Who are Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino, the Recommended winners of Pechino Express 2026?

Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino, competing as The Recommended, they won Beijing Express 2026 after a journey of more than 5.000 kilometers between Indonesia, China and JapanThe couple, two best friends who grew up together, crossed the finish line first at Kyoto, overturning the predictions of an edition in which she did not necessarily start as the favourite.

Their victory surprised some of the public because Chanel and Filippo had often been described as the youngest and most instinctive of the group, capable of alternating complicity, arguments, lightheartedness, and sudden bursts of competitiveness. It was precisely this mix that made The Recommended one of the most followed couples on the show.

Who won Peking Express 2026?

The winners of Beijing Express 2026 are Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino, the couple of The RecommendedThe final ended in Japan, with the arrival at Kyoto Red Carpet, after a journey that crossed three Far Eastern countries: Indonesia, China and Japan.

In the last stage, Chanel and Filippo beat The DJ, couple formed by Jo Squillo and Michelle Masullo, arrived second, while The Fast Ones, namely Fiona May and Patrick Stevens, finished in third place. The Recommended's victory came after a thrilling final, marked by physical challenges, hitchhiking, penalties, and a decisive race to the finish line.

The most direct answer is this: Pechino Express 2026 was won by Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino, I Raccomandati, who beat Le DJ in the final challenge in KyotoTheir journey was seen as one of progressive growth, as the couple alternated between difficult moments and more solid phases, finding the decisive push in the final stretch of the journey.

Who is Chanel Totti?

Chanel Totti is the daughter of Francesco Totti and Ilary Blasi, born in 2007 and inevitably grew up under the public eye. Before Pechino Express, she was known primarily for her social media presence and her connection to one of the most closely watched families in Italian entertainment and sports, but the reality show gave her a different context, less filtered and more exposed to spontaneous reactions.

On the program, Chanel showed a more direct side than her social media persona: ironic, frank, sometimes impulsive, but also capable of challenging herself in conditions far from everyday comfort. The stages of Peking Express required endurance, adaptation, the ability to ask for help, handle unexpected events, and cope with fatigue and pressure.

The interesting point is that Chanel Totti, in Pechino Express, did not win only for her surname, but because she was able to transform an initially very exposed role into a more concrete television journey, made of tests, crises, laughter and character moments.It is precisely this change in perception that made it one of the surprises of the edition.

Who is Filippo Laurino?

Filippo Laurino is Chanel Totti's best friend and competed with her in the Recommended pair. Born in 2002, is 23 years old according to the information released, and has been presented as a profile much further away from the spotlight than his traveling companion.

His image on the show was that of the couple's counterweight: more down-to-earth, direct, and less accustomed to public exposure, yet capable of navigating the journey with a natural ease that greatly helped the duo's balance. In a couple like theirs, childhood friendship was an advantage, but also a source of conflict, because knowing each other well doesn't mean avoiding tension.

Filippo Laurino worked at Pechino Express because he didn't try to imitate a television character: he brought a more dry and practical presence, becoming the necessary other half of a couple built on complicity, bickering and mutual trust.It was precisely his distance from the spotlight that made him credible in the eyes of a section of the public.

Why were they called The Recommended?

Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino competed under the name of I Raccomandati, a deliberately ironic label, linked above all to the notoriety of the Totti surname and the initial public perception of the couple. The name played on an obvious prejudice: the idea that Chanel, being the daughter of two famous people, had an advantage or was there for visibility reasons.

The show, however, used this definition as a starting point, not a conclusion. Over the course of the episodes, the couple had to prove they could cope with hitchhiking, rehearsals, penalties, difficult nights, language, fatigue, and competition dynamics, just like the other contestants.

The name I Raccomandati worked because it started from an uncomfortable label and transformed it into a television story: Chanel and Filippo entered with a prejudice and came out with a victory built on the pathThe narrative strength of the couple lies here too, in the reversal between expectation and final result.

How did they win the final?

Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino won the final by arriving first on the Kyoto Red Carpet, after a stage in Japan that saw the three finalist couples compete. According to the final report, The DJs had started with an advantage and had also awarded a penalty to the Recommended, forcing them to start in a less comfortable position than their opponents.

The pair, however, managed to make up ground along the way, through rehearsals, hitchhiking, and moments of intense pressure. In the final stage, Chanel and Filippo overtook Le DJ, who were considered among the favorites, and prevailed at the decisive moment.

The victory of the Recommended came because the final rewarded their ability to react to the disadvantage, stay in the game and take advantage of the last useful opportunity to overtake their opponents.It's the kind of finale that Pechino Express often constructs: the winner isn't always the one who seems more stable throughout the season, but the one who manages to stay clear-headed when the journey becomes definitive.

Why did Chanel and Philippe conquer the public?

Chanel and Philip won over the public because their couple seemed spontaneous, imperfect and recognizable, especially in the way he alternated affection, irony, and arguments. They didn't always project a tidy or strategic image, but they displayed a dynamic of true friends, with complicity and tensions that often coexist in the same relationship.

Their young age contributed to the initial sense of lightheartedness, almost like "kids," of the edition, but as the stages progressed, the two demonstrated resilience and adaptability. The distance between their initial image and the final result made their victory all the more compelling, as the audience was able to witness their growth, not just their confirmation.

The reason The Recommended worked is simple: they didn't appear perfect, but they gave the impression of actually going through the journey, with mistakes, arguments, insights and moments in which friendship outweighed competition.In a travel reality show, this authenticity is almost as important as the strategy.

What is the relationship between Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino?

Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino have been best friends since childhood., and this relationship was one of the most recognizable elements of their participation in Pechino Express. They weren't a TV couple created for the occasion, but two people who had known each other for years, with confidence, a shared language, and even a certain freedom in expressing themselves.

Their bond has produced moments of great complicity, but also heated arguments. On a show like Pechino Express, where hunger, exhaustion, hitchhiking, trials, and pressure can amplify any personality differences, friendship can become both a resource and a fuse.

The relationship between Chanel and Philip worked because it did not hide the friction: the two argued, they teased each other, they supported each other and in the end they continued to choose the couple even when the journey became more tiring.It is this emotional continuity that has given solidity to their story, even more than the single test won.

What remains of their victory at Peking Express?

The victory of the Recommended remains one of the surprises of Peking Express 2026, because it rewarded a young, highly watched couple, initially accompanied by an ironic but cumbersome label. Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino transformed a potentially inconvenient name into a path to television redemption, finishing ahead of couples considered more established or favored.

The final result also illustrates the most effective mechanism of Pechino Express: the journey changes the perception of the contestants. Those who enter with a predefined image can emerge differently, if the public sees their effort, adaptability, and unpretentious reactions. In Chanel's case, the program allowed her to look beyond her surname; in Filippo's case, it brought visibility to a much lesser-known figure.

Chanel Totti and Filippo Laurino's victory shows that Pechino Express does not only reward physical strength or strategy, but also the ability to endure a complicated journey without losing the bond between the couple.For I Raccomandati, that bond was the real driving force up to the finish line in Kyoto.