Run Your Own Amazing Race While Looking Like Ron and Chris

I'm not a huge reality show junkie (except for that darn Survivor addiction that I always say I'm  going to shake and then never do), but I consider The Amazing Race to be must-see TV. If you've never tuned in, here's how it works. Teams of two people, each with a relationship that can vary from "Sisters" to "Newly Dating" to "Grandfather/Grandson," are racing around the world, completing tasks to earn clues that tell them where to go next. Each episode covers a leg of the race, and the last team to cross the finish line each show is eliminated. Once they're down to the final 3 teams, it's an all-out mad dash to finish first overall and claim the million dollar grand prize.

I love it because the contestants get to visit (and do activities in) a variety of locales all around the world. In fact, I've even applied for the show - the fact that we didn't even make it to the "rejection form letter" stage tells you all you need to know about how interesting our video was.

Anyway, as I perused the CBS site looking for details about next season, I saw a note that father/daughter team Ronald and Christina, the second-place finishers from the previous race, were auctioning off the shirts they'd worn during the race on eBay (including his famous "Who's Your Daddy" shirt). Theirs was a cool story. He's a self-described workaholic dad that wasn't around much while Christina was growing up, and they hoped the race would bring them closer together. After some rough moments early on, Ronald learrned to put away his critical side and started treating his daughter as an equal. After that, they cruised to the finals, and were just edged out for the big prize at the end.

But the reason why they're auctioning off the shirts is even cooler. During the show they spent two legs in Burkina Faso, one of the poorer nations in the world. There they were struck by the living conditions, and the fact that most children don't have access to even basic education. They decided to do something about it, and are auctioning the shirts off through eBay Giving Works to benefit Sheltering Wings, an orphanage in the town of Yako that provides shelter and care to children who have lost their parents and have no access to primary education. Check out all the details, and the shirts, on the About Me page they put together.