Phil Keoghan's Hilarious Banter with Jeff Probst Revealed: The Untold Story Behind Losing the 'Survivor' Job
Discover how 'The Amazing Race' host, Phil Keoghan, narrowly missed out on becoming the host of 'Survivor' before Jeff Probst landed the coveted role Explore the intriguing connection between these two iconic reality TV personalities
Phil Keoghan has been the host of The Amazing Race for 35 seasons, even though he was initially not chosen as the host of Survivor.
"When I finally received the call about The Amazing Race job, I had already experienced a lot of stress beforehand. I had missed out on several jobs and had been considered for Survivor, competing against Jeff Probst for the position," Keoghan, 56, shared exclusively with We on Wednesday, September 27. "I found the concept of the show intriguing - where individuals travel to an island and attempt to survive. It sounded like an enjoyable experience."
Probst, who is now 61 years old, was originally brought on to lead CBS' survivalist competition series in 2000, a year before Keoghan received the opportunity to host The Amazing Race. Keoghan, who hails from New Zealand, playfully mentioned to Us that he and Probst frequently joke about competing for the same job.
"During that period, we called each other and asked, 'Have you received any news?'" Keoghan mentioned. "And now, we are both at CBS and I believe this is where we belong."
Keoghan and Probst's friendship goes way back to their time in New York City almost 30 years ago. In 1994, they were both working at FX in Madison Square Park. Keoghan was involved in the show called Breakfast Time, hosted by Tom Bergeron, while Probst worked on Back Chat, where he would read letters from viewers. Since then, they have been following each other's careers closely.
While Keoghan narrowly missed out on hosting Survivor, he isn’t quite sure how he would have fared in the island environment.
Phil Keoghan and Jeff Probst, known for their respective roles in "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor," discussed the longevity of the show during an interview. Keoghan jokingly expressed uncertainty about how he would have fared as a contestant on a show with 45 seasons under its belt. Despite this, he praised "The Amazing Race" for its dynamic nature, as it offers participants the opportunity to constantly experience new environments and embrace the element of change.
Keoghan and Probst have successfully positioned themselves and are now joining forces to dominate Wednesday nights. The newest seasons of Survivor and The Amazing Race, both debuting on Wednesdays, are being consecutively aired on CBS.
The Amazing Race, currently in its 35th season, offers exciting new elements including longer episodes spanning 90 minutes, a larger pool of competitors consisting of 13 teams, and fresh travel destinations.
“We will begin our journey in Los Angeles, right under the iconic Hollywood sign, which is currently celebrating its hundredth anniversary,” Keoghan excitedly revealed to Us. “From there, we will board a flight to Bangkok, and eventually make our way to India, exploring various destinations throughout Asia. As we continue our adventure, we will also have the opportunity to visit Europe, including Ireland. Additionally, we are thrilled to explore Slovenia, a beautiful country next to Italy, which will be a first for us. Slovenia quickly became my favorite place during season 35, despite having traveled to 140 countries prior to this experience,” he expressed enthusiastically.
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New episodes of The Amazing Race airs on CBS Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
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