרקון
Peking Express - The Dragon Road
Channel 13 2024: Cambodia - Laos - Thailand Oz Zehavi

האתר הרשמי של פקין אקספרס

  Italy Pechino Express Rai 2 (2012–2020)
Sky Uno, TV8 (2022–)
2012: HaridwarBeijing
2013: HanoiBangkok
2014: MandalayBali
2015: QuitoRio de Janeiro
2016: BogotáMexico City
2017: PagbilaoTokyo
2018: TangierCape Town
2020: Ko Phra ThongSeoul
2022: Uçhisar - Dubai
2023: Mumbai - Angkor
2024: Tam CốcSigiriya
2025: Danube Delta - Athens
Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia (2012)
Costantino della Gherardesca (2013–)
Enzo Miccio (2022–)
Official website
  Mexico Abandonados Asia Azteca 7 (2016)
Azteca Uno (2024)
2016: HanoiBangkok
2024: TBA
Paola Nuñez (2016)
TBA (2024)
Official website (2016)
TBA (2024)
  Morocco Dakar Fès Express 2M 2011: DakarFez
2012: WoriManado
Hicham Mesrar Official website
  Poland Azja Express (1–2, 5)
Ameryka Express (3–4)
TVN 2016: HanoiBangkok
2017: SigiriyaMumbai
2018: San Antonio de IbarraCusco
2020: AntiguaCartagena
2023: IstanbulTashkent
Agnieszka Woźniak-Starak (2016–2018)
Daria Ładocha (2020, 2023)
Official website
  Portugal A Grande Aventura TVI 2012: Manado Tua – Manado Fernanda Serrano Official website
  Romania Asia Express (1–4)
America Express (5–6)
Antena 1 2018: Hạ LongBangkok
2019: NegomboMumbai
2020: LucenaTaipei
2021: EdirneJerusalem
2022: Querétaro CityCartagena
2023: MedellínBuenos Aires
Gina Pistol (2018–2020)
Marius Damian (2018, 2020-)
Liviu Vârciu (2019)
Andrei Ștefănescu (2019)
Ionuț Dongo (2020-)
Irina Fodor (2021-)
Official website
  Spain Pekín Express Cuatro (2008–2011)
Antena 3 (2015)
laSexta (2016)
Max (2024)
2008: PskovBeijing
2009: BeijingMumbai
2010: HanoiBali
2011: Rift ValleyCape Town
2015: MandalaySingapore
2016: AnuradhapuraMumbai
2024: TBA
Paula Vázquez (2008)
Raquel Sánchez Silva (2009–2010)
Jesús Vázquez (2011)
Cristina Pedroche (2015–2016)
Miguel Ángel Muñoz (2024)
Official website (Cuatro)
Official website (Antena 3)
Official website (laSexta)

References edit

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Pechino Express".
  3. ^ Migelez, Xabier (16 January 2015). "Antena 3 arrebata a Cuatro el reality 'Pekín express'". FormulaTV.

External links edit

  • Peking Express at IMDb