Leading the race

Actor Grant Bowler, 42, has been named host of the globetrotting reality television show, The Amazing Race Australia. Auckland-born Bowler has had a big year in film and television, working on projects such as The Killer Elite, the Nine Network’s telemovie Panic at Rock Island, and feature films Atlas Shrugged and The City of Gardens. He has also starred in American dramas Ugly Betty, Lost, True Blood, New Zealand-made Outrageous Fortune and Australian productions including Blue Heelers and All Saints. “I was a bit burned out recently and doing something like The Amazing Race breaks things up for me. It’s such an exciting show to be part of,” Bowler said. “This is such a big show. No one’s been more surprised than me that I’ve been asked to do these hosting jobs. But I love it. It’s human psychology at work.” The Amazing Race Australia will hit screens next year.