Florence welcomes 'Amazing Race' auditions

Thursday afternoon hundreds of people lined up behind Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Florence to audition for the 14th season of the CBS reality television "The Amazing Race."

Coward residents Charles Lee and Pee Wee Chockley were the first in line, when the auditions began at 4 p.m., having waited at Ashley Furniture since 10 a.m.

Lee and Chockley said they have watched "The Amazing Race" since its inception.

“We’ve been trying to get on the show for four years,” said Lee, adding that he and Chockley had applied online in the past.

They hope the fourth time will be a charm.

The auditions were from 4 to 7 p.m. and were held in a small area inside Ashley Furniture showroom. Prospective contestants were required to fill out a lengthy application form and complete a two-minute video interview explaining why they should be on "The Amazing Race."

Sisters Danielle and Keisha Haywood drove from Atlanta to interview for the show. They said they’ve been watching "The Amazing Race" since its second season. “I love to travel,” said Danielle. “So, the idea of being able to travel around the world on someone else’s dime is really exciting.”

The sisters said the most intriguing part of the show was the competitive nature of it.

The traveling part of it, they added, wouldn’t be that bad either.

“I want to go to China,” said Keisha. “I want to stand on the Great Wall.”

WBTW Marketing Director Dan Clintworth conducted the interviews. He said CBS had sent word out to its affiliates asking if any of them were interested in doing auditions. “They kind of want to draw people from areas outside of Los Angeles and New York,” he said. “So, we filled out and application. They accepted it, and we got the green light to do 'The Amazing Race' auditions here in Florence.”
Clintworth said "The Amazing Race" interview is a three-stage process.

“The initial interview is here,” he said. “Stage two is a more in-depth interview (where) the producers in L.A. will look at the tapes from today and they will pick a semi-finalist and do a more in-depth interview. They haven’t decided where that interview will be yet. Somewhere nearby.

“If you make it through that interview, there’s a final interview in Los Angeles, where you’re there for about a week. It’s really in-depth, and you’re about as close as you can be to being on the show.”
Clintworth said those who made it to the second stage would receive in calls in mid to late June.

Response, noted Clintworth, was very positive. “We had calls from people who were driving in from Jacksonville, Fla.,” he said. “We have a gentleman here whose mother flew in from Washington, D.C.”
Majorie Whitehead drove from Charlotte, N.C. She auditioned with her ex-boyfriend, Columbia resident Billy Crawford. “We just broke up about three weeks ago,” Whitehead said.

Although many couples find their relationships strained by the intense pressure of "The Amazing Race," Whitehead and Crawford dismiss the idea. “We’re still friends,” she said. “Just because you’re not dating (anymore) doesn’t mean you can’t get along.”