The Amazing Race > The Racers

TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*

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dryedmangoez:
They've definitely delivered.  They've been hilarious, but also strong competitors. They've delivered the crazy drama, but have also been great when calm and just enjoying the Race.

RealityFreakWill:
FYI....

Brendon and Rachel has a full page layout with an article on page 40 of the April 2-8 issue of TV Guide.

The article was good!

Maybe somebody can scan it and post it here?

RealityFreakWill:
Interesting article about Brendon.....

UCLA doctoral student Brendon Villegas competes on CBS's reality TV show “The Amazing Race”
 



Brendon Villegas and his teammate, Rachel Reilly, arrived in Paraguay hours after the first half of their group.

Their first task seemed impossible: to stack nearly 300 watermelons into a pyramid.

Instead, they did the alternative task that was offered to them: dancing while balancing bottles on their heads. They completed it.

From what seemed like a fight for last place, they became the second team to finish the leg of the race.

Villegas, a UCLA doctoral student in biomedical physics, participated in the event as a contestant on the 20th season of “The Amazing Race,” which is currently showing on CBS.

In “The Amazing Race,” contestants compete in teams of two in a fast-paced journey around the world. To prevent elimination and win the race, contestants complete various tasks based on the culture of each country they visit.

This is not the first time Villegas has appeared on television. He is also well-known for being on CBS’s “Big Brother” in 2010 and 2011, another reality TV show where contestants live in a house together and compete to avoid eviction.

Despite the television fame, working for his doctorate is still Villegas’ priority. Villegas’ research focuses on using positron emission tomography imaging to look into the fundamental causes of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, which may have similarities with how cells malfunction and turn into cancer cells.

“I really do want to be taken seriously as a scientist,” he said.

Science has always been his passion, he said. When he was young, Villegas played with chemistry sets. Now, during his spare time, in addition to participating in multiple sports, he reads biographies of famous scientists such as Albert Einstein.

Villegas said he decided to take time from his doctorate to participate in “The Amazing Race” partly for the opportunity to win money, but also for the chance to travel.

“It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Villegas said.

Reilly, Villegas’ teammate on “The Amazing Race,” is also his fiancee. They both appeared on the 12th and 13th seasons of “Big Brother.”

Reilly won the 13th season of “Big Brother,” and after she won, CBS asked the couple to appear on “The Amazing Race.”

Villegas said he hesitated at first, knowing that the one month needed to film the show meant one month taken away from completing his doctorate studies at UCLA. But his adviser for his dissertation, Jorge Barrio, encouraged Villegas to participate in “The Amazing Race.”

“Experiences students have outside of the laboratory environment are very important to broaden their scope,” Barrio said. “It is really important to open up and understand what the world is. I think this is a terrific experience for (Villegas).”

Competing in “The Amazing Race” was more stressful than he thought it would be, Villegas said. Villegas and Reilly often ran on four hours of sleep. Sometimes they didn’t know when they would have time to eat, so they filled up on the crackers given on airplanes.

But the overall experience was worth it, he said.

Michael McNitt-Gray, director of the UCLA biomedical physics graduate program, has known Villegas for three years. Even though Villegas has spent a lot of time on multiple reality TV shows, he is a very dedicated student, McNitt-Gray said.

Before becoming a doctoral candidate, Villegas had worked 20 jobs since turning 16, including helping his father with his job as a bricklayer. The job taught him the value of hard work, and made him appreciate his educational opportunities, he said. It also strengthened his desire to become a scientist.

One reason he chose to study biomedical physics was the opportunity he could have to help cancer patients, Villegas said. Cancer has personally affected Villegas’ life: his uncle passed away from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and his grandmother passed away from a brain tumor five years ago.

“Watching my grandma go through that was hard,” Villegas said. “That’s when it really hit home with me – cancer is indiscriminate, nobody’s safe.”

After completing his doctorate, Villegas said he hopes to continue his research and possibly work at a center for cancer patients, like the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Villegas said he was lucky to be on reality television, but he does not want to make it more important than his dedication to science.

“When I’m gone, I want to leave something,” Villegas said. “If I can help improve healthcare, science, medicine, or anything before I die, that’s what I want to do.”

http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2012/04/ucla_doctoral_student_brendon_villegas_competes_on_cbs039s_reality_tv_show_the_amazing_race

apskip:
Nice article on Brendon, but you can tell how much the author knows about Amazing Race 20 by the statement on the alternative to the watermelon stacking in Asuncion as the bottle dance. Any of us knows that the first was a DETOUR and the second a separate ROADBLOCK.

bc922:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Big-Brothers-Brendon-Rachel-1045728.aspx

Big Brother's Brendon and Rachel Dish The Amazing Race
Apr 6, 2012 12:04 PM ET
by Michael Logan



They're back, bitches! Former Big Brother faves Rachel Reilly and fiancé Brendon Villegas are now kicking up the dust — and kicking some ass — on CBS' The Amazing Race. On Sunday's episode the teams travel to Tanzania where they train with Masai warriors. Will the lovebirds triumph and remain in the game? More important, will Rachel cry?

TV Guide Magazine: You both did two seasons of Big Brother. What's tougher, sitting around the pool yapping all summer or running across the globe?
Reilly: Big Brother is a mental and social game where everyone else is the enemy. Amazing Race is harder because it's physical. Your biggest enemy is yourself.
Villegas: When you watch Race at home you think, "Why are they so stressed?" I'll tell you why. You can't sleep, the time changes kill you, and the international food really does a number. And I'm one of those people who does not poop in strange places. Or on planes.
Reilly: I won't even stop to pee. One season a team lost by doing that.

TV Guide Magazine: But you do stop for crying jags in nearly every episode! What's up with that?
Reilly: I know, I know! I've been crying a lot on this race. It's my way to relieve stress. You have no idea how frustrating that salami-tasting challenge was! [Laughs] Hey, you try taking an 18-hour bus ride out of Argentina. You'd cry, too!

TV Guide Magazine: Things got so bad at one point that it looked like you two were going to get disengaged.
Villegas: Even when we fight we still have each other's backs. Italy was our toughest leg. We thought we were so close to going home and it really got the best of us. [Laughs] Me, I don't break down because when Rachel's crying, we both can't be crying. But if she ever gave me the chance, I would!

TV Guide Magazine: Rachel, in the beard-styling challenge did you actually say "I don't know what a beard is"?
Reilly: [Laughs] Well...yes.

TV Guide Magazine: Care to explain?
Reilly: Well, obviously I know what a beard is. I don't know what made me say that. I don't even remember saying it but, sure enough, I watched the episode and there it was. I guess my brain just stopped.

TV Guide Magazine: You also seemed to think you were in Bolivia when you were actually in Bavaria.
Reilly: Brendon kept asking me, "Do you even know what show you're on?"

TV Guide Magazine: Brendon, you're going for a PhD in neuroscience. Isn't all this reality TV getting in the way?
Villegas: I keep telling Rachel that every show she wants us to do sets me back a year. At this rate, I'll be graduating in 2022!
Reilly: Don't listen to him. He's a genius!

TV Guide Magazine: The girls are always talking smack about Rachel, especially that Vanessa. What's their beef?
Villegas: They use Big Brother as an excuse not to like her. Because Rachel won [BB13] they think we're millionaires. She won half a million. [Laughs] And after California taxes, that's not much!
Reilly: I'm just too bright and bubbly for them. And they don't like my outfits. Clearly, they're sequin haters.

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