Why The Amazing Race's Former NFL Stars Are Going To 'Butt Heads' In Season 32

the amazing race season 32 deangelo williams gary barnidge cbs
(Image credit: CBS)

Spoilers ahead through the second episode of The Amazing Race Season 32 on CBS.

The Amazing Race is back on CBS for Season 32 after a longer-than-usual hiatus. The competition is already stiff, but former NFL stars DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge may be one of the most interesting duos to watch for however long they remain in the game. The athletes went from placing tenth and nearly being eliminated after struggles on the steel drums in the first episode to coming in second in the second episode. So, how will they fare in the long run? Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan has revealed that there will be some ups and downs.

Speaking with CBS Boston about Season 32, Phil Keoghan shared some of what's in store for the former football players and why they won't always be on the same page:

They’re like, as they said, brothers from a different mother. They give each other a really hard time and that’s because they like each other so much. They’re quite different, they really are like yin and yang in many respects. Not just physically but also just in their demeanor. They both have a different sort of approach to things. DeAngelo is very amped up when he competes. He’s really in your face and he shows that he really wants to win. Gary is kind of the opposite he’s very laid back, chill but you can tell he’s like a silent killer. I wouldn’t want to run into that guy on a football field. It’s an interesting dynamic.

According to Phil Keoghan, he wouldn't want to face off against Gary Barnidge on the football field, and not just because the former Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns tight end is a very large man! Despite his struggles with playing "Banana Boat (Day-O)" on the steel drum in the Season 32 premiere and his generally laid back outlook, he's evidently not somebody to cross in competition! To contrast, former Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams is evidently more "in your face."

Their dynamic has already made them one of my favorite duos of Season 32 so far, even though I'm usually more inclined to root for the competitors who don't come in with advantages like professional athletic careers behind them. Watching them go from second-to-last to second overall from the first to second episode just makes them all the more entertaining, in my book. That said, Phil Keoghan explained that butting heads is on the way for DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge:

I will tell you that as things start to heat up, the competition starts to heat up they’re going to butt heads, they definitely butt heads. There’s a deep love underlying love there but there’s sparks between those two. They make life entertaining.

Hey, at least that probably means they won't be eliminated in the third episode or anything! Fans have been waiting a long time for a new season of The Amazing Race, and it would be a shame to lose this dynamic duo too early in the game. Of course, the competitors themselves have been waiting a very long time for this season. Season 31 may have finished airing back in June 2019 to leave fans without The Amazing Race for more than a year, but Season 32 with DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge finished filming back in 2018!

Despite the fact that Season 32 of The Amazing Race is airing under very different circumstances in 2020 than when it filmed in 2018, the episodes won't be edited to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, production had to stop on Season 33, so these episodes should probably be savored. See what happens next with the former NFL stars and all the rest with new episodes of The Amazing Race on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. For more viewing options now and in the coming weeks, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule!

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).