Linda Ruiz and Karen Heins are a team of Bowling Moms on The Amazing Race 5.
Though not the strongest team physically, they persisted to reach the penultimate leg, becoming fan-favorites in their own right and becoming the first all-female team to reach the final four. However, Season 5 was before there was a mandatory limit for roadblocks a teammate could do which lead to controversy as several opposing teams had one member perform the vast majority of them. The Roadblock in the penultimate leg proved to be their undoing, as it was highly-physical and the other three teams each had their male members perform the task, leaving the Bowling Moms to finish in 4th place.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
- “Karen is the second most competitive person I know -- me being #1!”— Linda
Linda & Karen are self-proclaimed bowling moms from Palmdale, California. They met 12 years ago when they joined the local bowling team and have been doubles partners ever since. A major accomplishment for them was winning the California State Bowling Doubles Tournament in 1999. In addition to bowling, they go on family vacations together to Bass Lake in California. Karen has been happily married for 21 years and has three children. Linda is celebrating her silver anniversary with her husband this year. She is also a mother of three children and teaches tennis. Linda & Karen describe themselves as "athletic moms who like to compete at everything." They are excited to compete in THE AMAZING RACE 5 so they can see new places and meet new people.[1]
When and where did you meet? |
The Amazing Race 5[]
Race History[]
Linda & Karen's Race History | ||||||
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Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour Choice (underlined) |
Roadblock Performer |
Placement | Notes |
1 | 1 | United States → Uruguay | Zips / Chips | No Roadblock | 3 of 11 | |
2 | 2 | Uruguay → Argentina | Perro / Tango | Karen | 4 of 10 | |
3 | 3 | Argentina | Smooth Sailing / Rough Riding | Linda | 6 of 9 | |
4 | 4 | Argentina → Russia | Block 5 Shots / Drink 1 Shot | Linda | 6 of 8 | |
5 | 5 | Russia → Egypt | Rock & Roll / Hump & Ride | Karen | 7 of 7 | |
6 | 6 | Egypt | Herd It / Haul It | Linda | 6 of 7 | |
7 | 7 | Egypt → Kenya → Tanzania | Buzzing / Busy | Karen | 3 of 6 | |
8 | 8 | Tanzania → United Arab Emirates | Off Plane / Off Road | Linda | 4 of 5 | [1] |
9 | 9 | United Arab Emirates → India | Heavy but Short / Light but Long | Karen | 3 of 5 | |
10 | 10 | India → New Zealand | Clean / Dirty | Karen | 2 of 5 | |
11 | 11 | New Zealand → Philippines | Plow / Fowl | Linda | 2 of 4 | |
12 | 12 | Philippines | Unknown | Karen | 4 of 4 | [2] |
Average | 4.17 | |||||
Legend:
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Notes:
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Post-Race[]
- In "Good Thing I Took That Human Anatomy Class in High School", BJ & Tyler paid homage to Linda & Karen by wearing "Bowling Moms" t-shirts. In return, the moms wore BJ & Tyler shirts at The Amazing Race 9 West Coast finale party.[3]
Trivia[]
Franchise Records[]
- Linda & Karen are the first team to be penalized for checking in last in a Non-Elimination Leg.
- First team to surrender their money as a penalty.
- First all-female team to reach the final four.
- First team eliminated on the twelfth leg of the race.
- First team eliminated on the penultimate leg of the race.
- First all-female team to finish in 4th place or better.
- First team to be eliminated in the Philippines.
External links[]
Interviews[]
- Harry Smith on The Early Show (09/22/2004): "Amazing Race Ends with Proposal"
- Ethan Alter at TV Guide Online (10/01/2004): "TAR's Bowling Moms Strike Out"
- TARflies interview (01/22/2005): "Bowling Moms Rule!"
Social Media Profiles[]
- Linda's Facebook: /linda.ruiz.12
- Karen's Facebook: /karen.hiltonheins
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040924022759/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race5/teams/linda/bio.shtml
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20080517165918/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race5/teams/linda/before.shtml
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150918171117/http://www.tarflies.com/article.php?_f=detail&id=781
The Amazing Race 5 Teams | ||||||||||||
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