Ray & Yolanda

Raymond "Ray" Whitty and Yolanda Brown-Moore are a Dating team on The Amazing Race 9.

Unlike most of their competitors, Ray & Yolanda largely stayed out of the inter-team drama in their season, with the two focusing more on their relationship. Although they faced navigation problems that dropped them to the back of the pack throughout their time on the race, their physical abilities and good fortune allowed them to overtake various teams at several points, allowing them to stave off elimination and make it to the final three. In the final leg, however, they simply could not keep up with BJ & Tyler and Eric & Jeremy, finishing a distant 3rd.

Profile

Retrieved from CBS.com

Ray & Yolanda have been dating for five years. An accomplished athlete, Yolanda ran track with Ray's cousin at the University of Florida. One day while visiting his cousin at the track, Ray was introduced to Yolanda, but it wasn't until later that the two were reacquainted and exchanged phone numbers.

Natives of Florida, Ray & Yolanda now reside in Chicago, Illinois. Yolanda grew up in Gainesville, Florida and was a math and science teacher in Miami before she recently moved in with Ray, who is originally from Jacksonville. After receiving his law degree from the University of Miami and practicing law in South Florida, Ray accepted a position as an attorney in Chicago.

While Ray is said to be the more disciplined of the two, both describe themselves as opinionated and stubborn. Yolanda admits that she has a bit of trouble finishing what she's started and Ray claims that she often runs late. Nevertheless, Yolanda & Ray enjoy working out together and are looking forward to the adventure of the Race and the thrill of competition.^[1]

The Amazing Race 9

Race History

Ray & Yolanda's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Brazil	Motor Head / Rotor Head	No Roadblock	7 of 11
2	2	Brazil	Press It / Climb It	Ray	5 of 10
3	3	Brazil → Russia → Germany	Scrub / Scour	Yolanda	3 of 9	^[1]
4	3	Brazil → Russia → Germany	Break It / Slap It	Ray	7 of 9	^[1]
5	4	Germany → Italy	Foundry / Laundry	Ray	7 of 8
6	5	Italy	Big Fish / Little Fish	Ray	6 of 7
7	6	Italy → Greece	Herculean Effort / It's All Greek to Me	Ray	3 of 6	^[2]
8	7	Greece → Oman	Camel / Watchtower	Yolanda	3 of 5
9	8	Oman → Australia	Sand / Sea	Yolanda	4 of 5
10	9	Australia	Dry / Wet	Ray	1 of 4
11	10	Australia → Thailand	Move It / Altar It	Yolanda	3 of 4
12	11	Thailand → Japan	Maiden / Messenger	Yolanda	3 of 3
12	12	Japan → United States	Drill It / Deliver It	Yolanda	3 of 3	^[3]
				Average	4.33
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 > The team used the Yield < Recipient of the Yield
Notes: 1: Leg 3 was a double-length leg, with two Detours and two Roadblocks, shown over two episodes. The placement listed in the top row reflect the order teams arrived at the leg's halfway point. 2: Ray & Yolanda initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 15-minute penalty for taking a bus instead of a train all the way to the Isthmos Train Station. During their penalty, Joseph & Monica checked in, dropping them to 3rd. 3: While neither Ray nor Yolanda was shown performing the Roadblock on the final leg before arriving at the Finish Line, a montage shown on The Early Show the next day showed Yolanda as the member who had done the Roadblock task.

Post-Race

On The Early Show post-race interview, Ray proposed to Yolanda, who accepted.^[2]
- They subsequently got married and currently have two children.

Trivia

Ray & Yolanda are the last team to arrive in 3rd place in the penultimate leg and finish in last place in the US Version.

External links

Interviews

Harry Smith on The Early Show (05/18/2006): "Team Hippie Takes Amazing Race 9"
Jenn Basler at Reality News Online (05/19/2006): "It Looks Like I Have a Wedding to Plan!"
TARflies (07/29/2006): "From Long-Distance to Long-Term"