James Davis, 27, the Chippendale dancer who grew up in Jefferson and now lives in Las Vegas, attributed all his positive moments to the good friends he had back in Jefferson.
“I couldn’t have done all the things I’ve done without the support of friends and family back home,” he said in a Dec. 11 interview with The Lincoln County News.
Davis and his work partner Jaymes Vaughn did not win the most recent challenge on “The Amazing Race” but will drive away from his adventure with a new SUV, a Ford Escape and what he described as an incredible experience.
Davis and Vaughn made it to the finals of the top-rated television show that was aired Dec. 2, flying to Spain to compete with three other teams.
The competition moved to France and then to New York City, where Davis and Vaughn were “left at the boardwalk once everyone else found the clue and sped off to the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” according to the website at cbsnews.com. “Finally, they saw the poster – which was right in front of where they were standing – and followed suit.”
All four teams arrived at their final destination, the United Nations, together but when the last challenge was completed, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, known as the Beekman Boys, were the million-dollar winners, leaving Davis and Vaughn in second place.
In an interview at poptower.com prior to the finale, Davis said he dances and plays guitar for the all-male review.
When asked what he hoped to accomplish in “The Amazing Race” Davis said he was looking for “incredible memories” and “that fat stock of cash.”
“We were hoping to help Jaymes’ father fight cancer,” Davis said. We were racing to help out our families.” He said he had hoped to use some of the million-dollar winnings to buy a house and car for his mother, a special education teacher in the Bath school district.
He has since given his second place prize to his mother. “Now she has a car, thank goodness,” he said.
Davis was born in Connecticut moved to Jefferson at age 5. He attended Jefferson Village School and Erskine Academy. Following his sophomore year the family moved to Las Vegas where he finished high school.
“I’ve always been a music fanatic and played guitar,” he said. When, in 2007, he learned that the Las Vegas-based Chippendale troup was looking for a guitarist to join their European tour, Davis mentioned it to Vaughn, a dancer he knew from working at the same places in Las Vegas. The two decided to apply for spots with the all-male dance review and were accepted for the tour.
“It was good having a friend to go along with me,” Davis said. “Now we’ve been there almost six years.”
When Vaughn received a message through the social networking site, Facebook, last April, asking the pair to join the upcoming series of “The Amazing Race,” they questioned the legitimacy of the invitation.
After calling the network, they realized that the request was real.
“We were freaking out,” he said. “This was amazing. We jumped at the opportunity. It’s a nine-time Emmy award-winning show for a good reason.”
Davis said the combination of the travel opportunity and the show’s fast pace and exhilarating, adrenaline-pumping adventure added up to “one big life-changing experience.”
“You’d be hard put to find a more life altering experience,” he said. “It’s a lot more physically grueling than the show lets on.”
Now that his adventure is over, Davis said he was happy to return to the Rio Hotel, where Chippendales has operated its flagship show since 2000.
He said he was proud of his chance to compete with the other “Amazing Race” teams, who exhibited so many fine attributes.
“Tenacity, true love. It was anyone’s race at any time. Crossing the finish line – it was such a close race,” he said. “The teams we competed with were incredible.”
“I’m incredibly grateful for this experience,” Davis said. “I want to say hey to all my former Jefferson Charger classmates. I appreciate all the kind words of support.”
