The Amazing Race > The Racers
TAR 20: Dave Brown Jr and Rachel Brown *Army Couple*
Katarzyna:
I love her. She's adorable.
georgiapeach:
Wisconsin National Guard member to compete in upcoming CBS hit series 'The Amazing Race'
January 26, 2012
Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDue
Wisconsin National Guard
For some fans of CBS's "The Amazing Race," deciding which couple to cheer for may be a little easier when the 20th season of the hit series premieres Sunday, Feb. 19 - especially for Wisconsin citizens and patriotic viewers across the country.
Madison native Maj. Dave Brown, Jr., an officer in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and his wife, Rachel, will be one of 11 couples competing against each other in a trek around the world for the ultimate prize of supreme bragging rights and one million dollars.
"Both Rachel and I have been avid fans of the show for quite some time," Dave said.
The reality show, which has garnered eight Emmy Awards, will pit the teams against many physical and mental challenges over the course of about 25 days.
Although viewers will have to "stay tuned" to see how the couple fairs in the show, Dave does credit his 16 years of service in the Wisconsin Army National Guard - including a recent year-long deployment to Iraq - for his preparation and execution throughout the challenge.
"I truly feel my involvement in the military best prepared me for a competition such as 'The Amazing Race,'" he said, "whether it be attention to detail, leadership style and abilities, or who I am as a person."
When asked how the Race equates to military training, Dave associated the two in three ways.
"It's as physically demanding as air assault school, as mentally draining and as academically involved as flight school, and as sleep depriving as SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) school," he said.
The major enlisted into the Arizona National Guard in 1996 as an artillery forward observer while attending Arizona State University. He graduated in three years with a bachelors in Political Science. He then transferred to the Wisconsin Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2000 and earned an officer commission in 2002. Dave has also served as a military intelligence officer, a Black Hawk pilot with the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, and an executive officer for Recruiting and Retention Command. He is currently assigned to the ROTC detachment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an assistant professor of military science.
During his allotted two-week rest and relaxation leave from his deployment to Iraq, Dave visited with his wife in Sydney, Australia. Rachel took that opportunity to pitch the idea of applying for the show. They agreed, filled out the applications and she mailed them in as soon as she returned to their home in Madison.
Maj. Dave Brown, Jr., and his wife, Rachel, are set to compete in the CBS reality series "The Amazing Race" which premieres Feb. 19.
The cast of the CBS hit series "The Amazing Race" in its 20th season - which premieres Feb. 19.
"Within a matter of a week or two, casting contacted her and requested a video," Dave said.
A fellow Soldier took a one-minute video at the end of one of Dave's flying mission in Iraq. It wasn't the fanciest audition video, but it got the job done. Rachel compiled the video with one of her own and sent it in. Dave returned from deployment in June 2011. He and Rachel had interviews with CBS and the show began filming in the fall.
The rest of the story is yet to be seen.
Growing up, Dave was an avid wrestler and participated in basketball, football, baseball and track where he gained an appreciation for competing, something he shares today - along with his wife.
"I not only strive for victory, but I expect it for myself," Dave said. "I am competitive in all aspects of my life, whether it be personally or professionally. That's one aspect that interested both Rachel and I, both being competitive and people who are in constant pursuit of a challenge."
There wasn't much time to train for the competition. Dave added some weight, in the form of a ruck sack, to his normal physical training. As a couple, Dave and Rachel watched and discussed episodes and specific challenges like they'd done periodically on Sundays since they met.
"While viewing previous seasons we talked through specific challenges in more detail in consideration of our individual strengths and weaknesses," he said.
Whether Dave and Rachel are the first couple to arrive at the final checkpoint or not, it's sure to have been the adventure of a lifetime. And according to Dave, it also seems as if there was no lack of effort or motivation for them to compete.
"I truly felt that I was not only representing myself, my spouse and my son, but I was also cognizant of being a representative of the Wisconsin National Guard and the Army as a whole," Dave said. "The overwhelming pride of representing the men and women of the military in the best light possible ... that was definitely in the forefront of our minds."
http://dma.wi.gov/dma/news/2012news/12015.asp
Jobby:
Meghan and Cheyne vibes. They look like they're going to be all ready to kick some ass.
Not one of my favourites currently now (may be too focused on the race rather than on the fun aspect of it) but I don't think I'll hate them either.
UNLESS, they turn out to be another Jonathan and Victoria.
But I didn't get good vibes from Kelly and Jon too but they were a hell lot of fun to watch on TAR 4. Hopefully this team too!
At least F6 for them and... I won't be surprise if they are in the F3. However, they just don't have the winner looks for me.. and I'm guessing they might miss the F3. Just a prediction.
georgiapeach:
Couple with UW ties competes on “The Amazing Race”
Feb. 16, 2012
by Käri Knutson
It’s one thing to strategize from the comfort of your living room while watching hit reality show “The Amazing Race.” It’s quite another to be among the globe-trotting contestants.
Rachel and Dave Brown compete in the new season of "The Amazing Race" on CBS. (Photo: CBS)
Major Dave Brown Jr., an assistant professor of military science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his wife, Rachel, will be among 11 couples competing on the 20th season of the show, which premieres at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 on CBS.
“The anonymity of a name like ‘Dave Brown’ is no longer,” says Brown.
Rachel, a UW-Madison graduate who works at Epic Systems in Verona, had the idea to be on the show. Both have been long-time fans and are adventurous by nature.
Dave, 33, had been deployed to Iraq but had a two-week rest and relaxation leave where he and Rachel, 30, met up in Australia. That’s when she pitched the idea. They filled out the application and crossed their fingers.
“I didn’t have the slightest idea,” Brown says about whether they’d be picked.
The show has won eight Emmy Awards and pits teams against many physical and mental challenges over the course of 25 days.
“I’m very happy that not only we had this opportunity but the opportunity to represent military members,” Dave says. “The overwhelming pride of representing the men and women of the military in the best possible light … that was definitely in the forefront of our minds.”
Dave, a West Salem, Wis., native, enlisted into the Arizona National Guard in 1996 as an artillery forward observer while attending Arizona State University.
He graduated in three years with a bachelor’s degree in political science, transferred into the Wisconsin Guard’s 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2000 and earned an officer commission in 2002.
He’s also served as an intelligence officer, a Black Hawk pilot with the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment and an executive officer for Recruiting and Retention Command. He is currently assigned to the ROTC detachment at UW as an assistant professor of military science.
While “The Amazing Race” presents numerous physical and mental challenges, Dave believes the biggest component is teamwork.
“The icing on the cake is the travel – the challenge is the interaction and relationship between two people,” Dave says.
Being in the military has Dave and Rachel have had to do many things apart which made the experience of doing the show together all the more meaningful.
“The stress of not only military training but deployment really prepared me,” Dave says.
They can’t say whether they won the $1 million prize but are inviting people to watch the show with them at Madison’s, 119 King St. The party starts at 5:30 p.m.
They’ll have lots of people rooting them on.
“I was extremely excited for them to have such a tremendous opportunity to participate in this unique and challenging experience,” says Lt. Col. Jay Pitz, a professor of military science at the UW.
Pitz says Dave’s experience in the military will be a huge asset.
“As an Army officer, he has already experienced a multitude of challenges during his distinguished career,” Pitz says. “The leadership attributes that he has developed throughout a career of vast experiences as an Aviation officer and a combat veteran will have prepared him for the unique challenges that may be encountered during the program.”
Dave returned from deployment in June 2011. He and Rachel flew out to Los Angeles to audition but they didn’t find out until four weeks before taping began last fall that they’d been chosen.
“We were left in considerable suspense,” Dave says.
They were put through a rigorous process of testing.
“It’s as physically demanding as air assault school, as mentally draining and as academically involved as flight school and as sleep depriving as SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) School,” Dave says.
Dave and Rachel have had to be pretty secretive throughout the whole process. Mum is the only word about the outcome of the show.
Stay tuned to see how the Browns do. “The Amazing Race” airs at 7 p.m. Sundays on CBS.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/20335
dpe:
FROM LOCAL TV NEWS.
http://video.channel3000.com/watch.php?id=40230
I wonder if the penalty for reveling the results is really 10 million?
The place where she works is a medical records software company.
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