Release
THE AMAZING RACE BIOS
Team 1: Jamil Abdur-Rahman and Jamil Abdur-Rahman (Twin Doctors)
Name: Jamil Abdur-Rahman
Age: 36
Current Residence: Chicago
Connection to your teammate: Twin Brother
Current occupation: OB/GYN Physician
Describe what you do: Provide specialized medical and surgical care for disorders of the female reproductive tract. Manage pregnancies from conception through labor and delivery.
Three words to describe you: Driven, humorous and compassionate.
Favorite hobbies: Flying, running and antiquing.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Completing the U.S. Army Officer Basic Course and becoming a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corp after completing residency.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? George W. Bush, deceptively capable.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Barack Obama, obviously capable.
What scares you most about traveling? Returning home when you have a name like Jamil Abdur-Rahman. Customs agents rarely make you feel “welcome.”
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and experiencing something that I may never do again.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I hope that running the Race will help us both to not only effectively listen to one and other, but to actually hear one and other and to more effectively hear and digest what the other is saying.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Idries at times can be passive-aggressive and patronizing. When we disagree, he rarely confronts you directly, but instead is holier than thou and stubborn.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? “The door of no return” in Ghana. I have always hated the fact that as an African American I do not know where my ancestors came from. Walking those grounds would mean that I might be setting foot where my ancestor once walked.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I want to step beyond my comfort zone and to be pushed beyond my limits. Hopefully, in the process I can become more comfortable in my skin.
Name: Idries Abdur-Rahman
Age: 36
Current Residence: Chicago
Connection to your teammate: Twin Brother
Current occupation: OB/GYN Physician
Describe what you do: I care for women during all aspects of pregnancy, delivery and post-partum. I also perform gynecologic and pelvic surgery.
Three words to describe you: Silly, observant and intuitive.
Favorite hobbies: Tae Kwon Do, anything aviation- or travel-related and reading a good book.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Beating the odds! Not becoming what most statistics say an inner-city minority male from a single-parent household would become.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? I’d like to say Albert Einstein, but probably Jon Stewart.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? I’d like to say Elmer Fudd, but instead I’ll say James Earl Jones.
What scares you most about traveling? Anytime I travel my biggest fear is inadvertently doing or saying something that locals could find socially offensive.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new places, meeting new people and having the opportunity to walk in the shoes and live a day in the life of others.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Both of us are a bit type-A and a little head strong. I hope that running the Race will allow us to learn how to work together in a level headed, respectful way while learning to value the other’s POV.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Frequently, I think that he is too headstrong. When he takes a position, he will hold that position, despite all logical arguments to the contrary.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Goree Island in Senegal. As an African American, I think that I will likely never trace back my specific roots. Going to Goree Island would give me some sense of connection with my ancestors.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I want to run a good, competitive Race and I want to see places and have experiences that I otherwise would never have.
Team 2: Katie Bichler and Max Bichler (Newlyweds)
Name: Katie Bichler
Age: 24
Current Residence: Buffalo, N.Y.
Connection to your teammate: Newlyweds
Current occupation: Pharmacist
Describe what you do: I work in a long-term care facility where I focus on safe and clinically effective medication use. I provide counsel to patients on the proper use and adverse effects of their medications.
Three words to describe you: Outgoing, competitive and sarcastic.
Favorite hobbies: Golfing, reading and drinking wine.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Earning my doctorate of Pharmacy. It was a long, hard road, but I did it!
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Bethany Frankel, because she is a hardworking ball buster.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Rush Limbaugh. Max, a.k.a. “Rush, Jr.,” is full of right-sided dreams.
What scares you most about traveling? Disease. I’m terrified of getting sick in another country.
What excites you most about traveling? Everything! I love to travel and experience the different cultures of the world.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are newlyweds. We’ve only been living together for one month after dating long distance for three years. I hope we can work out any issues we have with communication.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Time management. He has no respect or consideration for anyone’s time. He is always late. Ugh.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? How can I pick just one? I can narrow it down to anywhere in Europe, though. I love European culture and history. I dream about touring the entire continent.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Traveling the world with my best friend for a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Name: Max Bichler
Age: 30
Current Residence: Buffalo, N.Y.
Connection to your teammate: Married
Current occupation: Cigar Sales
Describe what you do: I represent Rocky Patel Premium Cigar Company and sell cigars to wholesalers, distributor and retailers.
Three words to describe you: Driven, intelligent and competitive.
Favorite hobbies: Golf, wine and cigars.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Moving to Boston and becoming successful on my own.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Rush Limbaugh: a fellow cigar lover and an unapologetic Republican.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Looks like Jessica Simpson, acts like Ann Romney.
What scares you most about traveling? Not much scares me about traveling.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new cultures and enjoying new foods.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Katie needs to make decision when asked to and listen to me when I know I’m right.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Her lack of decision making and not listening to me when I know I’m right.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Rome, Italy. There is history, and I want to experience the food, culture and style.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to learn how to share responsibility and work as a team.
Team 3: Mona Egender and Beth Bandimere (Roller Derby Moms)
Name: Mona Egender
Age: 33
Current Residence: Castle Pines, Colo.
Connection to your teammate: Roller Derby Moms/Friends
Current occupation: Mom and Captioner
Describe what you do: Run and care for a household of three kids. Provide real-time captioning and transcription services for the hard of hearing community and/or government, universities, business and other such entities.
Three words to describe you: Competitive, tenacious and dependable.
Favorite hobbies: Roller derby/skating, snowboarding, hiking, exercising and yoga.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Making 5280 Fight Club (my derby team) at my first tryout and beating Gotham at the Banked Track Invitational.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Gabrielle Reece.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Hope Solo for her stoicism and competitiveness and Sandra Bullock for her effortless humor and charm.
What scares you most about traveling? The language barrier and cultural differences.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing and experiencing new cultures, trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I think the biggest challenge will be admitting when we need help. We are both independent and strong-willed.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Beth tends to not always state her true feelings during team meetings. She also hates asking for help.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Italy, because I have family there. Plus, there’s so much history and heritage. I love the language, lifestyle, architecture, romanticism and food of Italy.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Some spectacular memories and a new outlook on the world/life. Also, to strengthen my bond with Beth.
Name: Beth Bandimere
Age: 36
Current Residence: Arvada, Colorado
Connection to your teammate: Roller Derby Moms/Friends
Current occupation: I work in the Internet Department at FirstBank of Colorado.
Describe what you do: I provide tech support for customers using our website. I also perform various product testing projects and administrative duties.
Three words to describe you: Adventurous, outgoing and competitive.
Favorite hobbies: Roller derby, boating and gardening.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Becoming a semi-professional athlete at age 35 while raising three kids.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Lindsey Vonn. She’s a great athlete and competitor.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Gabby Reece. She’s beautiful and totally kicks ass!
What scares you most about traveling? Getting lost.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing and doing things I would never have an opportunity to do in Colorado.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I don’t foresee any major challenges. We really don’t have any “issues” that ever come up. We are really in tune on the track. It will be interesting to see how that translates to the Race.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Sometimes she won’t ask for help because she doesn’t want to look like she’s weak.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Italy, because that is where my family is from.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? An experience of a lifetime!
Team 4: Anthony and Bates Battaglia (Hockey Brothers)
Name: Anthony Battaglia
Age: 33
Current Residence: Raleigh, N.C.
Connection to your teammate: Brother
Current occupation: Professional Hockey Player. I currently play for the Huntsville Havoc.
Describe what you do: I’m a professional hockey player and bar owner on the side.
Three words to describe you: Strong-willed, loud and athletic.
Favorite hobbies: Bowling, TV & movies and extreme sports.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I’ve played in 600 pro hockey games and won a championship this past season with the New Jersey Outlaws.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Prince William.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? He is famous! He played in the NHL.
What scares you most about traveling? Flying and being around strangers.
What excites you most about traveling? Going to new places.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are very competitive with each other and we always try to beat each other at everything.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He is always putting me down.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Italy, because it is so beautiful and my grandparents are from there.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I want to show my brother that I can win. Plus, the prizes would be nice.
Name: Bates Battaglia
Age: 36
Current Residence: Raleigh, N.C.
Connection to your teammate: Brother
Current occupation: Former Professional Hockey Player
Describe what you do: Played professional hockey and own a bar on the side. Played for Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Three words to describe you: Competitive, strong-willed and confident.
Favorite hobbies: Golf, hiking and TV
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Playing in the Stanley Cup Finals.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Myself.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Prince William.
What scares you most about traveling? The language barrier.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new things and meeting new people.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are close but we fight at times and are competitive with each other.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He’s lazy.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Italy and Scotland, because I’m Italian and Scottish.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I think it would be a great way to see the world while having fun and competing.
Team 5: Chuck and Wynona McCall (Married)
Name: Chuck McCall
Age: 46
Current Residence: Daphne, Ala.
Connection to your teammate: Married
Current occupation: Retail Manager/Taxidermist
Describe what you do: I work at Walmart as a co-manager. I’m in charge of the operations side of the store.
Favorite hobbies: Taxidermy, hunting & fishing and time with my kids.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? My children.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Popeye.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Olive Oyl.
What scares you most about traveling? Not much.
What excites you most about traveling? Meeting different people and seeing the different ways of life.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Her inability to talk and think when she is tired.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She won’t go anywhere without getting ready.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? A hunting reserve in Africa. I want to keep adding trophy heads to my collection.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I want Wynona and I to strengthen our relationship with each other.
Name: Wynona McCall
Age: 49
Current Residence: Daphne, Ala.
Connection to your teammate: Married
Current occupation: Cosmetologist/Hairstylist
Describe what you do: Cut, color and style hair. I can do facials and nails as well. We take rag dolls and turn them into Barbie dolls.
Three words to describe you: Patient, dedicated and forgiving.
Favorite hobbies: Being with my kids, going to the beach and anything with hair, make-up or skin.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Raising my three children.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Felicity Huffman. I’m like Lynette Scavo from “Desperate Housewives” because I’m very busy.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? MacGyver.
What scares you most about traveling? Being in a plane crash.
What excites you most about traveling? Going to new places and seeing new people.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Chuck thinks too long in his head and waits till the last minute to tell me what he is thinking.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He can’t make plans to do things. He is a very last minute type of person.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Belize, it looks amazing and I love the beach.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? A closer relationship with my husband by spending some time with him.
Team 6: David and Connor O’Leary (Father/Son)
Name: David O’Leary
Age: 58
Current Residence: Salt Lake City
Connection to your teammate: Father (both David and his son are cancer survivors)
Current occupation: Investment Properties
Describe what you do: I purchase and operate investment properties around the United States. As the father of a large family, I work hard, play hard and view my job as a means to an end and not the end itself.
Three words to describe you: Active, enthusiastic and strong-willed.
Favorite hobbies: Cycling, fly fishing and snow skiing.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Being the father of five great kids and the grandfather of six even greater grandkids!
What famous person reminds you of yourself? People have told me I look like Steve Martin but personally I don’t remind myself of anyone.
What scares you most about traveling? The inability to communicate in different languages.
What excites you most about traveling? New cultures, places and things to see!
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are both stubborn and think we’re right most of the time (I’m right all the time)!
Pet peeve about your teammate: Connor is messy and doesn’t put things away.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Thailand. I would like to experience culture truly foreign to me. I would love to experience the diversity of terrain, food, language, culture and activities.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to gain an unforgettable experience with my son and to celebrate the health that we both now enjoy! Also, my son has wanted to do this for years and he wants to earn the money.
Name: Connor O’Leary
Age: 21
Current Residence: Salt Lake City
Connection to your teammate: Son (both Connor and his father are cancer survivors)
Current occupation: Professional Cyclist
Describe what you do: I race bikes professionally for a Pro-Continental team Bontrager/LIVESTRONG. I also race for the Under 23 USA National Team.
Three words to describe you: Funny, life-loving and determined.
Favorite hobbies: Cycling, fishing and skiing.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Conquering cancer.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Rob Dyrdek
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Steve Martin
What scares you most about traveling? The fear of losing a loved one while gone.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and breathing in the air of adventure.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are both hard headed, we both think we are right much of the time, so working on humbling ourselves and working more as one.
Pet peeve about your teammate: This sounds ridiculous, but how he chews his food! He chews his food so loud and for so long. I can’t even believe I’m putting that down, but it pisses me off so bad. I can’t even explain it. It seems to just be him that does it.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? India or China. The culture and the diversity intrigue me.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? An incredible experience with my father, and to show that anything is possible. Two cancer survivors can come back from incredible odds and do hard things.
Team 7: Caroline Cutbirth and Jen Kuhle (Country Singers)
Name: Caroline Cutbirth
*Caroline is also a direct descendant of Daniel Boone
Age: 29
Current Residence: Austin, Texas
Connection to your teammate: Band mate/Friends
Current occupation: Singer/Songwriter
Describe what you do: I’m in a band called Stealing Angels. We signed a record deal, travel the country on a bus and play shows 24/7.
Three words to describe you: Outgoing, adventurous and loyal.
Favorite hobbies: Traveling, eating and exercising.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Signing a record deal and making my childhood dream of being a country singer come true.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Jennifer Aniston
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Kim Kardashian. Jen is so beautiful and sweet, guys die over her.
What scares you most about traveling? Not being able to sleep on a plane.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new cultures and widening my mind.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We have lived in such close spaces for the past five years, we know how to be dead honest with each other. We respect each other so much and each knows our strengths and weaknesses.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She sometimes “promises” stuff to people because she doesn’t want to be truthful and hurt their feelings. She used to be flaky and hold everything in – but I’ve whipped her ass into shape.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Egypt, because of the pyramids; Africa, because of the animals and landscape; India, for the ashrams; and Turkey, because I have heard incredible things.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Badass experiences. We both are obsessed with traveling and adventure. We want to see the world and do crazy things.
Name: Jennifer Kuhle
*Jennifer is also the granddaughter of John Wayne
Age: 30
Current Residence: Nashville, Tenn.
Connection to your teammate: Bandmate/Friends
Current occupation: Songwriter
Describe what you do: I compose and write lyrics and songs. I am also in a band.
Three words to describe you: Sweet, competitive and driven.
Favorite hobbies: Traveling, reading and wine-tasting.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud of winning the National Father/Daughter tennis championship. It was such a cool experience to share with my dad.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? I have no idea- I’ve thought about the question for an hour and can’t think of anyone – but Julia Roberts is my favorite.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Jennifer Aniston meets Kelly Ripa.
What scares you most about traveling? I am really not scared of traveling. The only time I was a little hesitant was when we landed in Kuwait. It was such a different culture and language. I felt lost.
What excites you most about traveling? I really love to experience different cultures. I love seeing how other people live.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I really don’t have any communication issues with Caroline. She is amazing at talking things through. My only concern is myself…I tend to hold things in that bother me.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She used to be pretty self-righteous and that would irritate the hell out of me, but she has gotten a million times better. She does also have a hacking problem, haha.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I am dying to go to India and Japan. I studied Asian art in college and those two places had my favorite art.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I think it will be an incredible life experience. My dream is to travel and who better to do it with than my best friend! I love adventure.
Team 8: Joey Graceffa and Meghan Camarena (YouTube Hosts)
Name: Joey Graceffa
Age: 21
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Connection to your teammate: Friends
Current occupation: YouTube Host
Describe what you do: I make daily videos on YouTube. I share my life stories and bring people along my journey!
Three words to describe you: Nerdy, determined and loveable.
Favorite hobbies: Making videos, reading and playing video games.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Moving from Boston to L.A. at 19 to make a life for myself.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Ryan Seacrest.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Zooey Deschanel.
What scares you most about traveling? Flying. I’m not a huge fan of flying because of turbulence, but I get over it pretty fast.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new parts of the world and actually seeing new things with my own eyes!
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Meghan can be stubborn at times.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She sometimes acts like she is weaker than she really is. She is also very stubborn!
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Japan, because I am a huge anime nerd and it would be so cool to see the Japanese lifestyle in person!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? To go on an amazing adventure with my best friend!
Name: Meghan Camarena
Age: 25
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Connection to your teammate: Friends
Current occupation: YouTube Host
Describe what you do: I write, direct, edit and star in creative music videos and vlogs on YouTube as Strawburry17. I’m also a host on Teen.com.
Three words to describe you: Tenacious, cute and extreme.
Favorite hobbies: Skateboarding, hiking and watching movies.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Moving to L.A. No one ever leaves Modesto. I’m no George Lucas, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Zooey Deschanel.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Justin Bieber.
What scares you most about traveling? Someone stealing me like in the movie “Taken.”
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing the world and trying new things!
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: When Joey is upset, he gets really quiet and has a hard time explaining why he’s upset. This can potentially be a problem if we’re not communicating.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He can sometimes be a diva.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I would love to visit Rome, Italy! I heard it is beautiful and the food is amazing!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? By working together with Joey I hope to have a stronger friendship and be a better teammate! I hope we both come out of the race believing in ourselves by doing something we didn’t think we could. I want to be challenged to do things I’ve never done before and make my family proud.
Team 9: Pamela Chien and Winnie Sung (Best Friends)
Name: Pamela Chien
Age: 29
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Connection to your teammate: Best Friend
Current occupation: Art Director and Fitness Instructor
Describe what you do: I design sets for TV commercials. I also teach barre fitness classes at Pop Physique. Sometimes I moonlight as Batman.
Three words to describe you: Clever, spectacular and scrappy.
Favorite hobbies: Trapeze and arts and crafts.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Changing careers time after time until I found what I really love to do.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Tina Fey, because she’s awesome without even trying.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Kristen Wiig, because she’s almost as funny as Tina Fey.
What scares you most about traveling? Bathrooms.
What excites you most about traveling? Food! I love tasting local cuisines. Ironically, the local cuisine is what sends me to scary bathrooms.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: When we’re both irritated we get snappy and talk over each other. Occasionally it turns into hand-to-hand combat. I usually win.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She doesn’t like to share her food. She acts like she’ll never eat again if I take a few bites. I may starve to death on the Race if she doesn’t learn to share.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Antarctica, because I’ve heard it’s absolutely mesmerizing.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I’d like to have one of those enlightening moments when the meaning of life and all the world’s secrets are bestowed upon me. I’d also like to see Winnie cry... just to make sure she’s human. I’ve seen her cry twice and each time it was a single tear running down her cheek.
Name: Winnie Sung
Age: 29
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Connection to your teammate: Best Friend
Current occupation: Senior Project Manager
Describe what you do: I work with overseas factories to manufacture cosmetic products for different retail brands.
Three words to describe you: Manly, tough and funny.
Favorite hobbies: Hiking with my dogs, eating chocolate and shopping.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Being able to stay friends with crazy Pam for 10 years and not have physically harmed her.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Chelsea Handler.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Lou Ferrigno – Pam turns into scary Hulk when she’s mad.
What scares you most about traveling? Gross bathrooms terrify me.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing how other people in the world live.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Pam has a strong L.A. accent. Hopefully, she learns to speak proper English by the end of the Race.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She starts too many fights with big people. She really is disillusioned about her size.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Egypt. I want to see the pyramids before I die.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to acquire even more skills that make me more badass.
Team 10: John Erch and Jessica Hoel (Dating)
Name: John Erck
Age: 27
Current Residence: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Dating
Current occupation: Entrepreneur/Computer programmer
Describe what you do: I run a web development and design company called Above Market. We code what our clients want.
Three words to describe you: Coffee, code and surf.
Favorite hobbies: Coding (PHP and Objective-C), drinking coffee and surfing 12th Street or the pier in Huntington Beach.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Having the guts to quit my well-paid corporate IT job to pursue a life of hacking and entrepreneurship.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Macklemore.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Angelina Jolie.
What scares you most about traveling? Getting locked up abroad.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new things.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Jessica’s mumbling and me not being able to understand what she’s saying!
Pet peeve about your teammate: Sometimes Jess tunes me out when I’m telling an awesome story.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Australia, to go surfing, feed white sharks and scuba dive the great barrier reef.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Challenge and adventure.
Name: Jessica Hoel
Age: 26
Current Residence: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Dating
Current occupation: Account Manager
Describe what you do: I am an account manager for Cargill’s health and nutrition business. I represent a variety of specialty sweeteners and functional ingredients.
Three words to describe you: Motivated, competitive and friendly.
Favorite hobbies: Running, surfing and traveling.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Finishing the Boston Marathon (twice).
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Jessica Biel. She's super athletic, but seems girly and sweet.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Macklemore.
What scares you most about traveling? Not much. I love it! Maybe missing a flight, but I usually get lucky.
What excites you most about traveling? I absolutely love to travel! I lived in Mexico and Spain to really learn and understand other cultures. I love trying new food, seeing new sights and meeting different people and learning new languages.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: John tells a lot of stories (multiple times) and speaks very slowly. I sometimes just talk over him or make him get to the point!
Pet peeve about your teammate: He’s always hungry! He will eat all of the cereal in one sitting, so I have to hide it. If he’s hungry, it’s not good!
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Thailand, because of the people! It’s called the land of smiles. Also, the local food, the beaches! I’ve heard too many great things!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I can't wait to see the world with my best friend!
Team 11: Matthew Davis and Daniel Moss (Firefighters)
Name: Matthew Davis
Age: 25
Current Residence: Gaffney, S.C.
Connection to your teammate: Friends
Current occupation: Firefighter
Describe what you do: I am a Lieutenant at the fire department. I am in charge of a four main engine company and fight fire, respond to wrecks and medical emergencies.
Three words to describe you: Witty, funny and outgoing.
Favorite hobbies: I love playing basketball, backyard football and going to haunted houses in the fall.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? My daughter.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Adam Sandler.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Larry the Cable Guy.
What scares you most about traveling? The unknown! We are not very “cultured” people, so we don’t know much about how other countries operate.
What excites you most about traveling? Getting to see new places, cultures and do different things that I would never get to do in my life.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are both very hard-headed and Daniel does not have much common sense, so we argue a good bit but always remain friends.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He picks his nose in public a lot (seriously) and he never wears a belt (back out, crack out).
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Australia seems very nice with cool animals.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I obviously hope to win the million dollars. It could make a huge difference in our lives.
Name: Daniel Moss
Age: 24
Current Residence: Gaffney, S.C
Connection to your teammate: Friends
Current occupation: Firefighter
Describe what you do: I fight fire, respond to wrecks and medical emergencies.
Three words to describe you: Funny, outgoing and charming.
Favorite hobbies: Hunting and fishing.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Winning two state football championships in high school.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Kevin James
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory.”
What scares you most about traveling? Not being able to communicate.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing things I have never seen before.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: That Matt never listens to my ideas and he is always right.
Pet peeve about your teammate: His attitude and always being right.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Australia. I would love to see the different animals and the countryside.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? To see the world.
