How ‘The Amazing Race’ Finds Its Global Greeters

They add the “welcome” to the mat at every Pit Stop on The Amazing Race. As each ’round-the-world Race team hustles to the end of a competition leg, host Phil Keoghan awaits — with a greeter representing that country at his side (above: Thailand).

We’ve seen an Aussie surfer, the mayor of Les Baux de Provence in France and, in India, a man who played the flute with his nose! So, where does the series get these memorable sidekicks?

(Credit: CBS)

“The process of choosing greeters is not a perfect science, but there is a process,” says Elise Doganieri, co-creator of the show with Bertram van Munster. No. 1, obviously, is to find someone from the country Race is filming in.

Related

Phil Keoghan Answers Every Question You've Ever Had About 'The Amazing Race' (VIDEO)

“The second part of the selection could be cultural,” she says. “We sometimes dress the greeter in historical and traditional clothing.” In the November 15 episode, that’s a raincoat of lime tree bark and wooden clogs for Slovenian cow herdsman Dušan ˇ Cokl. Similarly, the greeter might be costumed as a mythical or historical figure from that area (what’s up, “Winston Churchill”!).

In Season 13, though, one greeter had an inside track: Phil’s dad, John, did the honors for New Zealand “It was sort of like Take Dad to Work Day,” the host later quipped.

The Amazing Race, Wednesdays, 9:30/8:30c, CBS