Peking Express
Peking Express is a Dutch/Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Peking. The series has already gone through three seasons, and a fourth is being filmed, with a broadcast in 2007. The series is shown in Holland on Net 5, and in Belgium on VT4. (Both stations are part of the SBS Broadcasting Group.)
General Theme
The theme of the show is to show how various couples handle not only the travails of communicating in a language they don't understand (many Dutch and Belgian people speak both Dutch and English, as well as some other Western-European languages, but not Chinese), but also the pitfalls of attempting to hitchhike across long terrains to a strange city. In addition, added tension was added by including couples that had broken up, but were willing to work together for the sake of winning the race.
Somewhat similar in theme 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.
Season one
The first season was broadcasted in 2004 and hosted by Roos Van Acker and Ernst-Paul Hasselbach. The couples had to hitchhike from Moscow to Peking. These are the eight couples in order of elimination:
- Frederik and Ann (BE)
- Robert and Arthur (NL)
- Sanne and Lotte (NL, they stopped because Sanne was ill and exhausted)
- Fleur and Bart (BE)
- Joeri and Wesley (BE)
- Jeske and Elias (NL)
- Reinier and Clarinca (NL)
- Rani and Hans (BE, the winning couple)
Season two
The second season was broadcasted in 2005 and hosted by Roos Van Acker and Art Rooijakkers. Ernst-Paul Hasselbach had been replaced because he just became a father and would be too long away from home. The couples had to hitchhike from Peking to Bombay. These are the eight couples in order of elimination:
- Stephan and Marco
- Herman and Kris
- Steven and Sofie
- Jeroen and Manja
- Just and Brechtje
- Rinck and Jorien
- Krieke and Nathalie
- Karla and Sophie (the winning couple)
Season three
The third season was broadcasted in 2006 and hosted by Roos Van Acker and Art Rooijakkers. The couples followed the Mekong river route, starting at the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, going through Cambodja, Laos and China, ending in Lhasa in Tibet. These are the eight couples in order of elimination:
- Marjolein and Martijn (NL)
- Miranda and Jan (NL)
- Inge and Lien (BE)
- Bliss and Frank (BE)
- Marc and Theo (NL/BE)
- Amir and Jimmy (NL)
- Chris and Lut (NL/BE)
- Yves and Wendy (BE, the winning couple)
Peking Express VIP
In 2006 a celebrity version with Dutch celebrities will be broadcasted. Presenter Chimène van Oosterhout, actress Hanna Verboom and ice skater Bart Veldkamp are three of the twelve contestants. It's very likely that Art Rooijakkers will host this special version. It's not sure Roos Van Acker will host it too, because the contestants are all Dutch.
Season four
In 2007, a regular version will be broadcasted with Dutch and Belgian contestants.
Music
During the opening sequence they use Summon the Worms, from Brian Tyler's soundtrack of Children of Dune.