Jennifer and Nathan, the volatile Southern Californian couple, have taken a lot of flak from fans of The Amazing Race this season. And, rightfully so. They often acted immaturely, yelling and bickering at each other, saying mean, awful things and generally annoying the audience. But, is it not possible that their seeming anger and dislike of each other is only a product of the high-intensity, high-stress environment of the Race? That outside of the unrealistic existence of the Race, Jenn and Nate are a good couple? We interviewed Jenn and Nate yesterday, and they were as amiable as you could hope for in interview subjects.
Below you will find both the written transcript and full mp3 audio of the interview.
Hey, this is Oscar Dahl from BuddyTV, and I’m here with Nate and Jen from The Amazing Race. Nate, Jen, how are you guys doing?
Nate: Great.
Jen: Great, how’s it going?
Good. So let’s start at the beginning. How did you guys find yourself on the race? Were you both fans beforehand, and how did the audition process work out for you guys?
Nate: Jen and I actually started watching the All-Star season. We were kind of late followers of the show, and we were really intrigued by it. We really liked the concept of the race, we liked how it was a two person race, it was something that Jen and I could both do. That was something that Jen and I were actually looking for at the time. Something that we could do together that was competitive, that could strengthen our relationship, and we heard of the open casting call and we went to check it out. Jen was actually dancing for the Clippers, and a casting director was at one of her games and spotted Jen, and [blank] she pulled us out of line and that’s pretty much how the whole thing started.
Once the race started, how different was it from your expectations? What was the most shocking thing to you guys?
Jen: I’m going to have to definitely say the very first leg. When we landed in Ireland and took the ferry to the island of Inishmore, first of all it was the middle of summer but it was raining, muddy, and we had to run three miles up to where we had to find the clue, up on top of this mountain. It was just a rude awakening, it was like holy schnikes, is this how it’s gonna be? It was really, really a tough start, but it was good though, because Nate and I love stuff like that. Obviously I didn’t handle it as well as Nate. I’m not as good a runner as he is. It was a tough start, but I think it was a good leg to start on because it was like whoa, this is not nearly as easy as anyone would think, or it even looks on TV.
One of the big storylines throughout the season has been you two butting heads throughout the legs. Was that a concern of yours going into the race?
Nate: Well going into the race obviously we didn’t want to fight. We told ourselves not to look stupid on TV and we’re not going to disrespect each other. But four days into the race you’re tired, you’re hungry, and you’re going, going, going. Your mind goes to places that it’s never been, and you forget that there’s cameras there, you forget that you’re in these crazy countries. It is just so intense that we did not expect it at all, how hard it was really gonna be.
Was that difficult at all, watching those episodes from home? Seeing yourselves fight it out?
Jen: It definitely is. Especially for me personally because I, with the editing, was more targeted as the loud, vocal, feisty person that was constantly being mean and questioning Nate. That wasn’t really the case most of the time. I mean yes, we argue and we had our differences, but Nate and I were really very appreciative of all the places that we went. I love Nate so much, and it just doesn’t quite show us loving each other and enjoying our time there. We kind of got the dramatic editing, so it’s hard to see that on TV. But then at the same point in time it’s a really big eye opener, I feel. It’s good to see yourself, because you’re not aware of the way that you react or you talk until you can actually view yourself firsthand. It’s a really good learning experience.
It sounds like you two are still together. Is that the case?
Nate: Yeah. When we got back we did split apart, but then we got together and things have never been better.
One of the things that struck me is that yeah, you guys fought a lot on the race, but it seemed to be borne mostly out of pure competitiveness or lack of sleep.
Jen: I’m so glad that you realize that, thank you.
Nate: Yeah, Jen and I are competitive to the bone. If it’s a race, we’re going to put 110 percent into it. We might kill each other along the way, but that’s just who we are inside.
Was there anything while watching this season that was edited out that you wish CBS would have aired?
Nate: There were a few times when Jen and I were acting goofy and we were showing a different side that people might have actually got to relate to. Like, “Oh, these two maybe really do appreciate where they’re at, and they are using it as a learning experience.” I don’t feel that people got to see that. I feel that people just got to see Jen and I going crazy and running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I believe we’re actually truly appreciative of this experience, and I wish people got to see that.
Jen: Yeah. And one thing, if I could add in, when we were in Croatia, while we were waiting for the ferry to take us to Ancona, Italy, we actually had like a five hour delay or a layover there. We got to swim, we were actually swimming with TK and Rachel in the ocean over there, and we were jumping off the cliffs, and it was just a beautiful, gorgeous time. It came at a perfect time in the race, when we really got to bond with TK and Rachel, then we just got to relax and really soak up where we were.
What was your favorite place on the race?
Nate: Honestly, there was not really a place that we disliked. We loved every single place we went to, but I told Jen that I would love to go back to Croatia. It’s like a European paradise where it’s just so beautiful that I can’t even handle it. It’s just the most beautiful place that I’ve ever seen.
Jen: For me, I would love to go back to Africa of course, but Lithuania. I mean, before I ripped open the clue I never even knew Lithuania existed. So, just landing there and seeing this rich, beautiful countryside was just incredible, and the people there are gorgeous too as well.
I appreciate you guys stopping by. Do you have any plans for the future, anything you’d like to talk about before you go?
Nate: Jen and I are planning on traveling and seeing the world. We definitely plan on traveling again and helping people. We want to get out there and definitely get out of California and see the rest of the world, and live just a great life.
Jen: We just want to be able to give back to more unfortunate places in this world, just a little bit of what we have over here. We don’t need everything we have here, and I really want to share that with some other countries because they really deserve it.
Alright Nate, Jen, I appreciate you guys stopping by and we wish you luck in the future.
Nate: Thank you.
Jen. Thank you very much, have a good one.
-Interview Conducted by Oscar Dahl
(Image Courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
