“That Was the Biggest Disappointment” – An Interview with The Amazing Race 8’s Black Family

Reality News Online: Hi, Reggie, Kimberly, Kenneth, and Austin! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. I was rooting for you to go far, and I know I’m not the only person who is sorry you didn’t. I’m especially sad, though, because I’m from Falls Church, so you were my home team! First of all, whose idea was it to audition for the race?

The Blacks: Mom and Dad’s idea, mostly Dad’s.

RNO: What advantages did you think you had over the other teams?

The Blacks: Speed, two decision-makers, as opposed to four, more family unity. The kids took our lead.

RNO: What do you think was your biggest weakness?

Kenneth: Stronger people on the other teams.

Austin: Bigger people.

Kim Needed adults to bounce other ideas off of. Not being able to view things as far as navigation is concerned, map wielding/navigation.

RNO: What was each family member’s favorite moment on the race?

Kim: When we were looking for the Eastern Mountain Sports store and Kenneth was the first one to find it. I was very proud of my son, who was helpful in finding out where they needed to go.

Kenneth: Crossing the Delaware River.

Austin: Building the houses; we were good at that.

RNO: Why did you choose to “Build It” instead of “Buggy It”?

The Blacks: We knew we didn’t have the strength/stamina to Buggy It and the boys were great builders.

RNO: You mentioned on the show that you planned to run the race with respect and without hurting anyone. You definitely managed to do that. What other things did you have in mind that you wanted to do?

The Blacks: Go out of the country and experience international travel as a family experience. Kenneth wanted to bungee jump. Kim wanted to experience other cultures and languages firsthand and bring it back to her students. More importantly, to be able to take her kids out of the country would be huge. She didn’t have that experience growing up, so that was the biggest disappointment.

RNO: In what ways did racing challenge your family?

The Blacks: Navigation, getting around. [We] typically vacation in one place and come back home, as opposed to racing to various locales. Kim doesn’t like surprises.

RNO: In what ways did it bring you closer together?

The Blacks: [Kim has] respect more for her children, [and we are] willing to pull together and work as a team. Kim is trying to accept that her children are growing up and are able to do things on their own.

RNO: Did you get much time to get to know the other families? Was there any family you connected with?

The Blacks: [We] connected with Denny Rogers; Christians/strong family. Brittney and Brock and the Aiellos; Tony for strong family ties.

RNO: Did you have a certain strategy in mind for the race?

The Blacks: The kids were going to pick up their slack. Physically [we] were going to rely on the boys to do the physical tasks. [We] felt like [we] had every area covered. No matter the area, [we] were going to be able to do it and do it well. Smart and athletic boys.

RNO: Thanks again for the interview! I wish you all the best of luck in the future.

Jenn Brasler is Assistant Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, VA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. Woodbridge is 21 miles from Falls Church.

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