Tian & Jaree

Cynthia "Tian" Wilynn Kitchen and Jaree Poteet are a team of Friends/Models on The Amazing Race 4.

Tian & Jaree's time on the Race was defined by their constant bickering with each other. In particular, Jaree slowing them down due to suffering from a high fever in the first few legs, inability to run due to being a smoker, and refusal to throw away things from her backpack to lighten their load caused a lot of tension between the two friends, culminating in a huge blow up in the fifth leg. After barely surviving from this, they resolved to treat each other better and began racing more harmoniously. In the seventh leg, Tian struggled with a physical Roadblock geared towards men, which allowed the last place team, Reichen & Chip, to catch up to them. A small mistake at the Detour then put Tian & Jaree in last in a closely-contested leg, resulting in their elimination in 6th place.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Tian, 30, is an actress/singer who "needs to be the center of attention," according to her teammate, Jaree. Tian likes to skydive, surf, stunt-drive and jump horses, adding that she's "fearless, wild and adventurous." She lived in Paris for six months, has traveled to Switzerland, France, Spain, Colombia, Trinidad, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, St. Tropez and St. Bart's, but speaks no foreign languages. Tian fears sharks and heights, but after having done aerial acrobatics in an L30 Russian Fighter Jet, a fear of heights may not be such an issue. Although these teammates say, "We like to run our mouths, lay out by the pool and check out hot guys," Tian usually doesn't approve of Jaree's choice in men. Jaree has a "more controlling" personality, and Tian is free-spirited and "in it for the adventure."

Jaree, 33, is a model/actress who spent eight years traveling for work in Europe and the Middle East. A junior college graduate, she speaks no foreign languages and describes herself as the "outgoing, hyper and adventurous" type. Jaree enjoys water sports, precision driving, and horseback riding. She enjoys drinking with Tian, and says that their worst experience together was getting kicked out of a bar in Geneva: some guy grabbed Jaree, so she punched him out, breaking his glasses. Jaree fears cockroaches and being lost. According to her teammate, Jaree is "very controlling."^[1]

How would you describe your previous travel experience?

Tian: I have had extensive adventures for work and vacation in many countries across the world. Unfortunately, aside from Patagonia, most of them have been in very civilized places with little wildlife and undisturbed nature.
Jaree: I have been to very beautiful, exotic and interesting places. I love everything new.

What is the most stressful aspect of traveling?

Tian: That fleeting worry of commercial aircraft takeoffs and landings, you never know if pilots have obeyed the 12-hour bottle-to-throttle rule. But if your number's up…
Jaree: Getting lost, or being on an airplane for hours.

What is the most important item in your backpack, and why?

Tian: I am hopeful that bringing night vision goggles with infrared can help us when flashlights fail.
Jaree: My Dum-Dum suckers: it's my sugar fix.

Why did you want to be on THE AMAZING RACE?

Tian: To see with my own eyes this incredible world that I am unfortunately stuck on for the next 70 years. (I am volunteering for any position if there ever is an AMAZING RACE Galaxy Edition!)
Jaree: Change my life, my routine. It will definitely be exciting. A huge adventure!

Have you and your partner traveled together before? If so, what was it like?

Tian: We traveled to Europe and had TOO much fun together.
Jaree: Yes. We had a great time every place we went.

What do you fear most about competing in THE AMAZING RACE?

Tian: I am trying to teach myself to eradicate that and similar words from my mental vocabulary. "Whatever man can conceive and believe it can achieve" is an amazing famous thought that I am trying to live by.
Jaree: Being eliminated.

What strengths and weaknesses do you bring to the Team?

Tian: I am not afraid to attempt the crazy stunts, but I am horrible at Math—ugh! Sometimes I act before I think or speak before I think, which can sometimes be good and sometimes annoying or detrimental in a spur-of-the-moment situation.
Jaree: The strengths are definitely the stunts. Weakness: Mathematical equations.

What strengths and weaknesses does your teammate bring to the Team?

Tian: She is a daredevil also, but may fear getting lost, which could cause her to become unduly stressed.
Jaree: She's fearless, but her math sucks too.

What will you miss the most from home (besides your bed)?

Tian: Noah's Ark and my Ducati Monster.
Jaree: Family, friends and my animals.

What languages do you speak?

Tian: Blonde.
Jaree: Redneck, Animal.

What destination are you hoping to visit?

Tian: My dream destination would be ISS (International Space Station), but I'll settle for any place with waves.
Jaree: Egypt.

What country do you feel best prepared for?

Tian: Gulp… If I tell you, I may have to kill you before CBS kills me!
Jaree: Depends on what part of that country I'm in.^[2]

The Amazing Race 4[]

Race History[]

Tian & Jaree's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → Italy	Search / Rescue	No Roadblock	11 of 12
2	2	Italy	Waterway / Pathway	Tian	4 of 11
3	3	Italy → Austria	Mozart / Beethoven	Tian	4 of 10
4	4	Austria → France	Used Fast Forward	Tian	1 of 9►	^[1]
5	5	France → Netherlands	500 Kilograms / 15 Feet	Tian	7 of 8
6	6	Netherlands → India	Suds / Duds	Tian	5 of 7
7	7	India	Baskets / Trunks	Tian	6 of 6
				Average	5.43
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
Notes: 1: The leg's Fast Forward was offered after the Roadblock, and thus permitted Tian & Jaree to skip only the Detour.

Post-Race[]

Tian is currently engaged.

Trivia[]

Jaree holds the record for the most legs run without completing a Roadblock, with 7, prior to the implementation of Roadblock limit rule in The Amazing Race 6 to accomplish this feat.

External links[]

Tian's imdb page

Interviews[]

Harry Smith on The Early Show (07/11/2003): "Mud Packs For Race Models"
Ethan Alter at TV Guide Online (07/15/2003): "Amazing Race's Misbehavin' Models"
CBS.com (2003): "After the Race"