USA Network launched its newest survival competition series, “Race to Survive: Alaska,” on 3 April 2023. Eight teams of two took on the hardcore challenge of a 46-day, 300-mile race in volatile weather and inhospitable terrain for a chance to take home $500,000. With that much prize money at stake, viewers could expect the competition to be quite intense. In the Alaskan wilderness, however, it was not simply a race but a matter of survival, and this added a great deal of excitement to the reality show. The caliber of the contestants would have been top-notch for them to qualify in the game, so it would be pretty interesting to see how each team fared.

All about “Race to Survive: Alaska”

Over the course of 46 days, teams of two will have to traverse an unforgiving terrain from Ketchikan to Cordova and then up through the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, which is a chain of 55 smaller islands and 14 large volcano islands that extend 1,200 miles from the Alaskan Peninsula to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, without a chartered path, and survive off the land and with what they can carry on their backs. There are six races, and at the end of each one, they will find a crate with one less set of medallions, so the last team to arrive will be left with nothing, and therefore eliminated.

With the cast members having diverse skill sets, the production created the challenges taking that into account, and tried to find the median that would somehow even the playing field, at least initially. As the race progressed, they ramped up the challenges, and the survival skills, endurance, and mental toughness of the participants were greatly tested. The teams had some downtime, as they could only move forward for 12 hours each day, and then wait for the race to recommenc. Even if there were about 21 hours of light at that time in Alaska, they couldn’t keep going. However, essentially the game had no off button, as they were still out in the elements – there were no rooms provided where they could rest properly, comfortably. Once the signal was given that 12 hours had passed, they stopped wherever they might be at that point in the race.

They were given time to regroup at the end of each leg of the race at a survival camp. Those who arrived ahead of the others got first choice of the ideal spot to set up their shelter, and find resources. The teams were instructed to bring whatever they thought they would need for various outdoor activities. There were supplies, however, that were made mandatory by the production, particularly those that would keep them safe. Some packs were heavier than others, and perhaps this was part of a team’s strategy. Heavier ones might slow people down because they would tire more easily, but they had all their bases covered as they brought everything. Lighter ones might make them travel faster, but might lack something they would need later on.

Some said it was reminiscent of “Amazing Race” and “Survivor,” so viewers who watched these two reality game shows would have a fair idea of what it was going to be like. However, Executive Producer Alan Bishop, assured viewers that “Race to Survive: Alaska” had achieved ‘the pure expression of man vs. the wild environment like no other series.’

The production scouted various locations, not just to provide a different kind of challenge at each leg of the race, but also to ensure that every episode had a unique look, feel, and tone, keeping in mind the safety of the cast and crew. That said, bears are a constant threat, and the cast was trained extensively in bear awareness. The weather was also unpredictable, even if they filmed during summer, as they still had days when it rained and even snowed.

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Meet the teams

The TV series executive producer reported that the contestants were painstakingly chosen, to ensure that each of them had the essential skills to make it through the race, such as rappelling, rock climbing, swimming, and kayaking. It was paramount that they had navigational skills too, meaning that they could find their way across rough country to various checkpoints using a compass and a map.

The initial pool of 14 teams underwent a pre-boot camp in Leavenworth, Washington State, and skills-based training to assess the degree of competency, and were ranked on a scale of one to five. After that, the production reduced the number to eight teams based on what they wanted for the TV show. Those chosen went through a more serious boot camp in Ketchikan, Alaska. Here are the eight teams that participated in “Race to Survive: Alaska” and some spoilers on their adventures from a couple of episodes that were aired:

Jeff and Hunter Leininger – Father and son duo

53-year-old Jeff might be the oldest contestant, and his 21-year-old son Hunter the youngest, but no one should discount them because both had been going on adventure races for most of their lives. Hunter believed that this prepared them for participating in what he called a ‘dream adventure’ that challenged them like never before; this pushed him way out of his comfort zone. His dad was the one he would trust most with his life on this toughest race across Alaska.

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Hunter was only seven when he joined a six-hour race, and he’d been hooked ever since. The appeal of adventure racing when he was young was that he could race with his father. He was 11 when he became the National Record holder for the youngest racer to finish the 2012 US Adventure Racing Association (USARA) 24-Hour Nationals in New York. He set a World Record as the youngest finisher at 13 in the 72-Hour Sea to Sea Expedition Race in Florida (2009), and 16 in the Adventure Racing World Series Championship in Wyoming (2017). The secret, he said, was to never give up, even when the going got tough, or he was in a lot of pain.

Jeff might have the right experience to back him up, as he’d participated in over 100 Endurance Races, but it seemed that in getting old, he’d developed some fears that made him hesitate in taking on some of the obstacles, knowing that one mistake could cost them the race. He struggled walking through the marshes, as his foot got stuck in a muddy sinkhole a few times. He also accidentally nicked his knuckle with the blunt side of an axe as he was hammering a spike on a tarp, causing it to bleed.

Brett Gatten and Esther Sanderlin – Dating for two years

Shortly after relocating to Alaska, Brett met Esther through a dating app, and they hit it off as in sharing a passion for the outdoors. As she greeted him on his birthday on Instagram, she called him her favorite mountain man and said, ‘We’ve been on so many adventures already, and I’ve loved everyone of them!!! You truly are my perfect match, with your adventurous spirit, drive, patience, goofiness, competitiveness and spunk!!’ He’s competed in Olympic Track Triathlons, while she’s a Champion Dog Sledder and a bush pilot. She has three kids from a previous marriage, but are both divorcees who found another chance at love, and have been dating for two years, the majority of which they’ve spent hunting, fishing, and going on snowmobile rides.

Both were in their 40s when they joined the ultimate adventure in “Race to Survive: Alaska.” The two carried 78-pound packs, heavier than anybody else’s, and it seemed to create a problem for them considering that it was the hottest time of the year in Alaska at 82F degrees. On top of that, they were a bit overdressed, so it wasn’t a surprise when Esther was heard saying repeatedly that it was really hot, and she needed electrolytes. Brett, however, just wanted to keep going, perhaps not realizing that Esther’s condition was becoming serious.

Esther passed out from severe heatstroke, and viewers could hear one of the First Responders saying that she was unresponsive. She was airlifted from the race and taken to a hospital, where she stayed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for three days, fortunately making a full recovery.

Wilson and Oliver Hoogendorn – Inupiaq brothers

Wilson is a 23-year-old gold diver, while his older brother, 25-year-old Oliver, is a commercial fisherman. The two were natives of Nome, Alaska, so it was like they had home-field advantage. If that wasn’t enough to give them an edge over the other teams, then being the first Native Alaskan team to reach the summit of Denali in 13 days, and to ski down from the highest peak in just one day should do it. The Inupiaq brothers won over viewers quickly, as they gave off positive and fun vibes; it was a survival race, but they seemed to be having the time of their lives. Wilson is keen on experiencing new things, and likely to dive head-first into danger, while Oliver is the voice of reason.

Max Djenohan and Christian Junkar – Outdoor enthusiasts

33-year-old Max was not new to surviving in the wilderness, as he’d previously appeared in multiple seasons of Discovery Channel’s “Naked and Afraid.” He spent 156 days naked on four continents, and was only provided with a satchel and allowed to bring with him one useful item, such as a fire starter or a machete to survive. This meant that he had a great chance at winning this race, as he not only had a partner, but also a backpack full of things he would need. 25-year-old Christian is an experienced ice climber with excellent navigational skills, having worked as a mountain guide. The two met through a common friend; both are opinionated so it’s expected that they will butt heads during this race.

Cason and Bella Crane – Brother and sister duo

Cason, 29, and his 25-year-old sister Bella are Ivy League graduates. Their mother, Isabella de la Houssaye, had participated in the Ironman World Championships and completed 50 marathons in just about 50 states. After she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the age of 54, she went on an adventure with each of her five kids. She took Bella with her to climb Mount Aconcagua, and she and Cason ran a marathon in Alaska.

The siblings are very much into outdoor adventures. Cason is the first openly gay mountaineer to successfully climb the highest mountains of each of the continents, referred to as the Seven Summits, and plant the Pride Flag at the age of 20. This was a goal of the Rainbow Summits Project that he launched to raise awareness and funds for the American non-profit organization called The Trevor Project, which was focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. On her own, Bella completed the Pacific Crest Trail, which is a 4,000km-long hiking trail with elevation that ranges from 110 feet above sea level to about 13,000 fee,t, 4,000 meters and passes through seven national parks and 25 national forests. The siblings hoped to make their family proud, and show the world what they were capable of, considering their background.

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!!! #RacetoSurvive on @USANetwork at 11pm ET!!! #CraneNation #CasonandBella pic.twitter.com/Oa67woAWyb

— Cason Crane (@casoncrane) April 3, 2023

Genevive Walker and Favia Dubyk – Rock-climbing duo

Genevive, 33, is a wilderness first responder as well as a certified rock-climbing guide and instructor. She joined the Rock Guide Course, an affinity program of the American Mountain Guides Association, to hone her skills in various terrains, rope management, efficient transitions, and self-rescue. Self-discovery is a lifelong journey for her, as she admitted to having a never-ending battle with her own identity, saying, ‘Never felt black enough or white enough so mixed was my default.’

She met Favia, who is a year older than her, at a rock-climbing festival, and it appeared that they bonded over wanting to create and establish space for black female climbers. Favia is a physician and a professional rock climber – for seven years, she held the 100-meter track record at Harvard University. Her story was quite inspiring, because she went through a lot from being an athlete to being bedridden as she had advanced-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and underwent chemotherapy. After she recovered, she proceeded to get her athleticism bac, and competed in the “American Ninja Warrior,” an entertainment sports reality show. She didn’t want to have any regrets, and became highly motivated to live life to the fullest.

Robin Moore and Elizabeth Killham – New friends

The two women met in Egypt, as they were having a grand time skydiving over the Great Pyramids. As they shared a passion for outdoor adventure, it didn’t take much for them to want to join “Race to Survive: Alaska,” which would certainly test their survival skills. Robin, 45, is a licensed pilot, who took on the mountaineering challenge of the Seven Summits. Elizabeth, 36, had backpacked her way around the globe. Both women worked in the medical field, with Elizabeth as a veterinarian and Robin as an ER doctor.

Hakim Isler and Justice Norman – Martial arts enthusiasts

Some described the team of Hakim and Justice as the most unusual. Hakim, 45, is an army veteran who was deployed in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, serving in Special Operations Forces as Psychological Operations Sergeant. He was dubbed the “Black MacGyver” because of his know-how of primitive survival skills, and this was tested when he participated in the challenge of surviving the wilderness with the barest of essentials in Discovery Channel’s “Naked and Afraid” – Hakim taught this particular skill set to veterans who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He was reported to be a bona fide ninja as well, having earned a 5th Degree Black Belt in To-Shin Do or Ninja Self Defense. He talked about the history of ninjas in Discovery Channel’s “Unsolved History.”

For years, Justice, 38, practiced the Indonesian Martial Art of Merpati Putih. He met Hakim when the latter enrolled in a course on how to perceive things without using one’s eyes. When the two joined hands in “Race to Survive: Alaska,” they called themselves team ninja, as Hakim explained that ninja meant one who persevered or endured. They aimed to show everyone what people with a background in martial arts discipline were capable of.

Since “Race to Survive Alaska” is still ongoing, it will be interesting to see how the relationship between the two people on each team evolves as the race progresses, and the pressure to win possibly becomes too much for them. Will some teams form alliances, or will they be too wary of each other, not wanting to be with a team that slows them down, or gets the better of them? With each episode, viewers will get a chance to know each individual, as more of their personalities is revealed.

The difficulties that these teams face are all too real, as one team was eliminated during the premiere episode, not by finishing last on the first leg of the race, but because someone from that team was rushed to the hospital for a medical emergency. The first couple of episodes that were aired might have shown which teams were leading in the race, however, as there are still many adventure challenges ahead in the most extreme terrain in the world, anything can happen, and most likely will!

Paul Teutul Sr. was one of the most recognized faces in the motorcycle-building industry, and this was made possible through the popularity of his reality television series “American Chopper.” The crowd cheered for him and his son Paulie or Paul Jr., in every bike convention that they participated in, and some of the most high-profile motorcycle enthusiasts around the world ordered a chopper from his New York shop, Orange County Choppers. The business empire that he created from the ground up reached the pinnacle of success, and should have made his family closer and unified than ever, as most of them contributed to the family’s hard-earned triumph, but sad to say, it went the opposite way. Paul Sr. mentioned during the early years of the Teutuls’ success that he would often wonder as to what would be the ultimate cost of that fame.

All about Paul Teutul Sr. and his volatile upbringing

Aside from his amazing bike-building skills, Paul Sr. gained worldwide recognition due to his turbulent relationship with his son, which was witnessed by millions of viewers in their reality TV show. While some insisted that it stemmed from the TV show’s writer’s imagination, those who personally knew Paul Sr. would say otherwise. Some of them weren’t shocked at the level of intensity and ferocity of the fights.

His childhood in a chaotic home

Paul Sr. was born with a middle name, John, which made him an official junior as his father was named Paul John Teutul, but he only found out about it when he applied for a passport. His parents never told him about it, so that they could easily distinguish between father and son; it was quite confusing but he said that was how it had always been with their family. His father was German-Austrian, while his mother was pure Italian, and his grandparents from both sides were European immigrants who lived in New York City before settling down in Yonkers.

Corporal punishment was the norm back then, and his parents took it to the extreme as they used a cat o’ nine tails to beat him and his sisters each time they made a mistake that angered them. He recalled that his stay-at-home mother certainly knew what buttons to push when his father came home from work, and so they ended up receiving more beating. It was always a case of a ‘damn if you do and damn if you don’t’ situation – if he was hit without doing anything wrong that day, his father would just tell him to consider it as punishment for a future mistake.

They invented the word dysfunctional

Paul Sr.’s grandfather was successful, and owned houses in the neighborhood that he’d built with his own hands. His mantra was work, work, and more work, and this was his legacy to his clan. While Paul Sr.’s father was a hard worker too, he wasn’t good in business, and failed twice with his investments. As a result, his father was highly dependent on his grandfather, and that made his mom angry; she hated the control that her father-in-law had over her husband. It created a rift in the family, and his mom forbade them to go near their grandparents, which they often disobeyed, and were caught sneaking to eat with their grandmother who lived a block away.

Their house was a battlefield, a picture of chaos, as he grew up listening to so much yelling and screaming. He and his siblings weren’t close, and didn’t look out for each other because they were all afraid to make a mistake. To make matters worse, his mother was a closet alcoholic, while his father would also drink, although he never once saw him drunk. The vicious cycle in their home was that his mother would drink all night and then fight with his father when he returned from work. When it was daytime, she would be asleep and his father would leave to work only to return home to more fighting with his mother. In 1978, his mother died of cirrhosis of the liver.

Meet the Teutuls

Growing up in such a violent environment, Paul Sr. made a vow that his family life would be different. Despite the miserable marriage that his parents had, he still believed in marriage, and wasn’t deterred at all to build a family when he found the right woman for him.

Paul met Paula

After his nine-month stint in military service with a merchant marine ship called Enid Victory, he reconnected with an Italian high school classmate, Paula Leonardo, and they were married in 1972. While he wanted to settle down and start a family, he continued to mess around for a few years, and did odd jobs. His drinking escalated, and Paul Sr. sported a whiskey buzz while working diligently for Metropolitan Tobacco.

It was also during that time when he learned to ride a motorcycle and was hooked. Paula said that when she met Paul Sr. in high school, he wasn’t as angry then. However, she described him as someone ‘between a lost puppy and the kind of guy you wouldn’t want your daughter to date,’ but he charmed her. They went through many hardships in life, but he never gave up. Back then, she already knew something was wrong with their marriage but couldn’t figure out what it was exactly. She was determined to make it work, however, and took it as her responsibility to fix it.

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The Teutul children: Paulie, Danny, Mikey, and Cristin

While Paul was determined to keep his habits from his wife, Paula eventually realized that he was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Her motivation to stay together as a family was their children, and she knew she had to be strong for everyone. At that time they already had three sons, six-year-old Paul Jr, four-year-old Daniel, and two-year-old Michael. Their only daughter, Cristin, arrived in 1982 when Paul was already in his sophomore year in recovery. Amidst the pain and the confusion that she underwent during the early years, she relied on the eldest son, Paulie, and this somehow took away his childhood, even if he was known to have been the mischievous child who could get away with everything. He was popular in school, the captain of the football team, and the creative one in the family who loved tinkering and experimenting, like his old man.

Of the four Teutul children, it was Danny who was the most responsible, and the one who did great in school. Just like Paulie, he was also into football and became a quarterback for the varsity team. Mikey was the laid-back son who was contented to be just a part of whatever his brothers were doing. Cristin was the daughter and sister they all prayed for. The boys complained that she was such a spoiled girl, but in reality, they were the ones who really showered her with time and attention. She was a social butterfly in high school, but studied hard in college and was rewarded with a nursing degree.

How Paul Sr. built his bike-building empire

Looking back, Paul Teutul Sr. never thought that it would have been possible for a dysfunctional family of bike builders to end up as popular TV stars.

Started with a welding shop where he customized his first chopper

With all the booze and drugs, most people in their neighborhood including former teachers voted that Paul Sr. would end up as a loser, if not for the welding skills he developed after the elective course he took up in high school. He initially worked at his brother-in-law’s welding shop, but it went bankrupt. He then worked for a few local shops, but realized that he was the type of person who needed to be his own boss, because he couldn’t take orders. He took a risk by investing in welding equipment, and offered his services around the community from his truck. Eventually he expanded, and opened up a shop that flourished, as he kept receiving work until he met a smart guy named Fred who became his partner – the name of the shop was P&F Welding. Aside from being an expert in steel fabrication, Fred was also into motorcycles, so Paul learned so much from him, working with steel frames and building just about every part of a motorcycle. It was then that he customized his own Harley, and felt great about it.

From a small welding shop into a 10,000-square-foot Orange County Ironworks

Paul and Fred had a falling out after their shop burned down due to an accident. When Fred opted out, Paul picked up the pieces and opened up his own shop, Paul’s Welding. Soon, his sons worked in the shop as well, and it was then that he realized that Paulie had a gift for steel fabrication, after he’d finished a vocational course in welding, but all the Teutul children started at the bottom of the company doing odd jobs. The company was renamed Orange County Iron in 1986, after Paul Sr. bought a 7,000-square-foot shop in Montgomery, New York. There was a huge demand for iron-related products, so he expanded again, and relocated to a 10,000-square-foot warehouse to accommodate all the orders that they received. In 2004, the company had another rebranding and restructuring made by his second son, Danny, Orange County Ironworks.

The hobby turned into Orange County Choppers

Paul Sr. and Paulie shared a common interest in motorcycles. When Paul Sr. was caught by the bike-building bug, he took his eldest son with him. At that time, he was already divorced and was living alone in an apartment. When he started building a bike, he would call on Paulie to help him out. Eventually, in 1999, they co-founded Orange County Choppers in Newburgh. Initially, they had a hard time promoting their brand, but through hard work and amazing craftsmanship, their choppers were eventually noticed through word of mouth. While they were slowly becoming recognized in the bike-building industry, it hadn’t translated to profit. They needed a boost, as had happened to Jesse James who paved the way for chopper builders to attract global recognition through “Monster Garage.”

“American Chopper”

The Teutul’s time to shine came when Discovery Channel offered them a reality TV show of their own, “American Chopper.” After they watched the pilot episode, they couldn’t help but blame each other for doing something that they believed would ruin their reputation and eventually their business – they were annoyed that the producers hadn’t editing out all the fights and intense yelling between father and son in the episode that aired. Paul Sr. threatened the producer that he would go to Los Angeles just to beat him up – the producer said to wait for the result. The next day, they were shocked at the high TV ratings the pilot episode achieved; even the servers of their website broke down, because they couldn’t handle the influx of messages they received because of the TV show. From then on, each Monday night millions of viewers would tune in to Discovery Channel to see their work on building beautiful customized choppers, and at the same time be fascinated with the family drama that rivaled popular daytime soaps.

What had been the ultimate cost of the Teutul fame?

Paul Sr. already knew back then that the kind of popularity and success that his family achieved would surely cost him something valuable. It was just too late when he realized that fame would break his family apart.

Design time is over, time to BUILD!#OCC #PaulSr #CustomChopper #Custom #Motorcycles #Build #AndSoItBegins pic.twitter.com/lbI7mxNRIb

— Paul Teutul Sr (@paulteutulsr) February 16, 2022

The very public termination of his eldest son’s services

Discovery Channel executives salivated in their offices when Paul Sr. and Paulie unleashed their infamous tempers in one of the episodes in the sixth season of “American Choppers”, as they imagined the kind of boost it would gain them in the ratings; other members of the Teutul family were worried that it would be the last time they would see the two together.

Many viewers thought that it was scripted, because they found it unthinkable that Paul Sr. would fire his only son, who co-founded the customization shop business that put the Teutul family on the bike-building map. Father and son argued about work attitude and habits. They yelled at each other at the top of their lungs. Paulie Sr insisted that his son Paulie follow his way of doing things such as being early coming to the shop. The son justified his tardiness, as he said that it didn’t matter if he came in late because, at the end of the day, he didn’t go home without finishing his work. The moment that led to his firing was after he uttered the line, ‘the shop would have been burned to the ground without me,’ and then he threw a chair in his father’s office out of frustration. He also reminded his father that he technically didn’t work for him since he co-founded the shop, and so was a business partner.

Lawyers made some modifications to the Teutuls’ contract, so Paulie could still appear in the TV show after he was fired by his father. It allowed father and son to continue working and filming, but never together, so avoiding more problems. However, after that season, Paulie left the show.

Paul Sr. and Paulie filed lawsuits

When the Teutuls’ contract was modified and made Paulie an independent contractor, it also affected the 20% shares that the father gave his son when they co-founded Orange County Choppers; Paul Sr. was given the option to buy him out. In May 2009, he had the shares appraised at zero percent value, and tried to have them returned by his son, but Paulie ignored his demands, which led him to file a lawsuit against his son. Paulie countersued, and to his delight, the lower court ruled in his favor. The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals, and his son won the appeal too – the appellate judge declared that the buyout was invalid.

Mikey tried to fix the rift in the family

After joining the business as the assistant general manager, Mikey witnessed the deterioration of the relationship between his father and eldest brother. He tried his best to fix the problem by mediating between them, but it was futile. He had enough problems of his own to deal with, because he’d checked into a rehabilitation facility to work on his alcohol addiction – apparently, he’d inherited this Teutul problem. Sometime before “American Chopper” ended, Mikey was forced out of the business by Paul Sr., stating that he had been given many options to be successful, but he never did. He later on joined Paulie’s company.

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The lawsuits that were filed affected the family in many ways. Paul Sr. didn’t attend the wedding of his son Paulie, even though invited. Everyone thought that the drama between the Teutul family wouldn’t end, but time heals all wounds, and eventually they all moved on. Father and son even worked together in a spin-off series called “American Chopper: Sr. vs Jr.” but never on any bike-build project, to avoid confrontations. It lasted for four seasons, and when they did a reboot called “American Chopper: The Last Ride” in 2020, everyone had mellowed down. Paulie just wanted to enjoy quality time with his father for one last time, so he agreed to everything that Paul Sr. wanted, just as when they’d created their first bike together.

Marjorie has been in the spotlight in one way or another since the late ‘90s, and while she may nowadays appear to be just another Hollywood wife with a classic day-to-day life of glamour and massive spending, many would be shocked to know that she may also have helped operate a drug ring involving millions of dollars.

The mention of her name will conjure up the wholesome family photos of her, Steve Harvey and their children, while the shadow of her dark past lays buried deep beneath public information and common knowledge. Conversely, one can’t be blamed for not being aware of who she used to be, since Marjorie has gone to great lengths in order to hide her skeletons.

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Unfortunately for her public image, Marjorie’s former partners in crime are still around to this day, with a big story to share. It’s also possible that her former drug kingpin ex-husband is simply looking to pick a publicity crumb, since having been associated with Marjorie is his only public claim to fame. Regardless of his incentive, the narrative he alleges fits with certain case files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The cocaine princess

Marjorie Elaine Bridges was born under the sign of Libra on 10 October 1964, in Memphis, Tennessee USA, to mixed-race parentage – her Caucasian mother Doris Bridges, and African-American father of an unknown name and profession. As for any difficulties that may have nudged her in the wrong direction, all sources point to her having a relatively normal childhood.

Her education is thought to have been somewhat extensive, but the details on this are muddy. Some believe that she enrolled into the University of Memphis following matriculation, but there’s no telling what she studied there, or whether she ever graduated. Marjorie herself, understandably, doesn’t particularly enjoy detailing her past to the media.

The slip into criminality

Whatever job she may have taken after college, the subsequent events in Marjorie’s life led her to the company of a certain Jim Townsend, who was making really good money at the time and had wide social influence. It was later determined that this power came from the extensive drug ring that made him Memphis’ cocaine kingpin.

It is not entirely clear how Marjorie and Jim met, but it’s possible that they may have been through mutual acquaintances in the city. Some believe that Marjorie was involved in the local drug scene pretty early on, which would’ve allowed her to eventually make Jim’s acquaintance as she moved up the ladder. It’s also possible that they met through friends or family, given that they both grew up in Memphis.

Assuming they met through mutual acquaintances, it’s pretty clear why they would’ve been drawn to each other, as he was powerful and enchanted by beauty, and she was a beauty enchanted by power. Marjorie claims to this day that she hadn’t been aware of his illegal activities until the day he was charged in the court of law, but common sense would indicate that to be highly unlikely, as they spent considerable time together.

❤️ #MarjorieHarvey pic.twitter.com/QQXXb0iP12

— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) February 15, 2022

If it’s to be believed that Marjorie finished college before setting out into the depths of Memphis, she would’ve been around 22 years old at the start of their relationship, which sets the date at 1986. It’d then be ludicrous to assume that Marjorie never even had a hint of what he was up to all the way throughout their approximate four years of dating, and many years later, Jim tells a different story.

He explicitly claims that Marjorie was one of the most important cogwheels in the well-oiled drug machine that kept him on top of Memphis for a number of years. With everything in hindsight, the most likely flow of events was that Jim believed that he’d found a soulmate in Marjorie, and ended up trusting her completely at some point.

The two enjoyed a rather loving relationship for a few years, prior to marrying in an extravagant ceremony in 1990. Probably not for a lack of trying, they never managed to conceive a child, which in the long run made Jim just that much easier to drop when the time was right.

The bust

Due to the magnitude of Jim’s cocaine empire, both the FBI and the DEA put a significant number of operatives on and off the field in relation to his case, all of whom kept careful watch on his men and their dealings. Many undercover agents were present as well, engaging in infiltration and other clandestine activities for months on end in order to accumulate evidence.

Drug lords are notoriously distrustful of pretty much everyone around them, and for good reason. If any of their men are caught, they usually have little to no information to divulge that would assist in harming the general operation of the ring. This also removes any personal stakes from the endeavor, making the kingpin immune to any blackmail from the authorities after they apprehend his associates.

However, Marjorie became Jim’s weak spot over the years, and some say that Jim would’ve received a much lighter sentence if not for his boundless affection towards her. The agents spent months building evidence against individual members, connecting the dots, and creating a solid case for the courts.

They still needed something that was more solid than pictures and rumors though, and that’s where a brilliant undercover agent came around in 1992, who managed to persuade Jim that he would be able to secure a massive shipment for Townsend’s organization to sell off.

The kingpin eventually took the bait and met the agent at a location that unbeknownst to him was swarming with police, and then agreed to the purchase of 40kgs (88lbs) of cocaine, all the while being recorded by the agent’s wire and multiple hidden cameras.

This evidence was as solid as it gets, and so he was arrested on the spot and charged with multiple serious crimes. That notwithstanding, Jim still had a massive amount of money at his disposal, and access to some of the best lawyers in the country. The FBI and DEA were in for a lengthy court process that could go either way, which is something they really wanted to avoid.

The agents then presented Jim with a mountain of evidence against Marjorie, which detailed her criminal activities to a very wide extent. It’s safe to say, had she ever been charged with what they had, she would still be behind bars in 2023. Townsend was ready to sacrifice everything and everyone, save for Marjorie, and so he accepted the deal, pleading guilty to all charges so that the FBI and DEA would completely ignore Marjorie.

Of course, believing that they were meant to be, Jim told her of this plan and asked her to wait for him, promising to try and appeal his sentence as many times as necessary to eventually get out of prison, in spite of his initial sentencing to life without parole.

Marjorie did everything she could to get Jim to accept the deal, promising that she would wait for him as long as necessary. Blinded by emotion, Townsend went to prison, potentially until his death, with a smile on his face, trusting that her feelings for him were just as pure. He was wrong though.

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From one ring into another

Lo and behold, not long after Jim’s conviction, Marjorie began finding it increasingly difficult to stay in the marriage. He still had significant power in Memphis, however, and it would’ve been unprofitable to abandon the business just yet. With immunity from the FBI and the DEA, she was able to continue engaging in her regular practices for a while, making significant money from the drug trade at everyone else’s expense.

Not even five years into their marriage, Marjorie filed for divorce from Jim, whose entire motivation for getting out was exactly this never happening. As a cherry on top, at the time she was already dating his first cousin Darnell Brooks.

Darnell was a kingpin in his own right, now also with a big piece of Jim’s former territory, and some of the experienced men previously under his command who were able to avoid the massive drug bust. At this point in the story, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to conclude that the only thing Marjorie was married to was the flow of money.

The details surrounding their relationship and subsequent marriage are incredibly scarce, with the only real bit of information from that part of Marjorie’s life being that she gave birth to three of Darnell’s children – Morgan, Jason and Lori. Since it seems like Darnell literally fell through the ground at some point, most of the details surrounding Marjorie’s second marriage are up for assumption.

The most likely final outcome, with Jim’s unfortunate story in mind, is that something quite similar could’ve happened. However, there’s no record of Darnell Brooks from that time being imprisoned on drug charges, which opens the door to much more grim possibilities.

Knowing how easily people disappear in the underworld, some theorists give credence to the idea that a rival kingpin ordered a hit, but his family was left intact. This is one of the only explanations as to why Marjorie just gave up on the drug world after Darnell, as she was probably scared of remaining involved.

It could also be that the DEA and the FBI had amassed evidence on her that was well beyond the scope of what was initially thrown out of her file, and there was no one to protect her for the second time.

Whatever may have happened throughout the undotted i’s, Marjorie literally went from drug lord to drug lord, took charge in their operations and engaged in heavy criminal activity, raised children in a criminal household while making drugs readily available to their peers, evaded the law on pretty much every single violation, and ultimately came out with an almost squeaky clean reputation and a lot of money. Taking all this into account, even the most dedicated fans of today would have a hard time discrediting the idea of Marjorie Elaine Bridges being a very cold, calculated and selfish individual.

A comedian’s innocent wife

Steve Harvey laid eyes on Marjorie for the first time in 1987, while he was performing at a comedy club in her birthplace. The comedian was immediately enchanted by her, even going as far as to state that he had no idea who she is, but that he will certainly marry her one day.

Marjorie herself wasn’t all that impressed by him at the time, and most who know of her past chalk that up to Harvey not being a drug lord, as she was heavily involved with Jim at that time. Almost a decade down the line, she suddenly found the highly successful comedian that he became quite attractive.

The two hit it off in no time, but it was going to be a bumpy road. Unlike her exes, Steve didn’t have to hide anything about his lifestyle, and being in his presence as a woman was far from anything frowned upon. As a result, he had marriage opportunities left and right wherever he went, as well as one-night stands.

This made Steve an exceptionally difficult man for Marjorie to fully seduce, which must’ve been the first time she had to work really hard for something. She was apparently doing a lousy job as well, now with three children from a previous marriage to boot, since Harvey ended up cheating on her and dooming the relationship.

However, it looks like the guilt that came with the act did the trick for Marjorie, and she finally broke through to Steve. He subsequently ended up just as enchanted as Jim, if not even more so, vowing to make it up to his ex- and give her the best life that he possibly could. He adopted those three children after they married in 2007, and has apparently remained deeply in love with her ever since.

Running from the past

The whole charade would’ve worked out perfectly for Marjorie, if not for a man so powerful she couldn’t possibly even approach him – Barack Obama. The former US president himself gave clemency to Marjorie’s first husband in July 2015, whose words against her were completely insignificant until that moment.

Jim was adamant that, in spite of the perfect mother figure that she now portrays for the whole world, Marjorie was instrumental in running the drug ring, and that only he knows the true extent of her criminal involvement. If not for his pardon, Marjorie’s entire past would’ve been permanently forgotten.

Townsend is in the process of publishing his memoirs, two thirds of which he wrote in prison. Entitled “Snakes in the Garden: The Untold Story of the Life Of Jim (aka Jimmy) L. Townsend Part One”, a big chunk of their story is set to be released on 1 July 2023. It’s expected that the book will have a significant impact on Marjorie’s career, threatening to bring down the public image she’s so carefully cultivated over the years with her second husband.