KEY POINTS:
As the host of reality game show The Amazing Race Phil Keoghan isn't supposed to play favourites, but he certainly has a soft spot for one of the couples returning to compete in the show's 11th season, The Amazing Race: All Stars, Kentucky coalminer David and his wife
Mary. Keoghan says the couple are everyday battlers who became one of the show's most popular teams.
They didn't win in their series, but their sportsmanship and kindness to other contestants in the face of the game's trademark back-stabbing captured the hearts of viewers and the celebrity set.
American talk show host Rosie O'Donnell secured them a three-bedroom house in place of their trailer, and other gifts including a car and clothes for their kids.
For New Zealand-born Keoghan, as the writer of the book No Opportunity Wasted, which encourages people to "seize the day" and has been made into a TV series, the idea of a couple labelled as "trailer trash" with limited travel experience getting a chance to win US$1 million ($1.42 million) by jetting around the globe was too good to be true.
"They really endeared themselves to the country and were two people who really epitomised what the whole show is about," he says. "For them it was a real life-changing experience. They were really just happy to be part of it. And of all the people to come back for this series, they are easily the least jaded."
On the new series which started this week, David and Mary will be joined by some of the best and most entertaining contestants who appeared on the show.
The couples will travel more than 65,000km across five continents in 28 days, dodging obstacles and completing physical and mental tasks in another battle for US$1 million.
One couple familiar to viewers are the picture-perfect Rob and Amber, the duo plucked from the reality contest Survivor to boost The Amazing Race's ratings in season seven.
Among the most controversial inclusions, Rob and Amber have singly or together competed in five reality TV contests for America's CBS network, including Amber's stint on Survivor: The Australian Outback and Rob's famous efforts on Survivor: Marquesas and Survivor: America's Tribal Council.
They appeared together on Survivor: All-Stars, broadcast their wedding in a two-hour special, and have now switched to the Fox Reality channel for their Newlyweds-style show, Rob & Amber: Against the Odds.
But of all the teams, Keoghan believes the most-talked-about couple has been Charla, the only contestant so far with dwarfism, and her cousin Mirna.
They competed in series five and are the only All Stars contestants to have never finished first in a leg of The Amazing Race.
Keoghan says they have returned with renewed vigour. "They're like a new team," Keoghan says. "They've really amped things up a bit and are quite focused."
Series seven husband-and-wife pairing, Uchenna and Joyce, are the only winners of the programme to be selected for the All Stars show. "They are by far the most popular winners of the show," Keoghan says.
Keoghan says the balance and diversity of the teams in this series will excite fans. Elderly gay couple Joe and Bill (series one), beauty queens Dustin and Kandice (series 10) and best mates Oswald and Danny (series two) were all favourites in their individual series and return for a second shot at the major prize.
Eric and Danielle competed against each other in series nine but began dating afterwards. They will compete as a couple in All Stars. John Vito and Jill were dating when they finished fifth in series three but despite later breaking up they have returned for another round.
With the best seat in the house for every season so far, Keoghan says there's no particular type that wins. "There is a lot of luck involved and a lot of variables that contribute to whether someone will do well in the show," he said.
"But whether it's difficult or not is relative to the individual. The great thing about the race is that these guys are not elite athletes. They are ordinary people and we know they are in extreme conditions. They are like any normal person watching at home if they were given the chance to jump from the lounge into the show."
- AAP
Lowdown
The ultimate test
What: The Amazing Race: All Stars
When: TV2, Tuesdays 7.30pm
