The Amazing Race > The Racers
TAR 24: Margie O'Donnell & Luke Adams (TAR 14+18) "Mother/Son"
georgiapeach:
Margie O’Donnell and Luke Adams
Name: Margie O’Donnell
Age: 56
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Previous Seasons: Seasons 14 & 18
Current occupation: RN and Sr. Clinical Research Associate
Describe what you do: I monitor diabetes clinical research trials – new drug clinical trials.
Biggest mistake you made in your previous season: Season 14 we did really well. We never finished lower than 4th place, but on season 18 we made a lot of mistakes.
Most memorable moment from your first Race: Finishing in 1st place on the 1st leg, and Phil “signed” for Luke, “You are team #1.” So emotional.
Favorite place you visited on your first season: Guilin, China – so beautiful. I would love to go back some day.
Why do you want to run the Race again? I keep asking myself that same question, I am 56 now – just for the adventure and the friendships you form.
How have you changed since the last time you competed? The first two times we were on the Race I was single. I got married in 2011 and I think that I am happier now than ever before.
What are you passionate about? My husband, my grandchildren, my job, my free time and vacations.
People would be surprised to learn: I married a man, at age 54, I have known since I was 6 years old.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Communication is always a challenge in the race. It is almost impossible to communicate when we cannot see each other, so there are situations where we do not communicate very well.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? We really wanted to visit Ireland; my mother’s family is from there and I have always wanted to go.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Getting to travel with Luke. He was living in Alaska, and then moved to Philadelphia, so I do not get to see him very often.
Any strategic changes you will make heading into this Race: I will try to be more patient, I have to realize that Luke is a grown man.
Name: Luke Adams
Age: 28
Hometown: Philadelphia, Penn.
Previous Seasons: Seasons 14 & 18
Current occupation: Advancement Associate / Motivational Speaker
Describe what you do: I help secure funding for and raise awareness of The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf through communications and marketing, outreach to the community, and coordination of administrative processes for the Advancement office. I deliver speeches about my life as a Deaf person to organizations, educational institutes and fundraising events across the United States.
Biggest mistake you made in your previous season: Not being able to find the last surfboard in the final challenge on our first season, and not being able to find the tea on our second season!!
Most memorable moment from your first Race: Winning the first leg on our first season!
Favorite place you visited on your first season: Switzerland and Thailand were my favorite places to visit on our first season. Australia was my favorite place to visit on our second season.
Why do you want to run the Race again? To win the million bucks! I had a great time seeing the world with my mom. It was such an incredible experience. I am just so happy that I get to do it with my mom for the third time and to be able to say that we are one of three teams who got to run the Amazing Race three times!
How have you changed since the last time you competed? I stopped drinking tea!
What are you passionate about? I am passionate about community involvement, in both the Deaf community and the LGBT community. I believe promoting outreach and raising awareness is vital.
People would be surprised to learn: I lived in Alaska for almost a year. It's one of the best experiences I ever had.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I just hope that we don’t have to do any self-driving - it is pretty tough to communicate with each other when one of us is driving and one of us is sitting in the back. Not easy to communicate with each other!
Pet peeve about your teammate: Nothing really bugs me - my mom’s pretty awesome and easy going.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I’d love to visit Ireland to see where my family came from.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Making it farther than we did on our second Race, and enjoying the experience with my mom one more time.
Any strategic changes you will make heading into this Race: No alliances. Run this race on our own
georgiapeach:
http://www.youtube.com/v/_h_jsw-QRRo
georgiapeach:
http://www.youtube.com/v/YC1M6UXwOGE
Ryan:
I loved them in their first season, thought they were kind of personality-less in Unfinished Business. My guess is they got the return call to try and get another strong Parent/Child team in the mix...but honestly, I could think of 5-6 other 3-peats I'd rather see here. Still don't mind them if they end up doing well though!
georgiapeach:
RIT/NTID alumnus hopes third time is the charm on ‘The Amazing Race’
Luke Adams and his mom, Margie O’Donnell, race around the world for $1 million
Jan. 27, 2014
by Greg Livadas
RIT/NTID alumnus Luke Adams and his mother, Margie O’Donnell, will be featured a record third time on the popular CBS reality show The Amazing Race when the 24th season kicks off on Feb. 23, the network confirmed Monday.
Adams, who received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2008, became the first deaf contestant on the show when he and his mother raced around the world in season 14, which aired in 2009. The show features teams that are given clues that take them around the world, often to exotic locations. The teams are confronted with physical and mental tasks to complete to receive additional clues. The last team to check in each week is usually eliminated. The first-place team shares a $1 million prize.
In season 14, Adams slid down a hill in the Alps with a 50-pound wheel of cheese, ran in his underwear in sub-freezing temperatures in Russia, got bitten by a bird in China and carried a pig on a pole in Hawaii. He and his mother made the finals that season and came in third place, winning $10,000.
They were brought back to appear on the 18th season of The Amazing Race, featuring previous contestants who had “unfinished business.” They finished in eighth place.
CBS said the 11 teams for this all-star season were “some of the most memorable duos.” If they don’t get eliminated, teams will travel through four continents and nine countries, spanning more than 35,000 miles. The race will take them on a mission high above the city in Guangzhou, China; rappelling down the roaring rapids of the Kiansom Waterfall in Malaysia; fighting with Gladiators in Rome; and fueling up vehicles in Sri Lanka.
No team has ever appeared on the show more than twice. Adams and O’Donnell are among three that will be in the race for a third time.
“It was a huge surprise. We did not see it coming,” Adams said. “We got the call out of the blue last July. They were like, ‘Hey, do you want to do the race again?’”
Adams works as an advancement associate at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Philadelphia. His mother, a registered nurse, lives in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Adams worked at NTID in the summer of 2009 as a co-director of Orientation Assistants for NTID’s Summer Vestibule Program, which welcomes incoming students to RIT. While here, Adams entertained audiences by talking about his experiences on the show. O’Donnell also visited Luke in Rochester and spoke to parents here about her experience raising a deaf child and sending him off to college.
Adams was named Deaf Person of the Year in 2009 by Deaf Life magazine and appeared on its cover.
On his first appearance on the show, Adams said he hoped to set an example that deaf people can do anything. “A lot of deaf people think you can’t go on TV, or shouldn’t apply to different things,” he said. “I want to give deaf people hope. That’s what I want to do.”
http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=50500&source=enewsletter&fb_action_ids=10100762299447835&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.Uufi2QNV8A4.like&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B538234936273686%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%22.Uufi2QNV8A4.like%22%5D
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