Host Phil Keoghan has The Superb Race all the way down to a science — actually. Earlier than casting started for Season 38 (which is presently in manufacturing; Season 37 premieres Wednesday, March 5 after Survivor), Keoghan spent per week combing by way of years’ price of fan feedback on social media and filtering that into knowledge. This “large evaluation,” he says, was became a complete record of the present’s Prime 50 moments, which he shared with the Superb crew.
As his conservationist father taught him, “Science doesn’t lie,” and the information says that the watermelon launch snafu from Season 17 (under) is followers’ favourite second by far. In addition they love when contestants are “self-driving” and “when there’s drama on the airport with getting tickets,” Keoghan reveals, including that “my high topic at college was utilized math, so I like statistics.” Gathering this intel was as entertaining for him because it was informative.
He reads off extra moments from the Prime 50 record: “Individuals talked about among the disasters that occurred with the journey, like there was the automobile flip in Season 7. They talked about among the lengthy pit stops the place groups have been trickling in. There was a 19-hour pit cease in Season 11. They talked about key moments the place we had the head-shaving moments, Uchenna and Joyce, after which, after all, Rachel Reilly breaking down not eager to do it. One other one: the dancing water problem. They needed to take part in that elaborate stage manufacturing in Macau, after which dive in for a fish underwater. I went all the best way all the way down to 50 of them.”
The spicy Hungarian soup, Keoghan’s dad being a Season 13 greeter, the primary all-female crew to win (Season 17), and Oswald and Danny going purchasing additionally made the record, as did a scene in Season 6, “when Gus and Hera depart Gorée Island off the coast of Africa, and we gradual the entire present down and we take an opportunity to actually soak up that second and the which means of that second,” he shares.
Keoghan’s analysis didn’t cease there. “So far as what they discuss, I additionally did a breakdown. Twenty-five p.c of the issues they discuss are competitions, 10 p.c are humorous moments. 5 p.c are consuming moments, heartfelt moments are additionally at 10 p.c. Touring mishaps are additionally at 10 p.c. So it’s simply to remind ourselves, how can we get extra of those? How can we get extra humorous? How can we get extra of the heartfelt moments?”
The primary takeaway is that what labored after they launched in 2001 nonetheless works now.
“Now we have a shock in each episode” in Season 37, Keoghan reveals (it’s additionally the biggest forged ever, with 14 groups, above), “however on the finish of the day, [viewers] like to see those that appear to be themselves struggling and generally reaching their targets whereas they journey all over the world.” Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it! However a number of experimental tweaks right here and there are additionally a part of the formulation.
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The crew all the time asks, “What can we do every season that doesn’t steer away from the attractive format that exists, but in addition doesn’t really feel like we’re not attempting new issues?” Keoghan shares. Some experiments don’t work out as they deliberate, like in Season 36, when “the brother and sister bought trapped down the top of the highway, they couldn’t flip their automobile round,” he provides. However the snafus are generally goldmines.
“They are saying luck is the residue of design. And there, that was one thing that ended up changing into a spotlight of the season that everyone talked about and was an incredible second in that episode, however not essentially one thing that we deliberate for,” the host explains. “So that you arrange issues to occur. You might have all of the substances for issues to occur, however on the finish of the day, you don’t know. A few of the finest plans aren’t fulfilled, after which some issues that you just simply by no means noticed occurring occur and you find yourself with nice moments. It’s on us to proceed to attempt new issues.”
Season 37 has a mixture of traditional Superb Race options and new ones. Sport items the Quick Ahead and U-Flip will likely be again, and the premiere will introduce the Fork within the Highway, which Racers will confront on the primary leg in Hong Kong. When groups arrive on the Fork within the Highway, they must select which course and route they wish to take to the Pit Cease, creating two parallel races the place two groups will likely be eradicated. “It’s fairly self-explanatory,” Keoghan says, “however it does restrict who can go in both course.”
As for the brand new shock per episode, Keoghan’s comfortable to disclose that they did stun some gamers. “The viewers, they let you recognize fairly rapidly whether or not they like one thing or don’t like one thing, however what I’ll let you know is there’s a few stop-down moments throughout the season the place we do get some jaws dropping from the groups,” he teases. “Hopefully, meaning the viewers may also have some jaws dropping.”
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One other new expertise this season was screening the premiere at SCAD in Atlanta for a stay viewers and the forged. “That’s such a helpful approach of seeing what the viewers love,” Keoghan shares. “And one of many issues that basically resonated in that screening was the followers actually rooting and getting behind the contestants to get by way of the challenges.”
He continues: “They establish with them after they wrestle, after which they see them obtain the purpose and get by way of to the top. Individuals have been actually cheering for among the groups that struggled and among the groups that lagged behind, however then made up time. And so it’s an excellent lesson once more in realizing that though we’re not making scandalous TV and we’re not making stunning TV the place this particular person simply broke up with that particular person and yelled at that particular person and slapped this particular person and voted this particular person out and did that, we will nonetheless make actually entertaining content material that makes folks snort and cry and really feel good, however with out having to resort to exploiting the characters.”
Briefly, The Superb Race‘s format is simply as wonderful as ever, 37 seasons in.
The Superb Race, Season 37 Premiere, Wednesday, March 5, 9:30/8:30c, CBS