There Is No “I” in “Team” – An Interview With Cindy from The Amazing Race 4

RNO: [This question was originally intended for Russell, before we knew only Cindy was available to answer.] Russell? Did you feel bad for the way you were edited to look like you constantly were on Cindy’s case and never let her make any decisions? Was it actually an accurate portrayal?

Cindy: You need to ask Russell this question when he returns from his trip. Inquiring minds want to know.

RNO: Cindy? On the flip side, do you feel that you were able to make enough decisions for the team, or were you happier sometimes just letting Russell make most of the decisions?

Cindy: Of course not! I am an extremely independent person, and would never rely on anyone’s choice without weighing all options. I’m a team player, and my mistake was not seeing ahead of time that we were not exactly a team. My voice was never heard; he wasn’t even listening. As you can see, it didn’t get us very far. This also would reflect our weakness. This would be the times you saw me rolling my eyes, as if to say, “ What purpose does this serve” but loss of time, giving info that might give us an edge, not to mention showing other teams our weakness, a disregard for his teammate. I still am baffled by his alliances, when clearly there was no alliance with me. Up the mountain, I insisted at the beginning it was only 10 minutes the other direction down the road, but again a futile attempt as we hiked up 1000 ft. through the snow and back down to the same road leading us back to the hotel, which cost us a good hour.

RNO: Of the challenges that you had the opportunity to participate in, which one was your favorite? Was there one in particular that the two of you were not particularly thrilled with doing?

Cindy: Favorite? For me, the Rescue Mission! Least favorite? Nothing I can think of. For Russell, I think he would say the Tower [was his favorite]… something he’s wanted to do since he was twelve year old.

RNO: The mistake that cost you the race was not your fault. The tape showed you clearly said "Gmunden" and the ticket person gave you tickets to "Gmund." Do you think it was fair that the producers didn't make an allowance?

Cindy: This was the luck of the draw, part of the deal. I do think it was strange that the man selling us the wrong ticket wasn’t open to refunding our money when I clearly pointed out his mistake, to the point we had to ask for help from the travel agent in the train station to insist he refund us our money back. This process alone cost us 10 minutes.

RNO: Which team did you feel closest too? Was there any team that the two of you tried to stay as far away from as possible?

Cindy: I really can’t say, I got to know some of the teams to the point where I can easily say we will be friends for a very long time to come.

RNO: Did you believe that you had beaten Steve & Dave to the pit stop, or had you already given up at that point and figured that you were last?

Cindy: I think we knew, but tried to maintain hope. Watching their response on TV, when Dave and Steve realized that they were still in the game, made me laugh, even after feeling gutted by my own loss.

RNO: What are your plans now? Do either of you want to use your stint on The Amazing Race to try and further your careers or are you happy with the way things were going before the race started?

Cindy: I can’t speak for Russell, but I fell behind on my work from this, and I don’t see how a race could further my career in any way. Although you do put every facet of your life on hold, I’d like to add, if I could do this once a year, I gladly would.

RNO: Did you watch previous seasons of TAR? I made reference that you reminded me of Lenny & Karen from the first season. Do you think that is a fair comparison, or was there another team that you felt you related to a little more?

Cindy: Being that I never saw the show until the season before ours, It would not be fair to say. I think it is fair to say I’ll never miss a show again!

RNO: If the opportunity came up, do you think that the two of you could do the race again together as a team or was once enough?

Cindy: I feel Russell probably learned from this trip. Choosing to be a lemming is not to ones advantage. I think he’d be more accommodating if I held the bag of power next time around. By power, I’m referring to the money, the clues, and the maps. Actually, with the switch in power, I think that Cindy & Russell team would be MUCH more entertaining to watch.

RNO: Is there anything you would like to add to all your fans that are reading this?

Cindy: We have once around that we know of in life. Jump in. Live it, even if it means having a little egg on your face.

RNO: Thank you both so much for taking time out to answer my questions. I wish the two of you nothing but good luck now that the race is over and it’s time to settle back into your normal lives. Thanks again!

Phil Kural is a senior at Temple University, and can be reached at pkural@temple.edu.

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