Teams » Season 7

Meredith & Gretchen
Retired Couple
Occupation: Meredith (Retired Executive) & Gretchen (Retured Nurse; Flight Attendant)
Hometown: Easton, MD
Meredith & Gretchen found love late in their lives, and they are spending every moment making up for lost time. Their inspiration for participating in the Race is strictly for the adventure and the challenge of traveling around the world.

Meredith is a retired executive who spends his time fishing, biking, playing golf and teaching swimming. Father of three sons, Meredith is an avid swimmer who holds seven National Masters Swimming Championship titles. Meredith describes himself as competitive, articulate and compassionate.

Gretchen is a retired flight attendant and registered nurse. Mother of two, Gretchen spends most of her time cooking, biking, gardening and golfing. Gretchen describes herself as outgoing, reliable and kind, and she admits to being quite loud, particularly when she's upset.

Both are big fans of the show, and while watching one evening, they said to each other, "We could do that. Let's try."

Brian & Greg
Brothers
Age: Brian (32) & Greg (37)
Occupation: Brian (Actor; Bartender) & Greg (Bouncer)
Hometown: Santa Monica, CA
Brian & Greg's primary motivation for participating in the Race is to travel the world with each other and meet new people.

Brian, the older of the two, graduated from Central Missouri State before moving to Los Angeles. Brian is at heart a competitor whose greatest accomplishment in life was starting every basketball game his high school varsity season after being cut the prior two seasons.

Greg graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in Radio, Television and Film. In addition to earning his degree, Greg also saw playing time as a walk-on football player at Auburn. Competitive like his brother, Greg's favorite hobbies are playing basketball with his brother, tennis and horseback riding.

These two brothers are confident and ready to compete. Despite their limited traveling experience and knowledge of the Race, they're ready for the adventure of their lives.

Ron & Kelly
Dating
Occupation: Ron (Former Irag War POW; Student at the University of Georgia; Motivational Speaker) & Kelly (Legislative Correspondent)
Hometown: Ron (Villa Ruca, GA) & Kelly (Greenville, SC)
Kelly was crowned Miss South Carolina in 2002. Their primary motivation for participating in the Race is strictly for the adventure.

Ron grew up in Lithia Springs, Georgia. A fan of the movie "Top Gun," Ron became a pilot after joining the Army and started flying Apache helicopters. When RonÂ's helicopter was shot down in Iraq, he was captured, interrogated, held captive and later rescued by the United States Marines. Following his rescue, Ron returned home and was introduced to the reigning Miss South Carolina. The two have been an item ever since. Ron is very competitive and admits he's a thrill seeker.

Kelly's determination has always been a part of her life. After growing up with a learning disability, she graduated cum laude from North Greenville College. After being crowned Miss South Carolina, she went on to compete in the Miss America pageant. Kelly describes herself as well-rounded and persistent.

This couple has been on quite a roller coaster ride over the past few years, and they're not showing any signs of slowing down. They're ready for a new adventure. After the race they broke up and Kelly is now married.

Susan & Patrick
Mother & Son
Occupation: Susan (Director for Judicial Affairs for Miami University) & Patrick (Writer)
Hometown: Susan (Hamilton, OH) & Patrick (Hollywood, CA)
Susan & Patrick are the first mother/son Team in the history of THE AMAZING RACE. Their primary motivation for participating in this Race is to see the world with each other and have stories to share for the rest of their lives.

Susan has been married to Patrick's father for 34 years and also has a daughter, Elizabeth. She earned her college degree as a "non-traditional" student, since she was a mother at the time. She enjoys shopping, gardening and traveling and describes herself as stylish, demanding and prepared.

Patrick says he is extremely close with this family, and they've always been very supportive of him, including when he told them he was gay. However, his mother disagreed with his decision to drop out of college (Miami U) 30 credits shy of his degree. Patrick describes himself as Machiavellian and strategic.

Both are avid fans of the show and watch it religiously. As Susan tells it, "We want to play! He is the competitive one, and we are the perfect Team!"

Uchenna & Joyce
Married
Occupation: Uchenna (Energy Broker) & Joyce (Sales)
Hometown: Houston, TX
Uchenna & Joyce are going through an extremely challenging period in their lives. Both worked for now-bankrupt companies that experienced highly publicized accounting scandals: Uchenna worked for Enron and Joyce worked for WorldCom. Uchenna and Joyce's primary motivation for participating in the Race is to regain some of the closeness theyÂ've lost during these trying times.

Uchenna grew up in Los Angeles. Uchenna and his wife have been through some challenging financial and emotional times as of late. After several failed attempts to get pregnant, they tried in-vitro fertilization, but it was unsuccessful. Uchenna describes himself as competitive and extroverted, and he enjoys basketball, scuba diving and horseback riding.

Joyce was born in Mississippi and raised in San Diego, California. Joyce and Uchenna desperately want children, and their numerous failed attempts has caused tension within their relationship.

Both are adventurous and ready to compete. Both have hinted that if they won the Race they would use the prize money for additional in-vitro fertilization procedures.

Lynn & Alex
Boyfriends
Occupation: Executive Assistants
Hometown: West Hollywood, CA
Lynn & Alex are a gay couple from West Hollywood, California. With their four-year anniversary on the horizon, they signed up for the Race as a means to test the strength of their relationship.

Lynn is well traveled and lived abroad in Germany before settling down in Los Angeles. He and Alex met at a club four years ago and have been together ever since. An additional motivation for Lynn's participation in the Race is to possibly get married in Amsterdam.

Alex has not informed his father about his sexual orientation, but he has introduced Lynn to his family. Like Lynn, he is also well traveled. Alex describes himself as personable and calculating, but admits he is bad at dealing with stress. Alex describes Lynn as smart but extremely lazy.

Lynn & Alex are both looking to find out what the future holds for their relationship and to see whether it will hold up under the stress of the Race. After the race they got married in Ottawa, Ontario, sponsored by radio Hot 89.9. Amazing Race guests included Uchenna & Joyce, Gretchen, Susan & Patrick and Bianca & Debbie.

Debbie & Bianca
Lifelong Friends
Age: Debbie (25) & Bianca (26)
Occupation: Debbie (Photographer) & Bianca (High School Teacher)
Hometown: Debbie (Los Angeles, CA) & Bianca (Woodbridge, VA)
Debbie & Bianca's primary motivation for participating in the Race is to travel the world with each other and put their combined traveling skills to the test.

Bianca graduated from James Madison University with a B.A. in International Affairs and Spanish Art History. She currently works as a high school teacher and is finishing her master's degree of Education (with a concentration in multicultural studies). Bianca's favorite hobbies are traveling, reading and going out with friends.

Debbie, who graduated summa cum laude from The College of William and Mary in under three years, is currently a freelance photographer in Los Angeles. A wild child at heart when she was younger, Debbie now enjoys going to art museums, surfing and reading classic literature.

These best friends are well traveled, and both have lived abroad throughout their lives. They feel their years of traveling has prepared them for this moment, and they are ready to race.

Megan & Heidi
Roommates
Age: Megan (31) & Heidi (26)
Occupation: Megan (Fashion Designer) & Heidi (Full-Time Mother)
Hometown: Oak Park, CA
Megan & Heidi are extremely competitive and not afraid to take risks. These California beauties decided to sign up for the Race just for the challenge and competition.

Heidi grew up in Flint, Michigan, with several stops along the way before she landed in Los Angeles. She is a licensed makeup artist, but works as a full-time mother for her proudest accomplishment, her daughter. Heidi describes herself as athletic, playful and feisty and has specific plans for her prize money if they win the Race.

Megan grew up all around California before settling in Los Angeles. She works as a fashion designer and enjoys drawing, sewing and painting. Megan has never traveled outside the United States and has an extreme phobia of flying. Another motivation for Megan's participation in the Race is to face that fear and put it behind her.

Despite their limited traveling experience, Megan & Heidi are convinced they can rely on each other and on their competitive spirit to outperform the other racers.

Ray & Deana
Friends & Dating
Age: Ray (44) & Deana (27)
Occupation: Ray (Stockbroker) & Deana (Marketing and Promotions Executive)
Hometow: Ray (Canfield, OH) & Deana (Youngstown, OH)
Ray & Deana's primary motivation for participating in this Race is to put their on-again/off-again relationship to the test and see how they fare.

Ray, who is 17 years older than Deana, has worked as a stockbroker for 18 years. A former college and semi-professional football player, Ray describes himself as cocky and admits that he's never wrong about anything. He enjoys weightlifting, singing and karate.

Deana is admittedly just as determined and competitive as her teammate. She grew up camping in the backwoods of Ohio and has never traveled outside the United States. Deana's favorite hobbies include lifting weights, karate, hunting and fishing.

Both admit they are looking for some answers to what the future holds for their relationship and are hoping the Race will provide some. Afther the race they got married and have a daughter named Reagan.

Rob & Amber
Engaged
Occupation: Rob (Construction Foreman) & Amber (Administrative Assistant)
Hometown: Rob (Canton, MA) & Amber (Beaver, PA)
Rob & Amber had an alliance together and fell in love when they competed with each other on "Survivor: All Stars.Â" Amber won the one million dollar prize, and Rob finished as the runner-up. During the live finale of the show in May 2004, before the outcome was even announced, Rob proposed to Amber, while she wore a t-shirt with the inscription, "I Love Rob!"

Prior to "Survivor: All Stars," Rob competed on "Survivor: Marquesas," the fourth installment of the series, where he was the seventh voted off. Amber previously competed on "Survivor: The Australian Outback," the second installment of the series, where she was eleventh voted off, but was a part of the jury to decide the winner.

Both of them are excited to participate in the Race, as they have been fans of the show for some time. They hope their competitivey natures, which helped them compete on SURVIVOR, will propel them through to win THE AMAZING RACE. After the race they got married and had a daughter named Lucia Rose.

Ryan & Chuck
Best Friends
Occupation: Ryan (General Contractor) & Chuck (Boiler Tube Replacement Sales)
Hometown: Ryan (Landrum, SC) & Chuck (Inman, SC)
Ryan & Chuck's motivation for participating in this Race is to travel the world together.

Ryan is married with one son. He works as a general contractor and is very religious. Ryan enjoys riding motorcycles with his best friend Chuck and herding sheep with his dog Blue. An avid motorcyclist, Ryan once built his own motorcycle, then rode from South Carolina to Texas and back.

Chuck is still single, much to Ryan's dismay. He is also very religious and spends much of his time working with the youth at his church. Chuck is well traveled and speaks fluent Portuguese. His favorite hobbies include riding his motorcycle with Ryan and playing bass guitar.

Although their southern drawls sometimes fool people, make no mistake: Ryan & Chuck are very smart and are ready to play the game.