Charla & Mirna

Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan are a team of Cousins on the 5th season of The Amazing Race, and the all-star season of The Amazing Race. They know words in several different languages.

Season 5
Charla & Mirna are first cousins from Phoenix and Towson, Maryland, respectively. Both were born in the same hospital in Syria, one month apart. They emigrated to the United States when they were young children. Charla & Mirna know that physically they are quite different, but say they "fill each other's gaps with strengths and weaknesses."

Charla says she is married to the man of her dreams and is manager/co-owner of ten sportswear stores. She has a form of dwarfism and says she "certainly does not consider it a physical illness." In fact, she says she hopes "to show the world what I can do and break all stereotypes about dwarfs!"

Mirna is an attorney who graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law at age 23, the youngest in her class. While she describes herself as "sometimes too bossy and controlling," she blows off steam by doing some favorite activities such as running and cycling. Mirna also claims to be a frequent winner at blackjack tournaments.

Charla & Mirna describe themselves as "a unique team, definitely one of a kind, extremely comical and aggressive" and are excited about competing in THE AMAZING RACE 5 so that they can travel around the world and win.

All-Stars (2007)
The cousins from Season 5 are back for another trip around the world. Charla and Mirna have both made numerous television appearances since their time on Race and are eager to capture America's heart once again. Both are now married and ready to start a family.

A highly competitive team during their season, Charla, who stands at 4 feet tall, describes herself as dedicated, passionate and driven to succeed. Mirna describes herself as hard working, a leader, but with a comical side. Her greatest achievement is obtaining her Juris Doctorate at age 23.

Charla proved just how strong she was when she threw a 50 pound slab of meat over her shoulder and helped carry it a quarter of a mile in order to complete a challenge with Mirna and complained all the way. Growing up together taught them how to work well with each other, especially when Charla screams at Mirna during every Road Block. Both are well traveled and they believe they speak several languages, but actually just butcher them.

This motivated duo is proud of the way they played the game last time around and are eager for another opportunity to win the $1 million prize.

Race History
Notes: Leg 7 had an unaired Roadblock. Mirna performed the Roadblock as Charla was shown to have completed the maximum of six roadblocks by the end of Leg 12. Leg 13 also had an unaired Roadblock. Mirna is seen in pictures on the CBS website performing the task.

Post-Race Life

 * The cousins later appeared in the first episode of the tenth season of the sketch comedy series MADtv. They appeared in a parody of The Amazing Race, titled "The Amazing Presidential Race."
 * Charla is married and has one daughter. She also moved to Phoenix, Maryland with her husband, David Faddoul.
 * Mirna is married and gave birth to twins, Ava Marie Patricia and Michael Leo, on November 22, 2014.

Season 5

 * Ann Oldenburg at USA Today (07/26/2004): "Contestant Knows No Limit in 'Amazing Race' run"
 * Rene Syler on The Early Show (08/18/2004): "Charla and Mirna Out But Proud"
 * Ethan Alter at TV Guide Online (08/20/2004): Race Breakouts Sound Off!"
 * Jessica Shaw at EW (09/03/2004): "Q&A with The Amazing Race's Charla and Mirna"
 * TARflies (10/27/2004): "Mingling with Mirna" (Parts 1 & 2)
 * TARflies (12/06/2004): "Chatting with Charla"

All-Stars (Season 11)

 * Julie Chen on The Early Show (05/07/2007): "Eric and Danielle Get Their Money"
 * Christopher Rocchio at Reality TV World (05/09/2007): "INTERVIEW: Charla and Mirna dish about being 'Amazing' underdogs"
 * Eric Goldman at IGN (05/10/2007): "Amazing Race: All-Stars Interview: Charla & Mirna"
 * Teeuwynn Woodruff on RealityNewsOnline (05/11/2007): ' “We're a Comedy Team, That's What We Do Best”

Season 5

 * First team of cousins.
 * Charla was the first dwarf contestant. (Followed by Mark & Michael on Season 14 and Alex & Adam on Season 27)
 * First team eliminated in.

All-Stars (Season 11)

 * First team to win their first leg on their second attempt on the race.
 * Oldest team of cousins, 30.
 * Only team of cousins to win a leg until Season 23.
 * Lowest average placing female team with two legs won in a season, 4.15
 * Lowest average placing female team with two legs won in a career, 4