“At the End of the Race, We Knew We Wanted to Spend the Rest of Our Lives Together” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with The Amazing Race 13's Runners-Up, Ken & Tina

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Ken & Tina! Thank you for talking to RealityNewsOnline today.

Ken: Thank you.

RNO: So, how are things going between you guys?

Ken: Going great. We’ve come a long way. It’s been interesting for us to look back and watch the show together. It also gives you another chance to evaluate where you are and where you’re going in your relationship. So, we’ve made tons of progress. Understand that it is a work in progress, but we’re excited about the future.

RNO: It was a lovely moment seeing you put your rings on at the finish line.

Tina: It was emotional last night. Watching it again, I broke down.

RNO: You were making us tear up where I was watching too.

Tina: It was a tough one. Both the ring part of it and the emotions, but also being five to seven minutes behind Nick & Starr. That was tough too!

Ken: Maybe 15 minutes, but it was very close.

Tina: Fifteen at the most. One of the producers told me seven, one said five. So, we know it was somewhere in there.

Ken: It’s a tough pill to swallow.

Tina: It’s a big drop from first to second.

RNO: What made you decide to go on The Amazing Race in the first place?

Tina: Well, I’ve loved the show since it first started. I was a huge fan, and Ken became one. We just never got a chance to do it. He was a coach. It was impossible. When he came for Thanksgiving last year – to visit me – I had found out that the applications had to be in on Monday. So I printed them off and said, “I think this might be a good juncture.” We’d been dating on and off, seeing each other once a month for six months. We were still married, but separated.

On Monday morning we sat down, filled out the application – that was like marriage therapy, to be honest with you! We learned a lot about each other. We quickly did the three minute video. No script, no rehearsal – just boom! And it was exactly three minutes. We popped it in a Fedex and I took him to the airport and dropped it off. And that was that.

So, we feel very blessed that we were selected. I’m still shocked that we were, based on our video. It was corny. It’s been a real blessing in our lives. I think it’s been difficult, from an emotional standpoint, baring your souls like that. I’m pretty private. A lot of people who knew me and worked with me, and some of my extended family, did not know we were separated. Did not know all the details. I think that was very hard for me, and I think even for Ken, and for our kids.

That’s been a journey. But I do know we have touched a lot of lives, just from website blogs, posts on our own website, all of the emails, all the Facebook, all of the text messages, all of the people who have been moved by it. We traveled a lot during the show. We were in Seattle, Nashville, New York, San Francisco, and people come up to us at every airport, everywhere we are, and are grabbing my arm saying, “I hope you’re back together!” Just so intrigued with the whole thing, and so supportive of us. So, maybe we’ve touched some lives. I hope we have.

Ken: Contrary to popular belief we didn’t do it ‘cause we like abuse.

RNO: It sounds like going on the race has had a big effect on your relationship.

Tina: Huge.

Ken: Well, it couldn’t help but have a big effect. Like we said, it was either going to be positive or negative. At the end of the race, we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Like we showed on TV, we have our challenges. It’s not a smooth road all the time. It’s not a smooth road much of the time, but it’s a great road, and we just want to continue it day by day.

Tina: Just to let you know a little insider information, Ken packed everything up in a U-Haul and drove 43 straight hours to arrive in Tampa the early morning of my birthday. That was pretty demonstrative, along with the rings.

We still have things to work on, everyone does in their marriage. We’re looking at trying to do an adventure travel show. We think we can help people learn how to really explore, and really stay healthy and fit while they’re doing it. Really get into the cultures and have a true vacation experience. We’re hoping CBS or the Travel Channel or Discovery or one of them will pick it up.

We’re working on that together and we also were contacted by Tammy at Elite Travel. They’re a big honeymoon and wedding group – number one in the country. They want to underwrite and produce, with CBS hopefully, a renewal of our vows for family, friends, and anyone who wants to come to some exotic location. We think that’s something that’s necessary for us to re-commit to each other. And Ken’s working on some things.