A piece of Naples and Campania in the new edition of Pechino Express with Ciro Ferrara and his son Giovanbattista but also with Fru and Aurora Leone of Jackal among the other participants.
The journey of the first season of 'Pechino Express' branded Sky, led by Costantino della Gherardesca, is about to begin. The couples of competitors who will leave in a few days for the filming of the next edition, produced by Banijay Italia, expected on Sky and streaming on NOW in 2022, have been chosen. Here are the ten couples that make up the cast:
Alex Schwazer and Bruno Fabbri
'The Athletes': Alex Schwazer, 36, from Vipiteno (Bolzano), race walker, gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 50 km, one of the most complex sports cases in recent years. In 2016 he met his wife Kathrin Freund, with whom he has two children: one is 4 years old, the other is a few months old. Bruno Fabbri, 63, from Pesaro, is one of the most accredited sports doctors in Italy: he has followed the Italian National Boxing Team for years. Passionate about race walking, he has always been a friend and fan of Alex. Bruno has written a book entitled 'Sex as Sport', a true cult in the environment.
Ciro and Giovambattista Ferrara
'Father and Son': Ciro Ferrara, 54 years old, originally from Naples, is a former footballer and coach. He is considered one of the best defenders of the 10s and 11s: he played for 20 seasons in Naples and for XNUMX in Juventus, winning several national and international titles. Today he is an established football commentator on TV with a very strong passion for the sport, which he follows continuously from the sofa at home. Giovambattista is Ciro's third son, 'the youngest of the house' (he is XNUMX years old): affectionate and funny, a lover of evenings with friends, of the PlayStation and of studying, which he takes in small doses. He attends university and is late every time he is asked to be punctual but then, with a smile and a joke, he always comes out on top. He came second with his team in the five-a-side football tournament ('missing a penalty one minute from the end of the match', adds his father).
Barbascura X and Andrea Boscherini
'The Scientists': Two 34-year-old science communicators: Barbascura X, from Taranto, is a chemist, writer and musician; whimsical and multifaceted, very popular on all social media and especially through his YouTube channel, he has a degree in organic chemistry with a doctorate in green chemistry, he also defines himself as a pirate, satyr and serial procrastinator. Andrea Boscherini, from Bagno di Romagna, is an expert in natural sciences. Barbascura X calls Andrea 'the man of the woods': they met a year ago for work and shared trips and excursions in the woods to study the fauna. Andrea has a true passion for animals and in particular for wolves, deer and snakes.
Rita Rusic and Cristiano Di Luzio
'The Sweethearts': Rita Rusic (61 years old), film producer, actress and model of Croatian origins, participates with her partner Cristiano Di Luzio (from Anzio, Rome, 31 years old). He worked for many years as a model and today he is an entrepreneur. They met in 2020 and immediately went to live together in Rome. The first time they saw each other was during a photo shoot for Chi.
Anna Ciati and Giulia Paglianiti
'The TikTokers'. Anna Ciati (Besana Brianza, Monza-Brianza, 22 years old) and Giulia Paglianiti (Limbiate, MB, 20 years old), TikToker friends and influencers with over a million followers each. In 2021, Giulia's book entitled 'Ho amato nel modo giusto?' was released, in which she wanted to talk about the betrayals she suffered, the disappointments and her way of dealing with even the most difficult situations with ironic and fun tones. Anna, who aspires to work on TV one day, has written a book entitled 'Rosso Fuoco' to tell her life story, she says she complements Giulia perfectly and that together they have all the right cards to put themselves on the line.
Victoria Cabello and Paris Vitale
'The Crazy Ones': Victoria Cabello (born in London, 46 years old) in her career has been a correspondent for Le Iene, host and author of Very Victoria on MTV, Victor Victoria on La7 and Quelli che il calcio; then judge of X Factor and in 2006 she also co-hosted the Sanremo Festival. Paride Vitale, Milanese by adoption and originally from Pescasseroli (L'Aquila), 44 years old, works as a consultant in communication strategies, press office, event organization and public relations. Victoria and Paride have been friends for over twenty years.
Fru and Aurora Leo
'The Jackals': Gianluca Colucci, aka Fru, Neapolitan, 26 years old, actor and comedian, has been a member of The Jackal since 2016. In 2021 he is in the cast of 'LOL' together with his partner in crime with The Jackal Ciro Priello and is co-star of the Netflix series 'Generazione 56K'. Aurora Leone, from Caserta, 22 years old, is a comic actress and author enrolled in the collective of The Jackal since 2019, after participating in Italia's Got Talent in which she reached the final.
Nikita Pelizon and Helena Prestes
'Italy-Brazil': Nikita Pelizon, born in Trieste, 27 years old, also known as 'Hurricane Nikita', works as a model and interviewer and has participated in numerous programs including 'Ex on the Beach', in 2018, with Matteo Diamante, her ex-boyfriend. Helena Prestes is a 31-year-old model and actress of Brazilian origin (she was born in Sao Paulo) and lives in Milan, she is very sporty, a yoga teacher, dynamic and adventurous.
Bugo and Cristian Dondi
'The Independents': Cristian Bugatti, aka Bugo, 48 years old, from Rho, is a singer-songwriter and musician. Having successfully established himself in the context of independent music, a multifaceted artist, multi-instrumentalist, he is considered one of the most interesting and controversial artists on the Italian music scene. Cristian Dondi (46 years old) is his best friend: they have known each other since adolescence, having both grown up in the same area, they played together for over 10 years until Cristian decided to change profession and dedicate himself to the world of audiovisual.
Natasha Stefanenko and Sasha Sabbioni
'Mother and Daughter': Natasha Stefanenko, 52, former model, actress and TV presenter born in Sverdlovsk (Russia) and naturalized Italian. She participates with her 21-year-old daughter Sasha Sabbioni (born in Ancona), a student in Economics and Management.
The journey of 'Beijing Express', this season, will develop in the Middle East and will touch four states: Turkey, Uzbekistan, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The new adventure will be along the route of the Sultans: these are the territories where the Islamic sovereigns historically dominated, who brought Middle Eastern civilizations to splendor during the dark ages of the West.
By telling the story of these middle civilizations, a bridge between the West and the East, the travelers will encounter the most diverse cultures: the splendor of the Ottoman era with its Greek and Roman influences, Sufi mysticism, the traces of the ancient Hittite, Mongol, Persian, Bedouin and Nabatean peoples. The competing couples will travel on the same roads traveled by the Crusaders, Alexander the Great, Marco Polo, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane: they will start from Cappadocia and cross Istanbul, the 'Sublime Gate', to then reach the dazzling Samarkand along the Silk Road. They will discover the hidden treasures of mysterious Petra until they reach futuristic Dubai, a true symbol of connection between our world and that of the Sultans.
'Pechino Express' is one of the most successful formats of recent years, and this new edition will also see 10 couples competing as they travel thousands of kilometers across a territory that is distant from their home country, both geographically and culturally.
The novelty of this season is that the couples will not only move by hitchhiking, but will cross the desert on dromedaries, will get on trains, tractors, boats and will have to face tough journeys on foot. The exciting and adrenaline-filled race of this season will unfold along the Sultans' route, a race - as always at 'Pechino Express' - made of amazement at discovery, joy at solidarity (the final prize is donated to support one of the NGOs that operate in the countries visited during the edition) and very strong interactions between human beings, distant from each other in culture and habits but capable of collaborating and uniting even in the most extreme conditions.
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