Bound Through Brotherhood: Senior Skyler Niang-Trost applies for “The Amazing Race”

Senior Skyler Niang-Trost watches “Jeopardy” whenever it’s on, trying to keep his mind sharp, and builds up his endurance on the stationary bike in his basement.

His older brother and SM East alum, Trevin, has carried a map and compass in hand since he was little, always marking their location on family roadtrips.

Together, the two’s mental, physical and navigational skills make for the perfect team on their family’s favorite show, “The Amazing Race” — a TV series where duos compete in mental and physical challenges while traveling around the globe to an unknown finish line.

Every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., the Niang-Trosts gather around the TV, ready for the next episode.

Ready to watch teams partake in challenges like learning a cultural dance, cooking traditional food, finding different landmarks and competing in extreme sports.

Now Skyler and Tevin are applying to be a part of the 12 teams in the 39th season airing in 2027.

“It’s been a thing that brings us together,” Skyler said. “It’s always something that at night, after school and [activities], we’re able to come together.”

Traveling to England to see where their mom grew up fostered their love for traveling. As did visiting Ireland where their grandma went to college. And their pitstops in France, Portugal and Spain along the way.

“Ultimately, I think the real experience is just being able to travel place to place around the world,” Tevin said. “Just getting the real taste of what the different cultures and the different ways of life are.”

Not to mention, they want to make up for that one time in Germany.

His dad, the only family member who speaks fluent German, was in the train station bathroom. And, when Skyler, his mom and siblings — none of whom are fluent in German — attempted to read the signs to find the right train, the doors were closed before they could realize their mistake. And they were headed in the opposite direction than planned.

Now, everytime Skyler and Tevin talk about their application video, they vow not to get lost on the show like in Germany. Part of their plan to avoid a similar fiasco has been learning Japanese and Spanish, which has cultivated Skyler’s love for reality TV in an unexpected way.

Spanish teacher Gina Baker was going through a regular class lecture when she used her love of reality TV as an example. Immediately after class, then-sophomore Skyler approached her to learn what her favorite show was.

Now, every week, Skyler walks into room 515 to talk about the most recent reality drama they’ve watched, whether it be “The Amazing Race,” "Survivor" or another reality TV show. 

“He comes in, and we’re always talking back and forth on which characters we like, who thinks who’s gonna win, and what stupid things are happening,” Gina said.

Gina said she was ecstatic when learning about Skyler’s plans to apply to “The Amazing Race,” knowing his personality, intelligence and sharpness would be effective in winning the entire show.

Skyler and Tevin plan to give Gina a shoutout during their application video, thanking her for fostering Skyler’s interest in reality TV. 

Along with Gina, the brothers said their parents have always been supportive.

“They want us to do what makes us happy, and they think it’s good because from a young age they traveled also, so they thought it’d be a good idea for us to experience the world,” Skyler said. 

Whether it be on the personal computer they’re building, Skyler’s math homework or picking up items for their mom’s interior design business, the two are frequently working together. And for the inevitable argument the two will have once on the show, they hope their practiced teamwork will pay off.

“Ultimately, we're working together and just figuring out solutions to problems,” Tevin said. “So I think any fighting that we do have [or] disagreements — which should be pretty minimal — we'll be able to work through them pretty quickly.”