Olympians Take On the Amazing Race
PARK CITY, UT (Sept. 29) - U.S. Snowboarding alumni Tommy Czeschin and Andy Finch are traveling the world together this fall. The Olympians are competing in the 19th season of the hit CBS reality show, The Amazing Race.
The show follows teams of two, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, as they race around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "pit stops" located in obscure locations around the globe. Teams vie for prizes and to avoid coming in last - which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg. Contestants travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes, including planes, hot air balloons, helicopters, taxis, bikes and by foot. Teams are progressively eliminated until three are left to fight for the win at the final leg.
As members of the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team in 2002 and 2006, the two athletes have "years of experience knowing how to be focused and get in our zone," Finch says. But they also know their weaknesses. "Typical snowboarder – the book smarts part of it is probably going to be the hardest for us," Czeschin says.
Czeschin is known for his mellow attitude, big spins and huge amplitude. His resume is anything but dull. Tommy "The Machine" Czeschin has been a professional snowboarder for over a decade, was sixth in the Olympic halfpipe and has attended six Winter X Games where he grabbed two medals.
His partner, Finch, is also at the forefront of modern day snowboarding. Although he started his pro career with snowboardcross, Finch progressed into the halfpipe and helped snowboarding achieve the level of hype it is currently enjoying. On a side note, Finch is also a classically trained violinist and wowed U.S. Snowboarding sponsors with his talent going into the 2006 Games.
Czeschin and Finch are hoping to be the last team standing at the end and take home the one million dollar prize and bring even more notoriety to their sport.
Finch and Czechin are following in the footsteps of Olympic halfpipe rider Louie Vito, who appeared on ABC's hit reality show Dancing With the Stars two years ago leading into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
This season of The Amazing Race will travel 40,000 miles across 20 cities and four continents. The Race kicked off Sept. 25 and airs on CBS every Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.