CBS renews 'The Amazing Race' for a thirteenth season

While it presumably won't be ready for a Spring debut, The Amazing Race will reportedly be back for a thirteenth season


CBS has formally green-lit the production of The Amazing Race's thirteenth season, Daily Variety reported Sunday.

CBS had renewed The Amazing Race for a twelfth edition in May, but announced that for the first time in three years, The Amazing Race would not premiere as part of the network's initial fall schedule launch and would instead air as midseason programming. 

However CBS subsequently announced The Amazing Race 12 would be airing earlier than expected as a replacement for Viva Laughlin, a musical drama series that CBS canceled after just one poorly-rated broadcast in its regularly scheduled Sundays at 8PM ET/PT time period.

Since the show's original midseason replacement status meant CBS only ordered one The Amazing Race edition for the 2007-2008 season, The Amazing Race co-creator and executive producer Bertram van Munster told Reality TV World in an October interview that viewers were unlikely to see another The Amazing Race edition this spring.


According to van Munster, if and when CBS decided to order another edition, there probably wouldn't be enough time to cast, film and produce a thirteenth The Amazing Race edition in time for Spring 2008 broadcast. 

"For the spring, it would probably not be possible," said van Munster.  "[But] my mouth is under lock and key [about whether CBS has ordered another edition]."

Phil Keoghan will reprise his hosting duties for The Amazing Race 13, which has already been casting for several weeks.

The Amazing Race 12's November 4 premiere attracted the show's largest ever debut-episode audience, averaging 13.72 million overall viewers and a 8.3/12 rating/share in households during its broadcast.

CBS' broadcast of the New England Patriots/IndianapolisColts game -- the highest-rated regular season Sunday afternoon NFL game in over 20 years -- served as a lead-in for The Amazing Race 12's premiere, which delivered its best ratings in the Adults 18-49 (4.3/10 rating/share) and Adults 25-54 (5.2/11 rating/share) demographics since the show's September 2005 eighth-season debut broadcast.


In addition, the show's twelfth-season premiere was The Amazing Race's most-watched broadcast since the show's May 2005 seventh-season finale averaged 16.01 million overall viewers -- the long-running franchise's all-time broadcast record. 

The Amazing Race 12 has averaged 12 million total viewers in its Sundays at 8PM ET/PT time period, Variety reported.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio