Australia! It’s time to put on your running shoes because The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition is back tonight! Host Beau Ryan has gathered 11 celebrity teams of racers and their loved ones and convinced them to head out on the world’s favourite race.
This season, the teams are heading to never-before-seen locations and are leaving changed forever. Ahead of the season premiere, B&T sat down with Ryan to unpack all the action of the season and what locations meant the most to him and the teams this time around.
“The locations this year are incredible. We always go to wonderful places, but this year, South Africa, Asia, South America, and Argentina. Africa really changed a lot of teams for the better,” he explained.
“The parts in Africa, there were a lot of times where we visited villages and school kids, and to see how the celebrities interact with the local cultures was incredible, and after speaking to a few of the teams, it really has changed their lives forever. It was really heartwarming,” he explained.
Ryan’s personal favourite was Namibia. “Beautiful people and with the sand dunes and the ocean, it was incredible, it was like a movie. And the people in Africa are just second to none,” he explained.
But with unique locations come harsh conditions. “The conditions were brutal. We are talking desert, jungle, altitude in Argentina, the humidity of Asia; it was very hostile conditions that tested the celebs in every facet”.
“The cities are really hard; one minute you’re first, then you take a wrong turn, and suddenly you’re on a plane home”.
Adapting to the intensity of the race and conditions like this is a next-to-impossible feat, but as Ryan put it, the celebs really don’t have a choice. “Adapt, or you’re on a plane back home,” he said.
The teams worked really well together this time around, relying on each other with the help of locals to overcome the communication, language and environmental barriers they faced. “They were very supportive of each other this year; everyone worked really well together. Obviously, they were all competing and fighting for prize money for their charities, but they were a really close-knit team”.
“There was a moment at the back end of the race in Asia when I genuinely thought teams would be lost forever. In the part of Asia where we were, where there are tens of millions of people, and if you get on the wrong boat, next thing you know, you’re in Cambodia”.
“The navigation was a big problem this year, and it was a big problem for me too; I got lost a few times. The teams that remained calm under pressure and worked to each other’s strengths got through”.
And the challenge doesn’t stop with the contestants, Ryan is often left waiting at a pitstop for up to ten hours as teams trickle through. “We shoot a lot of promos and social media videos during that time but after four hours you’ve sort of got everything, so I try and conserve energy. There were a lot of moments when we were in the desert, where that 10 hours catches up with you very quickly – especially because I’m a super impatient person,” Ryan explained.
“I’ve been doing the show long enough not to think that the athletes will win because it’s a physical contest. It’s the teams that have opposite strengths – teams that are completely different that win it. If you are very similar to your team member, you don’t have enough strengths. You need your partner to have a lot of different strengths to you. It’s a lot of problem solving in this season”.
This wait time is often the reason Ryan can be found at the pitstop with food in hand as the teams arrive. “We use the local food and cultures to try and test what they’ve got but a lot of the time, I’m just trying to keep up my energy, so I’m eating whatever we’ve got in the snack box, whether it’s a three-day-old sandwich or a banana or redbull – I’m just trying to keep the energy up”.
Each of the celebrities are this year racing through Pit Stops, Detours and Road Blocks, all in the hopes of winning $100,000 for their chosen charity.
Olympic swimmer and sporting legend Ian Thorpe has broken handfuls of records when it comes to the pool. Now he and his childhood bestie Christian Miranda will be bringing a Gold medal mentality to the race.
Matildas Chloe Logarzo and Emily Gielnik have the competitive and team spirit that will see them tackle every challenge the race throws their way.
Known for her time as the lead singer of Rogue Traders, and as a judge on X Factor Australia, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and her sister Melinda Sheldrick will hope to find that X Factor when it comes to getting ahead in the race.
When it comes to the race you need a mix of both mental and physical toughness, and Ironman Jett Kenny is more than prepared. Jett’s racing alongside his partner, content creator Lily Brown, and they’ve got their eyes on the prize.
Comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, TV and radio star Pete Helliar has taken his comedy around the globe, and now he’ll be joined by his wife Bridget Helliar as the power couple tackle The Amazing Race.
Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley are country superstars about to tackle multiple countries in one go. Brooke was a favourite on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! narrowly missing the crown. Will she be able to take out the top spot on the race?
The laughs won’t stop when actor, writer, and award-winning comedian Luke McGregor brings his mum Julie McGregor on the race. While we saw Luke’s competitive chops flex in Taskmaster Australia, can the Rosehaven star bring it home?
Never one to pull any punches, UFC heavyweight and MMA fighter Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa and his brother Logan Tuivasa will be fighting their way through the competition.
Billy Brownless’ son Oscar Brownless famously followed in dad’s footsteps playing AFL, but who will be following who when the two sporting greats head off around the world?
A cyclone is about to go global, as Cyrell Paule and Eden Dally take on the race. With a famously short fuse and an unmatched ferocity, these reality stars are the real deal.
Havana Brown is used to making hits, and now she and her bestie, Stephanie Wood, are hitting the road to prove that even the toughest challenges can’t break a BFF bond.
The latest season of The Amazing Race Australia kicks off tonight on 10 and 10 play.
