Phil Keoghan Breaks Down the Cast of 'The Amazing Race 36'

The cast of 'The Amazing Race 36'

When it was announced that The Amazing Race 36 would continue to air 90-minute episodes, fans were intrigued. With 50% more airtime, would there be more tasks or twists added in? As Phil Keoghan confirmed to Parade, the extra minutes will instead be dedicated to highlighting things usually left on the cutting room floor, namely moments for The Amazing Race to highlight its cast of characters.

"Back in the day, for time, a lot of stuff would get tightened, and we'd lose some of that," Keoghan tells us in an exclusive interview. "I think we'd lose some of the context. And you couldn't open the show up as much as you wanted to because you're trying to cut for time. So we couldn't hold on the shots a little longer. We couldn't hear more from the contestants about what they loved about being there."

Luckily, now we have the opportunity to do just that. Starting tomorrow, we'll see 13 teams in what Keoghan calls a "really dynamic cast of characters" begin their trip of a lifetime. They'll head to South America and the Caribbean, surviving arduous tasks, transportation difficulties, and each other on the way to the one million dollar prize. This season's group ranges from a former NFL player to six very different couples to what Keoghan believes is the biggest superfan ever cast on The Amazing Race.

Below, Keoghan gives his thoughts on this season's teams, including who stands the best chance to take home the million-dollar prize at the end of it all. The Amazing Race 36 premieres with a 90-minute episode on Wednesday, March 13, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Related: Everything We Know About The Amazing Race Season 36

Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun – Dating from Englewood, CO

Ah, boy. We're talking high octane, high energy, a lot of emotion. Intense relationship for sure. Both are extremely savvy. But let's just say sometimes it's "men are from Mars, women from Venus" as far as their approach goes.

Angie Butler and Danny Butler – Mother and son from San Diego, CA and Walla Walla, WA

Danny might be the biggest fan that we've ever had on Amazing Race. He is obsessed with Amazing Race. He knows everything about Amazing Race. He's been watching it ever since he was a little boy. And I love it when we have superfans come on the show. The relationship they have, that connection, the love between them, the caring you see. You're gonna see quite a few tears. Tears of joy, tears of sorrow, all kinds of tears. The tears will be flowing. But I think it's a different dynamic. We haven't seen that kind of dynamic between a mother and a son. They're definitely a team that people are going to remember. Very entertaining.

Anthony Smith and Bailey Smith – Twin brothers from Clearwater, FL

They're almost the antithesis of Lulu and Lala. They're almost like, [Doing a surfer impression.] "Dude, we're totally going to get this race and crush it." And the long hair. It's almost like we cast them as surfers on The Amazing Race. Just totally chill. "We're just gonna really enjoy the moment, Phil." It's great. I love them. As you know, with all twins, identical twins, there's a special bond. It's almost like they feel each other's pain and joy. They share everything. They've just got a great attitude, which I love. There's no ego there with those guys at all.

Chris Foster and Mary Cardona-Foster – Father and daughter from Waltham, MA

Mary really wanted to do this with her dad to be able to spend more time just with life changes, and him wanting to ensure that he has some quality time with his daughter. So there's a lot of expectation to be able to share in experiences and try to stay in the race as long as possible. Some teams are really focused on winning the million dollars. I think they're going into this less about that and more about "let's get the most out of this as a father/daughter team."

Derek Williams and Shelisa Williams – Married from Alta Loma, CA

The other day, I was at a basketball game. And Derek was there. And Derek came up to me, and I totally blanked. I didn't recognize him in the context of being at the basketball game; he had a hat on. And I was so embarrassed. He was like, "Phil, Phil!" And he grabbed me and hugged me. And  I could not place him. Because also, he's a very big character. They're both big, big characters. And I felt terrible. And then he mentioned his wife. And as soon as he mentioned his wife, I suddenly made the connection. And I was like, "Oh, yes. Okay." And then he goes, Oh, yeah, "I see. My wife is more memorable than I am." And there is a certain amount of truth to that because she kind of rules the roost, and she's the louder of the two. But they're tough. They're tough competitors. I mean, they've been out there. They've lived a real life. They know the real world. And bubbly, full of energy. I just love it when teams come in with energy. But I'd like to officially apologize to Derek for messing that up. Normally, I'm pretty good with that stuff. But he got me the other day.

Juan Villa and Shane Bilek – Best friends from Spokane, WA and Marine City, MI

They are full-throttle, I would say! [Laughs.] Definitely very, very competitive. And having come through the Air Force, very disciplined. They're the team you want to turn to to read a map. Because they're trained to have to be able to work without electronics. They're very competitive, but also very nice. Very, very humble. Not arrogant in any way at all. So sort of gentle, confident, and capable, I would say.

Kishori Turner and Karishma Cordero – Cousins from Gaithersburg, MD and Austin, TX

They are more like sisters to me than they are cousins. Just the way that they operate. Very caring for each other and very competitive. And also out to prove that they should be taken seriously. A lot of times, people will tend to look at a younger or female team and maybe judge how well they're going to do, maybe underestimate them. And I think that's exactly what they want. They want to be underestimated, kind of fly under the radar for a while, and then get deep into the race. And people turn around like, "You guys are still here?" They're very capable and very smart.

Related: Meet the Full Cast of The Amazing Race 36

Maya Mody and Rohan Mody – Siblings from Monmouth Junction, NJ

They're very young. This is going to be a challenge for them. It's kind of monumental when you think about it. Somebody who's lived a full life and 60 years old and has been a parent, and you compare them to younger competitors, there's a lot they just haven't seen in the world before. So they're going to be wide-eyed. And I would say the big question is, "Will they be able to cope with the change, being a fish out of water and going into something that is unlike anything they've ever experienced before?" When you think about people who've just been around longer, they've just seen more, so they may be ready for change more. Literally, they were born when the race started, and the other one was not even born when the race started. So that gives you some perspective about how young they are.

Michelle Clark and Sean Clark – Married from East Point, GA

Well, you do have some cool skipping to look forward to on the race. They know how to do the double dutch. They're very quick on their feet; they're nimble. And they're entrepreneurs. And they've made a business work. I love people who are self-starters and know how to start their own businesses. I always think that they do well on Amazing Race as a result of that, because they can just pick up. They're not waiting for somebody to tell them what to do or how to do it. They just figure out a way—big smiles. And they just absolutely love the fact that they get a chance to be on this race. Nothing makes me happier than to see people when they're running into the Pit Stop with big beaming smiles. They've just had the best day of their life, and they want to do it again. And that's what you're going to see from them—lots of teeth in those smiles.

Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete – Dating from New York, NY

Oh, boy, you want to talk about being underestimated? I would say it's Ricky and Cesar, because they don't look like people who would necessarily be doing practical things. But I am going to say as far as all-around skills for everything, [they're the top]. They look more like city slickers. Again, I'm generalizing here. But certainly when I first saw them, I wouldn't have thought of them as being people that could make it on the farm. They can make anything work on a farm, and yet still be at a fashion show. It seems like, between the two of them, they have done everything. I don't know if we've ever come across a team that is so multifaceted, with so many different skills, and very bright and knowledgeable, very worldly. And they've said it themselves, that they think people are going to look at them and think, "Oh, they probably want to get dressed up in nice clothes and go out on the town. They're not going to want to rough it." They're ready to rough it; they're ready to do anything. They're ready to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and do whatever it takes to win this Amazing Race. So they will. I think they'll be one of those teams where people maybe think they'll be out early because it's all a bit rough. But look out for some surprises from them.

Rod Gardner and Leticia Gardner – Married from Lawrenceville, GA

Leticia, she is something else. This is a fiery relationship. This is a relationship when people are super in love, and they just have that spark between them and that fiery love. You can just tell they absolutely adore each other. And yet there's that sort of spark where they're pushing each other and tweaking each other at the same time, pushing each other's buttons. There's a quick banter going back and forth between them constantly. That's how I would describe the two of them. They walk in, and you might think they're arguing or something because they're bickering with each other. And yet, you could just see this deep love in the way they look at each other. I don't know how many times I said on the mat to them, "You guys are super in love, right?" They are definitely lovey-dovey.

Sunny Pulver and Bizzy Smith – Best friends from Edgerton, WI and New Berlin, WI

They're moms who not only look after their kids and are parents but go to work knowing that on any given day, they will be asked to put their lives on the line for somebody else. And I've said it before on Tough as Nails. In general, people who are prepared to put their lives, people who serve people in the police force, even people who operate on other people and who would be able to hold someone's life in their hands, are the jobs that really matter in the world, the ones that really affect life and death. That's what you see with these two. Very capable physically, very smart, savvy. You have to be savvy. You've got to be making good decisions when you're a firefighter. Because it affects lives. So hyper-competitive. Expect that people are not going to underestimate them because they have a physical presence about them right from the start. And they make it pretty clear right from the starting line that they're there to compete, and they're there to walk away with the win.

Yvonne Chavez and Melissa Main – Dating from San Diego, CA

There's an interesting dynamic with this relationship. One of the things that you get on Amazing Race, of course, is you get to see couples in action. People have said to me before, "Would you ever go on Amazing Race with your wife?" I'd be like, "Hell no!" [Laughs.] I have been second-guessing sometimes why certain relationships work and why they don't work. And relationships that you don't think are really working properly, you realize that there's something that works. I have not figured out exactly what's going on there with that relationship. But they love each other; I will say that. You're going to see that they air out their relationship. We'll get to watch it under a microscope. Let's just say that.

Next, check out Phil Keoghan's preview of The Amazing Race 36.