The End of An Adventure

Emily discusses her team strategy.

For the past three months, this SHSU Junior has been tuning in to CBS every Wednesday evening to watch The Amazing Race. She and her mother, Nancy, were contestants in this reality-based adventure show during the spring.

There will be no more jumping from cliffs, meandering through temples of rats, sleeping in the desert, and riding atop elephants and camels. Having traveled 21,000 miles, their "adventure of a lifetime" and their primetime stardom came to a halt after being eliminated from the race during Episode 9.

Emily atop a camel in the Sahara Desert.

This mother and daughter duo left the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand, as the seventh team eliminated from the race. Visibly upset, Nancy and Emily fought back tears following the realization that their decision to skip a required task of the race had meant elimination.

The two were attempting to locate a parked car in a designated area of Bangkok, which would take them to their next mile marker at Kanchanaburi. After searching without luck, the two decided to skip this requirement and opt for a time penalty.

"I honestly didn't think we'd be penalized so much," said Emily, after reflecting on their decision.

"We had been up for 62 hours straight and were exhausted." After her mother threw up, Emily knew it was best to continue without finishing the task.

"We were upset at the end because of all the ups and downs we had. The saddest part was leaving our friends," said Emily.

Emily and Nancy relax at the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok.

Her mom had a great mixture of emotions. "At this moment, even though we have just been eliminated, I feel like the luckiest mother in the world," said Nancy.

Emily was feeling pretty lucky too.

The two seemed unconcerned with the one million dollar prize money being offered to the winning team.

"The money never really entered our mind," said Emily, though each team will be paid by the network according to the amount of episodes they appeared on.

The real prize, for her, lay in the experience itself and the bonds of friendship created along the way.

Becoming closer to her mother was just the beginning for Emily. Since the teams spent so much time together and had no contact with their friends and family, they all became "really good friends."

"I still talk to Kevin often and speak with Brennan almost every day on the phone. Bill e-mails once a week, and Amie has also written."

Emily in the 2000-year-old El-Jem Coliseum in Tunis.

No word on the winner of the race.

"I can't tell you who won," Emily said. "But I can tell you that the team that wins has played the game the smartest and made the fewest mistakes."

So, what's a girl to do post-stardom?

"Well, my life has been pretty hectic," explains Emily. Following their elimination, Emily and her mother appeared on the CBS Early Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Pure Oxygen, and have done over 20 radio and newspaper interviews.

"The show has done nothing but good things for me, but I am ready for things to get back to normal," she admits. Her restoration to normalcy seems to be coming along rather quickly.

The butterflies she would get in her stomach before each episode have already disappeared.

For more information on Nancy and Emily see the Today@Sam Sept. 5 story or Nov. 28 story.
For more information on The Amazing Race, visit www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race.

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SHSU Media Contact: Audrey Wick
November 28, 2001
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