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Paul Joseph Alessi[1] and Amie Barsky are an Engaged team on The Amazing Race 1.

Paul & Amie would be the first of many "fighting couples" on the race, whose aggressive personalities managed to ruffle feathers with other teams as well. They were just starting to gain momentum when they got lost in Tunisia looking for the Roadblock, and came across the Pit Stop by mistake, where they were already the last team to check in and were subsequently eliminated.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com[2]

"Two halves become whole."

When Paul saw Amie bartending in a Hollywood club in 1999, it was love at first sight. A friend introduced them, and they've been together ever since. They decided to audition for THE AMAZING RACE because they're both competitive and love a good challenge. Together, they make a strong Team: Amie is well traveled and determined; Paul is street-smart and physically fit.

Paul[]

I'd most like to receive a letter from: Brothers
Comfort item from home I'll miss the most: Pillows
Hobby or activity I'll miss the most: Ice hockey; gym
I'd most like to receive a phone call from: Mother
Sunday paper I read most often: New York Daily News
Favorite TV show: Friends
Favorite Movie: The Godfather
Favorite Actor: Robert De Niro
Favorite Actress: Meg Ryan
Favorite Music: Rock; Alternative

Amie[]

I'd most like to receive a letter from: Parents; grandmom and pop
Comfort item from home I'll miss the most: Music; pillows; massager
Hobby or activity I'll miss the most: Rollerblading; dance class; emails
I'd most like to receive a phone call from: My sister Deana
Sunday paper I read most often: Los Angeles Times
Favorite TV show: Friends
Favorite Movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite Actor: Robert Downey Jr.
Favorite Actress: Julia Roberts
Favorite Music: R&B

The Amazing Race 1[]

Paul & Amie are the second team introduced at the Starting Line at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, New York City. In their confessional, they remark that the race will have an impact on their relationship.

After Phil Keoghan officially starts the first leg of the race, they learn they have to fly to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they'll find their next clue in Johannesburg International Airport, and that there are three flights to Johannesburg from New York City, but are not informed from which airport they're departing at. Using a payphone, Paul gets information that the flights are departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport. They argue a bit over whether to take a train or cab to the airport, they take a train, however they get off at the wrong station. This mistake costs them, as they are on the third flight to Johannesburg with Kevin & Drew, Matt & Ana, and Nancy & Emily.

After landing in Johannesburg, they pick up the second clue informing them to sign up for a charter flight to Livingstone, Zambia, and get their next clue from a car waiting outside of Livingstone Airport. Paul & Amie once again are on the final flight to Livingstone alongside Kevin & Drew, Matt & Ana, and Nancy & Emily.

After getting to Victoria Falls, they are instructed to get to Bakota Gorge. However, they end up getting lost on the way, and currently are in tenth. The engaged couple continue to bicker with one another.

Despite struggling to get to the gorge, they manage to get there bumping themselves up to ninth. Finding the Detour, they choose to perform Air, involving a zipline and swing over the Bakota Gorge.

Finishing the Detour, they are instructed to head to Songwe Village. At the village, they find the Roadblock. The task involved one member cooking an ostrich egg for both of them to eat. Paul completes the Roadblock for his team. After completing the Roadblock, they are told to head to the nearby Pit Stop to check in. Paul & Amie finish the first leg in 8th.

Paul & Amie start Leg 2 at 5:50 am, in seventh due to Dave & Margaretta improperly performing the Air Detour on the previous leg. Opening their clue, they are told to head to Songwe Museum. Thinking the museum is not at the Songwe Village, they decide to leave. However, as they're leaving, they find Dave & Margaretta who inform them that the museum is in the village.

After finding the museum, they find the clue for the Detour. They choose to do Near, and leave to head to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, where they need to photograph three of the five provided animals (giraffe, impala, water buffalo, zebra, or rhino) and give the photos to the chief of Mukuni Village in exchange for their next clue.

After photographing their animals, they exchange the pictures for an Eiffel Tower statue, indicating they need to travel to Paris, France. At the Johannesburg Airport, Amie attempts to go to a ticket counter where Kim & Leslie are at, only for Kim to inform the ticket attendant that Amie is not with her or Leslie. The three women get into an argument over the ordeal, where the ticket attendant helping Kim & Leslie diffuses the situation. Paul & Amie end up on the final flight to Paris.

Landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, the engaged couple and Kim & Leslie attempt to get into the same cab Paul & Amie are attempting to get. Paul says they were there first, and the roommates cut in line. Ultimately, Kim & Leslie take the cab, forcing them to find another one. On their way to the Eiffel Tower, Amie cries over them stealing the cab, while Paul is angered at what Kim & Leslie did.

At the Eiffel Tower, Paul & Amie find the clue for the Roadblock. Paul volunteers to do the Roadblock, and has to find a race flag on a nearby monument using the binoculars on the Eiffel Tower's observation deck. Paul gets easily flustered with the challenge, wanting to quit, but opts not to and sticks it out. He finally spots the race flag on the Arc de Triomphe. After making their way to the monument, they find the Pit Stop and check in 7th.

Dave & Margaretta start Leg 3 at 2:18 am in sixth, due to Dave & Margaretta again improperly performing a task. Opening the first clue, they are instructed to head to La Grande Roue. Immediately, the two bicker on how to actually get there.

They however make their way to La Grande Roue, only to learn that it is closed until 9:00 in the morning. They decide to camp outside until it opens. After spending the night in the rain, the attraction opens, allowing them to receive their next clue, a Detour. They choose to do Tough Climb, and head to the Notre-Dame de Paris, where they will need to ring Quasimodo's bell to receive their next clue.

After a little bit of waiting at the Notre-Dame until it opens at 10:00, Paul & Amie are able to lead the pack of teams, consisting of themselves, Dave & Margaretta, Lenny & Karyn, and Nancy & Emily, up the cathedral's steps. They ring the bell, getting their next clue, informing them to find a man in blue across the HĆ“tel de Ville.

After getting their clue from the man in blue, their next Roadblock is revealed. Paul decided to perform the Roadblock, which has him searching the Parisian sewers to get to the Place du ChĆ¢telet, where they will get their next clue and reunite with their teammate aboveground. Paul is the first to complete the Roadblock, and he and Amie are informed to head to the Pit Stop at ChĆ¢teau des Baux.

After getting tickets at Gare de Lyon, Joe & Bill decide to "help" Paul & Amie, Lenny & Karyn, and Nancy & Emily find the second class cars, only to ditch them. A porter helps them find their car, and they get pissed at Team Guido for ditching them, and Paul stating they can't be trusted. They ride the train all the way to Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles in Marseille, unaware of the shortcut from Avignon. After getting at taxi at Marseille, they head to the Pit Stop, where they check in 6th.

Paul & Amie start Leg 4 at 6:47 am. Opening their first clue, they are told to sail to the capital of the flag (Tunisia) bundled with the clue, find the monument featured in a photo that was also with their clue, and tell a man there the phrase "As Salaami" to get their next clue. The leg starts out rough for them, as the cab they called to pick them up never arrive, forcing them to call for another cab, and ultimately leaving last. On their way to Marseille-Fos Port, they begin bickering again, Paul calling Amie out for her getting upset constantly, and Amie calling Paul out for his outbursts and his attempts to quit.

After arriving in Tunis with the other eight teams, they arrive at Bab el Bhar third, getting their next clue, a Detour. They decide to perform Full Body Massage, where they need to make their way to a marked massage parlor, where they'll receive a 20-minute massage without oil. After getting directions from an English-speaking local, they find the massage parlor. Once the session begins, Amie enjoys it, while Paul finds the experience painful.

Finishing the massage, and receive a lighter with "Go Here:", "El Jem", and a picture of the Amphitheatre of El Jem. They leave the marketplace and decide to travel to El Jem via taxi.

After arriving at the Amphitheatre, they find the clue for the Roadblock. Amie volunteers for the task, where she'll need to light a torch and locate a tunnel that lead to "the Pit of Death" to find a sword before checking into the Pit Stop. After struggling to find the entrance to the pit, she locates the swords, and she and Paul check in 5th, narrowly beating Rob & Brennan.

Paul & Amie start Leg 5 at 4:49 am in fourth due to production difficulties in the previous leg. Opening the first clue of the leg, they are informed to head to the Globe Monument in Tataouine. The engaged couple are in high spirits this leg, Amie thinking they'll win the Race, and Paul hoping they'll get married. He explains that he want to fulfill Amie's dream wedding, a beach wedding at sunset with all their friends and family, but it's contingent on winning the million dollars.

They arrive at the Globe Monument, getting their next clue with a Detour. They decide to team up with Nancy & Emily, and both teams agree to do Listening, where they'll need to travel to the well-known Star Wars movie set Ksar Hadada and use supplied walkie-talkies and their sense of hearing to locate the radio's counterpart, hidden somewhere in the labyrinth of caves, as they are unable to locate the location of the Puzzling location on their maps. They follow Nancy & Emily, them having hired a driver, to Ksar Hadada.

After some confusion with directions and some car sickness, Paul & Amie arrive at Ksar Hadada, and begin the Listening Detour. After some searching, they find the other walkie-talkie getting their next clue, having to navigate themselves to Gremsa in the Sahara Desert, then follow a marked path to Ksar Ghilane. They begin driving as Amie attempts to find Ksar Ghilane on their map. As they are driving, things get heated as they have trouble finding the next route marker, and Paul is getting tired of Amie continuously vomiting from her car sickness.

After hours of driving, Amie spots a large group of trucks, and directs Paul to head there. Finding that it is the Pit Stop, they meet with Phil Keoghan, who informs them that they are the last team to arrive, and have been eliminated from The Amazing Race. Despite the engaged couple's terrible day, they note that they've had fun on the Race, and they're disappointed they will not continue the journey.

Race History[]

Paul & Amie's Race History
Episode Leg Destination(s) Detour Choice
(underlined)
Roadblock
Performer
Placement Notes
1 1 United States ā†’ South Africa ā†’ Zambia Air / Land Paul 8 of 11 [1]
2 2 Zambia ā†’ France Far / Near Paul 7 of 10
3 3 France Tough Climb / Easy Walk Paul 6 of 9
4 4 France ā†’ Tunisia Full Body Brew / Full Body Massage Amie 5 of 8 [2]
5 5 Tunisia Listening / Puzzling Did not perform 7 of 7 [3]
Average 6.60
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
ā–ŗ The team used the Fast Forward pass

Notes:
1:There was an unaired Roadblock where one teammate had to cook a whole ostrich egg for the whole team to eat.
2: Paul & Amie arrived 5th at the Pit Stop but started the next leg at 4th Place after being given a time credit due to a production error.
3: Paul & Amie mistakenly arrived at the Pit Stop while accidentally skipping the Roadblock. However, since they were already in last place, they were eliminated without being penalized.

Post-Race[]

  • Amie turned to the entertainment industry, having appeared in movies such as Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002, alongside Mike Myers. In 2005 and 2010, she landed roles in Monster-in-Law and Miss Nobody, respectively.[3]
  • Paul continued acting and later became a film and short film producer.
  • Paul and Amie married in 2006.[4]
  • Also in 2006, Paul won "Best Male Actor" for his role in Morphin(e) at the 2006 Independent Film Festival of North Texas.[5]
  • Paul & Amie are no longer married.

Trivia[]

Franchise Records[]

  • First team to be eliminated without doing all of the tasks in a leg.
    • First team also to be eliminated on the spot.

External links[]

Interviews[]

  • Jane Clayson on The Early Show (10/11/2001): "Paul And Amie: Time To Go Home"

Social Media Profiles[]


References[]

The Amazing Race 1 Teams
 Dave & Margaretta
Married 40 Years
S1 DaveMargaretta
 Frank & Margarita
Separated Couple
S1 FrankMargarita
 Joe & Bill
Life Partners
S1 JoeBill
 Kevin & Drew
Fraternity Brothers
S1 KevinDrew
 Kim & Leslie
Roommates
S1 KimLeslie
S1 LennyKaren
 Matt & Ana
Married
S1 MattAna
 Nancy & Emily
Mother/Daughter
S1 NancyEmily
 Pat & Brenda
Working Moms
S1 PatBrenda
 Paul & Amie
Engaged
S1 PaulAmie
 Rob & Brennan
Best Friends/Lawyers
S1 RobBrennan
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