Dennis & Erika met while they were in college at New York University. She was the Resident Assistant in charge of his floor, and it was completely against the rules for her to date the dorm residents. They found their way around this by booking a trip to Italy together, even though they barely knew each other. Their relationship progressed and they eventually got engaged, but Dennis broke off the engagement after Erika went skydiving naked. As Dennis describes it, "I thought I was dreaming, but no, here comes my future wife floating through the air with nothing on but socks and sneakers and a naked instructor strapped to her back."
Dennis & Erika's relationship has been through a lot. Six months after they started dating, Dennis saved Erika's life by pulling her free from a vicious dog attack. After that, Erika knew that she was in love.
In order to prepare for THE AMAZING RACE 5, Dennis & Erika worked out and trained by running in low-oxygen chambers. They say despite their broken engagement, they teamed up to do the Race "to see if we could handle the pressure of high-stress, intense situations." Erika says they are the perfect Team because "we know how to play a cutthroat game fairly and ethically."