Mark & Michael

Mark Munoz and Michael Munoz are a team of Brothers/Stuntmen on The Amazing Race 14.

The brothers were physically fit, though prone to making mistakes, which often led to them being on the back foot compared to their competitors. They also had a tendency for unknowingly violating race rules, which caused their race to unravel. Though their rule-breaking only cost them a first place finish in the first leg in Thailand, their next set of violations earned them two separate two-hour penalties in the next leg in Thailand. They were spared by a Non-Elimination Leg, but their 4-hour penalty dropped them too far behind the rest of the cast to recover in the following leg, ensuring a 5th place finish.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Mark Munoz (48); Michael Munoz (51)
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif./Maui, Hawaii
Occupation: Mark (Stuntman/Jockey); Michael (Stuntman/Actor)
Relationship: Brothers/Stuntmen

This Team of brothers has been competing – against everyone else and each other – their entire life. Standing at 4' 9" these married fathers are ready to prove they have what it takes to win one-million dollars.

Mark makes his living as a stuntman and occasionally works as a jockey. This father of two is looking forward to running the Race with his brother in order to continue building on their relationship. Mark believes that the biggest advantage he and his teammate have over their competition is their fitness level and ability to make split second decisions, a skill they have mastered after years of working in physically and mentally demanding fields. Mark enjoys skiing, biking and golfing and describes himself as short, athletic and creative.

Michael is looking forward to working on communication issues he and his brother have had with each other in the past. Michael, also a father of two, splits his time between Maui and Los Angeles. His favorite hobbies include playing music and surfing. He claims that the biggest difference between the two is that he is the surfer and Mark is the skier. Both have worked extensively in films and television including the feature films Van Helsing, Spider-Man, and Seabiscuit.

They chose similar paths in their lives and, after years of surfing big waves and racing horses around a track, they're eager to run the Race of a lifetime with one another for a shot at a million dollars.^[1]

The Amazing Race 14[]

Race History[]

Mark & Michael's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Switzerland	No Detour	Michael	3 of 11
2	2	Switzerland → Germany → Austria	Balancing Dolly / Austrian Folly	Mark	8 of 10
3	3	Austria → Romania	Gypsy Moves / Vampire Remains	Mark	5 of 9
4	4	Romania → Russia	Stack / Construct	Michael	7 of 8
5	5	Russia	Russian Bride / Russian Snowplow	Mark	5 of 7
6	6	Russia → India	Movers / Shakers	Mark	6 of 7
7	7	India → Thailand	100 Barrels / 2 Miles	No Roadblock	3 of 6	^[1]
8	8	Thailand	Broken Teeth / Broken Record	Mark	5 of 5	^[2]
9	9	Thailand → China	Choreography / Calligraphy	Michael	5 of 5
				Average	5.22
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 U-Turn ⊃ Recipient of the U-Turn
Notes: 1: Mark & Michael initially arrived 1st, but were issued two 30-minute penalties: one for intentionally tampering with the bike pumps and putting them away at the 2 Miles Detour, and another for hiring a taxi to guide them through the Detour, which was explicitly prohibited in the clue. Two teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping Mark & Michael to 3rd. 2: Mark & Michael initially arrived 4th, but were issued two 2-hour penalties, both for "using personal belongings to settle a bill" (they had bartered personal items to pay two taxi fares). With just over 3 hours of the penalty time remaining, Kisha & Jen returned to check in 4th. Mark & Michael, in last place at that point, were allowed to check in immediately after Kisha & Jen; however, they were notified the leg was a Non-Elimination Leg, and that the remaining penalty time would be assessed at the start of the next leg.

Post-Race[]

Trivia[]

Mark & Michael are the first team of dwarfs to compete on The Amazing Race and the second and third dwarfs, following Charla Baklayan Faddoul.
- They are the first male dwarfs.
Mark & Michael are the oldest sibling team, having an age average of 49.5 while racing.
- They are also the oldest youngest all-male team in any season of The Amazing Race.
Michael is the first contestant to reside in Hawaii.
Mark & Michael are the first team to get an elimination montage on the American version.

External links[]

Interviews[]

John Bracchitta at Reality TV World (04/20/2009): "Exclusive: Mark and Michael Munoz talk about 'The Amazing Race'"
Oscar Dahl at BuddyTV (04/20/2009): "Exclusive Interview: Mark and Michael, from 'The Amazing Race 14'"
People (04/21/2009): "Amazing Race's Stuntmen Settle the Thai Tranny Debate"