David "Dave" O'Leary and Connor O'Leary are a Father/Son team on The Amazing Race 22 and the Official Winners of The Amazing Race: All-Stars.
Father and son cancer survivors, Dave & Connor suffered misfortune early on in The Amazing Race 22 when Dave tore his Achilles tendon while racing to the Pit Stop in the second leg. They nevertheless proved their racing acumen by winning the next two legs, even with Dave on a wheelchair and crutches, before Dave was advised by his doctor to immediately get surgery for his injury. They thus quit the race in the fifth leg, coming in 8th place.
Returning in All-Stars, Dave & Connor set out to prove that they could win the race without being hampered by injury. They would find great success, winning five legs on their way to the final three. However, they also courted criticism after they displayed entitled attitudes in response to being U-Turned by Brendon & Rachel, with Dave reasoning that no one should U-Turn him due to his age, and despite the fact that they themselves would use the U-Turn on Leo & Jamal. They would take the U-turn personally and hatch a revenge U-Turn plot against Brendon & Rachel, forming the Accidental Alliance with Leo & Jamal and Caroline & Jennifer to try to get the newlyweds out. They attracted even more criticism when Dave performed considerably fewer Roadblocks than Connor, in seeming contravention of the six-Roadblock rule. In the final leg, they would find themselves in a tight race with Caroline & Jennifer, which was inexplicably effectively decided by which team got to the final Clue Box first as the final Roadblock proved to be linear. Dave & Connor's taxi overtook the country singers' just before this point, which allowed them to get to the clue box four seconds ahead of Caroline & Jennifer, resulting in them becoming the first parent-child team to win the American version of the Race.
Profile[]
Dave[]
Age: 58
Current Residence: Salt Lake City, UT
Connection to your teammate: Father (both David and his son are cancer survivors)
Current occupation: Investment Properties
Describe what you do: I purchase and operate investment properties around the United States. As the father of a large family, I work hard, play hard and view my job as a means to an end and not the end itself.
Three words to describe you: Active, enthusiastic and strong-willed.
Favorite hobbies: Cycling, fly fishing and snow skiing.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Being the father of five great kids and the grandfather of six even greater grandkids!
What famous person reminds you of yourself? People have told me I look like Steve Martin but personally I don't remind myself of anyone.
What scares you most about traveling? The inability to communicate in different languages.
What excites you most about traveling? New cultures, places and things to see!
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are both stubborn and think we're right most of the time (I'm right all the time)!
Pet peeve about your teammate: Connor is messy and doesn't put things away.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Thailand. I would like to experience culture truly foreign to me. I would love to experience the diversity of terrain, food, language, culture and activities.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to gain an unforgettable experience with my son and to celebrate the health that we both now enjoy! Also, my son has wanted to do this for years and he wants to earn the money I am so grateful that I have this opportunity.
Connor[]
Age: 21
Current Residence: Salt Lake City, UT
Connection to your teammate: Son (both Connor and his father are cancer survivors)
Current occupation: Professional Cyclist
Describe what you do: I race bikes professionally for a Pro-Continental team Bontrager/LIVESTRONG. I also race for the Under 23 USA National Team.
Three words to describe you: Funny, life-loving and determined.
Favorite hobbies: Cycling
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Rob Dyrdek
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Steve Martin
What scares you most about traveling? The fear of losing a loved one while gone.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and breathing in the air of adventure.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are both hard headed, we both think we are right much of the time, so working on humbling ourselves and working more as one.
Pet peeve about your teammate: This sounds ridiculous, but how he chews his food! He chews his food so loud and for so long. I can't even believe I'm putting that down, but it pisses me off so bad. I can't even explain it. It seems to just be him that does it.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? India or China. The culture and the diversity intrigue me.
Dave[]
Name: David O'Leary
Age: 59
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Previous Seasons: Season 22
Current occupation: Real estate investor
Describe what you do: Own and operate apartment buildings
Biggest mistake you made in your previous season: By not reading a clue completely, we had to go back to retrieve our dive gear bag, which made us lose precious time. While running to the mat, I ruptured my Achilles tendon and tore my calf muscle.
Most memorable moment from your first Race: Winning the fourth leg in Bali while on crutches.
Favorite place you visited on your first season: Bali
Why do you want to run the Race again? Really wanted to see how far we could go without an injury - could we get further than we did while on crutches?
How have you changed since the last time you competed? Running with a surgically repaired Achilles and recovering calf muscle, and maybe a little more prepared in terms of having an idea what to expect. Also a year older, which at my age can be significant.
What are you passionate about? My family, faith, cycling, outdoors and travel.
People would be surprised to learn: That I have five children (Connor is the youngest and the only boy) and that I have seven grandchildren.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Communication. We are both strong willed and think we are right most of the time. We will need to try and work together when we both think we need to be going somewhere else, or doing something different.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He can be kind of messy. He will not worry as much as I do about what is coming and what we need to do to be prepared.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I would like to visit Myanmar as I understand it has not yet been Westernized with American and international businesses such as McDonalds, etc.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Hope to prove to myself that I could make it further than we did in the prior season and that we can compete against some of the most experienced teams ever on the Race.
Any strategic changes you will make heading into this Race: My objective is to never be last on any leg and be first on the last leg. We need to slow down and think about what we are going to do before we rush off without understanding exactly what we need to do. NOT RUPTURE ANYTHING.
Connor[]
Name: Connor O'Leary
Age: 22
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Previous Seasons: Season 22
Current occupation: Student and professional cyclist
Describe what you do: I race bicycles, and I am a senior at the University of Utah.
Biggest mistake you made in your previous season: We made a lot of mistakes the first time around, but the one that stands out is definitely when we forgot our dive bags on the second leg. It forced us to waste a lot of energy, and may have cost us my dad's torn Achilles.
Most memorable moment from your first Race: Jumping out of a helicopter in Bora Bora on the first leg. Does it get any better, or more memorable than that?
Favorite place you visited on your first season: My favorite place we went last season was definitely Indonesia. It was such an awesome place, and we had the opportunity to be immersed in the culture. It was amazing.
Why do you want to run the Race again? Our Race was cut short last time. My dad had an injury that required us to withdraw, and to have this second chance is amazing. I want to show what a father and son can do.
How have you changed since the last time you competed? I personally haven't changed much since we last competed. It was only a year ago, so I am a year older, but most importantly, my dad is healthy, and hopefully we can compete this time around without any injuries.
What are you passionate about? I am passionate about my family, friends, the outdoors and my religion.
People would be surprised to learn: I love to cook. I would love to open up a little café or juice bar/salad shop.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We are both extremely hard-headed, and both think we are right all the time… we are both usually wrong.
Pet peeve about your teammate: When he flosses his teeth (which is about 10x a day), and when he chews.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I would love to go to either China or India. They are two places I have never been. They both have such rich customs, cultures and traditions, and it would be amazing to see.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? To have an amazing experience with my Dad. He isn't getting any younger, and our chances to do something like the Race are getting smaller. Just having the opportunity to spend this time with my dad is worth more than a million dollars.
The Amazing Race 22[]
Race History[]
Dave & Connor's Race History | ||||||
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Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → French Polynesia | No Detour | Connor | 3 of 11 | [1] |
Dave | ||||||
2 | 2 | French Polynesia | Pick a Pearl / Take a Trunk | Connor | 2 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | French Polynesia → New Zealand | Rev It Up / Reel It In | Connor | 1 of 9ϵ | [2] |
4 | 4 | New Zealand → Indonesia | Sandy Bottom / Fruity Top | Connor | 1 of 9 | |
5 | 5 | Indonesia → Vietnam | Did not perform | 8 of 8 | [3] | |
Average | 3.00 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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The Amazing Race: All Stars[]
Race History[]
Dave & Connor's Race History | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → China | No Detour | Connor | 3 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | China | Featherball / China Cup | Dave | 4 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | China → Malaysia | River Delivery / Run Through the Jungle | Dave | 1 of 9 | |
4 | 4 | Malaysia | Mix Master / Master Mix | Connor | 2 of 8 | |
5 | 5 | Malaysia → Sri Lanka | Fishing Pole / Spin Control | Connor | 1 of 8 | |
6 | 6 | Sri Lanka | Trunk / Sheets | Dave | 4 of 7 | |
7 | 7 | Sri Lanka → Italy | Gladiator / Charioteer | Dave | 3 of 7 | |
8 | 8 | Italy | Donkey Run / Donkey Build | Connor | 4 of 6⊃⋐ | |
9 | 9 | Italy → Switzerland | No Detour | Connor | 1 of 5 | |
10 | 10 | Switzerland → Spain | Spanish Steps / Running with the Ballz | Connor | 1 of 5 | |
11 | 11 | Spain → United Kingdom | Shoot It / Boot It | Connor | 1 of 4 | |
12 | 12 | United Kingdom → United States | No Detour | Connor | 1 of 3 | [4] |
Dave | ||||||
Average | 2.17 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
Trivia[]
- In the 17 legs across their two seasons, Dave & Connor never finished a leg lower than 4th place (not counting their quit in The Amazing Race 22).
- They are the 50th winners of the franchise.
Franchise Records[]
- Dave was the first person to win a leg on crutches.
- First team to receive the Express Pass and use it the same leg.
- Highest racing average of a team who quit the race, 3.00 in The Amazing Race 22.
- Most legs won by a team who quit, 2 legs.
- Tied with Danielle Turner for most improved placement (7 places). Coincidentally, Danielle Turner also originally placed 8th before returning to place first.
US Records[]
- First team to arrive at the Pit Stop in 1st place after using the Express Pass.
- Highest racing average of an all-male team who came in 8th, 3.00 in The Amazing Race 22.
- Dave & Connor are the first parent/child team to win the race.
- Tied with Josh & Brent for the oldest all-male team to win the race, with an average age of 40.5 while racing in All-Stars.
- Only winners of a season featuring all-Returning Racers to win at least one leg prior to the final one.
- Dave & Connor are the first team to survive a U-Turn and end up winning the race.
- Highest racing average of an all-male team to win the race, at 2.17 in The Amazing Race: All-Stars.
- Dave is the oldest person to win the race, being 59 when he won All-Stars, He is also the oldest person to win the race by birth date.
External links[]
- Dave & Connor's Website: theolearytheory.com
Interviews[]
Season 22[]
- Christine Rappleye at Desert News (02/16/2013): "Salt Lake City father, son who both beat cancer compete in 'The Amazing Race'"
- Kimberly Nordyke at The Hollywood Reporter (03/18/2013): "'Amazing Race': Dave and Connor on Their 'Heartbreaking' Decision to Withdraw From Competition"
- Joyce Eng at TVGuide (03/18/2013): "Amazing Race's Dave and Connor: It Was a Lousy Way to Leave"
- Gina at Reality Wanted (03/19/2013): "The Amazing Race 22: Exclusive Interview with Dave and Connor O'Leary"
- Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (03/2013): "Exclusive: David O'Leary and Connor O'Leary talk 'The Amazing Race'" (Parts 1 & 2)
All-Stars[]
- Joyce Eng at TV Guide (05/19/2014): "Dave and Connor: "Amazing Race Winners It's An Out-of-Body Experience""
- CBS.com (05/19/2014): "Winner Interview: Dave and Connor"
- Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (05/2013): Exclusive: 'The Amazing Race: All-Stars' winners David O'Leary and Connor O'Leary talk (Parts 1 & 2)
- Daniel Fienberg at Uproxx: "Interview: Dave & Connor discuss their 'Amazing Race: All-Stars' win"
Social Media Profiles[]
- Dave's Facebook: /davidolearyslc
- Connor's Facebook: /connor.oleary.5855
- Connor's Instagram: /theolearytheory
- Dave's Twitter: @davidolearyslc
- Connor's Twitter: @COLeary00
- Connor's YouTube Channel: /UCIeYSwK6ExmaQQmVIXKDNUA
References[]
The Amazing Race 22 Teams | ||||||||||||
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The Amazing Race: All-Stars (2014) Teams | ||||||||||||
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The Amazing Race Winners | ||||||||||||||
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United States (flagship) |
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Asia |
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Australia |
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Brazil |
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Canada |
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China |
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China Rush |
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France |
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Israel |
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Latin America |
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Norway |
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The Philippines |
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Ukraine |
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Vietnam |
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