Jody Kelly, Oldest Female Contestant of ‘The Amazing Race,’ Dead at 85

Josephine “Jody” Kelly, the oldest woman to ever compete on The Amazing Race, died earlier this month. She was 85.

According to her obituary in the Austin-American Statesman, Kelly — who had resided in Austin, Texas, for over a decade — died “suddenly but peacefully” on Sept. 5. She was attending a Spanish language immersion camp in Minnesota when she died, per the obit.

Born on Jan. 21, 1938, Kelly was 71 when she appeared on The Amazing Race alongside her granddaughter, Shannon Foster, for the show’s 16th season in 2010. The two set a variety of Amazing Race records, with Kelly being the oldest person to ever compete on the American version of the show and Shannon, who was 22 at the time, marking the biggest age difference between a team.

During their time on the show, the two became fan favorites for their positive attitudes and gratitude for undertaking the various adventures together. They made it to the second round of eliminations, with their race coming short in Chile, where Kelly spilling a cup of milk resulted in their doom.

Kelly’s obituary noted that the former English professor taught at the University of Louisiana for 16 years and later taught writing at Austin Community College. She published several fitness books, including Feeling Good: Strength Training with Your Significant Elder, and also contributed two dozen health-related articles for Austin Fit Magazine.

After competing on the show, Kelly went on to survive breast cancer in 2018 and founded StrengthMobile, a physical fitness business for elderly people.

She competed internationally for Team USA at multiple events, including the 2010 European Aquatics Championships in Budapest and the 2016 ITU World Triathlon in Cozumel. She was also a member of Paddles with a Purpose — a dragon boat team comprised of breast cancer survivors — after going into remission in 2018.

Kelly is survived by her four children — Kate Leith, Christy Izmirian, Bruce Moore and Kelly Foster — as well as 11 grandchildren, including Shannon, and eight great-grandchildren.

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