The Amazing Race has cast former Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin
Last year’s casting of pageant queen Caite Upton was apparently good medicine for CBS because they have cast three former pageant state champions for the upcoming 17th season of The Amazing Race. The lovely lady you see above is Miss Kentucky 2009, Mallory Ervin. The 24-year-old will be teamed up with her father in a quest to win the grand prize in the popular globe-trotting reality show.
Lets see what I was able to find out about our pretty-young-thing from the bluegrass state.
The first thing that stood out were Mallory’s vocal performances from the talent portion of her pageant contests. You can tell that she certainly has a passion for singing from these videos. I’ve hand selected two that showcase her skills and southern sass. This first clip finds Mallory getting the crowd going with the Ike and Tina Turner version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic “Proud Mary.”
And here is Miss Ervin going even a little further back with a go at the operatic classic “Ave Maria.”
Her looks, vibrant attitude and vocals took her far as she finished in the 4th-runner-up position in the 2009 Miss America Pageant. Here is the bio and introductory video for Mallory and her dad Gary from the official page for The Amazing Race courtesy of CBS along with photos from that “other” pageant tradition, swimsuit modeling!
Hometown: Lexington, Ky.
Connection to your Teammate: Daughter
Current occupation: Miss Kentucky 2009
Favorite hobbies: Performing, spending time with my family on our farm and thrill seeking activities like skydiving and bungee jumping
Achievements: I was very proud of being selected as 4th runner up at Miss America. It was something that I have worked and prepared for my entire life.
^Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Lifelong to do list: Perform on Broadway! I also love motivational speaking and would love to find a way to continue this throughout my life. Lastly, I want to make my family proud.
What scares you most about traveling? Being out of the country if something was to happen to my family
What excites you most about traveling? I love diving blindly into new cultures and cities – the food, the language and the general attitude toward life. I also love that feeling that I have when I return home and realize all the good things that I have right here.
If I could switch places with someone: Phil, because he gets to do The Amazing Race every season.
^Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Role model/hero: My dad
What are you passionate about? My family, singing and helping others find joy in life
What would you do if you won the million dollars? I would give some of it to the organizations that helped me along my way to achieve my dreams — the Miss America and Miss Kentucky Organization, Autism Awareness as well as the Catholic grade school and public high school I attended. I would save or invest the rest. My father will probably disagree.
People would be surprised to learn: I’ve already made a million dollars – for charity. When I was Miss Kentucky I sold a country ham for 1.3 million dollars and all the money went to local charities in my state.
Favorite place you have ever visited: Rome, Italy
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on the Race together: We’re both very stubborn so we will have to learn how to give a little. We also need to work on trusting each other.
What do you hope to accomplish by running the Race (other then winning one million bucks)? I hope to have the adventure of a lifetime and an experience to share with my Dad. He is a huge fan and has never missed an episode. It would mean a lot to him to be able to run the Race together.
Pet peeve about your teammate: Biggest pet peeve about my dad is that he never thinks about himself.
