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CBS reality series The Amazing Race will
feature its first out lesbian contestant when it kicks off
its tenth season in September. 27-year-old out Rhode Island
speech pathologist Lauren Marcoccio is teaming up with her
father Duke to compete in the race around the world.
CBS
unveiled this season's contestants at the annual Television
Critics Association press tour this weekend. In addition to
Lauren and Duke, the teams include a gay male couple, Asian
American brothers, a married Indian American couple, and two
Muslim friends. Another contestant was the first female with
an artificial leg to complete the Hawaii Iron Man Triathlon.
"I
really believe we've never really had such a broad spectrum
of people," host Phil Keoghan told the press on Saturday.
"We've, I think, always had a diverse cast, but this
particular cast is the whole gamut. It's really exciting to
see them all at the starting line."
The
series, which debuted in 2002, has had several
openly gay male contestants, and one openly bisexual female
contestant (Tian
Kitchen from Season 4), but no out lesbians--until now.
 And
Lauren is not only out, she's out in a big way: she
and her girlfriend, Michelle Pothier, were pictured in a 2004
USA Today story about gay marriage (right).
According
to the CBS press release, "when Lauren told her family
that she was gay, her father didn't react well to the news
and the two were estranged for several years. They are currently
rebuilding their relationship and hope the Race will help
them recapture the closeness they once shared."
The
Rhode Island native graduated from the University of Connecticut
in 2001, and recently completed a masters degree from Boston
University. According to Lauren's
myspace profile, the Italian American contestant is into
adventure sports like sky diving, intense hiking and rock
climbing, and enjoys crime dramas, The L Word, and
Survivor.
This
season's 28-day race starts in Seattle, and destinations
include China, Mongolia, Vietnam and Kuwait, Mongolia, and
Paris. The last team to finish each leg of the race is eliminated,
and the first of the 10 teams to reach the finish line at
the end of the race receives $1 million.
The
Amazing Race will air Sunday nights at 8pm on CBS beginning
this fall;
read more about this season's contestants here.
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