People find adventure in a variety of spaces. Many travel internationally, some run in races, but a select few travel around the world in a global-scale race––“The Amazing Race.”

Washington University alumnus Chee Lee (’04) competed on the most recent season of “The Amazing Race,” the reality television series where teams of two race around the world solving clues and completing crazy challenges of any form, from watermelon launching to mountain climbing. Over the course of four weeks––traveling by foot, plane, hot air balloon and more––competitors strive to avoid elimination and win the grand prize of one million dollars.

Courtesy of CBS

“Now It’s About Winning” — Pictured L-R: Chee Lee and Hung Nguyen Photo: Sam Lothridge/CBS ©2018 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Lee was introduced to “The Amazing Race” by his race partner and wife Hung Nguyen, who has been a longtime fan of the show. Once they started watching together around 2011, Lee got hooked. “Ever since then it was just appointment viewing for us every single week whenever it was on,” said Lee.

What drove the couple to actually audition, though, was the realization that there would never be a “right time” to pursue this dream. After putting together the script and filming their audition video, the first submission came back with a rejection. “And so we applied with the same video again the next season,” continued Lee, “and got rejected again. It wasn’t until like our fourth or fifth try that we finally got called back.”

The persistence proved to be worthwhile though because Lee and Nguyen went on to finish second place in the race, just short of winners Will Jardell and James Wallington.

Finishing in second place requires incredible dedication and teamwork. But unlike a typical race, one cannot exactly train for “The Amazing Race.” Every aspect of life is tested in a totally unanticipated way, so there was no distinct thing that Lee and Nguyen did to prepare. Lee elaborated, “You just try to expose yourself to as many different things as possible to at least get yourself being comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Four years of college invites a fair share of life exposure and uncomfortability, so naturally, the question arose over whether attending Wash. U. gave Lee any extra edge in the race. His answer was not quite a ‘yes,’ but not completely a ‘no’ either. Lee was on Wash. U.’s tennis team as well as a member of Raas, one of the Indian competitive dance teams. He also double majored in Computer Science and Finance. Lee shared that his extracurricular involvements probably assisted him during more physically oriented challenges, but there was no specific class he took that proved particularly integral. “It’s just more as long as you get involved in as many different experiences as possible, that should set you up well for the race,” said Lee.

But even if you tried to check every box beforehand, “The Amazing Race” would still surprise you. Every day brought new cities and new ventures, his favorite being Kazakhstan and India. His favorite challenge of the competition, however, took place cooking in Brazil, when the teams took a boat to a “completely off-the-grid indigenous tribe” and attempted to replicate a local dish. This challenge was quite a culture shock for Lee. “I didn’t even realize that these tribes still exist in the world,” he admitted.

After exploring places like Kazakhstan and India and completing challenges of no limitation, it is interesting to recognize that Lee and Nguyen returned back home to routine life––and could not say anything about the show. “We signed like stacks of paperwork, just promising that we won’t tell,” Lee explained. Lee and Nguyen’s season of “The Amazing Race” filmed over the span of four weeks in November of 2018, but episodes did not air on CBS until late 2020. The couple had to keep their performance a secret from everyone for two years, including their own daughters.

When the season finally aired and they watched as a family, Lee and Nguyen’s daughters were so excited to see how their parents did. “And as soon as soon as an episode would end, they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for another week!’” shared Lee.

“The Amazing Race” may have forced Lee and Nguyen to maintain prolonged secrecy, but it also left the couple with enriched perspectives on life.

“With my wife, she has a much greater appreciation for things like humanity and the kindness of people,” Lee said. “No matter what country you’re in, or what language you speak, at the end of the day, people just want to live their best life and want to try to find happiness for themselves and their families, right? We’re really not that different in the grand scheme of things.”

For Lee, there occurred a shift in how he prioritized his time. “I care more about spending time with my family than I did before,” he said. “Before I was maybe more focused on work and things like that. But now like, you know, I just realized life is short. And on my deathbed, I’d rather have memories of family than those of being at a computer.”

The significance of memories with loved ones was evident amidst the race too, as competitors grew closer to their partners but also to rival pairs. “There’s this mutual understanding that, hey, we’re going to be competing against each other when it’s go-time,” remarked Lee. “But once the leg is over, once the race is over, there’s no reason why we can’t be friends.”

And unlike other seasons, Lee and Nguyen’s season of competitors have stayed close even after the show––whether it be through physical reunions, virtual Among Us games, or even just messages in the group chat. “We’re a really tight cast, which I’m told is unusual,” said Lee.

Lee and Nguyen’s cast might also be the last one for a while, as the season after theirs had to stop filming halfway through because of COVID-19. This, in conjunction with recent years of declining viewership, is concerning avid supporters of “The Amazing Race” like Lee. He explained, “I think in addition to being an incredible adventure for the racers themselves, I really do think it showcases what true humanity is all about.”

So if and when the opportunity arises, Lee provided some advice for anyone looking to enter “The Amazing Race.” “When you’re making your audition video, be truthful. Don’t make up anything about yourself or what you’ve done,” he said. Lee recommended preserving authenticity while still emphasizing the “quirks of your personality.”

The Amazing Race embarks competitors on a whirlwind journey nothing short of surreal, yet at the end of the day, these are still everyday people. In future seasons it could be the kid in your psychology class breakout room, the girl behind you in line for food or it could even be you! If Chee Lee is any indication, “The Amazing Race” and Wash. U. alumni have got a solid track record going.