Phil Keoghan has revealed how Big Brother strategy shaped The Amazing Race's upcoming 38th season.
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One team is comprised of TWO Big Brother alums -- Taylor Hale and Kyland Young, who are currently dating -- and Season 38 marks the first time The Amazing Race has ever had an entire cast dedicated to Big Brother.
Phil, the longtime host of The Amazing Race, told Parade that when he first heard about the Big Brother casting idea, he was "surprised" because it was a twist he had never thought of himself.
"Wait, what? [I thought], 'Does that mean that one day all the Amazing Racers are going to go into the house?'" Phil recalled.
"As I started to think about it more and more, I thought, 'These people are really good at competing in a house where the temperature is 69 degrees and they have a reasonably nice lifestyle. What would it be like if they were out in the real world?' They would not be all together like they are in Big Brother."
Phil pointed out how these former Big Brother houseguests have "really big personalities" and there are "lots of connections between them."
Phil explained, "So it is unusual for us. We have never had a cast where they are all connected before. Every single one of these cast members knew of or dated somebody on the cast. It made for some totally new content. When you are 38 seasons into the show, it is nice to try new things."
Phil shared how he thought the strategy was "different right out of the gate" when the Race began filming in Amsterdam.
"And the alliances were different right out of the gate because they all had a history with each other. Normally the alliances and connections happen later in the season because they have to get to know each other and then decide, 'Oh, I want to work with this team or that team,'" Phil explained.
Phil pointed out how alliances on The Amazing Race are typically based on teams' strengths or weaknesses.
"But at the starting line, we had one team win the Express Pass and have another to give away to another team. They knew the history and knew who would be best to strategize with at the beginning, so it played out differently than we would normally see on the Race," Phil told Parade.
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"So yes, it was different as far as alliances and strategy were concerned."
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Phil said he anticipates the new season of The Amazing Race is going to be "exciting" for Big Brother fans.
"Big Brother fans [will get] to see their favorites and some of the biggest personalities from Big Brother in a new light under new circumstances and different stresses," Phil noted.
He continued: "To see them in a different competition will be really interesting for them. It will be interesting to see if it pulls Big Brother fans over to Race when there aren't Big Brother people on."
Phil said the Big Brother twist will probably expose some people to The Amazing Race that have never watched it before.
"They may think, 'Hold on a second, I haven't watched this show before, and I like this show! I want to watch this show,'" Phil reasoned.
Along the route, teams will touch down in Prague, Budapest and Romania and have the opportunity to skydive and more.
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"Surprises are definitely a part of it. Thirty-eight seasons in, we've got to keep the fans and the contestants on their toes."
Phil said fans, per request, will see more foot races and self-driving on the new season as well.
"I did a whole week's worth of research of what fans like about the show and what they want to see... By going on a European adventure, we were able to zero in on those elements of the Race," Phil shared.
"There are more foot miles, more self-driving, planes, trains and automobiles on this season than we have ever had before because they are not flying long distances to get around the world."
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Phil concluded that The Amazing Race 38 "is concentrated in the biggest democracy in the world" and so it will be "a hotly contested race" in Europe.
As in seasons past, the teams that are the farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the Race progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning The Amazing Race and the $1 million prize.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
