Rachel Brown and G. David "Dave" Brown Jr. are a team of Army Wife & Combat Pilot and the Official Winners of The Amazing Race 20.
Entering the race with marital problems stemming from Dave being away on deployment for a year, Rachel & Dave's issues frequently came into surface throughout the race. Dave's stern and controlling demeanor tended to draw Rachel's ire, with the couple getting into multiple arguments over the smallest of things. However, they also found great success after forming an alliance with Art & JJ early on, with their alliance going on to dominate the race. Rachel & Dave's efficiency and prowess in tasks, along with their ability to stay out of the heated inter-team rivalries that plagued their competitors, allowed them to put in one of the most dominant performances in Race history. They led throughout the final leg, but were shockingly turned away from the Finish Line after veering off course and missing the final Roadblock. Nevertheless, they were able to backtrack and still finish the Roadblock ahead of Art & JJ to take the victory, setting a record eight wins in a single season.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com[1]
Rachel[]
Age: 30
Hometown: Madison, Wis.
Connection to your teammate: Married
Current occupation: Project Manager
Describe what you do: I manage healthcare software implementations in hospitals and clinics. You probably grew up with paper charts and I am helping replace them, and other electronic medical records, with our software.
How will these skills help you win The Race? I work with and manage many different people and personalities, and I have a "do what it takes" approach to work and life.
Three words to describe you: Optimistic, driven and outgoing.
Favorite hobbies: Dancing, traveling and intramural sports—volleyball, softball, kickball.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Ryan Seacrest—I know he's a guy, but we both get along with everyone and we are very driven, hard-working people.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? JFK Jr. because he is smart, sexy, witty, likeable and politically savvy.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I'm proud of myself for always being up for trying anything. Life is short and I want to experience as much as I possibly can.
What scares you most about traveling? Nothing scares me when I travel. I dread hotels without elevators when I'm packing heavy, though.
What excites you most about traveling? I love to travel! I love experiencing different cultures…people, history, food, animals and shops.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together? Neither of us likes to be wrong and we are very competitive with each other. I would like to work on being a team and taking each other's advice.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He's insanely anal…obsessive-compulsive anal. Things always have to be neat, clean and exactly how he wants them.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Bora Bora, Tahiti—I've seen pictures and it looks amazing. I would love to stay in one of those huts in the ocean.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to reconnect with Dave. Being away from my husband for a year, with a lack of regular communication and having nothing in common due to our environments was way more difficult than I ever thought it would be.
Dave[]
Age: 33
Hometown: Madison, Wis.
Connection to your teammate: Married
Current occupation: U.S. Army Officer
Describe what you do: I have served in a variety of capacities as an officer for the Wisconsin Army National Guard including Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot, Military Intelligence Officer, and Assistant Professor of Military Science for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How will these skills help you win The Race? The obvious response would be the ability to cope and manage excessive stressors, and physical fitness due to the nature of the challenges. But persistence and attention to detail seem to be the attributes most essential for success.
Three words to describe you: Motivated, resourceful and aggressive.
Favorite hobbies: Socializing, boating, fitness and traveling.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Bill Clinton – we share a common affinity for music, politics, academics and socializing.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Marilyn Monroe – being vivacious, beautiful and the center of attention.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Having graduated from undergraduate studies in three years while being a young father (unexpectedly), a full-time employee and serving in the National Guard.
What scares you most about traveling? Being disoriented in an unfamiliar environment without knowing the language.
What excites you most about traveling? Experiencing foreign cultures and "once-in-a-lifetime" experiences.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Rachel is a persistent optimist which, for a realist can be annoying and overwhelming.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Russia, due to the historical significance of the Cold War and prevalence of vodka!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Travel, communication and competition. Traveling to exotic locations while honing our communication skills and improving upon our relationship.
The Amazing Race 20[]
Race History[]
Rachel & Dave's Race History | ||||||
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Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → Argentina | No Detour | Dave | 1 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | Argentina | Boil My Water / Light My Fire | Rachel | 1 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | Argentina → Paraguay | Stacked Up / Strung Out | Dave | 6 of 9ϵ | [1][2] |
4 | 4 | Paraguay → Italy | Clean That Statue / Name That Salami | Rachel | 2 of 8 | |
5 | 5 | Italy → Germany | Fairy Tale / Champion Male | Rachel | 4 of 8 | |
6 | 6 | Germany → Azerbaijan | Used Fast Forward | 1 of 7► | ||
7 | 7 | Azerbaijan → Tanzania | Marksmanship / Courtship | No Roadblock | 1 of 6 | |
8 | 8 | Tanzania | Water Supply / Air Supply | Dave | 2 of 6 | |
9 | 9 | Tanzania → India | Cricket / Clutch It | Rachel | 1 of 5 | |
10 | 10 | India | Pachyderm / Pack a Box | Dave | 1 of 5 | |
11 | 11 | India → Japan | Bingo Shout-Out / Photo Cut-Out | Rachel | 1 of 4 | |
12 | Japan → United States | No Detour | Dave | 1 of 3 | [3][4] | |
Rachel | ||||||
Average | 1.83 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
- Rachel & Dave ultimately divorced in June 2013.[2]
- Rachel has since married to Chad Weiss and had a daughter with him.[3]
- Dave has since had a son.[4]
Trivia[]
Franchise Records[]
- Rachel & Dave are the first team to fail to complete both the Detour (which they used the Express Pass to bypass) and the Roadblock on an elimination leg, and stay in the race.
- First team to win the Express Pass and the Fast Forward in a single season.
- First team to be turned back from the Finish Line to complete a task they missed.
- Most legs won in a single season, 8 (Tied with Marc & Rovilson, Tom & Tyler, and Ashleigh & Amanda).
- Youngest married couple to win the race, at an average age of 31.5 while racing.
- One of 56 teams to never check in last at a Pit Stop and the Finish Line in their career.
US Records[]
- Highest racing average of a team who won the race at 1.83. They have the highest racing of all co-ed teams, romantically involved couples, teams who was penalized during the race, and of teams who held the Express Pass.
External links[]
Interviews[]
- Mark Koehn & Susan Siman on WISC-TV's Channel 3000: (02/15/2013): "Madison Couple Compete in Amazing Race"
- Duane Dudek at Journal Sentinel (05/07/2012): "Madison couple resumes 'normal' life after winning $1 million on Amazing Race"
- Rob Thomas at Madison.com (05/07/2012): "Madison's Amazing Race couple win $1 million, Wisconsin-style"
- Mark Koehn & Susan Siman on WISC-TV's Channel 3000 (05/07/2012): "Madison couples wins The Amazing Race"
- Joyce Eng at TV Guide Online (05/07/2012): "It Was a Relief to Win After Our Mistake"
- Allison Corneau at UsMagazine.com (05/07/2012): "Amazing Race: Rachel, Dave Brown Win $1 Million as 20th Season Champs"
- Catriona Wightman at Digital Spy (05/07/2012): "Winning felt unbelievable"
- Gina Scarpa at Reality Wanted (05/07/2012): "The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Winners Dave and Rachel Brown"
- Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (05/07/2012): "Exclusive - Rachel Brown and Dave Brown talk Amazing Race" Parts 1 & 2
- Susan Gonzales at Yakkity Yaks (05/08/2012): "The Amazing Race: The Yak Chats with Winners Rachel and Dave Brown!"
- Elimination Interviews at CBS.com (05/08/2012): "Winner Interview: Dave & Rachel"
- Sheri Block at CTV.ca (05/10/2012): "Amazing Race winners Rachel and Dave thought mistake had cost them a million dollars"
- Daniel Fienberg at HitFix.com (05/11/2012): "The Season 20 winners discuss their dominant and bickering run"
- Mark Koehn & Susan Siman on WISC-TV's Channel 3000: (02/18/2013): "Winners of CBS' The Amazing Race talk about new season"
Social Media Profiles[]
- Rachel's Facebook: /rachholm
- Rachel's Twitter: @rachelbrown99
- Dave's Facebook: /682008004
- Dave's Twitter: @majordavebrown
References[]
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230530114147/http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/cast/81474/
- ↑ http://www.neontommy.com/news/2014/10/most-memorable-amazing-race-teams
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157514035316047&set=pb.501041046.-2207520000..&type=3
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157063568443005&set=ecnf.682008004
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