The Eco-Challenge series of adventure races isn’t new; Mark Burnett produced a number of specials and series documenting these grueling multi-day races from 1995 to 2002. After being absent for most of the last 17 years (with one or two one-year exceptions), a new race was run around Fiji last September. For eleven days, 66 teams ran through hot, humid, rugged terrain while trying to figure out how to marshal their resources in order to win, or in some cases, just finish the race. And not only is Burnett back in the producer’s chair, but the host is TV’s current adventure king, Bear Grylls.
WORLD’S TOUGHEST RACE: ECO-CHALLENGE FIJI: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Bear Grylls flies over Fiji on a helicopter, and we hear him say in voice over: “Welcome to Fiji, and this year’s Eco-Challenge adventure race: The World’s Toughest Race.”
The Gist: Grylls hosts this Mark Burnett-produced revival of the Eco-Challenge race series, which aired on various cable channels from 1995 through 2002. As before, the series documents a number of teams racing on a treacherous 11-day course, making all sorts of decisions that could gain or lose them time as the course goes on.