In Beijing Express everything is ready for the final, who will be the winners? The previews

THE SEMI-FINAL

This is the verdict of yesterday’s semi-final, 233 kilometers between the eternal city of Kandy and the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka Mihintale: pitfalls and penalties inflamed the competition, already very fierce, while winning strategies and memorable comebacks led to the elimination, one step away from the last act along the Dragon’s Route, of the Dancers Maddalena Svevi and Megan Ria.

Yesterday was a very intense semi-final. InKandy, at the start of the race, the Carrara brothers, winners of the last stage, penalized the Dancers, who were forced to buy a cake for Costantino before starting the race like all the other travellers. The first destination of the route was the Royal Palace Park, where they had to try their hand at a traditional local dance used to invoke supernatural spirits; having spent the first night of this stage among the local residences, the objective for everyone was to reach the Spice Garden of Matale for a memory test in the name of Ayurvedic remedies among the herbs and spices of the folk medicine, still widespread in Sri Lanka. And again, immediately the next mission, to discover a long dynasty of rulers in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, a wonderful archaeological site which is a World Heritage Site and which today houses the remains of ancient palaces and temples: here the couples were able to sign the red book of the intermediate finish line, and the first to do so were the Pastry Chefs who thus gained a place in the final ranking and entrusted the dreaded “reversing penalty” to Italy Argentina, forced – when the race resumed – to ask for a ride in the opposite direction to the one to be taken.

The second night with the local population was an opportunity for everyone to celebrate: on the occasion of Megan’s 19th birthday, all the couples received an envelope containing a letter from their relatives, a way to encourage them and make everything heard cheering from home. So early in the morning the travelers entered theMinneriya National Park for a sensational safari during which they had to photograph at least five of the indicated animal specimens (peacock, monkey, jackal, elephant, deer, buffalo, leopard or crocodile) and answer some questions about the local fauna, with the penalty of very heavy minutes of forced stopping. With all the couples very close to each other, the jeep journey – between a photo and a question to answer – further ignited the dispute between the travellers.

Once the safari is complete, everyone is back on the run with a red carpet destination atKaludiya Pokuna, the black water pond at the foot of the sacred mountain ofMihintale&nbsp ;for the most decisive verdict of the season. The final ranking once again saw I Pasticcieri in first place followed by Italia Argentina, the latter responsible for another memorable comeback; in the Amiche e Ballerine ballot, with Damiano and Massimiliano nominating Maddalena Svevi and Megan Ria for elimination: unfortunately for them the penultimate stage was an elimination stage and therefore they had to abandon their journey one step away from the final race.

Exhausting, spectacular, exciting: this season of Beijing Express was all this but also much more. After thousands of kilometers traveled between Vietnam, Laos and Sri Lanka, now only the last stretch remains which, Thursday 9 May on Sky and streaming on NOW, will take couples up to the majestic fortress of Sigiriya, a suggestive place that dominates the emerald green expanses of the country nicknamed “the tear of India”. Pastry chefs, Friends, Italy Argentina: which will be the couple who, blessed from the Dragon of Beijing Express, will it win this edition?