Amy DeJong & Maya Warren

Abstract

“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” says Amy DeJong about the reality TV program “ The Amazing Race.” DeJong and fellow University of Wisconsin, Madison, food science graduate student Maya Warren competed in the race earlier this year. The show, now in its 25th season, pits 11 two-member teams against each other as they follow clues and confront a series of challenges that take place across the globe. The winning team gets $1 million. The show is airing episodes from DeJong and Warren’s race now. As of C&EN press time, the team had weathered the first three sets of challenges, which included finding a treasure chest in the U.S. Virgin Islands, stepping through the drills of British palace guards in England, and herding sheep in Scotland. A longtime fan of the show, Warren instigated the food science duo’s participation in the race. She got her bachelor’s degree in chemistry ...