Auditions for the popular reality show, "The Amazing Race," were held Sunday at the Jackson Rancheria Casino, Hotel and Conference Center. It was estimated that between 800 and 900 people showed up from all over Northern California to try out for the show, though not all of them made it into the line before it was cut off. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson Christina Rodriguez and Rebecca Gonzales of Stockton were one of the duos who tried out for "The Amazing Race." The two shirts combined to send a clear message to the show's producers about their relationship as partners. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

The frozen air and bone-cutting winds beating down the hills Sunday morning weren't enough to stop hundreds of people vying for the chance to make it onto a reality show that takes contestants around the world and awards $1 million to the top competitors.

When the hit reality show "The Amazing Race" announced two weeks ago that their producers would be holding tryouts for next season's contestants at the Jackson Rancheria Casino, Hotel and Conference Center Dec. 9, the county was buzzing about how many would-be adventurers would show up to the 9 a.m. casting call. That question had basically been answered by 8:30 a.m., when the Rancheria staff counted a line of more than 700 people - which was still growing fast.

The "The Amazing Race" was first launched on national television in September 2001. The show was CBS's attempt to capitalize on the mega-success of their earlier hit "Survivor," a reality-based competition staged in distant, exotic backgrounds. With "The Amazing Race," the network hoped to tweak the same formula just enough to create something new and engaging. The result was another instant home-run.

In "The Amazing Race," 12 teams of two race each other across the world, completing one exhausting and often confusing, leg of travel at a time. The teams who come in last from challenge to challenge are progressively eliminated. They travel in everything from planes to rickshaws, depending the area of the globe they're passing through. All teams are helped along by clues from the producers, as well as money allotments which they have to strategically maximize in order to travel as quickly and efficiently as possible. At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold in the form of $1 million. The combination of fast-paced thrills, mental chess and early retirement is what makes a shot at being on "The Amazing Race" so intoxicating - yet there was a variety of answers about which of those elements was most important to the race-hopefuls on Sunday.

"It's definitely the money," said Christina Rodriguez of Stockton, who was trying out with her sister-in-law, Rebecca Gonzales. "But it's more than that, too. Rebecca and I are very close and we're looking to have some kind of crazy experience of a lifetime together."

Gonzales felt her closeness with Rodriguez would be their team's greatest asset in the competition. "We never argue. We've never even been in a disagreement before. We understand each other really well. That's going to be the foundation of our strategy. We're going to be patient with each other and work together. We think we could be the first female/female team to ever win. That's how confident we are."

Anyone who's ever watched "The Amazing Race" knows that, while harmonious relationships like Gonzales and Rodriguez's propel teams to success, they're hardly what makes the show popular. Many of the fans in line Sunday acknowledge that it's often the dysfunctional dynamics between partners - and the comedy of errors that ensue from them - that keep audiences glued to the television. Some of the would-be contestants had even planned that into their strategy for making the grade. "I think (the producers) will like us because I'm clearly the mean one," chuckled Pat McBride of Sacramento. Recognizing the need for an entertainment factor, McBride intentionally sought out her nicest co-worker, Keith Dixon, as her partner. She thought producers might like the major contrast in their personalities. "That's all there is to it," McBride said. "I'm the mean lady and he's the nice guy."

Laughing, Dixon nodded and muttered, "Yeah, pretty much."

In a more serious tone, McBride stressed that what was most alluring to her about "The Amazing Race" was the opportunity to travel. "I'm really interested in seeing the world," she said. "Seeing different cultures and embracing new places. That's the whole idea of the show, and I really believe in it. I'm very excited to be here."

Meanwhile, in other parts of the never-ending line, some people auditioning had passed on the idea of selling a strange partner dynamic in favor of just being flat-out strange. One man at the center of action was conspicuously dressed like a pirate. This type of flamboyance didn't impress Justin Caporusso of Lincoln, who began to worry he was too "normal" to be on the show. "I would really love to do it," Caporusso said of the competition. "I'm really into travel and I love self-motivated challenges. But at this point I think my biggest handicap is that my girlfriend and myself don't stand out. We're not Goths, or freaks or anything weird like that. So we'll see what happens."

According to Brian Cheah, a representative of CBS's affiliate CBS 13, fears like those of Caporusso were unnecessary. "The producers are really just looking for people to be themselves," explained Cheah. "Each group of partners has filled out a 13-page questionnaire with us, and will sit down for a videotaped interview before they leave. I think their best chance to make it is to just be genuine about what draws them to the show and why they want to do it so bad."

That mentality was exactly what Chris Struve of El Dorado Hills was trying to bring to the table. "I'm not going to put on any false fronts," Struve said. "I don't think I need to pretend to be someone else to have a chance at making it. I love the adventure of the show, and the challenge of getting things done on the trip with the uncertainty of everything you're up against. I've always thrived on that in my personal life.

Struve started his own business 10 years ago and now has 40 employees. "I'm pretty good at figuring stuff out on the fly," he said. "I probably over-think things too much, but usually when there's a problem I come up with a pretty good answer in the end. I don't see why the competition would be any different from life."