by Gina Scarpa

 

From the word "go" this season on The Amazing Race, Ernie and Cindy had one goal in mind - to reach that finish line first. Their dreams were realized on Sunday night's finale as they beat Jeremy and Sandy, as well as Amani and Marcus, to the mat in Atlanta for the million dollar prize. Today, we talked to the engaged couple about the pressure of getting Cindy's family to accept them, the way they came across on television, and the good they want to do with their winnings.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Amazing Race?
A. Ernie: It was all Cindy's idea, originally. We had watched the show, a majority of the seasons actually, and I just didn't feel like we'd ever get on it. I didn't know why they would pick us and she said, "No no, let's make a video." It was just us talking about our relationship and our family background.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You talked a lot this season about wanting your family to accept the fact that the two of you are together and getting married. Did that add a layer of pressure onto the race for you?
A. Ernie: I would say the actual relationship part wasn't such pressure... it was more the family pressure, from Cindy's side, from doing well and winning. They never like to see failure. They like to make sure that our goals are oriented in a way that we're doing everything we can to achieve them.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You both ran an extremely good race this season. Was it safe to say that you saw the snowboarders are your biggest competition?
A. Cindy: I think everyone saw the snowboarders as their biggest competition! They were so happy go lucky but they are true competitors. They know how to get down to business, they're athletic, they're smart, they were definitely the toughest competitors of the season.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Speaking of, when you look back on it, how do you feel about that leg where you used the Express Pass and were beaten to the mat by Andy and Tommy?
A. Ernie: The mistake we made there was that we should've used it sooner. We shouldn't have gotten in the canoe and circled the water. That was a mistake. We didn't U-Turn Andy and Tommy at the time, because we were so close to them. We thought we had a little bit of a lead and it didn't seem like that big of the deal.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Watching the episodes back, what was the biggest eye opener, either about yourselves or the other teams?
A. Cindy: I think for me, the biggest eye opener was just how I can be perceived when you don't get the rest of the story of who I am. We were characters and we played into that but I think I've learned how people view me and I've tried to behave better. We did learn a lot about the other teams. We didn't know the grandparents were triathletes, we didn't know Marcus was a football player... it's funny to watch it back.
A. Ernie: As a viewer, you watch and the whole season, he talks about football but he kept that tight lipped! It's not that big of a difference but you like to know those things. When teams don't tell you everything, you kind of get a little leery about what you want to share with them.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You ran a pretty smooth last leg, until it was time to get to Swan House. How nervewracking was that cab ride?!
A. Cindy: When we left the map, we kind of had a feeling that we may have been there before the other two teams.
A. Ernie: Nobody was there when we got there and nobody was there when we left.
A. Cindy: So it was nervewracking just because we were anticipating the finish line. We had an idea that we were probably in first.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was it like to cross that finish line first, especially knowing the strong teams that you beat along the way?
A. Ernie: It was such an achievement for us. We set such a high standard for ourselves. Just the fact that we accomplished everything against these pros, I guess you could say, was unbelievable. Never did I think Team Ernie/Cindy would go so far, knowing now what we should've known back then as far as who was who.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Cindy, can you tell us more about the good that you and Ernie want to do with the prize money?
A. Cindy: As we were traveling, we noticed that there was a need for primary education. I think I made a comment in Malawi that I was surprised by the amount of children not in school. Public schools are not necessarily free and a lot of times, parents have to make a tough choice and send their children to work, where as we in the U.S. take good public education for granted. Education is really the primary thing that can alleviate poverty and so being able to do that is really

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's been the best part about running the race together?
A. Ernie: I think the bond. I mean, you go into it with all this preparation. You find out all the different things about your relationship and you're thrown into a stressful situation. You work your way through different tasks... you get hit at once with everything and to be able to work through it all and to be victorious is like, showing you that it can be done. This relationship is solid. Everything that you thought it was is exactly what it is.
A. Cindy: We hope to be role models to other interracial couples. You don't see a lot of them on tv.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

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