Jennifer Hoffman and LaKisha Hoffman win 'The Amazing Race'

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business crowned returning fourteenth-season Racers Jennifer Hoffman and LaKisha Hoffman its champions during Sunday night's special two-episode finale broadcast of the CBS reality competition's all-stars edition.


"I told her on the bridge that we're doing it for Mom... She did everything for us. It's our turn to pay her back," Jen said after she and Kisha finished the Race in first place.

"She wants to start her own business. We want to put her in a position of success. She did a lot of work for us, so now it's time to give back to her," Kisha added.

The "Sisters" team were the first team to cross the eighteenth season of The Amazing Race's finish line in Miami, FL, and claimed the $1 million grand prize.

"There aren't any words to describe our mom. She's absolutely amazing. It's just going to be a great thing to give her something that she's given to us," Jen expressed in tears.


"Aww, don't make me cry!" Kisha told her sister. "I'm glad to have run this Race with Jen for a second time. Winning this Race has shown that she's not my little sister. She's a competitor. To run this Race with her was a great experience."

"I love you boo!" Jen said with a big smile.

Fifteenth-season "Harlem Globetrotters" Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton and Herbert "Flight Time" Lang finished second.

"It was fun from start to finish. It was hard. We laughed, we cried, we sang, we danced, I had on a Speedo -- We did it all under one roof, baby -- I'm happy we did it," Big Easy said.

Seventeenth-season "Father and Daughter" team of Gary Ervin and Mallory Ervin finished third.


"We came back and we did our unfinished business. We wanted to make it around the world so badly, and we got that. We know that money's not everything, but the experience is priceless, for sure," Mallory explained. 

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business' eleventh episode began where the tenth episode had left off -- with the competition's four remaining teams leaving the Race's tenth Pit Stop at a 300-year-old Swiss cabin in Zermatt, Switzerland.

Since they had been the first team to finish in first place at the Pit Stop in Zermatt, Big Easy and Flight Time were the first to depart the Swiss cabin at 7:12AM. They were then followed by Kisha and Jen at 7:15AM, Gary and Mallory at 7:18AM, and fourteenth-season "Friends" Zev Glassenberg and Justin Kanew at 7:31AM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to fly from Zermatt, Switzerland to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Upon landing, the teams had to board a tram and take a five-minute ride up a hill to find a set of world famous steps called Escadaria Selaron and then search for a tile resembling a route marker to find their next clue.

Once at the airport, Flight Time and Big Easy and Zev and Justin found a flight that would arrive in Rio De Janeiro 7:30AM the following morning.


Kisha and Jen and Gary and Mallory subsequently found a flight which would arrive in Rio De Janeiro the next day at 5:40PM. They thought it was their only option at first, but Big Easy's body language accidentally gave away that there was another option. As a result, Kisha and Jen and Gary and Mallory did a little more research, discovered the 7:30AM flight and bought tickets on the same flights.

Kisha and Jen were the first team to grab a taxi out of the airport and they were followed by Zev and Justin, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Gary and Mallory.

Afterward, everyone got on same tram except for Flight Time and Big Easy -- who had a slow cab and later realized they had to board the next available tram 30 minutes after the other three teams had already departed.

Zev and Justin were the first team to arrive at Escadaria Selaron and find the tile, and they were then followed by Gary and Mallory, Kisha and Jen, and Flight Time and Big Easy.

The teams were given their clue, which instructed them to make their way to Largo de Sao Francisco da Prainha and search for their next clue near Rua Sacadura Cabral.


Zev and Justin were the first team to arrive at the location and were followed by Gary and Mallory, Kisha and Jen, and Flight Time and Big Easy.

The teams opened their clue and learned they needed to complete a Roadblock task, which required one member from each team to dress in wild carnival costumes and learn to dance the samba. The team members would then be required to lead their own personal samba troupe on a parade through the streets, and if the judge found their samba to be in rhythm with the music, she would give the teams their next clue.

Kisha and Jen had trouble finding Largo de Sao Francisco da Prainha but eventually found their way, while Flight Time and Big Easy were still racing to catch up in spite of their 30-minute delay.

Zev, Mallory, Kisha, and Big Easy opted to do the Roadblock for their teams.

All the team members seemed to get through the dance routine fairly easy except for Zev, who claimed he had absolutely no dance ability or skills. Justin, aware of Zev's apparent lack of rhythm, watched in support of his friend. However, the team lost their lead because Zev struggled so much with the task.


Gary and Mallory were the first team to complete the Roadblock task, and they were then followed by Kisha and Jen, Zev and Justin, and Flight Time and Big Easy -- who were no longer far behind.

Upon finishing the Roadblock task, the teams opened their next clue and learned they must make their way by taxi to Copacabana and once there, they would be required to search for Cop Salon where they would receive their next clue.

Gary and Mallory were the first team to arrive at Cop Salon and were followed by Kisha and Jen, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Zev and Justin.

The teams then received their next clue, which instructed all the team members to endure a 15-minute Brazilian waxing session in order to receive their next clue.

While the men all winced at the experience, Gary and Mallory breezed through the waxing session and were followed by Kisha and Jen, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Zev and Justin. However, Zev and Justin seemed to go through the most amount of pain throughout the task.

After the teams received their Brazilian waxes and retrieved their next clues, they learned it was time for them to complete one of the leg's two Detour tasks: "On the Rocks" or "On the Beach."


"On the Rocks" required the teams to make their way to Espaco, a local bar, and learn how to make the most popular drink in Brazil. They must mix up the concoction of lime juice, sugar and a liquor made of sugar cane, and once they could make 100 acceptable Brazilian drinks, they would receive their next clue.

"On the Beach" required the teams to make their way to Copacabana beach and pick up an umbrella decked out in bikini tops and a portable changing room. The teams must then convince each customer to model their new bikini and sell enough bikini tops to earn about $60.00 American money. Once they received the total amount of cash, the bikini seller would give them their next clue.

Gary and Mallory, Kisha and Jen, and Flight Time and Big Easy opted to do the "On the Rocks" task, while Zev and Justin initially selected "On the Beach."

Zev and Justin found selling bikinis extremely taxing and difficult, as customers expressed little if any interest in their products. The "Best Friends" team then decided to switch tasks and attempt to complete "On the Rocks" instead.

Gary and Mallory were the first team to complete the Detour task, and they were then followed by Kisha and Jen, Flight Time and Big Easy, and finally Zev and Justin.

The teams received their next clue, which instructed them to make their way across the city to the Museum of Contemporary Art and below the building, they would find the Race' eleventh Pit Stop.


Gary and Mallory rushed to the Museum of Contemporary Art and were the first team to make it to the Pit Stop mat, as they were greeted by The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan. As a reward for finishing first, they won a trip for two to sail in a cruise ship along the Mediterranean for 11 nights and visit locations such as Rome and Casablanca.

Gary and Mallory were also thrilled because they knew they would be able to compete for the million-dollar grand prize in the Race's last leg as one of the three final teams.

Kisha and Jen were the next team to arrive at the Pit Stop, securing second place.

Following Kisha and Jen, Flight Time and Big Easy arrived and captured third place.

Zev and Justin then met Phil and learned they finished in fourth -- and last -- place, a fate they had been expecting.

"Zev and Justin, I'm sorry to tell you that you are the last team to arrive and that you've both been eliminated from the Race," Phil told the team.


"Okay," Zev said.

"Okay. I've been happier," Justin added.

"He was the 'Race' and I was the 'Amazing' and I think we fit that combo pretty well -- better than any other team. In the end, what we saw out in the world, there's a much bigger picture than trying to win a million dollars," Zev explained.

"That's a good point," Justin told Zev.

"As far as our experience goes, we got cut short last time and we wanted another shot at it. I think we really proved ourselves. [Aspergers Syndrome] or not, I learned a lot about this kid through the two Races that we've done, and I think he proved a lot to himself and to a lot of other people. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything no matter how much money we won or didn't win."

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business' twelfth and final episode began where the eleventh episode had left off -- with the competition's final three remaining teams leaving the Race's eleventh Pit Stop at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in the hopes of winning the million dollars.


Since they had been the first team to finish in first place at the Pit Stop in Rio De Janeiro, Gary and Mallory were the first to depart the Museum of Contemporary Art at 8:54AM. They were then followed by Kisha and Jen at 9:05AM, and Flight Time and Big Easy at 9:29AM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to fly more than 4,000 miles to Miami, FL, which would serve as their final destination of the Race. Upon landing, the teams must then make their way to the Marine Stadium Marina where they would find their next clue.

All the teams had discovered the same flight and started off the finale episode on an equal playing field as they left Brazil at 1:10PM to arrive in Miami, FL at 6:30PM. After the flight landed, everyone rushed off the plane in attempt to snag the lead.

Flight Time and Big Easy, learning from their mistake in the prior leg, were the first team out of the airport and grabbed a taxi immediately. Meanwhile, Gary and Mallory initially had a little trouble securing a cab, but they finally nailed one.

Flight Time and Big Easy were the first team to arrive at Marine Stadium Marina and were followed by Kisha and Jen and Gary and Mallory.

Gary and Mallory actually seemed to fall well behind the other teams because their driver didn't have much clue as to where they should have been going. Mallory grew very upset and frustrated because she knew the simple error could cost her and her father the grand prize.


The teams then opened their clue and learned they needed to complete a Roadblock task, which required one member from each team to climb onto a heavy-load forklift and master a complex series of hand levers that control the lifting apparatus. They then must transport a boat to the storage rack and attempt to avoid a catastrophe. Once the teams could safely secure their boat in the dry dock, the forklift operator would give them their next clue.

Flight Time, Kisha, and Gary all opted to do the Roadblock task for their teams.

Gary and Mallory, however remained far behind the other teams after their cab driver had gotten lost.

"I'm just trying to stay calm and confident because it's not over yet, but that's a really bad way to start the twelfth leg. Things happen and it'll be okay," Mallory said upon arriving at the Roadblock task.

"We want to win more than anything in the world. We've wanted it for 20 episodes now. We want this just as much, or more, than anyone else. I still think we got a chance to do it... We have to. Bad things happen, but people get through them!"

Each team member seemed to find the task fairly easy and Flight Time and Big Easy were the first team to complete the Roadblock. They were then followed by Kisha and Jen and Gary and Mallory.


After docking their boats, the teams then retrieved their next clue and learned they had to head to Key Largo and find Jules' Undersea Lodge where they would receive their next clue.

Flight Time and Big Easy were the first team to arrive at Jules' Undersea Lodge, and they were then followed by Kisha and Jen and Gary and Mallory.

The teams then opened their clue, which instructed them to complete another Roadblock task. The task required one member from each team to take charge of a submersible known as a Bob Dive. The teams must then travel through a school of "mermaids" as they searched among dozens of floating treasure chests. Once the team members found a chest with a clue inside, they would be able to return to the surface and move forward in the leg.

Jen opted to do the Roadblock for her team, while Big Easy and Mallory chose to take on the task as well.

Jen began to cry before she attempted the Roadblock task but claimed she was only panicked and not afraid of being underwater. She admitted she knew one of the Race's tasks would require either her or Kisha to undertake a swimming challenge, and she took lessons at home to prepare her for such an event.

Jen ended up finding the Roadblock task to be a great experience, but she also claimed it made her feel a little sick. Meanwhile, Gary and Mallory knew they had to make up about 25 minutes of time but remained optimistic.


Flight Time and Big Easy were the first team to complete the Roadblock, and they were then followed by Kisha and Jen and Gary and Mallory. Flight Time and Big Easy, however, soon lost their lead because they had discovered that their taxi driver wasn't waiting for them after they completed the task.

Flight Time and Big Easy initially asked their cab driver to go get gas and then return to the Roadblock location while they were completing the task, promising to compensate him efficiently for his inconvenience.  But he took longer than expected, allowing Kisha and Jen to pass them.

The teams then opened their next clue, which provided them with a riddle: "Off the coast of Big Pine Key, there's a camp that's by the sea. To find the mile marker where you should be, please subtract four from 33." The clue instructed them to find Mile Marker 29.

Kisha and Jen -- who were able to gain some substantial ground on Flight Time and Big Easy -- were the first team to arrive at Mile Marker 29 ahead of Flight Time and Big Easy and Gary and Mallory.

After arriving at the mile marker, the teams retrieved their next clue and learned they had to walk across the shallow section of the ocean to get to Horseshoe Island. Once on the island, they would then have to find the tallest tree, where they would find their next clue.

Kisha and Jen, remaining in the lead, were the first team to discover the tallest tree and were followed by Flight Time and Big Easy and Gary and Mallory.


The teams then opened their next clue, which instructed them to return to the mainland and take a "thrilling" high speed boat ride to Marathon Marina and Boatyard. They would then be required to travel by foot to Galway Bay Mobile Home Park, where they would find their next clue.

Kisha and Jen still continued to move forward with Flight Time and Big Easy on their tails, while Gary and Mallory were lagging behind the two teams.

Once the teams arrived at Galway Bay Mobile Home Park, they opened their clue and learned they must choose a small trailer, wheel it onto a trailer lot and hook it up to the local utilities. They would then be required to use the pictures in their brochure for references and setup the "ultimate Florida trailerhood." The teams must create a living space that would exactly match that of their given brochure picture, and once they could accomplish such a task, they would receive their next clue.

Gary and Mallory attempted to catch up to the other teams during the task, but Jen and Kisha and Flight Time and Big Easy appeared nearly done by the time the father/daughter team arrived at the park. Once Kisha and Jen assumed they had finished their living space, they were told they had done it wrong and then realized they were missing something from their picture.

Kisha and Jen eventually corrected their mistake and finished. Flight Time and Big Easy then followed in Kisha and Jen's footsteps because they also struggled and got it wrong on the first try. They had to make sure everything on their table outside was in the proper place, while fighting gusting winds.

Kisha and Jen were the first team to complete the task and were followed by Flight Time and Big Easy and Gary and Mallory -- who accomplished the challenge with ease but were just too far behind to make the Race a close one.


The teams then opened their next clue and learned they must travel by taxi to the parking lot before the historic seven-mile bridge. With their head start advantage, Kisha and Jen were the first team to make it to the seven-mile bridge. They were then followed by Flight Time and Big Easy and Gary and Mallory.

Once at the parking lot, the teams were required to ride bicycles across the bridge's seven mile length.

After gaining great momentum in the twelfth leg of the Race and maintaining their lead the rest of the way, Kisha and Jen were the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop mat at the end of the bridge. The "Sisters" team was greeted by Phil and all The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business' previously eliminated Racers.

Kisha and Jen arrived in first place, crying with joy over their hard-earned victory.

"Five continents, 23 cities, 20,000 miles -- Kisha and Jen, you are the official winners of The Amazing Race and you have won the one million dollars! And for the second time in The Amazing Race history, an all-female team has won The Amazing Race!" Phil told Kisha and Jen.

"I'm so proud of her and I want to thank her for doing this with me. I dragged her in it the first time. Three second places and we came in first when it counted!" Jen said.


"Yes. We haven't won a leg this whole time, and we said, 'Last leg, first place is what counts and we did it!" Kisha added.

Flight Time and Big Easy were the next team to arrive at the Pit Stop mat in Miami, FL, in second place, and Gary and Mallory subsequently arrived and finished The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business in third place.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski