Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan are a team of Cousins on The Amazing Race 5 and the first edition of The Amazing Race: All-Stars.
Profile
Charla & Mirna are first cousins from Phoenix and Towson, Maryland, respectively. Both 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." 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 physical illness." 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 bossy and controlling," 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.
The cousins from Season 5 are back for another trip around the world. Charla and Mirna have both made numerous television appearances since their time on Race and are eager to capture America's heart once again. Both are now married and ready to start a family. A highly competitive team during their season, Charla, who stands at 4 feet tall, describes herself as dedicated, passionate and driven to succeed. Mirna describes herself as hard working, a leader, but with a comical side. Her greatest achievement is obtaining her Juris Doctorate at age 23. Charla proved just how strong she was when she threw a 50 pound slab of meat over her shoulder and helped carry it a quarter of a mile in order to complete a challenge with Mirna and complained all the way. Growing up together taught them how to work well with each other, especially when Charla screams at Mirna during every Road Block. Both are well traveled and they believe they speak several languages, but actually just butcher them. This motivated duo is proud of the way they played the game last time around and are eager for another opportunity to win the $1 million prize. |
The Amazing Race 5
Race History
| Charla & Mirna's Race History | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | United States → Uruguay | Zips / Chips | No Roadblock | 5 of 11 | |
| 2 | 2 | Uruguay → Argentina | Perro / Tango | Mirna | 2 of 10 | |
| 3 | 3 | Argentina | Smooth Sailing / Rough Riding | Charla | 2 of 9 | |
| 4 | 4 | Argentina → Russia | Block 5 Shots / Drink 1 Shot | Charla | 4 of 8 | |
| 5 | 5 | Russia → Egypt | Rock & Roll / Hump & Ride | Charla | 2 of 7 | |
| 6 | 6 | Egypt | Herd It / Haul It | Mirna | 5 of 7 | |
| 7 | 7 | Egypt → Kenya → Tanzania | Buzzing / Busy | Charla | 6 of 6 | |
| Average | 3.71 | |||||
Legend:
| ||||||
The Amazing Race: All-Stars
Race History
| Charla & Mirna's Race History | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | United States → Ecuador | Wrangle It / Recover It | No Roadblock | 8 of 11 | |
| 2 | 2 | Ecuador → Chile | By Hand / By Machine | Charla | 8 of 10 | |
| 3 | 3 | Chile | Vertical Limit / River Wild | Mirna | 8 of 9 | |
| 4 | 4 | Chile → Argentina | Navigate It / Sign It | Mirna | 7 of 8 | |
| 5 | 5 | Argentina → Mozambique | Pamper / Porter | Charla | 1 of 7 | |
| 6 | 6 | Mozambique → Tanzania | Solve It / Schlep It | Mirna | 1 of 7 | |
| 7 | 7 | Tanzania → Poland | Perfect Pitch / Perfect Angle | Mirna | 4 of 6 | [1] |
| 8 | 8 | Poland | Eat It Up / Roll It Out | Charla | 4 of 6 | |
| 9 | 9 | Poland → Malaysia | Artistic Expression / Cookie Confection | Mirna | 2 of 5 | |
| 10 | 10 | Malaysia → Hong Kong | Kung Fu Fighting / Lost in Translation | Charla | 3 of 4 | |
| 11 | 11 | Hong Kong → Macau | Noodle / Dragon | Charla | 2 of 4 | |
| 12 | 12 | Macau → Guam | Care Package / Engine Care | Charla | 3 of 4 | |
| 13 | 13 | Guam → United States | Under / Over | Mirna | 3 of 3 | [2] |
| Average | 4.15 | |||||
Legend:
| ||||||
Notes:
1: Leg 7 had an unaired Roadblock. Mirna performed the Roadblock as Charla was shown to have completed the maximum of six roadblocks by the end of Leg 12.
2: Leg 13 also had an unaired Roadblock. Mirna is seen in pictures on the CBS website performing the task.
Trivia
Franchise Records
- First team of cousins.
- Charla is the first dwarf contestant.
- She is currently the only female dwarf contestant to compete.
- Charla & Mirna are the first team eliminated in Tanzania.
- Oldest team of cousins, collectively 30 in All-Stars (2007).
- First team to win their first leg on their second attempt on the race.
- Only team of cousins to win a leg until Season 23.
- Lowest average placing all-female team with two legs won in a season at 4.15.
Other
- They know words in several different languages.[1]
Post-Race Life
- The cousins later appeared in the tenth season premiere of the sketch comedy series MADtv for a parody of The Amazing Race, titled "The Amazing Presidential Race."
- Charla is married and has one daughter. She also moved to Phoenix, Maryland with her husband, David Faddoul.
- Mirna is married and gave birth to twins, Ava Marie Patricia and Michael Leo, on November 22, 2014.
- Charla appeared in the FYI special, Flipping Baltimore – Charla's Big Deal, which chronicled a 30-day house flip she was working on in her hometown.[2][3]
External Links
Charla's Wikipedia page: Charla Baklayan Faddoul
Interviews
The Amazing Race 5
- Ann Oldenburg at USA Today (07/26/2004): "Contestant Knows No Limit in Amazing Race run"
- Rene Syler on The Early Show (08/18/2004): "Charla and Mirna Out But Proud"
- Bill Keveney at USA TODAY (08/18/2004): "Late flight leaves Amazing Race duo a little short of goal
- Ethan Alter at TV Guide Online (08/20/2004): "Race Breakouts Sound Off!"
- Jessica Shaw at EW (09/03/2004): "Q&A with The Amazing Race's Charla and Mirna"
- TARflies (10/27/2004): "Mingling with Mirna" (Parts 1 & 2)
- TARflies (12/06/2004): "Chatting with Charla"
All-Stars
- Sarah Kickler Kelber at The Baltimore Sun (05/07/2007): "Chance to travel drew pair back to Race"
- Julie Chen on The Early Show (05/07/2007): "Eric and Danielle Get Their Money"
- Christopher Rocchio at Reality TV World (05/09/2007): "INTERVIEW: Charla and Mirna dish about being Amazing underdogs"
- Eric Goldman at IGN (05/10/2007): "Amazing Race: All-Stars Interview: Charla & Mirna"
- Teeuwynn Woodruff on RealityNewsOnline (05/11/2007): ' "We're a Comedy Team, That's What We Do Best"
Social Media Profiles
Charla's Facebook: /charla.faddoul
- Mirna's Facebook: /100007083494849
References
- ↑ *Including Turkish, Arabic, Armenian, French, and Spanish
- ↑ http://www.meetup.com/Real-Estate-Investing-The-Real-Deal/messages/77235114/
- ↑ http://www.tvtango.com/series/flipping_baltimore
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