“What is better than being a Rebelle? Having a daughter who is a Rebelle” – Chris Benzie
Hometown/Current town:
Chris: Eugene, OR/San Diego, CA
Emily: San Diego, CA/Oakland, CA
Favorite Food:
Chris: Pulled pork sandwich and onion rings from Rippy’s in downtown Nashville, TN. Yes, it is that good.
Emily: Fresh ahi with a passionfruit margarita. Preferably on or near a beach!
Something only your best friend knows about you:
Chris: This is a G-rated website, so cannot answer.
Emily: How quickly I can down a bag of Doritos, but how forever it takes me to finish a drink.
Favorite place ever:
Chris: The Swiss Alps. And the driver’s seat of my Jeep, with the top off (of the Jeep, not me) and Luke Bryan singing on the radio. In both places I have cried tears of joy.
Emily: Anywhere in Maui, Hawaii. It is my happy place and I have visited 4 times in 2 years!
Why did you pick the vehicle you’re competing in?
Chris: Jeep Thrills is our name, so that narrows down the brand. We completed in Emily’s 2-door Jeep the last three years and this year we are driving a 2021 4 door JL Rubicon. We chose the 4xe because it has Rebelle blue accents. As for her name, officially it is Blue Jeep 2 Electric Boogaloo, or Bloogie for short (…when you let your kids name your Jeep).
Emily: We competed in my 2018 Jeep 2-door JK Willys for 3 years and loved it. Since it is my daily driver (and taking it on three Rebelles adds a certain measure of wear and tear), we decided to give it a break this year and run a 2021 4-door JL Rubicon 4xe. Very excited to compete under the Electrified designation as well as our favorite, the Bone Stock!
Why the Rebelle?
Chris: To be with the coolest people in the world, again, for 10 unforgettable days.
Emily: As a driver, this will be my first Rebelle in a vehicle that is not as familiar to me, or my daily driver. I’m very excited to be challenged with a new rig, even more so with a new fueling/power system that will give us more torque for the dunes!
Any shout-outs you’d like to make while you have our attention?
Chris: It goes without saying that the Rebelle changes lives. Emily Miller has devoted years to making the Rebelle world class. She brings together a community of people from which we have developed life-long friendships. My shout-out is, from the mountain tops, at the top of my lungs, to Emily Miller.
Emily: My dad James for being our biggest supporter and following along and sending out daily rally updates to all our friends and family – we love you Dad!
