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puddin:
The Amazing Race 8
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Biographies of Chicagoland contestants competing in The Amazing Race 8
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This season of The Amazing Race, which premieres Tuesday, September 27, 2005, will be different from the previous ones. This time, we will have families competing instead of couples -- for the first time, the teams will consist of four people instead of two, and children can be part of the group (the minimum age for a contestant is eight). Whereas before the two people competing could just be friends, now each team needs to be related in some way, whether biologically or by marriage.
Looking at the families that are competing, one can see that some are composed of adults only, and some are composed of a mix of adults and children.
(It will be interesting to see what kinds of contests the producers come up with to even out the field, so that those families with children are not left behind.)
The two families that come from the Chicagoland area are:
The Bransen Family:
The Bransen family team from Park Ridge, Illinois, is made up of a father and his three daughters, who once appeared together in a Pert shampoo commercial several years ago.
Walter, 51, the self-proclaimed leader of the group, has been married for 31 years. He works as a CFO and is a native of Chicago. The proud dad of five children, Walter describes himself as being reserved and analytical. He is also a history buff in regards to anything about Abraham Lincoln and belongs to the Abraham Lincoln Association.
Elizabeth, 25, is the oldest daughter. She recently obtained a Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois. Elizabeth describes herself as personable and trustworthy and has a fear of heights. She and Walter have similar personalities and sometimes their stubbornness can cause friction between the two.
Lauren, 22, recently earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Business Management from Hope College. Punctual and adaptable, Lauren admits she can be impatient.
Lindsay, 20, is the youngest of the sisters. Currently, she's enrolled at Hope College, also majoring in Social Work. Lindsay complains that her older sisters are always telling her what to do.
The Bransens are well-traveled and eager to compete as a family for a chance to win the $1 million prize.
The Godlewski Family:
The Godlewski Family is a team of four sisters from Des Plaines, Illinois. The four sisters, from oldest to youngest, are: Michelle, Sharon, Christine, and Tricia. Each sister has her own personality, which may cause some roadblocks of their own along the way.
Michelle, 42, is the most direct of the team. She describes herself as excitable and competitive.
Sharon, 39, works as an insurance claim consultant. She says she's alluring personable and admits she that she thrives on challenges.
Christine, 37, is a bit obsessive. A homemaker and the mother of four, Christine's biggest pet peeve about herself is not being able to defend herself when she gets into an argument with her siblings.
Tricia, 26, the youngest of the team, is always forced to play the role of peacemaker.
Tricia is hoping the Race will show her sisters she has what it takes to endure The Amazing Race.
All four sisters live within thirty minutes of one another. Although they have traveled extensively together, the Race will surely put their relationships to the test as they embark on a much different kind of family vacation
http://chicago.about.com/od/newspapersradiotv/a/091805_race.htm
puddin:
Unioto grad's kids have 'Amazing' experience
Unioto grad's kids have 'Amazing' experience
By JESSICA BURCHARD
Gazette Staff Writer
Terri Linz had no idea what would happen to her four children when she saw them off at the Cincinnati airport July 1.
"We put them on a plane and, from that point on, I had no idea what they were doing," said Linz. "We just let them go for five weeks."
Linz's four adult children left for the east coast this summer to participate in the eighth season of CBS television's "The Amazing Race." The four oldest children of the family's seven offspring were invited to apply to the program after running into a reality show producer while on vacation.
"They were on vacation in Cancun and a producer spotted them and said they would be good candidates for the show," said family friend Beverly Corbett.
Corbett knows the Linz family through the childrens' mother, with whom she attended school at Unioto. Linz and her sister, Susan Halley, graduated around the same time as Corbett, but both later moved to accommodate their families.
"I've stayed in touch with both of them," said Corbett. "They still know a lot of people in the area."
The family members representing the Linzes on the "Amazing Race: Family Edition" are Tommy, 19, and Megan, 21, college students attending Miami University; Nick, 24, who works in sales and lives in Buffalo, N.Y.; and Alex, 22, a University of Cincinnati graduate who works as an emergency room technician.
Megan is the sole female member on the team, but her mother thinks she handled it well.
"Nick is the self-appointed leader of the group because he's the oldest," said Linz. "I feel sorry for Megan traveling with them, but she has adapted really well to being around the boys."
The premise of "The Amazing Race" is to leave each group clues to lead them to various locations to collect more clues. The team to reach the final destination first wins $1 million and several prizes.
Despite having finished the race several months ago, none of the adventure game's contestants can speak about their experience until the show has finished airing on CBS later this year.
"They took off the entire month of July," Corbett said. "They couldn't talk to other family members for 30 days. When they came back they couldn't comment."
Whether the Linz team is declared the winners or not, their mother sees it as just a fun experience for them.
"It's pretty fun," she said. "The kids are humble enough to take it with a grain of salt."
"The Amazing Race: Family Edition" will premiere 9 p.m. Tuesday on CBS.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050924/NEWS01/509240310/1002
puddin:
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The Amazing Race: Family Edition Two Hour Premiere Airs September 27th
The Amazing Race: Family Edition Two Hour Premiere Airs September 27th 9/22/05
TEN FAMILIES EMBARK ON THE ULTIMATE FAMILY VACATION WHEN THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING REALITY SERIES "THE AMAZING RACE: FAMILY EDITION" DEBUTS WITH A SPECIAL 2-HOUR BROADCAST, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
"Go Mommy Go! We Can Beat Them!" -- Ten families will embark on the ultimate family vacation with one family taking home the $1 million prize when THE AMAZING RACE: FAMILY EDITION, the three-time Emmy Award-winning reality series, premieres with a special two-hour broadcast, Tuesday, September 27 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Phil Keoghan is the host of the series.
The picturesque New York skyline emerges as water taxis speed the 10 families across the New York Harbor as they ready themselves for a high-energy race through Manhattan. Fireworks begin immediately as one family bickers about getting lost in the crowded streets while another team complains of a leg injury. After completing their first task, families travel to Pennsylvania where they must paddle a rowboat across the Delaware River, the same place where George Washington famously crossed the Delaware during the Revolutionary War. At the detour, families choose between building a miniature working water mill or pulling a traditional Amish buggy along a 1.5-mile course. One family has a big scare as their buggy nearly runs over a team member, while another team becomes exhausted pushing their buggy through the countryside.
THE AMAZING RACE: FAMILY EDITION is an adventure reality show hosted by Phil Keoghan that pits 10 teams of families against each other in a race around the world for approximately 30 days. At every destination, each family must compete in a series of challenges, some mental and some physical, and only when the tasks have been completed will they learn their next destination. Families who are the farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning $1 million.
Following are the 10 families, listed in no particular order:
TEAM: GODLEWSKI SISTERS Hometown: Des Plaines, Ill.
TEAM: WEAVER FAMILY (WIDOW AND KIDS) Hometown: Ormond Beach, Fla.
TEAM: GAGHAN FAMILY
Hometown: Glastonbury, Conn.
TEAM: BLACK FAMILY
Hometown: Woodbridge, Va.
TEAM: LINZ FAMILY (SIBLINGS)
Hometown: Cincinnati
TEAM: ROGERS FAMILY
Hometown: Shreveport, La.
TEAM: SCHROEDER FAMILY (DAD, STEPMOM AND KIDS)
Hometown: New Orleans
TEAM: BRANSEN FAMILY (DAD AND DAUGHTERS)
Hometown: Park Ridge, Ill.
TEAM: AIELLO FAMILY (FATHER AND SONS-IN-LAW)
Hometown: Mansfield, Mass.
TEAM: PAOLO FAMILY
Hometown: Carmel, N.Y.
RATING: To Be Announced
Source: CBS Press Release
http://www.celebrityspider.com/news/september05/article092205-11.html
puddin:
An Amazing Race Fundraiser
RealityTVFan + September 21st, 2005 + no replies
One of the families that competed in the upcoming family addition is helping victims of Hurricand Katrina and having a opening night party all at the same time! The Rodgers family of Shreveport, La is using the first showing on Tuesday night as a chance to help raise fund for the Red Cross.
“We’re renting out a big restaurant and we’re going to charge $5 and give it to the Red Cross,” said Brock Rodgers, aged 19.
In past episodes of the show, two teammates worked together competing for the first place prize of $1 million. This season has a different twist as 10 families of four race for the big money. The season was taped during the summer, and Rodgers can’t give away much information about the series until it airs because of his contract with CBS. “No results, no experiences, nothing that went on, nothing about my competition,” he said.
I guess we will all have to tune in and watch on Tuesday! By the way, this also confirms that it is indeed this very same Rodgers family that claims, Brittney, 23…..one and the same who won an episode of Fear Factor that featured Miss USA contestants.
http://www.americanrealitytv.com/reality-tv/19/#more-19
puddin:
Their own 'Amazing Race'
By Rick Holland/ Staff Writer
Thursday, September 22, 2005
BELLINGHAM - Call it the ultimate male bonding experience.
That's what two Bellingham residents will bring to a national television audience on Tuesday night, when the first episode in a new season of the reality show "The Amazing Race" airs on CBS.
Wrentham Road residents Kevin Kempskie and Matt Hanson will appear as part of team that competes against nine others in a 30-day around the world scavenger hunt for a top prize of $1 million.
Joining Kempskie and Hanson, is their father-in-law, Tony Aiello, of Mansfield, and another of Tony's son-in-laws, David Alverson, who lives in North Providence, R. I.
While all four men are contractually forbidden to make any comment about their experience, Kevin and Matt's twin-sister wives, Heather Kempskie and Lisa Hanson, spoke at length about surviving their own "amazing race," which included month-long stints as single moms to a combined total of four kids, all of whom are under 2 1/2 years old.
"I learned that I'm capable of much more than I thought I was," said Lisa, describing what she learned about herself during Matt's absence. As an example, she described finding a tick on her son's head and removing it. "Taking care of the tick, that would have been a 'dad thing,'" she said.
She saved the insect storing it in a plastic bag as a trophy to her courage for Matt to see when he returned. Among other manly duties, the two sisters also said they took out the trash and contemplated lawn care.
Once back in Bellingham, however, after what was literally a voyage around the world, the husbands jumped back into their roles as regular dads.
"Within two hours after coming home, Kevin was changing a dirty diaper," Heather said.
On a serious note, the separation from their husbands provided a particularly difficult psychological and emotional challenge for Heather and Lisa. While the family's selection as a team was an honor - they were one of 10 family teams from a pool of 25,000 entries - Heather, Lisa, their mother, Barbara Aiello and their sister Amy Alverson, were all told upfront that they could have no contact whatsoever with the men until they returned.
Show producers called them once a week during the taping of the show "to let us know they were alive, that was it," said Lisa.
An exception was made on the morning of July 7, just five days after the family had exchanged tearful farewells at the airport, marking the start of the game. On that date, a series of terrorist bombs exploded in London, killing 52 people.
A representative from CBS called immediate family members, but the details were excruciatingly sparse. For all they knew, Heather, Lisa, Amy and Barbara thought their husbands could have been in London on July 7.
"They called and told us only 'they're fine,'" recalled Lisa, though she was still not told where her family's team was located.
"That's when it hit me that this is my husband's life, and it was a little weird that I could not be told where he was," said Lisa. "That morning was so scary because we had no idea where they were."
Nor could they reach out to anyone outside the family to help ease the burden of anxiety. That's because everyone was bound by contract with CBS to keep secret the fact that the family had even been selected as contestants for the show.
As a result, invites from friends and neighbors to backyard barbecues became exercises in crafting evasive responses. Heather and Lisa had to attend such events without their husbands, and then provide vague answers when asked where Kevin or Matt were.
Providing a sense of reassurance during the game, though, was something Tony told his daughters before their husbands left.
"Dad said to us, 'I promise I'll bring these guys home,'" said Heather, who added that in addition to a variety of wonderful traits, her father's "number one priority is safety."
To maintain some kind of connection, the couples each kept journals, though those written by Kevin and Matt can only be shown to their wives as each episode airs. The men remain under contract not to let anyone know how they did in the race until the are either eliminated during an episode, or are unveiled as the show's winners.
On the day their husbands returned, there was joy in even the smallest things.
"You have to remember, we hadn't seen or heard from them, we hadn't even heard their voices for a month," said Heather.
The separation allowed the two sisters to really think about their relationships with their husbands. "They were desperately missed, but we would recommend (some time apart) for all couples," said Heather.
"There is something to be said for the idea that absence makes the heart grow fonder," said Lisa.
As difficult and rewarding as the experience was for Heather and Lisa, the game also had an effect on their 2-year-old sons. Both Kevin and Matt left video messages for their kids and small surprise presents to be opened when moods turned especially sad.
By way of explanation about Kevin's whereabouts, Heather said she told her son, Kyle, that he had flown away on a plane but would be coming back before too long. After that point, whenever Kyle spotted or heard a plane, he'd point to it and say, "There's daddy!"
"It just broke your heart," said Heather.
For Lisa, she said that Matt hadn't been away from their kids for a single night since they were born, so the prospect of being gone for at 30 nights in a row was daunting.
"We broke out the calendar with the month of July and just filled it up," said Lisa.
By the time the month had passed, a jubilant reunion occurred at the Providence airport. The men came down a long escalator into the waiting arms of wives, kids and extended family. "In a way, coming down to meet us was symbolic, like they were coming back to earth," said Heather.
Within hours, Lisa and Matt's son, Noah, was wrestling with his dad, throwing pillows "and playing all the games they had missed with each other over the past month," said Lisa
Kyle also had a wonderful reunion with Kevin, but said, "I don't want daddy to ever go on a plane again."
"The Amazing Race" season premiere will air on Tues., Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. on CBS.
http://www2.townonline.com/bellingham/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=331261&format=&page=1
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