The Amazing Race > The Racers
TAR 26: Tyler Adams & Laura Pierson "Blind Daters"
paradoxinee:
What? They lost their fanny pack twice :o
TARloveit:
--- Quote from: paradoxinee on May 19, 2015, 05:48:20 PM ---What? They lost their fanny pack twice :o
--- End quote ---
I love how they seem so competent yet they lost their fanny pack twice :funny:
georgiapeach:
Winning ‘Amazing Race’ just another thrill for local adventurer
BY STEPHANIE DAVIS
Tyler Adams, Cape Coral native and the latest winner of “The Amazing Race,” was never a fan of reality television.
“Growing up in Southwest Florida, you’re surrounded by beauty,” he says. “There are too many fun things to do. I’d rather go outside and play than watch TV.”
Last December, Mr. Adams, along with his team partner, Los Angeles resident Laura Pierson, sped to victory on the Emmy-winning competition reality show that pitted them against 10 other teams across five continents in just three weeks. The grand prize? A cool million dollars.
But, Mr. Adams says that it wasn’t about the money or the notoriety. “I just love adventure, travel, and challenges,” the 26-year-old says. While growing up in Cape Coral and attending Bishop Verot High School, he was always outdoors. “I had a great group of friends,” he recalls. “We were constantly out on the water — fishing, boating, camping on Picnic Island — it was a great place to grow up for someone like me.”
After graduation, Mr. Adams headed to Boston University where he studied marketing. He also spent a year abroad in Sydney, Australia — it was there that he fell in love with surfing. He settled in Santa Monica, Calif. “It was the U.S. city that felt most like Sydney,” he says.
He was discovered by accident. “I hadn’t been in Santa Monica long at all,” he says. “I was at a party and a woman approached me about being on ‘Survivor.’ I told her I wasn’t interested, but that I had applied for ‘The Amazing Race’ — I loved that it was this big scavenger hunt for adults. It turned out she was a casting director for that show, too. The next thing I knew, it was all happening — I was on the show.”
This year, producers mixed things up a bit. Usually, team members know one another — they’re friends, family members, spouses, etc. But, for the 2015 version of “The Amazing Race,” it was about couples — half were established in their relationships — and the other half were blind dates. Mr. Adams, who is single, had never met Ms. Pierson — the only thing they shared was location — they both live in Southern California — as a result, “Team SoCal” was born.
“It didn’t turn out to be a romance,” reveals Mr. Adams. “To be honest, the competition is too intense for that anyway. It’s all about focusing on the race. Laura’s awesome though — we’ll always be friends and we’ll always have this shared experience.”
Mr. Adams plans to use his prize money for (what else?) travel. His winnings also allow him a cushion to work on his new project — a dating app called 2Truths, based on the game Two Truths and a Lie — potential dates ask three questions and then guess which answers are true — or not. Think Tinder, with a twist.
The “The Amazing Race” finale aired on May 15, but the filming wrapped up last December. “It’s been a really hard secret to keep,” Mr. Adams says with a smile in his voice. “The finale was awesome — we had a big party in New York — it was a blast.” And while a whirlwind of interviews and media appearances are keeping him busy these days, it’s nothing like being in the actual race. “People don’t really talk about it,” he says. “But, it’s crazy and hectic and stressful. Your mind is always going and it’s hard to sleep — you can’t stop dreaming about it. We used to call them ‘racemares’ — nightmares about the race. The feeling of finishing — and winning — is just incredible.” ¦
http://charlotte.floridaweekly.com/news/2015-05-28/Top_News/Winning_Amazing_Race_just_another_thrill_for_local.html
fossil-racer:
Laura is doing an ama on reddit at 4
For any fans
Plaidmoon:
Here's the link for Laura's Reddit AMA:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/38fvwr/laura_pierson_winner_of_season_26_of_the_amazing/
I found these two questions and answers interesting;
chlsea_1905 1 point an hour ago
Did you originally apply to the show with a partner?
LauraPierson 1 point an hour ago*
I had a long road to the Amazing Race.
I'll give you the nutshell version. I applied to be on the Amazing Race 4 years ago, with my friend Jenny B, the one I'm doing "Hollywood & Hipster" with. We submitted a video. And I got scouted on Santa Monica for being on SURVIVOR. I told them I made a video for the Amazing Race, and she handed me her card, and her card said "The Amazing Race!"
So she was a casting director for that show too!
So she called us in to meet with her boss - she's uber-casting director extraordinaire. So we met with her, and they decided to pick pro-Athletes over us. They loved that we were celeb assistants at that time, but if you're a team of two girls, they usually pick very strong or very unique individuals.
Cut to this past July. I was out in Santa Monica, at one of my favorite restaurants. And I saw the uber-casting director. And I was drinking a drink, and said to my girlfriends "Oh my gosh I need to look like I'm FUN, so she'll come over to say something to me!"
I basically "flirted" with her, and she came over, and she asked if I would want to be on the Amazing Race, and if I was single. And I said "yes, I am single, and I have also met with you before, for the Amazing Race." And she asked me why in the world she didn't pick me, and I said I wondered the same thing! And she brought me in for casting, and i ended up on the show!
nowaboo 1 point an hour ago
How do you get through security so fast on the race? Do you feel like you're more knowledgable now when booking travel and what tips do you have?
LauraPierson 1 point an hour ago
You actually don't get through security fast, at all.
It might seem that way, but it probably takes LONGER, because your bag, your carry-on - a lot of times, they would search your WHOLE bag as you go through security - and you had to go through customs... as well as seeing your microphone, which inspired thousands of questions, and my hairbrush would get me caught up in security every time, so i'd have to put it out of my bag and put it in the bin so we wouldn't get held up!
I don't feel like I'm more knowledgeable when booking travel. It gave me such anxiety, and was my least favorite part of the race. i don't thinK i ever want to book travel ever again, because it was so stressful. We screwed up SO many times. We also really screwed up our flight from Peru to Amsterdam. I am not good at booking travel. It's not one of my strong suits.
Any tips? A big tip I would have while traveling, no matter what the distance is, is we would all get really swollen - our feet & ankles would get huge, and we'd be dehydrated, and a lack of movement on a 15 hour flight... so my big thing is to get up every hour to two hours, and walk around the plane. If you can't get up because of turbulence, there are many different ankle & foot exercises, and it will help you stay more comfortable and less swollen while flying.
And the other thing is pack well. I was a very good packer while on the race. In a lot of hotels, they have a laundry service where they can help you with your laundry, or pack some soap in your backpack - I think that's WAY easier than carrying a lot of stuff on your bag. And also don't worry about putting on lots of makeup. It should be more about the experience of things around you than what you look like. And that will cut down on the amount of stuff you have!
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