Image Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBSThe Apprentice has made a franchise out of featuring (C-level) celebrities, so why can’t The Amazing Race? Host Phil Keoghan certainly sees a potential.
“I would love to have a celebrity version,” Keoghan told EW. “If every celebrity who has told me they liked the show signed up and was a part of it, that would be huge. I know Sarah Jessica Parker is a big fan of the show, and I heard Drew Barrymore likes the show, and Neil Patrick Harris likes the show. I just don’t know if they realize what [in store]. That would be the thing, whether they could cope. I don’t know, it would be fun.”
Keoghan says there have been talks about featuring a Hollywood edition but the realities of celebrity life make the possibility daunting. Though the show has hosted someone from Tinseltown before – actor-screenwriter-director Mike White (School of Rock) participated last year – its a far different situation when it involves busy actors. “The question that always comes up is would we be able to get them out of their schedule,” explains Keoghan. “They say they want to do it, but the reality is would their schedule allow for it, and would they really be able to put up with the schedule itself. It’s very different than anything else that’s shot, like a movie set. We sort of have to adhere to the rules of the world as opposed to creating our own rules on a set or in a studio. We are beholden to what happens in the real world. That makes it really tough.”
Season 17 of The Amazing Race kicks off Sept. 26. The seven-time Emmy winner will once again vie for the Outstanding Reality prize at this Sunday’s ceremony on NBC. – With reporting from Nicholas White
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You pick the 2010 Emmys: Should The Amazing Race win Outstanding Reality-Competition again?
Oh hell yes! I would totally tune in!
Please let it be like actual celebrities. There has to be some double-negative effect if you’re only known for being on a reality show to participate in another. It should automatically disqualify a participant.
Hells no! I’m a huge Amazing Race fan but I would hate this. Here’s why: There’s already a growing problem of Race contestants using locals to help them get around. Remember the All Star edition when Rob & Amber were on? In South Africa, the locals were so star-struck by them from Survivor, that they got extra help from star-struck locals. In a Celebrity Amazing race, they would be surrounded by fans wanting to help them and give them a leg up just because they are starstruck.
You are absolutely correct!!
that is a good point alan…but if it was a cast of all famous people, then the playing field would be evened???
This is the exact reason why there shouldn’t be a celebrity edition. It would be too easy. The best part of the race are the racers interacting with the locals who have NO IDEA WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE.
Good point Alan. I agree completely. Even if everyone got an equal amount of help I still wouldn’t like it. The fun is watching these people struggle and try to find their way. How fun would it be watching a bunch of locals leading the celebs around by the hand and doing everything for them.
don’t celebrity’s get enough?
Elizabeth: “Oh Hell Yes.”
Alan: “Hells No.”
Hahaha…
The comments are the best part!
Which is why… feature C-list celebrities!
“Eh… Bret Michaels? It is pronounced “mikael”?”
There would need to be added security. Some of the celebrities Phil mentioned would be recognized around the world especially with cameras following them. But, it would be fun to see who could handle the challenge.
Waaaah oh these precious actors are oh-so-busy. You think real people can just take off 3 weeks to run around the world when they want?
Well regular people have been going on the show for 17 seasons. So the answer to your question is…yes.
Re-reading that…wow, that was poorly phrased. Meant to imply that real people have busy schedules, too.
Are you for real? Real people have been on the show for 17 seasons now. Get a clue.
Celebrities would have the unfair advantage of their celebrity status, which would help them get help from the locals in the places they go to.
The only way it would work is if they are sent someplace with no TV and movies, where no one can tell the difference between a Baldwin and a regular person.
Another problem is that they would spend far too much time signing autographs and forget to race.
There would have to be very special rules set in place for them to compete.
there’s a difference between a Baldwin and a regular person?!
Exactly! Part of the fun of TAR is seeing how fish-out-of-water the racers get being in a busy, chaotic foreign place. If they were celebrities, they would be surrounded by eager fans wanting to help them get around. There would be no way of keeping the race “genuine”. I would hate it.
Tom Selleck would do it.
Phil isn’t thinking, this would be a disaster, even worse than the family edition of TAR.
Nothing could be worse then the family edition, nothing.
Celebrity family edition.
“Baldwin family, I’m sorry to tell you…you are the last ones to arrive”.
LOL Moi
Your little comment made me laugh because I can probably picture your face when you wrote it.
@ @RK: “Baldwin family, you are the last ones to arrive.”
Alec: “Shut the f*** up! You little runt, Phil! HOW DARE YOU!”
Stephen: “ARRRGH! I want to hit something RIGHT NOW!!!”
If The Amazing Race is looking to emulate Apprentice, that is a TRUE sad state of affairs. The mentioned celebrities aren’t the kind of celebrities they would end up with…they would get “celebrities” and most of them aren’t even deserving of 5 minutes of their 15 minutes. TAR is perfect the way it is.
No, The Mole was ruined with its celebrity editions. The Amazing Race needs to reformat itself in order to become better. Celebrities are an easy way out.
Corbin v. Stephen Baldwin?!
It’s not the celebrities that were the problem, it was the dumbing down of the game, watch the regular episodes, they have such great challenges. But I’m guessing you don’t care about that.
@Jetouellet
Is correct. Celeb TAR would get crazy dumbed down which I don’t think was possible b/c some of the challenges are already dumbed down.
The Mole was the best reality/game show ever. Please come back, and none of that celebrity crap. I know Anderson Cooper has gone on to bigger and better things, but I’m sure they can find a suitable replacement (and no Ahmad Rashad was not suitable).
I def will not tune in if it is as lame as the Family Edition was!
You answered your title question in the first sentence, Lynette: “The Apprentice had made a franchise out of featuring C list celebrities”. The last thing the world needs is another “The Apprentice”.
If one show has to change, I say let “The Apprentice” raise itself to the high standards of the Emmy-winning “Amazing Race”. Don’t make AR drop to the level of The Apprentice.
1) Make it longer than 1 hour and 2) find a way not to eliminate teams for a couple of weeks (such as worst 3 teams over 3 legs get eliminated at once).
No, no, no, no, and no…..
EXACTLY what I was going to say.
I totally agree! I do not like to watch celebrities on reality game shows. I won’t watch it if they do this.
Ugh, no way, sick of D list celebrities taking over shows. Do we really want to see people like Spencer Pratt play the amazing race? I like the all star versions better with past contestants.
Agreed. An All Star season is a much better idea.
I think having an all-celebrity season would be fun in theory, but I just don’t see how it would work out with all the added security risks.
oh, hell no!!! nuff said…