Author Topic: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*  (Read 58475 times)

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Offline maxen

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #75 on: April 10, 2012, 03:02:10 PM »
I don't understand... you lost the respect for them just with this last episode??... because they told they were not federal agents since the beginning.

Offline David

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #76 on: April 10, 2012, 03:18:45 PM »
Just watched this episode online, and I have to say that I have totally lost respect for these two. Honesty is an important virtue, and they flat out lied, on camera, to other racers about what they do. I'm sure some will argue that this is just a tiny little white lie, and some will argue that they are justified because they racing for a million dollars.

But such arguments are invalid. A person either holds a value, or they do not. A person that manipulates their values according to the situation at hand, can never be trusted. There will always be the next "important", "urgent", or "exceptional" situation that will give them an excuse to set values aside and do whatever they want.

It's a game.  I doubt it's the first time this has happened, and it's certainly happened on Big Brother before.

It's just a game. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
It's just a first date. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
It's just my resume. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
It's just a loan application. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it. 
It's just my tax return. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
 
It's just my integrity. It's okay to lie about it. Everyone does it.
 
Bull****.

Definitely, I understand them.

Had they said they are Federal Agents they'd have earned a target in their backs. Do they deserve it? I don't think so. IMHO, if you're an underdog, no one is gonna U-Turn you. But, "Hey! Let's U-Turn the Federal Agents!" sounds like a good reason to U-Turn someone.
"Why do we U-Turn them? Have they been a threat??" "Nope, but they ARE Federal Agents indeed." Obviously, people think they can be strong because of that.


Offline Bluesky

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #77 on: April 10, 2012, 04:02:28 PM »
I don't understand... you lost the respect for them just with this last episode??... because they told they were not federal agents since the beginning.

No, I and my fellow viewers here have not not liked the "teachers" business since the beginning. But this is the first time they've been shown looking someone square in the eye and continuing to tell the lie. So I decided to comment.

Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #78 on: April 10, 2012, 07:01:44 PM »
Just watched this episode online, and I have to say that I have totally lost respect for these two. Honesty is an important virtue, and they flat out lied, on camera, to other racers about what they do. I'm sure some will argue that this is just a tiny little white lie, and some will argue that they are justified because they racing for a million dollars.

But such arguments are invalid. A person either holds a value, or they do not. A person that manipulates their values according to the situation at hand, can never be trusted. There will always be the next "important", "urgent", or "exceptional" situation that will give them an excuse to set values aside and do whatever they want.

It's a game.  I doubt it's the first time this has happened, and it's certainly happened on Big Brother before.

It's just a game. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
It's just a first date. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
It's just my resume. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
It's just a loan application. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it. 
It's just my tax return. It's okay to lie. Everyone does it.
 
It's just my integrity. It's okay to lie about it. Everyone does it.
 
Bull****.

Those comparisons are irrelevant, it's a gameshow.  And anyway what does it matter what someone says they do, why should someone be judged on what their work is?  Those who are nicer people on this series don't judge people on that, others of course do (such as Vanessa who said Rachel was from a low class demographic and Art and JJ).

Offline Best Loser

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #79 on: April 10, 2012, 07:29:30 PM »
I don't understand... you lost the respect for them just with this last episode??... because they told they were not federal agents since the beginning.

No, I and my fellow viewers here have not not liked the "teachers" business since the beginning. But this is the first time they've been shown looking someone square in the eye and continuing to tell the lie. So I decided to comment.

They lied to Art & J.J. because the guys acted a bit rude when they confronted the girls. And in one of the extra scenes for this week, didn't Nary & Jamie reveal to some of teams that they were federal agents? I haven't watched them yet.


Offline Prophet

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #80 on: April 10, 2012, 08:34:52 PM »
I don't know if it is acceptable for them to lie in this situation or not but they can certainly not complain about being questioned over it. They have to accept whatever happens to them because of this including a possible Uturn. (I did find it odd that they persisted with the teachers thing they could have fessed up at that point)

I don't think Art and JJ are doing anything wrong by noticing something wrong with their story and then mentioning it.
Physics alone is not enough.

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Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #81 on: April 11, 2012, 02:10:48 AM »
I don't think it's wrong with them being questioned over it, but it was quite obviously more than just being questioned.  Art and JJ revealed that with their attitude, 'deer in the headlights', stirring things up as they admitted, and of course saying they did it to get their 'juices flowing'.  Hard to deny that they are exactly what their enemies on the race describe them as.  They have the ego to think they can push people around and intimidate, just like they did with Bopper and Mark as well.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2012, 07:03:37 AM by starrynight »

Offline AmazingRace

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #82 on: April 13, 2012, 09:52:22 PM »
I don't think it's wrong with them being questioned over it, but it was quite obviously more than just being questioned.  Art and JJ revealed that with their attitude, 'deer in the headlights', stirring things up as they admitted, and of course saying they did it to get their 'juices flowing'.  Hard to deny that they are exactly what their enemies on the race describe them as.  They have the ego to think they can push people around and intimidate, just like they did with Bopper and Mark as well.

And they say they want to "stay out of the drama".  :res:

Offline TARismyfavoriteshow

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #83 on: April 15, 2012, 07:57:25 AM »
I don't like the whole thing with them lying. They were cast on this show 100% because of the jobs they have. They're girl federal agents. That's their whole story.
And they have been average to below average the whole time, 4th, 6th, 5th, 5th, 7th, 5th, last. Who would look at their job as a threat instead of actually looking at how well they do tasks and stuff? I think people that were rooting for them have been continuously disappointed.
I think Art and JJ were smart for figuring them out, it was interesting hearing how they did it. And good for them. They did no wrong. Remember how Art and JJ found their passports on the plane and gave it to them? What if they had lied about it when confronted?

Offline David

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #84 on: April 15, 2012, 08:46:47 PM »
I'll miss'em... <33333


Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #85 on: April 16, 2012, 02:09:56 AM »
I don't like the whole thing with them lying. They were cast on this show 100% because of the jobs they have. They're girl federal agents. That's their whole story.

But being federal agents and going undercover they were therefore doing what they might be expected to do.  So I don't see your logic at all.

Disappointed Ralph and Vanessa weren't eliminated, I find them a bit one dimensional and tiresome now.  Having one bitchy team (Art and JJ) is enough.  They seem to vary the difficulty of the speed bumps quite a lot and this one ensured there wasn't a close finish.

Offline TARismyfavoriteshow

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #86 on: April 16, 2012, 05:00:15 AM »
I don't like the whole thing with them lying. They were cast on this show 100% because of the jobs they have. They're girl federal agents. That's their whole story.

But being federal agents and going undercover they were therefore doing what they might be expected to do.  So I don't see your logic at all.

Why did they continue to lie when they were found out and confronted? They should have just said "yeah you got us, the plan failed". I just find it annoying.

Offline kevin2012

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #87 on: April 16, 2012, 05:17:38 AM »
bet they're wishing they didn't stop for the elephants now.
Bring on the 21!

Offline maxen

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #88 on: April 16, 2012, 06:09:17 AM »
They weren't the best racers but i'll still miss them so much.  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

Offline Theo

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #89 on: April 16, 2012, 07:30:51 AM »
Next All-Stars, please :please:

They compete in a season filled with tough teams :(
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Offline Theo

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #90 on: April 16, 2012, 07:31:41 AM »
In addition, they haven't even revealed their true identity :lol:
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Offline apskip

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #91 on: April 16, 2012, 08:04:52 AM »
I want to focus on the most astonishing team feat I have ever seen on any Amazing Race, Nary and Jamie recovering at least 90 minutes on the short ride from the prior pit stop to Karatu. Given the distances involved, it is not possible for them to have done that without one or both of these assists:
1. the producers found them a shorter route
2. their safari vehicle driver was allowed to go above the speed or safety limit (I don't expect there to be any speed limit in the Crater) to heighten the excitement

If they didn't have a SpeedBump to slow them down (in a rare instance where the SpeedBump worked that way), they probably would have passed Vanessa and Ralph while those two were waiting for the rear tire blowout repair and finished in 5th place.   

Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #92 on: April 16, 2012, 11:11:54 AM »
I don't like the whole thing with them lying. They were cast on this show 100% because of the jobs they have. They're girl federal agents. That's their whole story.

But being federal agents and going undercover they were therefore doing what they might be expected to do.  So I don't see your logic at all.

Why did they continue to lie when they were found out and confronted? They should have just said "yeah you got us, the plan failed". I just find it annoying.

Because Art and JJ were pretty much taunting them.  They did reveal the truth to the others who were nicer to them.

Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #93 on: April 16, 2012, 04:32:53 PM »
http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/reality-tv-blogpost.aspx?post=01c92fee-8d64-431f-b348-14f20ffb9fc3

'The Amazing Race' Exit Interview: Jamie and Nary
Undercover agents on their last-place finish, matching T-shirts and more
Posted by MSN TV Monday, April 16, 2012 2:17:53 PM

By Diane Vadino

Special to MSN TV

The season's only remaining all-female team exited "The Amazing Race" last night, after a challenge on the previous episode put them so far back they couldn't catch up -- even after two other trailing teams were U Turned.

We spoke to Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz about their undercover stint as kindergarten teachers, the border patrol agents' aggro investigation into their true identities, and Bopper's crush on Jamie.

MSN TV: You guys wore matching "I'm with my BFF" T-shirts last night. Were you saving them for what you thought might be your last leg?

Nary: That was a completely Jamie's idea -- not mine at all. She was just like, "There's these really cute shirts with an arrow [pointing at each other].”

Jamie: I saw them online and was like, Holy cow, these are so awesome.

Nary: We knew that this could potentially be our last leg, and we didn't want to go home without wearing them.

What was so impossible about the tent-building challenge from last week? 

Jamie:  It really was a height thing. We had a really hard time getting the base set up -- one person would have to hold several of the angles [poles] while the other person grabbed [another one] -- that was really hard for us, being as small as we were. Once we got the base, though, we were chugging.

Nary: It was really tough. I thought I was going to break a finger. Even the guys were having some problems -- maybe if there was a male on the team, we would have gotten through it a little faster. And if there was another all-woman team, they might have struggled with it like we did.

Looking back now, what do you make of your decision not to tell the other teams your real occupations?

Jamie: It was funny. There happened to be several teams in law enforcement and military -- they might say, "Hey, let's stick together," or "I don't want to be compared to them, I want to get rid of them ASAP." The U Turns [where they might have been penalized for being feds] came later in the game, and [by then] it was kind of irrelevant.

Art and J.J. were so bullying about pinning down your occupations.

Nary: They were very arrogant. Once they won three legs, the arrogance just went through the roof. I don't necessarily think they were bullying us -- just trying to intimidate us or steer us. We were, like -- guess what, dudes, we don't care what you know. We were just annoyed that they took that approach, rather than a professional approach.

So what about that Bopper crush on Jamie, which Mark told Nary about?

Jamie: It was all in good fun. I love those guys -- I would have done anything in my power -- besides us losing -- to have helped them along. They're just genuinely great people.

Nary: It wasn't, like, "Oh, I'm in love with Jamie," in a nasty way. Bopper gave us his jacket when it was freezing cold out -- he was just such a gentleman; he was all about helping us. He always said, "You girls are such great girls."

What do you think the race meant for your friendship?

Nary: I think it was great to begin with. Jamie is like my sister -- we were dreading this last episode, but we went out well, and we left knowing that there was nothing also we could have done.

"The Amazing Race" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #94 on: April 16, 2012, 04:38:39 PM »
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Nary-Jamie-1046076.aspx

Amazing Race's Nary and Jamie: Art and JJ Are Jerks
Joyce Eng
Apr 16, 2012 04:59 PM ET
by Joyce Eng

Federal agents Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz started off nearly three hours behind everyone else on The Amazing Race's second Tanzanian leg, but — thanks to two Double U-Turns — managed to finish only 15 minutes behind. "I'd say it was a damn good effort!" Jamie tells TVGuide.com. "We made up several hours. It was hard for viewers to see how far behind we were with the tent thing last week, but we were hours behind. It was pretty awesome when we saw Ralph and Vanessa at the Speed Bump because it was like, 'We're still in it!' And then it was over!" Their elimination is sure to bring some smiles to the faces of Art and JJ, who are still peeved about the girls not admitting to using a kindergarten teacher's cover. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal to them that we didn't tell them," Nary says. "Like, concentrate on yourself." So why didn't they confess the truth? Find out below!

How far behind Vanessa and Ralph were you?
Nary: They said we were close. ... The Speed Bump took maybe 20 to 30 minutes, so I would say within 15 to 30 minutes.
Jamie: I think we were closer than 30 minutes for sure, especially with us running. You know they didn't run that whole way. [Laughs] We ran the whole way, so I would say less than 30 minutes, closer to 15.

Why was the tent so hard for you last week? Was it a height issue or a strength issue? You commented on how you were the only team without a guy.
Jamie: We're both kind of short. We're standing on this rickety table and it was about to break any minute. Everything was just hard. ... I don't know that we needed a guy per se. We could've used some height! [Laughs] Put on a pair of high heels or something. But I was really happy with it. We were absolutely exhausted, but I was super-stoked that we finished it, especially with that stinkin' shower, which was a pain in and of itself.

I liked that you stopped to check out the elephants last week.
Nary: Oh yeah! There was no doubt we were last and we were like, "This is a chance of a lifetime and if we're gonna get eliminated, we're gonna be happy with what we saw right before we got eliminated." I mean, we're in Africa! There's wild life everywhere and to not stop and see a herd of elephants? If there was another team close by at that point, we wouldn't have stopped, but knowing we were last, we were able to and we were in awe.

How long did air supply take you to do? It seemed like you had a chance to pass Vanessa and Ralph, but they got to the clue first.
Jamie: I think we did it as quick as one could do it. I think that was old time that we were trying to make up. I don't think we had ever gained and then lost time; I think we were always trying to slowly gain and gain and gain up on them. After that, I didn't know that they had gotten a flat tire — those taxis were rough — and we were able to catch up to them.

Were you ever worried about getting U-Turned? Art and JJ said you guys were the second target after Brendon and Rachel.
Nary: We did hear that they wanted to get rid of us because of them finding out what we did for a living and they were probably pissed off. We didn't care, but being in last place and being two hours behind Ralph and Vanessa and three hours behind Dave and Rachel, that would've been just been bad gameplay. We didn't think anyone would've U-Turned us because there were teams ahead of us. I don't think we ever thought for sure we would be.
Jamie: It's funny watching the show because you could see how much of a jerk JJ is about that. He was pushing it hardcore even though he never saw us. It wasn't a secret that we were far behind. We were never a threat to them or anyone else really this leg.

I take it you think they were completely over the top with their reaction to Dave and Rachel not U-Turning Brendon and Rachel.
Jamie: Oh, yeah! JJ was definitely out of line. Dave and Rachel were like, "Dude, chill out," and rightfully so. Once they start to get on a roll, they get this arrogance about them that left a super-bad taste in my mouth. I was like, "I wouldn't want to be portrayed like that. They're a bunch of jerks."
Nary: That arrogance was already there in the first episode when they didn't come in first place. And after they won three legs in a row, it made their arrogance just worse.
Jamie: And you know — God forbid they get beaten by two chicks! I mean, they would've died. That's why you saw them go into survivor mode in the airport last week. Everybody started fighting and they immediately confronted us, and then they go to Bopper and say, "Hey, if you want to stay in this game, you need to leave them and stick with us." I think it started to hit them, like, "Crap, if we get beat by two female federal agents, we're never gonna live this down."

What happened with them figuring out what you did? Did you accidentally slip up when you asked about their "undercover work"?
Jamie: It was kind of twofold. ... Everybody's around the campfire, exhausted, and Art is just going on and on about this undercover work. He called it "UC work." Of course, I know what it means. And I know what border patrol does and I know what the majority of what border patrol agents do. So I was like — because I was really sick of him at this point — "Oh, really, Art? What kind of undercover work do you do? And what kind of caseload do you maintain?" He made it seem like that's all he did, like he was living under deep cover with a motorcycle gang! [Laughs] Like, c'mon, Art, let's be real here! So that's how it came out and they made it seem on TV that we didn't have a response when they confronted us, but we did. Our thing was that we didn't tell them because of their approach. There was all this commotion at the airport and then they immediately tried to call us out. Had they done it when things were calm and in a more friendly way, we probably would've told them.

Were Bopper and Mark, and Brendon and Rachel the only teams you told?
Nary: Yes, but of course there was speculation because of Art and JJ. But if you listened, Dave and Rachel still called us teachers in this episode. Bopper and Mark were still calling us teachers. We told Bopper and Mark, and Brendon and Rachel because they were nice about it and they were our friends on the show. It felt like it was our duty as friends to tell them the truth.
Jamie: We cared about what they thought. It was important for us that they didn't feel like we were lying to them about everything. I really did appreciate their friendships and I do still. I wanted them to know that everything that we spoke about our families and friends during downtime was 100 percent true. The teachers thing was the only lie. We wanted them to know that we were genuinely their friends. The other teams? We didn't really have that connection with them.

Do you think you lying about being teachers accomplished what you wanted it to?
Nary: [Laughs] I think it was funny more than anything. In a way, I would say yes. In the watermelon challenge, there's an extra clip online where Art and JJ go, "Go, teachers!" They're looking at us, like, "Look at you girls! You're doing a good job." If they knew what we did then, they would not be saying, "Go, girls!" It was little things like that. Overall, people love teachers, whereas, with agents, people have differing and some negative views about them and might pre-judge us. We wanted people to know who we were as people as opposed to us as our profession.

How did you shoot yourself in the femur, Jamie?
Jamie: We were training and my gun went off while it was in my holster. I don't really still know what happened, but it shattered my femur. I was in the hospital for about a week. I was off work for a long time and I had to do physical therapy just to walk again. We both love to run and my goal was to get back to work and run again. I was quite intimidated early on, with the anxiety that we might get cast, because I didn't want to let Nary down if I couldn't carry something or couldn't run. I wanted to make sure I was there for her. I was working hard before, but I really worked hard for the Race and I didn't feel it at all through the show. It was wonderful. It came through for me.

What are you up to now?
Nary: Back to work!

With caseloads and UC work?
Nary: [Laughs] Hundreds of hours of UC work! Deep cover!
Jamie: Secret's out!


Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #95 on: April 16, 2012, 06:15:40 PM »
http://www.thedeadbolt.com/1003025990-the-amazing-race-undercover-elimination-with-nary-and-jamie.html

The Amazing Race: Undercover Elimination with Nary and Jamie
by Reg Seeton

This week on The Amazing Race, federal agent friends Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz saw their time on the CBS reality series come to an end in Africa.

Although Nary and Jamie caught a break last week on The Amazing Race when they were saved by a non-elimination leg, the two federal agents couldn’t make up time this week despite catching up to Vanessa and Ralph in the final few minutes.

One of the strongest teams of the season, Nary and Jamie ran The Amazing Race under the cover of school teachers without letting anyone know what they really did for a living. However, as fans saw two weeks ago, their Amazing Race cover was almost blown by border patrol agents Art and J.J. who guessed that Nary and Jamie were law enforcement and not teachers as they claimed. Despite attempts by Art and J.J. to get Nary and Jamie to come clean, the girls wouldn’t give up their alias strategy.

Following their elimination from The Amazing Race, The Deadbolt caught up with Nary and Jamie to learn more about the final leg, what went wrong, their teacher strategy, and a funny encounter with a buffalo that Amazing Race fans didn’t see on TV.

THE DEADBOLT: So, how did it feel to go out on such a beautiful leg?

JAMIE GRAETZ: Well, I just feel like if there was a time to go, we picked it right because we got to spend a little more time there [in Africa]. What a beautiful, unbelievable place to be. It was really quite an experience.

THE DEADBOLT: What happened between the art display and the finish line?

NARY EBEID: The main thing was that we had to play catch up for the whole episode. It was very difficult to be two hours behind. Team number one was about to hit the Pit Stop and we’re just taking off. So that was difficult. We were just playing catch up all day and the Double U-Turns did help us.

But when we came across Ralph and Vanessa where our Speed Bump was, we were excited. At the same time, we were like, “Oh, no! We have to do our Speed Bump and now they’re going to get ahead of us.” So we knew they were our last hope. Completing that Speed Bump is what really did us in. We had to do it and there was no getting around it.

THE DEADBOLT: Did you have a strategy for the Double U-turn if you got the chance to use it?

JAMIE: I don’t even remember if we talked about it. Our intentions were never to U-Turn anybody unless we really had to. We discussed that with Mark and Bopper and Brendon and Rachel. We would have helped tham out as well if the U-Turn would have helped them. But we knew the U-Turn was coming and we knew that we were already two hours behind the pack, so it was pretty likely that we wouldn’t be the ones U-Turning anybody.

THE DEADBOLT: How do you both feel the teacher strategy helped you in the long run?

NARY: It was a strategy we came up with well before going on the show. But one of the main reasons we came up with it was for U-Turning. The U-Turn came at a point where it didn’t really matter anymore. I’m not sure if the strategy worked in any way, but that’s why we came up with it, was for U-Turning. I don’t know if I would say that we got anything out of it or didn’t get anything out of it, but it was fun. It was fun to play undercover for the last time.

THE DEADBOLT: What did you think after Art and J.J. confronted you about it?

JAMIE: Art and J.J. were involved in the whole scuffle that was going in the airport, which is pretty embarassing. I was quite surprised that these guys in their mid-40s that were well-supervised individuals at their department would lower themselves and jump into a stupid high-school bickering session. And then to go further than that, that they would then bring it our way.

Nary and I had made a conscious decision, because we knew they were going to try to come over. They were starting to ruffle their feathers and starting to say, “Hey, Nary and Jamie, come over here.” So we knew it didn’t matter what we said. But there was no way we were going to tell them what we really did. We just figured that we’ll let them guess since they weren’t our friends.

Had they approached us in a more decent manner that was more sincere, we probably would have told them, because it wasn’t that big of a deal at that point. I didn’t care for them. And at that point I probably could have told them that it was any other profession, I just wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of knowing.

THE DEADBOLT: You both seemed to fly under the radar as far as all of the drama with the other teams. How did you stay away from it?

NARY: Jamie and I have never been into all of the drama. Once we see that, we’re actually embarrassed for them and we just steer in the other direction. To me, it’s embarrassing. Everyone’s older and it’s just an unprofessional thing to do. To me, it just gets you nowhere.

So Jamie and I, even though we can get underneath each other’s skin, we just always knew that we’re here to do our thing, we’re here to race, and yelling at each other isn’t going to get you anywhere when arguing with another team. We didn’t care for Vanessa, and we didn’t care for Art and J.J., but we weren’t going to argue with them. We didn’t care to. It wasn’t going to gain anything for us.

THE DEADBOLT: Was there anything from the race you wish we saw that wasn’t aired on TV?

JAMIE: We had this incredible experience after we made that wonderful tent and we had to sleep in it. Right when we were all trying to use the restroom before we got in our tent, this buffalo came out of nowhere. So they yelled at us to get in our tent, which you could see on TV was not with the other tents. It was all by its lonesome. A huge buffalo, which are very dangerous in Africa, decided to graze around our tent all night long. I was on high alert the whole night while Nary snored away.

It was just a great memory because when in your life will you experience that again? It was inches from the window when I unzipped it to see what the noise was. There was this huge buffalo! Mark and Bopper at one point wanted to try and save us but Mark talked Bopper down.

Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #96 on: April 16, 2012, 06:22:21 PM »
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-nary-ebeid-and-jamie-graetz-talk-the-amazing-race-13376.php

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/16/2012

Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz were eliminated from The Amazing Race's twentieth season during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition.

The "Federal Agents and Friends" team became the sixth team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived at the Race's eighth Pit Stop at Lake Manyara, which Ernest Hemingway had described as the loveliest lake in Africa, in last place due to having to complete an additional Speed Bump task and leaving the seventh Pit Stop hours behind the other teams -- putting them in last place and leaving them little opportunity to ever catch up and surpass their fellow Racers.

On Monday, Nary and Jamie talked to Reality TV World about their The Amazing Race experience -- including why they didn't get along with Art Velez and J.J. Carrell, who they would've U-Turned had they gotten the chance to, which Racers they became friends with and whom they had no intention to befriend, and what their mindset was heading to the Pit Stop after they had just survived the prior non-elimination leg.

Reality TV World: How far behind Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley do you think you guys finally arrived at the Pit Stop? The show made it look you guys were pretty far behind considering you had to complete that Speed Bump painting task when Vanessa and Ralph got to move forward in the Race and head towards the Roadblock task.

Nary Ebeid: We don't know for sure to this day. We are guessing -- we heard it was close, but we're assuming it was between 15-20 minutes. So close enough! I mean, it's pretty surprising. Of course we were already two hours behind and then they had to do the extra Detour for the U-Turn and then they had a flat tire, which we didn't know anything about.

Jamie Graetz: But then again, when we caught up to where our Speed Bump was, it was kind of heart-wrenching to know we still have to complete a Speed Bump. We were ecstatic that we caught up and once we had that Speed Bump, we knew it was going to put us behind again.

Reality TV World: So it sounds like you think the Speed Bump task was ultimately responsible for your elimination, right? Do you think the fact you guys had started out the leg about two hours or more behind all the other teams made much of a difference?

Nary Ebeid: No, I mean it did, because we were just playing catch-up all day. I mean, it's like, the Speed Bump was where we ended up catching up, but I mean, if you want to say that's what it ultimately was, I don't know if that's what it ultimately was because we were already two hours behind. So it was just playing catch-up all day.

Reality TV World: How long do you think it took you to complete that Speed Bump task and was it challenging or pretty easy?

Jamie Graetz: I think it -- I mean, that Speed Bump task wasn't very difficult. I would say maybe 15-20 minutes. I mean, it really was -- you just looked at that paper. So what I did was, Nary picked out the items I needed and I pretty much arranged the wall.

So, she actually picked them out, I hung them and we kind of had a great system going. It was done rather quickly. The only minor thing was maybe that it was windy, but I think we did it as fast as one could finish it. So, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Reality TV World: When you two arrived at the Double U-Turn board, were you surprised that no teams decided to U-Turn you guys? Why did you think that was at the time and were you surprised to see that Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas and Vanessa and Ralph were U-Turned instead or no?

Nary Ebeid: We weren't surprised that Rachel and Brendon were U-Turned. We had a feeling somebody was going to U-Turn them. And then of course knowing that whoever's behind Rachel and Brendon -- we were friends with Rachel and Brendon, so the only other teams for them to U-Turn -- because they were of course kind of fighting constantly with Ralph and Vanessa, they figured, "Hell, we're going to U-Turn them."

But I mean, U-Turning us, we never really felt that was much of an option only because we were so far behind. I mean, we were three hours and change behind team number one. So they knew. I mean they were pretty much already at the Pit Stop before we even like started.

It's like, they didn't even show us until the middle of the episode. "Okay, Nary and Jamie are finally taking off now." So we never really discussed it, but I don't think it was ever that much -- I mean, of course it was always an option -- but it never really crossed our minds that we were going to be U-Turned.

Reality TV World: It sounds like you think Brendon and Rachel's decision to U-Turn Vanessa and Ralph was simply due to personal issues rather than believing Vanessa and Ralph were a real threat in the Race, right?

Jamie Graetz: I think it was two-fold. I think they were probably pretty happy to -- and willing, more than willing -- to U-Turn them. But also, I would like to think -- I mean, they were our friends and we were working together. If there was a chance, [we thought] that that would help us to try to catch up, and so, it was darn close. That's for sure. But it just wasn't quite enough.

Reality TV World: Had you have gotten to that Double U-Turn before the other teams, who do you think you would have U-Turned in the Race hypothetically speaking? Who do you think it would have been strategically smart to slow down?

Nary Ebeid: Me personally, if I'm in first place and I know that I have a huge gap between me and the last team, I probably wouldn't have U-Turned anybody. Jamie, on the other hand, thinks a little differently only if it was a little closer, I think.

Jamie Graetz: Yeah, if there was a big gap, I don't think I would have U-Turned anyone anyways. I mean, I wouldn't have minded a bit U-Turning Art and J.J. just for sh-t's sake. But I don't know. At the time, I don't honestly think I would have. I think my animosity towards them has just kind of boiled since since I've watched the show.

I've seen how they've treated people and what not, and I don't care for them. But then, yeah. I probably wouldn't have U-Turned anybody. But I just thought it was pretty interesting that he had quite a fit over the fact [Rachel Brown and Dave Brown] didn't U-Turn us. We had no idea that that had happened.

Reality TV World: What were your reactions when you watched the show last night and found out Rachel and Dave chose not to honor their agreement with Art and J.J. to U-Turn Rachel and Brendon? Do you think that was a smart move on their part or a bad move, and why?

Nary Ebeid: To me, I think they were smart actually.

Jamie Graetz: Yeah.

Nary Ebeid: They know we're three hours behind just like Rachel said at the very end. She was like, "The teachers are way behind," you know? So what was the point? There's no point in U-Turning anybody.

We're three hours and change behind them, so why have this animosity that close to the end with these other teams -- pissing other teams off and U-Turning? So I actually thought they were smart. I mean, just because you made that pact, who cares. You race the way you race. Don't worry about how the other teams are.

Jamie Graetz: But his thing was that he wanted them to U-Turn Brendon and Rachel, and then they would've U-Turned us.

Nary Ebeid: Us, yeah.

Jamie Graetz: Which is just, like, awful.

Nary Ebeid: Yeah, which he's an idiot. But yeah. I totally agree with their decision. I think that's good they're not getting bullied by someone else, you know? They're playing their own game and "Amen" to that, you know?

Reality TV World: Not much was shown of you girls completing the honey harvesting Roadblock task. Just to clarify, did you complete that task or were you so far behind the producers just let you head to the Pit Stop? If you did complete the Roadblock, who did it and how long did it take you?

Nary Ebeid: I actually am the one who did that challenge and they did show a very brief part of me doing the challenge.

Jamie Graetz: You did it really fast.

Nary Ebeid: Yeah, I did it, I guess, pretty fast. But nope. We never thought once like -- we thought they could have potentially gotten lost -- maybe they screwed up in that challenge. We didn't know what was coming next once we got there. We were the only ones there, so we didn't know if they had completed it or not, so we never gave up. We were still gung-ho running.

I had to put a long-sleeved shirt on because I had to put the suit on, and Jamie was like, "Are you not hot? Are you going to run in that shirt?" I'm like, "I don't care. We need to go." I didn't care. I was just like, "We just need to go. We don't know how far back we are." So no, we never gave up at all in anything we did. We completed every task at hand.

Reality TV World: Although you remained optimistic, I'm sure it crossed your minds that you were likely to arrive at the Pit Stop in last place. So what did you think your chances were the leg would be a back-to-back non-elimination leg? Did you think there was a good shot it could happen or did you see that as a real longshot?

Jamie Graetz: We knew that that was not going to happen twice. I mean, that's for sure. Once she completed the bee task, we were 99.9% percent sure that we were going to get eliminated because we knew Ralph and Vanessa had been ahead of us unless that slimmed into an act of God happening and they were stuck behind us. We knew we would be eliminated, but we ran.

And that was a far run from the bees to the Pit Stop and it showed most of the teams walking, but we ran the whole way. Somebody made a comment to us after. They said they really appreciated us fighting to the very end and running the whole way to the Pit Stop. Yeah, that just kind of shows the character that we are. We weren't going to give up even though we pretty much knew our fate.

And it had been confirmed when [Phil Keoghan] told us we had been eliminated, but you know, we'd still do the same thing over again. You just kind of -- when you have a task, we're going to complete it and we're going to fight until the very end.

Reality TV World: What made you girls decide to do the "Air Supply" Detour task and about how long did it take you? Was it pretty easy to complete or more difficult than it looked during last night's episode?

Nary Ebeid: When we first got to the task, I actually thought the water task would be faster, but Jamie was like, "I think we should do the 'Air Supply' task." And I was like, "Okay if you think so then we're just going to go to the "Air Supply." So on our way there, we end up bumping into Brendon and Rachel, and they told us, "Hey, do the 'Air Supply.' It's faster."

Because they had to complete both challenges because of the U-Turn, so that of course helped in our head like, "Okay fine. This one's going to be a lot faster," because as you saw, they had to wait in this long line and carry these heavy jugs of water. And actually, I would say it took us about 20 minutes or so to complete. It actually was pretty quick.

Jamie Graetz: Mhmm.

Reality TV World: You guys decided to tell all your fellow Racers you were kindergarten teachers rather than federal agents. Could you elaborate a little more on why you did that? Did you think telling the other teams what your real professions were would have really made them that much more intimidated by you girls? And looking back, are you glad you came up with the story or do you kind of wish you had been honest for any reason?

Jamie Graetz: I think that I would have done the same thing over again if we started the game again tomorrow. You just don't know going in who your competitors are and you don't know where they come from.

And coincidentally, we had other law enforcement people that were contestants as well. But see, you can kind of look at that as two guys, as in Art and J.J., in the federal system could have potentially seen us as the threat because they don't want to get beaten by two women that are federal agents.

So, they could have wanted to eliminate -- if we had a U-Turn earlier -- try to get us out, or the flip side to that is, we could've all maybe worked together, as in being the law-enforcement pack trying to get rid of other people. So, you just don't know how people are going to react. You don't know what their strategy is and if nothing else, it was funny.

It was fun and you know, the way it was portrayed on TV showed it as if we were maybe stunned or shocked by Art and J.J., and that really wasn't the case. They kind of came at us a little foul and they had just been in this altercation and fighting in the airport with all these other people, which was completely embarrassing, and then they tried to bring it towards us.

And we weren't going to go there. That's not how we treat people and frankly, had he approached us on the side as like a friend or under cordial conditions, we would have probably told them. But at that place and at that time, I could have told them I was a janitor. I wouldn't have cared. I wouldn't have told him what we really were just to give him that satisfaction.

Reality TV World: Were you girls surprised at all that Art and J.J. were suspicious of you and came onto your stories when they did or did you figure that was going to happen based on the conversations you were having with them during the Race?

Jamie Graetz: Really, I was really just full of Art. I had had enough. I heard enough. He's rambling on to everybody -- to ears that don't understand really what he's talking about. And so, it's like when you have somebody that does understand -- which the whole discussion was about UC, which is undercover work -- and he was kind of tooting his own horn.

I, at 4:30 in the morning with no sleep and was freezing, thought he was just kind of full of it. And so, I did make a couple comments and knew that it was probably risky because most people -- civilians -- don't know the lingo, and I didn't care (laughs) at that point. And so, they think they're pretty much these really good detectives for finding out, and it wasn't rocket science at that point.

Reality TV World: During last week's episode, Art and J.J. told Rachel and Brendon they thought you were police officers because kindergarten teachers would be more "bouncy" and "social." What was your reaction to that? Would you girls say they had a point in that you were a little more quiet and reserved during the Race, or would you say they got the wrong impressions of you while on the show?

Nary Ebeid: Jamie and I were running the Race pretty much we felt like, "We're here to run the Race. We're not here to Oh..." I mean, we made friends, but we're just focusing on the task at hand. That's how we were. So maybe because we weren't friends with them and we didn't sit and chat with them, that's kind of how they portrayed it, I guess.

It's just like, "I'm sorry, because we're not kissing your ass and we're not friendly toward you and all curious about your profession" -- that's probably why.

Jamie Graetz: ... Which is so funny because you and I, of all people -- compared to other women that we work around, although there aren't very many -- we totally goof around. We laugh. That's totally what people think of us at work. We're like bubbly, friendly, joking around -- and I was like, "You just don't know us," you know? (Laughs)

And the other thing is, we always did better on our own. We never wanted to follow people and that was always a big thing too. A lot of times, they would all come together to kind of strategize like, "What should we do? Should we go this way? Should we do that?" And meanwhile, Nary and I would just run by and go in a different direction, because we just operate much better on our own.
 
And so, they saw us as being cold and withdrawn because we weren't trying to follow people. That's just not what we did, you know? It wasn't successful for us to follow people around.

Nary Ebeid: Yeah, but even from the very beginning when... everyone was introducing each other, I don't recalling [Art and J.J.] being very friendly either towards us.

It's not like they even tried to be friendly with us, so we kind of got a vibe from them -- a different vibe than we got from Brendon and Rachel, who were asking questions and [being] more friendly. [Art and J.J.] barely talked to us, so it's like, "Well, then we have nothing to talk about." And that's why they said that -- because we didn't talk to them or kiss their ass.

Reality TV World: There has clearly been a lot of tension between Rachel and Brendon and Vanessa and Ralph this season. How much of that were you two aware of while you were racing with them? Did you think one team was more at fault for starting arguments than the other or would you say they both were equally responsible for causing drama?

Jamie Graetz: I mean, once it got rolling, I think they were equally as responsible. We kept telling Rachel, "Just who cares what Vanessa says. Who cares if she says you're like 100 pounds overweight. Like, who cares." But she lets stuff get to her.

She reacts maybe not how we would, but okay. But you know what? I kind of felt like Vanessa, definitely with her mouth, could definitely let things brew -- just the way she pops off.

I just never got a good feeling about Vanessa. She spoke poorly -- or basically, for lack of better terms, she talked sh-t about everybody. I just didn't think she was a very nice person and I think -- you can see it on TV -- how she reacts to Ralph, whom I thought was probably a pretty decent guy.

But we didn't want to hang out with them because we couldn't stand her. Vanessa's just not a nice individual and so, you know, Rachel yeah, would throw it back at her. But Vanessa, I think, started a lot of it to be honest.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on The Amazing Race? Was it your first time applying for the show and would you ever consider doing an all-stars edition if you were given the opportunity?

Nary Ebeid: We just applied and we got in, so we got very lucky, I have to say. The process went pretty smoothly, we were happy about it and if we were asked to go on again -- I mean, The Amazing Race is the experience of a lifetime. And to be able to have such a chance at it, absolutely.

Offline AmazingRace

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #97 on: April 17, 2012, 02:57:30 AM »
 :hrt: these girls so much!

Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #98 on: April 17, 2012, 04:21:31 AM »
Thanks for the interviews, and that confirms my last post as to the reason they didn't tell Art and JJ.  Also interesting to hear more about Art.  I still think JJ is probably the more annoying but Art isn't far behind I guess.  :D  Not surprising to hear Jamie say she is getting even more angry with them watching the programs. 

And I like to hear about the friendships as well, that Jamie thinks Rachel/Brendon had them partly in mind with the u-turn and that they helped them in deciding which detour to choose as well as pointing them in the right direction at one point (which was shown in the program).  Also Bopper and Mark obviously helped them out a bit more than just at the harp task.  Definitely my favourite teams of this season.  Any of these three for allstars, more than one as I'm greedy.  :D
« Last Edit: April 17, 2012, 04:27:01 AM by starrynight »

Offline Theo

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #99 on: April 17, 2012, 05:22:04 AM »
They are definitely a funny team :lol: I wonder why they didn't show how funny this team is at the beginning of the race :duno:
TAR Jeopardy Revival: here