Uchenna Agu and Joyce Agu are a Married team and the Official Winners of The Amazing Race 7. They also competed on The Amazing Race: All-Stars.
Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com
Uchenna & Joyce are a married Team from Houston, Texas, who are going through an extremely challenging period in their lives. Both worked for now-bankrupt companies that experienced highly publicized accounting scandals: Uchenna worked for Enron and Joyce worked for WorldCom. Uchenna and Joyce's primary motivation for participating in the Race is to regain some of the closeness they've lost during these trying times. Uchenna grew up in Los Angeles and now works as an energy broker in Houston. Uchenna and his wife have been through some challenging financial and emotional times as of late. After several failed attempts to get pregnant, they tried in-vitro fertilization, but it was unsuccessful. Uchenna describes himself as competitive and extroverted, and he enjoys basketball, scuba diving and horseback riding. Joyce was born in Mississippi and raised in San Diego, California. Following her own layoff from WorldCom, Joyce now works in sales in Houston. Joyce and Uchenna desperately want children, and their numerous failed attempts has caused tension within their relationship. Both are adventurous and ready to compete. Both have hinted that if they won the Race they would use the prize money for additional in-vitro fertilization procedures.Uchenna and Joyce are one of the most beloved teams from any season of Race. The winners of Season 7, Uchenna and Joyce were relentless and stopped at nothing to win the $1 million prize… including shaving their heads. They have known each other for 16 years and have been married for seven of those. Both have admitted that the continued inability to start a family has caused a strain on their marriage, but are looking to the Race to get their relationship back on track. This thrill seeking duo will stop at nothing to win the Race as they proved in Season 7, when without hesitation, they shaved their heads for good luck after partaking in the "Fast Forward" task. A decision that moved these tough competitors to the front of the pack and no doubt granted them a stroke of luck for the rest of the Race. Uchenna describes himself as competitive, fair and charismatic, while Joyce claims to be caring, determined and sensitive. Will their competitive nature and luck be enough to propel them to another victory this time around? |
The Amazing Race 7
Race History
Uchenna & Joyce'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 | 8 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | Peru → Chile | Shop / Schlep | Joyce | 4 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | Chile → Argentina | Paddle / Pedal | Uchenna | 2 of 9 | |
4 | 4 | Argentina | Shipwreck / Island | Joyce | 3 of 8 | |
5 | 5 | Argentina → South Africa | Tunnels / Tribes | Uchenna | 6 of 7 | |
6 | South Africa → Botswana | Food / Water | Joyce | 3 of 7 | ||
6 | 7 | Botswana | Carry It / Milk It | Uchenna | 3 of 6 | [1] |
8 | 8 | Botswana → India | Solid / Liquid | Uchenna | 3 of 5 | [2][3] |
9 | Used Fast Forward | 1 of 5► | ||||
10 | 9 | India → Turkey | Columns / Kilos | Uchenna | 1 of 4 | |
11 | 10 | Turkey → United Kingdom | Brains / Brawn | Joyce | 3 of 4 | |
12 | 11 | United Kingdom → Jamaica | Raft It / Build It | Joyce | 3 of 3 | |
12 | Jamaica → Puerto Rico → United States | Pony Up / Tee It Up | Uchenna | 1 of 3 | ||
Average | 3.08 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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The Amazing Race: All-Stars
Race History
Uchenna & Joyce's Race History | ||||||
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Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → Ecuador | Wrangle It / Recover It | No Roadblock | 7 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | Ecuador → Chile | By Hand / By Machine | Joyce | 5 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | Chile | Vertical Limit / River Wild | Uchenna | 2 of 9 | |
4 | 4 | Chile → Argentina | Navigate It / Sign It | Joyce | 6 of 8 | |
5 | 5 | Argentina → Mozambique | Pamper / Porter | Uchenna | 7 of 7 | |
6 | 6 | Mozambique → Tanzania | Solve It / Schlep It | Uchenna | 3 of 7 | [4] |
7 | 7 | Tanzania → Poland | Perfect Pitch / Perfect Angle | Unknown | 3 of 6 | [5] |
8 | 8 | Poland | Used Fast Forward | 1 of 6► | ||
9 | 9 | Poland → Malaysia | Artistic Expression / Cookie Confection | Joyce | 5 of 5 | [6] |
Average | 4.33 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race Life
- On the premiere of All-Stars, it was revealed that the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) they talked about getting after winning the race failed.
- After their first race, they founded a charitable children's organization in Houston, Texas. They hold, "The Great Raise," a Houston-version of the Amazing Race, where teams compete around the Houston area to win money for the charities.[1]
- In a May 2011 interview, Joyce revealed that she and Uchenna were divorced. However, they still remain good friends.[2]
Trivia
Franchise Records
- Uchenna & Joyce are the first team to not use the Yield since its introduction and ultimately win the race.
- Only winners to return for a future season.
- The only former winning team to win two Fast Forwards in a career.
- First team to be penalized for arriving last in the penultimate leg.
- As a result, the first team not to receive any money on the last leg.
- First team to suffer two different non-elimination penalties in a career.
- First team to have the Marked for Elimination penalty applied and not to be eliminated.
US
- Second African-American team to win the race, after Chip & Kim.
Interviews
Season 7
- Harry Smith on Early Show (05/10/2005): "Uchenna & Joyce Win Race"
- Early Show (05/11/2005): "Uchenna and Joyce Beg No More"
- Cynthia Wang at People.com (05/11/2005): "The Amazing Race's Uchenna and Joyce"
- AP (05/12/2005): "Uchenna and Joyce Agu win Amazing Race"
- Ethan Alter at TV Guide (05/13/2005): "Amazing Champs Beg To Differ"
- Tamar Alexia Fleishman at Bankrate.com (02/14/2006): "Break out of your rut, advise Amazing Race winners"
All-Stars
- Julie Chen on Early Show (04/09/2007): "Uchenna & Joyce Lose Race"
- Christopher Rocchio at Reality TV World (04/09/2007): "Uchenna and Joyce Agu discuss their All-Stars experience"
- Oscar Dahl at BuddyTV (04/09/2007): "Exclusive Interview: Uchenna and Joyce Agu, 7th Team Elminated From All-Stars"
- Teeuwynn Woodruff on RealityNewsOnline (04/10/2007): "Everyone Should Live Life Boldly"
- Eric Goldman at IGN.com (04/10/2007): "All-Stars Interview: Uchenna & Joyce"
Post-Show
- Rob Cesternino & Jessica Liese at RHAP (10/28/2013): "LIVE Amazing Race Recap with Uchenna"
- Dalene Rovenstine at EW (11/07/2014): "Amazing Race: Where Are They Now?"
Social Media Profiles
- Uchenna's Facebook: /uchenna.agu.98
- Uchenna's Twitter: @Uchenna_Agu
- Uchenna's YouTube Channel: /UCzLXLmqkJ3kkavVVF6XiaGA
- Joyce's Facebook: /jragu
References
The Amazing Race 7 Teams | ||||||||||||
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The Amazing Race: All-Stars (2007) Teams | ||||||||||||
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