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MSU alumnus travels world for 15th season of 'The Amazing Race'

September 16, 2009

For Eric Paskel, life is about seizing the moment. Lucky for him, he didn’t expect just how amazing the moment could be.

Eric Paskel, an MSU alumnus, and his wife Lisa Paskel, will be featured on the upcoming 15th season of reality show “The Amazing Race,” which begins airing Sept. 27 on CBS, after a client passed their name along to those in charge of casting for the show.

“It was just like, ‘OK, here’s this great opportunity to be together, do this really crazy stuff, see the world and let people see who we are and how we work,’” Lisa Paskel said. “It was exciting, it was a challenge — I love a challenge.”

For those unfamiliar, “The Amazing Race” follows between 10 and 12 teams made up of pairs of people with pre-existing relationships such as family members, friends and co-workers.

Although the challengers have to not only complete the race itself, they’re also required to make it to several checkpoints, while competing against the other teams and the clock to complete their tasks the fastest. The goal is to finish first, winning $1 million.

“It’s funny because the show came to us, we didn’t come to them,” Eric Paskel said. “It’s not something that would have popped up on my radar.”

The pair, who were suggested to the casting crew by a client, said they were never very familiar with the show before becoming involved with it.

“The reason why I knew about the show was because when I watched football on CBS every once and a while I would see these crazy promos for this show where people were doing some pretty wild stuff,” Eric Paskel said. “So when I saw the name, I recognized it.”

Although the show wasn’t an opportunity the couple sought out, the two jumped at the chance to have an adventure, and to spend some much needed quality time together.

“(It was) time with Eric that was long overdue,” Lisa Paskel said.

In addition to being a unique experience for the pair, MSU students will be able to see a fellow Spartan run the race.

“(They’re) close to home and you’re connected with them in some way,” said Anne Bailey, a prenursing sophomore. “You can brag about your school a little bit.”

The couple, who owns four yoga studios called Yoga Shelter located in Birmingham, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield and Grosse Pointe, currently lives in California.

Lisa Paskel said with all the retreats and trips they go on with clients and other people, the time together was something they were very much looking forward to.

“We rarely get to travel without a slew of people,” Lisa Paskel said.

Though the spot on the exciting, adventure-filled show was unexpected, sometimes you just have to say “yes” when this sort of thing comes your way, Eric Paskel said.

“Life is to be lived,” Eric Paskel said. “You only die once.”

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