1. Headline
  1. Headline
Image: Victor Jih, Tammy Jih
Sonja Flemming  /  AP
Victor Jih, 35, and his sister Tammy, 26, explored a sometimes contentious relationship during their journey on “The Amazing Race.”
updated 5/11/2009 10:17:51 AM ET 2009-05-11T14:17:51

Some quick thinking at the end won $1 million for a brother-sister team of Harvard-educated lawyers on the CBS game of "Amazing Race."

But it was a heartbreaking finish for the competition's first deaf contestant.

The winner, Victor Jih, 35, and his sister Tammy, 26, explored a sometimes contentious relationship during their journey. The 14th edition of the game concluded in Maui, Hawaii, and was televised Sunday.

"I just tried to enjoy the race for what it was and just be true to my emotions, the highs and lows," Victor Jih said after the victory. They're both practicing lawyers in California.

Three teams traveled from Beijing to Hawaii for the game's final set of competitions, which involved preparing pigs for luaus and racing on personal watercrafts to find clues floating on the water.

Luke Adams, 22, just graduated as the valedictorian of the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, and raced with his mother Margie, 50. They were in the lead heading into the last competition, which involved picking out surfboards with insignias representing every leg of their trip. Luke started fast but couldn't get the last one right.

As he was frustrated, Victor Jih completed his task and headed into a taxi for the finish line. So did the third team, two former NFL cheerleaders who were trying to be the first all-female team to win the race. Cara Rosenthal, 26, of Boca Raton, Fla. and pal Jaime Edmondson, 29, of Fort Lauderdale finished second, hampered at the end by a clueless cab driver.

Margie Adams tried to console her son during the final cab ride to the finish line after 40,000 miles.

"I'm very lucky to have you as my mom," Luke said to her in the shorthand sign language they had developed together.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Discuss:

Discussion comments

,

Most active discussions

  1. votes comments
  2. votes comments
  3. votes comments
  4. votes comments

More on TODAY.com

None
  1. Beryl soaks Fla., Ga; thousands lose power

    The remains of Tropical Storm Beryl soaked beach vacations and some Memorial Day remembrance services in southern Georgia and northern Florida on Monday and knocked out power to tens of thousands, though emergency officials said it hasn't brought any major damage

    5/28/2012 5:51:17 PM +00:00 2012-05-28T17:51:17
  2. video Wild weather: Heat ‘melts’ NASCAR driver’s shoe
None
  1. TODAY

    video Iraq veteran calls VetDog 'life changing'

    5/24/2012 6:10:31 PM +00:00 2012-05-24T18:10:31
None
  1. Justin Bieber allegedly batters photographer

    On Sunday, Justin Bieber's squeaky-clean reputation took a hit as the singer allegedly launched into a physical altercation with a paparazzo.

    5/28/2012 1:46:45 PM +00:00 2012-05-28T13:46:45
  2. video See photos from the alleged altercation
None
  1. Bobby Brown takes 'Every Little Step' on plaza

    video R&B singer Bobby Brown dedicates his first song, “Every Little Step," to all the soldiers as part of a Memorial Day concert on the plaza.

    5/28/2012 3:33:49 PM +00:00 2012-05-28T15:33:49
  2. video Bobby Brown sings ‘My Prerogative’

    video R&B singer Bobby Brown performs his classic 1988 hit, “My Prerogative” for the TODAY fans on Rockefeller Plaza.

    5/28/2012 3:32:37 PM +00:00 2012-05-28T15:32:37
  3. Your pics! Brown kicks off summer

    Check out viewer pictures from Bobby Brown's Memorial Day performance on the TODAY plaza.

    5/28/2012 4:46:48 PM +00:00 2012-05-28T16:46:48
  4. TODAY
Yum
  1. Yum! Make a delicious barbecued pork sandwich

    5/28/2012 2:12:51 PM +00:00 2012-05-28T14:12:51