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georgiapeach:
Phil Keoghan Previews 'Amazing Race' Season 23


By LISA HIRSCH


September 27, 2013


The Amazing Race is back for Season 23 this Sunday, and host Phil Keoghan is opening up to ET about a season he promises will be full of ultra-competitive characters.

ETonline: Can you tell us about the new season and what the fans will be excited about?

Phil Keoghan: The tone is quite different just because we really made a point of selecting people who have crazy competitive spirits and by doing that we've ended up with this really eclectic mix of competitive people, so, you know, when you think of an ER doctor, you would have to assume that they're A-types, that they're incredibly competitive to have got through med school and that they're hardened individuals in terms of their mental toughness. But then if you look at say, Brandon and Adam, one of whom lives off the grid, who have these big beards, they are really almost the antithesis, of say, an ER doctor, and yet what these teams have in common is that they are incredibly competitive. So that's really the theme, I would say, this season, is extremely competitive characters.

ETonline: Can you tell us a little about the challenges that the contestants will be facing?

Phil: Well, as a result of us having these competitive teams, we've also had to make the challenges a little more competitive, I guess, just sort of up the ante a wee bit. So one of the exciting places we get to [go] this season is Norway, and that's Viking country, so let's just say that we tap into some of the Viking spirit, and perhaps some things that Vikings were tested with, and we have the teams sort of immerse themselves in that world for awhile, so, yeah, you take a bunch of competitive people, you've really got to up your game with the challenges, and we’ve done that.

ETonline: Would you say that the teams are also physically fit and will the challenges be more physical, or is it a combination?

Phil: It's a combination, but you're right about the teams being very fit. There isn't really a team that we have there that isn't really fit. I mean, maybe Rowan and Shane are more of the theater-district variety, maybe not quite as fit as, say Chester and Ephraim, but still, the majority of the teams are fiercely competitive and with that, extremely fit. And at the end of the day, it really is about the right choices, because even a fit, strong team, can be out of the race in an instant because of a poor choice at an airport, or poor choice in terms of moving on to a different challenge if they're struggling. And that's sort of, to me, why Amazing Race works, is that it isn't just about strength, or how fit somebody is, it really is about a combination of so many factors.
 

ETonline: Very true, like choosing the right cab driver. As has happened so many times over the years.

Phil: Exactly, and you know, on Amazing Race, I don't think there's been a more deciding element. I would say if there's one element in Amazing Race that has had the most impact, it would be cab drivers. Outside of poor decisions from teams, but in terms of an outside influence it would be a cab ride.

ETonline: Can you tell us about some of the regions you're going to, besides Norway, this season?

Phil: Sure, we actually start off in Iquique, Chile. Iquique is right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, along the west coast of South America. Chile is a long country that runs right along the coastline, and this town called Iquique has the Atacama desert come right to the shoreline and from the sea, these enormous sandy mountains just rise up out of nowhere, and of course if you keep rolling inland you get all the way across to the Andes Mountains. And it's actually a place that I visited back in the '90s when I was going for my [paragliding] license. It's an amazing place for paragliding because of the prevailing winds and because of the sheer cliffs, and so it's very dramatic, and unlike anything most of the teams would have seen in their entire life. I just love that one minute you're in Los Angeles and the next minute you're on the coastline of South America in a little place called Iquique.

ETonline: Definitely, I think that's part of the allure to the fans, that you feel like you're traveling right along with the show.

Phil: Yeah, and when the teams are racing to the airport and they find out where they're going, you know, "Make your way to Iquique, Chile and when you get there, get ready for the ride of your life," whatever that set up is at the beginning, and the music is going and we're cutting back and forth between the teams, we're getting to know the teams, and the audience really, I agree with you, the audience really is on that journey. That line that I say at the beginning of the race, "The world is waiting for you," it really is, it's very pertinent in that moment, because the world really is waiting for them. Somebody is going to make it all the way around the world and win that race, and we have stuff set up all around the world in all these extraordinary countries. I mentioned Iquique, Chile, I mentioned Norway, we also get to Lisbon, Portugal, we get to new countries that we haven't been to before, so the world is waiting for not only the teams in that moment, but also, the audience. And I think that is absolutely a key factor on Amazing Race, is that people tune in and they go, alright, let's head off on a journey together and follow these teams around the world for the next 12 weeks.

ETonline: Definitely. Americans are kind of stereotyped as not traveling as much as the rest of the world, do you think that the show has had an impact on American perception of other cultures?

Phil: No doubt in my mind. I was just talking about this this morning. I was a guest on a radio show, and this very topic came up, and I said one of the things that I'm most proud of on Amazing Race, is that we have a unique opportunity in primetime television to share the good things that the world has to offer. That, for the most part in network primetime television, when ... people are exposed to what's going on in the rest of the world, they are looking at a war, a natural disaster, civil unrest, they are looking at what's wrong. ... And so I think people's perception of the world is unfortunately tainted one way, based on the fact that it's mostly news that determines whether somebody gets to see another country.

And for Amazing Race, here we are, a primetime show where we have more than 10 million viewers, and of course many more around the world because this show is in over 100 countries, and for that hour of television, they are being transported... to another place around the world. And their eyes are being opened and their minds are being opened to the idea that, wow, these Muslim people, or, this different culture, or this different country, isn't all about killing, they're not all suffering, and look at how warm and inviting and hospitable they're being to these, in some cases, very loud American travelers, because not everybody that comes on the Race is exactly the perfect American ambassador, and yet, look at how they are inviting us, meaning our cameras, our viewers, our racers, into their homes and into their country, and I think it does open people's eyes.

ETonline: Can you talk about some of your favorite challenges over the years?

Phil: Well, I was involved in putting forward some of my favorite challenges. I think if there's one challenge that kids always ask me about, it's the Zorb down in New Zealand. A friend of mine actually dreamed that idea up, they had a dream about getting inside a giant beach ball. And I'd love us to do that challenge one more time. But to be honest... I love the challenges where the teams are participating in the jobs that local people have to do on a daily basis. If you remember a couple of seasons ago, they had a challenge where they had to take sand out of a river and load it onto the top of their head, and then walk about 100 yards or more up these very steep, muddy steps to a brick maker and dump the sand off. And what I love about challenges like that, is that they are ... exposed to the challenges that everyday people face in their everyday lives.

And I think it's kind of humbling when you realize that a woman who's maybe 110, 120 pounds is carrying a 50-pound basket of sand on her head up these very, very steep hills and that a big 250-pound guy is sort of humbled by the idea ... of this woman whose job it is to transport this sand, [who] really is quite an extraordinary human being and almost performs the impossible. It's an eye-opener for the teams when they get there, because they are physically going through that challenge, but it's also an eye-opener for the viewers to go, you know, maybe it's not so bad that I have to walk up the stairs at work, or walk a little extra distance to go get something at the store.
 

ETonline: What would you say is the biggest life lesson you've learned from all of your travels around the world?

Phil: I think the biggest life lesson is that if you treat people with respect, if you acknowledge others, they are ready to return that respect and acknowledge you in return. And it goes a long way when you go to somebody else's country, if you're prepared to accept that perhaps they do things differently, but it is their country after all and you are a guest, then you will more than likely receive a warm welcome. I try to go into a new place and a new situation with open eyes and being open to having my mind changed, or just being receptive to difference. And being accepting is crucial and I think that's definitely something that ... all of us could learn more of, which is just the idea of more acceptance in the world, and accepting that not everybody thinks like we do, wants what we want, does things the way we want, maybe has a different spread on their bread and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that.

Phil also shared that he recently returned from filming the follow-up to his documentary The Ride with a new doc, Le Ride, which follows him around France as he retraces the 1928 Tour de France on an 85-year-old bicycle. The film will open in Regal Cinemas in the first part of 2014; for more information visit PhilKeoghanLeRide.com.

Season 23 of The Amazing Race premieres this Sunday night at 8/7 c on CBS.


http://www.etonline.com/tv/138881_Phil_Keoghan_Previews_Amazing_Race_Season_23/

claude_24hrs:
Episode 3 location and title confirmed. It is an interesting quote.

stekay:
Seems like another theatre reference ???

georgiapeach:
Amazing Race's Phil Keoghan: Get Ready for "Off-the-Hook Competitiveness"


Joyce Eng

Sep 27, 2013 03:00 PM ET
by Joyce Eng
 

Phil Keoghan promises that he isn't overselling when he describes Season 23 of The Amazing Race as the most competitive yet. "I know people probably think I say this every season, but it's true," he tells TVGuide.com. "This group is just out-of-their-minds competitive. They might be hard to top. It's so much fun, especially when we get back and we know we have good material in the can."


The new season (premiering Sunday at 8/7c on CBS) includes former Houston Texans players Chester Pitts II and Ephraim Salaam, married ER doctors, baseball wives, Queens of Bingo theater performers and members of the L.A. Kings Ice Crew. Their first stop: Iquique, Chile, where the Double Express Pass is once again up for grabs for the first-place team. The second Express Pass must be given to another team by the end of the fifth leg.



The team connections get more and more interesting every season — baseball wives, Queens of Bingo.
Phil Keoghan: [Laughs] They do. We also have the Afghanimals [Leoand Jamal] — that's what they call themselves. I really love the casting process. ... This season we decided to go with hyper-competitive people. They're extremely competitive. It's not just athleticism and physicality, but they're mentally tough. It's people who are used to pressure, used to competing, working hard. There are some very feisty women on this season.

Which ones?
Keoghan: First of all, Jason and Amy — she is totally in control of that relationship. Whatever Jason says — uh uh. She is making the executive decisions and she takes this Race very seriously, like her life depends on it. Every decision is crucial. There's no one on the Race who hates to lose as much as she does, except for Marie. Now Marie is a blonde version of this not-wanting-to-lose mentality. And then you've got to look at the ER doctors and Nicole is no pushover either. Together, those three women are the most competitive we've had on the show.


How do they get along? Will they match the heights — or lows — of Rachel vs. Vanessa?
Keoghan: There's some battling of the wits going on. None of them likes losing. If you remember Vanessa and Rachel, when they were on the mat and they got into it, and Ralph and Brendon were just standing there. It's a little bit like that. I think guys who are competitive like to play a little more under the radar, whereas women can't help themselves from expressing their emotions and so that competitive streak comes out. They are emotional, they are on tenterhooks.

Guys can hide it a bit more, or at least longer.
Keoghan: Right. I don't mean to generalize and I'm not saying the guys are less competitive, but you don't see it quite as much. I also think guys can put things behind them faster. But these three women are fierce. They're up against some very tough male teams. The Afganimals are tough. And you have Brandon and Adam, who are stealthy. They're like, "Just because we're skinny and have beards and look like we're from Seattle and love grunge music doesn't mean that we can't go toe-to-toe with either of you." Throw in some NFL players and hey, you can't play in the NFL without being competitive, and some of our challenges this year and it's just a recipe for an all-out battle. The theme of the season is off-the-hook competitiveness. It's the next level for sure.

Are we going to see a lot of arguments come out of this or a lot more game play? Or both?
Keoghan: I think they're less emotional outbursts like we've had in the past. But they're very calculated outbursts, very calculated moves. You'll see teams let other teams know what they think, but it's in a much more controlled way. It's calling a spade a spade and seeing how the other team reacts. It's like, "OK, the gloves are off."

The past few seasons have seen a lot of alliances, some of them all the way to the end. Does the competitiveness mean we'll see fewer alliances this year?
Keoghan: No, there are definitely alliances this season, but alliances can only last so long. The other big factor this season is we brought back the Double Express Pass. You see a lot of sucking up. The alliances come from a necessity for survival. There's a bit of that fakery — "We'll do whatever you need." There are some great moments with the Express Pass in terms of teams prepared to suck up and also trying to use a little blackmail.



That kind of strategizing was definitely missing last season after Dave injured his Achilles'. It let Jessica and John off the hook to give it to him and Connor and be the nice guys who did a nice thing for an injured team.
Keoghan: I agree. You're going to see that kind of strategy this year. There's a pivotal moment where the team who has the Express Pass is in a power shift. Another team does a pretty good job of convincing them that they should keep them in the Race and give the second Express Pass to them. It's not just one team; it happens with a couple of teams. There's a lot more gamesmanship in terms of strategy. Just because of the competitive nature of the racers, I think there are more mind games.

Will both Express Passes be used unlike last season?
Keoghan: [Laughs] Yeah, ov vey, right? "Oy vey" started trending on Twitter after that whole thing. ... Just today, I got stopped on the street and someone said, "Love that 'oy vey' moment." I think we need to make T-shirts that say, "The Amazing Race... Oy Vey." I think it would make big money! It was a classic moment. I realized in that moment that nothing I was going to say was going to convince him that he made a bad choice. Really? You're not upset about it?

Are we going to see any "oy vey" decisions or moves of that caliber?
Keoghan: That moment is definitely a one-off. We have other memorable moments this season. [Last season] was the denial "oy vey." We have some surprise "oy veys" this year.

How did you do in your final three predictions? Still terrible?
Keoghan: Oh, yeah! Terrible. I don't know if it's because I'm not that smart, but I never do well in the guessing department. What I can tell you is that I picked the top 10.

Out of 11 teams.
Keoghan: [Laughs] That's how bad I am. We have a pool every season and I look down at all the teams and honestly I couldn't work it out. We do it order of the way we think the teams will be eliminated and I was just hopelessly wrong.

Are there any unexpected runs like the Beekmans? Will we be surprised by who makes it far?
Keoghan: As the season progresses, it becomes very clear who is really playing the game well, but there are also a couple moments where teams you don't expect to be competing for MVP suddenly sneak up and make the other teams take notice. That's a little bit like the Beekmans, and I love that. Maybe a team doesn't perform well initially, but they get stronger as the season goes on. That always makes for interesting television. We also have some teams that look like shoo-ins for the final three and there's a shock turn and you're like, "What? They're gone?!" Yes, they're gone.

Are you saying there'll be a shocking early elimination?
Keoghan: You're going to absolutely have some shock eliminations. With a group as competitive as this one, I would've been surprised if there weren't any. You'll be led to believe one thing about a team's performance and their strength, and they'll get eliminated and you won't see it coming.

What's the latest on Season 24?
Keoghan: We are looking at casting. The producing teams are out scouting. It's a very exciting course, so hopefully we can lock it down. We're always looking for new countries. We try to do that every season. We try to go somewhere we've never been before and we also listen to the viewers who say, "Oh, I'd love for you to go back to this place. It's been a while." So there'll be something old and new.

The Amazing Race premieres Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Premiere-Phil-Keoghan-1071395.aspx?rss=breakingnews&partnerid=huffposttv&profileid=breaking

ovalorange:
Episode 4:

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