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When Andrew Hyde went on THE AMAZING RACE 3 with his dad Dennis, they were somewhat of an odd couple. Having just turned 21, Andrew was the youngest Racer to ever take part in the show (excluding TAR 8) and an openly gay college cheerleader, while his father was a conservative Southern Baptist. Although Andrew & Dennis didn't win, being on THE AMAZING RACE brought the father and son Team closer together. "Being gay and a part of a conservative Southern Baptist family was rough," admits Andrew. "Dad and I spent years avoiding the subject, which never gave us the opportunity to be close. The Race forced us to rely on each other and work as a team, thus bringing a lot of our unspoken issues to the forefront. In short, the Race was kick ass therapy for us."
THE AMAZING RACE also opened many doors for Andrew professionally. For the past three years, he has been living in Dayton, Ohio, where he works full time for AIDS Resource Center Ohio, which is a non-profit AIDS service organization. "I work with young people through prevention education and do HIV/AIDS testing and counseling," he explains. "I also run The Mu Crew, which is a social group for gay men ages 18-29. The group is involved in community service, education, traveling and social events. With this group I really wanted to provide a drug and alcohol free alternative to bars and the Internet. For fun, I still coach/choreograph and compete in cheerleading and have a radio segment on Z-93 FM in Dayton. I was a Cheerleading National Champion in 2005 and won 'International Male Dancer of the Year 2004' in Los Angeles."
When he has spare time, Andrew enjoys traveling, weight lifting, camping, wakeboarding and "any kind of competitive sport or game." Says Andrew, "I think one lasting negative effect of THE AMAZING RACE is, having lost, I am so competitive in life it's unhealthy."
As for the future, Andrew has been asked to emcee several Gay Pride events in the Midwest over the coming year. He is also working on a national campaign to educate young gay men about HIV/AIDS, drug addiction and self-esteem issues. In addition, he's getting ready to make his second indie film appearance. "It's a horror [flick] called 'Into the Woods' and let's just say my character won't be returning for a sequel," he laughs.
Although he knows he "sounds psycho," Andrew confesses that he still has AMAZING RACE nightmares. "There was something in the stress level and being part of something where you feel so out of control, that every once in a while I wake up in a sweat dreaming of the producers Bert and Elise telling me I'm about to race again or that I'm in some weird country eating gross things and carrying my heavy freakin' backpack. Some people fear clowns or monsters, I fear Phil!"
To learn more about Andrew, visit www.TheMuCrew.com or his MySpace page at www.MySpace.com/andrewhyde.
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