an article fwiw:
THE END IS HEAR
'AMAZING RACE' HOST ROOTS FOR DEAF KID
FAN favorites Margie and Luke Adams will be put to the test in the finale of "The Amazing Race," airing Sunday night.
Host Phil Keoghan admits he was pulling for the mother-and-son duo from Denver, Colorado, to walk away with the $1 million prize. Keoghan had them pegged as winners from the moment they auditioned for the show.
"They're one of the most popular teams we've ever had on the show," he says. "I don't claim to be an expert on teams, but I was so hoping that everyone felt the way I did about including a team that was so different."
Luke is deaf and he communicated with his mother by sign language; he also was a huge fan of the show even before he was old enough to apply to be on it.
Keoghan, who is completing a cross-country bike race to raise awareness and funds for Multiple Sclerosis, spoke of the strengths and weaknesses of the final three teams going into the finale.
MARGIE AND LUKE:
Strengths: "They are tenacious and great communicators with each other. Margie has been the most underestimated player from the beginning. She's a middle-aged woman who seemed not to be as tough as the younger racers. But she got better with the competition."
Weaknesses: "They are very sensitive and fired up. It's had an effect on their mindset."
VICTOR AND TAMMY:
Strengths: "They're very smart and focused. They're used to solving problems. Working things out, going through puzzles, making decisions."
Weaknesses: "They're not very practical. They've grown up with books and they have book smarts, but they don't have street smarts. Their balance of skills is skewed toward cognitive skills rather than practical skills. And we saw that when they had to use their hands to do things, like changing a tire or painting a fence."
CARA AND JAIME:
Strengths: "They are incredibly tenacious. They're not scared to push themselves out there; not scared to be pushy. She's like a bulldozer. When she gets focused, she's just full on."
Weaknesses: "They alienate people sometimes. When people are too pushy, it can be detrimental and people don't go out of the way to help you."
The pit stop for the finale is Maui and there will be island-style challenges, like surfing. "The team that won was absolutely deserving," Keoghan says. "Fair, solid, competitive, deserving."