Phil Keoghan

Phil Keoghan
Birth Date	(1967-05-31) May 31, 1967
Hometown	Lincoln, New Zealand
Occupation	Host
Version	United States
Years Active	2001 - present

Phil Keoghan is the host of the original American version of The Amazing Race.

Profile

Emmy Award-nominated host, Phil Keoghan, has experienced a life full of travel and adventure. He started traveling around the world at the age of two and has been globetrotting ever since. Serving as host and a producer of CBS's multi Emmy Award-winning reality series, The Amazing Race (US), Keoghan continues to travel at a pace few could match.

After surviving a near death experience at the age of 19, where he found himself lost at 120 feet inside a 22,000 ton ship wreck, Keoghan was prompted to write a list of things to do before he died. For more than 20 years, he has lived this Life List in front of a TV camera working in more than 100 countries as an actor, author, television host, producer, and cameraman.

Some of his adventures include having a five star meal on top of an erupting volcano; changing a light bulb on top of Verazano bridge; breaking an unofficial bungee jumping record with eight others; swimming from Asia to Europe across the Bosporus; and putting a golf ball across Scotland. Most recently, he rode his bike from Los Angeles to New York City to help raise awareness for the National MS Society. Keoghan filmed the grueling 3,500 mile adventure and turned it into a documentary film titled "The Ride".

Phil's challenging Life List evolved into his life philosophy and the title of his best selling book No Opportunity Wasted. The book was later developed into an award winning television series produced in the US, Canada and New Zealand.

With a passion to help others get the most out of life, Keoghan is a regular motivational speaker at colleges and major corporations throughout North and South America, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

Phil lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, Elle. According to his daughter, he has had at least 5 different accents in his lifetime.

Hosting The Amazing Race

Phil is present at the start of each Season mentioning the number of legs, twist, and tells everyone to travel safely before telling the teams to go. Phil is present at the task, detours, and roadblocks explaining what the teams have to do before arriving. In earlier seasons, Phil would explain the pros and cons between the detours. Phil even explains where the Pit Stop is present at onscreen and in earlier seasons he would reveal that the last team to check-in will or may be eliminated. In more recent season Phil would say maybe eliminated to leave the audience in suspense if it is the elimination or non-elimination leg. 

Pit stops

From Season 2 onwards, Phil is present in every Pit Stop and tells the Teams in what place they finish and explains the prize won to the team that arrives first. While waiting for teams to arrive at the Pit Stop, Phil gets informed by phone call or text by producers to know what the teams have done if something wrong happens. If a team forgot a clue or didn't do a task, Phil will tell the team to go back and do it before checking them in. Also if a team is missing their passport, Phil will turn them back to find it before checking them in.

The most times Phil turn a team back was in Leg 2 of The Amazing Race 19 with a total of eight teams. If a team broke a rule such as not following a clue, Phil will explain what they did wrong and give them a penalty before checking them in. When the last team arrives at the Pit Stop, Phil tells them that they are the last team to arrive.

Only in Season 1, Phil is only present at the Pit Stop when the last team arrives. If it is a elimination leg, he informs the team that they have been eliminated from the race. If the last team hasn't checked in yet and couldn't complete a task, Phil will head to their location and inform that all the other teams have already checked in and they have been eliminated. 

Non-elimination legs

In a non-elimination leg, Phil tells them this is a non-elimination leg. In some legs, Phil will reveal to the team that arrives first that the race continues by handing them their next clue. After checking a team in Phil would discussed with Teams in what happened during the leg before the team leaves. 

Last leg

During the last leg, Phil waits on the finish line with the eliminated teams and when the first team arrives at the finish line, Phil tells them how many countries, continents, and miles the team went and that they are the official winners of The Amazing Race and won the $1 million prize. He also congratulates the runner-ups for their success. During the Head-to-Head, Phil would watch, talk, and describe the players competing in the Head-to-Head.

At the Pit Stop, Phil doesn't mind when a team hugs him or shakes his hand except the time in Leg 5 of The Amazing Race: All-Stars, when Oswald & Danny had coal on them making Phil run from them chasing after him before being checked in. 

Season 33

During filming of season 33. Phil gathered every remaining team after the third leg. He told everyone due to the coronavirus, he told everyone the best choice is to suspend the race to ensure everyone is safe.

Quotes/Repeated Lines

• I am standing at the [name of place] in [name of state] - Phil Keoghan describing the starting line destination that will begin the Amazing Race.
• 11 (or 12) teams are about to embark on a race around the world for one million dollars!
• [insert mode of transportation] are now transporting the teams to the starting line. Each team has a pre-existing relationship
• The eleven/twelve teams are
• [name of team] [name of background] from [name of state] - Phil describing the team's background
• Which team/family will go around the world for more than [insert number of miles]? Which team/family will use the right strategy of combination of brains, brawns, and teamwork to win the one million dollars? These questions waiting to be answered and we are going to begin The Amazing Race."
• You may run over to your bags, read the clue, and jump onto one of the parked cars.
• Is everybody ready?
• The world is waiting for you. Good luck. Travel safe. GO! - Phil Keoghan starting the race.
• A roadblock is a task that only one person/team member/member of the team may perform! - Phil explaining a roadblock.
• It's the most daring competition ever attempted. Eleven two-person teams, bound by friendship, love of family, will race around the world. They have no idea where they are going. What dangers they may encounter. Or how the journey will affect their lives. Most of the teams will be eliminated. But the team that reaches the finish line first will win a cash prize of one million dollars. This is a race like no other in history. This is the Amazing Race!
• A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons! In this detour, this team will [insert task related to the country that they're visiting in] The choice...[name of task] or [name of task] - Phil explaining a detour
• You are team number one! I have some good news for you, as the winners of this leg of the race, you have won (($XXXX each/Trip from Travelocity/American Airlines to [insert place]/prize)/a Ford vehicle/various other necessities, you will enjoy after the race”- Phil Keoghan explaining to the team that they are first and that they earned a prize for winning the leg.
• You are the last team to arrive. I'm very sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the race. 
• I'm sorry to tell you that you are the last team to arrive. And you've both been eliminated from the race.
• You are the (placement of the team) to arrive. However...
  • Your clue instructed to take the [required transportation] but instead you took a [different mode of transportation]
  • Forget your passport
  • You broke a race rule
  • Did not pick up the clue after the detour
  • Did not complete/quit the Roadblock/Detour
  • Hiring help while getting to the [insert destination]
  • Tampering with the pumps and putting them away
  • Settle personal possessions to settle a bill
  • Failing to follow a clue correctly
  • Smashed all your bottles at the roadblock

..... I want you to go back and [required task] before I can check you in. - Phil ordering a team to go back and do the previous task should the team have missed it and found the Pit Stop by chance or if they lost a passport

....for that you've received a (X) minute/hour penalty. And I need you to wait it out before I can check you in.

• This is a non-elimination leg and you're still in the race. 
• Sometime in the next leg, you will encounter a Speed Bump. 
• Having been safe from elimination at the end of the last leg, (name of team) has now hit a Speed Bump.
• Previously on the Amazing Race...
• Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode.
• Next week on the Amazing Race...
• In two weeks of the Amazing Race - (for episodes that are about to air in two weeks if shows like Country Music Awards, Survivor, or NCAA Championships take over its slot)
• (name of Pit Stop) is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check-in here will/may be eliminated.
• (number of teams left) raced from (name of country) to (name of country)
• (number of teams left) remain. Who will be eliminated next?
• Eight teams fell by the wayside.
• One of these teams will win the one million dollar prize and the Amazing Race!
• Is this a little humbling because you guys have been making the race look easy so far. - Phil calling out on Eric & Jeremy for finishing 4th unusually when they normally finish in 1st or 2nd in each leg.
• Oy Vey! - Phil expressing disappointment for Jessica & John for being eliminated with an Express Pass.
• I've gathered you all back here because I have a very important announcement to make. The Amazing Race has traveled over a million miles around the world. Visited almost a hundred countries and from day one, our number one priority has been to make sure you all are safe. Right now the world is dealing with the coronavirus and in order to keep you safe. We believe the best choice for all of us is to suspend the race.

Trivia

• Oddly, no racer in the U.S. version has been named Phil.
• Phil was one of the two choices to be the host for Survivor, but lost to Jeff Probst.
• Leg 4 of The Amazing Race 13 featured his father, John Keoghan, as a Pit Stop greeter. In a interview, Phil mentioned that his father is his favorite greeter.
• His favorite country to travel to on race is India.
• During Leg 10 of The Amazing Race 10, Phil got detained in Ukraine until the U.S. ambassador in Ukraine who is a huge Amazing Race fan freed him.
• During Leg 7 of The Amazing Race: All-Stars, Phil waited at the Pit Stop Mat for 19 hours straight.
• Leg 2 of The Amazing Race 19 was the most times Phil has ever told a team to go back and finish a task with a total of 8 teams.
• Due to traveling a lot in The Amazing Race, Phil has a shoebox full of a dozen passports.
• Phil has a youtube channel name BUCKit with Phil Keoghan. He explains his story and does plenty of interview/ podcast with other people especially Rob & Brennan and Ethan.
• Phil also went on to host Tough as Nails, a new reality competition on CBS created by he and his wife Louise. It premiered on July 8, 2020.
  • Oddly enough, he is the only host on CBS to star in another reality competition.

Gallery

Phil Keoghan in the Opening credits.

Interviews

• Michael Ausiello at TV Guide Online (09/04/2001): "Amazing Hunk Jumps into Reality Race"
• TV Guide Magazine (10/02/2002): "Seven Silly Questions with Phil"
• FansOfRealityTV (12/17/2002): "Our Interview with Phil Keoghan"
• Jaime Gross at Travel + Leisure (12/18/2002): "Fast Talk: Phil Keoghan"
• TARflies (05/04/2003): "The Philminator Speaks"
• Wendy Wallace at PRX Radio (10/01/2004): "Near-Life Experience: Interview with The Amazing Race Host Phil Keoghan
• KRT at Chicago Tribune (03/22/2005): "Get in the Race: Host shares secrets of hit reality show"
• Maureen Ryan at Chicago Tribune (10/06/2005): "An Interview with Phil Keoghan of The Amazing Race"
• Joe Blackmon at Reality TV Magazine (02/27/2006): "Amazing Race All-Stars Edition, Phil Keoghan Doesn't Think It Would Be Successful"
• Eric Goldman at IGN (09/14/2006): "IGN Interview: The Amazing Race's Phil Keoghan"
• Oscar Dahl at BuddyTV (11/04/07): "Exclusive Interview: Phil Keoghan, Host of Amazing Race"
• Angelique O'Neil at CBS Watch Magazine (October 2008): "Q&A with Phil Keoghan"
• Mary Melton at Los Angeles Magazine (10/01/2009): "Jetsetting with Phil Keoghan"
• Jim Halterman at The Futon Critic (02/12/2010): "Interview: The Amazing Race Host Phil Keoghan"
• Andy Dehnart at RealityBlurred (10/31/2010): "Phil Keoghan responds to criticism that The Amazing Race is no longer really amazing"
• Franken at Cyclelicious.com (11/14/2011): "Q&A with Phil Keoghan - Host of the Amazing Race"
• AMA at Reddit (02/21/2014): "I am host of The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan. Ask Me Anything!"
• Rob Cesternino and Jessica Liese at RHAP (10/17/2014): "Amazing Race 2014: Interview with Host, Phil Keoghan"
• Paulette Cohn at Parade (11/12/2018): "Phil Keoghan On the New Season of Explorer and a Possible Celebrity Amazing Race"
• April Bernard at TV Insider (10/14/2020): "Phil Keoghan Reflects on Standout Amazing Race Moments Ahead of Season 32"

Social Media Profiles

• Phil's Website: NoOpportunityWasted.com

• Phil's Facebook: /phil.keoghan.1

• Phil's Twitter: @PhilKeoghan

• Phil's Instagram: /philiminator

• Fan Page of Phil's's Facebook: /PhilKeoghanOfficial

• Phil's Wikipedia page: Phil Keoghan