GRANDPA-GRANDSON TALK OF 'AMAZING RACE'By DON KAPLAN
Nick, 68, stripped down to his underwear to pole vault, while grandson Donald, 24, watched which set a pattern for the popular pair.
December 24, 2007 -- LOVE 'em or hate 'em, Nicolas and Donald, the first grandson/grandfather team to appear on "Amazing Race," have become the most talked-about competitors on the most popular edition of the show yet.
The pair - airline pilot Nicolas Fulks, 24 and retired jack-of-all-trades Donald Jerousek, 68 - have, for six legs of the race so far, managed to remain with the pack in their dash around the world on the popular CBS reality show.
Again last night, they managed to hang on, despite fierce odds.
The unlikely popularity Nick and Donald seems to come from the fast, familiar banter they have on the screen. And not least because Nick is the randy, right-back-at-you grandpa some people wish they had.
"This is a team that is completely relatable," the show's creator, Bertrum Van Munster, told The Post. "Nicolas appeals to the younger crowd and Donald appeals to an older crowd.
"I think they are almost a pure example of what the whole show is about - something that anybody can relate to," he says.
People really took notice of Donald after Week 3 when, after dancing with a rival team of young, blonde sisters, he remarked: "They're hot. There's no doubt about it. They're feisty. They're a little bitchy, but not bad. If I was a little younger . . ."
The "hot" comment cemented Nick as someone to keep an eye on - especially if you were young and attractive and he was right behind you.
"Worry about yourself," Donald barked at his grandson at another point - when Nick complained his grandfather was not paddling fast enough. "I'm helping here, whether you know it or not."
Nick and Donald work well together, but what has fans flabbergasted is Nick always stepping aside to allow his headstrong grandfather to tackle the highly physical challenges the show's producers dream up.
"The man is nearly 70 years old, but he's strong as a bear," says an amazed Van Munster.
The ease the pair have with each other on camera may also have a bit to do with their family's celebrity status: Nick's father is country music star Robbie Fulks who is married to Donald's daughter, singer Donna Jay Fulks.
"I was turned on to Robbie Fulks [music] when he accidentally impregnated my mother," Nicolas deadpanned in a profile posted on his father's Web site.
"They snark, they laugh, they don't seem to feel the need to attract attention and camera time through outlandish behavior (be it arguing, yelling, or constantly proclaiming their outsider status)," writes a fan called Whammo on the popular, Television Without Pity Web site.
"They respect each other, and they seem to enjoy each other a helluva lot more than any other team left on the race."
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12242007/tv/pops_stars_460052.htm
