24 Years of The Amazing Race: Phil Keoghan reveals his favorite locations and behind-the-scenes secrets

The Amazing Race season 38 host Phil Keoghan, who has been associated with the CBS racing reality series for 24 years, has already traveled to so many new countries and locations.

The multi-Emmy Award-winning reality series follows teams of two as they travel around the world facing difficult challenges, hoping to reach the end and win a prize of $1,000,000.

Currently, season 38 features contestants from the Big Brother universe in a unique crossover of two CBS reality franchises that premiered on September 25, 2025.

The Emmy Award-nominated host spoke exclusively to Woman's World about his favorite locations, including his home country, Australia, and also the marathon journey for a non-profit organization.

The Amazing Race host shares that he also takes up writing duties on the show occasionally

The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan has traveled the world with teams for over two decades, chasing adventure, challenges, and that iconic million-dollar prize.

But even after visiting more than 100 countries, the Emmy-winning host still finds fresh excitement in returning to familiar places and discovering new ones.

The Amazing Race host states about his homeland, Australia, in an exclusive interview with Woman’s World,

I love going back there and showing off New Zealand to the world.

My other favorite places are ones we’ve never been to before. We were in Bulgaria for the very first time and we were in Slovenia for the very first time a few seasons back. I find that super exciting.

Despite having visited major destinations like India, China, and France more than 20 times, Keoghan still craves the excitement of visiting a new country, stating:

So not that they’re not always exciting to go to,” he added, “but there’s something super exciting about flying into a new country I haven’t been to before and not knowing what to expect. It’s almost like I get to experience it the way the Amazing Racers do, and that I find really exciting.

Talking about the countries that he wishes to visit for the first time, he revealed with a laugh that Antarctica and space top his travel wish list, noting that,

I’ve already written the clue for how our space episode would work.

He further joked that he would love to see the teams go up into space to have a cup of tea with Richard Branson at the International Space Station, enjoy some scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream, pick up a clue, and then return to Earth. 

Talking about his adventures apart from the show hosting, Keoghan reveals he is deeply involved behind the scenes of The Amazing Race, as he spends plenty of time in the writers’ room, helping craft the intricate clues and scripts that guide each episode, adding:

The clue copy is much more technical than information-based. It’s very instructional. Then for the script, it’s there to pull the audience in and get them interested in where we’re going and why we’re there. We explain to the audience exactly what’s going on and what the teams have to do, so that they can get invested in watching them try and complete a particular challenge.

Keoghan further reveals that when he is not racing around the globe, he channels his energy running the New York City Marathon produced by New York Road Runners (NYRR) to raise funds for Back on My Feet, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness.

He went on to reflect on that, saying that he has never run a marathon for over 13 miles, admitting that he has a hamstring issue, further adding:

Last weekend, I tested it and I couldn’t go more than four miles before having to stop. So I’m hoping that I make it, quite frankly. I do want to thank the Back on My Feet organization for giving me this opportunity and giving me the motivation to run.

He then appreciated the organization because it helped people without homes get back into jobs and get independent, rebuilding their lives through the motivation of training for a goal.

He added that he would not have done the marathon if it weren’t for Terence Gerchberg from season 13, who had been asking him to do it for 17 years.

Keoghan explained that there had never been a perfect time since he was always filming The Amazing Race and had no time to train, but he finally decided to stop making excuses and commit to it.

Stay tuned for more updates.