Surprise cast announcement – Amazing Race Australia celebrity cast revealed
The Amazing Race Australia cast has been revealed with the 2023 season a celebrity version. Some of our most familiar faces are competing. Here is who made the cut.
Confidential
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And they are off and running – 11 teams of Aussie celeb have dusted off their passports and kicked off their race around the world.
The first Australian celebrity Amazing Race has begun production with some of our most famous faces signing up for the competition.
“I feel like the essence of the show is that it forces you to live in the moment and be present and it will unfold in front of you,” former Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies said, competing alongside wife Jackie Gillies, of Real Housewives of Melbourne fame.
“You are completely out of control of your destiny. You just need to be present and enjoy it and I am looking forward to that.”
The winning contestants will secure $100,000 for their chosen charity with Beau Ryan back on board as host of the show.
Former athlete Jana Pittman has found time to take part between juggling motherhood of six kids and full-time work as a doctor.
She is competing with eldest son, Cornelius, to win the cash for the Royal Hospital for Women.
“For me it was to have some quality time with my son,” Pittman said.
“He’s definitely not had a lot of mummy time over the last 15/16 years, so it’s to get one-on-one time with my son.
Obviously, the show has an amazing reputation, so I think very few people would say no, so I was very honoured to be asked.”
TV host Grant Denyer and wife Chezzie, AFL WAG Bec Judd and sister, Kate Twigley, controversial reality star Harry Jowsey and mate Teddy Briggs, comedian Dane Simpson and dad Bow, and singer Alli Simpson and mum Angie are all on deck.
The cast also includes former Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins and her sister, Hayley, presenter Darren McMullen and nephew, Tristan, Australian Survivor contestant George Mladenov and sister Pamela, and comedian Peter Rowsthorn with daughter, Frankie.
“I’m excited about the mystery,” Rowsthorn said. “We’ll try and make it fun. We’re here for a job. We’re comedians, so we’re expected to be at least a bit funny, so we’ll try put a bit of humour into it.”
Here, contestants tell Confidential why they’ve signed up for the show:
Alli Simpson and mum, Angie, are raising money for Dementia Australia — Alli: “We said yes because we thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we wanted to just push ourselves outside the box. We will take this memory with us forever and be able to go to places we never would of thought we would ever go.”
Bec Judd and sister, Kate Twigley, are raising money for Impatient Advocacy – A Nicole Cooper Foundation — Bec: “Kate and I have been fans of the race since we were in high school. We love that the focus is on incredibly fun challenges in beautiful parts of the world.”
Ben and Jackie Gillies, raising money for the Moira Kelly Creating Hope Foundation —
“Adventure, experience, travel and just being together with Jackie and doing something different. I feel like the essence of the show is that it forces you to live in the moment and be present and it will unfold in front of you. You are completely out of control of your destiny. You just need to be present and enjoy it and I am looking forward to that.”
Harry Jowsey and mate Teddy Briggs are raising money for Beyond Blue — Harry: “I think we both wanted a chance to talk about mental health and most importantly have a chance to raise money for an amazing charity. We are playing for Beyond Blue because it helps so many people and it stands for great things. Two hopeless idiots that have no idea what they are doing but are here for a good time and to try and make you laugh.
Grand and Chezzie Denyer are raising money for Lifeline — Grant: “We won’t have the kids vomiting or pooing on us – anything is a holiday … even if you are in the hottest of hot or coldness of cold locations around the world being chased by a bear. When you are parents of three young children – it sounds like a dream come true. Mental health and rural suicide is a really significant issue, and those farmers need our help
because they are the ones who put food on our table. We can’t live without them. Lifeline Central West is one of the places families can go to if they are worried about a loved one and there is not enough of those services going around.
Dane and Bow Simpson are raising money for the Darugal Elders in Wolgan — Dane: “I wanted to challenge myself, but I also wanted to show off my dad. I think he’s one of the silliest, funniest people. He features a lot on my stand up and I wanted to just show people that he’s real. I do make fun, and people think ‘ah what a joke’, but this is real. This is going to be fun. I think Australia is absolutely going to fall in love with him.”
— Emma: “Hayley and I haven’t been able to see each other for the last 12 years or so because I’ve been touring. This does feel like the first time we’ve been together since school camp. So, we’ll be bringing those vibes.
George Mladenov and sister Pamela are raising money for the Bankstown Women’s Health Centre — George: “When I was a kid, I loved two shows – Survivor and The Amazing Race. I’ve proven that I’m the best ever Survivor player, and it’s a second dream come true opportunity for me to play The Amazing Race. And it’s even better that I can bring my little sister Pam with me. I left a legacy behind as the world’s best ever Survivor player, and I’m here to build on my legacy. I want to show that strategy will propel you forward in the race. We might not be the fastest or strongest team, but with my brain and Pam’s beauty, I know we’re the ultimate combination to win.”
Jana Pittman and son, Cornelis, are raising money for the Royal Hospital for Women —
Jana: “If we get lucky, we are putting the $100k towards the Royal Hospital for Women, which is the hospital I work at. It’s the only women’s hospital in NSW which dedicates medical treatment to women and newborn babies. Even though it’s one of the most prestigious hospitals, it’s greatly underfunded, and we really rely heavily on donations to upgrade and to ensure we’re at the frontline of medical services.”
Peter Rowsthorn and daughter, Frankie, are raising money for Autism for Allstars — Peter: “My grandson has autism, so we’re doing it for him. I’m looking forward to the adventure and not knowing what we’re going to do every day, it’s incredible. I’m excited about the mystery. We’ll try and make it fun. We’re here for a job. We’re comedians, so we’re expected to be at least a bit funny, so we’ll try put a bit of humour into it.”
Darren McMullen and nephew, Tristan, are raising money for For The Magic — Darren: “I do what I do as a job because it enables me to travel, so whenever I can combine what I do with travel, it’s a no-brainer for me. The Amazing Race is one of those shows that I’ve loved for years, and I’ve fantasised about going on it, so when the opportunity arose to do a celebrity version with a family member, I couldn’t be more pumped to do it with my nephew and my paddle partner in crime, Tristan. We’re both very competitive, we both love travel and we’re just here to have a really great time and raise money for our charity. We want to win. We’re in it to win it for our charity. And we’re also in it to win for ourselves, we’re very competitive, we hate to lose, we’re both pretty fit, we’re both smart. I think we’re the team to beat.”
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