Phil Keoghan has been the host of “The Amazing Race” since its very first season debuted on CBS in 2001. Over the last 24 years, the reality competition series has seen its longtime host introduce plenty of new twists and turns to shake up the already grueling race around the world.
“The Amazing Race” Season 11 was the first to rock the series’ tried-and-true format by welcoming back former racers to compete again, while Season 12 introduced the first-ever U-Turn and Speed Bump challenges. Where Season 19 saw the first-ever double elimination in “TAR” history, Season 29 challenged racers to compete alongside total strangers, while prior seasons had featured teams composed of loved ones, relatives, and co-workers.
Most recently, Season 37, which aired its finale earlier this year, changed up the game by introducing game-changing twists on every single leg of the race. From the introduction of the Fork in the Road and Driver’s Seat challenges, to the return of old twists like the Express Pass and non-elimination leg, the recently wrapped season was the series’ twistiest to date.
“The Amazing Race” Season 38, set to air this September, will once again feature a major shake-up, featuring a cast entirely composed of former “Big Brother” alums and their loved ones.
In anticipation of the forthcoming season, Keoghan sat down with Gold Derby to discuss not only its “savvy” and “confident” cast, but also to reveal the best (and worst) ideas he’s heard for how to shake up “The Amazing Race” even more for future seasons.
Keoghan Wants to Take ‘The Amazing Race’ to Space!
“We’ve gotta get to outer space,” said Keoghan, revealing the best idea he’s heard to seriously raise the bar on a potential future season of “The Amazing Race.” Granted, Keoghan admitted, the idea was primarily his own invention.
“I have not had the honor of connecting with [founder of Virgin Galactic] Richard Branson, but I did come up with the concept that maybe he invited us up for tea, and he’s in orbit,” the producer explained. “Hopefully he has milk and honey up there, and we could have some weightless Twinings with Sir Richard Branson. Wouldn’t that be a nice clue to open? You do a few orbits around the earth, look back down on our own beautiful blue marble, and then drop back down for brunch.”
CBS/GettyBetween his own travels and his 37 seasons as host of “The Amazing Race,” Keoghan has visited more than 100 countries worldwide, from the Scottish Highlands and the Namibian Desert to the ancient Chinese city of Xian and the ruins of Cuzco, Peru. After Season 38, there are few places left on Earth that the host hasn’t visited yet, potentially adding to his determination to leave the planet for a future season.
Keoghan ‘Squashes’ The Idea of Welcoming Back First-Eliminated Teams
While a visit to the final frontier might be a long way off for “The Amazing Race,” Keoghan still prefers the pipe dream to some of the other suggestions he’s received from fans over the years.
“Someone came up with an idea, which I’d like to squash right away, which was, ‘Hey, Phil, why don’t you get all the teams that get eliminated first and bring them onto the show?’,” Koeghan told Gold Derby. “First of all, yes, it would be exciting. But think about this for a second. The worst drivers, the worst to do in challenges, the slowest people on the race… you want to put them together and reward the slowest racers?”
“It’s going to take us twice as long to shoot!” he added. “So let’s kill that idea.”
Keoghan Opens Up About Season 38’s ‘Big Brother’ Cast
Regardless of whatever future twists Keoghan and producers might implement one day, the longtime host similarly opened up about Season 38’s biggest twist – its cast of “Big Brother” alumni.
“What we know about the contestants of ‘Big Brother’ is that they’re used to playing a lot of mind games. And I also love when people have come from another show, and they’re maybe a little bit cocky about their abilities – that always lends for some interesting scenarios,” Keoghan teased.
Speaking further on the as-yet-unannounced cast members, Koeghan added: “They’re savvy. They’re winners, some of them. They’re used to competing. And they’ve come in with a tremendous amount of confidence.”
He added that the major crossover between CBS reality competition series will be “an experiment” for the network, and for “The Amazing Race” itself.
Stay tuned for further information on “The Amazing Race” Season 38 as its premiere date, currently slated for September 25, 2025, approaches.
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Phil Keoghan Reveals the Best (and Worst) Ideas He’s Heard for ‘The Amazing Race’