Phil Keoghan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phil Keoghan
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Keoghan in February 2015
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Philip John Keoghan
31 May 1967 Lincoln, New Zealand
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| Occupation | Television presenter |
| Years active | 1986–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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The Amazing Race (CBS) No Opportunity Wasted (Discovery Channel) Explorer (National Geographic) Tough as Nails (CBS) |
| Spouse(s) | Louise Rodrigues |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Elizabeth "Beth" Keoghan John Keoghan |
| Relatives | Andrew Keoghan (brother) Ruth Keoghan Cooper (sister) |
Philip John Keoghan MNZM (born May 31, 1967) is a famous television host from New Zealand. He is best known for hosting the American TV show The Amazing Race on CBS. He has hosted the show since it first started in 2001.
Phil Keoghan also created and hosts No Opportunity Wasted. This show has been made in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. He also helped create and hosts Tough as Nails, another reality competition show on CBS, which began in 2020. By 2021, he had won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Amazing Race. The show won the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program seven times in a row.
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Early Life and Childhood
Phil Keoghan was born in Lincoln, a small town near Christchurch, New Zealand. Because his father traveled a lot for work, Phil spent much of his childhood in Antigua and Canada. His family moved back to Christchurch when he was in high school. He later attended St Andrew's College, Christchurch.
Television Career
When Phil was 19, he was training to be a TV cameraman. At the same time, he tried out for a New Zealand children's show called Spot On and got the job. After working as a presenter on other New Zealand TV shows, like That's Fairly Interesting, he moved to the United States. He was 23 when his show Keoghan's Heroes was picked up by an American TV network.
Phil first tried out to be the host of Survivor. He was one of the top choices, but Jeff Probst was chosen instead. However, the CBS network then offered Phil the job of hosting The Amazing Race. Phil has been the host of this show since it began and also works as a producer. He has hosted over 1,000 different TV episodes in his career.
In February 2011, a big earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand. Phil visited his hometown to make sure his family was safe. He also filmed parts for The Early Show to ask people to help the New Zealand Red Cross. He also encouraged people to keep visiting New Zealand to help its economy. Around the same time, he helped record a new safety video for Air New Zealand's planes.
In June 2010, it was announced that Phil would host and produce a new reality show about the Velux 5 Oceans Race. In 2010, Phil told TMZ that he was held in Ukraine for two days during the 10th season of The Amazing Race. The U.S. ambassador in Ukraine had to help him get free.
Phil also hosted National Geographic Explorer starting in 2018. He had always wanted to work on Explorer. He and his wife even filmed a video to show their ideas to the show's producers a long time ago.
No Opportunity Wasted
When Phil was 19 and filming for Spot On, he and a friend went diving to explore a shipwreck. It was about 120 feet underwater. While inside the ship, he got separated from his friend and felt very scared, like he was close to dying. His dive partner rescued him. Even though he was shaken, Phil insisted on going back the next day to finish filming.
After this experience, Phil decided to live his life to the fullest. He started making a list of exciting things he wanted to do, which he called his "No Opportunity Wasted" (NOW) list. In his book, No Opportunity Wasted, he wrote:
It was the first time I really stopped to think what dying could mean. I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down all the things I had to do in life: hand-feed sharks, travel the world, climb Mt Everest, go into space.
Since then, Phil has done many amazing things. He broke a world bungee jumping record. He has gone diving in the world's longest underwater caves. He even ate a meal on top of an erupting volcano. He also renewed his wedding vows underwater while feeding sharks. He was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he shared his "before I die" list with Oprah.
Phil helped create the TV show No Opportunity Wasted, which first aired in 2004. The show was based on his "No Opportunity Wasted" idea. He also wrote a book called No Opportunity Wasted: 8 Ways to Create a List for the Life You Want.
Cycling Adventures
Phil Keoghan loves cycling. From March 28 to May 9, 2009, he rode his bike across America. This event, called "Ride Across America," raised money for multiple sclerosis research. Phil and others rode 3,500 miles from Los Angeles to New York City. They rode about 100 miles each day. Phil stopped in 39 cities along the way. He also helped with casting for season 15 of The Amazing Race. The ride raised $500,000. His documentary movie The Ride, about this journey, came out on February 3, 2011.
Later, Phil learned about Harry Watson. Watson was a New Zealand cyclist from the early 1900s. He led a team of four to be the first English-speaking team to ride in the Tour de France in 1928. To honor Watson, Phil decided to ride the same Tour de France course from 1928. This old course was nearly 5400 kilometers, much longer than the modern Tour. He used the same type of gear-less bicycle that Watson's team used, but with a modern seat. Phil and his riding partner, Ben Cornell, finished the ride in 2013. Phil's wife, Louise, and others filmed their journey. This footage became a film called Le Ride. It first showed in Christchurch, New Zealand, in July 2016.
Family Life
Phil Keoghan's father, John, is a scientist who works to protect nature in New Zealand. John appeared on The Amazing Race during the 13th season. He greeted the racers when they stopped in New Zealand. John Keoghan and his wife, Beth, own a bed and breakfast in Rolleston, New Zealand.
Phil's brother, Andrew, was a TV reporter for Television New Zealand's One News. He is also a jazz singer. Phil's sister, Ruth Keoghan Cooper, helps professional women balance their careers with being mothers.
Phil lives with his wife and producing partner, Louise Keoghan (who was Louise Rodrigues). They have one daughter. Louise is a TV producer and director from Australia. She also helped create No Opportunity Wasted and Tough as Nails. They live in Los Angeles, California. They also have homes in Matarangi in New Zealand and in Westport.
Awards and Recognition
In 2012, Phil Keoghan was named one of six "Emerging Leaders" at the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards. He was recognized for using his fame to help with things like the Christchurch earthquake relief and efforts for multiple sclerosis.
In 2008, Phil received the World Class New Zealand award in the 'Creative' category. In 2014, he was given the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit award. This was for his work as a television presenter and for helping tourism.
For hosting The Amazing Race, Phil was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in 2009. However, he lost to Jeff Probst from Survivor. In 2018, Phil Keoghan was added to the International Sports Hall of Fame.
Shows Phil Keoghan Has Been Involved With
Phil Keoghan has worked in more than seventy countries. He has been a television host, producer, writer, and cameraman. Here are some of the shows he has worked on:
- 3.45 Live (1990) – Presenter
- The Amazing Race (2001–present) – Host
- Best of Both Worlds – Co-host
- Breakfast Time (FX TV series) – Road Warrior
- The Early Show – Travel Correspondent
- FOX After Breakfast (1996) – Reporter
- That's Fairly Interesting – Reporter
- Go For It – Host
- The Human Edge (2002) – Co-creator
- Phil Keoghan's Adventure Crazy – Co-creator
- Adventure Crazy – Host
- Keoghan's Heroes – Co-creator
- Miss World 2003 (2003) – Host
- No Opportunity Wasted (2004) – Host
- Spot On – Host
- Surprise, Surprise – Host
- Whose House is it Anyway? (2000) – Host
- Speed Test Drive (2006) – Guest appearance
- Everest: After the Climb (2007) – Host
- CBS News Sunday Morning (2008) – Contributor
- Star Trek: Phase II (2008) – Cameo as Admiral Keoghan
- Million Dollar Password (2008) – Guest appearance
- I Get That a Lot (2013) – Himself
- Big Brother (2015) – Guest
- Earth Live (2017) – Co-host
- American Dad! (2017) – Guest voice
- National Geographic Explorer (2018) – Host
- Tough as Nails (2020–2023) – Host, Executive Producer, Director, Co-Creator
- Secret Celebrity Renovation (2023) – Himself
- Hollywood Squares (2025) – Himself
See also
In Spanish: Phil Keoghan para niños
- List of New Zealand television personalities
