Inspired By Their Mother And 'All-Time Hero,' Tinley Park Woman & Brother Take On 'The Amazing Race'

TINLEY PARK, IL — A brother-sister duo inspired by their mother's strength in raising them put their sibling bond to the ultimate test.

Jaime Tribo, 33, and her "much, much older" brother Cody Langlois, 35, won a spot in the intensely competitive, adventure reality TV competition in which teams of two race around the world for a $1 million grand prize. The teams—who have a pre-existing relationship like spouses, dating partners, parents and children, co-workers or best friends—take on various challenges around the globe, testing their mental toughness, grit and physical strength.

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For Tribo and her brother, it was a fitting test for the two thrill-seekers who already push each other to their limits. Together, they've tackled massive rock formations, ridden waves and faced the unknown.

"We do epic trips together," Tribo said. "I'd go fly to California, we go surfing together. We have climbed Half Dome together in Yosemite. We've done Angels Landing at Zion.

"I think it's important for people to know that even if your siblings don't live in the same state as you, it doesn't have to impact your relationship. It gives us something to talk about."

Chasing a spot on The Amazing Race, then, seemed a natural move for the two, and one fueled by their shared admiration of their mother. Anje Langlois is a first-generation immigrant who arrived from the Netherlands at 2 months old with her own parents, Tribo's grandparents.

Raising Tribo and her brother, Anje worked full-time, managed the household, and shuttled the siblings to their sports.

"Just a bad-ass woman," Tribo said, of her mother. "She is my all-time hero."

She's also a huge fan of the show, and with her prodding, the siblings first applied for a spot on it four or five years ago.

"We didn't hear anything that first year," Tribo said. "Our egos were hurt because our video was hilarious. We moved on with our normal lives. And then the next year, they reached out."

As luck would have it, when they did get the call, Tribo was pregnant with her now 4-year-old. Show producers tried again after that, but Tribo was pregnant with her now 2-year-old.

Eventually, the timing clicked, and the siblings were among thousands of applicants whittled down to 23 teams vying for spots, then again to the final 13 teams that would appear on the show.

Four months of auditioning came down to the duo giving it all they've got.

"I know I'm biased, but it has to be the coolest reality TV experience of all time," Tribo said.

"You get to travel the world—you have to bust your butt. You own it."

A 'South Side mutt' and her brother

In describing her roots, Tribo calls herself a "South Side mutt" who was born in Chicago Ridge, then moved to Plainfield. Both she and her brother attended Plainfield South High School.

After her parents' divorce, her father moved to Oak Lawn.

Tribo eventually moved to Tinley Park, where she lives with her husband and children. She's lived in the south suburb for nine years, and in highlighting her appearance on the show felt it essential to call it by name.

"It would be easy to say I'm from Chicago," Tribo said. "It's very rare that a town like Tinley Park gets the spotlight."

Tribo became the family's first generation to receive a college degree, achieving both bachelor's and master's degrees. She is now a telehealth dietitian and adjunct professor in nutrition at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Langlois went on to become a civil engineer.

Looking back at the siblings' shared childhood, the groundwork was laid for the playfully antagonistic bond that would lead their way on the show. They were each other's playmates, Tribo said, sharing a love for WWE, Spider-man, Nerf guns and superheroes.

Both tall and lanky now, Tribo had the height advantage first, sometimes serving as her brother's protector, before he sprouted up to 6-foot-5.

"When we got to high school, those roles switched," Tribo said. "He started looking out for me a little bit more.

"A little bit—let's not give him too much credit. I still held my own."

Their bond was also what convinced her they would make the perfect partners.

"You have a backpack, they don't tell you what to bring in that backpack, you have to be strategic and decide what to bring," Tribo said, of facing what was ahead on the show. "I chose my brother because I know with our relationship, no matter what—you can bicker, banter, yell at each other—we can run, like running to shotgun in your mom's car.

"I knew at the end of the day because I'm running the race with my brother, we have each other's backs through and through. We're brother and sister: I can tell you that your feet smell, and you fart too much, but I can also depend on you for a challenge."

In preparation for the physical challenges, Tribo trained at Life Time in Orland Park, where she worked on cardio and strength exercises including swimming, weighted stair climbing, sled pushes and rucking using a weighted backpack.

They never knew what was coming next—whether they'd be digging into intellect or strength, or both, Tribo said.

"You rip an envelope open, rush to the airport," she described. "Get your flight—try to get the earliest flight.

"Once you get through customs and you land, it's game on. You're sprinting out of the airport to do your next challenge. Always try to be not last, and hopefully be first to the finish line. The race is built where you always expect the unexpected.

"When you're training for it, you're trying to think of all the different challenges you might do, try to prepare yourself the best you can."

Tribo points to the pair's previous adventures as unintentional training for the show. Once, she recalled, they were surfing in California when Langlois alerted her that he'd been bitten by a shark.

"Here I am, making sure every crevice of my being is on the surfboard... " Tribo joked.

They learned, though, that he'd been stabbed by a stingray, and timing was everything.

"We had to rush out to the lifeguard, because it's poison," Tribo said. "You need boiling hot water so the poison doesn't rise and reach your heart.

They raced to a Starbucks, where Tribo cut in line, calling out that "my brother needs hot water for his foot!"

"Crazy situations like that kinda prepare you for the race in a weird way," she said.

Though she can't reveal how they fared on the show, Tribo said their bond withstood it all.

"When you're done with your challenges, after a hard day, you go back to the hotel, you go to your side of the room, take a break and an hour of silence," Tribo said, laughing.

Along the way, they annoyed and encouraged each other—and were buoyed by their shared inspiration.

"Our motivation was our mom," Tribo said. "She sacrificed everything for us. We're both doing it for our mom."

The Amazing Race season 39 kicks off Sept. 30, with a two-night premiere event. Episodes air Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Get an insider look at the siblings' time on the show on Tribo's Instagram or TikTok.

Tribo will attend two watch parties for the show's premiere. On Sept. 30, catch her at Durbin's Harmony Square, 17325 Oak Park Ave. at 7:30 p.m. The show airs at 8:30 p.m. Complimentary pizza and salad for guests. Reservations at 708-429-1001.

On Oct. 3, find her at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W 115th St. in Merrionette Park. The venue will show the first two episodes of the season, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Come watch the race, meet some of the season's competitors and enjoy an afternoon dedicated to the hit CBS series. Reservations at 708-388-8881.