| Kelly McCorkle | |
| Birth Place: | Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Birth Date: | 27 December 1979 |
| Miss Golden Corner 2002 Miss South Carolina 2002 | |
| Nationalcompetition: | Miss America 2003 (Top 15) |
Kelly McCorkle Parkison, (born December 27, 1979) held the title of Miss South Carolina 2002 and placed in the Top 15 at the Miss America 2003 Pageant held on September 21, 2002, in Atlantic City, NJ. She also competed in The Amazing Race 7 with then boyfriend Ron Young and placed 3rd overall.
She competed at Miss South Carolina 2002 as Miss Golden Corner and was both a Preliminary Swimsuit and Preliminary Talent winner. This was her third try at the Miss South Carolina title.[1] She was a 23-year-old cum laude graduate of North Greenville College, who was working as a spokesperson at the time that she won the Miss South Carolina title. Her platform was learning disabilities, which she chose because she had a learning disability and was told that she would never graduate from high school or go to college.[2] Her talent was Lyrical Ballet. She placed in the Top 15 at the Miss America 2003 pageant.[3] McCorkle is the half-sister of Courtney Cisson, Miss South Carolina's Outstanding Teen 2008.[4]
In 2004, she competed on The Amazing Race 7 with her boyfriend, Ron Young, a former Iraq War prisoner of war. They met after Ron was rescued by the United States Marines and during her reign as Miss South Carolina 2002. They had been dating ever since. At the time of The Amazing Race, she had been working as a legislative correspondent. They decided to compete in The Amazing Race because they wanted to experience adventure.[5] They ended up staying on the show until the very end, placing 3rd overall. They broke up after season was done filming.[6]
Roadblocks performed by McCorkle are bolded
| Episode | Leg | Destination(s) | Detour choice (underlined) | Roadblock performance | Placement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | United States → Peru | Rope a llama/Rope a basket | No roadblock | 10th of 11 | |
| 2 | 2 | Peru → Chile | Shop/Schelp | Ron | 2nd of 10 | |
| 3 | 3 | Chile → Argentina | Paddle/Pedal | Ron | 4th of 9 | |
| 4 | 4 | Argentina | Shipwreck/Island | Kelly | 4th of 8 | |
| 5 | 5 | Argentina → South Africa | Tunnels/Tribes | Kelly | 2nd of 7 | |
| 6 | South Africa → Botswana | Food/Water | Ron | 1st of 7 | ||
| 6 | 7 | Botswana | Carry it/Milk it | Ron | 2nd of 6 | |
| 8 | 8 | Botswana → India | Solid/Liquid | Kelly | 2nd of 5 | |
| 9 | Trunk/Dunk | Kelly | 2nd of 5 | |||
| 10 | 9 | India → Turkey | Columns/Kilos | Ron | ||
| 11 | 10 | Turkey → United Kingdom | Brains/Brawn | Kelly | 2nd of 4 | |
| 12 | 11 | United Kingdom → Jamaica | Raft it/Build it | Kelly | 1st of 3 | |
| 12 | Jamaica → Puerto Rico → United States | Pony up/Tree it up | Ron | 3rd of 3 |