“We Are So Blessed in Our Lives” - An Interview with The Amazing Race 9’s Lisa & Joni

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, Joni and Lisa! I hope you two enjoyed your experience on the race. You’re definitely an inspiration. What about the race appealed to you?

Lisa & Joni: The things that appealed to us about the race were the opportunity to travel with each other and see the world together, to experience other countries and cultures, to push ourselves and do things that we would not ordinarily have the opportunity to do.

RNO: Why do you think you connected with Scott and John so easily?

Lisa & Joni: During the final interview process during casting, it was the first opportunity we had to see the other teams that were being considered for TAR 9. We were not allowed any contact with any of the teams, but we did make eye contact with John and Scott and could tell they were going to be a lot of fun. Then we heard through the grapevine that they had nicknamed us the Frosties, which we loved. And then at the beginning of the race we met up with them on the airport bus and we immediately clicked. We wish we could have spent more time with them on the race.

RNO: What were your favorite experiences on the race?

Lisa & Joni: We both agree that the entire race was the best experience. It truly is The Amazing Race, and we are SO proud to be a part of TAR 9.

RNO: Did either of you pack anything interesting?

Lisa: Joni wanted to pack Depends undergarments but didn’t. But I now know that might have been a good idea, although at the time she suggested it I didn’t think so. Prior to the race we did extensive research on what past racers had said were their MUST HAVE items, and we packed them all! Nothing too “interesting,” but definitely useful.

RNO: Where do you wish you could have gone?

Lisa & Joni: No place special comes to mind. We were ready and willing to go wherever the race took us.

RNO: Are you sorry you chose Press It over Climb It?

Lisa & Joni: Absolutely not. Had we chose Climb It, we would still be hanging there in Brotas, much thinner and tanned.

RNO: If you could have done anything else differently, what would it be?

Lisa & Joni: We’ve discussed this and really there isn’t much we would have done differently. We feel we made the best decisions at the time under the circumstances we were under. But there were a few things that could have saved us time along the way, like having our taxis wait for us rather than having to try to get another cab each time.

RNO: Would you do the race again, or was it too stressful?

Lisa & Joni: Yes, in a heartbeat. Can we leave today? Our race bags are packed and ready to go!

RNO: We know that you went on the race to try to reconnect with each other. Has your relationship changed at all?

Lisa & Joni: It has changed in so many ways. What was one or two phone calls a year has become multiple daily phone calls. We’ve learned so much about each other and ourselves and have found out that we are more alike than we realized.

RNO: Is there anything you want people to know, or that you want to say?

Lisa & Joni: We both went into the race with certain expectations and priorities. The race completely changed that, and us. We had said that if we won we would have used the prize winnings on a little nip and tuck. After seeing the world and conditions that people live... how frivilous it would be to spend so much money on something so vain. We are so blessed in our lives and blessed to live in this country. We will never take that for granted again.

RNO: Thanks for the interview! I hope to hear more about you two in the future.

Lisa & Joni: Thanks, Jenn! Hope you hear more of the Frosties, too! Go, Frosties, Go!

Jenn Brasler is an Assistant Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, VA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. Now she wishes we'd seen more of the Frosties.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recaps and other info on this show at the Amazing Race 8 page, and take a look at our Apprentice page and our Survivor: Exile Island page. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about The Amazing Race, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: The Amazing Race!