Meredith Smith and Gretchen Smith are a Married/Retired team on The Amazing Race 7.
Though years older than and not as physically-adept as their competitors, Meredith & Gretchen's resilience and tendency to benefit from other teams' mistakes and misfortune allowed them to become the oldest team to ever make the final four. However, getting on the later flight to London with Uchenna & Joyce left them battling their allies to avoid elimination. A physical Detour task and a frustrating Roadblock task ultimately proved too much to overcome, eliminating them in 4th place.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
Meredith & Gretchen are a husband/wife team from Easton, Maryland. Meredith is a retired executive and Gretchen is a retired nurse/flight attendant. Both found love late in their lives, and they are spending every moment making up for lost time. Their inspiration for participating in the Race is strictly for the adventure and the challenge of traveling around the world.
Meredith is a retired executive who spends his time fishing, biking, playing golf and teaching swimming. Father of three sons, Meredith is an avid swimmer who holds seven National Masters Swimming Championship titles. Meredith describes himself as competitive, articulate and compassionate.
Gretchen is a retired flight attendant and registered nurse. Mother of two, Gretchen spends most of her time cooking, biking, gardening and golfing. Gretchen describes herself as outgoing, reliable and kind, and she admits to being quite loud, particularly when she's upset.
Both are big fans of the show, and while watching one evening, they said to each other, "We could do that. Let's try."[1][2]
The Amazing Race 7[]
Race History[]
Meredith & Gretchen's Race History | ||||||
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Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → Peru | Rope a Llama / Rope a Basket | No Roadblock | 6 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | Peru → Chile | Shop / Schlep | Gretchen | 7 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | Chile → Argentina | Paddle / Pedal | Meredith | 7 of 9 | [1] |
4 | 4 | Argentina | Shipwreck / Island | Meredith | 7 of 8 | |
5 | 5 | Argentina → South Africa | Tunnels / Tribes | Gretchen | 7 of 7 | |
6 | South Africa → Botswana | Food / Water | Meredith | 5 of 7 | ||
6 | 7 | Botswana | Carry It / Milk It | Meredith | 5 of 6 | [2] |
8 | 8 | Botswana → India | Solid / Liquid | Gretchen | 5 of 5 | [3] |
9 | Trunk / Dunk | Meredith | 4 of 5 | |||
10 | 9 | India → Turkey | Columns / Kilos | Gretchen | 2 of 4 | |
11 | 10 | Turkey → United Kingdom | Brains / Brawn | Meredith | 4 of 4 | |
Average | 5.40 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
- In 2010, it was reported that Meredith, a member of the Easton Club in his hometown, scored a pair of hole-in-ones within a 33-day span.[3]
- Meredith & Gretchen were asked to compete on The Amazing Race: All Stars, but declined.
Trivia[]
- Phil Keoghan listed to take away all of their possessions in the sixth leg as one of the meanest moments of the first 30 seasons.
- Following the death of Don St. Claire, Meredith Smith is the oldest living Amazing Race contestant.
Franchise Records[]
- Meredith & Gretchen are tied with Don & Mary Jean for the oldest team to compete, with both teams having an age average of 67.5 years at the time of racing.
- Meredith & Gretchen are the first team to have all of their possessions taken away for finishing last in a Non-Elimination Leg.
- First team with an age average of over 60 to reach the final four.
- First team to be eliminated in England.
- Highest finish by a team with an age average of over 60, 4th place.
- Lowest racing average of a team who finished in 4th place, at 5.40.
External links[]
Interviews[]
- Harry Smith on The Early Show (05/05/2005): "Amazing Eldest Couple"
- Cynthia Wang at People (05/05/2005): "The Amazing Race's Meredith and Gretchen"
- Ethan Alter at TV Guide Online (05/08/2005): "Amazing Race's Oldsters Sound Off"
Social Media Profiles[]
- Gretchen's Facebook: /gretchen.kaisersmith
References[]
The Amazing Race 7 Teams | ||||||||||||
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