Jon & Al

Jon & Al
Team Profile
Born:	(1962-05-08) May 8, 1962 (Jon) (1968-05-01) May 1, 1968 (Al)
Hometown:	Long Island, New York
Relation:	Best friends/clowns
Occupation:	Clown ("Human Cannonball") (Jon) Substitute Teacher / Cruise ship entertainer (Al)
Legs Competed:	11
Placement:	4th

Jon Weiss and Al Rios are a team of Best Friends/Clowns on The Amazing Race 4.

Profile

Jon, 40, is married with three children, and lists his current occupation as "Human Cannonball" for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He has traveled with them for the past 20 years and has over 5,000 notches in his cannonball belt. He graduated from Suffolk Community College and has also studied at the Disney Institute and Clown college. Jon is determined to win. He fears "getting into an accident and not being able to support his family." Jon enjoys golf, cooking and watching sports, and describes himself as "friendly, honest and ambitious." He speaks no foreign languages and has traveled to Mexico and Canada. His teammate, Al, most disappoints him with his "lack of trust before performing together. Al gets so nervous he drives me crazy every time." Jon admits that he procrastinates and is a "go-with-the-flow type," while Al "gets stressed out." Of his clowning skills, Jon says, "If I can pick it up, I can balance it on my nose/chin."

Al, 34, currently works as a substitute teacher and as a cruise ship entertainer. He holds a BA in Special Education. Al is a "people person" and no stranger to traveling. When in the circus, he lived on a train for six years traveling the US, in a trailer for 1 1/2 years in Europe and on a cruise ship for two years in the Caribbean. He has been to the UK, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Morocco, France Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. He considers himself "friendly, determined, outgoing, compassionate and emotional." He fears heights and eating "yecchy things," getting sick with no help, or "getting stuck in a life-threatening situation with no way out." The only time his teammate, Jon, disappoints him is when he doesn't follow through with things. Jon will be "Mr. Nice Guy," and they'll get "screwed" because he doesn't "bluntly explain what the deal is." They sometimes argue, but if he's upset, Al usually gets quiet first, or he'll go off "alone and just scream out loud or have a good cry." Al's the motivator, while Jon can "waste time."

The Amazing Race 4

Race History

Jon & Al's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Italy	Search / Rescue	No Roadblock	7 of 12
2	2	Italy	Waterway / Pathway	Al	6 of 11
3	3	Italy → Austria	Mozart / Beethoven	Jon	6 of 10
4	4	Austria → France	Ropes / Slopes	Al	2 of 9
5	5	France → The Netherlands	500 Kilograms / 15 Feet	Al	2 of 8
6	6	The Netherlands → India	Suds / Duds	Jon	6 of 7
7	7	India	Baskets / Trunks	Al	2 of 6
8	8	India → Malaysia	Net / Trap	Jon	1 of 5
9	9	Malaysia	Chop / Haul	Jon	2 of 5
10	10	Malaysia → South Korea	Strong Hands / Strong Stomach	Al	3 of 4
11	11	South Korea → Australia	Face First / Feet First	Al	4 of 4
				Average	3.72
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

Post-Race Life

• For The Amazing Race 5, 6, and 7, Al provided recaps for TARflies.
  • He also wrote about his experiences on the show.
• For The Amazing Race 8, 9, and 10, Jon hosted the online web-series, "The Finish Line: The Amazing Race Internet Talk Show" with Sarah Bernard, New York Magazine Contributing Editor.
  • He left the show sometime before The Amazing Race: All-Stars premiered.
• In 2006, Jon and Al created a board game based on the show.
• Phil Keoghan praised them on Twitter in May 2015.
• CBS.com featured them for a National Best Friend Day celebration slideshow in 2015. 
• Both friends have participated multiple times in Reality Rally which raises funds for Michelle's Place Breast Cancer Resource Center.

Interviews

• Harry Smith on The Early Show (08/08/2003): "Send Out the Clowns"
• FansOfRealityTV online interview (08/08/2003): "Our Interview with John & Al"
• Ethan Alter at TV Guide Online (08/12/2003): "Amazing Race Clowns Get Serious"
• TARflies interview (08/19/2003): "Beware the Fog!"
• Dave Price on The Early Show (08/21/2003): "Clowning Around Finale Is Here"
• Phil Kural at RealityNewsOnline (08/14/2003): "Send in the Clowns: An Interview with The Amazing Race 4's Jon & Al"

Social Media Profiles

• Jon's Twitter: @bigtoplife
• Al's Facebook: /al.rios.581

References

Template:USAS4Teams