Chester & Ephraim

Chester Morise Pitts II and Ephraim Mateen Salaam are a team of Former NFL Teammates on The Amazing Race 23.

They did well during the first two legs, even winning the second. However, their luck went down the drain in the third leg while attempting to fly to Lisbon, Portugal. A bizarre sequence of missed and delayed flight connections left them on a flight to Lisbon that arrived much later than the rest of the teams, despite leaving the Pit Stop first, and having several hours more than some of the teams to find better flights. They arrived in Portugal long after the other teams had checked in, and Phil Keoghan met them upon their arrival at the Lisbon airport, eliminating them in 9th place.

Profile

Retrieved from CBS.com^[1]

Chester

Age: 33
Hometown: Missouri City, Texas
Connection to Teammate: Friend and Former NFL Teammate
Current occupation: Sports Anchor/Analyst for "Texans Insider," Executive Consultant for ZT Wealth and Altus HMS. Played for the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks, totaling nine seasons over 10 years in the NFL.
Describe what you do: I anchor and report mainly sports, but occasionally do some feel-good stories. I educate others on how to live within their means. I help people achieve their goals, one person at a time.
3 words to describe you: Genuine, passionate and hard-working.
Favorite hobbies: Reading, autocross and watching movies.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am proud of having the most awesome family ever!
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Shaquille O'Neal but far more handsome.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? No one. Ephraim is truly a unique individual. But, if I have to pick one, Forrest Whittaker.
What scares you most about traveling? Germs!
What excites you most about traveling? New experiences, people and cultures.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: He is impulsive, but also "smells the roses."
Pet peeve about your teammate: He struggles with the truth on occasion.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? London. I would like to have tea with the Queen.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Winning is enough for me.

Ephraim

Age: 36
Hometown: Studio City, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Friend and NFL Teammate
Current occupation: Co-host of "Fox Sports Live." Played for the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons totaling 13 years in the NFL.
Describe what you do: I guest host for a few shows across different networks, as well as do football analysis.
3 words to describe you: Obstinate, competitive (ultra) and proud.
Favorite hobbies: Movies, video games and traveling.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Being a great father.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Shaquille O'Neal
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Michael Clarke Duncan
What scares you most about traveling? Leg room on the planes, trams and busses
What excites you most about traveling? Exploring new places and experiencing different cultures.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: He doesn't listen very much. He thinks he's smarter than everyone else. I would like to see him in a situation where he had to listen.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He never wants to do anything new and exciting and he's cheap as hell.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Africa. I would love to see the motherland. My mother travels there a lot and she says it's glorious.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I would like to experience the race with Chester because he never wants to do anything adventurous. He loves to play it safe.

The Amazing Race 23

Race History

Chester & Ephraim's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Chile	No Detour	Ephraim	4 of 11	^[1]
1	1	United States → Chile	No Detour	Chester	4 of 11	^[1]
2	2	Chile	Brining / Mining	Chester	1 of 10
3	3	Chile → Portugal	Did not perform	Did not perform	9 of 9	^[2]
				Average	4.67
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 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. 2: Due to trouble with connecting flights and delays, Chester & Ephraim had fallen so far behind that all other teams had already checked into the Pit Stop by the time they finally arrived in Lisbon. Before they could go for their first clue, Phil greeted them personally at the airport to eliminate them.

Trivia

External links

Chester's Website: chesterpittsfoundation.org

Chester's Wikipedia page: Chester Pitts

Chester & Ephraim's Wikipedia page: Ephraim Salaam

Interviews

Joyce Eng at TV Guide Online (10/13/2013): "We Don't Regret Taking the Double Connection"
Elimination Interviews at CBS.com (10/14/2013): "Elimination Interview: Chester and Ephraim"
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (10/15/2013): "Exclusive - Chester Pitts II and Ephraim Salaam talk 'The Amazing Race" [Parts 1 & 2]
Gina Scarpa at Reality Wanted (10/16/2013): "The Amazing Race 23: Exclusive Interview with Chester Pitts II and Ephraim Salaam"
Sheri Block at CTV.ca (10/18/2013): "Chester and Ephraim wish they hadn't taken such an aggressive travel route"
Daniel Fienberg at HitFix.com (10/20/2013): "Former NFL teammates discuss keeping their cool on national TV"