Florinka "Flo" Pesenti and Zachary Golden "Zach" Behr are a team of Friends and the Official Winners of The Amazing Race 3.
The New York friends came into the race without prior history of traveling together, but proved to be efficient in performing tasks which allowed them to stay near the front of the pack for the first half of the race. However, Flo later gained a degree of infamy for openly threatening to quit the Race later on as the stresses started to wear on her. Despite their troubles, they eventually reached the final 3 and managed to narrowly edge out front runners Teri & Ian to become the first co-ed team to win the Race.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
- “With any good friends where there is a guy and a girl, there's a chance of something happening. We've never really crossed into that territory.”
New Yorkers Flo, 23, a public relations associate, and Zach, 23, a production assistant, have been good friends ever since they met five years ago in a cafeteria at Vassar College. While wearing a funny hat and a camouflage suit, Zach instantly caught Flo's eye. Although Flo and Zach have shared a mutual attraction for each other over the years, they've never pursued a romantic relationship. One of their most memorable times together was when they were both bartending in college. Says Flo, "We would go crazy making drinks for the whole bar, trying to be Tom Cruise in Cocktail. It was so fun to be silly with someone while working." Ironically, one of the worst experiences they've ever had took place while they were working together. When a young girl became extremely ill from drinking too much, Flo and Zach had to rush her to the hospital. "We had to deal with the EMS and it was a really scary situation," says Zach, who adds, "It was reassuring to go through it with Flo." Although Flo and Zach are seasoned travelers, the couple has only shared one 24-hour trip together. This Team is convinced, however, that they have what it takes to come out on top. According to Zach, "I am the logistics man. I'm good with directions, roughing it and keeping a cool head. Flo is very good at keeping things fun. She's also great at getting people to do things they might not otherwise do." Flo and Zach are looking forward to seeing some great places during the Race, and hope the experience will bring them even closer together. Flo's birth date is January 17. Zach's birth date is June 29.[1]
How would you describe your previous travel experience?
What is the most stressful aspect of traveling?
What is the most important item in your backpack, and why?
Why did you want to be on THE AMAZING RACE?
Have you and your partner traveled together before? If so, what was it like?
What do you fear most about competing in THE AMAZING RACE?
What strengths and weaknesses do you bring to the Team?
What strengths and weaknesses does your teammate bring to the Team?
What will you miss the most from home (besides your bed)?
What languages do you speak?
What destination are you hoping to visit? What country do you feel best prepared for? |
The Amazing Race 3[]
Race History[]
Flo & Zach's Race History | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → Mexico | Wings / Wheels | No Roadblock | 2 of 12 | |
2 | 2 | Mexico | Man Power / Horse Power | Zach | 5 of 11 | |
3 | 3 | Mexico → United Kingdom | Punt / Bike | Zach | 3 of 10 | [1] |
4 | 4 | United Kingdom → Portugal | Old School / New School | Zach | 2 of 9 | |
5 | 5 | Portugal → Spain → Morocco | Ropes / Slopes | Zach | 4 of 8 | [2] |
6 | 6 | Morocco | Now You See It / Now You Don't | Flo | 2 of 7 | |
7 | 7 | Morocco → Germany → Austria → Germany | Used Fast Forward | 1 of 6► | ||
8 | 8 | Germany → Switzerland | Count the Money / Run the Numbers | Zach | 2 of 5 | |
9 | 9 | Switzerland | Extreme Swiss / Very Swiss | Zach | 5 of 5 | |
10 | Switzerland → Malaysia → Singapore | Dry / Wet | Zach | 3 of 5 | ||
10 | 11 | Singapore → Vietnam | Easy Buy / Hard Sell | Zach | 2 of 4 | |
11 | 12 | Vietnam | Basket Boats / Basket Bikes | Zach | 3 of 3 | [3] |
13 | Vietnam → United States | Quick Drop / Slow Walk | Zach | 1 of 3 | ||
Average | 2.69 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
- From Seasons 10 to 18, Zach co-hosted a TAR segment with Shawn Pooley on Canadian Radio NL 610 and CKRV 97.5.[2]
- In August 2004, Zach published a piece in The New York Times describing his experience on the race.[3]
- Zach got married to Elyse Steinberg on October 11, 2008 and now have a kid together.[4]
- Flo became romantically involved with Drew after the Race and stayed together for 7 years before breaking up in 2009.
- They were asked to participate in All-Stars as a new team but Flo reportedly declined because she felt that the Race had brought the worst out of her and Zach was not invited to join her. The honor of becoming the newly-created team would go to Eric & Danielle.
- Flo became ABC News Chief Legal Affairs Anchor Dan Abrams's life partner, and together they have a young son, Everett.[5]
- Zach is currently Vice President of Programming at the History Channel.[6]
Trivia[]
Franchise Records[]
- First team to switch Detours twice in a single leg (Leg 12).
- First winners who were the youngest team of the season.
- First co-ed team to win the race
- Flo became the first woman to win the race.
- Due to them taking the Fast Forward in Leg 7, they never traveled to Austria. This makes them the only team to win the race without going to all the countries in the season's route.
- First winning team to have the highest racing average of the season.
- Flo became the first person to perform least number of Roadblock that reached the final three. (1 Roadblock)
- Flo is the most quoted woman for episode titles in a season: 5 episodes.
- Flo was the first former contestant to be referenced in a future season.
External links[]
Interviews[]
Post-Race[]
- Harry Smith on The Early Show (12/18/2002): "Race Win Amazing For Flo and Zach"
- The Caroline Rhea Show (12/18/2002): "The Final 3 From The Amazing Race 3"
- FansOfRealityTV (12/19/2002): "The Amazing Race 3 Winners: Our Interview with Flo and Zach"
- Donna Petrozzello on New York Daily News (12/20/2002): "Reality Check Amazes 'Em"
- Brian James at RealityNewsOnline (02/17/2003): "An In-Depth Conversation With Florinka (Flo) Pesenti, Winner of The Amazing Race 3"
Post-Show[]
- CBS.com (2003): After the Race
- TARflies (05/02/2003): "Catch up with Zach"
- TARflies (07/30/2003): "Go with the Flo"
- TARflies (10/11/2004): "The World-Wide Games" with Zach
- Mary Anne Potts at National Geographic Adventure (09/27/2009): "The Amazing Race: A Previous Winner Tells All"
- Reality TV Warriors (12/31/2021): "I Forgot About The Paper Underwear!"
Social Media Profiles[]
- Flo's Facebook: /florinka
- Flo's Twitter: @florinka
- Zach's Facebook: /ZachBehr
References[]
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20080914170545/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race3/teams/bios/flo.shtml
- ↑ http://www.tarflies.com/article.php?cat_id=47
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/22/travel/around-the-world-in-30-days.html
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/fashion/weddings/12STEINBERG.html
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/16/style/the-doting-dad-side-of-dan-abrams.html?_r=0
- ↑ https://realscreen.com/2018/09/06/history-ups-zachary-behr-to-vp-programming/
- ↑ http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/amazing-race-27/9963-our-interview-chris-amanda.html
- ↑ http://www.tarflies.com/article.php?_f=detail&id=58
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