# Jaymes Vaughan
**Jaymes Vaughan** (born 1983) is an American television host, singer, and reality television personality who first gained wide public attention in 2012 as the runner-up, with his [Chippendales](https://www.edgepedia.org/chippendales) colleague James Davis, on the 21st season of the CBS competition series *The Amazing Race*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983, Chesterfield, Virginia, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/bio/) |
| Occupation at the Race | Chippendales master of ceremonies (host and singer), Las Vegas[2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James) |
| The Amazing Race 21 | 2nd place with James Davis; 12 legs competed, 2 legs won, average position 3.58[2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James) |
| Reason for racing | Winning the $1 million prize to fund an experimental cancer program for his father[3](https://seattlegayscene.com/2014/12/jaymes-vaughn-bares-most-about-the-amazing-race-and-the-chippendales/) |
| Hosting career | Celebrity Page (2014–2022, 1,030 episodes); also appeared on Access Hollywood and The Talk[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/) |
| Marriage | Engaged to actor Jonathan Bennett on November 30, 2020; married March 2022[5](https://www.justjared.com/2025/09/06/is-jonathan-bennett-married-or-single-meet-the-hallmark-channel-stars-husband-jaymes-vaughan-2/) |
| Other ventures | Cruise director for VACAYA (2018); co-owner of the LGBTQ+ travel company OUTbound with Bennett[6](https://www.myvacaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/VACAYA-Media-Alert-for-Jaymes-FINAL-12.11.18.pdf) • [7](https://www.outtraveler.com/exclusives/2021/4/13/10-questions-jonathan-bennett-and-jaymes-vaughan-outbound) |
## Background and Chippendales
Vaughan was born in Chesterfield, Virginia, and stands 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/bio/). In Las Vegas he worked for the Chippendales male revue, where he was not a dancer but the show's [master of ceremonies](https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-ceremonies) and lead singer. As he described the role, he was the host and singer for a full-scale multi-million dollar production show with a singer, a rapper, musicians, and the Chippendales dancers themselves[3](https://seattlegayscene.com/2014/12/jaymes-vaughn-bares-most-about-the-amazing-race-and-the-chippendales/). After the Race, he and Davis returned to performing nightly at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/losing-the-amazing-race-doesnt-dim-enthusiasm-of-chippendales-jaymes-and-james/).
## The Amazing Race 21
In the fall of 2012, Vaughan and James Davis, a 27-year-old Chippendales dancer who was his best friend, competed as "Jaymes & James" on *The Amazing Race 21*, racing for a possible $2 million prize under the season's Double Your Money twist[2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James) • [9](https://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/episodes/21/). They entered the Race with a specific purpose: Vaughan's father was suffering from an incurable cancer, and the experimental treatment program his family sought cost a million and a half dollars, so the million-dollar prize was his motivation throughout[3](https://seattlegayscene.com/2014/12/jaymes-vaughn-bares-most-about-the-amazing-race-and-the-chippendales/).
**The race itself.** The team nearly went home immediately, finishing 10th of 11 on the first leg in China, and both men ran 7 Roadblocks each over the season[2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James). Their strong teamwork and charismatic personalities won them allies in the twin sisters Natalie & Nadiya and the dating couple Trey & Lexi, with the three teams calling themselves the Dream Team; the alliance dominated the second half of the Race, at one point being nearly half a day ahead of the field, and helped pioneer the strategy of burning the second half of a Double U-Turn when Jaymes & James helped get out Abbie & Ryan[2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James). Vaughan and Davis won two legs, finishing first in Russia and in France, and reached the final leg, where they fell to last early after struggling with a clue but caught up to finish 2nd, missing the $1 million prize won by goat farmers and life partners Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge[2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James) • [10](https://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-jaymes-vaughan-and-james-davis-discuss-the-amazing-race-%28part-1%29-14180.php).
After the finale, the pair launched ForgetCancerNow.com, a site where fans could make donations toward Vaughan's father's care, continuing the fundraising effort that had motivated their run[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/losing-the-amazing-race-doesnt-dim-enthusiasm-of-chippendales-jaymes-and-james/).
## Television and hosting career
The Race lifted Vaughan into a television hosting career. He became the host of Celebrity Page in 2013 and appeared on the program from 2014 to 2022, accumulating 1,030 episodes; he also appeared on [Access Hollywood](https://www.edgepedia.org/access-hollywood) and as an entertainment reporter and correspondent on CBS's The Talk[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/) • [2](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James). In 2023 he was a main cast member on *The Real Friends of WeHo*, the reality series following a group of friends in the West Hollywood community[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/).
**Travel and live events.** In December 2018 Vaughan was named cruise director for the inaugural Provincetown cruise of VACAYA, a charter travel company for LGBT+ travelers[6](https://www.myvacaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/VACAYA-Media-Alert-for-Jaymes-FINAL-12.11.18.pdf). He and Bennett later co-owned OUTbound, an LGBTQ+ travel company offering planned group tours[7](https://www.outtraveler.com/exclusives/2021/4/13/10-questions-jonathan-bennett-and-jaymes-vaughan-outbound). On [New Year's Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-eve) 2025 he appeared on the Times Square New Year's Eve Countdown Stage, joining Bennett for hourly Kia countdowns that led revelers through the evening, accompanied by pyrotechnic effects atop [One Times Square](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-times-square), and reading several of the Confetti Wishes mixed into the midnight confetti release[11](https://timessquareball.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/TS2026_Event_Schedule_12-28-2025.pdf).
## Marriage to Jonathan Bennett
Vaughan met the actor Jonathan Bennett, known for *Mean Girls* and [Hallmark Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/hallmark-channel) films, in 2016 when Vaughan was a host on Celebrity Page and interviewed him[12](https://entertainmentnow.com/hallmark/jonathan-bennett-husband-jaymes-vaughan-pants-rip/). Bennett confirmed their engagement in November 2020; Vaughan proposed on the set for *The Christmas House* with an original song[5](https://www.justjared.com/2025/09/06/is-jonathan-bennett-married-or-single-meet-the-hallmark-channel-stars-husband-jaymes-vaughan-2/). The couple married in March 2022 in a beachside ceremony at the Unico Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico[5](https://www.justjared.com/2025/09/06/is-jonathan-bennett-married-or-single-meet-the-hallmark-channel-stars-husband-jaymes-vaughan-2/) • [13](https://www.gaycities.com/articles/104220/jonathan-bennett-and-jaymes-vaughan-share-a-scenic-bath-at-this-luxurious-mexican-resort/). Vaughan has since released his own Christmas songs, including the album *Feels Like Christmas*, and his songs have appeared in Hallmark movies over the last two years; he performs at Hallmark events such as the Hallmark Christmas Experience[12](https://entertainmentnow.com/hallmark/jonathan-bennett-husband-jaymes-vaughan-pants-rip/) • [14](https://urlebird.com/user/jaymesvaughan/).
## References
1. [Jaymes Vaughan – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/bio/)
2. [Jaymes & James, The Amazing Race Wiki](https://amazingrace.fandom.com/wiki/Jaymes_%26_James)
3. [Jaymes Vaughn Bares (Most) About "The Amazing Race" and The Chippendales, Seattle Gay Scene (2014)](https://seattlegayscene.com/2014/12/jaymes-vaughn-bares-most-about-the-amazing-race-and-the-chippendales/)
4. [Jaymes Vaughan, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5241437/)
5. [Is Jonathan Bennett Married or Single? Meet the Hallmark Channel Star's Husband Jaymes Vaughan!, Just Jared (2025)](https://www.justjared.com/2025/09/06/is-jonathan-bennett-married-or-single-meet-the-hallmark-channel-stars-husband-jaymes-vaughan-2/)
6. [VACAYA Media Alert: Jaymes Vaughan Named Cruise Director, December 11, 2018](https://www.myvacaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/VACAYA-Media-Alert-for-Jaymes-FINAL-12.11.18.pdf)
7. [10 Questions With Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan of OUTbound, OutTraveler (2021)](https://www.outtraveler.com/exclusives/2021/4/13/10-questions-jonathan-bennett-and-jaymes-vaughan-outbound)
8. [Losing "The Amazing Race" doesn't dim enthusiasm of Chippendales Jaymes and James, CBS News (2012)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/losing-the-amazing-race-doesnt-dim-enthusiasm-of-chippendales-jaymes-and-james/)
9. [The Amazing Race Season 21 Episodes, CBS](https://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/episodes/21/)
10. [Exclusive: Jaymes Vaughan and James Davis discuss 'The Amazing Race' (Part 1), Reality TV World (2012)](https://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-jaymes-vaughan-and-james-davis-discuss-the-amazing-race-%28part-1%29-14180.php)
11. [New Year's Eve in Times Square 2025–2026 Schedule of Events](https://timessquareball.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/TS2026_Event_Schedule_12-28-2025.pdf)
12. [Jonathan Bennett's Husband Tears Pants on Live New Year's Show, EntertainmentNow (2026)](https://entertainmentnow.com/hallmark/jonathan-bennett-husband-jaymes-vaughan-pants-rip/)
13. [Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan share a scenic bath at this luxurious Mexican resort, GayCities (2026)](https://www.gaycities.com/articles/104220/jonathan-bennett-and-jaymes-vaughan-share-a-scenic-bath-at-this-luxurious-mexican-resort/)
14. [Jaymes Vaughan (@jaymesvaughan), Urlebird TikTok profile](https://urlebird.com/user/jaymesvaughan/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Reality television personalities and media celebrities › Competition reality contestants › Survival and adventure contestants*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license