It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload.
The podcast Last Deep the Mine.
Welcome back guys to TV Reload. As you may know, my name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss on the popular TV shows that you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, our TV sets are still a major part of our home entertainment, and yet very little is known about how
our favorite shows get made. So each episode I've been finding the guests that want to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're currently making, so that you can hear all their exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in Australian television. I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this podcast however you've found me. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform.
Today's episode of the podcast, I'm.
Joined by the official winners of the Amazing Race Celebrity edition. It is the very gracious and enigmatic TV host and actor presenter Darren McMullen and he's nephew Tristan. We do have the band back together today via zoom and we're going to get some pretty exciting stories from the mcmully family as I'm sure they're not going to censor themselves
as they unpack their time on Amazing Race Australia. Darren McMullin is a Scottish Australian personality who has been entertaining audiences since I'm assuming the day he was born.
He was born though in Glasgow, Scotland, and immigrated with his family to Australia at the age of twelve.
He's best known as the co host of The Voice Australia, but has gone on to many other exciting roles right across all the Freeedoware networks. He was one of the biggest names to join the celebrity version of the hit show, and boy does he know how to make a TV moment and raise revenue for charities. The boys did an outstanding job and brought down their house with an emotional end of the series that will be remembered as one
of the most iconic finales ever. I will find out about his rift with George from Australian Survivor and what he thought about taking on a Wiggle and a Simpson in that finale. Tristan will also talk about why he's been turned off working in television and what Uncle Darren is really like. Between takes, Darren will share his rationale in creating that heroic and generous end of the series, with details about a final call to a senior executive
at network ten Plus. We will get plenty of exclusives from behind the scenes of The Amazing Race Australia Celebrity Edition, which if you missed that finale you should catch up on Tenplay. Anyway, guys, let's bring Darren and Tristan into the podcast, and George, if you're listening, maybe go and take a walk outside while I talked to the boys about their amazing time on The Amazing Race Australia Celebrity Edition.
Is Darren?
Is that one lovely Tristan? You're very handsome?
Thank you?
Is that how they cast you on the show? Did Darren have to go find, you know, attractive family members?
Is that my my cousin would have taken that price.
I don't think Tristan wants anything to do with television ever.
Again, Darren, the last time I spoke to you was like early in the morning, and then I had all these comments about people saying how sexual.
Sexual I was not. I'm just always horny. It's all the it's all the bullpiness that we ate on the on the Amazing Race, keeping it frisky.
One of the other contestants was saying, you know that they would be doing the race and then they would also you could organize massages back at the hotel room, and I was thinking, in those countries, that sounds that sounds interesting.
I didn't know about the massages back in the hotel room, did you trist them?
Must have been it, Teddian, Harry Princes.
They booked out everyone in the in the different patricks. Anyway, congratulations on winning the Amazing Race.
Boys. You both did such a good job. It was amazing.
Thank you.
I want to ask you though, the end result was a great example of sportsmanship. You know you both did win, but that decision to share the experience that win with everyone else in their charities, how long had you been thinking about doing that.
I think we discussed it the night before. It was probably percolating maybe a few days for me, and you know it was hard to say if we'd even make the final, but you know, by that stage you're so exhausted, you haven't really slept, you haven't eaten much, you're so invested in the race, and I just was kind of putting myself in a runners up scenario and thinking, God, if I went all this distance and walked away with absolutely nothing for our charity, I'd be devastated. And I
don't want anyone to feel that. So I think it would be nice if we kind of can share the win with everyone, and it's you know, they can at least walk away with something for their charity. Because I got speaking because it wasn't really much time to catch
up with everybody and talk about everything. So a few days before I kind of had the opportunity to speak to Emma and Haley and Angie and Ali about what their charities meant to them and why they chose those charities, and you know, I was welling up as they were telling their story of Leonie Jackson and also and with her mum who's got dementia, and I thought, God, you know, they're all here, you know, in their charities mean as much to them as mine does to me, and it
just would be such a shame to not get anything. So yeah, you know, once Tristan and I started talking about it was a no brainer. We thought, look, we're gonna have to work very very hard to win this race because you know, we just knew there was going to be dancing challenges and stuff like that. We felt it it was probably going to be geared up maybe for us not to win. And I said, if we're going to win this, we have to be extra extra good to win this because it's not geared up for
us to win. All female suo has never won the Amazing Race, and I really think they wanted an all female duo to win the Amazing Race at the Tricka done. And we pulled off the miracle and we and we got to that position and thankfully we're able to share that with everyone else.
I was going to ask Tristan that conversation would have been great to have. Did you have conversations with the producers about making that happen or was it a surprise to everyone who was filming.
I'm prett sure it was a surprise to everybody.
Yeah. I spoke to one of the heads at ten just to float it from a legality point of view. I said, listen, this is what if we do win, we would like to do this. Is there any complications with that, because if there's money involved, I know sometimes that can get convoluted with contracts and things. And I said, look, just you know, I've spoke to my charity. They're okay with that, so it's not a matter of us robbing money from them or whatever. It's you know, you know,
they're happy to do that. We're happy to do that. Is there any kind of legal complications there that you couldn't pay all these charities? And he checked out and came back and said, no, no, you're all good. He said, but please, if you don't, don't mention this to anyone else. So no, we didn't.
Yeah, I mean it's a great TV moment. Network ten would have been rubbing their hands together.
Yeah, yeah, well I was even I was bloody crying last night watching it too. It was especially because I saw, like for the first time what the girl's train ride was like. So Emma and Haley just so deflated on that train thinking they were going to come into second place, and you know, almost in tears, and that was so
heartbreaking to watch. And I was like, oh my god, I'm so thankful, more now than ever that we split the win with everyone, because I mean that that could have been ours, that could have been us rolling second on the on the train and gone ship man. We lost it on the final the final challenge, because I mean sometimes they there's a little tom foolery with the editing. This is one of the things Tristan hates about television land.
You know, it was edited obviously to make it a lot closer than what it was, but realistically, you know, Emma and Haley were significantly in front all day. No one was close. We were never it said in what at one point we were first? We were never first. We were always very far behind em and Haley the whole time. And in the dance challenge, we're like, I mean, come on, they were out right away what one go, and they were phenomenal at it, and.
We were there.
We're probably about forty five minutes behind them. At least we thought probably we lost it by that stage. And then when we got to the puzzle, I was surprised to still see them, and my little lady HD brain kicked in and went a bit rain manish and noticed anomalies and photos that other people hadn't maybe noticed, and yeah, we were in front, so We're lucky enough to to get in front and be able to split the money with everyone. So it was a good feeling and it felt right and I'm glad we did it.
Tristan.
I was going to ask you, did you have to rely on Uncle Dae to tell you who these other celebrities were? Did you know who all of these Australian celebrity television personalities were.
I think it was a mixed bag for both of us. Actually.
I think on the plane over I recognized Harry and and Janna, and you recognized Ben and Ben and Jackie.
Then we got there, obviously that was Grant and how Andergie. Did we all knew? And then there was a few others I think we were didn't add know at all?
I don't know at all. Yeah, that was pretty bad. I was like, who's this did calling himself like Prince and Georgia like that. It's like King George? Who's this guy? King George? And apparently he was on like The Survivor.
I think he savaged you on the podcast when he was on here, and I'm sorry for that, but I feel like that's the only negative response that you've probably got, you know, from the contestants or even from the people online.
There's usually the odd hater that comes out, but there's been none of that.
There was there was one. I saw there was one.
This was one.
In my opinion, Oh god, there's always one.
People that savaging your guys online. I was thought that everyone would have been pretty happy with you.
No, it's like, it's that's what we're just saying. It's like unbelievable amount of positive and love. And because we're just saying, there's usually always one or two assholes and ah, but it's like thousands and thousands of comments and there's a lot of backhanded ones too. I used to hate that guy, but no, I like, I mean the backhanded
ones too, but yeah, like it's just all love. But then Tristan said that there was one shit comment of all the thousands, and I was like, oh, yeah, what was it and what did he say?
It's very self serving, in my opinion.
Self serving? What more self Well, if we take all the money, that's self serve, but if we split the money, that's also self serving.
So it's actually it's actually madness, like there's no right way of doing it. When I watched the last when I watched it last night. I was thinking, people are going to say, Darren knows a TV moment. This is about branding, This is about making him look good, you know what I mean, Like, you can never please the audience, and especially the type of I think you call them debbies now because you can't call them Karen's because Karen's
now think that's racist against Karen's. But debbies are like right onto it, They're like, you know, how can I get as many clicks or reactions to people online? I need to say the opposite. That's polarizing to get people to interact with me, to get attention.
Yeah, it's pretty sad, but yeah, I'm surprised there's been none of that. It's all been really, really, really positive. And I think that comes because it's a genuine moment. In these TV moments, you can you can tell when they're TV moments. And I think it all happened so quick and it was real, and I think, you know,
you can see from everybody's reaction it's real. And you know, you were so invested with the show and the charity but also these people by this stage, and you just didn't want people to leave empty hand to do It was simple as that, because I mean I just put myself in their choose and I thought I would be fucking devastated, so let's not let that happen.
I literally proposed on national television and the next hour I was like, that's going to be great for marriage equality.
And the comments online was what a narcissist?
I mean, it did not help my case that I was proposing to a man who looked like me.
That name was Ben.
There's something sort of narcissistic about that, really, the callowing yourself King Ben.
I think the king name has already been taken. But I was going to ask you what did you make of Grant Daniel leaving an episode two?
Do you feel like he earned his paycheck?
Yeah?
I mean I kind of missed. I missed up again because we were we were we were up the front, you know, so we first and I off the back of the first episode. To be honest, we find it really easy. Like the episode we found so easy. And what they didn't show in the actual episode was we
fucked that wedding dress photo ops so many times. We had to go back and forward six times in this insane heat, and I was and every time I was smiling and laughing and having a good time, and even though we had to do it so many times, we were still a good forty five an hour in front of everyone, and we're like and everyone after we're speaking to them, they're like, oh my god, this is so brutal.
I can't cope with this. And we were kind of looking at each other, gone, what I mean, we're playing a different game, because that was really easy for us. So when Grant had fainted and like in that second episode, it was kind of a bit unbelievable to us because we were doing a little Bollywood dance like it wasn't It wasn't like we were on some extreme kind of like me show or something, you know, like it's I was just.
Wondering whether Grant Daniel just agreed to doing the show because they said to him, if you want to be the host of Deal or No Deal, you've got to do the amazing race first. And he was like all right, and then he was like, you know, nudging his wife and was like, I'm going to pretend to pass out and then I believe that pull Deal on No Deal from me.
I mean to be fair, When you watch it, it does look like a really bad, bad acting job. But as having spoke to them offline, I think they were, like I think they were truly like gut it to be going home, especially because you don't nobody wants to be first or second. That's that's kind of shit, you know. I think they were both because I did see a lot of people saying, oh that that seemed fake. And by the way, and when I looked at it, I also thought that it did seem a bit like, really,
I mean, are you actually fainting here? It seems a bit much, But that's how it looked on the on the camera. But I think the reality being there and speaking to them after like they were. I mean I spoke to Chezy directly after. She was absolutely devastated and worried for him too, like severely worried that he that
he'd done some permanent damage there. And actually when I when I watched, because they used a clip of it again last night, when he's kind of saying, oh man, we just had a great time, and he's on the carpet and he's slurring his words a bit, and he's almost seemed like he's really drunk, And I think that's you know that kind of what happens when you have that severe dehydration. And of course shortly after that he
ended up fainting again. So yeah, he does look really, really sick in that last bit where he's you know, like thanking Bo for being there. So it was a shame. I think he would have liked to have at least made it, you know, to another country. And yeah, and by the way, I was, I was kind acosted because I've not really met Grant Denny here and you know, with some similar jobs, I guess, and it would have been good to catch up with them along the way.
Well, I said to Bow at the start of this, I was like, have you got Darren McMullan and Grant Dania in case you get sick, you know, with like balimelly or something, so that they can stand in as a TV host, Like, you know, just bring a couple of backups.
Is Steven Tighter Channel ten. You know, we've got it covered.
Bo would never let me stand in from you never get that position back. I'll be holding on to that type.
Well, if he does get you can always jump in.
You get to travel the Yeah, well he said to me a lot Darren it's bloody tough. You're the only person that I know that could do a show like this. Man, it's bloody tough. I'm like, bo, you have to remember a number between one and twelve. Bro, it's not that hard. Come on, let's be honest.
Might be hid.
Yeah, see you are the fifth I mean, it's really it's it's it's bloody. It's a bloody good job you've got. You get to travel the world. Well, you get to you know, see these amazing places, and yeah, I would love I'd love to have the amazing race.
Yeah.
I mean it's not all as flashy as its signs, even for him, because I mean he do. You would do grueling days running around trying to do all those links, dealing with all the kind of chaos that you deal with in third world countries and things. I think a lot of people think it's like doing getaway or something. We've stayed in five star resorts, But it's not that. It's not that, but it's still be bloody fun. No.
I think if you asked me to do that, i'd say get away, not a TV show get away.
I think that would be it.
In saying that, you know, obviously we got a route awakening a few episodes in because it started to get very very hard for us. So for whatever reason that those first ones that everyone finds super gruelling were pretty easy for us, but more than mind fuck later caught us out.
I guess we were so appy as well. Yeah, we really wanted it straight away. We went in all guns blazing.
We were probably benefited from more physical stuff, and it was it was quite clear. Halfway through the show. I was like, oh shit, we're gonna get no physical stuff here. It's all going to be a little I called it the place school challenges. Oh another place school challenge is okay, this is not for Emma Haley again. Is it like making boats or making shoes? Doing a dance routine? Oh no, we're singing again.
Oh right, Christan.
I was going to ask you, though you know all of this TV experience, now you can see what uncle does. Any chance of you know, following his footsteps, some wanting to work in television?
Not a chance, not a chance, seeing all the drama that goes on behind TV, It's not for me.
What did you learn about your own quis?
Did you learn anything about him being able to make some television with him.
Yeah, No, it was awesome to step into his world as well, Like as soon as that that red light goes on, he's just a different person. Like there's so many mornings we'd wake up and hadn't had a coffee yet, and then it's grumpy, and then since the camera's rolling is ready to go, I'm like, okay, that's a change from two minutes ago.
I remember watching Darren posting the voice one time and sorry about this, Darren, just to tell Tristan this story and the rest of Australia. I remember watching you on the sidelines. You looked grumpy and miserable. You looked a bit hungover maybe, and then out of nowhere they said action and you were majestic like it just you have to be able to have seen it with your own eyes to see that transformation and that it's magic time.
Like Tristan's so quiet, we never to hear from him.
And I was like, I don't think people understand, like how funny our interviews are with Darren just talking for an hour, like you have the whole.
Show of just the interview.
A lot of it can be used quite crude in my interviews, and I think especially because of what happened at the end. They maybe didn't want to play a lot of my more snippy bits of the interview because they wanted people to like me, I guess, and they thought, well, if we actually show the world what it's really like, the fucking ate them.
I still can't.
Get over how many people commented about some of them, like we were chatting only last year, maybe it was the sound of this year. I can't remember it well, little not that long ago, and yes, you were so funny and like people were loving it and I got a lot of downloads, which is great, But some people were like, oh, I think you need to put an X rated rating on any chats with Darren someone.
It's just like people are so precious, now, aren't they. So the amount of hate you get for like I mean, we were sarcastic as fuck and blatant jokes, and some of them made it to air, others did it. But the ones that made it to air you inevitably have a hundred people going, I can't believe you said that. What is wrong with you? Like it's fucking sarcasm, Like, what is wrong with you? I think the one that springs to mind I was wearing a T shirt with a taj Mahal on it and it was a laundry
challenge that day and we were disastrous at it. It was bloody hilstones, it was sand blowing up in the washing. It was an absolute nightmare, the weather and everything else. And I think the producer asked, what don't you do your own laundry down It's like, I don't do laundry, of course I don't. I just buy a shirt and wear it once and then throw it out and then just probably said that, well you hope so because that
one stinks. Then the amount of people that were like, I can't believe you would do that and just just consuming into this fast fashion world and do you know how many gallons of water that are wasted per year? And because of people throwing out clothes, I'm like, oh my god, I don't actually wear a shirt once and throw it out. And if you think I do, you need your head examined, like what is wrong with you?
And by the way, I'm wearing a souvenir haaj Mahole T shirt which I bought from the family that probably made it in India. I mean it's more it's direct to customer as you can get you know what I mean?
You know what?
Also, I feel like we now know that the Simpsons kids get their dance moves from well, not their mother, someone else in the family.
Oh yeah, Jesus, yeah that was I thought we were bad in the dance Challenge and hating it actually because Ange was always smiling to my knowledge throat most of the show. And I did realize, like in the when I watched that episode last night, she seemed a little bit deflated throughout the whole final I think I think her back was really really killing her, and I think everyone was maybe just a bit worn down. But it did stand out to me because she was so happy
all the time. I thought, oh fuck, I wonder what happened that she was a little bit down through that whole out.
I kind of realized they were up against Emma and us and like there was nobody really else they could rely on to be behind them.
The snake looked pretty intimidating, Darren. You weren't that intimidated by a big snake? Obviously they got one of the pants. Didn't you actually look genuinely terrified? Because you watch a lot of these shows like I'm a celebrity, and all the celebrities to get on the show. They're always like, I'm scared of snakes, I'm scared of spiders. But what they mean to say is they're scared of not getting a paycheck. So they go on these shows pretend to
be scared from you know, all the creepy callies. But Tristan, you actually look like you might have needed a new pair of underpants after.
That, like genuinely terrified.
I was shaking when we get in and they blindfolded straight away and audiom thinking oh no, this is not good.
And then I hear one of the other girls scream and then just like a hiss.
I'm across and I was like, ah fuck, And I knew straight away, and so I'm sat there stiff as anything, like genuinely terrified, and I didn't like, I didn't tell the producers in the lead up that I was scared of them, so that's like, oh, if I do, they'll definitely throw one in.
And so they were like.
After it, they go they should you should have told us, like, we wouldn't have done that to you in the finale, and I was like, yes, you would.
It'd been ten times worse.
Yeah, but I'm much bigger snake, like a pit or something. Yeah.
And they were like, yeah, we gave you the smallest one. I was like, I don't care.
Well, Like just feeling the weight on your shoulder, you can just feel like wrapping around you and like it could just choke you out in an instant, like as soon as I wanted to.
Yeah, I did one of those shows once to wrap one around my waist and I actually thought I was going to pass out, just really quickly. Before we wrap up, Darren, I was going to ask you, now that you've done the show, are there any Australian celebrities. They've announced that they're doing a celebrity version again next year. Do you have any celebrity mates that you'd like to see take on the show.
I would suggest to all my celebrity mates out there, if you are going to do the show, I wouldn't do it with your partner. It's a recipe for divorce.
Ben and Jackie are they okay something I don't know?
Oh? No, they're great. I mean yeah, I mean they're totally choc and cheese, aren't they.
Like?
Ben's just so laid back, he's horizontal. I don't think you could ever wind that guy out. He's amazing. But yeah, I mean, I just imagine you'd be at each other throat constantly. I was trying to imagine me doing it with my partner. I was like, no way, I'd be so infuriated doing with a partner. But I don't know who I'd love to see do it. Carla from Banks Time, she'd be fun to watch. Benji Mark, Yeah, he'd he'd be good at that. He's he'd be very good at that. Actually, probably win.
Who did you clash with? You clash with someone on Celebrity Apprentice? So will I feel like Lock was a dick?
Hey? It's something about these reality show stars I don't really seem to blend well with, you know, like the George the Georgia's and the Ronnies of the world.
All righty, before you go, maybe Tristan, you can help out with this. But what if something from behind the scenes, something that we didn't see that we won't see, kind of like a behind the scenes secret about what it's like to make the amazing race.
I think just the genuine friendships that you form off camera, like the conversations you have on those long playing journeys with people getting to find out about and for me like getting talked to Bend about his like I'm bringing into fourteen Yanna going through the Olympics since she was like thirteen fourteen training the whole way. Hearing about Beck and Kate how they've come up as well. Those are genuine friendships that we have going forward.
Did you need to have those face between your uncle by the time the show finished, did you say to him we need to have some boundaries.
And we were traveling together straight away?
Yeah, we did. I learned that Tristan has twenty five minute showers every morning every night, which I never knew. I mean, that guy's wasting fifty minutes a day in the shower.
Could get this? That was the stakes away from you I needed.
Yeah, yeah, what he was doing in there? What are you doing in there? I want to know. There was a funny moment and you see this in the episode in Penang, and we were basically we got slipped the clue under the door and then we had to run from the room down the elevators and and we ran and George was there right and he's directing the camera crew as always because he thought he could do that, and he's like, darn, what are you doing? This is up my hero shot. Just get moved back, guys, like
we're going for up. He's like, can you You're just ruining. They're not going to use this. This is my hero shot. Just move back, guys. Okay, it's just a waste. And we're like, okay, bye. We jumped in the lift and we're like, see, uh look this is my hero shot. Why was he in my hero shot? This is not fair? People like George, you're fucking racing mate, Like, what.
Are you talking about? And they did.
They didn't use a bit later on in that where he's he's talking to me, I was trying to talk to because it was the first time we were really together within the race, because it was at that shoe thing. We haven't really seen them sit in chat within the race, and I was, I was, I was talking about it. I can't even remember what I said. Oh, it's great. No, no, don't, don't don't. We're not going to have a camera on us.
We need a camera. Where's the cameras camera on us? Like, George, you can't actually just have a conversation with somebody without a camera on.
You, prob, what do you do?
I think that says a lot about how they make Survivor. I've been given the wrap up, but I am so excited that I got to have this chat with you. Congratulations to you both. Yeah, Darren, you make such good television. Trist It was really nice to see you with your uncle on this show. And thank you for being so generous with your time and chatting with me today. It was a lot of fun.
I hope it was a little more peachy than.
The last Yeah, it was.
It was, And now I don't have to get out the disclaimer at the start, so we.
Didn't even talk about us eating a massive cock on this ship.
Alright, I'm gonna talk about it.
I don't mean the bull