Liz & Michael

Elizabeth "Liz" Espey and Michael Rado are a team on The Amazing Race 29.

Liz & Michael's relationship during the race was mercurial at best, either getting along well and finishing near the top of the pack at times, or arguing with each other and being forced to stave off elimination during others. After being saved by a Non-Elimination Leg in the seventh leg, they were targeted by Brooke & Scott for a U-Turn in the following leg to compound to their Speed Bump and ensure that they would fall far behind. Liz & Michael did not help themselves when their recurring problems with navigation, and the resulting arguing that it caused, again got them lost early in the leg, putting them hours behind the pack. Though they were still somehow ahead to complete both sides of the Detour ahead of the similarly U-Turned Becca & Floyd, their Speed Bump gave the latter team enough of a cushion to save themselves, with Liz & Michael being eliminated in 6th place.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Liz[]

Age: 24
Hometown: Maryville, Mo.
Current occupation: Auctioneer
Describe what you do: I BID 20 NOW 25! I am an auctioneer! I have grown up in the auction profession since I was 6 years old, when I sold my first item! I am a 5th generation auctioneer in my family. I own my own auction company, Liz Espey Auctions, in Maryville, Mo., where I specialize in Antique, Machinery, Real Estate, Business Liquidations and Personal Property Auctions, just to name a few! 3 words to describe you: Confident, sassy, and firecracker! They don't call me Firecracker for nothing!
Favorite hobbies: My favorite hobbies are horseback riding, spending time with my two Australian Shepherds, Trixie and Texas, out on the farm, and working closely with my father on auctions.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? The accomplishment that I am most proud of is graduating from the World Wide College of Auctioneering (WWCA) in Mason City, Iowa and following in my family's footsteps in becoming a fifth generation auctioneer!
What scares you most about traveling? The one thing that really scares me about traveling is not knowing where we are going. I would have to say the fear of the unknown is what really scares me the most.
What excites you most about traveling? What really excites me the most about traveling is getting to see the world! I travel a little for work, but nothing like this Race has to offer! I can't wait to see what the world really has to offer! I can't wait to see what the world is like out of Missouri!
What qualities do you hope your partner has? I hope my partner is good at decision making, has a good sense of direction and doesn't have a weak personality. I like to joke and have fun! What fun is it if you get paired up with a stick in the mud? I like someone who is outgoing and isn't afraid to get dirty or break a nail!
What qualities will be hard for you to put up with in a partner? Some of the qualities that would make it hard for me to deal with in a partner would be if we both think we are right about directions and we end up fighting over it. I'm not a big fighter, but when I know I'm right about something I stick to my guns and don't back down! I have a big personality and I hope they do too! I don't want to be paired up with someone who is afraid to get dirty or can't keep up with the pace of the race.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge you and your teammate face? I think that the biggest challenge we will face as a team would be directions in a foreign country. I have never been out of the country and I don't know what to expect! Also, I hope they don't have a hard time keeping up with me because sometimes it's like trying to catch a tiger by the tail!
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? The one country that I would want to visit is Italy! It has been on my bucket list to eat a plate of real Italian spaghetti there!
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? Aside from winning The Race, I want to gain a new respect for what I take for granted every day. Being able to wake up and do what you love is a gift that too many of us take for granted. You have to live every day like it's your last! I can only imagine what the show has in store for all of us so BRING IT ON! I can't wait to share this experience with the cast this season!^[1]

Michael[]

Age: 37
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Penn.
Current occupation: Butcher
Describe what you do: I own and operate an old times butcher shop in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. We specialize in locally sourced and ethically raised meats. We make everything on site, including bacon and our famous kielbasa.
3 words to describe you: Fun, driven and kind.
Favorite hobbies: Fishing, camping, brewing beer, playing in my band, playing and watching ice hockey and, most importantly, hanging out with my wife and daughter.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? My 6-year-old daughter is kind, smart and polite.
What scares you most about traveling? I am not crazy about super long flights.
What excites you most about traveling? The food!
What qualities do you hope your partner has? The ability to read a map, a good sense of direction and preferably bilingual.
What qualities will be hard for you to put up with in a partner? High maintenance, non-appreciative of the opportunity we have, and rude and ignorant to other cultures.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge you and your teammate face? The fact that we are complete strangers.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I honestly cannot answer that. I want to see the whole world.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to make my daughter proud of me.^[2]

The Amazing Race 29[]

Race History[]

Liz & Michael's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Panama	Shoot / Scoot	No Roadblock	10 of 11
2	2	Panama → Brazil	Keep the Beat / Work Your Feet	Liz	1 of 10
3	3	Brazil → Tanzania	Build It / Weave It	Michael	1 of 9
4	4	Tanzania	Lock / Knock	Michael	3 of 8
5	5	Tanzania → Norway	Trolls / Troll	Liz	7 of 7	^[1]
6	6	Norway → Italy	Make a Mold / Grab a Hold	Michael	4 of 7⊂
7	7	Italy	Sing It / Bring It	Liz	6 of 6
8	8	Italy → Greece	For the Bride / For the Groom	Liz	6 of 6⊃
				Average	4.75
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 5 had no mandatory rest period between legs, and all teams were ordered to continue racing. Liz & Michael did not have to face a Speed Bump during Leg 6, despite coming in last during Leg 5

Post-Race[]

Liz got married to her fiancé, Kyle Hunt, on September 8, 2019.^[3]
- Liz previously gave birth to their son, Myles, on July 11, 2019.^[4]

Trivia[]

Franchise Records[]

Liz & Michael are the first team to arrive at a Pit Stop in last place on four separate legs, in a single season.
- However, this includes the first leg, where they were officially checked in 10th out of 11 teams because of a team ahead of them incurring a penalty.

External links[]

Interviews[]

NodawayNews (03/24/2017): "Amazing Liz makes TV debut"
Kellie B. Gormly at TribLive.com (03/28/2017): "Locals representing the 'Burgh on The Amazing Race 29"
Bob Finnan at The Gazette (03/29/2017): "Amazing Race will include Medina graduate"
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (05/15/2017): "Michael Rado Exclusive: My bullheadedness is what got us the axe"
Michael Harmstone & Logan Saunders at RTV Warriors (07/11/2018):"Have Faith in Me, Radoski"