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Dånooky:
From ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12931037


--- Quote from: ABC News ---[...]In the premiere, Keoghan informs the players that the last team to arrive on the mat will automatically face a U-turn, forcing the duo to perform both Detour challenges, while first-place finishers will receive the Express Pass, allowing a team to skip one task during the race.[...]
--- End quote ---

georgiapeach:
02/18/11 - 12:11 AM]
Interview: "The Amazing Race" Host Phil Keoghan
By Jim Halterman (TFC)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
While the challenge with any long-running series is to find a fresh, inventive angle for every new crop of episodes, CBS's reality competition series "The Amazing Race" looks to the past this time around for its 18th cycle. Subtitled 'Unfinished Business,' previous contestants from the past 17 seasons who came close to winning their respective race but failed for whatever reason come back for another try at winning a million dollars in the always exciting race around the world.

In Sunday night's 18th season premiere, the eleven familiar teams start in Palm Springs, California but don't stay Stateside long before they're heading to other parts of the world with U-turns, Speed Bumps, difficult challenges and, of course, each other getting in the way. Series host Phil Keoghan previewed the new season earlier this week for our Jim Halterman and shared just how much of an advantage the returning teams have, if he's still surprised at what unfolds on the Race and details on the just-released documentary of his momentous 2009 bike ride across the United States to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research.

Jim Halterman: With so many great teams over the years, how did you ever decide who would come back for this 'Unfinished Business' season?

Phil Keoghan: I think the audience picked because they really told us who they liked the most through the feedback that we got on fan pages and websites and even the people that I get asked about the most. Then we picked in terms of the stories that we felt were strongest and related to the idea of 'unfinished business.' The teams that had stories that were the most captivating when it came to teams that had u-turns, teams that got lost, teams that came very close, teams that took the wrong pee-break and teams that were harboring a lot of regrets and woulda-coulda-shoulda in their experience from being on the Race so that's really how it came about.

JH: Do you feel that these teams had much of an advantage because they'd done it before? From what I've seen so far, you still see mistakes being made, the clashing of personalities, etc...

PK: I think it's definitely an advantage to have done the Race before so that puts them on equal footing but what it does is also increase the level of competition because now you're competing against teams that are more savvy so you can't afford to slip up. You really have to be on top of it. When you've got that many teams out there who have done it before and they know how everything works you really can't afford to make any mistakes at all.

JH: Any teams from the past you wanted to get for this season but didn't?

PK: I would have loved to have had the Home Shopping team (from Season 17) come back again but they weren't available. There were lots of teams that I would have loved to have come back. I would have loved to have another 10 teams! In the end, we had to make some pretty tough choices about who's going to come back and those teams couldn't wait to come back so we were very lucky.

JH: What's different this time around? Any new twists in the game?

PK: Right out of the gate, we added a challenge that shocked them and really had consequences not just in the first leg but the following leg. That was crucial and a key moment because you're now racing with some extra baggage with you. Also, rather than add new elements we made sure to amp [the existing elements] up and challenge them more since we knew they'd done it before. The challenges were pretty taxing and we heard from the teams. Some of them made it pretty clear that they thought this race was tougher and they didn't remember it being this hard the last time they were on.  I just said 'Listen, you want to come back and get a second chance we're not going to hand this out. Second chances don't come easy. If you want to be here and run against these other teams, you're going to have to work for it. This is 'The Amazing Race' and it will tax you.'

JH: I'd consider most of the returning teams as nice teams but do we see some villainous behavior come out in the course of this season?

PK: Yeah, I think that you've got a lot of great potential for that kind of behavior. Like with Ron, is he going to revert back to his old behavior when he ran the race [in Season 12] - he probably had one of the biggest personality transformations on the air ever - but is he going to revert back to his old ways now that he's in a race and under pressure? I think anytime you amp things up the way we have and you put people out on the road to race and they get closer and closer to the idea of winning the race you're definitely going to have tension and interesting strategies. As the race continues, there are a couple of teams that alienate themselves from the others because of their competitiveness and because of certain choices they made in terms of what information they wanted to share or not share so it's pretty intense and it gets more and more as the race goes on.

JH: You've been through this so many times, Phil, but were you surprised by anything you saw this season?

PK: I'm always surprised because I'm not very good at picking who's going to do well and I would venture to say pretty much everyone on the production team is the same. We're constantly surprised and I think that's one of the key ingredients for why the Race works is that the viewer never really has a chance to work out what's going to happen. It's not a predictable competition where you have a track record for a team or a particular player and you're able to anticipate who is going to do well. In this Race, the lead changed a lot, the key players changed a lot...it's definitely surprising and the eventual teams racing to the finish line at the end was an interesting mix as to how they got there. There are a lot of teams that went from right at the back to right to the front and that happened a lot. I would think 'There's no way they're going to make it now. The writing is on the wall for them' and then miraculously they'd come back fighting back again. I love that. I've never been good at predicting the race and I hope I never am. If I were ever able to pick [the winner] it would mean that something in the race wasn't working. There would be something missing if I could predict it.

JH: Do you think the ultimate winner is truly the best player or is it sometimes just a game of chance?

PK: No, I do think that every winner that we've had even back to Flo and Zack [in Season 3] when Paul was ready to give up on the last leg and then they ended up winning - I do think chance plays into it but I think in the end chance can only get you so far. The team that crosses the finish line first is absolutely the team that has been the most consistent as a team in terms of how they've tackled the navigation, the travel choices, the detour choices and how they've tackled new and interesting road blocks. Chance is absolutely a factor but ultimately you don't get to the finish line and win 'The Amazing Race' by chance.

JH: What makes a location an ideal location for this season? Is there a criteria a spot has to meet?

PK: Ultimately, the network signs off on the final route but I think it's always about where have we not been? What have we not done? What would be really interesting? And what's going to grab attention? The great thing about our show is the background is always different. You never see the same thing on the race. A lot of shows go back to the same set or the same type of environment - they're in a house or they're in a studio - and the backdrop doesn't change. The thing that's really exciting for me is that we're finally in HD. It's definitely going to add another layer to the show that I think will only draw more viewers because for a long time viewers have always said "'We love seeing the world through the lense of 'The Amazing Race'" and this time it's wider and it's more defined.

JH: The documentary of your ride across America in 2009 really shows what an amazing journey you had. How can people see "The Ride?"

PK: We've been working with Regal Cinemas around the country and they've been so incredibly generous. They gave us 10 theaters around the country and allowed us to provide 100% off the box office to MS. We sold out in LA and they automatically gave me a second theater and that sold out. We sold out in Denver and they gave me a bigger 450-seat theater. We sold out in every single location around the country. You can download it from the links that are on my website, www.NoOpportunityWasted.com or on ITunes and from Amazon. We're spreading the film out as much as we can. It was a labor of love and all self-funded and taken two years to complete and so far we've gotten some great feedback, which are also on the website. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, without a doubt.

 

Read more: Interview: "The Amazing Race" Host Phil Keoghan | TheFutonCritic.com http://thefutoncritic.com/interviews/2011/02/18/interview-the-amazing-race-host-phil-keoghan-702103/20110218_amazingrace/#ixzz1EIzTd86S

georgiapeach:
Fan favorite also-rans come back to 'Race'
Friday, February 18, 2011
By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


CBS's "The Amazing Race" returns this weekend (8 p.m. Sunday, KDKA-TV) for its first HD season and its second "all-star" edition, this time using the moniker "Unfinished Business" because none of the returning teams won the race in the past.

"It was a clever choice to go with teams that the audience has shown the most interest in, teams who have a woulda-coulda-shoulda attitude about their last experience on the race and to capitalize on that hunger and energy," said host/supervising producer Phil Keoghan in a phone interview earlier this week. "We didn't want this to be the same as 'All-Stars,' so I think it was a better choice to go for story over success."

Returning teams include "the cowboys" (brothers Jet and Cord McCoy from Ada, Okla.), sisters LaKisha and Jennifer Hoffman, engaged couple Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka, former NFL cheerleaders Jaime Edmondson and Cara Rosenthal, Harlem Globetrotters players Nate Lofton and Herb Lang, "goth couple" Kent Kaliber and Vyxsin Fiala, and deaf motivational speaker Luke Adams and his mom, Margie.

Mr. Keoghan said his relationship with the teams is different in "The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business" because he has a history with them from past seasons.

"I have the knowledge of what they said the last time, things that were revealed to me when they were on the last time, and I can use that plus new information about what's transpired since the race began," he said. "It allows me to dig a little deeper."

He also gets to tease teams a little more easily, particularly when teams reach a pit stop in Sunday's season premiere that begins in Palm Springs, Calif., before racing to Sydney, Australia.

"There's a familiarity that allows me to tweak them even more because I know them and I can call them on things," Mr. Keoghan said. He said one of the most interesting stories this season will be to see if domineering dad Ron Hsu will go easier on his daughter, Christina, this time around.

"Has his behavior really changed since the last race or will he revert to his old pattern of behavior because of the pressure of the race?" Mr. Keoghan asked.

The show's casting directors came up with which past contestants were willing and available to return for another run on the show, and Mr. Keoghan credits CBS CEO Leslie Moonves for his involvement ("He has a phenomenal ability to pick talent; he's very hands on"). Mr. Keoghan got involved once potential teams were whittled down to about 25 and weighed in until the final 11 teams were chosen.

"There were a lot of teams I would like to have seen on, although I do think the teams we got are the best," he said. "I think if there's one other [past] team I would love to see again it's Brook and Claire," who were featured in last fall's edition and became infamous after Claire got hit in the face with a watermelon. Mr. Keoghan said they had prior commitments and could not participate this time. But he's pleased that the teams picked have strong backstories. "You can't beat Zev and Justin, who lost a passport, and Keisha and Jen, who took a bad pee break. These are the teams fans talk about the most, and they have unfinished business. They're all popular and all want a second chance."[/b

]Mr. Keoghan was in Pittsburgh last week to premiere "The Ride," a documentary film about his 2009 cross-country bike ride.

"It was very important for us to come to Pittsburgh and we specifically came because of the support GNC, a local Pittsburgh company, has given us," he said, adding that the screening at SouthSide Works was "absolutely packed."

The film can be seen online with a link to its Amazon rental/purchase page through Mr. Keoghan's NoOpportunityWasted.com website.

"Most of my career I've made television, and this is my first time involved in making something for the big screen," he said. "It's quite exhilarating."



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11049/1126189-67.stm#ixzz1EJ9HVrI0http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11049/1126189-67.stm

LoveRocked:
http://www.goldderby.com/television/news/1163/can-losing-contestants-win-the-amazing-race-an-eighth-emmy.html

Can losing contestants win 'The Amazing Race' an eighth Emmy?

Last year, the seven-year winning streak of "The Amazing Race" at the Emmy Awards was halted when "Top Chef" won Best Reality Competition Series. That this CBS staple lost was a surprise in itself but that it was not beaten by ratings powerhouse "American Idol" came as the real shocker.  That hugely popular talent show had never won this award but was thought to have its strongest entry ever with the season finale that included a surprisingly touching tribute to departing judge Simon Cowell.
For its 18th edition which begins Sunday, "The Amazing Race" is bringing back 11 teams that fell short of the finish line. Dubbing the season "Unfinished Business," executive producer Bertram van Munster explained to Craig Tomashoff of TV Guide, "We're giving people a second chance. It's the American way."
All of the returning teams made costly errors along the route and are looking for redemption. When it came to deciding which of the also-rans to include, producers only went back as far as the 12th installment  in 2007 so as not to make it too difficult for viewers to remember them. Five of the teams hail from the 14th cycle including ultra-competitive mother and son Margie and Luke Adams, sisters Jen and LaKisha Hoffman whose bathroom break cost them a place in the final three, and actor/director Mike White and his father Mel.

georgiapeach:
Amazing Race: Phil Keoghan Explains Why These 11 Teams Have Unfinished Business

Feb 18, 2011 01:07 PM ET
by Joyce Eng

It's time to hit the road again on The Amazing Race — with plenty of familiar faces. The CBS reality hit returns Sunday with 11 veteran teams who had never won before to settle, as the season's subtitle says, some Unfinished Business.

"These are teams that have been so incredibly popular that it was an opportunity to bring back some favorite teams that have favorite stories," host Phil Keoghan tells TVGuide.com. "They're teams that have really been walking around with the 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' ever since they got kicked off. It's like, enough moaning; come back and give it another shot and no more excuses."

Check out photos from The Amazing Race

But casting Unfinished Business — the show's second all-star outing after Season 11 — was as hard as designing the Race itself. For one, Season 13 wound up not being represented at all, even though fan favorites Toni and Dallas, who lost their passports, seemed like shoo-ins. "It really comes down to whether you think that story of theirs is really stronger than that of anyone we've got," Keoghan says. "There are a lot of other teams, but I feel pretty confident that the teams we've got have the best stories and the best motivation for coming back."

So why are these 11 also-rans the cream of the crop? Keoghan explains the show's picks below.

Ronald and Christina — Season 12, 2nd place
Last we saw them: Christina got stuck on the final memory task, costing them the lead and the chance to become the first parent-child team winners.
Why they deserve a second chance: Many remember Ron's explosive personality and constant belittling of his daughter, which he toned down as Season 12 winded up. "Ron, in my opinion, probably went through the biggest transformation on the Race," Keoghan says. "He was quite humbled by the experience. You dream for transformation in a character. But how much residual behavior is still left? I was interested to see what would happen when they're under pressure again. You'll see, under pressure, some of those old traits come to the surface again. Then, it's how do they move forward? Did they learn from the past?"

Kent and Vyxin — Season 12, 5th place
Last we saw them: Already handicapped with a Speed Bump, they unwisely U-Turned a team that was in front of them in India, rendering it void.
Why they deserve a second chance: Well, they're pink Goths! "People always ask what they need to do to get on The Amazing Race. I always use Kent and Vyxin as an example," Keoghan says. "They epitomized what we're looking for, but they illustrate we don't know what we're looking for. Their personalities are also the antithesis of what you'd expect to come from people who dress as Goths." Keoghan also has a special connection with them: Kent's dad recently died from multiple sclerosis, and the couple came out for Keoghan on his bicycle ride across the United States in support of MS. Keoghan's journey is documented in his new film, The Ride, which features Kent, Vyxin and his dad. "They love the idea that their dad lives on in the film. A huge part of it was for them to run the Race again in memory of him."

Margie and Luke — Season 14, 3rd place
Last we saw them: Die-hard Race fan Luke couldn't identify two surfboard photos on the final memory task, preventing him from being the first deaf winner.
Why they deserve a second chance: "Luke's one of those characters that people love or hate, and that makes for good TV. He's vindictive and will do whatever it takes to win," Keoghan says, referring to the mother-son duo's ruthless tactics in Season 14. And of course, he has another chance to make history as the show's first deaf winner. "I always wonder if their communication is stronger because they pay attention to each other. They won the first leg in Season 14 and that was a wake-up call to everyone else."

Amanda and Kris — Season 14, 8th place
Last we saw them: They fell victim to Margie and Luke's blind U-Turn, which stung even more because Amanda claims Margie told them she and Luke wouldn't U-Turn anyone.
Why they deserve a second chance: The couple, now engaged, gets to face off with their nemeses again. "Kris admitted that he's extremely competitive," Keoghan says. "Young couples are interesting to watch because they're usually not that worldly. It's like watching kids trying to be grown-ups. You're going to see that right out of the gate." Speaking of right out of the gate, Keoghan promises twists on game elements to keep everyone on their toes — the first of which comes at the Pit Start. "They're back for a second time and we don't want them to ever feel like they know what's going to happen."

LaKisha and Jen — Season 14, 4th place
Last we saw them: They took an ill-timed bathroom break just steps away from the Pit Stop.
Why they deserve a second chance: Pee break aside, the sisters' other notorious moment was a meltdown over a water task because neither of them could swim. "They were interesting because they're two strong, athletic women and you find out they can't swim. Then you realize they're really vulnerable and they looked like two little girls there," Keoghan says. So have they learned to swim since — and is there another water task? "You know there's always going to be air, land and sea in whatever we get them to do. Let's just say if they're smart, they would've come back with a few more tricks."

Mel and Mike — Season 14, 6th place
Last we saw them: A cabbie erroneously drove them to a beach in Thailand in search of a gorilla statue, when it was in fact at the zoo.
Why they deserve a second chance: Because age is just a number. "Mel's 70. He's one of the oldest team members ever, but he's a fit 70," Keoghan says. "Age is never a measure of people's ability. There are plenty of young people who are not fit." And unlike a lot of parent-child relationships seen on the Race, this one is void of any drama. "It's a wonderful relationship. Mike almost fathers his father. You'll see a lot of that for sure."

Jaime and Cara — Season 14, 2nd place
Last we saw them: They suffered some bad taxi luck when their cabbie got lost and stopped for gas in the finale, foiling their goal to become the show's first all-female winners (Season 17's Nat and Kat have since accomplished that feat.)
Why they deserve a second chance: Every show needs a villain. With their competitive and aggressive attitudes, the former NFL cheerleaders earned a "mean girls" label. "Jaime, man, you do not want to get in a fight with her!" Keoghan says. "She is feisty. She tells it like it is and she has no qualms about it." And with Race airing in high-definition for the first time, the ladies can show off the hair that matches their fiery 'tude. "The hair this year is flaming! These redheads are back," Keoghan says. "Let me tell you, that HD really brings out the red. There might be a lot of orders for that color."

Justin and Zev — Season 15, 9th place
Last we saw them: The best buddies were eliminated when Justin discovered he lost Zev's passport — after they arrived first at the Pit Stop.
Why they deserve a second chance: "It was so sad when they got eliminated," Keoghan says. "They were just unlucky. They're a team that definitely deserved a second chance because they're strong enough to win. There's no doubt about it. They were definitely more calculated this time. They come out the gate strong."

Flight Time and Big Easy — Season 15, 4th place
Last we saw them: The Harlem Globetrotters opted to incur a four-hour penalty after Big Easy gave up on unscrambling... "Franz."
Why they deserve a second chance: Who doesn't want to redeem themselves after that? "Everyone knows they're strong Racers. [Taking the penalty] was a bad choice, but I also don't know if Big Easy was ever going to unscramble it," Keoghan says. "It's hard for people to understand what's happening to teams — their brains are fried at that point. I think even the choice to take the penalty wasn't done with a lot of thought." And it forced Keoghan to sleep on the street on a mat. "They kept me waiting at the Pit Stop all night. I saw the sun set; I saw the sun rise. As soon as I saw them [this season], I said, 'Don't keep me waiting on the mat again!'"

Jet and Cord — Season 16, 2nd place
Last we saw them: Eventual winners Dan and Jordan cut in front of them at the airport and then pulled further ahead when they moved up to first class.
Why they deserve a second chance: As Keoghan says, the cowboys/brothers were the "obvious choice" to return, given their popularity, aw-shucks-ness and never-say-die attitude. "They struck a chord, no pun intended. Actually, I did intend it!" Keoghan jokes. "I think they represent something that is so Americana and so warm. You watch them and go, 'Man, I wouldn't mind going and having a beer with those guys.' They're just down-to-earth. My favorite part of them was that they always had the cowboy hats on. Bungee-jumping with the hats on? C'mon! I have only good things to say about them."

Gary and Mallory — Season 17, 6th place
Last we saw them: They drove around for nine hours in Oman, thanks to an imprecise map.
Why they deserve a second chance: "I just don't think we could've done this without their story," Keoghan says of the perky Miss Kentucky 2009 and her MacGyver-like dad, who filmed two seasons in one calendar year. "You wait until you see Mallory on this first leg — some of the lines she comes up with. She is just a bundle of energy. She really does exemplify why I love Racers who come on and really embrace the opportunity. I got a huge kick of seeing her on the show. And Gary can do anything! It's such a cool connection they have. It's so grassroots."


http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Keoghan-1029631.aspx

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