In seven unforgettable seasons, The Amazing Race has produced few teams like Kevin & Drew. One reason for this, we must reckon, is that pairings of good natured, ass-slapping, rambunctious, fraternity brothers (or something vaguely similar) — who Race with their hearts on their sleeves — are usually done-for and ousted quite early on. Spinning conventional wisdom on its head, neatly, Kevin & Drew, during Season One, were only one leg away from making The Final Three embrace and being graced with an unobstructed end-run to New York — their eerie Pit Stop fiasco unfolding in China, the shattering climax of a dueling taxi race with the wicked Guidos. Just maybe because of this long time well spent, and their fearless outpouring of joy, grief and love, we have been in a position to familiarize ourselves with these two madcap and soulful friends far better than we may have been aware.

By David W. Taylor (Email Me)
Reality Reel Media
10.12.05

<img src=http://www.realityreel.com/images/kevin_drew.jpg align=left>There are way too many slick snapshots of Kevin & Drew's hilariously kinetic and boisterous camaraderie with each other — bouncing back and forth — to list here. And while these quirks are endemic to their far-reaching appeal, they won't be the last team to mix no-nonsense competition with rib-splitting male-bonding tropes and offhandedly wacky (but natural) slapstick routines. Yet I think what propelled Kevin & Drew beyond the likes of, say, Chris & Alex, the keen and comical buddies and winners of The Amazing Race 2, and over and above so many others, were their overflowing hearts.

Case in point: No one who has ever watched Drew become nakedly awkward at the Tunis airport, as he handed over a gift necklace to a female airline agent who assisted with ticketing (the jewelry originally bought in El Jem, Tunisia, for his girl back home) will ever forget this graceful sacrifice soon. Nor will anyone who has seen it... forget Kevin welcoming Paul and Amie into the obscure desert Pit Stop camp on the edge of the Sahara. Paul and Amie had become disoriented (and Amie, physically sick) in their jeep, and lost in the surrounding sand dunes; and worrisomely late. Popping out of their vehicle — Paul & Amie, dejected and miserable — Kevin threw his arms around both and offered down-home comfort and reassurance. It is these small gasps of silky human warmth that set Kevin & Drew aside, into their own lapidary kingdom.

For this... Kevin & Drew withdrew from the Race without winning one million dollars, but they were widely perceived as the most beloved Amazing Race team; and soon thereafter, they participated in CBS promos, on the streets of NYC, for the upcoming The Amazing Race 2 television premier; and they were recently invited, some four years later, to do a cameo — as Clue producing hot dog vendors — on the premier episode of The Amazing Race: Family Edition. These recognitions are certainly not wrought in a vacuum. And deservedly so.