by Gina Scarpa

 

All season long on The Amazing Race, married couple Bill and Cathi Alden were out to prove that age was just a number - and that's exactly what they did! They not only ran an impressive race but their love and appreciation for one another, and the race itself, came through to the viewers at home each week. On Sunday night's episode, they were eliminated in Belgium and today, we caught up with them in an exclusive interview to talk about their Amazing Race experience.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were the two of you fans of The Amazing Race before going on the show and what made you want to try out?
A. Cathi: We have been fans for years!
A. Bill: Because of our background with farming, kids, and being teachers, we have a lot of strengths that seemed to play to what the race did. We love competition and it was right up our alley.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the toughest aspect of the race for you?
A. Bill: For me and I think for Cathi, it was a recovery rate due to our ages. I can remember when I was in my 20s and doing some drastic things and then I'm up and going again! Now, it requires some more time to recover. We knew going in that that was going to be a problem. Once the race starts, it just goes!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: One thing I loved about the two of you is your relationship. You are so respectful and encouraging of one another. You must have been happy that that came through on the episodes.
A. Cathi: I think that we were happy that in that long-term situation, we really did dig deep. We have such a deep appreciation for one another.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What happened on this superleg in Belgium that resulted in the two of you getting eliminated?
A. Cathi: What happened is that we just had a hard time learning the bodybuilding routine. We actually got there first. We just took longer to learn it than the others and I think we didn't want to mess up a second time and we worked too hard on it.
A. Bill: We were self-conscious! Hearing yourself be booed hits deep.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was it difficult for you to make up the time that you needed to move ahead in the pack?
A. Cathi: It was. We didn't drive aggressively enough. We should've just said, "If we get a ticket, we get a ticket." At that point, the teams are so competitive that 10 minutes here and 5 minutes there kills you.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Even when you were eliminated, you still had a positive attitude. Are you satisfied with your experience on the race?
A. Cathi: We were grateful for every moment on the race. We got to do things that we never could've foreseen. The other teams were fun and lively. Sure, we would've loved to have gone to the end and won it but everything was such a positive opportunity for us.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: So if they called you to do an all star season, what would you say?
A. Cathi: You know, my first response is "Absolutely!" and Bill's is "Oh my gosh, let's talk!"

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

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