Jeffrey “Jeff” Magee and Lyda Grawn are a Dating team on The Amazing Race 26.
Although Jeff & Lyda managed to get on the first flight to Tokyo, they quickly squandered their lead on the teams who were on the later flight when they took a slow train early on. They then got stuck in a bottleneck with eight other teams at the Detour, as each team had to take turns, with Jeff proving to be out of sync, causing them to take over four hours and dropping them to last. They then found that they had been U-Turned, but did not realize that Libby & CJ had fallen behind them, causing them to waste their own U-Turn on Jeff & Jackie, who had already checked in. Although they completed the other Detour option much faster, the time wasted allowed Libby & CJ to pass them resulted in Jeff & Lyda being the first team eliminated.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com[1]
Jeff[]
Name: Jeff Magee
Age: 57
Hometown: McCall, Idaho
Relationship Status: Dating
Length of Relationship: Known each other for 20 years, dating for 4 years.
How did you meet? At work. Lyda was a flight attendant on various flights I flew over the first 16 years I was at Southwest, and I was always interested.
Current occupation: Airline pilot
Describe what you do: As a Southwest Airlines pilot I fly passengers all around the country.
3 words to describe you: Cheerful, outgoing and busy.
Favorite hobbies: Tinkering with my airplane and cars, skiing and bike riding.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Finishing my experimental (kit) airplane. (It took me 10 years!) Now I love flying it.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? People have thought I look like JFK.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Cindy Crawford - wow!
What scares you most about traveling? Pick pocketing and mugging. I try not to get into bad situations.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing new places, people, food, wildlife, culture and sports.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Sometimes we both have a hard time letting each other talk. We plan on trying to get better about that!
Pet peeve about your teammate: Girlie girl spending. But it's not a deal breaker! It makes her happy and she certainly looks good!
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Antarctica - I would love to see all the animals, landmass and oceans. Whales, penguins, seals, wild oceans!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope the experience will help make our relationship even stronger and even better! Our relationship is our first priority!
How could the Race change the current state of your relationship? We will be making a concentrated effort to make the Race be a growing and positive experience for our relationship.
Lyda[]
Name: Lyda Grawn
Age: 49
Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Relationship Status: Dating
Length of relationship: We've known each other for 20 years and been dating for 4 years.
How did you meet? We met at Southwest Airlines 20 years ago but I was married. Always been friends "in passing." We did a crew change 4 years ago and Jeff asked me out!
Current occupation: Flight Attendant
Describe what you do: I am a Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers traveling by air, but basically I am a therapist, tour guide and nurse.
3 words to describe you: Sassy, honest and genuine.
Favorite hobbies: Hiking, walking/playing with my dogs and home decorating.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud of my family and trying to be a good daughter! We are all very close!
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Catherine Zeta Jones
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? A much more handsome John Davidson - those dimples!
What scares you most about traveling? Getting sick in a foreign country.
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing other cultures and appreciating all of our many differences culturally! I get so excited to see new places I've never been.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Our biggest communication problems are probably because I speak over him a lot, and get angry or excited very easily. My temper flares quickly and I get defensive.
Pet peeve about your teammate: I try not to harbor pet peeves. I am upfront and like to nip it in the bud. I am pretty black and white, not a whole lot of gray area.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Australia!! It's a beautifully diverse country. Plus, they speak and understand English. Every Aussie I've ever met has been wonderful!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Proving to ourselves that we are great partners and can work and survive together under pressure! This would be a great accomplishment together!
How could the Race change the current state of your relationship? I truly don't think it will change our relationship unless it's for the better. We are true to each other and have faith and confidence and trust in one another!
The Amazing Race 26[]
Race History[]
| Jeff & Lyda's Race History | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | United States → Japan | Syncing Steps / Samurai Sake | No Roadblock | 11 of 11⊃⋐ | [1] |
| Average | 11.00 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
- Lyda's father died two days before they left for the race, and her sister died of cancer when she returned.[2]
Trivia[]
- Jeff & Lyda were the first team to be eliminated by a U-Turn on the first leg.
External links[]
Jeff's Facebook: /jeffrey.a.magee
- Lyda's Facebook: /lyda.grawn
- Lyda's Instagram: /ljgrawn
Interviews[]
- Joyce Eng at TV Guide Online (02/26/2015): "We Should've Switched Detours"
- Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (02/26/2015): "Exclusive: 'The Amazing Race' couple Jeff Magee and Lyda Grawn talk" [Parts 1 & 2]
- Elimination Interviews at CBS.com (02/27/2015): "Jeff and Lyda Shake Off Their Elimination: And tell us what really went down"
References[]
| The Amazing Race 26 Teams | ||||||||||||
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