On September 19th, Paramount Veterans Network hosted the latest edition of their Virtual Coffee with Vets series. In this edition, host of The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan, spoke with two pairs of contestants. The panel included brothers Michael Craig, Air Force Fighter Pilot, his older brother Marcus Craig, Army Tank Commander, and engaged couple, Aastha Lal, military family, and Nina Duong, an Army veteran.
A trailer for the new season, which kicks off on Wednesday, September 21 at 10/9c, set the stage for the discussion and the panel definitely brought a ton of energy. Phil Keoghan kept the conversation free flowing, as if the competitors were having a casual conversation at a family dinner. Each person talked about how their background in the military or life experiences helped prepare them as they stood at the starting line, anticipating the start of the race. It was also clear how being siblings and life partners both helped and made them reconsider their perspective of working together as the competition continued.
After the moderated session, there was a Q&A portion that provided an opportunity for the audience to submit questions. It was as lively, if not more so, as the beginning. Topics spanned from how the military helped in the race, navigating the world safely as a lesbian couple, and some questionable hygiene “best practices” during the race.
“This Coffee with Vets session provided a fantastic opportunity to participate in a conversation with Phil and the teams from this season of The Amazing Race. Learning how their military background has shaped their lives today was incredibly insightful and the mental toughness developed through their service has clearly had a positive impact as The Amazing Race contestants. My family will be looking forward to tuning in this season!” -Jim Garrisi, Sr. Director, Information Security, Paramount Global & U.S. Army National Guard
Click HERE to get to know Marcus Craig and Michael Craig
Click HERE to get to know Aastha Lal and Nina Duong