It’s Wednesday, which means it’s Amazing Race day in our house. We have been getting a lot of questions about our experience and I’m going to do my best to answer here and on our weekly video podcast recaps on our YouTubechannel.
1. “If you had to pick someone besides yourself to win The Race, who would it be?”
I think one of the biggest surprises from the experience was how close we got with all the teams. I didn’t expect to make lifelong friends out of such a competitive experience. I even feel close to the racers who couldn’t come back after the re-start. That being said, I always pull for the all-female teams so I was always happy to see Lulu, Lala, Raquel and Cayla do so well.
2. “How did your social media and videos keep posting while you were gone? “
We pre-recorded A LOT of content (and remember we had to do it twice) so that we could leave and no one would suspect anything. We have a wonderful village of helpers who kept everything moving in our absence.
3. “Did you have time to relax and explore between legs of The Race?”
Unfortunately not. Even pre-Covid there is a priority on safety. We don’t have cell phones with us, so letting a crew of people out in a foreign country with no way to track them is not a great idea. In this Covid version of the Race we were under the same sort of rules.
4. “Is Phil’s eyebrow pop as dreamy in person as it looks on TV?”
Yes! The first time we started The Race we were sent off from our homes so we didn’t have the traditional starting line. When we re-started it was an actual “GO!” from Phil.
(If you don’t know, Phil Keoghan is the longtime host of The Amazing Race and he raises his one eyebrow before he says “GO!” every season. It’s a whole thing.) As hard as it was to re-start The Race, it was fun to see “the eyebrow” in person.
5. “From what we’ve seen, what has been the hardest challenge?”
Yes, bungee jumping and climbing hundreds (and hundreds) of stairs was hard, but hands down the hardest part is navigating and driving in another country. In the most recent leg of The Race, they had drivers to help because the mountain roads could be dangerous. It felt so good just to have 15 minutes to have a sip of water, re-read the clue, and collect our thoughts.
6. “Do they tell you what to pack?”
No. They don’t tell you what to bring, only what NOT to bring. No electronics, maps, navigation devices, or even your own money. At some point, I’ll show you what we brought (I have to find it all) but we packed very little.
7. “How have you kept the results a secret?”
We signed a contract bigger than a phone book. I’d rather not get sued so it’s pretty easy to keep things quiet.
I was a little worried because they are at the age where everything we do has the potential to be embarrassing, but they’ve been so proud. Every Wednesday night we sit down and they clap after we complete a challenge. It’s been a joy to relive this experience with them. I think they are amazed we are still in it!
9. “How do women deal with their period on The Race?”
Ugh. It’s not ideal. As we were racing around, I walked this fine line of dehydration so I wouldn’t have to stop and pee. So stopping to take care of other things was a downright pain. But I’ll be honest, I wore black and hoped for the best. It was not ideal but that’s being a woman sometimes, right?
10. “What do teams have to keep in The Amazing Race fanny pack?”
It’s recommended you keep your passports and vaccine documents close at all times. If you lose your passport, your race is over. I kept a small notebook and compass in there too. It felt HUGE on me. Penn is very ADHD so I’m typically the keeper of all the important things, but he had to take turns with it. When I ran, it hit the top of my thighs.
The Amazing Race airs Wednesdays at 9pm EST on CBS.
