Long-distance relationships are rarely a good idea.  You'd have to be a very cynical person to say that they can never work, but the success rate is depressingly low.  Unless one member of the couple has immediate and solid plans to move to the other's city in the somewhat near future, things generally don't work out.  One team on The Amazing Race 13, Aja and Ty, are a long-distance couple who are ostensibly using the race as a means to reconnect and strengthen their relationship.  I hope it works.  As the next in our series of in-depth looks at every single team on The Amazing Race 13, I present to you Aja and Ty.

Occupations: Aja is an aspiring actress living in Los Angeles.  She works as a makeup artist to pay the bills.  Ty currently works as a banker in Detroit, Michigan.

Recent Team They're Similar To: I'll go with Kris and Jon, the most beloved team on The Amazing Race 6, because they too were a long-distance couple at the time.  Also, Aja and Ty seem exceedingly likable.

Relationship: Dating long-distance

Chances to Win:  Pretty good.  Couples have won The Amazing Race on numerous occasions, and those who get along (which Aja and Ty appear to) tend to fare better than those couples who fight incessantly. 

Initial Thoughts:  Watching their video, I was struck by how well-spoken Aja is.  She appears to be a very smart lady, worldly, and exactly the type of person who should perform well on The Amazing Race.  The couple met four years ago at the University of Michigan and, though they now live apart, the below video shows a nice repoire between the two, though they admit to occasional bickering sessions.  If those doesn't become to major a hindrance, then Aja and Ty could contend for the million dollars. 

Interview Video:

Also, check out:
The Amazing Race 13: Analyzing Andrew and Dan
The Amazing Race 13: Analyzing Marisa and Brooke
The Amazing Race 13: Analyzing Terence and Sarah
The Amazing Race 13: Meet the Cast

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)