The Amazing Race season 33 episode 4 promo: Who is returning?

Who is returning to The Amazing Race season 33 starting with episode 4 next week? To say that this is a complex situation is putting it mildly.

At the time that production first shut down for the season, there were nine teams still actively a part of the competition. However, you likely noticed in the promo (see below) that there are only five teams still present and in front of Phil Keoghan. Those teams are Kim & Penn, Ryan & Dusty, Lulu & Lala, Akbar & Sheri, and Raquel & Cayla.

So what does this mean? It’s possible that Anthony & Spencer, Connie & Sam, Caro & Ray, and Taylor & Isaiah were unable to return for whatever reason. Remember that production resumed a good year and a half after things first shut down and doing this probably proved difficult. There are a number of reasons why teams could’ve said no to coming back (we know Caro & Ray are no longer together) — it’s possible some of them do come back and aren’t shown, but that would be a little weird based on how things were presented. Why wouldn’t they be there when Phil is speaking to the actual group?

Now, Phil does mention that there are some “surprise replacements” coming on board who are familiar faces. We don’t think it should be that hard to figure some of this out. Michael & Moe and Arun & Natalia were already eliminated, but could they each come back? The promo shows the back of someone’s head who could very well be Arun, but it’s hard to know with 100% certainty. We suppose it’s possible that another team from a past season comes back, given that the season would only have seven racers even if those two teams return. Of course, the show could move forward and change things up by just doing more non-elimination legs or shortening the season overall.

We have seen other editions of the franchise work in the pandemic — take a look at the most recent season of The Amazing Race Austrlia! The show can still work even with these challenges.

Are you surprised that the cast will be shaken up to such a degree when The Amazing Race season 33 picks back up?

Let us know in the comments! Meanwhile, keep coming back for other updates all about the show and what lies ahead.