Metropolis Reality Forums - Why Phil would never race

Sponsored by: The Fans!

Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register.
Nov 24^th, 2024, 6:42am

Upcoming Premiere Dates:
Survivor 23, Season premiere
Thursday, September 14 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on CBS

Metropolis Reality Forums Ť Why Phil would never race ť

   Metropolis Reality Forums
   Amazing Race
   Amazing Race Gossip, News & Recaps (Moderators: JP, Heather, yesteach, Isle_be_back)
   Why Phil would never race

Previous topic | New Topic | Next topic »

Pages: 1

Add Poll

Notify of replies

Send Topic

Author

Topic: Why Phil would never race (Read 266 times)

Genius
ForumsNet Member

Asian engineering!

Gender:

Posts: 13605

Why Phil would never race
« on: Apr 22^nd, 2006, 3:00am »

Quote

Modify

http://television.aol.com/news/tv_tattler_celebrity_interviews/phil_keog han

Why Jet-Setting Host Phil Keoghan Would Never Run 'The Amazing Race'

Feb. 28 -- Phil Keoghan has been traveling around the world, doing crazy stunts all his life. On his "done" list are: holding the unofficial world record for bungee jumping, staying at a nudist resort, skiing behind a reindeer, sleeping in an ice hotel, swimming across the Bosphorus strait and eating dinner on top of an erupting volcano.

But there's one thing the 'Amazing Race' host would never do: Go on the show himself.

In an interview with AOL Television editor Kelly Woo, Keoghan reveals why not. He also gives us the early word on the upcoming ninth season, his view of reality TV villains, and lots more.

What can you tell us about the new season of 'Race'?
We're back to teams of two, by popular demand. We have less faces than we did in season 8 -- less faces and more places. I really feel excited about season nine. We have some really good teams.

How does the show continue to stay fresh in its ninth year? Will there be any changes to the rules or the format?
What always keeps the show fresh is the fact that we're always going to new places. In terms of changing things, there's no point in changing something that's obviously growing.

Ratings-wise, the show is doing very well now. The first four seasons, it always felt like it was on the edge of cancellation.
Winning the first Emmy definitely peaked people's interest. When you get an award like that and you're up against the best of the best, like 'Survivor' and 'American Idol,' people go, "Well, hold on, what's this show?" I had a lot of people stop me during season 8, saying "I had no idea about 'Amazing Race' until the family version. People are telling me the other version is better, so then I went and watched it on cable. Now I can't wait for it to come back!"

The family edition, however, wasn't a big hit with fans. Why do think that was the case?
I think it proved that while fans love having new people every season, one of the big draws of the show is the places. ['Family Edition' took place in the U.S.] A successful race seems to be a combination of faces and places. More faces, obviously, does not make up for less places.

Will the show ever do an all-stars edition?
I don't know. If you look at the history of having all-stars in any of the other reality shows, they don't do any better than having fresh faces. It's also a very different show. Once people have had a chance to see themselves on television, they're not the same people that went out there the first time. You can't have people come back and capture that freshness and that wide-eyed enthusiasm; they're just more jaded.

If there was an all-stars edition, who would you like to see come back?
I would love to see the fans vote for who they wanted to see come back. Put all the teams up and essentially have a popularity contest.

Do you play favorites with the racers?
You can't help but feel more empathy, feel more of a connection with some teams -- if only because you know they make for great television. Ultimately, the teams I want to see on the show are not necessarily the ones I like the most. Perfect people are not going to make for a perfect show. You need some contrast, you need some opposites.

Is there a particular racing duo you really rooted for?
I can tell you one of my favorite 'Race' moments, which would have to be season five, with Charla and Mirna when they were carrying the piece of meat. It's one of the single most entertaining moments of reality television I've seen.

Some racers have claimed that the editing made them appear more villainous than they actually were. Would you agree or disagree?
I don't agree that editing changes a person's personality. People are what they are. What editing does do is condense all the good and condense all the bad. If there is erratic behavior, that erratic behavior cannot be generated in editing. One of the things I say to the teams is take responsibility for your actions. Don't pretend that what you did in front of the camera did not happen.

Right, like when Jonathan pushes Victoria in season six....
He's probably the one who has said more about that than anybody. Since the race, I've seen him in different lights as well. But if the teams have put themselves in front of the microscope, they have to expect to be examined. I would not do it. I wouldn't go on the 'Race.' I don't want to be examined.

You wouldn't go on 'Amazing Race'?
I don't want to be examined by millions. If it was just an adventure, that would be very different. I admire them all for putting themselves out there. I wouldn't do it. I like to watch on the sidelines. At the same time I say that, I feel like we're giving them an incredible opportunity.

What do you think are the ingredients for a good 'Race' villain?
Our show has never been about having villains in the same way other reality shows have had villains, where there have been people I would define as vicious. I don't think we've ever had anyone on the show who's been outright nasty. We're definitely picking people who are Type A, amped up, competitive, sometimes extremely focused and determined. Worthy adversaries, as I would call them.

Some fans did not like Rob and Amber from season seven, because they'd already won a lot of money on 'Survivor.' How did you feel about including them?
I loved that they were in the race. We really wanted to get some more attention for the show, we knew they had a huge following with 'Survivor' fans and we knew there were a lot of 'Survivor' fans who had never sampled 'Amazing Race.' That said, it's important to remember, they came to the show. We didn't go to them. Having them on the show had a big impact on the ratings. If we're not looking for ways to grow the audience, we run the risk of getting pushed aside by something else.

So, do you ever get sick of traveling?
No, actually. I really like it.

Do you have a favorite location from over the years?
Obviously, I'm biased towards New Zealand, because I'm from there.. [Also,] India because it's such culture shock for the teams. And then my favorite places after that would be anywhere I haven't been before. Prior to 'Amazing Race' I had worked in 60 countries so it wasn't like I wasn't well traveled. Going back to a place like Thailand or Malaysia is always exciting, but it's not nearly as exciting as going somewhere I personally haven't been.

Any travel tips?
I'm a firm believer in doing lots of research. I think the journey really starts before you go.

IP Logged

TAR14: Tammy and Victor
S18: Brendan, Taj, Spencer

Pages: 1

Add Poll

Notify of replies

Send Topic


Previous topic \| New Topic \| Next topic »