Archive > The Amazing Race
Gretchen and Meredith appreciation thread !
puddin:
Graceful aging keeps 60s couple in the 'Race'
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY
She fell in a cave and bloodied her head. They were stripped of their money and possessions, save for the clothes on their backs.
The Detour challenge: Gretchen Smith,66, and her husband, Meredith, 69, buy a grocery list of goods in Santiago, Chile.
CBS
But Meredith and Gretchen Smith, the oldest couple ever on The Amazing Race, also have endured far longer than the typical token team of seniors on CBS' reality hit, now in its seventh season.
"It's absolute tenacity," host Phil Keoghan says. "They just decided they were going to go all out and never give up."
Meredith, 69, a retired executive, and Gretchen, 66, a retired nurse and flight attendant, from Easton, Md., are one of five teams of the original 11 in a world race of hair-raising challenges. They're vying for a $1 million prize in the finale May 10.
{'Amazing' nuptials
Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich, who fell in love on Survivor and returned to the network to test their teamwork on The Amazing Race, will share their wedding with the world in a CBS prime-time special May 24 (9 p.m. ET/PT).
The self-explanatory Rob and Amber Get Married extravaganza will include a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the wedding, which took place Saturday at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The special also will feature Amber's bridal shower, the bachelor and bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinner in addition to the ceremony and reception.}
The Smiths aren't available for interviews; CBS policy restricts access to contestants until they're ousted.
But going into tonight's ninth episode (9 ET/PT), the team has outlasted other seasons' seniors. Only Teri and Ian Pollack, considerably younger at 49 and 50, made it further, finishing third in Race's third season.
Fans are cheering. "The one thing I do admire about them is that, despite all the odds — age, mishaps, non-elimination round — they never give up," says Kyle Richard of San Francisco.
Racers Susan and Patrick Vaughn, eliminated earlier this season, say they bonded with the older couple. "They're so sincere and genuine," Patrick says. "You can look at them and see they're your grandparents. There's not a mean bone in their bodies."
Such gentle competitiveness stands in marked contrast to Survivor couple Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich. Their aggressive behavior toward other Race teams and locals makes them formidable competitors in the 31-day journey, which has gone from Long Beach, Calif., to Lucknow, India, by way of Peru, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.
"You see some people who are rude, like Rob and Amber," Patrick says. But the Smiths prove "you can still be in the race and be nice to everyone."
The strategy paid dividends when Keoghan made them cough up their cash and backpacks as a penalty for finishing last in a non-elimination episode. That came just hours after Gretchen took a nasty spill, smashing her head against a rock as she rappelled 45 feet down a cave in Soweto.
"That was the meanest thing I've ever done on TV," Keoghan says. "She's got this huge cut on her head, and I take everything."
But the Smiths pressed on, relying on a rival team for clothes and strangers for taxi money. In India, they were cheered on by throngs of autograph-seekers.
And though they struggle near the back of the pack, they endure. "It's the smarts factor, the luck factor and the karma factor," Keoghan says. And rivals who underestimate them. "A lot of people didn't even give them the time of day."
link~
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-04-18-amazing-race-couple_x.htm
puddin:
And for those who think Meredith & Gretchen are not strong /]* ~
=]/
Meredith R. Smith
Founding Life Member since 1998
Duty Position(s):
Sentinel
Relief:
2nd
Dates:
October 2, 1958 - April 24, 1960
Brief Army History:
Volunteered for the draft.
Units:
Company E (Honor Guard), 3d US Infantry (The Old Guard), Fort Myer,VA
Personal gallery
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Awards / Decorations:
Tomb Guard Identification Badge
Soldier of the Month
Highest Rank:
Specialist (E-4)
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Home City / State:
Detroit, Michigan Date of Birth:
November 5, 1935
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After the Army:
I entered and remained in the field of Association Management in Washington DC. In 1991, I retired after 29 years as the Executive Vice President of National Business Forms Association. During that time, I became an internationally recognized authority in the business printing industry, having taken an organization of 65 companies and expanding it to 2,300 business printing products organizations world wide. I founded Form Magazine which became the official trade publication of the business forms industry along with five other monthly publications and the industry's first international trade show. I helped write and edit the first business forms handbook - a hard bound text used to this day to train industry employees. I was the first and only association executive to receive the industry's President's Award; was named the Business Forms Man of the Year in 1984; and was voted Association Executive of the Year in 1988.
Family Information:
I live in retirement with my wife Gretchen in Easton, Maryland, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I am also the proud father of three sons.
Current Occupation:
RETIRED
I am active in the YMCA. I am the co-founder and president of the D.C. Masters, which is the largest and winningest Masters Program in the world. I was seven-time National Masters Champion, two-time Masters All-American. I currently teach a swimming program sponsored by the YMCA, known as "SwimFantastic." I have held several world records and was a 2 time All American and (believe it or not), Captain of the Michigan State Varsity Weight Lifting Team, with the best single lift (Olympic) of 240lbs snatch weighing in at a soaking wet 165! I was the first President of the Easton Club Community Association.
Degrees/Schooling:
BA in Business Administration and Industrial Psychology, Michigan State University
Mexico City College
George Washington University
Received my accreditation from the American Society of Association Executives in 1976
Most Memorable Moment at Tomb:
Each time I stepped upon the mat!
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Return to Membership List and Biographies
Copyright © 2003 Society of the Honor Guard - Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All rights reserved.
Link~ http://www.tombguard.org/meredith_smith.htm
puddin:
Fans continue to cheer on Villages snowbirds in 'Amazing Race'
By THERESA CAMPBELL, DAILY SUN
THE VILLAGES - Many loyal viewers of "The Amazing Race" never expected retirees and Villages snowbirds Meredith and Gretchen Smith to make it past the first episode.
But they did.
And then they survived the second episode, third, fourth and so on. Tonight will mark the eighth week Meredith-and-Gretchen fans have tuned in to watch The Villages snowbirds in the reality adventure show, and many are thrilled that the Villages snowbirds are one of the five remaining teams in the globetrotting trek for a $1 million prize.
"I'm so glad they're continuing on, and I'm so proud of them. More power to them," said Villager Cindy Dilks. "It's very exciting to watch, and it's a morale booster for us. It speaks well of the lifestyle of The Villages. Look at how many of us are doing things that we didn't have the time to do before, and Meredith and Gretchen are also showing us to 'go for it!' "
Dilks admits she agonizes with the snowbirds whenever they have to perform challenging tasks, and she fretted last week watching Gretchen as she searched through hundreds of stacked tin boxes stacked in a room in India, desperately trying to find a clue.
"I wouldn't have survived the first day," Dilks said.
How will The Villages snowbirds do tonight?
It should be interesting to watch. Last week's show ended with the cliffhanger phrase: "To be continued," which means viewers will have to tune in at 9 p.m. on CBS to see the rest of the race in India.
The Smiths were in last place throughout last week's race, so will they move up in tonight's show?
They are contractually forbidden to talk to the media about the show, but friends say they've been told tonight's show is not to be missed.
And Villages residents once again are invited to watch the show at Crazy Gringos, as the restaurant will continue its "Amazing Race Party," where fans can enjoy drink and food specials and watch the race on the restaurant's 19 television sets and big-screen TV.
The Smiths resided in Florida's Friendliest Hometown during the winter, and the snowbirds from Maryland have told friends they love the community and want to come back next winter to enjoy The Villages lifestyle.
http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/articles/2005/04/19/news/news03.txt
Pedaler:
--- Quote ---They are contractually forbidden to talk to the media about the show, but friends say they've been told tonight's show is not to be missed.
--- End quote ---
Puddin, Do you think it's because Phil gets emotional before he eliminates them?
Sorry *8/
puddin:
No I think because a team that we don't care for comes in last or is Eliminated {l{ , thats what I thought anyway .
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