[Source: CBS News]

OK, would YOU jump off of a 700-foot dam for a chance at a million dollars? It’s terrifying, but it’s just another day on “The Amazing Race.” Over the past 21 years, the CBS reality show has taken more than 600 intrepid souls on a race around the world, two-by-two – a global odyssey that tests the limits of their endurance, the bounds of their dignity, and the strength of their relationships.

And as with just about any game show, you can’t help but wonder what you’d do if you were in their shoes.

It was in that spirit that “Sunday Morning” correspondent Tracy Smith went along last May for the start of season 34 of “The Amazing Race.”

Before the pandemic, the teams flew commercial airlines. But for safety’s sake, they now use a chartered 757. “We’d never done it before; this is a nice change-up,” said Phil Keoghan, who’s been the host for all 34 seasons. “And maybe after two decades of doing the show, we’ll take it, yeah!”

Smith and Keoghan knew the plane was bound for Munich, Germany. But none of the contestants aboard had a clue. “I just think it’s wild that we’re looking at them; they have no idea!” said Smith.

“No idea where they’re going,” said Keoghan. “I mean, can you think of anybody who gets on a plane and literally has no idea where they’re going? Can you imagine?”

But they could sense that things were about to get kind of hectic, once they began their amazing race in Germany.

Executive producer Bertram van Munster has directed just about every minute of every leg of every race since it began in 2001. Van Munster is especially close to co-executive producer Elise Doganieri; the two are married and have travelled the world together in the name of great TV.

She was the one who thought this whole thing up, inspired by a backpacking trip that she’d taken with her college roommate. “I thought, ‘If we put people who know each other together, there’s definitely gonna be drama,'” Doganieri told Smith.

And what’s happened since is TV history: “The Amazing Race” has become a perennial favorite on this network’s schedule, and the winner of 10 Emmys for best competition show – more than any other.

In 21 years of production, the race has been to nearly 100 countries, logging well over a million miles, and counting.

Smith asked, “Did you envision this?”

“No,” Doganieri replied. “The first season we filmed the show, I was working in advertising. I took a leave of absence. I said to Bertram, ‘Should I quit my job? We sold the show.’ He said, ‘No, no, no. Don’t quit your job. It’s television. You never know if it’s gonna get renewed or cancelled.’ And then the show got picked up. And I said, ‘Bert, what do you think?’ And he goes, ‘You should quit your job.’

“And so, we took a risk.”

But now, 34 seasons in, van Munster says it all still makes him as nervous as ever.

Smith asked, “So, last night, did you sleep?”