Australian Amazing Race makes a Namibian turn
Namibian cooperation praised
The popular Amazing Race television series made a quick visit to Namibia again in May, with Amazing Race Australia shooting the first of three episodes here. These episodes were broadcast in Australia on Sunday and Monday.The Amazing Race franchise has more than 20 million people glued to their televisions worldwide.
The Namibian Film Commission's senior administrative officer for permits, Shirley Kariange confirmed that the episodes were filmed in Namibia from 1 to 31 May. Sandstone Film Logistics' Paul van der Ploeg was the local facilitator, but was unable to share much about his experience due to his busy schedule and a non-disclosure agreement. He referred inquiries to film producer Lesley-Anne Mulder of Outbound Films in South Africa.
Lesley-Anne has been responsible for Namibia as a destination's participation in Amazing Race for some time.
She was previously involved in the American Amazing Race in Namibia, which was produced for CBS & ABC Studio, divisions of Paramount Global and the Walt Disney Company. Also on her list is the Israeli Amazing Race in 2018, which was shot for Keshet Broadcasting in Israel, she says.
'Popular choice'
"Namibia is a very popular choice for reality shows of this nature thanks to its magnificent and diverse landscapes, fascinating cultures and incredible geology," says Lesley-Anne.
She describes the Namibian leg of the production as "large-scale", with around 80 Australian and foreign production members flown in, while Outbound hired around 50 local film and support workers with Sandstone Logistics.
"This is one of the biggest and logistically most complicated programs on international television," says Lesley-Anne.
Filming was done at the airport in Walvis Bay, in Swakopmund, at the Spitzkoppe, in the dune belt along the coast, at Pelican Point in Walvis Bay, at the Dorob shipwrecks, and in the Namib-Naukluft Park. Furthermore, Omandumba in the Erongo was also added as a location.
Challenging, rewarding
"As the facilitating producer for Amazing Race Australia, my experience has been both challenging and rewarding," says Lesley-Anne. The production process involves a tremendous amount of advance scouting and careful planning.
“We have to consider extensive logistics, locations and transport coordination to ensure everything runs smoothly. One of the key aspects of our preparation is to help design the challenges or tasks that the participants must complete. This requires a good understanding of the local culture and environment, and this is where our collaboration with the Namibian team becomes invaluable. Their insight and expertise are crucial to creating authentic and engaging experiences for the participants," she says.
Lesley-Anne praises the synergy between her production team and the local Namibians. "Overall, the experience is a mix of hard work, creativity and long hours, resulting in a program that celebrates the spirit of adventure and the beauty of diverse cultures," she says.
Amazing Race involves teams of two travelling around the world in competition with other teams. However, Namibians will not be able to watch the locally shot episodes, with MultiChoice confirming that they are not scheduled on any of its DStv channels for September or October. The Channel 10 website (10play.com.au) also cannot be streamed locally due to geological restrictions. - [email protected]