A new itinerary to follow, a new group to cheer for and two new hosts to listen to: Beijing Express, for its tenth edition, the second Sky license plate, has decided to redo its look but with great parsimony, well aware of the strength of its formula and of the futility of inserting shortcuts and innovations that would have risked distorting it. Here we are, therefore, close to the start of a new edition starting Thursday 9 March exclusively on Sky and streaming only on NOW to then presumably land free-to-air on TV8 at a later time. But what will the new hold for us? Beijing Express? Here is our guide to not arrive unprepared.
The itinerary
The subtitle of this new edition is «The way to the Indies»so it means that our travelers will take a fantastic route this year through three countries that Beijing Express had never visited: India, Malaysian Borneo and Cambodia. The departure will be in the metropolis of Mumbai, the first stop on a route that will take the competitors to discover India, a multifaceted and enormous country in Southeast Asia, the second most populous in the world, then a run towards Malaysian Borneo and finally towards Cambodia, with the final finish line of this edition set in the fantastic scenery of Angkorthe most important archaeological site in the country as well as one of the most important and visited on the Asian continent.
The conductors
After so many years of solo conduction, on this tour Costantino della Gherardesca will be able to rely on his friend Enzo Miccio, who in 2022 had run to the rescue of production by taking over the reins of the program when Costantino had injured his shoulder. The two will have separate spaces, even if they will be able to keep both their cut and their style intact.
The couples
There are nine: The activists Giorgia Soleri and Federippi, active, in fact, on their social profiles in a series of battles ranging from feminism to gender equality; Lawyers Lara Picardi and Alessandra Demichelisthe latter ended up in the eye of the storm because of an old video in which he harshly criticized the poor; Italian Americans Joe Bastianichhistoric judge of MasterChef and, lately, also of Italia’s got talent, and his friend Andrea Belfiore, part musician and part chef; The Hypochondriacs Dario Vergassolaan extraordinarily talented entertainer, and his daughter Catherine; Mother and Son Martina Colombari and Achille Costacurta; The Newly Weds Federica Pellegrininow at home on television thanks to his experience as a judge at ITalia’s Got Talentand his former instructor Matteo Giunta; The Mediterranean Carolina Stramareformer Miss Italy, and Barbara Preziasinger and model; The Sicels Salvatore Schillacihistorical striker of the national team, and his wife Barbara Lombardoand finally, The Educated Maria Rosa Petolicchio and Andrea Di Pieroboth known to the general public thanks to The college.
The bets
The episodes of this tenth edition of Beijing Express they are ten: in each stage, as we know, there may or may not be an elimination decided by what is written inside the black envelope. The winners of each episode, i.e. the couple who will arrive before the others at the finish line, will choose to donate a fee to a charity, while the final prize will be donated to support an NGO that works with its volunteers in the countries visited by this edition .
The evidence
As in every edition, also in this round Beijing Expresss will be seasoned with various tests of physical resistance, but also with a deep empathy that will be necessary for couples to get the passes – remember that travelers of Beijing Express they cannot pay either to get a lift or to stay overnight in a hotel – trying to get to the goal before the others. It is a race that tests not only the physical and psychological resistance, but also the ability and resourcefulness and the spirit of adaptation and survival of the travellers, ready to experience an adventure that will allow them to discover and sometimes deal with local habits, traditions, foods and customs with which they are not very familiar.
The appointment with Peking Express – The way to the Indiesproduced by Banijay Italia, is from Thursday 9 March at 21:15 exclusively on Sky Uno and in streaming only on NOW, always available on demand, visible on Sky Go.
Other Vanity Fair stories you may be interested in:
Beijing Express 2023Federica Pellegrini: «With Matteo Giunta the bond has strengthened»
Costantino della Gherardesca: «It’s a group therapy»
Beijing Express 2023: here is the cast, from Federica Pellegrini to Joe Bastianich
To receive the other cover of Vanity Fair (and much more), subscribe to Vanity Weekend.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
