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Gadsden State Alumnus Dalton Hamby Takes Journey From Community College Classroom to 'The Amazing Race'
Posted on Sep 17, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Gadsden, Ala. – For Dalton Hamby, the journey from a Gadsden State Community College classroom to a nationally televised reality competition is one he never could have imagined when he was a high school student trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.
A Weaver, Alabama, native and 2020 Gadsden State graduate, Dalton is now a professional videographer and co-owner of Dhamby Productions with his fiancée, Daisha Wilks. The couple creates video content for businesses, weddings, organizations and social media, while also documenting their travels and lifestyle through their social media platforms and YouTube channel, Daisha & Dalton.
Now, the couple is taking their love of travel and adventure to television as contestants on Season 39 of CBS’ “The Amazing Race,” premiering September 30.
For Dalton, the opportunity is another chapter in a journey that began at Gadsden State.
“I attended Gadsden State through dual enrollment during my senior year at Weaver High School in 2018,” Dalton said. “I was really excited to go to Gadsden State because I had heard great things about the teachers and the overall learning environment. I really enjoyed the classes and being able to get a head start on college while I was still in high school.”
Dalton earned an associate in science degree from Gadsden State in 2020, graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I remember having a drive-thru graduation, which was very funny in my opinion,” he said.
Dalton said Gadsden State provided an important foundation before he continued his education at Jacksonville State University.
One of the experiences that had the greatest impact on Dalton was an opportunity to create vlog-style videos for a scholarship through the Alabama Community College System. The experience allowed him to become more involved in the Gadsden State community while combining his interest in video production and storytelling with his college experience.
“I was able to get involved with different events, sports and things happening around campus, and it really helped me feel like I was more than just a student going to class,” Dalton said.
That experience would prove to be especially meaningful as Dalton pursued videography as a career.
“Looking back, that opportunity definitely helped shape what I’m doing today,” he said.
Beyond the professional skills he developed, Dalton said his time at Gadsden State also broadened his perspective and helped him appreciate the value of connecting with people from different backgrounds.
“There was such a wide variety of people and cultures on campus, including a lot of international students, and that really opened my eyes to how much there is to learn from other people,” he said. “Being around people from different backgrounds also made me more curious about the world and more interested in traveling and experiencing different cultures.”
Since leaving Gadsden State, Dalton’s path has taken him around the world.
He met Daisha, and the two have built a career around their shared passion for storytelling, travel, and creating content. Their work has allowed them to travel to countries they once never imagined visiting and build relationships with businesses and people along the way.
Then came an opportunity neither expected.
After one of their trips, Daisha’s mother encouraged the couple to submit an audition video for “The Amazing Race,” believing their personalities and love of travel would make them a good fit for the show.
“We went outside, set up a camera in the front yard, filmed an audition, submitted it in September 2024 and pretty much forgot about it,” Dalton said.
Months later, while traveling through Laos, the couple received an email from the show.
“At first, we genuinely thought it was a scam and had to make sure it was actually legitimate,” Dalton said.
The email was legitimate, and what followed included phone calls, FaceTime interviews and an extensive casting process.
When the couple learned they had been selected, the reality of the opportunity was difficult to comprehend.
“We went from being two people from small-town Alabama who love to travel and make videos to being told we were going to race around the world on national television,” Dalton said.
Throughout the process, Dalton and Daisha focused on being themselves and sharing their story, relationship, love of travel and Alabama roots.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity and excited to represent our communities and schools while showing that you really can take a chance on something completely outside of what you thought was possible,” Dalton said.
Although the couple cannot reveal how they performed during the race, Dalton said their relationship and shared experiences helped prepare them for the challenges of competing together.
“We already love traveling together, and traveling has a way of testing your strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot about each other through all of our trips, including how we handle stress, unexpected situations and things not going according to plan.”
The experience also taught them lessons that went beyond competition.
Dalton said one of the most important lessons was understanding the importance of mental health and being there for one another during difficult moments.
“We learned a lot about each other through those moments and realized that being strong doesn’t always mean pushing through everything,” he said. “Sometimes it means being there for each other, taking a breath and understanding what the other person needs.”
For Dalton and Daisha, appearing on a nationally televised program is about more than competition. It is an opportunity to share where they come from and encourage others to pursue their dreams.
“It honestly means the world to us to represent our community on a nationally televised show, and sometimes we still can’t believe it’s real,” Dalton said. “We’re just two people from small-town Alabama who love to travel, make videos and chase our dreams, so being able to share our story with people across the country is something we’re incredibly grateful for.”
The couple hopes their story will encourage others to take chances, regardless of where they come from or whether they have their futures completely mapped out.
“You don’t have to come from a big city or have everything figured out to go after something big,” Dalton said. “We always say, ‘Don’t wish for it, work for it.’ That’s something we try to live by, and hopefully people watching us will feel encouraged to do the same.”
As the season begins airing, Dalton and Daisha are looking forward to watching the experience unfold alongside friends, family and their hometown communities.
“There’s so much that we can’t talk about yet, so it’s going to be really fun seeing everything come together on screen and hearing what everyone thinks,” Dalton said.
While “The Amazing Race” represents a significant milestone, Dalton said it is only one part of the couple’s story.
Through their YouTube channel and social media platforms, the couple continues to share travel adventures, behind-the-scenes experiences and their lives beyond the show.
“We plan to keep traveling and making content long after the season ends,” Dalton said. “We’d love for people back home to follow along with us because there are still a lot of adventures ahead.”
Looking back, Dalton said he hopes current and prospective Gadsden State students understand that they do not have to know exactly what they want to do when they begin college.
“When I first went to Gadsden State, I honestly didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I was just trying to figure things out and take advantage of the opportunities in front of me.”
That willingness to explore opportunities ultimately led Dalton to a career in videography and storytelling, international travel and now a spot on one of television’s most recognizable adventure competitions.
“I think Gadsden State is a great place to start that journey, even if you don’t have everything figured out yet,” Dalton said. “It’s been an incredible journey.”
For Dalton, the journey continues from Weaver to Gadsden State, from Alabama to destinations around the world, and now onto television screens across the country.
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