by Gina Scarpa

 

Married monster truckers Rob and Kelley French may have come across as having a tough exterior on The Amazing Race but when it came to one another, they were anything but. The two worked well together - so well, in fact, that they kept to themselves throughout the race and didn't team up with others the way so many pairs do. That also ended up being their downfall this week as they split from the pack in Turkey and fell too far behind to catch up. Following their elimination, Rob and Kelley talked to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about their strategy (or lack thereof), what they took away from the race, and what they think about the theft that took place on this week's episode!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Amazing Race?
A. Kelley: It was definitely Rob's! It wasn't Kelley's! I'm more of a quiet, private person. I don't know if I can even do this. It was fun. I'm glad I did it.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You've obviously traveled around the country, being monster truckers, but have you traveled much internationally prior to the race?
A. Kelley: Yeah, we've traveled internationally. We've been to quite a few different countries...
A. Rob: None that we've been through them before!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Rob, you said that you had a tough exterior but it was really to help get you through challenging experiences. Do you feel like your demeanor rubbed other teams the wrong way and, if it did, did you care?
A. Rob: I was hoping that it did but I really didn't care. I wasn't there for any of them. I was there for me and Kelley. It worked out perfect for us. The best thing about the whole race was seeing our family and friends enjoy all the time that we were on the show. They got as much enjoyment out of it as we did.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You really ran your own race and didn't team up with others, the way many teams do. Was that a strategy of yours to keep to yourselves?
A. Rob: That's how we live our lives!
A. Kelley: We're independent. We depend on each other and there was no need to change when we went on the race.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: On this week's episode in Turkey, you chose to take the subway the entire way to the Detour. Did you realize that you had fallen to the bottom of the pack?
A. Kelley: No, when we first got off, we discussed whether or not we should grab a taxi. You had to get off at one station and go to another. We didn't realize the second one we got on was real inner city with a lot of stops. That's the one we should've bypassed.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The fans are talking this week about the Natalie, Nadiya, Trey, and Lexi taking James and Abba's money, and not even getting a penalty or spoken to for it. What did you think when you saw it on tv?
A. Kelley: Yeah, we thought that was crazy! We didn't know anything about it. We couldn't believe that had just happened.
A. Rob: We are so glad that we were not part of that mess. I could not have gone out in public knowing that I was a thief or part of a theft. Those teams lost all credibility when they stole the money. They knew whose it was. In the real world, we don't teach people to steal. If I would've known then what I know now, I would've just taken everybody's bags. We were very shocked...
A. Kelley: And disappointed!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you left the Road Block, how close were you to beating out Josh and Brent?
A. Rob: Within 10 minutes!
A. Kelley: We were fairly close in the end. We sold our drinks fairly quickly. They were a long way ahead of us but I thought I did a really good job. I just kept smiling and said you don't have to drink it, just buy it. I went further down and didn't try to sell to the same people. I went where other people hadn't been. If they had gotten caught in traffic or had an issue with their taxi, things would've turned out differently.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was hearing Phil tell you at the mat that were you eliminated a tough pill to swallow?
A. Kelley: Yeah, for me, I'm a very tough competitor and I hate losing. I knew when we got to the mat, that we were the last team. You hate to hear that you lost.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You've had a lot of experiences in different places throughout your careers but what's something unique that you're taking away from The Amazing Race?
A. Kelley: It was very interesting and kind of shocking, some of the places we went, and we realize we take things for granted. Here, everything is basically clean and neat and healthy. Our way of life, we don't understand how hard people are struggling in different parts of the world. You get a new outlook on life.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Despite Rob maybe having a tough exterior with other people, the two of you were very kind to each other throughout the race. Do you feel it brought you closer together at al?
A. Kelley: We've always been close! We're a close couple, we're each other's best cheerleaders. Being on the race, that's pretty much how we live our lives. Sometimes, we have disagreements but we make a decision and we live with it.

 

The Amazing Race airs Sundays at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa