New Season of “The Amazing Race” features New Berlin’s “Bizzy” Smith

When “The Amazing Race” returns for season 36 on March 13 at 8:30 pm, New Berlin resident and Elizabeth “Bizzy” Smith will be competing with her best friend in the grueling globetrotting contest. The grand prize is $1 million for the winning team, and there are 13 teams in the race, including our Wisconsin “firefighter mom” duo. 

Smith, age 37, is a firefighter and an adjunct instructor at WCTC Fire & EMS. According to Smith’s social media accounts, she is married, has three daughters, and is also a breast cancer survivor. Originally from Brookfield, Smith has studied business administration at Marquette University and earned her firefighter/EMS certifications at Madison Area Technical College. Her parents are Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto and his wife Mary.

Her teammate and best friend, Sunny Pulver, age 41, lives in Edgerton and is a firefighter/paramedic with the City of Madison Fire Department. According to her social media accounts, she has a military background as a former Blackhawk helicopter crew chief in the U.S. Army, a former event coordinator in the Wisconsin National Guard and a former firefighter in the U.S. Air Force. She also studied Psychology at the University of Maryland. 

This season of “The Amazing Race” begins in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where the teams will participate in a traditional Mexican rodeo. According to a press release from CBS, “The stakes are high because there are no non-elimination legs, and the team to finish last in each leg will be eliminated. Along the route, racers will go paragliding in Colombia, rally car racing in Argentina, and visit two new countries – swimming through waterfalls in the Dominican Republic and visiting music superstar Rihanna’s childhood home in Barbados.” They will also travel to Chili and Uruguay before returning to the United States.

The other teams include: 

• Former Green Bay Packers player Rod Gardner and his wife Leticia
• Married couples Derek and Shelisa, and Michelle and Sean
• Mother and son Danny and Angie
• Dating couples Amber and Vinny, Yvonne and Melissa, and Ricky and Cesar
• Best friends Juan and Shane 
• Siblings Anthony and Bailey (twins), and Maya and Rohan
• Cousins Kishori and Karishma
• Father and daughter Chris and Mary

To watch Bizzy and Sunny compete, tune in to CBS or stream it on Paramount+. Each episode is 90 minutes long. You can also follow along on The Amazing Race website and on social media.