I love the TV show The Amazing Race, so much so that I used to have its theme song as my alarm until Bec politely asked me to change it.
Phil Keoghan has been the host of The Amazing Race since its 2001 debut. The show has been a global hit, airing for over 30 seasons and winning 13 Emmy awards.
When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, The Amazing Race had to halt production, and shortly after Phil was hosting a new reality show called Tough As Nails (a reality competition based around real-world work sites).
When I saw this, I thought that Tough As Nails was quickly created to get around the international travel restrictions.
But I subsequently learned that Phil first pitched Tough As Nails in 2008.
The idea was turned down.
He pitched it again in 2010. And again it was turned down.
Again in 2013. Again, turned down.
2017. Turned down.
Finally in 2019, he received the green-light to produce a trial season, which eventually aired in July 2020.
The show was a hit and has since been renewed for multiple seasons.
It’s incredible that for all the success Phil Keoghan had with The Amazing Race, he still had to push very, very hard to bring another show to life.
So when you reach a high point in your career, always appreciate that further success isn’t a given.
.