Phil Keoghan Breaks Down ‘The Amazing Race 39’ Cast — Including the ‘Most Competitive’ Racer in Years (Exclusive) ...Saudi Arabia

The Amazing Race 39 begins its two-night premiere event tonight. And there’s already so much to anticipate. We know the route, as this season will go to a whopping nine countries and five continents, including an emotional homecoming for host and New Zealand native Phil Keoghan. We know the season will kick off with a historic twist, giving every team an Express Pass, and the live double U-Turn vote will come back for the third season in a row. But, perhaps most importantly, are the teams: 13 pairs of people with pre-existing relationships, putting their bonds to the test in the exhilarating rigors of a race for a million dollars.Season 39’s group of racers stands out for a multitude of reasons. Doug Matter and Dylan Matter are the first grandparent/grandchild team in over 15 years, with Doug making history as the oldest person to ever compete on The Amazing Race. The cast contains a number of accolades, from World Cup winner Ali Krieger to her pro teammate Joanna Lohman to winter Olympian Riley Tejcek. Indeed, looking at the initial group, this season seems to be for the girls, with nearly half the cast being all-women teams. And Keoghan cites that the most competitive personalities this season are all women, specifically naming Ali, Joanna, Riley, Ann-Marie Tejcek, Erin Taylor, and Michelle Patterson. Considering we haven’t seen a female/female team win the show in 14 seasons, could this be the time? Or would another pair, bound by blood or not, cross the finish line in first place?Below, Phil Keoghan gives his thoughts on this season’s 13 teams, including “the most competitive person we’ve had on the race in — I can’t think of how long.” The Amazing Race 39 premieres with a 90-minute episode on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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Phil Keoghan breaks down The Amazing Race 39 cast

Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman — Pro athletes and moms

Sonja Flemming/CBS

One of the things I will tell you about this season is we have got some super strong women, and I’m really excited about that. In the 25 years that we’ve been on, there’s been massive changes in how we have viewed women’s sports and women professional athletes. People like Serena Williams, Venus Williams. Even Andy Murray speaking out and saying, “Hey, it’s only fair that the women get paid the same.” And even with the Rugby World Cup, people are like, “Who’s going to come to a Rugby World Cup and see women competing?” And then the stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, got absolutely packed. It was sold out. So there have been major changes in how we perceive and our interest in women competing. So I’m really pleased to say that people like Ali and Joanna, they’re a part of that; they’ve been a part of that movement. And they’re winners; they’re competitors. They’re super telegenic; I had a lot of fun with them. And they just bring that professional competitive spirit into the race. They’re feisty, and they’re contenders. They show people what they’re made of. I was super excited to have them on. I’m. I remember right from the beginning with the audition, they came in with just gusto and confidence. And they do not disappoint; I’ll tell you that.

Ann-Marie Tejcek and Riley Tejcek — Mother and daughter

Sonja Flemming/CBS

I love parent-child relationships. Those relationships are super special. And, as a parent, it’s really sad when your child eventually leaves you. You’re sort of excited for them, but you also realize that’s the end of an era. I got those great opportunities later in life after I left home to go on adventures with my dad. And I think, for Ann-Marie, she really wanted that with her daughter, with Riley. And Riley really looks up to her mom. And mom is super strong; she’s a leader in her business. And so that dynamic, [they found] a new appreciation for each other. Riley is incredibly powerful physically. I mean, she’s a bobsledder, so you’ve got to be really super strong because it all comes down to a really good push out of the gate, and then driving down the hill at breakneck speed on the ice. So she’s got nerves of steel on top of being super strong. So a great team and really passionate. Competing really matters to them.

Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca — Father and daughter

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Andrea, incredibly smart Ivy League student. Because of the separation of her parents, she had a little bit of distance from her dad. I think she really wanted to come on the race with him to get to know him a little bit more, and vice versa. The value of making the effort to connect and the importance of not waiting. This was one of those relationships where I think the two of them were like, “Okay, we’re at that stage in our life where we really need to make the effort.” And it definitely brought them closer together, and also gave them a new appreciation for each other.

Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo — Siblings

Sonja Flemming/CBS

I would describe them as a little eccentric. They have their own kind of humor. It’s very dry. It’s hard to describe their humor. They find each other very funny, let’s just say that, which is good. But some of the humor is odd. Absolute love for each other, but they also rib each other like crazy, and it seems to be part of that dynamic. And one of the reasons they wanted to come on the show was for their mother, who’s a superfan of Amazing Race, but who has been cursed with one of these “mystery illnesses,” very hard to describe. And they wanted to bring awareness to the illness. It’s like a typical brother/sister relationship where you can tell they love each other, but if you didn’t know that, you would think they hate each other sometimes.

Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire — Childhood friends

Sonja Flemming/CBS

I don’t want to say “Beavis and Butthead.” [Laughs.] I don’t want to say that, but I just said it. They’re, first of all, just so devoted to each other. I love friends that you can tell are just “super friends.” You can tell that they would literally do anything for each other. They bring the joy to Amazing Race this season. I don’t know if you’ll ever see a moment with them where they’re not smiling. They literally loved every single moment of the race and constantly told us how lucky they felt they were, how excited they were about continuing every leg that they got to go on. Just pure joy. That’s what you want, right? They’re just super excited and appreciative of being given the opportunity.

Dafina Dunmore and Saran Dunmore — Sisters

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Also joy, love, respect. There are certain people that have an aura about them, where you want to hang with them because it’s good energy. That’s how I would describe them. They’re just both really, really good energy. And they have other sisters also, but they’re super close. You feel like they’re like twins; they’re going to finish each other’s sentences. But super excited about being on the show.

Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby — Dating

Sonja Flemming/CBS

The biggest smiles of the season. It’s an interesting dynamic. Dalton is of Filipino descent; he’s growing up in a super small town. I don’t know how many people are in the town exactly, but it’s like 500 or something. It’s a really, really small town, so everybody knows everybody’s business. They’re just puppy love. They’re close to 30, but you would think they were 16 the way they act with each other. It’s all fun and games with them up to a point where suddenly I think they realize that maybe they’re stronger than other people thought. And then they’re kind of smiling at teams, and then behind their backs, they’re not necessarily telling the truth about everything. So they become more and more game players as the race goes on.

Doug Matter and Dylan Matter — Grandfather and grandson

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Doug is the oldest racer we’ve ever had. But definitely does not look the oldest. He could easily pass for a 64, 65-year-old. He’s younger than he appears, and got himself in phenomenal shape. And Dylan spent a lot of time with his grandfather growing up because of his parents being busy, and so they have a very close relationship. It really is more like a father-son relationship than it is a grandfather-grandson relationship. I really relate to this team because I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with my grandfather growing up, learned how to use tools with him, and learned proper work ethic and getting a job done properly, taking pride in your work, putting your tools back after you’ve done a job, and preparing for the next job. A lot of really good life lessons that I got from my grandfather, and I can see that Dylan got the same from his grandfather. He’s absolutely enamored with him. He hangs on every word that he says, and the love and respect for each other is mutual. Dylan’s been waiting since he was 10 or 11 to be on Amazing Race, waiting for that day when he turned 18 that he could be like, “Okay, now I get to go on the show.” He applied, we interviewed them and we’re like, “Okay, we’ve never done this dynamic before. We’ve never had somebody who is this old and this young competing together.” So it is an Amazing Race first, and it’s a great dynamic.

Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla — Married

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Well, I would say Erin is, going into the race, definitely the boss. She’s the one that’s she sort of takes charge. She’s the leader right at the starting line. She makes it very clear what she wants. Because I ask her point blank, “What do you want out of this?” What we know from when they auditioned was that she wants Javi, as she says, to step up, be more dominant, and take more control. I think she wants to let go of the reins a little bit and let him take control a little bit more. And I’m pleased to say that Javi really does step up for her. And there are moments on the race where I ask her point blank, “Well, has Javi lived up to what you wanted? Is he changing? Is he making an effort?” And she definitely sealed her approval with a kiss on a number of occasions on the mat.

Jody Rebhun and Jenn Naso — Best friends and moms

Sonja Flemming/CBS

So what you have here are two women who are very smart, high-IQ problem-solvers who get on really, really well. Just the fact that they’re moms means that they understand that dynamic of being caregivers as well as being able to hold down a professional job. They have a lot of respect for each other. They’re both A types, and they’re both used to being in control and wanting to be in control. So there is a moment in the race where they find it hard to give in. And so there’s a pivotal moment where it really all comes to a head with the two of them, and you’ll have to see whether they survive that moment. But it has to do with the fact that they’re both very bright, and they both are used to being right because they’re smart and they know what they’re doing. But they have a difference of opinion at a pivotal point in the race.

Katie Schultz and Charlotte Schultz — Sisters

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Fun, bubbly, fit, competitive. That usual sister dynamic where they just love each other and will do anything for each other. They’re one of the teams that really appreciated the opportunity. They really wanted to be a part of this. They can’t quite believe that they’re getting this opportunity. Super excited, like at the starting line, just jumping up and down uncontrollably.

Michelle Patterson and Matthew Patterson — Married parents

Sonja Flemming/CBS

One of my favorite teams in a long, long time! Michelle is I’m going to say possibly the most competitive person that we’ve had on race in — I can’t even think how long. She’s very smart, very savvy, very strategic. Doesn’t suffer any fools. Is not worried about what anyone thinks of her. She’s not worried about having to follow anybody. She doesn’t want to follow anybody. She just knows what she wants. She’s determined, focused, and Matt a lot of times is tagging along. So she’s in control and is a very good racer. Matt is a bit more easygoing. He’s not fighting for control. Sometimes you see in relationships, particularly with men, if their partner tries to take control, it threatens their masculinity or something. Not Matthew. Matthew’s easygoing. He’s like, “Okay, yeah, sounds good to me. Let’s go.” He’s a good partner, and he’s also very smart and a good racer. They’re a strong team.

Zach and Nate Johnson — Brothers

Sonja Flemming/CBS

They don’t come across as super competitive. They come across more easygoing, like, “Hey, this is going to be a great experience. Let’s see what happens.” They haven’t got the same kind of fight like you’ll see in Michelle and, say, Erin or Reilly. Literally the strongest personalities as far as being competitive are all the women. I mean, Erin, Michelle, Joanne and Ali, Riley and her mom Ann-Marie. These brothers, they’re just more relaxed. It would be like if Cheech and Chong in their younger days were on The Amazing Race. Much more of that kind of relaxed mentality.

Related: Phil Keoghan Breaks Down ‘The Amazing Race 39’s Newest Twist — And What’s Returning Next (Exclusive)

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