“We Were in the Race to Enjoy It” – An Interview with the Amazing Race 8’s Linz Family

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, Megan, Alex, Nick, and Tommy! Congratulations on your win! First of all, sorry if I ever called any of you guys by the wrong name.

I’ve heard that there are more Linzes back home. How did you all decide who would come on the race?

The Linzes: The team was assembled virtually by default. The oldest brother, Matt, 27, was expecting his first child in August, so he was out. TJ, 26, lives in Chicago, so logistically it was difficult for him to audition with us. Tim, 16, had summer obligations that he couldn’t leave.

RNO: What did you think were your strengths and weaknesses?

The Linzes: Our strengths were that we all had the mindset that we were in the race to enjoy it. The big prize was always in our mind, but more importantly, we wanted to have fun and not get bent out of shape over any mistakes that we had made. We quickly learned from our mistakes and improved our performance as a “team” with every new day. We all knew that we were giving our best, and if our best wasn’t good enough, then the million belonged to someone else. Another side of it is that luck plays a major role, so we kept that in mind as well, which kept our morale and level of enjoyment elevated.

Our weakness may have been our lack of a sole leader. We are all young adults who all want to have a say and make the “right” decisions. Although there were times when that didn’t happen, we kept it cool and moved on.

RNO: Did you think Megan would hinder you at all?

The Linzes: We know that Megan has a big heart and wouldn’t let her brothers down. She kept up with us and showed many people that the girls can run with the boys.

RNO: Most people I’ve spoken to think that you all should have received a time credit after the incident with your battery being drained. What do you think?

The Linzes: It definitely was a bummer when that happened because you don’t know if it means the end of the race for us. We took it in stride, though, and made the best of being stuck in the desert. We ran the race, though, knowing that production does the best they can to provide good equipment. It’s part of the race, though, just as flat tires, bad directions could be given, or slow taxi drivers. You deal with it.

RNO: What was each person’s favorite moment or experience on the race?

Nick: The Moab Desert was my favorite location. I enjoyed the rugged terrain and the opportunity to rappel. Of course, my face plant on the ski slope was enjoyable also.

Alex: I think driving through Montana and seeing how open and beautiful the landscape of our country was.

Megan: My favorite or most memorable time on the race was flying the plane in a 360 loop. I was terrified of flying and heights and this task really made me overcome those fears really quick. I really have an ex-boyfriend to thank whom is a pilot and kind of taught me how to fly a plane.

RNO: Who did you see as your toughest competition?

Megan: I think I can speak for my whole team when I say that all the teams on this race were truly tough competitors. We really enjoyed running this race with all of them. But to really choose one, I would have to say the Bransens were our toughest; they brought to this race so much heart and determination and we really say that in Papa Wally. I would run a race with that family any day.

We knew going into the race that anybody has a shot at the million dollars. The Aiellos were a group that we thought would be strong in that they had four grown men to put up a fight. A large part of the race is luck, and anything could happen. With that in mind, it goes back to why any one of the teams could be considered the strongest.

RNO: Is there anything you would have done differently on the race?

The Linzes: We all agreed that we overpacked. Most important piece of information for all future racers: pack plenty of undergarments and minimal outerwear change of clothes. You can get away with two pairs of pants and a few shirts.