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William "Bill" Gaghan, Tammy Hitchiner Gaghan, William John "Billy" Gaghan Jr. and Carissa Gaghan are a team of Dad, Mom and Kids on The Amazing Race: Family Edition.


The Gaghan Family frequently surprised their competitors with their athleticism, coming from their experience in running marathons, allowing them to pass teams with members much older than Billy and Carissa. After a surprisingly strong showing in the first leg, however, the setback of pitting children against adults showed as they tended to find themselves at the back of the pack and seeming to survive only due to mistakes and misfortune for other teams. Their luck ran out in the 6th leg when Tammy struggled at the needle-in-a-haystack Roadblock in Costa Rica, dropping them to last place where they finished in 6th place.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

The Gaghan family, from Glastonbury, Connecticut consists of Bill, 40, Tammy, 42 and their children, Billy, 12 and Carissa, 9.

Bill works in jet-engine sales and admits his biggest pet peeve about himself is his lack of patience. Bill is hoping the Race will show his family the importance of working together as a team and the benefits of never giving up.

Tammy is a substitute teacher for her local school district. Having lived in Korea for over three years, Tammy and Bill have traveled extensively. Both compete in marathons across the country and are planning to run one in each state.

Billy is entering seventh grade and describes himself as outgoing and adventurous. His mother says he's currently going through typical pre-teen mood swings and hopes that this won't interfere with his ability to focus on the Race. Billy's favorite activities are football and running. He intends to show his dad that he has what it takes to compete in the Race.

Carissa, who will be in the fourth grade, is playful and silly. While she is one of the younger Racers, her dad feels her keen eyes and fighting spirit will make up for her small size. She enjoys running with her dog, Blaze, and playing soccer. Carissa wants to show her parents that she is a tough competitor ready to take on the adults in the race.

The Gaghan family has traveled around the world and are hoping those experiences have prepared them for this competition.[2]

The Amazing Race: Family Edition[]

Race History[]

The Gaghan Family's Race History
Episode Leg Destination(s) Detour Choice
(underlined)
Roadblock
Performer
Placement Notes
1 1 New York → New Jersey → Pennsylvania Build It / Buggy It No Roadblock 2 of 10
2 2 Pennsylvania → District of Columbia → Virginia Heat of the Battle / Heat of the Night Tammy 7 of 9
3 3 Virginia → South Carolina → Alabama Forrest Gump / Muddy Waters Bill & Billy 7 of 8
4 4 Alabama → Mississippi → Louisiana Work / Play Carissa 6 of 7
5 5 Louisiana → Panama Rhythm / Coos Bill 5 of 6
6 6 Panama → Costa Rica Relic / Ripe Tammy 6 of 6
Average 5.50
Legend:
     The team finished in first place
     The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race
     The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg
     The team that won The Amazing Race
     The team that crossed the Finish Line second
     The team that crossed the Finish Line third
The team used the Fast Forward pass
> The team used the Yield
< Recipient of the Yield

Post-Race[]

  • Billy and Carissa would later write intros for the My Ox is Broken - an anthology about racers' experience in the race, the only racers in The Amazing Race: Family Edition to do so.

Trivia[]

External links[]

Interviews[]

  • Rene Syler on The Early Show (11/02/2005): "Blame It On The Red Bean"
  • Jenn Brasler at RealityNewsOnline (11/03/2005): "We Would Have Paid to Do This Race"
  • Mac Lynch at Hartford Courant (06/19/2011): "Before And After Amazing Race, Tammy and Bill Gaghan Thrive On Staying Active"

Social Media Profiles[]

References[]

The Amazing Race: Family Edition Teams
 Aiello Family
Father and Sons-In-Law
S8 AielloFamily
 Black Family
Dad, Mom and Kids
S8 BlackFamily
 Bransen Family
Dad and Daughters
S8 BransenFamily
 Gaghan Family
Dad, Mom and Kids
S8 GaghanFamily
S8 GodlewskiFamily
 Linz Family
Siblings
S8 LinzFamily
 Paolo Family
Dad, Mom and Kids
S8 PaoloFamily
 Rogers Family
Dad, Mom and Kids
S8 RogersFamily
 Schroeder Family
Dad, Stepmom and Kids
S8 SchroederFamily
 Weaver Family
Widow and Kids
S8 WeaverFamily
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