'Amazing Race' (CBS)
Note: XFINITY is the perfect pit stop for “Amazing Race” fans. Every Monday after an elimination leg, we’ll have an interview with the team that was sent packing and the full episode. Follow @gordonholmes on Twitter for immediate updates.
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“Are you crying?! There’s no crying! There’s no crying in baseball!” – Jimmy Dugan – “A League of Their Own
That might be the rule in baseball, but it certainly didn’t work like that on the most recent episode of “The Amazing Race.” Tears were flying from both teams as Dennis and Isabelle and Shelly and Nici raced for the finish line.
Unfortunately for Dennis and Isabelle, Shelly and Nici got the happy Hollywood ending.
I spoke with Dennis and Isabelle shortly after their elimination and had a chance to ask about the finer points of punt steering, Nici’s improvised bathroom break, and their emotional end…
Gordon Holmes: I’m a glass-is-half-full kind of a guy, so let me start by saying at least you didn’t have to pee on your boat on national TV.
Isabelle Du: (Laughs)
Dennis Hour: (Laughs) We didn’t pee in the boat and we didn’t quit the challenge.
Isabelle: We never quit, we just kept going.
Gordon: Walk me through the punt process. What was causing you kids so much trouble?
Dennis: It’s the current. And steering a boat with a stick in shallow water.
Isabelle: And there were parts that were deep.
Dennis: Yeah, some parts were deep. So, sometimes it would stick. And if you’re not used to punting, you don’t know where the shallow part is.
Isabelle: You’re literally taking a stick and digging it into the mud. And it’s kind of really murky. So, you couldn’t tell where it was. And the current at one point was pulling us in different ways. We were running into the rocks, we were running into the trees. All of us fell. Multiple times. Everybody. Everybody was screaming at each other.
Gordon: Was this a situation where some of the stronger players like Robbie or Keith would have more luck with it?
Isabelle: I don’t think so. If you got there early, the current wasn’t as bad. Later in the day the current got stronger. There was also a time issue. And if you have people like Bethany and Adam who are so used to the water, they’re going to know how to navigate it. Dennis and I are not always in the water. We’re not as familiar with currents. If anything, we wished we’d held onto the rocks more which is what the other teams did.
Dennis: By the time we figured out we were able to grab onto the wall, it was a little too late.
Gordon: How far ahead were Shelly and Nici by the time you finished the challenge?
Dennis: We were rolling to the docks and they had just finished. I saw them running and we grabbed our stuff and raced behind them.
Isabelle: We were very close.
Gordon: Isabelle, you got very emotional during that last sprint to the end. What was it that caused you to react so strongly?
Isabelle: (Laughs) We were so close. I don’t think people realize how far ahead we were of so many teams.
Dennis: When we got into London, we raced to the front of the pack very quickly.
Isabelle: It sucks when you’re so ahead and you fall behind in this one challenge. For us, I can’t believe I got so emotional. But, this is our dream. Can you imagine finally accomplishing your dream and being so close to it and then losing it all? It was really hard to swallow. We are huge fans of this show and we knew we were really behind. I know people made a lot of comments about me crying.
Dennis: It hurt because we knew we were that close. Our taxi driver could have driven faster or we could’ve gotten to the docks earlier.
Isabelle: There were barely any taxis around there. We were running around looking for one.
Gordon: You probably learn a lot about your partner on “Amazing Race.” Sometimes you’ll see a duo and the one of them will be like, “Babe! C’mon! Be faster!”
Isabelle: (Laughs)
Gordon: But it seemed like Dennis was super supportive. That has to be a nice takeaway.
Isabelle: It made me want to cry more.
Gordon: Oh, then you should’ve yelled at her, Dennis.
Isabelle: (Laughs)
Dennis: We fought beforehand. By the time we were in the middle of London we were working very well together.
Isabelle: We decided after that we should have fought more! We would’ve gotten it done. We were trying so hard to get along. We were trying so hard to be supportive that we lost track of the fact that there were other teams around us. And watching it, I’ve always known that I can feel Dennis’s love. I had tunnel-vision and I didn’t hear everything he said. So, to hear it again, it’s really comforting. I think it’s made us a stronger couple.
Gordon: That was actually my next question; are you still a dating couple?
Dennis: Yes, we are. Our new hashtag is #thedatingstrongcouple.
Isabelle: (Laughs) Yeah, and afterwards we really had to reevaluate our relationship together because we’d never had to work together as a team. “Amazing Race” really did bring us together. And then we started a blog together, it’s a style blog called “My Boyfriend’s Clothes” where I wear his clothes my way, and then he wears his clothes my way. It’s this project that we do together, it’s continued to glue us together.
Gordon: Any talk of you two becoming an engaged strong couple?
Isabelle: (Laughs)
Dennis: That is the #1 question I get! I’m not going to spoil anything.
Gordon: Good “Amazing Race’ partners don’t come around every day, you’ve got to lock that down.
Dennis: (Laughs)
Isabelle: Thank you! I like that.
Gordon: I’m starting to sound like my mother.
Isabelle: We’re in no rush, but we definitely talk about it.
Dennis: We know where we’re at.
Gordon: Alright, word association time. Let’s start with Adam and Bethany.
Isabelle: Water savvy.
Gordon: Misty and Jim?
Dennis: White teeth.
Isabelle: Awesome.
Gordon: Kim and Alli?
Dennis: Intense.
Isabelle: Tough.
Gordon: Keith and Whitney?
Isabelle: “Survivor”? (Laughs)
Dennis: Can’t find the treasure.
Gordon: Tim and Te Jay?
Isabelle: Love them. Dynamite.
Dennis: Awesome.
Gordon: Michael and Scott?
Isabelle: Ridiculous.
Dennis: The funniest people I know.
Gordon: Brooke and Robbie?
Isabelle: Hilarious.
Dennis: Saucy.
Gordon: Amy and Maya?
Isabelle: Underdogs.
Dennis: Extremely bubbly.
Gordon: And we’ll finish with Shelly and Nici.
Dennis: Feisty.
Isabelle: I’m going to say ridiculous too.
Gordon: Did the game ruin pancakes for you?
Dennis: I’m OK with pancakes. I don’t want to ever see any kind of punting again.
Isabelle: I was pretty proud of my pancakes. I wish they’d zoomed in on my pancakes a little more.
Gordon: Maybe at the wedding reception you should have some kind of crepe station.
Isabelle: As an homage to the episode! (Laughs)
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
Tags: The Amazing Race
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