Arturo "Art" Velez and John James "JJ" Carrell are a team of Border Patrol Agents on The Amazing Race 20 and a team of Best Friends on The Amazing Race 31.
In The Amazing Race 20, the border patrol agents immediately formed a bond with Rachel & Dave over their shared law enforcement background with Dave. The alliance went on to dominate the race, regularly finishing in the top two in multiple legs, with Art & JJ winning three of them on their way to the final leg. They, however, also got into several confrontations with Brendon & Rachel, whom they derided and dismissed as followers. JJ, in particular, had a tendency to look down on other teams, making several condescending comments about their racing abilities. Though they initially fell to last place in the final leg, they managed to work their way back into the lead heading into the last task before the Finish Line. Art, however, struggled at that Roadblock, allowing Rachel & Dave to pass them for the win, leaving the border patrol agents to come in 2nd place.
Returning in The Amazing Race 31, Art & JJ seemed to have lost the competitive edge that made them successful the first time out, trailing in last throughout the first leg. Despite their struggles, they unwittingly passed Rupert & Laura heading into the second Roadblock to give them a fighting chance. However, this opportunity was quickly squandered when Art started suffering from leg cramps, rendering him unable to complete the task and leading to the border patrol agents to take a four-hour penalty. This allowed Rupert & Laura to catch up and pass them, leading to Art & JJ becoming the first team to be eliminated.
Profile[]
Art[]Age: 43 JJ[]Age: 42
Previous season: The Amazing Race 20 Art Velez[]Age: 49 JJ Carrell[]Age: 49 |
The Amazing Race 20[]
Race History[]
Art & JJ'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 | Art | 3 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | Argentina | Boil My Water / Light My Fire | JJ | 2 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | Argentina → Paraguay | Stacked Up / Strung Out | Art | 1 of 9 | |
4 | 4 | Paraguay → Italy | Used Fast Forward | 1 of 8► | ||
5 | 5 | Italy → Germany | Fairy Tale / Champion Male | JJ | 1 of 8 | |
6 | 6 | Germany → Azerbaijan | Apples / Oil | JJ | 2 of 7 | |
7 | 7 | Azerbaijan → Tanzania | Marksmanship / Courtship | No Roadblock | 3 of 6 | |
8 | 8 | Tanzania | Water Supply / Air Supply | Art | 3 of 6⊂ | |
9 | 9 | Tanzania → India | Cricket / Clutch It | JJ | 3 of 5 | |
10 | 10 | India | Pachyderm / Pack a Box | Art | 4 of 5 | |
11 | 11 | India → Japan | Bingo Shout-Out / Photo Cut-Out | Art | 2 of 4 | |
12 | Japan → United States | No Detour | JJ | 2 of 3 | [1] | |
Art | ||||||
Average | 2.25 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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The Amazing Race 31[]
Race History[]
Art & JJ's Race History | ||||||
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Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → Japan | No Detour | JJ | 11 of 11 | [2][3] |
Art | ||||||
Average | 11.00 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
- Art & JJ gave half of their $10,000 that they won in the fourth leg of The Amazing Race 20 to Bopper & Mark for Bopper to pay the medical bills of his daughter, who has a respiratory problem.
- Art & JJ were were contacted to compete on The Amazing Race: All-Stars but were cut.[3]
- Art & JJ appeared on The Price is Right for a The Amazing Race special that aired on May 25, 2016. However, Art & JJ did not compete themselves.[4]
Trivia[]
- Art & JJ have the greatest drop in placement by a returning team, from finishing 2nd in The Amazing Race 20 to 11th in The Amazing Race 31.
- Art & JJ are the only team of Returning Racers on The Amazing Race 31 to not win a leg.
External links[]
Interviews[]
Season 20[]
- Susan Gonzales at Yakkity Yaks (05/09/2012): "The Amazing Race: The Yak Chats with 2nd Place Winners Art and JJ!"
- Elimination Interviews at CBS.com (05/08/2012): "Elimination Interview: Art & JJ"
- Daniel Fienberg at Hitfix.com (05/10/2012): "The second place border agents discuss their Race journey"
- Catriona Wightman at Digital Spy (05/08/2012): "It just wasn't our day"
- Gina Scarpa at Reality Wanted (05/08/2012): "The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Art Velez and JJ Carrell"
- Reg Seeton at The Deadbolt (05/08/2012): "Reliving The Amazing Race with Art Velez and J.J. Carrell"
- Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (05/09/2012): "Exclusive: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell talk 'The Amazing Race" [Parts 1 & 2]
- Joyce Eng at TV Guide Online (05/08/2012): "We Don't Care If People Think We're Jerks"
Season 31[]
- Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (04/2019): "Exclusive: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell talk 'The Amazing Race'" (Parts 1, 2, and 3)
- Mike Bloom at Parade.com (04/19/2019): "The Amazing Race 31: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell on the Hills and Valleys of the Race "
- Joyce Eng at Gold Derby (04/19/2019): "Art and JJ ('Amazing Race' exit interview): This was the 'absolute nightmare scenario'"
Social Media Profiles[]
- Art's Facebook: /capt.awwesome
- JJ's Facebook: /JJCarrell
- Art & JJ's Twitter: @Art_and_JJ
- Art's Twitter: @velez_art
References[]
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230324183123/https://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/cast/81495/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230603075653/https://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/cast/216119/
- ↑ https://cococaliente.libsyn.com/ep12-the-amazing-race-season-31-premiere-w-art-jj
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enuGBP4dUJ0
The Amazing Race 20 Teams | ||||||||||||
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The Amazing Race 31 Teams | ||||||||||||
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