S.C. duo ready for ‘Amazing Race’
The contestants on the upcoming season of “The Amazing Race” will face a new set of challenges, like a trek to a floating city and trips to Cambodia and Kazakhstan.
But are they ready for the girls in pink?
One of 11 teams set to race around the world, Marisa Axelrod, 22, and Brooke Jackson, 24, hope to make South Carolina proud with a lethal combination of Southern charm and quick wit.
“Some people might buy into the dumb blond stereotype,” Axelrod says. “But I’d like to say we’re pretty smart.”
Here are a few things you should know about this Southern belle duo before tonight’s season premiere:
• Jackson is a graphic designer from Columbia and former cheerleader. Axelrod is a broadcast journalism major at USC and a jazz and tap dancer from Spartanburg.
• When they met at a USC football game three years ago, they were wearing the same outfit. “We do a lot of matching,” Axelrod said. “Pink is our favorite color.”
• Axelrod and Jackson laced up their tennis shoes for frequent running sessions to prepare for the physical challenge of the show.
• International travel shouldn’t be much of a stretch for them. Jackson studied in Spain and Axelrod has traveled to Paris, London and Amsterdam.
• They’ve never had a fight and relied on their good communications skills to guide them through the challenges.
• They may make it look easy on TV, but “The Amazing Race” is tough work. “I don’t think anyone understands how hard it is,” Axelrod says. “You’re on the spot and you don’t have a chance to think.”
— Natasha Derrick
http://www.thestate.com/sunday-life/story/537475.html