‘The Amazing Race’ features intriguing local duo
Birth mom and Cumming resident Andie DeKroon with her daughter, UGA student Jenna Sykes
Over nine years, CBS’s “The Amazing Race” has cast plenty of parent-child combos. None have won the million dollars.
And none have a story quite like Georgia residents Andie DeKroon and Jenna Sykes.
Cumming resident DeKroon had an unplanned pregnancy at age 22. Unmarried, she elected to give Sykes to an adoptive family. Over the next two decades, she had ten kids she is raising with her husband Joe, an IT consultant.
In 2008, University of Georgia student Sykes decided she wanted to know her birth mom. DeKroon agreed.
For the next 18 months, they wrote old-fashioned letters. No emails or phone calls.
“Jenna’s mom knew her child,” DeKroon said. “She needed to be eased into a relationship.”
“I was very overwhelmed just knowing her name,” Sykes said. “Taking it slow by letter worked for me.”
On September 27, 2009, Jenna posted a seemingly innocuous Twitter feed: “Watching The Amazing Race… Wish I could do it!”
DeKroon, also a fan of the show, had an idea. They had not yet met in person. But they both had an adventurous streak. DeKroon thought, “Why not make the show an opportunity to get to really know each other in an unusual yet meaningful way?”
The pair recorded separate audition tapes and combined them. “When we saw each other’s tape, that was the first time we heard each other’s voices,” DeKroon said.
In March, they decided to have the families meet all at once at DeKroon’s home for the first time. “Everything was really really natural,” Sykes said. “There was never an awkward moment, even when all 10 kids came running at me.” Later that month, they met again to interview in Los Angeles to get on the show.
Six weeks later, CBS placed them on the cast for the show’s 17th edition. Soon after, they were traveling around the world. Though they can’t yet detail what happened or whether they’ve won the million, both said the experience was indeed amazing.
“We got to spend this time together 24/7 under these crazy circumstances,” Sykes said. “We got to know each other in a way no other birth parent and child has ever gotten to know each other. There were no distractions from every day life.”
CBS did not allow DeKroon to contact her other family members at all during the three-plus weeks of the race. The producers would merely tell her husband weekly that she was alive.
“As hard as it was,” DeKroon said, “getting to spend time with my first born after 21 years of wondering about her was priceless.”
Learn more about them here at the CBS website.
On TV
“The Amazing Race,” 8 p.m. Sundays on CBS
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
accessAtlanta Partner Sites
Sections
Advertise on accessAtlanta.com »
Reach the audience you want by advertising on accessAtlanta.com
Join the Access Atlanta Network »
Advertisers and Publishers, expand your reach by joining the Access Atlanta Network.
Tell us what you think about the site
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement | About our ads
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
51 comments Add your comment
G5
September 23rd, 2010
7:14 am
I haven’t watched Amazing Race in years, but this story line may change my mind.
RealTimShady
September 23rd, 2010
7:51 am
There is something heartwarming about this story, but there is also something heartbreaking to me.
I would like to know what the adoptive parents are feeling.
Mr G
September 23rd, 2010
8:14 am
Nice story and looking forward to yet another “Amazing” season of “Amazing Race”, one of the best shows on TV.
Rodney Ho
September 23rd, 2010
8:38 am
@RealTimeShady. Shouldn’t be heartbreaking at all. The adoptive parents were supportive of this, according to both Jenna and Kandie.
holland
September 23rd, 2010
8:46 am
SOOOO excited about this! I am a huge TAR fan and am really excited for the season to start!!! Whoo hoo!
5150 P.O.A.D.
September 23rd, 2010
9:13 am
Love this show. My mother met her sister years ago that was put up for adotion. They don’t have much contact now, but they did enjoy learning how the other did in life. Glad all involven in this story get to have a realtionship again.
LRM216
September 23rd, 2010
9:55 am
I’m with RealTimShady – I am a mother and a grand-mother, and while I am so happy for Jenna that she has this “open space” in her life now filled (and what truly wonderful, loving parents she was raised by), it still saddens me that her birth mother, after 10 kids of her own, still “needed to be eased into a relationship.” Never having walked in her mother’s shoes, I certainly have no right to judge what she did or didn’t feel or do; however, my heart still feels a bit of sting for Jenna. Just me – please no rants – I’ll get over it, lol!
mar1jdh
September 23rd, 2010
10:08 am
@LRM216 – The story says it as the daughter who needed to be eased into the relationship, not the birth mother.
Sushi'sMom
September 23rd, 2010
10:14 am
@LRM216 – read the article again; it was the daughter’s choice to ease into the relationship, not the birth mother’s. And you’re right, none of us have a right to judge. . .
LG
September 23rd, 2010
10:15 am
LRM216 – you need to go back and reread the article. It wasn’t the birth mom that needed to be eased into a relationship – it was Jenna. I think the sentence that got you confused is the one talking about Jenna’s mom – but it was referring to Jenna’s adoptive mom.
CONFUSED
September 23rd, 2010
10:15 am
I am confused LRM216. I thought the article said that Jenna needed to be eased into the relationship – not Andie. And aren’t most adoptive mothers grateful for the birthmother? I sure as heck am!!!! Go Jenna and Andie! I hope you win!
LRM216
September 23rd, 2010
10:25 am
I did mis-read it. Awwwww – I feel my spirits lifted!!! Thank you all – for pointing that out!
rl3808
September 23rd, 2010
10:38 am
My daughter goes to school with Jenna; From my daughters account (I trust her judgement) Jenna is a magnificent young woman. Jenna has been an inspiration to my daughter. I hope they win.
Rusty
September 23rd, 2010
10:39 am
I have known Andie since we were 5 years old. She is truly a remarkable person and I am glad this came together for her and her daughter.
WTF?
September 23rd, 2010
10:49 am
She gives up 1 child to adoption so she can have 10! That’s effed up.
Old Man Tate
September 23rd, 2010
10:52 am
What if the Mom decided to have ANOTHER child during the taping of this show? It could happen….she has been spitting kids out at a phenomenal rate!
xynox
September 23rd, 2010
10:54 am
So…Does she tell people she has 10 or 11 kids?
Stonethrower
September 23rd, 2010
11:03 am
Why do people insist on referring to parents who adopt children as the “adoptive parent”? I don’t refer to my daughter as my “adopted daughter”. She is my daughter and my wife and I are the only father and mother she knows.
CONFUSED
September 23rd, 2010
11:04 am
@WTF? – She says in the article she gave up Jenna because she was unmarried. Maybe she was married when she had the rest of them?
RealHousewifeGA
September 23rd, 2010
11:07 am
@stonethrower – I think they are using the “adoptive parent” verbage to just keep the two mothers straight in the article!:)
Rob
September 23rd, 2010
11:18 am
I saw this story in the Forsyth County paper…3 days ago. Way to be on the ball AJC
Andie
September 23rd, 2010
11:22 am
Hi all! Thanks for your support! Rodney – great job on the article – thank you! In answer to everyone else’s questions, I felt Jenna deserved what I had growing up – two, loving married parents. That is why I chose her family for her. Later, I married and began having children of my own to raise. We are practicing Catholics, so yes I ended up with a big family compared to most! But my husband and I love kids and love being parents, so it works for us. Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we were all the same? In answer to xynox – I say 10. Jenna’s parents are 100% her parents and always will be. Sometimes, if I know someone well, I’ll tell them about her (and now of course, it’s “public”) and my children have always known about her and prayed for her, so they were excited to finally meet her. She will always be a huge part of our hearts. But she has a Dad and Momma she loves very much and my meeting her doesn’t change that. Our two families know this is an odd situation, but we hope it will be an example to others how to treat each other and how with love you can overcome any difficult situation. The word seems overused lately due to the Race, but life truly is AMAZING!
stinger
September 23rd, 2010
12:29 pm
both you guys are gorgeous and seem like great people. all the best!
LRM216
September 23rd, 2010
12:36 pm
Win, win, win, Andie and Jenna! (hey, you two are already winners no matter what comes of the show!)
Michelle
September 23rd, 2010
1:05 pm
Wow – what a great story!!! We DVR’d the first episode – can’t wait to watch. Andie – we will be rooting for the two of you!!!
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
September 23rd, 2010
1:57 pm
We love the amazing race and watch it every season. That is such a touching story. I am totally crying!
war eagle
September 23rd, 2010
2:03 pm
10 kids! The husband must be hard of hearing-Andie said go BOWLING!
Connie
September 23rd, 2010
2:25 pm
Beautiful story for all involved. All are adults and made a decision that seems to be what they thought was best for everyone. Truly an inspiring story for others that have been through something similar. Best of luck and blessings to all of you in the race and in your future! I will be watching!
RinTin
September 23rd, 2010
2:39 pm
You guys misread (or was it an unclear antecedent) the meaning of the statement about needing to be eased into the relationship. It wasn’t Andie that needed easing into it; it was Jenna. Going from the understanding of oneself as an only child to the realization that one has 10 half-siblings is a huge adjustment. It was tremendously respectful for the birth mom to respect the adoptive mom’s wishes in this situation and and to acknowledge that Jenna is best known by the one who mothered her, not just birthed her, and that’s her adoptive mom. Andie is a remarkable woman. Take it from one who knows first hand.
NiceDawgDeux
September 23rd, 2010
3:25 pm
I have known Jenna and her parents for 12 years and they are all great people. I wish only the best for all of them and best to Andie, for making the right decisions and what will be the daventure of a lifetime. God Bless!
Key Man
September 23rd, 2010
3:27 pm
Michelle: I thought the first episode comes on Sept 26. I want one of your DVR’s or did you mean you plan to record the first episode?
Amanda Smith
September 23rd, 2010
4:12 pm
I am 20 years old and I had an abortion yesterday. Seeing this video makes me really regret it.
LRM216
September 23rd, 2010
4:14 pm
It was me,RinTin – I screwed up and some other posters were kind enough to let me know I misread it the first time. Having read it correctly the SECOND time, I then understood I had mixed Andie and Jenna up! Thank you though! No matter – may two great women win this race!
Amanda Smith
September 23rd, 2010
4:24 pm
I’m so sad today. These women are so beautiful and inspirational. I only wish I had heard their story two days ago.
Lifetime of happiness
September 23rd, 2010
5:25 pm
May their relationship continue to blossom into a lifetime of happiness. I will be cheering for the ladies during the broadcast of TAR. Good article Rodney !
anna
September 23rd, 2010
11:29 pm
jenna, you are the most amazing cousin ever!! i cant believe how much we have both grown up. i cant wait to watch you on the show and see you soon. i love you so much!!
GO JENNA AND ANDREA!
Eliana - Cumming, GA
September 23rd, 2010
11:38 pm
If you knew this beautiful, loving, Christian woman you would be ashamed of yourself for thinking anything less of her. We should all strive to be more like her. Andie, we will be watching you and Jenna and wishing you the best of luck. Beautiful article, beautiful woman, beautiful daughter.
dave
September 24th, 2010
2:45 pm
This is disturbing to me. The Adoptive mother must have felt saddened that her daughter did not want to go on the show with her. It woud bother me if my adoptive child did not want me to come with her oon the show
dave
September 24th, 2010
2:49 pm
This is disturbing to me. The Adoptive mother must have felt saddened that her daughter did not want to go on the show with her. It woud bother me if my adoptive child did not want me to come with her on the show
Life. What a beautiful choice.
September 24th, 2010
3:19 pm
[...] I love this story about a mom (Andie DeKroon) who gave her daughter up for adoption. She was unmarried and 22 years old at the time. Later, God blessed her with 10 more children. [...]
Cynthia Wilkinson
September 24th, 2010
5:03 pm
May GOD bless both families.. this is a very touching story…
Life is a blessing and this just goes to show all of us how big of a blessing life really is…
Paul De Kroon
September 25th, 2010
12:57 pm
Amanda Smith, please don’t doubt God’s love for you, and please don’t doubt your baby’s love for you. Choices in life are not always clear. Sometimes, doing the right thing DOES require the support of others. Amanda, please check out ramahinternational.org for support. You CAN rise with this. God is crying with you, and He does not condemn you but wants you to live! You’re in my prayers!
Andie’s my sister-in-law, and I’m very proud of her. Being open to life is not easy, and I’ve seen Andie’s strength and perseverance first-hand. I’m also very proud of my brother, Joe. Thank You, God!
TAR Fan
September 25th, 2010
1:42 pm
@dave – You have no proof that Jenna “did not want to go on the show with her”. This show has only cast three mother/ daughter teams in 16 seasons. There are over 20,000 applicants each season for 11 spots. The main reason Andie and Jenna were chosen is because of their unique relationship. A “regular” mother/ daughter such as Jenna and her Mom would have had a slim chance, so realistically, getting cast on the show with her Mom was probably not an option for Jenna. Also, it sounds like the whole point of doing the show for Andie and Jenna was to get time together, something Jenna and her Mom have already had for 21 years.
Noelle Martinez
September 25th, 2010
8:52 pm
I am distant “family” to the De Kroons. Andie, although we only met once, I cannot tell you how proud I am of you. It takes an “Amazing Mom” to be on the “Amazing Race.” I wish you, Joe, and the family nothing but the best! Oh, and my tribe of 4 will surely be watching tomorrow night! God bless!
WI Catholic
September 25th, 2010
11:36 pm
I, too, am an adoptive mother as well as a birthmother, my son having entered our family after we adopted our other two children. I, too, am a practicing Catholic. I, too, have supported my daughters in their desires to know their roots, and I can think only of how wonderful this opportunity was for Andie and Jenna to get to know each other.
There is no way that Andie can take Jenna’s Mom’s place. Jenna has had that love for her entire life, as well as her Dad’s. However, just as there is room in MY life, and in Andie’s and Joe’s for several children, there is room in Jenna’s life, and her parents, for her ‘birth mother’, or ‘first mother’.
Love is NOT something that is lessened when others enter our lives. It only increases, and adds more to our lives. Just as Andie could love each additional child, so can Jenna love two women who are the reason for her existence and her life. Each will be loved in a different way, and it does not need to threaten EITHER of them.
The desire to know our roots is something that is found in nearly every human being, hence the genealogical studies that people pursue. The desire to know HOW we got here is universal, I think. Most of us take it for granted, as we grow up listening to our parents/grandparents/aunts and uncles telling the stories that are family folklore. Adoptees hear OUR stories, and know that there is a missing part to theirs… and they just want to know what that story is. The relationship that builds as a result of reunion is an added blessing, when all goes well. Medical history is a VERY important part of the missing pieces, also.
It is very important for all of those who had a part in the decision that was made allow the ONE who had no choice to finally have a say in that aspect of their lives. Adoptive parents DO know their children, and they can help tremendously in making the reunion into a good one. Andie was wise in heeding the advice to take it slowly, and allow Jenna to take the lead. She will never be sorry.
Andie, Joe, Jenna, and Jenna’s Mom and Dad— may God bless you each abundantly!
Numbers 6:24-26.
Jenna… as the oldest of ten children, I can guarantee that your life will never be quiet from now on. =D
WI Catholic
September 25th, 2010
11:43 pm
@Amanda Smith I will keep you in prayer, dear one. Reach out to Rachel’s Vineyard, where they can help and support you in your sadness. Don’t try to do this alone. You will find loving, caring women there, many of whom have had to heal from the decision. You will not regret it.
http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/
Rebekah
September 26th, 2010
10:21 pm
Being a birthmom I think this is an amazing thing! How cool it would be to do something like this with my birthson someday! I will definitely be following the program.
Beth
September 27th, 2010
12:49 pm
Andie,
I am adopted and my birthmom and I met in 2007. She was 20, unwed and also Catholic and wanted more for me than she could give – including two loving parents who were married and could give me what she had growing up. She contacted me first and we exchanged a series of emails – mostly me requesting info confirmation so I could definitively say I was sure she was who she said she was. Once I established that she was absolutely my birthmother, I went to my parents to run it all by them before beginning any kind of relationship. …fast forward… Today, my parents and my birthmom’s family are about as close as any two families could be. I had a baby in 2008 and my birthmom and her husband are Godparents to my daughter – just another bond making our family that much stronger. I have one family which has always consisted of my, my parents and my brother, but has now grown to incorporate her family as well. And like you said, it is very natural.
That said, I am so thrilled to watch you and Jenna on the Race. It is one of my favorite shows as well and I am now living it through the two of you. Go team “Gilmore Girls”!!!
Mz.R - an AMR superfan
September 28th, 2010
12:51 pm
@WI Catholic
“Most of us take it for granted, as we grow up listening to our parents/grandparents/aunts and uncles telling the stories that are family folklore. Adoptees hear OUR stories, and know that there is a missing part to theirs… and they just want to know what that story is.”
Well said, thank you for that. As an adoptee it is one of those things I feel others don’t realize or understand.
I am a HUGE AMR fan and an so intrigued by this team and this season. In many ways it is as if watching my own fantasy realized.
e
September 28th, 2010
2:02 pm
nice