The Amazing Race 15 Insider, Episode 6: Schadenfreude

After the Race

Heads Held High: Tiffany believes that the race has shown her all the wonderful qualities and traits that Maria possess which complement those things that Tiffany herself aren't very good at. They were able to really balance each other out. She was happily surprised to watch Maria get physically active as she knew that Maria wasn't as physically fit as her. But Maria got out there and embraced challenges without getting "too girly" about them.

Tiffany recognizes that Maria got out of her comfort zone for the team, and for her and it was amazing and touching to see. They weren't doing this for the money and so pushing through the difficulties was really to do it for each other. Tiffany will never forget that Maria was a wild woman during this time even if Maria resumes being super clean and girly again.

For Maria, the race was one of the toughest and most grueling things she's done in her entire life but it was also one of the most rewarding and liberating things, too. She may not be happy with their ending, but she thinks this is how it had to end for them. She's able to learn from having pushed herself to the limits and then having to deal with the disappointment. If it had been all sunshine and rewards, she isn't sure what she would have learned from it all. Tiffany declares that the race has made her cry like a baby but it will probably end up being the highlight of her life.

Gary & Matt on Golfing: Gary & Matt recall their frustrations during the golf Detour. So many times the ball would get cut off by the flag and the ball would hover right over falling into the hole. Matt would blow the ball to try to make it fall in, but alas, that failed. They then had to start over. Gary remembers that it got frustrating but also remembers that when they thought about it out there, they'd laugh hysterically. They're in their underwear, hitting giant golf balls around a cow pasture. Kinda surreal and typical crazy Amazing Race. Gary will never forget Matt's pink hair, tattoos, and underwear while teeing up to play that crazy golf. If you don't enjoy the stress, you'll go nuts.

Being Real: Ericka discusses Sam & Dan's revelation the night prior in Dubai that they are brothers and that they are gay. She had wondered if they were but it really didn't matter. Ericka is aware that everyone is now in the stage of the relationship where people are being honest with each other. She is glad that they felt comfortable enough to tell them and she has heard that they haven't even told all their family members yet.

Ericka has experience from some of her friends and knows how hard it is to come out. She is just so happy when people can finally be who they are. So Ericka was very excited that Sam & Dan could be real and be who they are here on the race. This way she knows Sam & Dan can relax and have a good time on the race.

Brian agrees with this and is impressed how Sam & Dan did it, as he knows they could have not said anything about it the entire race. He's happy they feel comfortable with the remaining teams and is honored because Sam & Dan haven't even told their father yet. Wow. He has noticed that they seem relieved of a burden now and he's happy for that, too.

Ericka is glad that Sam & Dan can also show that you don't have to be a certain stereotype when you're gay. Brian admits he was initially confused upon them coming out. He asked if they were really brothers, which they confirmed. Then he wondered if they were dating each other, which of course they immediately cleared up as a big no. After that initial confusion, though, Brian's just glad they came out and can be themselves.

An Equal Partner: Ericka recalls that during her hell in the bell tower Roadblock, all she was thinking was that she couldn't disappoint Brian. She remembered that in Dubai, Brian was the one who brought the water in from the desert. So if he can bring water from a desert, she should be able to count some bells! She felt awful for doing so poorly there. It's important for her to feel like she's an equal contributor, but she began to wonder if perhaps she should have chosen to row the boat in the watch Roadblock while Brian did the bell counting. She just felt like Brian was disappointed in her but she realizes it was all in her head as Brian gave no indication that he was actually disappointed.

Cheyne's Decision: Cheyne admits that he can allow Meghan to make a decision but in this leg's Detour, he immediately knew that the golf option was the best one and would better suit both of their strengths. He understood Meghan was unsure about it but also knew she was underestimating herself and that they would succeed once out there. As for other decisions to be made, if Meghan is adamant about something then he'll listen. She wasn't adamant about the dancing option, so he pressed on. He made the decision to golf and she didn't complain about it one bit, which was good of her. She says thank you and I really can't tell if there's sarcasm in this conversation.

Extra Race Footage

Hard to Let Go: Meghan is frustrated that their lead has evaporated due to all the teams bunching up at the airport for the flight to Amsterdam. She knew it was inevitable that the teams would get evened out again, it's just hard for both of them to "give up [their] lead." As I hinted at during last week's videos with them, they realize that they had it nice and now they have to play hard again. Meghan starts moping about how the other teams are soon going to arrive and there will be dashes to the counter. Is she forgetting she's on a competitive game show?