Posted on Feb 11, 2005 | by Aaron Earls

TIGERVILLE, S.C. (BP)--Kelly McCorkle, 2002's Miss South Carolina, will be part of the seventh season of CBS' reality show "The Amazing Race."

McCorkle, a 2001 North Greenville College graduate, will be teamed with her boyfriend Ron Young, a former Iraq War POW.

McCorkle currently works as a legislative correspondent for U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. Young is a student at the University of Georgia and a motivational speaker.

After growing up with a learning disability, McCorkle graduated cum laude from North Greenville College, which is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. After winning the Miss South Carolina pageant, she was a top 15 finalist in the Miss America contest.

The race proved to be a life-altering experience for McCorkle. "God taught me so much about myself through the whole experience," McCorkle said. "I am really excited about the show."

In a pre-race interview with CBS, McCorkle and Young discussed their life experiences, their relationship and their thoughts on the upcoming race. "I think our strength as a team is that Ron and I are both very competitive. We hate to lose," McCorkle said. "So I think we are going to have the right attitude, the drive to not give up and go all the way to the end and be the first to arrive at the last stop."

McCorkle also talked about another factor that will help them in the competition. "Our life experiences will bring a lot to the table," McCorkle said. "There won't be anybody in this race that has been through what we've been through."

The Army helicopter flown by Young and fellow Chief Warrant Officer David S. Williams was shot down during heavy fighting in central Iraq in the early days of the war.

The men and several other American military personnel were rescued by a group of Marines after three weeks of captivity, when the Iraqis guarding them abandoned their positions.

The Amazing Race will follow McCorkle and Young and other couples as they compete in different challenges around the globe. The last team to arrive at the various pre-determined stopping points may be eliminated from the race. Eliminations continue until only three teams remain. In the last stage of the race, the first team to arrive at the final destination wins $1 million dollars.

The Amazing Race season will begin March 1 at 9 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
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Aaron Earls is a writer in North Greenville College's public relations office.