I Just Found Out Why 'Amazing Race' Aired The Last Couple Of Seasons Out Of Order, As Phil Keoghan Calls It The 'Risk That Paid Off'

"Amazing Race" mega fans probably remember the last couple of seasons, and how wonky they were. I’m not talking about the million dollar prize winners, but rather how the show went from the Covid era where people were masked and precautions like chartering flights for contestants were taken in Season 34 to a totally normal Season 35 and then back to Covid masks and precautions in Season 36. No, this wasn’t a continuity error. In fact, longtime host Phil Keoghan is calling it a “risk that paid off.”
Ahead of Season 37 finally heading to the TV schedule, what had actually happened was "The Amazing Race" aired a couple of seasons out of order. This was precipitated by a change on CBS that went down with "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor," its unofficial “sister” reality series at the Eye Network. I had no idea, but apparently what ended up being Season 36 of "The Amazing Race" had already been edited and put together when CBS made the sudden decision to begin airing 90-minute episodes of both shows.