Think action movies, and the first name that pops in our head is Rohit Shetty. It is only natural that the makers of Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi would then rope him in as a host instead of tapping into other stars for this action reality show. While this is the seventh season that the filmmaker has taken up, he claims that the excitement of the show has not dwindled away in all these years.  In fact, the show has only upped the ante every time. “The show has changed a lot over the years. I keep learning, and try to upgrade myself every season,” says Shetty, who is particularly proud of the contestants on board for the 12th edition of the show.

Unlike the contestants in the previous seasons, the latest set of participants, as per Shetty, have unrelenting spirit. “For the first time in the history of KKK, we’ve not had to abort any tasks mid-way. This has been the best lot. You can barely count a few aborts,” he explains, adding that the scale and level of difficulty on the show has increased. Ideally, every season, the makers alter some of the stunts, but crowd favourites are retained.

“Every time we try to push the envelope and expand the scale. Having said that, besides new stunts, the show will also have a lot of humour. Contestants Nishant [Bhat] and Rajeev [Adatia] have been leaving everyone in splits,” says the filmmaker-host.

But ask him to pick a favourite and Shetty is quick to say no. “I think all are my favourites because they keep surprising me at every turn. Usually, right at the start of the season, a few contestants manage to stand out, but that is not the case this year,” he adds.

For the last many years, the show has been shot in Cape Town and has not deviated from the location. Shetty accepts that it is one of his favourite locations for the show. “The team here is fabulous. It is this very team that now comes and works in India for some of my films and a few others. In fact, they also take care of south movies,” says Shetty, adding that there is also a sentimental connection with Cape Town.

“The city is fabulous, but there is an emotional connection with it because this is where we started.”