'Amazing Race' contestant Tanner Kloven says KVIL liked how he talked, hired him

For Tanner Kloven, the traffic situation is no fun, but his new job is.

Kloven is a few days into his role as a midday host on KVIL-FM (103.7) and maneuvering the commute from Fort Worth to the CBS building off Central Expressway.

Of course, he's faced tougher transportation issues before while a contestant on last season's The Amazing Race on CBS. Kloven joined his longtime friend, Josh Ahern of Dallas, and became known as #TeamTexas, charming viewers and competing teams with politeness and chivalry that appeared to come natural to them.

They were eliminated when faced with penalties for taking a wrong train and their failure to hail a cab in foreign lands.

When the show was over, Kloven became a frequent guest on KVIL's Kannon & Sybil: More Music Mornings. He also was encouraged by his interview on Leigh Ann and Courtney Kerr Uncorked on KVIL.

"They liked how I talked," said Kloven, who has a Matthew McConaughey twang in his voice. "They asked if I'd ever thought about [radio] being my career.

"At that point, I hadn't because I didn't think it was a possibility since I didn't go to college for it."

In Kloven's case, Michaels wanted someone who "wasn't necessarily a radio personality. He wanted someone that could be really as real as they could be. That's the only reason I got the opportunity.

"I hadn't had the experience that I'm sure radio stations would've wanted. But Jay Michaels took a chance on me and so, for that, I'm blessed and beyond thankful."

Kloven took a moment from his commute to answer a few questions.

GuideLive: How did your appearance on The Amazing Race impact you? 

Kloven: "My dream was always to be on TV and broadcasting. It created a new door that opened, and so I could have the opportunity to continue to chase my dream when, I guess before the race, I had otherwise given up on it and got a job in the real world to just kinda make money and make rent and move on. Life after it wasn't that much different. People will spot me out and say hi to me and stuff -- for a while. The Amazing Race airs twice a year, so after your season is done and the next season starts, you're kinda old news."

GuideLive: Your chemistry with Josh seemed genuine. Is it also the same in real life? 

Kloven: "We're both Christians. We both have gone to church together. And that's how we've been raised. We didn't want to profess our faith on TV and then turn around and not shine the light of Christ. That was huge for us. Every decision we made it was like: Should we stab the team in the back? Should we do what we could to maybe get a chance? Or do we want to do the right thing? I think it probably hurt us on the show, but I don't regret it for one second. I'm glad how we held ourselves and how we came across. I know other people probably had more of a game plan, but our game plan was be kind and do the right thing."

GuideLive: Given your missteps on The Amazing Race, have you gained a greater appreciation for public transportation? 

Kloven: "Oh gosh, yes. Before the race, I didn't know the difference between a subway and a Metro. On the clues, they'll say take the Metro, but if you take the subway, you get a penalty. I didn't know the difference in those. I know the difference between a train and subway. But there were all kinds of different transportations that I weren't aware of or that had different names. We don't have those around here. So that was new to me. But there were a lot of things like that that taught us a lot. If I ever did need to go to New York -- which I hope I don't -- I would know how to get around."

GuideLive: Where do you want this radio gig to take you? 

Kloven: "I love radio and I've fallen in love with it. I want to be the best I can be at it. If other things come of it, then great. If not, I love this life and I love radio. If you heard me at all yesterday, it's not natural. It's going to take a lot of getting used to."

GuideLive: Do you hang with Josh anymore? 

Kloven: "We talk. I live in Fort Worth and he lives in Dallas. Now, that I work in Dallas, I'm sure we'll see each other a little more. We keep up with each other. We keep in touch. We still reminisce all the time. We're probably not as close as we'd like to be just because we both have full-time careers. We don't have as much time to just run around and act like we're in college like we used to. We still have a good relationship and we're proud of what we did."

GuideLive: Will he be a guest on your show? 

Kloven: "Absolutely. I'm sure sooner than later. When I get it all down, and I feel confident that I can actually run my show. I'd absolutely love to have him on."