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The Amazing Race 34 ended in December 2022 and was the second season to film and air during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The network and producers had to adjust the show’s format to accommodate health and safety guidelines. However, host Phil Keoghan revealed that some of the changes to The Amazing Race were due to wanting to make the show less complicated.

Phil Keoghan, who hosts 'The Amazing Race' on CBS, wears a dark gray jacket.
Phil Keoghan | Photo by Kit Karzen/CBS via Getty Images

‘The Amazing Race’ got rid of U-Turns, Speed Bumps, and more in season 33

As fans recall, The Amazing Race cast and crew, including Phil Keoghan, had to return home after filming three legs in season 33. It was late February 2020, during the early days of COVID-19. And after a year and a half production pause, some of the teams returned to the race. And when they did, the show looked a lot different.

Instead of booking flights and hailing taxis, the contestants and crew flew on the same charter plane, and the racers mainly drove themselves to the challenges.

However, The Amazing Race 33 also didn’t include U-Turns, Speed Bumps, Express Passes, Fast Forwards, or other notorious twists. The reason for that was assumingly to decrease exposure to COVID-19, but The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan has another explanation.

Phil Keoghan reveals why ‘The Amazing Race’ no longer has many twists

During an interview with Kim and Penn Holderness, the winners of The Amazing Race 33, on their YouTube channel, Phil Keoghan shared why the season didn’t have any twists.

“There were a lot of adjustments to the show, and I think we just, sort of, got back to basics,” the host explained. “For me, personally, I love the simplicity of our format. And I am more about enhancing the format than adding in these newer elements that have come into the show. I’m old school that way. Going back to the football analogy — you don’t change the rules of football, you enhance the game of football.”

Keoghan continued, “You enhance the way you shoot it, the way that you see it, the way that you present it with new graphics, with 4K cameras, with phantom cameras that can capture 1000 frames a second slo-mo’s, skycams … You enhance what works. And to me, it’s the same on Amazing Race. Enhance what works. The basic format works. Stick to the basics, and make it as good as you can.”

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‘The Amazing Race’ fans react to Phil Keoghan’s statement

After watching Phil Keoghan’s interview, The Amazing Race fans jumped on Reddit to discuss his thoughts on the show’s format.

“Could not disagree more, especially with less of the traveling stuff because of COVID,” one Reddit user wrote. “These things could have spiced a few legs up.”

A fan commented, “Sorry, but I disagree with Phil here. Despite not having any U-Turns, Yields, Express Passes, and other twists, seasons 33 and 34 aren’t the resurgence of old-school classic [The Amazing Race]. Other than the self-driving, which is a welcome feature, these post-COVID seasons are just too streamlined.”

“I think most fans will disagree with him here, especially in the post-COVID [The Amazing Races],” someone else added. “Things are so short and simple now. No airport drama, no taxi drama, it’s just so bland. The obstacles are so close together and easier than before it seems like most of these are done in a few hours. I really, really miss the old seasons.”

The Amazing Race is streaming on Paramount+.

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