‘Amazing Race’ winners, the Holdernesses, want to use their prize to give back
Raleigh internet personalities Kim and Penn Holderness will keep a little over half of their $1 million “Amazing Race” prize money after taxes — and they plan to give some of their winnings to teachers.
“It took a minute – and some emails, but we finally got paid,” Kim Holderness said on “The Holderness Family” podcast this week.
The Holdernesses competed on season 33 of “The Amazing Race,” which aired from January to March 2022. Filming began in February 2020 but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contestants took a year-and-a-half break after the first three legs of the race, the longest production pause in “Amazing Race” history, The News & Observer previously reported.
To win, Kim and Penn made their way through seven countries and 17 cities, winning more individual sections of the race than any other competing team. Along the way, they assembled bagpipes, bungee jumped off of a dam, solved puzzles and ate maggot cheese.
The couple said on their podcast that the money hasn’t changed their lives too much thus far, as most of it will be given away or put in college savings.
In all, the Holdernesses said they plan to put aside about 40% of their winnings to donate to worthy causes, or “people and organizations that we love.” That includes $25,000 apiece for their “personal charities.”
And for Kim Holderness, that means educators. Many teachers create Amazon lists of supplies they want or need for their classrooms. Kim Holderness said she’s made a budget with prize money to buy every item some teachers listed, or to “clear the list.”
Both Kim and Penn were raised by teachers, Kim Holderness wrote on the couple’s blog. While growing up, both watched their mothers pour their own resources into buying school supplies for their classrooms. Kim’s mother, Peggy, coached a high school debate team for extra income, but put most of the cash aside for things her own students needed, Kim Holderness wrote.
The duo have already been able to “clear the list” of a few teachers who have reached out.
“We are so honored to be able to help in some small way,” Kim Holderness wrote on the blog.
Kim and Penn will reserve another chunk of their winnings for their children, 14-year-old Lola and 11-year-old Penn Charles.
“There’s just not going to be, like, a boat,” Penn Holderness said on the podcast. “There’s no new car. I bought some Vans for $30, on clearance.”
Before going on “The Amazing Race,” the Holderness duo worked in TV news, The News & Observer previously reported. For Penn, this included a six-year stint as an evening news anchor at Raleigh’s WNCN/CBS 17 station.
They’ve been local celebrities since the viral release of their “Christmas Jammies” video in 2013. The duo is still seeing success on YouTube, where five of their videos have topped 3 million views each.
They’re now focused on their brand, Holderness Family Productions, full-time, which includes a weekly podcast, a blog and a bestselling book about marriage advice.
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 12:25 PM.