Brendon Fevola said he nearly choked to death while filming an eating challenge for The Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition and that the moment was removed from the episode that aired Monday.
Fevola, 44, who competed on the series with his daughter Leni, 18, told Fox Radio’s Fifi, Fev and Nick on Tuesday that the incident took place in Uzbekistan during a task in which teams were required to eat 30 bowls of a thick molasses-style syrup to find a letter at the bottom of a bowl. He said the food became lodged in his throat and that a medic had to intervene, a scene he said producers cut from the final edit. He also said fellow contestants Georgie Tunny and Rob Mills became ill during the challenge and vomited into buckets.
In the same interview, Fevola addressed the controversy that led to the removal of Ant Middleton and his brother Dan from the series after allegations of intimidation and homophobic slurs directed at fellow competitors Luke and "Sassy" Scott O’Halloran. The O’Hallorans told media last week that the incident began at their hotel in Nepal on a day off and that Dan Middleton approached them six times making remarks and gestures they described as homophobic and intimidating.
Luke, 34, and Scott, 39, appeared on the radio segment and thanked Fevola, saying he stepped between the men during the confrontation and helped defuse the situation. "Without you, we have no idea where that could have gone," Scott said during the interview. Luke added that the encounters escalated each time and that Fevola’s intervention was significant.
Fevola said he confronted the contestant he accused of using slurs and apologised to the O’Hallorans for what they endured. Reports said Fevola gave producers an ultimatum that the Middleton brothers be removed or he and his daughter would leave the production.
Network 10 said a team had been disqualified for breaching the show’s code of conduct. "Network 10 takes the health, safety and well-being of all contestants seriously," a spokesperson said. "Following a breach of the production's code of conduct by one contestant, on a day off during production, a team from The Amazing Race Australia was disqualified and swiftly sent home." The network did not identify the team in its statement.
Reports of the incident emerged in April. Producers edited the season to remove footage of the disqualified contestants, and the removal has drawn attention as episodes aired. The show’s format requires teams to complete local tasks and challenges across multiple countries; contestants and producers have said episodes are often edited for time and pacing.
Fevola’s comments add to public accounts from multiple contestants about tense moments during the season. He described the Uzbekistan eating challenge as a separate, potentially life-threatening moment that did not appear in the broadcast and said medics were required on set. The O’Hallorans, who have publicly detailed their account of the alleged slurs, said Fevola’s intervention was appreciated and that the matter had been discussed behind closed doors among cast members.
Network 10 has maintained that the production prioritised safety and took action after the reported breach. The Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition continues to air, with cast dynamics and production decisions drawing scrutiny as episodes progress.