Teams » Season 5

Charla & Mirna
Cousins
Age: 27
Hometown: Charla (Phoenix, MD) & Mirna (Towson, MD)
Charla & Mirna are first cousins from Phoenix and Towson, Maryland, respectively. Both are Armenian and were born in the same hospital in Syria, one month apart. They emigrated to the United States when they were young children. Charla & Mirna know that physically they are quite different, but say they "fill each other's gaps with strengths and weaknesses." In addition, between the two of them, they speak a variety of languages, including Armenian, Turkish, French and Spanish, and have traveled extensively to foreign countries.

Charla says she is married to the man of her dreams and is manager/co-owner of ten sportswear stores. She has a form of dwarfism and says she "certainly does not consider it a limitation." In fact, she says she hopes "to show the world what I can do and break all stereotypes about dwarfs!"

Mirna is an attorney who graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law at age 23, the youngest in her class. While she describes herself as "sometimes too competitive, strong-willed and ambitious," she blows off steam by doing some favorite activities such as running and cycling. Mirna also claims to be a frequent winner at blackjack tournaments.

Charla & Mirna describe themselves as "a unique team, definitely one of a kind, extremely comical and aggressive" and are excited about competing in THE AMAZING RACE 5 so that they can travel around the world and win.

Alison & Donny
Dating
Age: Alison (23) & Donny (21)
Occupation: Alison (Unemployed) & Donny (Student)
Hometown: Alison (Meadville, PA) & Donny (Shenandoah, PA)
Alison & Donny are from Pennsylvania and have been dating on and off for three years. The two of them met as students at an athletic convention at the University of Pittsburgh, and then ran into each other at a bar a few weeks later. As Alison puts it, "He's been hooked ever since." Alison was runner-up on the CBS summer reality series, BIG BROTHER 4, where her relationship with Donny was often discussed, although he was not in the house with her.

Alison says that although she and Donny have hurt each other in the past, she loves him with all her heart and wouldn't ever want to hurt him again. She describes him as much calmer than herself, and she loves to be the center of attention, while he likes to just watch from the sidelines.

Donny is the first person in his family to graduate from college. He describes himself and Alison as "both good looking, outgoing and extremely competitive." He says his most exciting moment in his life was scoring a touchdown in front of 30,000 people.

Alison & Donny describe themselves as "the greatest example of new age young adults. We give 110% to everything we do and don't accept not getting our way." They are excited about competing in THE AMAZING RACE 5, as Alison says, "to see if we should really try to work out our differences from BIG BROTHER. The $1 million is secondary." After the race they brok up.

Bob & Joyce
Internet Dating Couple
Age: Bob (61) & Joyce (54)
Occupation: Bob (Retired) & Joyce (Medical Practice Administration)
Hometown: Mount Laurel, NJ
Bob & Joyce are both widowers who lost their partners to cancer. Even though both lived in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, they met on an Internet dating site and have been dating for over a year. Both claim that since they ran in different circles of friends, they never would have met one another if not for this website and have been loving life, and each other, ever since.

Bob has two adult children and Joyce has three, all of whom are very happy and supportive of their parents' relationship. Both say that they love new challenges, share a lot of the same moral, political and family values, have a very active lifestyle and are in good physical shape.

Bob & Joyce decided to do THE AMAZING RACE 5 "to show that a smart, physically fit and a very compatible couple of age 50+ widowers can win this contest and beat a bunch of younger Teams."

Brandon & Nicole
Dating Models
Age: Brandon (25) & Nicole (21)
Occupation: Brandon (Model) & Nicole (Model; Actress)
Hometown: Brandon (Houston, TX) & Los Angeles, CA
Brandon & Nicole met just over a year ago at a Bridal Extravaganza in Houston, Texas. As reigning Miss Texas, she was there to model a new bridal gown, while Brandon was there as her escort on the runway. Right after the bridal show ended, Brandon got her telephone number, and they've been dating ever since. Both consider themselves very religious and spiritual people and describe their relationship as God-centered.

Brandon, a Texas A&M alum, is now a model and has lived in various big cities, including New York, Miami and Houston, while Nicole currently lives in Los Angeles and is pursuing an acting career. Nicole's proudest accomplishments have been winning Miss Texas USA 2003 and being the second runner up at Miss USA 2003.

Brandon & Nicole's primary motivation for being on THE AMAZING RACE 5 is to win the $1 million prize, but they also look forward to spending more time together, since their careers have kept them apart. After the race they broke up.

Chip & Kim
Married Parents
Age: Chip (46) & Kim (44)
Occupation: Chip (Owner of Web Company) & Kim (Owner of Recruit Company)
Hometown: Coto De Caza, CA
Chip & Kim have been married for over 25 years, are raising three children and reside in Coto de Caza, California. They met at a party in the summer of 1978. Kim caught Chip's eye as she was on the dance floor doing "the freak" in her Jordache jeans. When Chip introduced himself to Kim and asked if he could treat her to a drink of her choice, she flatly refused. He was undaunted, however, and kept persisting, finally obtaining her phone number. At first, Kim was not interested in Chip at all, but over time, he managed to change her image of him, especially when she saw him two months later cruising down Crenshaw Boulevard in his brand new royal blue 280Z sports car.

Kim is the owner of an information technology recruiting company. She says that her proudest accomplishment is marrying Chip and having their three children, Elon, Phillip III and Kristen. She says that she and her teammate are soul mates with the same life goals who want the best for each other.

Chip is the owner of a web technology company. Aside from marrying Kim, he said his second biggest accomplishment was finishing college at age 38. He said he most resembles boxer George Foreman, minus his money, and his wife looks like Olympic runner Florence Griffith Joyner!

Chip & Kim say they decided to apply for THE AMAZING RACE 5 because "several of our friends and family members have made calls to us to express their strong feelings as to why we should be on the show. That is why we started watching. Now, THE AMAZING RACE is our favorite show."

Colin & Christie
Dating
Age: Colin (24) & Christie (28)
Occupation: Colin (Cell Phone Store Manager) & Christie (Pharmaceutical Sales Rep.)
Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX
Colin & Christie met in a class at the University of Texas in Austin and have been dating for over a year. Both now live in Corpus Christi, Texas. When Colin saw Christie give a presentation in their communications class, he knew that she was the one for him. It took eight months of being friends before he finally got her to go out on a date with him. Colin claims that he will ask Christie to marry him if they can get through the Race together

Christie is the 1996 Miss Teen USA winner, the first and only one from Texas. However, she considers her biggest accomplishment in life to be working to pay her entire way through college and graduating with honors. She describes herself and her teammate as "very competitive, extremely aggressive with strong personalities." Although Christie says that she is always late, she is also a perfectionist who hates losing.

Colin is the owner of a cell phone store. Among the accomplishments he is most proud of is getting Christie to fall in love with him, which he claims is better than being the top first-year dealer for a book publishing company in the United States. He also agrees that he and Christie are both very aggressive and “very outspoken and in-your-face.” However, he is a very open person who will talk to anyone, while Christie is extremely private.

Colin & Christie are excited about competing in THE AMAZING RACE 5 because they will be able to travel the world and participate in this kind of competition. Christie adds, "Another reason for doing this Race is that it is a test to see if we are marriage potential. I know we can win, and if we do, we're getting married right after the show." After the race they got married and had a son named Achilles.

Dennis & Erika
Engaged Couple
Age: Dennis (27) & Erika (25)
Occupation: Dennis (Mortgage Broker) & Erika (Wedding Planner)
Hometown: Dennis (West Nyack, NY) & Erika (Piermont, NY)
Dennis & Erika met while they were in college at New York University. She was the Resident Assistant in charge of his floor, and it was completely against the rules for her to date the dorm residents. They found their way around this by booking a trip to Italy together, even though they barely knew each other. Their relationship progressed and they eventually got engaged, but Dennis broke off the engagement after Erika went skydiving naked. As Dennis describes it, "I thought I was dreaming, but no, here comes my future wife floating through the air with nothing on but socks and sneakers and a naked instructor strapped to her back."

Dennis & Erika's relationship has been through a lot. Six months after they started dating, Dennis saved Erika's life by pulling her free from a vicious dog attack. After that, Erika knew that she was in love.

In order to prepare for THE AMAZING RACE 5, Dennis & Erika worked out and trained by running in low-oxygen chambers. They say despite their broken engagement, they teamed up to do the Race "to see if we could handle the pressure of high-stress, intense situations." Erika says they are the perfect Team because "we know how to play a cutthroat game fairly and ethically." After the race they broke up and live separate lives.

Jim & Marsha
Father & Daughter
Age: Jim (53) & Marsha (26)
Occupation: Jim (Helicopter Pilot) & Marsha (Law Student)
Hometown: Jim (Jacksonville, FL) & Marsha (Gainesville, FL)
Jim & Marsha are a father-daughter Team from Jacksonville, Florida. Jim, who is married to Marsha's mother, Linda, is a helicopter pilot who spent 23 years in the military, including a tour in Vietnam. As a military family, they were fortunate to have had their primary residence in Jacksonville for many years, but they have also spent two years living in Germany. Marsha is a law student at the University of Florida College of Law. She said that as a child she was an ugly duckling, but transformed herself when she became an NFL cheerleader for the Jacksonville Jaguars and also posed for the cheerleaders' calendar.

Jim & Marsha believe that this experience will give them the opportunity to work as partners rather than father and daughter. Marsha says she hopes this will force her dad to view her in a different light. Jim says they are excited about competing in THE AMAZING RACE 5 because "it would be a chance of a lifetime, especially for someone like me, who has never won a thing in his life!"

Kami & Karli
Twin Sisters
Age: 26
Occupation: Kami (General Manager of a Restaurant) & Karli (Student)
Hometown: Eugene, OR
Kami & Karli describe themselves as "extremely competitive." Both agree that as children they were adorable, but ornery and naughty.

Kami's primary motivation for being on the show is "to win! I'm very competitive." Her pet peeve about herself is that she is always correct, all the time. Kami says that one of the most exciting moments of her life was at a Prince concert when she was asked to get on stage and dance with him.

Karli is a full-time student at the University of Oregon. She describes her motivations for being on the show as first, "wanting the money, and second, wanting the opportunity to travel for free." One of her fears is getting stranded in a third world country without clean bathrooms. Karli adds that she is sweeter and more forgiving than Kami.

Kami & Karli list among their similarities that they can get really upset when they are not fed, they have similar mannerisms, are ardently determined and extremely competitive. They are excited to compete in THE AMAZING RACE 5 because foreign travel and experiencing different cultures are fascinating to them.

Linda & Karen
Bowling Moms
Age: Linda (45) & Karen (41)
Occupation: Linda (Mother; Tennis Teacher) & Karen (Mother; Homemaker)
Hometown: Palmdale, CA
Linda & Karen met 12 years ago when they joined the local bowling team and have been doubles partners ever since. A major accomplishment for them was winning the California State Bowling Doubles Tournament in 1999. In addition to bowling, they go on family vacations together to Bass Lake in California.

Karen has been happily married for 21 years and has three children. Linda is celebrating her silver anniversary with her husband this year. She is also a mother of three children and teaches tennis.

Linda & Karen describe themselves as "athletic moms who like to compete at everything." They are excited to compete in THE AMAZING RACE 5 so they can see new places and meet new people.

Marshall & Lance
Brothers
Age: Marshall (31) & Lance (26)
Occupation: owners of a Pizza Restaurant
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Brothers Marshall & Lance are originally from New York, but have since relocated to Dallas, Texas, where they own and operate a pizza shop. They describe themselves as extremely competitive and stubborn, with each always wanting to get his own way. Marshall explains that he has always tormented his younger brother. When Lance was six or seven years old, Marshall sold him a Sony Walkman for $60; the sale included a hand-written contract stating that Lance was buying the Walkman "as is," with no refund. Shortly after buying the Walkman, Lance determined that it was broken. Lance went crying to their father and told him he wanted his money back, but Marshall pulled out the contract and refused.

Marshall, the older brother, recently got engaged by surprising his fiancée while she was at a spa appointment. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and says his biggest accomplishment has been starting an Internet security consulting company, growing it to 13 cities and 125 employees, then selling it off in 18 months.

Lance says that one of his pet peeves about himself is when he doesn't give his all to a project he is working on. He says, though, that his greatest accomplishment so far has been opening up the pizza shop with Marshall and seeing the growth. Lance is looking forward to traveling the world to see all the beautiful honeys and any nude beaches.

The brothers decided to sign up for THE AMAZING RACE 5 because they are very different and knew they could make a strong team together. Lance says his personal motivation was to have a "once-in-a-lifetime experience with my brother and be on TV. Winning cash wouldn't be a bad outcome either." Marshall hopes to experience the adventurous challenges on the show, adding that he wants to see as much of the world as possible.