Beijing Express, The epic of the maharajas is currently broadcast on M6. Every Saturday evening, the pairs go in search of a place to sleep, producer Thierry Guillaume reveals what happens before the candidates spend the night with the families.
Accommodation is an important part of the adventure Pékin Express. The night at a local’s house is also one of the candidates’ favorite moments in the show. At the end of the day, the pairs must find a family willing to accommodate them for free, a task not always easy, especially since security must be essential. The pairs are followed by the cameramen from the start of the race until the evening at the locals’ house, who leave them around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. and leave them alone for the night.
“They have an emergency phone in their backpack” : how production ensures the safety of candidates in Pékin Express
“When they are really alone, it’s night among the localswhen we made sure that everything would be fine, that our security agent came to check, that our doctor saw the candidates. They have an emergency phone in their backpack, they can call us constantly : doctor, security or me. But we leave them alone roughly from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.“reveals producer Thierry Guillaume. Once the candidates have found accommodation, the security agent will meet the owners of the house and question the neighborhood. “We also work with local security agents who know the different neighborhoodsrather risky or safe areas, and based on all this advice and all the information we collect, our agent decides that the place is ok and that they can stay there for the night.adds the producer.
“We’re not taking any risks.” : these moments when the production of Pékin Express ask candidates to find alternative accommodation
In 19 seasons, it has already happened that candidates found accommodation and the security guard told them that it was not going to be possible. “We don’t take any risks so as soon as we have the slightest doubt… Typically, if we have a pair of two women, there is nothing sexist in what I say, but if there are six men in the house, our security guard will probably say: ‘Listen girls, I advise you to go find something else’. We can tell them that this house or this neighborhood doesn’t seem safe to us and that they should look for something else.”concludes Thierry Guillaume, the producer.
