by Gina Scarpa

After winning the last three legs this season on The Amazing Race, Max and Katie Bichler were feeling understandably confident going into Sunday night's finale. The competitive newleyweds did everything right during the final leg in D.C. but a Road Block that required more luck than skill ended up costing them more time than they could make up. They arrived at the pit stop second, behind Bates and Anthony Battaglia, and now dream of a second chance to race again and win the million. We talked to the couple today in exclusive interview about the ups and downs of their time on The Amazing Race.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You guys got off to a little bit of a rough start, but by the 4th leg, you definitely got it together. What did you need to learn or adjust to in order to turn things around?
A. Max: How to stay under control. In the beginning, we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off. The most difficult thing was to learn to race under control. We made some big mistakes in Africa, but we were saved by the fact that we had athleticism and some intelligence. I think that the biggest thing was when we got to Europe, we really learned how to race. We had to be under control and making good decisions.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Over the years, a lot of couples tend to find with one another on the race but you two got along and worked together well. Did it surprise you that you didn't let the stress of the race get to you in that way?
A. Max: I think it was a little bit of a surprise that we didn't get at each other more than we did. We'll get at each other but we have thick skin. I think what happened was, being in the back of the pack, it was either take it out on each other or take it out on everybody else.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: This season was very much about alliances. Was there a team that you felt you worked with best or could trust the most?
A. Max: It was definitely hard to trust anybody.
A. Katie: Yeah, I don't think we trusted anybody. You don't know these people, you're thrown into this game, and you don't wanna get blindsided. Pam and Winnie, we knew they were ruthless and would do whatever to win. At least they were up front of it. Maybe we worked with them the best, but I'm still not entirely sure that we trusted anybody.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You won three legs in a row, leading up to that final leg. You had to feel pretty confident as you headed for D.C.
A. Max: Yeah, we felt awesome. We had learned how to race and we felt like we figured it out. We figured out when to stop for directions, and when not to stop. We felt like the hot team headed into the playoffs. We couldn't have been more confident heading into the final leg.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What cost you the most amount of time in D.C.?
A. Max: It was the suitcases! That was it. It was just chance, it was luck. Even if we caught the baseball on the first try, nothing else mattered on the final leg. It was all the Road Block.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Given how competitive you both are, and how hard you raced, what was going through your mind when you checked in crossed the finish line in second place?
A. Max: I think they told me to cheer up.
A. Katie: I mean, you can be nothing but disheartened because we did nothing wrong. We were the only team to figure out a lot of these clues. Having it all come down to a challenge based on luck was tough.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You seem like the perfect pair for another Unfinished Business season. Would you run the race again?
A. Max: Well, I hope you don't say that to everybody! That's all we can think about is getting back and getting another chance. I know Katie and I each have a dream nightly about the race, and having another chance. Of course we would! That's our dream right now.

(Image courtesy of CBS)

Follow Gina @ginascarpa