Philip John Keoghan ( ; born 31 May 1967) is a New Zealand television personality, best known for hosting the American version of ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...

'' on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, since its 2001 debut. He is the creator and host of ''

No Opportunity Wasted ''No Opportunity Wasted'' is an American television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on October 3, 2004. It was created by Phil Keoghan, better known as the host of the reality show on CBS entitled ''The Amazing Race''. In the serie ...

'', which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He also co-created and hosts the American reality competition television program ''

Tough as Nails ''Tough as Nails'' is an American reality competition television series that premiered on CBS on July 8, 2020. The show is hosted by Phil Keoghan and features contestants competing in challenges at job sites that test their toughness, with on ...

'' which debuted on

on 8 July 2020. As of 2021, he has been involved with winning ten

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s related to his work on ''The Amazing Race'', where the show consecutively won the

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reailty Competition Program is handed out for reality-style, skill-based competition formats during the primetime telecast since 2003. The award goes to the producers of the program. ''The Amazing Race'' ...

seven times.

Early life

Keoghan was born in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, a satellite town of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. Due to his father's career, Keoghan spent a considerable part of his childhood in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

and

. His family had returned to Christchurch by the time he was in high school, and following that, he attended

St Andrew's College, Christchurch St Andrew's College, also known as StAC, in Christchurch, New Zealand, is a private, co-educational school that enrols from pre-school to secondary Year 13. It was founded in 1917 and it is the only independent, co-educational primary and sec ...

Television

While completing a TV

cameraman A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmakin ...

apprenticeship, Keoghan successfully auditioned for the New Zealand children's show ''Spot On'' at age 19. After a series of further presenter work in New Zealand television, including as a reporter on '' That's Fairly Interesting'', he, at 23, and his wife Louise left for the United States after his show ''Keoghan's Heroes'' was picked up by a U.S. network. Keoghan originally auditioned for the host of '' Survivor''. Though he made the shortlist, the

network ultimately chose

Jeff Probst Jeff Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American reality show host and executive producer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show '' Survivor'' since 2000. He was also the host of ...

for ''Survivor'', and offered Keoghan the hosting duties for ''

''. Keoghan has been host for the show from its inception and also serves as a producer. He currently has a contract extending for "several years" following ''

The Amazing Race 18 ''The Amazing Race 18'' (also known as ''The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business'') is the eighteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two, each returning from a previous edition of t ...

'' in 2011 that will allow him to also develop other shows for CBS. In a 2002 interview, he admitted that his pay for a single episode of ''The Amazing Race'' is more than an entire year on ''Spot On''. Shortly after the February

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

, Keoghan visited his hometown to ensure his family was safe but also to record segments for ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday from ...

'' to implore viewers to provide aid to the New Zealand

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

and to promote continued tourism, a fundamental part of New Zealand's economy, to the country. At the same time, he participated in recording

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacific ...

's new

safety video A pre-flight safety briefing (also known as a pre-flight demonstration, in-flight safety briefing, in-flight safety demonstration, safety instructions, or simply the safety video) is a detailed explanation given before take-off to airline passeng ...

for its domestic jet fleet. Keoghan has hosted over 1,000 different programme episodes. In June 2010, it was announced that Keoghan would host and produce a new reality series about the

Velux 5 Oceans Race The Velux 5 Oceans Race was a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed in stages, managed by Clipper Ventures since 2000. Its most recent name comes from its main sponsor Velux. Originally known as the BOC Challenge, for the title sponsor ...

. He told

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

in 2010 that during the 10th season of ''The Amazing Race'' he was detained in Ukraine for two days until the U.S. ambassador in Ukraine intervened to free him. Keoghan hosted ''

National Geographic Explorer ''National Geographic Explorer'' (or simply ''Explorer'') is an American documentary television series that originally premiered on Nickelodeon on April 7, 1985, after having been produced as a less costly and intensive alternative to PBS's ' ...

'' starting in the show's 11th season, to start airing in 2018. According to Keoghan, he had wanted to produce for ''Explorer'' and he and his wife-to-be had even filmed and submitted a pitch tape to the show's production at that time.

''No Opportunity Wasted''

While 19 and filming for ''Spot On'', Keoghan and a partner dived down to the shipwreck of the '' MS Mikhail Lermontov'', underwater. During filming, he was separated from his partner in the ship's ballroom and suffered a panic attack, considering it a near-death experience. He was rescued by his dive partner, and though shaken, insisted on facing his fear and returned the next day to complete filming. From then on, Keoghan set out to live his life to the fullest by accomplishing exotic goals and taking risks, creating a "No Opportunity Wasted" (NOW) list of activities he wanted to complete in his life; In his book ''No Opportunity Wasted'', Keoghan wrote: Since then, Keoghan has broken a world

bungee jumping Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...

record, gone diving in the world's longest underwater

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s, eaten a meal on top of an erupting

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

, and renewed his vows underwater while feeding sharks. He was a guest on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'', where he shared with

Oprah Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

his list of things he wants to do before he dies. Keoghan co-developed the television show ''

'', initially premiering in 2004, that reflected on this "No Opportunity Wasted" mantra. He also wrote a companion book, ''No Opportunity Wasted: 8 Ways to Create a List for the Life You Want''.

Cycling

Keoghan is an avid cyclist. From 28 March to 9 May 2009, Keoghan performed in "Ride Across America", in partnership with several organisations including GNC, to raise money for

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

research. Keoghan and others biked from Los Angeles to New York City, averaging per day. Keoghan stopped in 39 cities en route, attending various events and participating in casting for season 15 of ''The Amazing Race''; the ride culminated a day before the finale of season 14. The event raised $500,000, with over $400,000 coming from in-store donations during the ride. His documentary movie ''The Ride'' about his ride across America, premiered on 3 February 2011. Keoghan later came across information about Harry Watson, an early-20th-century New Zealand cyclist that formed a team of four to become the first English-speaking team to ride in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

in 1928. Looking to celebrate Watson's legacy, Keoghan prepared to ride the same Tour de France course from 1928 (then, 22 legs at nearly compared to the modern Tour at ), using the same type of gear-less bicycle as Watson and his team used, outside of using a modern riding seat. He and his riding partner Ben Cornell completed the ride in 2013, with their progress filmed by Keoghan's wife Louise and others. The footage was assembled for another film called '' Le Ride'', which premiered in the

Isaac Theatre Royal The Isaac Theatre Royal (formerly known as the Theatre Royal) is a heritage building in Christchurch, New Zealand, designed by brothers Sidney and Alfred Luttrell. Built in 1908, it is the only operational Edwardian style Theatre remaining in ...

in Christchurch at the New Zealand Film Festival in July 2016.

Personal life

John Keoghan, Phil's father, is an agricultural scientist involved with

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

in New Zealand. He appeared alongside his son as a Pit Stop greeter during the 13th season of ''

'' when the racers stopped in New Zealand. John Keoghan and his wife run a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

Rolleston, New Zealand Rolleston ( mi, Roretana, Tauwharekākaho) is the seat and largest town in the Selwyn District, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the Canterbury Plains south-west of Christchurch, and is part of the wider ...

. Keoghan's brother

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

was a television reporter on

Television New Zealand , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solom ...

's '' One News'' and is a jazz singer. His sister, Ruth Keoghan Cooper, specialises in coaching, training and development programmes for professional women who wish to combine careers with motherhood. Keoghan currently lives with his wife and producing partner Louise Keoghan (née Rodrigues), and their daughter, Elle. Louise is an Australian-born television producer & director and co-creator of ''

'' and ''

''. They currently reside in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. They also have homes in

Matarangi Matarangi is a beach settlement on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, with around 420 permanent residents in 2018 which increases to over 7000 holidaymakers during the summer period of late December to February. It was developed in the 1 ...

on the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the we ...

, and in Westport.

Awards

Keoghan was recognised in 2012 as one of six "Emerging Leaders" during the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards, due to his use of his celebrity status to support efforts such as Christchurch earthquake relief and efforts for multiple sclerosis. In 2008, Keoghan was awarded the World Class New Zealand award in the 'Creative' category.Keanewzealand.com
, Retrieved 28 September 2012. In the

2014 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, Keoghan was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services as a television presenter and to tourism. For his hosting of ''The Amazing Race'', Keoghan was nominated for the 2009

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program is an award that was first awarded in 2008. On July 27, 2008, it was announced that the category's five nominees would all co-host the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards t ...

in the second year of the award's creation but lost to

of ''Survivor''.

Shows

Keoghan has worked in more than seventy countries as a television host, producer, writer, and cameraman. Some of the shows Keoghan has been involved with include: * '' 3.45 Live'' (1990) – Presenter * ''

'' (2001–present) – Host * '' Best of Both Worlds'' – Co-host * ''Breakfast Time (FX TV series)'' – Road Warrior * ''

'' – Travel Correspondent * '' FOX After Breakfast'' (1996) – Reporter * '' That's Fairly Interesting'' – Reporter * '' Go For It'' – Host * ''

The Human Edge ''The Human Edge'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer Gordon R. Dickson. It was first published by Baen Books in 2003 and was edited by Hank Davis. Most of the stories originally appeared in the magazines ''Astounding ...

'' (2002) – Co-creator * ''

Phil Keoghan's Adventure Crazy Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...

'' – Co-creator * ''

Adventure Crazy An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

'' – Host * '' Keoghan's Heroes'' – Co-creator * ''

Miss World 2003 Miss World 2003 was the 53rd edition of the Miss World pageant, held at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China on 6 December 2003. At the end of the event, Azra Akın of Turkey crowned Rosanna Davison of Ireland as Miss World 2003. ...

'' (2003) – Host * ''

'' (2004) – Host * ''

Spot On Spot-On models, was a brand name for a line of diecast toy cars made by Tri-ang from 1959 through about 1967. They were manufactured in 1:42 scale in Belfast, Northern Ireland, of the United Kingdom. Competition for Spot-On in the British Isl ...

'' – Host * '' Surprise, Surprise'' – Host * '' Whose House is it Anyway?'' (2000) – Host * '' Speed Test Drive'' (2006) – Cameo appearance as a student of the Jim Russell Racing School * '' Everest: After the Climb'' (2007) – Host * ''

CBS News Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published ...

'' (2008) – Contributor * ''

Star Trek: Phase II ''Star Trek: Phase II'' was the initial working title for what officially became titled ''Star Trek II,'' an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original ''S ...

'' (2008) – Cameo as Admiral Keoghan in "Blood & Fire" Part One * ''

Million Dollar Password ''Million Dollar Password'' is an updated version of the game show ''Password'' on CBS, which was hosted by Regis Philbin and ran from June 1, 2008, to June 14, 2009. FremantleMedia produced the program. Production and broadcast history ''Millio ...

'' (2008) – Guest appearance/Himself * ''

I Get That a Lot ''I Get That a Lot'' is a reality television special originally created by Danny Harris occasionally airing on CBS, which sets up celebrities in everyday working class jobs. Hidden cameras are used to capture the reactions of unsuspecting customer ...

'' (2013) – Himself * '' Big Brother'' (2015) – Takeover guest who revealed ''

The Amazing Race 26 ''The Amazing Race 26'' is the twenty-sixth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. In this season, eleven teams of dating couples (six existing couples and five blind date teams who met for the first time at the star ...

'' alums Jeff and Jackie as the final two HouseGuests. * ''Earth Live'' (2017) – Co-host with

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...

* ''

American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...

'' (2017) – Guest voice as host of "The Bitchin' Race" in the episode "The Bitchin' Race" * ''

'' (2018) – Host * ''

'' (2020–present) – Host, Executive Producer, Director, Co-Creator

References

External links

*
Upfront: Phil Keoghan
''New Zealander Listener'', 22 October 2005
Profile on Phil Keoghan
''Te Kete Ipurangi''
No Opportunity Wasted

Phil Keoghan on The Hour

Phil Rides Across America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keoghan, Phil 1967 births Living people American game show hosts Television producers from California New Zealand television presenters New Zealand expatriates in the United States Participants in American reality television series People from Lincoln, New Zealand People from Los Angeles People educated at St Andrew's College, Christchurch Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Primetime Emmy Award winners