Posted on 02/04/2006 2:26:37 PM PST by silent_jonny
The ninth Race picks up where the seventh left off: Eleven teams of two will travel 60,000 miles around the world, over five continents, with one million bucks waiting for the winners at the finish line. And this time NO KIDS ALLOWED!
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BJ & Tyler are bohemian best buds who first met four years ago during the Semester at Sea program, where they shared the experience of sailing around the world. One of their most memorable moments was starting a dance party in the streets of downtown Guilin, China, which turned into a mass gathering of hundreds of Chinese men. They have been friends ever since, whether bouncing on trampolines at Burning Man or spontaneously swimming in the San Francisco Bay.
BJ is a graduate of Harvard University, while Tyler graduated from UC Santa Cruz after completing two semesters abroad--one in Hungary, the other in South Africa. Both have traveled the world extensively and speak several languages including Spanish and Japanese.
Both BJ and Tyler share a love of adventure, travel, and good times. After graduating from college, BJ moved to California to pursue surfing, karate and frisbee. Meanwhile, Tyler fell in love with a Japanese girl and decided to impress her by walking the 2000-mile length of Japan.
Their primary motivation for taking part in THE AMAZING RACE is to share in the adventure of racing around the world, meeting new people and, of course, winning $1 million.
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Danielle & Dani are childhood friends hailing from Staten Island, New York. The two beauties met over 10 years ago and have been inseparable ever since.
Outgoing and talkative, Danielle, who recently graduated from St. Johns University with a degree in Speech Pathology, has limited experience when it comes to traveling abroad and is eager to see what this globetrotting adventure has to offer.
Dani recently graduated at the top of her class from Wagner College. She describes herself as being fun-loving, wild and eager to get out of Staten Island. Like her teammate, Dani also hasn't traveled very much. She hopes the Race will provide her with the chance to explore all the different cultures in the world.
Armed with bold personalities and a fearless attitude, the duo believes that anything is possible with good looks and thick accents, which they aren't afraid to use if it helps them to win the $1 million prize.
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David & Lori are a couple from Manhattan, Kansas who have been dating for three years. Although Lori is ready to get married, David would like to get his career off the ground before he ties the knot.
Describing himself as intelligent and compassionate, David has done little traveling, but is eager to explore the world. He received Bachelor's of Arts and Science degrees from Kansas State University. A musician who is very involved with his local underground music scene, David's many bands have released three full length CDs and have played in several local music festivals and venues across the country. His one phobia is heights.
An assistant manager at Pizza Hut, Lori says she is energetic, understanding and willing. She also believes herself to be more spontaneous than her partner, who is more reserved and likes to have a plan. Nevertheless, they look forward to working together as they travel around the world and learn about different cultures on THE AMAZING RACE.
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Fran & Barry have known each other for 45 years and have been married for over 40. The proud parents of two children, this adventure-loving couple makes their home in Summit County, Colorado. Although they travel a lot, the word “vacation” is not a frequently used term in their home. They prefer to refer to their trips around the world as “adventure travel.”
Fran, who is 61 years old, is a retired accountant who describes herself as having a positive outlook on life. Fran enjoys skiing, biking, and hiking and has climbed all of Colorado’s 54 14ers, which are the Colorado mountain peaks that exceed 14,000 feet. Fran admits that she’s running THE AMAZING RACE to show that “old people” can compete just as well as most 25 year olds.
Barry, who is 63 years old, thrives on challenging himself and loves to compete. A retired urologist and former battalion surgeon with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, Barry describes himself as outgoing and dependable. His biggest disappointment with regards to Fran was that she refused to bungee jump from a bridge in New Zealand. Although he does point out that she made good by agreeing to skydive.
Having traveled to more than 45 countries together, these high school sweethearts are hoping their previous traveling experience will give them an advantage over the other Teams.
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Jeremy & Eric, best friends from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, met while running college track at Johnson County Community College. Both are admittedly cocky, very competitive and strong athletes. They are avid volleyball players who frequently compete in local tournaments.
Sarcastic and patient, Jeremy is well-traveled and ready for the adventure of a lifetime. He works as a valet and is hoping the Race will help him to make something of his life.
Eric, who works as a waiter and a bartender, has little experience traveling outside of the United States. A two-time NJCAA Track and Field All American in the pole vault, Eric describes himself as being athletic and outgoing. His biggest pet peeve about his teammate is that Jeremy won't take criticism.
The former collegiate athletes hope their physical abilities will help carry them past the competition to the $1 million prize.
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John & Scott met in high school and have been friends for more than 25 years. The men differ in that John admits to being too controlling at times where Scott is not controlling at all.
John, who is single, lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he works as a wealth manager and artist. He also plans to pursue a career in real estate one day. When he's not working, John enjoys spending time on Cape Cod with his two Great Danes, Hector and Percy. His proudest accomplishments include purchasing and renovating his 1883 brownstone and completing the Boston to New York AIDS 250-Mile Bike Ride.
Scott, who is in sales, currently resides on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He describes himself as a fun and gregarious person whose personal motto is "live, live, live." He claims that the most exciting moment in life has yet to happen.
The lively duo share memories from road trips they've taken to New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts. However, you won't hear of any far off places that they've traveled to because John has a fear of flying and hasn't been on a plane in over eight years! One of the main reasons for going on the Race is John's hope that he will overcome his fears while both friends will be able to see the world together.
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Joseph & Monica have been dating for the past three years. This fun-loving couple met at a local bar in Fayetteville, Arkansas during college when Joseph claims he "just about broke his neck when Monica walked through the door." After a brief separation for a few months, they missed each other tremendously and decided to give their relationship a second try. They've been together ever since.
Joseph describes himself as confident and funny, while Monica is independent and tenacious. Born and raised in the South, the couple shares a love of country music, wakeboarding and traveling. Joseph's proudest accomplishment has been building and selling his first home.
Although Monica's primary motivation for taking part on THE AMAZING RACE is to pay off her student loans, both she and Joseph are eager to take part in an experience that will bond them for life.
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Lake & Michelle are a close-knit married couple from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. They met as freshmen in college and have been married for 13 years.
Lake is a dentist who has limited traveling experience outside of the United States. While he describes himself as energetic and motivated, Michelle notes that he's your typical Type A personality, very impatient and always looking for ways to do it better.
Michelle is a stay-at-home mother of three who works part-time in Lake's office. She claims that she's much more laid back than her husband and hopes this won't cause friction between the two while taking part on THE AMAZING RACE. Michelle sees herself as being loyal, kind and loving and is running the Race to prove to herself and Lake that she's capable of accomplishing things.
While Lake & Michelle are both aware of their personality differences, they feel they work well together and hope their differences will actually help them as they travel the world on the Race.
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Lisa & Joni are sisters who have lived apart from one another for almost 20 years. After their father passed away, Joni opted to stay in Texas with their mom, while Lisa moved to Florida. The sisters hope their experience on THE AMAZING RACE will help them to reconnect with one another and make up for lost time.
Lisa, who lives in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, is also a mother of two and has been married for seven years. Several years ago, Lisa accomplished her longtime goal of opening her own art gallery. She's an avid artist who enjoys anything creative and describes herself as smart, determined and competitive.
Joni, who resides in Katy, Texas, is the mother of two and has been married for 10 years. She has never traveled outside of the United States and is quite eager to see what the world has to offer. Funny and headstrong, Join claims to be a people person who is much more patient than her teammate.
This outgoing twosome are loud, rambunctious, and each stand over six feet tall. If they win the $1 million prize, both Lisa & Joni admit that they would like to get some plastic surgery.
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Ray & Yolanda have been dating for five years. An accomplished athlete, Yolanda ran track with Ray's cousin at the University of Florida. One day while visiting his cousin at the track, Ray was introduced to Yolanda, but it wasn't until later that the two were reacquainted and exchanged phone numbers.
Natives of Florida, Ray & Yolanda now reside in Chicago, Illinois. Yolanda grew up in Gainesville, Florida and was a math and science teacher in Miami before she recently moved in with Ray, who is originally from Jacksonville. After receiving his law degree from the University of Miami and practicing law in South Florida, Ray accepted a position as an attorney in Chicago.
While Ray is said to be the more disciplined of the two, both describe themselves as opinionated and stubborn. Yolanda admits that she has a bit of trouble finishing what she's started and Ray claims that she often runs late. Nevertheless, Yolanda & Ray enjoy working out together and are looking forward to the adventure of the Race and the thrill of competition.
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Wanda & Desiree are a mother and daughter Team with a close-knit bond. Both women have a great sense of humor and enjoy shopping, traveling and cooking.Wanda, a corporate trainer, is married and lives in Smyrna, Georgia. Fluent in Spanish, Wanda has previously lived in New York and Puerto Rico. One of the accomplishments for which Wanda is most proud is earning two college degrees while raising her daughter. More recently, Wanda was able to share in the excitement of watching Desiree graduate from NYU.
Desiree resides in New York City where she works as a writer. Currently in a steady relationship, she describes herself as passionate and artistic. An only child, her biggest pet peeve about her mother is that she tends to be overprotective.
Although they are definitely playing to win, Wanda & Desiree also hope to expand their knowledge of different cultures while seeing the world on THE AMAZING RACE.
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You may have noticed that this is an “official” thread instead of the “live” thread that we had last season. The reason for this is TAR airs on the same night as American Idol and there’s no way that I can handle hosting two live threads simultaneously.
Also, this season of TAR falls smack in the middle of the NCAA Tournament, which is also carried by CBS, and that means the Race will likely be pre-empted, delayed or rescheduled repeatedly during the next few weeks. This will make participation in a live thread confusing, if not impossible, for many of us. So an official thread is the next best thing.
I’ll ping the list every Tuesday morning as a reminder to watch or record the show (in the event that the show is moved to a different day to make room for basketball, I’ll ping accordingly). And like last season, I’ll continue to post the CBS recap every Wednesday morning (or the morning after each show) to keep everyone up to speed.
I hope you’re all looking forward to the new Race :) The promos promise that this will be the “most exotic” and “most exciting” TAR ever! But then again anything’s an improvement over last season.
Please add me!
Said and done :)
Hi buddy.....I already see several that I hate already...LOL....
Is that Denver in the photo? I think it is...
Which ones? :)
Ooooh, Desiree!
Ooh... pretty. I hope they do something in Colorado before flying out!
I'll wait to pick "my" team until we've seen them all. And is that the scariest Phil picture ever?
Ha! The site where I found that pic had it labled "Dr. Evil Phil Keoghan" :)
You've never flown through Newark, I take it.
You've described TAR perfectly :)
BJ-Tyler....obligatory goofy looking guys
Danielle-Dani.....obligatory sexy girls
Fran-Barry....obligatory old couple who won't be able to keep up
John-Scott......bring out the gaydar meter
Lisa-Joni......they just look like they'll irratate me
Wanda-Joni...not yet on my list, but they have potential to make it...LOL
Not if I can help it...lol.
make that Wanda-Desiree...
SMART! LOL!
John & Scott?
What about Eric & Jeremy!?
They broke the gaydar meter, LOL!
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