Brandon & Adam

Brandon Squyres and Adam Switzer are a team of Childhood Friends on The Amazing Race 23.

All the enthusiasm in the world could not save them in Poland, where, after starting the leg in 1st, their initial struggles to collect zloty during the Poses Detour caused them to make the fatal choice of switching Detours. This dropped them to last place, and with Leo & Jamal having been U-turned, the Afghanimals were able to pass that favor forward by U-turning the boys with the beards, all but guaranteeing their elimination, and they finished in 8th place.

Profile

Retrieved from CBS.com^[1]

Brandon

Age: 34
Hometown: Chico, CA
Connection to Teammate: Beard lover & childhood friend
Current Occupation: Contractor
Describe what you do: I install fire sprinkler systems.
3 words to describe you: Funny, boisterous and outgoing.
Favorite hobbies: Playing music, swimming and traveling.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Touring the entire U.S. and Europe with my bands, Cold Blue Mountain, Amarok, and The Makai.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Jason Lee
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Sacha Baron Cohen – He doesn't mind wearing skimpy clothes and I've seen him naked more than I'd like to admit.
What scares you most about traveling? Maybe I've seen too many movies, but the possibility of abductions.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new places.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We both get excited easily and like to talk a lot which may cause some communication issues when under high pressure obstacles.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He grows a better moustache than me. It really grinds my gears.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Antarctica, because it's so extreme and desolate. I can't imagine what it would be like to see in person.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I want to show America how awesome Adam and I are and spend time with my friend who I don't see as often as I'd like.

Adam

Age: 34
Hometown: Chico, CA
Connection to Teammate: Childhood friend
Current Occupation: Eco-friendly Farmer
Describe what you do: I am a U.S.F.S. seasonal wildlife firefighter currently working fulltime on a 22 acre farm in the woods that I own to create an international hostel based on organic permaculture, sustainable living and alternative construction techniques.
3 words to describe you: Adventurous, outgoing and hurley-burley (constant state of chaos, flux and clamor).
Favorite hobbies: Mountain biking, back-packing and building (bikes, houses, inventions, etc.).
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Being able to fight fires in the summers, travel the world in the winters and still save enough over the years to buy my 22 acre farm in the woods.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Mad Max with a sprinkle of Robin William's stand up.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Abe Lincoln or Henry Rollins.
What scares you most about traveling? Nothing really. Maybe it eventually ending. I often end up staying in sketchy quarters to stay on the cheap but you just have to be more aware, not scared.
What excites you most about traveling? Food! I love almost all food and love trying even the most freakish grub. I also really enjoy meeting new people and seeing new cultures. It usually restores my faith in humanity. Lastly, animals! I'm an animal freak. I studied zoology a little in college and usually head for the jungle.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: It will be hard to listen to each other when we are amped up and screaming.
Pet peeve about your teammate: His straight edge and when I'm on a tear he provokes any possible trouble for me to get into. Not really a pet peeve because he is always there to get me out of whatever jam he gets me into!
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Madagascar – unique bio diversity that evolved separate than almost any other, or Mongolia to buy a horse, travel the plains and experience nomadic culture.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Having a riot and traveling with my great buddy who I don't get to see enough in our current situations. I want to make people laugh, cry, love and hate us. See how we stack up in the end… are we really the best?

The Amazing Race 23

Race History

Brandon & Adam's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Chile	No Detour	Adam	10 of 11	^[1]
1	1	United States → Chile	No Detour	Brandon	10 of 11	^[1]
2	2	Chile	Brining / Mining	Adam	3 of 10
3	3	Chile → Portugal	Tiles / Miles	Adam	5 of 9
4	4	Portugal → Norway	Hang Your Heads / Hammer of the Cods	Brandon	1 of 8
5	5	Norway → Poland	Pose / Polka	Adam	8 of 8⋑
				Average	5.40
Legend: The team finished in first place The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg The team that won The Amazing Race The team that crossed the Finish Line second The team that crossed the Finish Line third ► The team used the Fast Forward pass ϵ The team used the Express Pass somewhere during the leg ⊂ The team used the U-Turn ⊃ Recipient of the U-Turn ⋐ The team that used the second slot of the "Double U-Turn" ⋑ Recipient of a second U-Turn due to the "Double U-Turn" twist
Notes: 1: Leg 1 had two Roadblocks and no Detour. The team member who sat out the first Roadblock was required to perform the second one.

Post Race

Brandon & Adam appeared on The Price is Right for a The Amazing Race special that aired on May 25, 2016. However, Brandon & Adam did not compete themselves.^[2]

Trivia

After they were eliminated, with the exception of episode 10, Brandon & Adam were seen or referenced in every episode at least once (including recaps and flashbacks).
- This was due to the subplot arc of Leo & Jamal denying to racers that they had used the U-Turn on the two friends but other teams had figured it out.

External links

Interviews

Joyce Eng at TV Guide Online (10/28/2013): "It Made Sense to Change Detours"
Elimination Interviews at CBS.com (10/28/2013): "Elimination Interview: Brandon and Adam"
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (10/28/2013): "Exclusive - Brandon Squyres and Adam Switzer talk about The Amazing Race" [Parts 1 & 2]
Gina Scarpa at Reality Wanted (10/30/2013): "The Amazing Race 23: Exclusive Interview with Brandon Squyres and Adam Switzer"
Sheri Block at CTV.ca (11/01/2013): "Despite 'Amazing Race' loss, Brandon and Adam ready for their next adventure"
Daniel Fienberg at HitFix.com (11/03/2013): "Beard enthusiasts share some ribald tales from the road"
Rob Cesternino & Jessica Liese at RHAP (04/14/2014): "Amazing Race 2014: Tim & Brandon from TAR 23 Recap Ep #7"