Amanda & Chris
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TV ClubHouse: ARCHIVES: The Amazing Race IV (ARCHIVE): The Racers: Amanda & Chris

Ryn

Monday, May 05, 2003 - 09:06 am EditMoveDeleteIP
amadachris

"Dating"

BIO

Twenty-five-year-old Amanda is a medical technician at a hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She loves to read and listen to music. Amanda describes herself as "very emotional, helpful and compassionate." She comes across as sweet and innocent, but underneath she is a tough, foul-mouthed girl. While Chris tends to be negative, she tends to be positive: good cop, bad cop. Her phobias include spiders, elevators and fear of the dark. Amanda has never traveled outside the United States, but is very excited about the prospect of experiencing new countries and cultures.

Chris is 28 years old and works as a freelance graphic designer in Sioux Falls. He is very self-deprecating in his humor, calling himself "abominable, cantankerous and obnoxious." He admits that traveling takes him out of the comfort zone and causes some nervousness. He also has a fear of heights and is leery of flying. He's a perfectionist and tends to be overly critical. During the Race, he plans not only to make fun of the other contestants, but he will also "scheme, betray, plot and backstab more than any other contestant." At the same time, Chris says, Amanda will make peace with the other contestants so as not to upset too many people.

Jasper

Monday, May 05, 2003 - 09:28 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Another team I hope goes down in flames, mainly for knocking Canadians.

Sounds like team Wil and Tara

Crazydog

Monday, May 05, 2003 - 10:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I think I really hate this team already. Did you see the tag quote on their bio page? She says something like "we really hate each other in our daily lives, but we are great when we travel together". I don't understand that at all. These two are dating? Must be a nightmare. Or they aren't really "dating" at all, they just made it up so they would get picked by CBS.

Tabbyking

Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 09:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
okay, he gets nervous traveling but they are great when they travel together?
i haven't finished seeing all the couple's bios yet, but i want this team out first so far!

Marysafan

Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 01:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Okay...I really wanted to like this team being that they are from Sioux Falls, and I really like Sioux Falls...but these two are just not all that likable!

They have gotten on my nerves already and all I did was read their bio and their Q&A. They are sure to get on each other's nerves and everyone elses before they are too far into the game. I see and early exit for these....one can only hope!

Not1worry

Friday, May 30, 2003 - 08:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I guess my earlier post vaporized.

Not liking Amanda's potty mouth. Is there no traffic in SD? Or is that an obvious question, no offense.

However, I have to be impressed that they were the ONLY team who was smart enough to check the times on the bus tickets before pulling one.

They did seem to get over their spat quickly and with good humor. Obviously lots of practice on that.

Seamonkey

Friday, May 30, 2003 - 09:32 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
She doesn't seem long on self-restraint .

Bobbie_552001

Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 06:58 am EditMoveDeleteIP
From the very beginning of the episode I thought man "I'm not going to like her at all" And when the final minutes played out...I still didn't like her. What a mouth. But tell me why do all the other contestants think she is just the sweetest??

Marysafan

Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 08:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, I didn't find them as unlikeable as I thought I would. They certainly have a sense of humor and came to play the game.

She could easily go toe to toe with Osborn kids with that mouth of hers, but he takes it all in stride. Driving in the LA traffic must have been daunting considering that there is very little traffic in Sioux Falls and it only takes a few minutes to get from one side of town to the other. But she was up to the task.

This team has what it takes to go far.

Not1worry

Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 08:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I think it was so funny that Amanda Potty Mouth stepped onto the mat and upon hearing the results says "Oh, poop".

Lycanthrope

Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 10:21 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
bye, bye.....Chris's ignorance lead to this downfall.

Alaginger

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 06:51 am EditMoveDeleteIP
ac

Lycanthrope

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 08:17 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I liked them. This was a female roadblock if ever there was one. Us guys just aren't that good at something like that. So long, A & C.

Bob2112

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 08:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I think Amanda kind of looks like Jim Carey in The Grinch, but in a cute way.

Grinch

Marysafan

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 08:50 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I thought Amanda was very gracious. I think Chirs was somewhat humbled. I wonder how he would have reacted if the situation had been reversed. I hope he appreciates her.

Not1worry

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 08:59 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Bob, you are too much. I don't think she looks like the Grinch, but definitely one of the Whoville residents. She was more likeable in the episode. She knew Chris was upset with himself about the roadblock, but she didn't berate him. Too bad they didn't stick around longer to see more of them.

Alaginger

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 01:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Friends Of Reality TV Interview w/Amanda & Chris}

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to interview Chris and Amanda, the latest team eliminated from The Amazing Race 4. They seemed like a great couple, and I didn't have to bleep them once. Here's what they had to say:

Watching yourself on TV, did it surprise you how much the censors had to bleep out?

Amanda: No, it's me. It's what you see. My family couldn't believe it, though.

Do you think part of that was editing, because of the "foul-mouthed" reference in your bio?

Amanda: A lot of it was L.A. traffic. I'd never driven in that many lanes before, and I was pretty stressed out. So, the words just came out.

You went from first place to eliminated in one leg. What went wrong?

Chris: Personally, I think it was all the bunching. There were three times that all of the teams had a chance to catch up. And then, the ultimate bunching, at the masquerade task sucked, and after the masquerade thing the pit stop was only about 2 minutes away. So we had to sprint from the masquerade task to the pit stop, and when you've got everyone so close to the pit stop, it's basically "ready, set, run" and some people have a head start.

Along those lines, did it really come down to a foot-race between you and Monica & Sheree, or was it editing?

Chris: Actually, we saw Monica and Sheree on the way to the boat, which sucked because we had an opportunity to defeat them there. We came around a corner and we didn't want them to see us, because we thought they could probably beat Amanda in a foot race, so trying to avoid them, we took another side street and cut back over, and got a little side-tracked. The end result is that we came into the pit stop about a minute behind them.

Amanda: They said that it was the closest elimination they'd ever had.

You're obviously not big fans of "bunching", but having seen prior episodes, you knew what to expect, right?

Chris: The only beef I have is that it was so close to the pit stop. I've never seen bunching that close, other than once last season, and I don't think it was as close as this.

Chris, looking back on it, would Amanda have done the masquerade task quicker?

Chris: We've had this discussion every day since we've been eliminated, and we had so many different things that we could have done. Some of them don't really pertain to the roadblock itself. For example, we had the opportunity to cut in line. I think my problem was that I'd only had about 5 hours of sleep since the beginning of the race, and I was really drained. In the alley before the task, I was literally sleeping standing up with my head against the wall. I think it probably wasn't a good idea for me to do the roadblock, but Amanda was pretty scared about doing it. She had no interest in going in there. We'd like to do it over, of course, but that's just what happens.

How long did it really take to complete the masquerade task?

Amanda: I think it was about 15 minutes.

Chris: From the time they opened the doors for that task until everyone hit the pit stop mat was about 17 minutes. It was a very quick roadblock and check-in. The first time I went in, I was 9th, and I didn't know the place had an upstairs, and I thought all of the people I had to check were in that one room. So I went through the 3 masks that kind of matched, and picked one in about 30 seconds. People were coming out of the task so quickly, so I was freaking out thinking we're 9th in line. So the second time was just as fast, because I was really freaking out. The third time, I knew I had to take my time and get it right. So I was walking around, and I see Monica coming down the stairs, and I was thinking "there's stairs?" So I ran up the stairs, and there were like 8 more rooms!

Chris, you were a little tough on Amanda. Are you still together and getting along okay?

Chris: Yep, we're still together and getting along just fine. We look at the tape, and it's funny. The CBS website has some extra footage of it that's hilarious. These fights don't mean anything. It's just something that happens. She was laughing at me while I was yelling at her. It's just part of our relationship.

Chris, at one point, you called Amanda "Flo". It was one of the funniest moments so far this season. Was it spontaneous, or was it calculated beforehand?

Chris: I totally did not plan that. During last season and the application process, we talked about how she would handle things on the race. We talked about her not being "Flo", and not quitting or excessively whining. Basically I was just trying to remind her of what we'd talked about.

What was your favorite task?

Amanda: I liked being on the gondolas and getting to the next marker. It was just beautiful. And everyone should get to Venice if they have the opportunity.

Chris: My favorite was the masquerade ball. Just kidding. I would say it's the raft down the hill, because it was more intense than the zip line or the rope bridge.

Amanda, you've never travelled outside the U.S. Now that you've seen some of Europe, are you planning to go back again?

Amanda: Yes, it's in the works. We're definitely going back, as soon as possible. A longer stay this time, where we can see more.

Chris, you list "fear of heights" and "leery of flying" on your bio, so what made you think The Amazing Race would be something you'd want to do?

Chris: A lot's been made out of that on the message boards, but if you want to be on the show, they don't want someone who's a professional traveler with no fears - there's no drama in that. If you have a perfect bio, they're not going to want you on the show. I do have these fears, but they're not crippling fears. I don't feel comfortable in high places, and being in a plane, I have thoughts in my head like "this plane's going to crash", but it's not crippling.

If you were going to do the race again, and couldn't pick each other, who would each of you choose as your partner, and why?

Amanda: I'd have to take Millie. As you've seen, she books. She hauls some butt, and runs really fast. And I think that she's a very positive person. I think if I were lagging behind, she'd just say "come on, Amanda" - she wouldn't say "come on, Flo" or anything like that.

Chris: I'd choose Josh, because as you've seen, he's very much a, uh, prick would you say? A jerk. And I think that's my perfect teammate. We'd just go through the race saying dumb things that people would get mad at, and roll over people and not give a damn. Part of the problem with the race with me and Amanda, is that I kind of adopted her strategy a little bit more than I should have, so we were a little too nice to people. If I were to do it again, I'd be a little more competitive and agressive.

What piece of advice would you give to Amazing Race 5 teams?

Amanda: Don't get caught up in the friendships. It's nice, but you're there to win, not to socialize. And that's something that I lost sight of. I mean, don't be mean to people, but kind of realize why you're there and go for the goal.

Chris: I say be mean to people. My real advice would be to pack light, keep your goals in mind, and try to accomplish those.

Speaking of being mean to people, we've been discussing this. Do you think there's value in being a saboteur of other teams, or do you just have to run your own race?

Chris: I think both. You need to run your race, but at the same time, if you can do something to keep someone else from checking in before you, sometimes you have to think about that. And I totally didn't do that on my race, but I would definitely re-think that if I had to do it over. I would make the most of my opportunities to get someone else eliminated.

You both won a trip, have you taken it yet?

Amanda: Once the show's done airing, after the finale, that's when we're able to go. So, we'll definitely think of you while we're in Hawaii.

Chris: We don't know the details of it at all right now, but we're definitely waiting for it. That was our one golden moment on the show, so we're going to live that one up.

Thanks to Chris, Amanda, and the fine folks over at CBS for taking the time and giving us the opportunity to get to know them! Have fun in Hawaii!
The Link (22)

Wendo

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 05:44 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hm, I find his answer interesting with respect to being eliminated. Repeating:

"You went from first place to eliminated in one leg. What went wrong?

Chris: Personally, I think it was all the bunching. There were three times that all of the teams had a chance to catch up. And then, the ultimate bunching, at the masquerade task sucked, and after the masquerade thing the pit stop was only about 2 minutes away. So we had to sprint from the masquerade task to the pit stop, and when you've got everyone so close to the pit stop, it's basically "ready, set, run" and some people have a head start."

He blames bunching. However, based on what I saw last night, as well as reading this interview, it was Chris's inability to complete the mask challenge effectively. Yes, he says it took all of 17 minutes, however, he didn't get his first two photo comparisons correct. Had he been more careful they would would've had that "head start" on Monica and Sheree.

I guess I find it a tad annoying when competitors don't take responsibility for their own actions causing their loss.

Kitt

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 06:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I know what you mean Wendo, but he does have a good point, when they were equalised there was just one task left to do, and no chance for recovery if you made a mistake. It doesn't seem very fair to me either, although it is all part of the game.

Seamonkey

Friday, June 06, 2003 - 07:23 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
They had to know there would be intense bunching at that party, so those who left that door have to blame themselves, not those who came later and stood in line.

The first season, the racers wouldn't know about bunching so much, but this is season 4 and clearly this guy was aware of the phenomenon.

Interesting that his opinion of Josh is exactly mine :)

Tkaren1954

Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 08:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I am glad they are gone. Just two more words "Potty Mouth".