Author Topic: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*  (Read 100194 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline bcp19

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
  • TAR/Surv/BB/?? junkie ;)
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #250 on: May 10, 2012, 08:16:17 AM »
http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/reality-tv-blogpost.aspx?post=c8c85e8d-b778-4efc-ac10-8890833b15a2

'The Amazing Race' Exit Interview: Rachel & Brendon
The 'Big Brother' crossover team discuss how they lost one million dollars
By Diane Vadino


Brendon: It was going to be up to her. As a guy, I can't know what it would be like to shave her head. I understood it when she said, "The wedding" -- and I thought, "Let's move on."

Rachel: That one is so hard. You guys saw our reaction, when you realize you just made a million-dollar mistake that ultimately cost us the race. We were neck and neck with Dave and Rachel. And if we'd continued racing the way we had been ... they had made a mistake. I completely lost it. I was mad at Brendon; I was mad at myself. It was my fault. It wasn't like a taxi driver. That was the worst.

Journalists like to exaggerate, they obviously didn't lose a million dollars as they never had it in the first place.  A better way to put it is that that they didn't win a million dollars.  You could say all teams lost a million dollars if you want to put it dramatically as they all make mistakes, but I don't think it is very accurate.

And the head shave...all the edit emphasised was the extensions, which I thought was pretty typical of the kind of edit Rachel got.

As for the mistake, maybe if the taxi driver knew there was a nearbye helicopter landing area and didn't take them somewhere completely irrelevant it wouldn't  have cost them as much time as it did.  Taxi drivers when used always have a big impact in this.
You could also say the same for Art/JJ 'losing a million' since they 1) couldn't keep up with D/R's cab, 2) were 40-50 minutes behind at the rappel, 3) couldn't complete the last RB quickly and 4) were 20 minutes behind at the finish.  Erase the cab follow failure or the RB problems and they would have won.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #251 on: May 10, 2012, 05:03:16 PM »
http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/reality-tv-blogpost.aspx?post=c8c85e8d-b778-4efc-ac10-8890833b15a2

'The Amazing Race' Exit Interview: Rachel & Brendon
The 'Big Brother' crossover team discuss how they lost one million dollars
By Diane Vadino


Brendon: It was going to be up to her. As a guy, I can't know what it would be like to shave her head. I understood it when she said, "The wedding" -- and I thought, "Let's move on."

Rachel: That one is so hard. You guys saw our reaction, when you realize you just made a million-dollar mistake that ultimately cost us the race. We were neck and neck with Dave and Rachel. And if we'd continued racing the way we had been ... they had made a mistake. I completely lost it. I was mad at Brendon; I was mad at myself. It was my fault. It wasn't like a taxi driver. That was the worst.

Journalists like to exaggerate, they obviously didn't lose a million dollars as they never had it in the first place.  A better way to put it is that that they didn't win a million dollars.  You could say all teams lost a million dollars if you want to put it dramatically as they all make mistakes, but I don't think it is very accurate.

And the head shave...all the edit emphasised was the extensions, which I thought was pretty typical of the kind of edit Rachel got.

As for the mistake, maybe if the taxi driver knew there was a nearbye helicopter landing area and didn't take them somewhere completely irrelevant it wouldn't  have cost them as much time as it did.  Taxi drivers when used always have a big impact in this.

What does the taxi driver have to do with it? This was all about READING THE CLUE. The baseball field where the helicopters were located was a short walk from the Shave Ice ROADBLOCK.

Later in the finale a good taxi drive helped Art and JJ gain time and bad taxi drivers hurt both Rachel and David and Rachel and Brendon. I would rate this one of the finales where taxi driver karma had the least impact.


Offline Bluesky

  • RFF Not So Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 41
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #252 on: May 10, 2012, 07:10:45 PM »
"Brendon Villegas: And after the fact, after it got settled, me, I'm a guy. I know how intense things get especially in sports. After a game, you just give a handshake and you're just like, "Hey, sorry about the on-the-field stuff," you know what I mean? Leave it on the field. That's how I play.

So they never even wanted to do that, so I just feel like these were two guys (Art and J.J.) who definitely let their egos get the best of them, because throughout the Race, all they were ever saying and how they talked was always about how good they were, how this, how that, blah, blah. You know, Rachel won Big Brother, which is an amazing accomplishment.

But never once did I ever hear her say anything about how she won Big Brother and that makes her better and more [fit] for a competition or better than somebody at anything. So, like for me, I just appreciate humble people and I appreciate humility."

-- I found Rachel's crying and complaining to be annoying during the show, but Brendon does make a good point here.

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #253 on: May 11, 2012, 03:09:58 AM »


What does the taxi driver have to do with it? This was all about READING THE CLUE. The baseball field where the helicopters were located was a short walk from the Shave Ice ROADBLOCK.

Later in the finale a good taxi drive helped Art and JJ gain time and bad taxi drivers hurt both Rachel and David and Rachel and Brendon. I would rate this one of the finales where taxi driver karma had the least impact.

Because the taxi driver drove them a long way from the site, if the driver had known there was a potential landing area nearer that wouldn't have happened and less time would have been lost.  I thought taxi drivers had a big role as usual,  even if you want to say the bad luck was spread out among them.

Offline bcp19

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
  • TAR/Surv/BB/?? junkie ;)
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #254 on: May 11, 2012, 11:29:51 AM »


What does the taxi driver have to do with it? This was all about READING THE CLUE. The baseball field where the helicopters were located was a short walk from the Shave Ice ROADBLOCK.

Later in the finale a good taxi drive helped Art and JJ gain time and bad taxi drivers hurt both Rachel and David and Rachel and Brendon. I would rate this one of the finales where taxi driver karma had the least impact.

Because the taxi driver drove them a long way from the site, if the driver had known there was a potential landing area nearer that wouldn't have happened and less time would have been lost.  I thought taxi drivers had a big role as usual,  even if you want to say the bad luck was spread out among them.
How can you blame the Taxi driver?  Dave and Rachel asked "Is there a baseball field in this park?", where Brendon and Rachel asked "Is there a big stadium here?".


Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #255 on: May 11, 2012, 01:51:06 PM »
We don't know all that was asked, we only see a little snippet.  They must have thought a bit about it and asked about possibilities before going a long distance somewhere.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2012, 01:54:54 PM by starrynight »

Offline bcp19

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
  • TAR/Surv/BB/?? junkie ;)
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #256 on: May 11, 2012, 02:17:22 PM »
We don't know all that was asked, we only see a little snippet.  They must have thought a bit about it and asked about possibilities before going a long distance somewhere.
Well, you see B/R get clue, Rachel reads "Make you way on foot to one of the helicpoters waiting in the outfield", cut to outside the taxi, you see Rachel getting in while saying "I think it's the stadium", cut to inside the taxi and Brendon asking "Is there a big stadium here?" to which the driver replies "Yea, big stadium", Brendon: "What stadium?", driver: "Aloha stadium", Brendon: "Ok, let's go there."  The building outside the window of the cab as Brendon says this is ~1/2 mile down the road from the parking lot, so they had already commited to the taxi before deciding on Aloha Stadium.  Clear cut did not comprehend the clue and no fault of the driver.

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #257 on: May 12, 2012, 07:37:46 AM »
I'm not blaming the taxi driver, just that with a better one they may well have saved some time.  I'm sure they must have read the clue to the taxi driver (they always do) to see what they made of it.  There was an area as described near to the ice task so if the taxi driver knew that that would have helped them.  As it was I suppose the driver didn't know and they made their own guess and it was wrong. 

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #258 on: May 12, 2012, 11:37:59 AM »
If that did occur, then wouldn't either Rachel or Brendon have caught the directive to walk to the ballfield? So I don't think they read the entire clue to the taxi driver.

Offline bcp19

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
  • TAR/Surv/BB/?? junkie ;)
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #259 on: May 12, 2012, 12:00:41 PM »
I'm not blaming the taxi driver, just that with a better one they may well have saved some time.  I'm sure they must have read the clue to the taxi driver (they always do) to see what they made of it.  There was an area as described near to the ice task so if the taxi driver knew that that would have helped them.  As it was I suppose the driver didn't know and they made their own guess and it was wrong.
:lol3: Not blaming the driver, just that with a better one... :lol3: Sure sounds like blame. :lol3: I suppose the driver should also have been a mind reader and a clairvoyant in order to know that they misread the clue and could see from the future that they should have never gotten into the cab :lol3:

Google maps has a copyright watermark of 2011 on the satellite pics, so they could be a little over/under a year old.  I have looked over the entire park and see no baseball field, so IF there now is one, it is new, and not is likely well known.  Also, from the clips and earlier sleuthing, it is obvious that the distance they must travel on foot is around 3/4 mile from the ice RB, AND the helicopters are seen in a parking lot, not in an actual outfield.

Face it, B/R misread/misunderstood the clue and took a taxi.  I don't know why you cannot accept they only have themselves to blame.


Offline Prophet

  • TarKonian Game Host
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 8141
  • ∞∞
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #260 on: May 12, 2012, 03:53:10 PM »
They clearly made a mistake by taking a taxi and not reading the clue.
Physics alone is not enough.

Those who forget history are sure to repeat it.

Online Alenaveda

  • TAR Detectives
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13335
  • R.F.F. Game Host A.A.R.G. 11
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #261 on: May 12, 2012, 05:43:33 PM »
Sadly, they broke the rule number 1 of the race. :duno:
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"No person deserves your tears, and who deserves them will not make you cry." - Gabriel García Márquez

Offline coolio

  • Big Brother Updaters
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1081
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #262 on: May 12, 2012, 06:17:33 PM »
Sadly, they broke the rule number 1 of the race. :duno:
Which is?

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #263 on: May 12, 2012, 07:30:00 PM »
READ THE CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline AmazingRace

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1646
  • Yup, we didn't win. Damn.
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #264 on: May 12, 2012, 07:37:31 PM »
READ THE CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 :lol3:

Offline coolio

  • Big Brother Updaters
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1081
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #265 on: May 12, 2012, 08:27:39 PM »
READ THE CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-[

Offline slayton

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 562
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #266 on: May 12, 2012, 09:28:53 PM »
http://www.tvguide.com/news/amazing-race-brendon-rachel-1047222.aspx?rss=news&partnerid=spi&profileid=05

Amazing Race's Brendon and Rachel: Vanessa Is Mean Just to Be Mean
by Joyce Eng

For a bit, The Amazing Race finale seemed like a two-team race between eventual winners Rachel and Dave, and Brendon and Rachel. But then the Big Brother duo took a cab instead of going on foot to a helicopter. "That was awful," Rachel tells TVGuide.com. "It was the $1 million mistake that you don't want to make. If it was any other leg, it wouldn't have been that bad because those are about survival; the goal is to win on the final leg." The pair finished in third, but not before having another one of their notorious meltdown fights. Where there more meltdowns that we didn't see? Find out below. Plus: Get their side of their feud with Vanessa and Ralph.

How far behind Art and JJ were you?
Rachel: I don't really know. We've heard it was like 20 minutes. But we were so focused on running our own Race that we weren't really paying attention to them or the time. It's crazy because in Hawaii, I feel like we did a week of vacation fun in one day, so it was so exhausting.
Brendon: We knew we were last. At that point, I think all of the teams were just exhausted. I was just like, "Let's just finish it. Even if we're in last, let's finish it. We made it all the way through."

How much time did you lose in the cab?
Brendon: Probably 20 minutes. ... Then our cab dropped us off at the wrong spot [for the second Roadblock], so we lost even more time.
Rachel: It was hard. After we made that mistake, we both felt like we had just kissed $1 million goodbye. We both want to be as good as we can for the other one and we're also individually competitive. ... That's why I lost it on Brendon. We started going at each other because we were so frustrated. When we got in the helicopter, we realized that we had to focus.
Brendon: We said before, "If we make a mistake, just keep going because you never know what's ahead or who's stalled." [Rachel and Dave] made a huge mistake! We don't know what could've happened if we didn't take the cab. I said if we didn't and our taxi had dropped us off in the right spot at the second Roadblock, we might have beaten Dave and Rachel. You never know. The problem is there are so many variables on The Amazing Race. So many things are determined by other people and that's, I think, the hardest pill to swallow.

I think everyone who's seen Big Brother was expecting at least three spectacular meltdowns a leg from you, Rachel, but we didn't see that many. Italy was your biggest one. Were there more that they didn't show?
Rachel: [Laughs] No. I didn't lose it that much. But everyone relieves stress in a different way and I cry!
Brendon: There weren't any other meltdowns. If there were, they most likely would've shown them. The worst one was in Italy. We just hit a wall that leg. After that, we got it together and we were bickering here and there like everybody else.

Let's talk about your friends, Vanessa and Ralph. I just talked to them and Vanessa said your feud started because you didn't agree with her liberal political views and that Rachel said to her, "Oh, so you kill babies?" [Ed. Note: Check back Thursday for our interview with Vanessa and Ralph.]
Rachel: What?! She said I said that? That's insane! I did not say that.
Brendon: Wow. Well, apparently Vanessa is just like she is off the show as she is on the show. First of all, if she's saying that you said that in response to her being pro-choice, we're both pro-choice, so I don't understand that. I don't even think we talked about that. If we did talk about it, we never said that.
Rachel: Yeah, that makes no sense. I can't believe she's saying I said this. Anyone who knows me or has seen me on Big Brother — they film us 24/7 — know words like that would never come out of my mouth.
Brendon: But I can tell you how it started. It started before we even raced. Rachel and I were meeting and talking to the teams at the airport, which is what all the teams do. Rachel heard Vanessa say to Ralph, "Oh, that girl's staring at me" and blah, blah, blah. It wasn't even that Rachel did something; it was just that Rachel was there. I think that Vanessa is really one of those girls who wants to be the prettiest girl in the room all the time. If there's another pretty girl, she's gonna want them to get knocked down or not get the attention. I think that's what it was with her. It would go away and come back. The watermelons — it was really bad. In Europe, we sat down with them, had a beer and it was all cool. Then it started up again later. And it was all her, not Ralph. Even when we had that whole mat thing with them and shook hands afterward, I was like, "She's being super fake."

And she made that nose job comment.
Rachel: That was just mean. I know I said stuff about her too and I own up to that, but nothing I said was as mean as that. Like, cattiness — I get it. We were on Big Brother. People are gonna be mean and hateful, but it's a different kind of dig when you're making fun of people's appearance. OK, I have a big nose, but you don't have to rub it in my face. It's super mean, catty and b----y.
Brendon: I'm thinking, "If she's gonna go there, let's start ragging on each other's genetics." Let's just go to the fundamental core.

Why did you let it get under your skin so much?
Rachel: I shouldn't have. But when someone's constantly in your face and constantly talking about you behind your back and you're in a competitive situation, you let them affect you when you shouldn't. Maybe that was their strategy to throw people off their game by being mean. I think Vanessa is one of those girls who wants to get attention. She's just mean to be mean. You don't have to be my best friend or like me, but you don't have to constantly dig at me and make fun of me and talk about me. It's just unnecessary. What did it have to do with the Race? The Amazing Race is not that kind of game. It wasn't like she was trying to get allies and get me evicted or voted off an island. If that were the case, then I would at least understand.

Art and JJ weren't very fond of you either.
Brendon: [Laughs] They were probably the two people we talked the least to the entire Race. So for them to have the hatred they had for us was comical to me. We don't know if it's Big Brother or whatever. When we got into at the airport with Vanessa and Ralph — it was just between us two teams — they were behind us and wanted to jump in and start talking smack to us. No one else wanted part of it, but they did. I think that says it all. If I weren't part of a fight, I wouldn't join in when it has nothing to do with me. I might try to stop it, but I wouldn't join in. When we started interacting with them, I felt like these were two guys who got picked on in high school, became border patrol agents to become tough and carry guns and to be able to tell other people what to do and boss them around.

It seemed like you had good relationships with other teams. Nary and Jamie told you and Bopper and Mark they were federal agents.
Rachel: Yeah. Vanessa and Ralph, and Art and JJ were the only ones who didn't like us. At the end, we formed a really close bond with Rachel and Dave. As you guys saw, we worked together when we were in Japan. I think we had good bonds with the teams. Once people got past the whole "You guys were on Big Brother," it was fine. People on the Race and some fans seem to not like teams who come on from other shows. It happened with the Survivor team and the other Big Brother teams.

Did you say yes right away when they asked you to do the show?
Brendon: Rachel always said yes right away. I always said no right away. ... I was like, "Hold on. I've got my PhD. Let's stop and think about this and us." I told Rachel, if we're gonna go on The Amazing Race, I don't want us fighting all the way through and them airing it. We put ourselves in these situations voluntarily, which is insane to think about, but I don't want this to be the downfall of our relationship. If it's gonna mean us giving up a chance to win $1 million, then fine. Our relationship's more important. You see how easy it is to get into a fight with a significant other. You put yourself in that situation, you have to be willing to take a risk, but you also have to say that at the end of the day, no matter what happens, we're still gonna be together. We're still engaged and we're still best friends.
Rachel: Yeah, that's the most important thing. When I lost my cool on Brendon in Hawaii, watching it back, I was so embarrassed. But we have to remember that in that moment, we were under so much stress and we have to remember that we're still best friends. If we have other opportunities, like when this came up, we have to remember that we come first. That's what's gonna keep us healthy and strong.

When I talked to Phil, he said you guys are like rocky road ice cream. Do you agree with that or do you think you're another flavor?
Brendon: I like rocky road, so I'm good with that. [Laughs] ... The truth is, Rachel and I both realized on Big Brother that we're very emotional people, so when you put us in situations like this, we have a hard time maintaining and controlling our emotions every single second of every single day. When we get caught up in the moment, we get caught up in the moment. I know that annoys some people, but it's just who we are. We tried not to say things that were below the belt or something that we would regret later. We're passionate people and with passion comes emotion and sometimes we got overemotional. Sometimes the overdramatic expressions that Rachel makes are out of control!
Rachel: [Laughs] I'm really trying to control my emotions better. But I like rocky road too!

How are your $500 extensions doing, Rachel?
Rachel: [Laughs] Oh my God! If I had known that [third place] was $10,000, I think I would've shaved my head.
Brendon: Yeah, she says that!
Rachel: Yeah, I say that! [Laughs] It's so hard because I'm getting married and I didn't want to just shave my head. I was thinking about my wedding and my extensions and all these things. And it really wasn't necessary for us to do the Fast Forward because we knew Mark and Bopper were so far behind. We knew that if we left right away, we still had a chance to catch up with everyone. It probably would've given us first place, but I would've done it if it was seriously the only thing that was gonna keep us in the Race.

What are you up to now? Any more reality shows?
Brendon: I need a break from reality television! I really do. I try to tell Rachel every time. Every reality show adds one more year to my PhD. We're excited about getting married. That's what we're focusing on. We're getting settled in L.A. We're looking for a house and ideally we'd love to get married and move into our first new house together. I think we're ready to have a normal relationship that isn't a spectacle.

So no special on your wedding?
Brendon: Exactly! Watch — we'll say this now and three months later we're getting ready to be filmed. [Laughs]

Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #267 on: May 12, 2012, 09:34:30 PM »
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-rachel-reilly-brendon-villegas-talk-amazing-race-%28pt-2%29--13460.php

Exclusive: Rachel Reilly, Brendon Villegas talk 'Amazing Race' (Pt. 2)
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly finished The Amazing Race's twentieth season in third place during Sunday night's two-hour finale broadcast, which featured the edition's eleventh and twelfth legs, of the CBS reality competition.

The "Engaged Couple" and former Big Brother houseguests finished ahead of "Dating Divorcees" Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley but were beat by champions and "Married Couple" Rachel Brown and Dave Brown and "Border Patrol Agents and Friends" Art Velez and J.J. Carrell -- who came in second place overall -- and lost the one-million dollar grand prize.

On Monday, Brendon and Rachel talked to Reality TV World about their The Amazing Race experience -- including why they argued they weren't "followers" in the Race despite what Art and J.J. claimed, whether they thought Vanessa was simply a mean person or just had mean things to say, whether they believed racing with each other or a friend would be easier, and how Rachel felt about refusing to shave her head after having some time to look back on the situation and think more about it.

Below is the concluding portion of our exclusive interview with Rachel and Brendon. Click here to read the first half. To read Rachel B. and Dave's interview, click here. To begin reading Vanessa and Ralph's interview, click here.

Reality TV World: Art and J.J. said you two actually didn't deserve to be in the Race at all because they believed you were just followers and had no real racing skills. They were shown bashing you quite often during the season, so what did you think about Art and J.J. in general and what were your thoughts on how they viewed you as a team in the Race?

Rachel Reilly: Yeah, I think it was unfair because I don't think they thought we were followers -- I mean, that's what they said -- but I think they just didn't like us because we were on Big Brother, and I think that's why they really didn't think we deserved to be there. But as far as following, we're all racing to the same place, so we're not "following" everyone.

We're all going the same place. What were we supposed to do? (Laughs) And I thought they were unfair with a lot of the comments they made and a lot of the reasoning behind justification for not liking us, but I don't know. I just thought that they were kind of mean too. So, we probably won't be friends with them.

Brendon Villegas: Yeah, with Art and J.J., we've heard people say that they're nice and that people actually know them. And we're like, "Well maybe they are. They just weren't nice to us during the Race."

Rachel Reilly: Yeah.

Brendon Villegas: And after the fact, after it got settled, me, I'm a guy. I know how intense things get especially in sports. After a game, you just give a handshake and you're just like, "Hey, sorry about the on-the-field stuff," you know what I mean? Leave it on the field. That's how I play.

So they never even wanted to do that, so I just feel like these were two guys who definitely let their egos get the best of them, because throughout the Race, all they were ever saying and how they talked was always about how good they were, how this, how that, blah, blah. You know, Rachel won Big Brother, which is an amazing accomplishment.

But never once did I ever hear her say anything about how she won Big Brother and that makes her better and more [fit] for a competition or better than somebody at anything. So, like for me, I just appreciate humble people and I appreciate humility.

And even Dave and Rachel, a bunch of times they won a ton of stuff, but I didn't hear them once toot their own horn and talk about how great they were in front of other people, you know? That to me is something that I think some people just don't have.

Reality TV World: You guys were shown bickering a lot throughout the Race, and when I talked to Rachel and Dave today, they both admitted it probably would've been more efficient to race with a partner who's a friend, so do you agree with them? Do you think it's harder to compete as a couple during the Race or did you think you actually had an advantage working together as an engaged couple?

Rachel Reilly: Well, I think it's definitely harder to race with a couple because you take everything personally. With a friend, if you're an idiot, your friend's going to be like, "Okay, well..." But if Brendon said that to me, I get emotional and I start crying and I get sad.

Brendon Villegas: She cries. She cries. (Laughs)

Rachel Reilly: I mean, if my friend told me that, I would be like, "Really, what am I doing?" I think it's easier with a friend for sure, but I also think you have advantages to being a couple because you know each other inside and out. You know how the other one's going to compete and I think you can kind of -- you almost have that couple mindset -- so you're always thinking the same thing as the other [member of] the couple.

Brendon Villegas: We have been through this before, especially with Big Brother. But going into it as a couple, you've only had it out with your significant other probably at some point in your life. So you know how to argue and you know how to fight, which can help you so you don't end up stomping on and murdering each other during The Amazing Race.

But I mean, I think couples do have it the hardest because you have all these drag-out fights and then just let it go. Like guys for instance, if it were my buddy, I will tell you, "I'm going to beat you up as soon as we touch that mat. We're going to have it out, but we gotta get there first."

I can do that! We can leave it and be done with it, but as a couple, your emotional history is carried with you throughout everything, so if something happens, God forbid 10 years ago -- some people's memories are very good, so. (Laughs)

Reality TV World: When I talked to a few of the other teams this season, I asked them about the drama that played out between yourselves and Vanessa and Ralph, and most of them sided with you two -- claiming Rachel, you are a very nice girl, while they thought Vanessa was kind of the opposite. So what's your reaction to that Rachel? Would you say Vanessa was simply a "mean girl" like other Racers had suggested and what did you do differently than her to get your competitors to like you despite all the drama?

Rachel Reilly: Well I think Vanessa -- I don't think she's a mean girl, but she made comments that were mean and comments that were unnecessary, and that's the biggest thing. You're not going to like everyone and it's a race.

You're racing for a million dollars, but when the racing is done and when Brendon and I had opportunities on planes or whenever, we would try to get to know people and we talked to them. We put the Race aside from the actual people.

So, I think that that's actually a big difference. Vanessa just didn't. She was a mean girl and said unnecessary things. She did unnecessary things, and I think in general, Brendon and I, you might hate us and you might want to -- or whatever, you don't like us. But we're not going to sit there and say something unnecessary.

We're never going to sit there and call someone a name based on their looks, and we're never going to tear someone down just to tear them down. They could be our worst enemy and our biggest competition, but we're not going to tear them down just for the fact of tearing them down. We'd rather beat them fair and square, and that's just how we are.

Brendon Villegas: I mean, even with all of this, you're going to say things that you don't mean. That's going to happen in the midst of pressure and in the midst of intensity, but like I said, the ability to say, "Hey look, I stepped outside my boundaries and I said some things that I shouldn't have said and I'm sorry." That's all it really takes, and if you can't even do that, then I don't think you should be opening your mouth to begin with.

Rachel Reilly: Right, and that's another thing. Brendon and I will be the first two to admit we were wrong and apologize. Like Brendon said, we leave it on the field and even with Big Brother, we made up with so many houseguests that we played the game with.

I think that's because we don't take things that happened in the game personally, and we tell them, "We're sorry for what we did," and move on. With Vanessa, we just can't seem to do that, so.

Brendon Villegas: Even for instance with Big Brother, we're at the round table just before we voted on this season, and at one point, I looked at everybody and said, "Look, we have all talked smack about each other at some point in this game." And everybody kind of looked at each other awkwardly. They were just like, "Yeah, well yeah, he's kind of right." Everybody it happens to at some point, but I liked having everybody just drop it.

Reality TV World: Rachel, when you and Brendon decided to take advantage of a Fast Forward this season, you chose not to shave your head for obvious reasons. Looking back now, do you regret not doing it or do you still stand by the decision you made?

Rachel Reilly: Yeah, I stand by the decision I made because I'm getting married and I love my extensions and my hair. (Laughs) I'm a super -- I felt like it wasn't necessary. [Mark Jackson] and [William "Bopper" Minton] were so far behind us, and we weren't that far behind the other Racers, so it wasn't like, "This is going to make a huge difference."

If I had known it was going to be $10,000 each, that would have been nice, but (laughs) I still think I wouldn't have shaved my head, because I'm getting married and I love my hair. It's a hard decision to make and when you're in that situation, it's a really hard decision. But I would've done it if it was a make or break for the Race.

If it was like, "If you don't do this, you'll be out -- you'll be eliminated," I would've shaved my head. And if it was a situation where it would've put us in the Final 3, I would've shaved my head, but it wasn't. There were still five teams and we were still in a good spot in the Race, so I didn't think it was necessary.

Reality TV World: There's been people suggesting that task was unfair for the women. Would you two agree with that?

Rachel Reilly: I agree with it. I think it's super embarrassing. No matter what, if you're a woman that's prepared to shave their head or not, it's still a hard decision that you have to make, and I think that's why it's kind of unfair. Because it's a really hard decision. For two guys, like come on. They're going to shave their head. They have short hair. It's going to grow back.

Brendon Villegas: You know what? On Big Brother, they did something during the show that was probably a little bit more fair for girls -- is that if a girl got the choice to shave her head, she could do that or basically dye her hair -- which would probably be more comparable. Because as a guy, shaving my head is no big deal. Girls, obviously, it's a much different scenario.

Rachel Reilly: To grow your hair out as a woman, it takes you almost a year. And when you shave your head, you're going to be in that -- you have to go through that awkward stage where your hair is in-between the bangs-length, and then it's to your nose.

It just takes a long time to grow back your hair out, and it's a really hard decision to make, because that's like a decision that affects a year at least of your life. I do think it is unfair. I think for guys, it's so easy to make that decision.

Brendon Villegas: But for a million dollars, they can do whatever they want. (Laughs)

Reality TV World: Earlier in the season, Rachel and Dave made a pact with Art and J.J. to U-Turn you two depending on who got to the Double U-Turn board first, however, Rachel and Dave ended up deciding not to U-Turn anybody. Once you saw the season play out, what was your reaction to that? Did it really surprise you considering how their decision had created so much tension between themselves and Art and J.J. for the rest of the season.

Brendon Villegas: Well, we already knew that happened after the fact -- after the leg. But I think for me, it gave me a tremendous amount of respect for Dave and Rachel because they were able to play their own game and they could also win in their own right and not need to do something to mess with another team's game to do better, you know what I mean?

Rachel Reilly: Exactly, and that's when I felt that Dave and Rachel -- they are fierce competitors. They are so good and they proved, even there, that they weren't doing things just because someone told them to. They're there to run their own race and they did a good job, so I think I did get more respect for them when they didn't U-Turn us. And after that point in time, we started becoming really close with Dave and Rachel.

Reality TV World: The best you guys ever did throughout the Race was finishing in second place. Why do you think that was? Was it simply because Art and J.J. and Rachel and Dave were really strong competitive teams, or looking back, do you think you could've done anything different to better your racing ability?

Brendon Villegas: I think personally from my point of view, I think Rachel and I -- and I think this could be in part a lot of my push -- I wanted to play the game conservatively and make sure that we made it all the way to the end. And if that meant us not taking first place in legs, then I was okay with that.

I think that's how we really played the game, and I think that's why we made it to the last leg and even had a chance at winning a million dollars.

Rachel Reilly: And I mean, the other teams we were competing against -- the teams in the Final 3 were, I think hands down, the Final 3 teams are amazing competitors, and so regardless if we made decisions differently, I think that everyone in the Final 3 deserved to be there.   

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #268 on: May 13, 2012, 06:34:01 AM »
Totally agree with Rachel that the most competitive teams were in the final three, the average placings show that.

Don't agree that shaving your head isn't a big deal for men, it most definitely can be.  Overall, maybe, more black men shave their heads.  I wonder if maybe more black women could accept it than white too in some cultures.  But even then I'm sure that often some wouldn't want to lose their hair and would feel bad about it.  Even historically losing hair hasn't necessarily been seen as a thing that men just accept, the legend of Samson.  Much of it I suppose is about how society views people with their head shaved, which is probably not in a positive light due to various prejudices and portrayals.  It may seen as more of a way of humiliating people, as with prisoners for instance.  Society shapes perceptions of people.   

With the whole clue about helicopters they obviously did read the clue, we saw them do it, but it didn't sink in.  If they had read it again, I would hope that they would have registered with the 'on foot' part.  And if they had read it fully to the taxi driver maybe he could have pointed out to them that it said 'on foot', or maybe he would have kept quiet just so he could get his fare lol.

Offline Squall

  • RFF Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 55
  • There is reason to fear;Squall (the first) is here
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #269 on: May 16, 2012, 12:57:12 PM »
Figure i'd share this surprise as i just got home from running errands, Rachel and Brendon were on "The Price is Right" and did present a showcase that included trips to Santa Barbara, Germany, and India, with $3,000 cash....as it was inspired by their Amazing Race.
"as long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything...you feel less pain" --> Squall
Host: The Mole: South Eastern Sabotage
Played: Fantasy Big Brother 2011 (Mythic) - Win | Survivor K: South Pacific: (Coach) - Runner Up


Offline Jobby

  • TAR & RFF Fanatic
  • TAR Detectives
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 13567
  • HEHEHEHEHEHE
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #270 on: June 03, 2012, 01:27:07 AM »
Figure i'd share this surprise as i just got home from running errands, Rachel and Brendon were on "The Price is Right" and did present a showcase that included trips to Santa Barbara, Germany, and India, with $3,000 cash....as it was inspired by their Amazing Race.

Can anyone get me a bucket right now? I thought Romber was bad. :groan: :gaah:

Offline BlooperGuy

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 212
  • SKRILLEX.....VS.....MOZART!!!!
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #271 on: June 04, 2012, 04:20:37 PM »
Figure i'd share this surprise as i just got home from running errands, Rachel and Brendon were on "The Price is Right" and did present a showcase that included trips to Santa Barbara, Germany, and India, with $3,000 cash....as it was inspired by their Amazing Race.

Can anyone get me a bucket right now? I thought Romber was bad. :groan: :gaah:
For saying that, I refuse to give you a bucket. >:(

Offline georgiapeach

  • Amazing Race Admin
  • RFF Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 54196
  • TAR Detective
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #272 on: August 18, 2012, 10:52:40 AM »
We may have this already somewhere, but it is cute!

 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/7e_JvYnN6qg" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/7e_JvYnN6qg</a>

RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline Plaidmoon

  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2324
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #273 on: September 15, 2012, 08:40:29 AM »
I ran across this on Facebook and thought I'd post it here.

Guess who is honeymooning in Aruba...Branden and Rachael from big brother and amazing race!!! We talked to them for quite awhile and took our picture with them..WOW he is very handsome and she is very pretty in person...It was so exciting.I saw her rings and his..He is getting ready to go back to school. They didn't seem to mind all the attention . Most people didn't seem to notice them but <name omitted - her husband> and I sure did..fun fun..oh yes I also won a drawing at the casino $$$$

Offline Plaidmoon

  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2324
Re: TAR 20: Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly *Engaged*
« Reply #274 on: September 16, 2012, 08:01:23 AM »
Here's a link from a newspaper in Aruba that has a short story about Brendon and Rachel's honeymoon. It has a few pictures of them posing at the resort they are staying at.

http://aruba-daily.com/newspaper/?p=24147