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"The Amazing Race" History & Behind The Scenes Moments
The concealed to winning The Amazing Race? Season 33 co-champ Penn Holderness was calved with it.
"I deliberation ADHD is wherefore we won," his woman and chap winner Kim Holderness told E! News successful an exclusive interrogation of her husband's lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder, "because helium was capable to tune everything other retired on each azygous task and beryllium like, Oh, we'll conscionable harness up this mule, oregon immoderate the weird, weird things we had to do. Whereas I was seeing the different teams, the feline holding the microphone implicit me, the cameraman looking here, due to the fact that possibly I should beryllium looking there. And truthful I, with my neurotypical brain, was a disaster. But helium could get it done."
And portion Penn, 49, insisted their 2021 victory was a full squad effort—"I had passageway vision, and she had everything vision. And we needed both"—his keen quality to fixate connected the task astatine manus was 1 of their keys to success.
"I had to perceive to this reasonably boring sermon astir Greek saints, and I had to memorize it, and past enactment them each successful the close place," Penn recalled of slipping into hyperfocus to execute 1 peculiarly challenging roadblock. "When ADHD-ers person thing that they really, truly attraction about, they tin portion everything out."
So with $1 cardinal connected the line and nary different distractions, "I remembered each connection that feline said, I remembered each representation they showed me," continued Penn. "So that was what that hyperfocus was—the quality to perceive and not fto thing other permission your brain. And, traditionally, radical with ADHD, erstwhile they are hyperfocusing, person fantabulous memory."
Holderness Family Productions
Which is wherefore Penn argues in the YouTube couple's latest book, ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD, that his chronic condition is really a superpower, not an affliction.
"I wanted to bash a heavy dive into what it was and wherefore my encephalon works the mode it does," the erstwhile quality anchor explained. "And what I've discovered was it's really not each that bad."
When your occupation is creating content, for instance, that "very aggravated passageway vision," arsenic Penn described, comes successful handy: "I've made immoderate edits successful astir an hr and a fractional that astir radical can't bash that quickly."
He's had to enactment systems successful spot to guarantee helium doesn't, say, permission the room stove connected oregon thrust disconnected with his java cupful connected his car's roof. ("The mode that my encephalon works," helium said, "I tin enactment a mug connected apical of my car truthful I tin propulsion everything other successful and arsenic soon arsenic I look astatine the different stuff, my java mug has exited my moving memory and I don't cognize that it's there." So, he's since placed a magnet connected the extortion of his thrust to service arsenic a reminder.)
But, also, noted Kim, 48, of their research, "an ADHD encephalon proven by subject is much creative. And truthful a batch of the contented you see, I'll travel up with an thought and it goes into his brain, and it comes retired thing magical and different."
And past there's that clip they won $1 cardinal dollars aft racing their mode through 17 cities, seven countries and 1 18-month COVID-related pause, their Amazing Race play forced into an extended pitstop in precocious February 2020.
Fun fact, revealed Kim, "The cheque comes successful the mail. It comes successful a FedEx envelope that they permission connected your doorstep."
Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images
And though the North Carolina-based brace successfully navigated themselves done the streets of Glasgow, Bonifacio and Thessaloniki, getting those 2 $500,000 checks into their savings relationship was a drama of errors.
"He was truthful excited, helium ripped it open," Kim recalled of her hubby of 19 years. "So we had to thrust to the slope and, like, portion it."
From there, though, they followed their crippled program to a T, adjacent holding disconnected connected replacing Penn's car due to the fact that they didn't privation to get excessively brainsick with their prize money.
Instead, "we paid taxes," said Kim. Another 30 percent they donated and shared, and astir 28 percent was acceptable speech for their girl Lola, 17, and lad Penn Charles, 14, to be college. "And I deliberation that near america with conscionable nether 10 grand."
Which is erstwhile they realized the satellite was waiting for them. And so, continued Kim, "We took the kids connected a travel to France past year."
The Holderness Family/Instagram
And portion they'll ever person Paris, they're adjacent much thrilled astir the funds earmarked for assemblage present that their eldest is getting acceptable to circuit schools. "That's a manner change," said Kim of the nest egg. "We tin spell into it without having to lend truthful much. We volition consciousness that successful the adjacent fewer years. But astatine this point, thing has changed."
And though Kim joked "The Amazing Race won't screen Duke," and its astir $83,000-a-year tuition, their teens mightiness conscionable person thing much valuable.
Following the occurrence of their 2013 merchandise "XMAS Jammies" (a parody of Will Smith's "Miami" meant to beryllium their integer Christmas card), Lola and Penn have grown up watching their parents marque YouTube videos—and whitethorn just enter the household business.
Lola is seeking retired schools with entrepreneurship programs, revealed Kim, "She said, 'I privation to beryllium a boss.'"
The Holderness Family/Instagram
As for Penn Charles, besides diagnosed with ADHD, he sometimes forgets to crook successful his homework, but is each spot arsenic originative arsenic his talented dad.
"He is his begetter successful a smaller body," said Kim. With the aforesaid assurance successful his abilities. "He said the different day, 'Well, I'll conscionable bash what you guys do,'" Kim continued of her youngest's vocation plans. "So I deliberation that astatine immoderate point, they'll combat implicit the passwords and fig it out."
