Stéphane Rotenberg during the filming of this season 22 of “Pékin Express”. M6
The adventure in the kingdom of the dragon took an unexpected turn. In the fifth episode of Pékin Express, broadcast on Friday, April 3 on M6, the candidates found themselves in the heart of a violent political crisis in Nepal. The filming of this 22nd season took place at the beginning of September 2025, during the revolt of Generation Z against the government, especially in Kathmandu.
The ten pairs, who were about to start the fifth stage of the race to secure their spot to China, saw their adventure abruptly disrupted by demonstrations.
Behind this mobilization: the angry Nepalese youth due to a nepotism system established in the country’s high political spheres. Initiated on social media with hashtags #Nepokid and then #Nepobaby, to target certain politicians accused of favoring their relatives.
The Nepalese Gen Z on the streets
In response, on September 4, the government decided to censor 26 platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, citing a lack of regulation in the face of misinformation. This decision ignited the situation. The protest spilled over to the streets.
For these young Nepalese, this mobilization was a way to denounce a system in place since 2008, the establishment of the Republic in Nepal. The images show that the demonstrations quickly turned into violent clashes with law enforcement.
As Stéphane Rotenberg explains in the episode, public institutions and places linked to power were targeted by the protesters. Some politicians were even urgently evacuated by the army, hanging from a helicopter rope. A remarkable scene available in the episode broadcast on April 3 on M6.
“It’s a mess”
Amidst this chaos, the Pékin Express team found themselves trapped. On the screen, the candidates’ worry is palpable. “I’m freaking out a bit,” admits one of them. “It’s a mess, we don’t know if the race can continue,” testifies another. They all describe a tense and unpredictable atmosphere. Behind the host, helicopters, smoke, and gunshots: the tension rises. “The police fired on the crowd, there were several deaths,” explained Stéphane Rotenberg. The toll of these protests was indeed heavy: around twenty dead and several hundred injured in the capital according to Le Monde.
The production team and the candidates finally found refuge in a small hotel. The filming was interrupted for five days, before the candidates could be safely evacuated. Once the airport reopened, the ten pairs, originally competing to reach China, flew there. The production “rewrote an episode” to allow the candidates to get back into the game. The adventure then resumed in the heart of the Yunnan region, where, without changing the course of the show, one pair was eliminated.
