Hacks pulls off a wild crossover with The Amazing Race in its final season

The final season of Hacks is going out with one of the most unexpected twists in recent TV history: a full-blown crossover with The Amazing Race. In Episode 5, titled 'D'Amazing Race,' Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) find themselves roped into the chaotic world of the long-running CBS reality competition, complete with clue envelopes, frantic travel, and host Phil Keoghan making a cameo. The episode, which aired this week, has already become a talking point for its audacious blend of sharp comedy and surreal reality TV homage.

According to the show's producers, the idea wasn't just a last-minute gag-it was once the backbone of a potential Season 6. They'd been toying with the concept of sending Deborah on a cross-country tour that mirrored the format of The Amazing Race, using the structure as a metaphor for her emotional journey. But as the team leaned into ending the series with Season 5, they decided to fold the idea into a single, high-energy episode instead. 'It felt like the perfect way to honor that idea without stretching the story too thin,' one producer told Variety.

Jean Smart, who delivers a standout performance in the episode, called it 'one of the funniest things I've ever seen, let alone been in.' Speaking with Deadline, she revealed the shoot happened just days before she was hospitalized for emergency triple bypass surgery. Smart said she finished filming a physically demanding scene involving a sprint through an airport terminal before heading straight to the hospital. 'I thought I was just out of shape,' she said. 'Turns out it was my heart.'

Despite the physical toll, Smart's energy in the episode is electric. Kaitlin Olson, who plays a rival comedian, joins her in several race challenges, and their comedic timing turns what could've been a gimmick into a genuinely funny and oddly touching sequence. The episode uses the absurdity of reality TV to highlight the evolving dynamic between Deborah and Ava, with the race's relentless pace mirroring their own emotional sprint toward closure.

The collaboration was made possible through mutual respect between the two shows' teams. The Amazing Race has long been admired in TV circles for its tight production and global scope, and the Hacks creators saw it as the ideal contrast to their character-driven drama. 'There's something beautiful about the mechanical precision of that show,' said a writer. 'Putting our messy, emotional characters into that world created instant comedy-and tension.'

For fans, the crossover feels like a final gift: bold, self-aware, and unafraid to take risks. It's also a reminder of Jean Smart's enduring presence in television. Her ability to balance humor, vulnerability, and sheer stamina-both on screen and off-has only deepened the emotional resonance of the final season.

As Hacks wraps its run, this unlikely pairing with a reality TV staple stands as a testament to the show's creative fearlessness. It's not every series that can pull off a heart surgery scare, a genre mashup, and a heartfelt farewell-all in the same week.