And the Interviews keep getting stranger!
link to CTV interview 'Amazing Race' runners-up sound off
Tyrone Warner, CTV.ca
Four women came close, but they just couldn't win a daring competition that took people of all backgrounds on the adventure of a lifetime.
"Beauty Queens" Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier, as well as Mirna Hindoyan, chatted with CTV.ca about their near wins on the "Amazing Race." Mirna's cousin, Charla Faddoul, had prior commitments and was unavailable for an interview.
Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner picked up the US$1 million dollar prize when they won the all-star edition of the race, which featured competitors from previous seasons.
The Beauty Queens arrived second at the final pitstop in San Francisco, with Mirna and Charla a close third.
Dustin and Kandice explain to CTV.ca that even though they didn't win, they were glad that they could at least arrive at the final pit stop.
"That was the biggest disappointment last time, that we didn't get to finish the race around the world. While we would have loved to have been first on that mat," says Kandice.
"We would have loved to also be the first female team to do it, but it was still incredible that we got to do the race a second time."
The former beauty pageant winners also say that in order to do so well on the race, the competitors really needed to rely upon their own personal experiences.
"Whatever makes up who you are as a person, you need to draw from that," says Dustin.
"Our background of competitive sports, like soccer, cross-country, dancing, gave us that hunger to win. That gave us the extra edge."
The model-esque blondes also drew some criticism that they used their looks to get ahead.
"We don't feel like we got by one way or another on our looks. There were some times that it probably did help us out, in terms of getting a taxi, but on the flipside it was also a detriment to us. There were some situations where we didn't feel safe," says Dustin.
However, Kandice concedes they did come off better than others when it came to the way they were portrayed on the show.
"All in all, I think we came across as competitive women. We were always smiling, which is something we always do."
Following Dustin and Kandice to the mat were cousins Charla and Mirna.
One half of the third-place team, Mirna, tells CTV.ca that despite not snagging the title as the best-of-the-best, she is still satisfied with her team's performance.
"I think we did a great job. Last time on the race we were cut short by a risky flight that we decided to take, but this time we had our eyes on our prize. We wanted to make the final three and we accomplished that."
Notorious for their skill at maneuvering their way onto flights, Mirna claims it was an unforeseen obstacle in the final leg that finally did them in.
"Unfortunately the producers forced us to take the same flight into Oakland, so we weren't able to use our airport strategy, which was one of our keys to success. At that point it depended on luck, and what kind of taxi driver you got."
One of the difficulties of taking part in a reality show like "Amazing Race" is that competitors are always at the mercy of the producers and editors in how they are depicted to audiences.
"Charla and I had a lot of run-ins with the editor on this season of the race, and there were a lot of times when he would force me to say certain things. Basically, they would withhold food and we weren't able to eat at the pit stops until he got exactly what he wanted out of us in our interview," says Mirna. (?? doesn't everyone have to do their interviews before they can be released to the Pitstops?? --comment mine)"I'm a very determined person and I usually don't let people walk all over me, so we had a lot of run-ins with him. I was expecting a worse edit, but it turned out pretty good."
During the race, Charla and Mirna would put on thick accents when talking to cab drivers - a tactic that many viewers found annoying and even a little condescending.
"A lot of times I try to keep the words simple so people can understand it, and I also try to use an accent so people don't try and take advantage of me," says Mirna. "I've traveled a lot of places in the world where due to the political situation in the world, I've been treated really poorly because I'm an American. When I'm on the race, I'm here to win, so I don't want anything to stand in my way."