On Wednesday night, “The Amazing Race” took off, with its first season starting outside the US — in Munich, Germany. And starting outside the states is the first of many twists ahead in Season 34.
As the show continues on CBS, racing teams will also, this year, struggle with more eliminations than the show itself. There are no non-elimination rounds, it has been announced.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s premiere, TheWrap spoke with host Phil Keoghan, who shared details about what we can expect in the coming weeks, including former NFL coach Rex Ryan.
TheWrap: Before we get into the details of this season, can we talk about Rex Ryan being on ‘The Amazing Race’ this season?
Phil Keoghan: He’s one of those characters who is much larger than life, and someone who, when you see him on TV, is all that and then a whole bunch more. …he’s a presence you love – you feel it when he walks around.
Do you know the story behind how he hooked up with a probation officer, Tim?
He started out with being a golfing buddy. Como No te entiendo. And they really liked each other. I think they just liked each other’s competition, and they loved hanging out with each other. , [There are] Some people you meet where you find out you have a good relationship with someone, and he was definitely one of those people.
I think they’re probably the team I’m most interested in watching this upcoming season, because I wonder what he brings in as a coach, and a probation officer with that kind of background. This is going to have some interesting racing.
Tim is highly competitive. He has been a powerlifter. This is someone who is a force in his own right. It’s not like Rex just brought along someone who’s going to sit in the background and agree to everything and just a pushover. He is a legitimate, competitive person in and of himself. So, the two of them are definitely a force to be reckoned with. In the beginning, they make it clear that they mean business. They are not there to fuck.
What can you tell me about this season’s challenges? I like some of them that are so ridiculous, like cheese going down a hill. … you guys come up with ridiculously funny things!
I was literally talking about this with the team. We love the idea that we can give some context to the whole adage of ‘what, where, why, when and how’. So why are we in this remote land? What is special, unique, different about this remote place, which I think is extremely important in that context. And one thing I love is when people take their pictures at places we’ve been to ‘race’. It is incredibly satisfying to know that we have influenced someone to go to a particular part of the world to experience that part of the world. So, I love that, and yeah, and the challenge is, you know, things that are unique to that place, like the big rolls of cheese in Switzerland – I don’t think that’s something the locals can tell you. Would recommend if you come to watch.. It was an amazing accident waiting to happen, and definitely something that became iconic on the show.
So you’re starting this year in Munich, Germany? Why did you guys decide to start the show outside the US this time?
What did we decide to do? … just why not? With a format that works – and I was reading some crazy statistics about how hard it is to get the format to work, like how many shows have launched over the years, and how many have failed, and it’s staggering. Is. It’s staggering how many shows go beyond Season 1 and so I think with “The Amazing Race,” it’s the incredible format that Bertram and Ellis came up with all these years ago that has stood the test of time because This is a perfect format. It really works: the couples, the people talking, the obstacles, the affair, the whole thing, it works. But at the same time, you also want to try different things within the format. And so, yeah, we’ve never started outside the United States before. So why don’t we start outside the United States? It’s like where it came from. There is nothing more than this.
By not having a non-elimination leg, does that make the competition more fierce, you know, you have to give your all in every stage of this race?
Yes. I think for years. The idea of elimination and non-elimination has divided many fans, with some liking the anticipation of not knowing. And then there are some who are more rigid and adamant: ‘No. If you reach last, there is no second chance. You are out, you are done. And so, I guess, again, to make things a little bit more competitive and to turn things around, we decided we’re going to make things a little bit harder… I mean, definitely put it in the beginning. There was a huge response when I told him, ‘Oh, by the way, if you come last, you’ll be the last, there’s no second chance.’ So we dropped some bombs on them in the beginning. And he was definitely one of them.
“The Amazing Race” Season 34 premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.