by Gina Scarpa

 

Throughout this season on The Amazing Race, dating couple Jeremy and Sandy had their ups and downs but pulled together when it mattered most. They stepped up their game towards the end, securing a spot in the final three, and raced all the way to the finish line. They arrived second, after Ernie and Cindy, but say they're proud of everything they've accomplished. Today, we talked to Jeremy and Sandy more about their experiences on The Amazing Race in an exclusive interview.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were the two of you initially concerned about how the race might affect your relationship?
A. Jeremy: We weren't concerned at all! That was the funny part. We thought that we'd be cast as this arguing, bickering couple, which was fine. It kind of turned out to be an eye opening experience for both of us. It's really challenging when you don't know someone and you're put in this element of traveling together in a race. I don't know. It was more difficult than we thought. We thought our relationship was great and strong enough. It turned out to surprise us a little bit.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Towards the end of the race, around the 9th leg, you really started to hit your stride. Was there something noticeable to you that changed?
A. Jeremy: I think there was. I think it was a matter of trusting each other. I think we rely on ourselves and our careers. When you're able to trust the other's decision and intuition, it helps. It helps to feel that security in knowing that you'll be okay. The communication too really grew for us. In the beginning, we were able to smart off to the other without thinking of the consequences. We grew in those things tremendously.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: This season seemed really tough - which task did you find the most difficult or frustrating?
A. Sandy: I think we did really, really well on all of the Road Blocks. I think it was in between that Jeremy and I struggled. We did really well in challenges, physically. Mental challenges, we worked well together and I liked doing puzzles and memorization. We really struggled on the in between.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: On last night's episode, you both had a tough time finding the former residence known as The Dump. How long were you at that furniture store trying to figure out where to go?
A. Sandy: Once we got there, we realized kind of right away... we were under the impression that it was an old warehouse. Once we walked up and saw it was a functioning store, we knew right away. We had to find somebody that had a smartphone for us to be able to use. We didn't waste too much time there.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Jeremy, if you had gotten the map right the first time, would you and Sandy have made up enough time to catch Ernie and Cindy?
A. Jeremy: No, we don't believe so at that time. After leaving the house with the typewriter, we went to a hotel. It happened to be the same hotel that Ernie and Cindy had gone to and they told us to go to Turner Field. They told us, "Somebody was here 45 minutes ahead of you." We knew: this was it. We made our mistake, our million dollar mistake. We just went through that task as fast as possible and tried to keep it together.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Despite not winning the million dollars, what was it like to cross the finish line and see the race to the very end?
A. Sandy: We were so proud. Before we left on this journey, our first goal was not to be eliminated first. Once we got past that, each time was sweeter and sweeter. We went through a downturn right in the middle. We had rough legs but at the end, we got our confidence back. We wanted it just as bad as everyone else. Some teams may not have viewed us as a threat but we crossed the finish line so we're very proud of our accomplishments. It wasn't about the money, it was about the journey. We're holding our heads high.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is the biggest thing you learned about one another from being on the show and running the race together?
A. Sandy: Easy for me. Before the show, Jeremy and I were dating a few months. He was... I wouldn't say passive, but he was this easygoing kind of guy. I really saw fire in his belly on this race. He's very competitive, he's very much a leader, very much a man. I was impressed and also impressed with his physical ability. He put a lot of guys to shame, professional athletes.
A. Jeremy: Sandy really impressed me with her communication. We both had the idea that we wanted to be the likeable team and build rapport with every single team. She did a fantastic job. Every single person loved her and wanted to team up with her, even Laurence. He absolutely adores her! She really impressed me with that, not to mention the tightrope walk. That was the most impressive thing I've ever seen.

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)

 

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