The Amazing Race > The Racers
♥♥♥ TAR14: Christie Volkmer & Jodi Wincheski - Co workers
Ashe:
--- Quote from: DerekCL on March 26, 2009, 02:21:46 PM ---Correct me if I'm wrong but no one has mentioned that they were the first all-female team to have won a leg since TAR All-Stars
--- End quote ---
No one's said it, but I definitely already knew that.
I'll do you one better, though, and say that they're the eighth-ever women's team to win a leg. Thirty-two women's teams after all these seasons (including the three from this season), and only eight of them have won at least won leg. (To remind you, Pat & Brenda, Mary & Peach, Tian & Jaree, Debbie & Bianca, and Christie & Jodi all won one leg, Charla & Mirna won two legs, the Godlewskis won three legs, and Dustin & Kandice won a total of six legs -- two in TAR10 and four in All-Stars.)
georgiapeach:
Deadbolt Interview:
Running Through India with Christie and Jodi of The Amazing Race
by Reg Seeton
Now full foot-throttle into Season 14, The Amazing Race teams left the cold confines of Siberia to touch down in India, which has always been a giant roadblock for all duos that have ran in CBS' hit reality competition. The latest episode of The Amazing Race saw the teams take to the bustling and bubbling-over streets of India to gather hay for camels and dance for money among the locals in an effort to keep pace in the most populated country on the planet. Although India also gave The Amazing Race teams a reality check in the various poverty stricken areas in certain legs, almost all of the teams didn't crack under the simmering population pressure like others in seasons past.
This week's leg of The Amazing Race began with flight attendants Christie Volkmer and Jodi Wincheski in last place behind the others as they made their way to India. However, having touched the mat in last place the week before, Christie and Jodi were penalized with an extra "speed bump" task that only they had to perform. Having made up major time after Jodi carried baskets of hay for camel herders, and both danced in the streets for money, Christie and Jodi had to find their way through town and locate an elephant and give it a paint makeover to get over the "speed bump."
And when it was all said and done, Christie and Jodi made up even more ground on the teams and were only seconds behind stunt guys Mark and Michael when they hit the mat in front of Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan. Still, the hard battling efforts of Christie and Jodi weren't enough to keep them in The Amazing Race and both flight attendants were eliminated from this season's competition.
Shortly after their elimination, Christie and Jodi gave us a call to fill us in on everything from their time in India and how they came together as a team to why Christie didn't ask for underwear prior to her public jog in Russia and why, despite overcoming a lot of her fears, Jodi won't be going bungee jumping anytime soon.
THE DEADBOLT: So did you guys know you were that close at the end?
CHRISTIE VOLKMER: [laughs] We knew when we stepped on the mat! But it was still very hard to watch.
THE DEADBOLT: How tough was India just as a challenge?
JODI WINCHESKI: India was fantastic.
CHRISTIE: India was wonderful. The taxi drivers, not so wonderful. But the tasks and the people, absolutely phenomenal.
JODI WINCHESKI: India was the one place where I’m like, ‘I just don’t want to go to India.’ Beforehand I was telling Christie, I’m like, ‘I don’t want to go there because everybody always loses it in India. People are crying, it’s all crowded and crazy, it’s just awful.' And then I go and it’s just a great experience.
THE DEADBOLT: So how did that compare to Siberia?
JODI: [laughs] Better!
CHRISTIE: I was so glad to get out of the cold. Every time we opened up a clue, we were like, ‘Please let it be some place warm.’ We were tired of jackets and boots and coats and layers, and we were wanting some place warm, so India was refreshing.
THE DEADBOLT: Christie, did you think about asking for underwear in Russia before jogging off?
CHRISTIE: [laughs] Hey, I got a lot of friend requests the next day on Facebook. And all by men, mostly. But I did ask, actually. When they said "skivvies," at first I thought, ‘Okay, they’re going to give me a cute outfit that all of the locals wear when they run down the street.’ I didn’t know what to expect. But then when they said "skivvies," I’m like, ‘Are you kidding? All I have on is a thong.’ And they were like, ‘It says skivvies.’ I mean, I just didn’t have time to argue so I just took off. Then, literally, you’re too cold to even be embarrassed at that point. It’s kind of liberating. I mean it was kind of fun actually.
THE DEADBOLT: So throughout the race, how did your flight attendant experience help you?
JODI: It did help us quite a bit, actually. We had several places where we made really good flight choices that helped us a lot, especially in Moscow. We were one of three teams to actually make our connection there and the other teams had to spend the night in the airport, and that’s not an airport you’d want to spend the night in. So that was a big deal. And a lot of flights when we got there, there were no seats available out of that airport. We talked to the people who called corporate who asked if they could reclassify some of there business class seats into economy seats so that we could purchase them. If we hadn’t have done that we wouldn’t have got on the flight and we would’ve been a day behind, probably.
CHRISTIE: Yeah. A lot of teams said they would’ve never have thought to even ask that. They just take it for granted there’s none left.
THE DEADBOLT: Do you guys feel that you really came together as a team in the last couple of episodes?
CHRISTIE: Yeah. I was really proud of how well we worked together. A lot of the teams - not a lot, but some of them - waste the time arguing and not listening to each other and we realized that was just a detriment based on previous episodes. Arguing is not going to get you anywhere and you’re certainly going to lose time. So I was pretty proud of how well we worked together.
THE DEADBOLT: What team was your closest ally?
JODI: Throughout the race I would say Victor and Tammy. We worked a couple of legs with them. We definitely had great respect for Jennifer and Kisha, as well as Mel and Mike, but we worked a couple of legs with Victor and Tammy.
CHRISTIE: A lot of the time, early on when we were in the back, you don’t see people. So you’re kind of on your own - we were a little isolated at times. It wasn’t intentional, it was just the logistics of it. And starting in last place you don’t see people a lot.
THE DEADBOLT: How did the "Blind U-turn" have an effect on the competition?
JODI: Well, it definitely changed the tone of the game. Everybody was getting along really well and everybody was friendly - nobody would say anything negative. So we certainly knew that if somebody used that it was going to change things.
CHRISTIE: But it was so funny because it’s a blind U-turn. At the end of the race, everyone was like, ‘It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!’ So the person that doesn’t say 'it wasn’t me,' it narrows it down and you figure out who it is pretty fast.
THE DEADBOLT: So how did the entire experience change both of you?
CHRISTIE: It was a phenomenal experience for me. For one, it made you realize how much we rely on the United States to have everything we have and be in all of these countries with so much poverty and detriment. It was wonderful to come back home to my family and realize that I can do anything that I set my mind to, pretty much.
JODI: Yeah, I agree. It’s very much a sense of empowerment of knowing that you can do anything you set your mind to. And even if you have great fears, you can overcome them and you can get it done. It’s so incredibly difficult to not talk to your loved ones for a month; no contact whatsoever. That’s something hard to prepare for emotionally. You know that’s the way it is but it’s a whole other story when you can’t talk to them, you can’t e-mail them, and you don’t know how they’re doing. It makes it difficult.
THE DEADBOLT: So how did your daughter view the race?
JODI: She cried. It was the last episode. She cried, I cried, everyone at my house cried. So it’s been difficult because I’m not usually extremely emotional and she doesn’t see me cry. It was hard for her to watch that. I think that she’s very proud that I did the show and I think she’s very proud of how we ran the race. It’s great to share that with her and to talk about her, to know that she got to be a part of it even though she was at home.
THE DEADBOLT: What do you think the secret is to getting ahead of the competition?
JODI: You have to have a little bit of luck. You have to have a little skill but you have to have a little bit of luck.
CHRISTIE: I really think you need to stay focused. You don’t need to worry about the other teams. I mean you need to be aware of where they are and where your competition is but don’t get all caught up in where the other teams are. Just focus on yourself and the task at hand and just get it done as quick as possible.
JODI: And you need to take every opportunity to learn, study, and to be ready for the next race. You don’t want to be just sleeping on your train ride, you need to be talking to people and getting to know them. But the biggest thing, obviously, is working together as a team and remembering as a team. You need to look out for what’s most important - getting your team ahead, not being right or wrong, or fighting or arguing. You need to get along.
THE DEADBOLT: So are you going to go bungee jumping again?
JODI: [laughs] No! That is the one thing I did not want to do. I went into it saying, ‘I’ll do anything with it, I just don’t want to bungee jump.’ And of course this is the very first thing I have to do. So knowing that I got by that first, I pretty much figured I could do anything else. But no, I’m not a huge fan of bungee jumping. I was like, 'Shut your eyes, hold your breath, and wait until it’s over.'
CHRISTIE: Everyone that went in front of her was screaming on the way down. And then I’m watching Jodi and I’m thinking of everything that could flat-out go wrong - the rope wrapping around her ankle. I mean, I’m just imagining all of these horrible things and she jumps, and there is silence, and I’m like, ‘She’s holding her breath! She’s going to pass out!’
http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/105585/ar14christiejodi_interview.php
DerekCL:
--- Quote from: Ashe on March 26, 2009, 09:49:43 PM ---
--- Quote from: DerekCL on March 26, 2009, 02:21:46 PM ---Correct me if I'm wrong but no one has mentioned that they were the first all-female team to have won a leg since TAR All-Stars
--- End quote ---
No one's said it, but I definitely already knew that.
I'll do you one better, though, and say that they're the eighth-ever women's team to win a leg. Thirty-two women's teams after all these seasons (including the three from this season), and only eight of them have won at least won leg. (To remind you, Pat & Brenda, Mary & Peach, Tian & Jaree, Debbie & Bianca, and Christie & Jodi all won one leg, Charla & Mirna won two legs, the Godlewskis won three legs, and Dustin & Kandice won a total of six legs -- two in TAR10 and four in All-Stars.)
--- End quote ---
Thanks. I didn't remember Tian & Jaree winning a leg. I'll have to rewatch that season or that leg, but I went to Wikipedia and they use the Fast Forward just like Pat & Brenda used the Fast Forward in Leg 2
marigold:
An interview with Jodi and Christie:
These blonds are anything but dumb
‘TAR’s Jodi dishes on putting makeup on elephants, traffic and the sequester house
TV Guide.ca: Jodi, you and Christie were right behind Mark and Mike. How far behind were you?
Jodi Wincheski: Two minutes.
TVG: Really?
JW: Yeah. It makes it just a little bit worse. A little bit better, but mostly just worse. [Laughs.]
TVG: The way it was edited, it looked as though your cab might arrive sooner.
JW: Yeah, but the site of their challenge was about a mile and a half closer to the fort than we were, and in Indian traffic that’s a big deal.
TVG: Once you had to do the speed bump, I assumed you had no chance of catching up. Did you ever think that, or were you just hoping some other team would get lost or have a breakdown?
JW: We hoped that something would go wrong for another team and that we could just blow through the challenges. What you didn’t see on TV is that, when we landed, we were the second team to grab a cab, but our driver got lost for half an hour, and we had to backtrack.
We really had to push, and got through the challenges quickly, and were within five minutes of catching everyone after the camel challenge, but then we hit the speed bump, which added another 30 minutes. It only took about 10 minutes to paint the elephant, but the traffic…was just bad. India is not a place you want to do a speed bump if you have to get in a car. There are certain things that are just out of your control.
KYNT & VYXSIN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What advice can you pass along regarding putting makeup on an elephant?
JW: [Laughs.] We were basically putting on the makeup with Popsicle sticks. There were no brushes or anything, and elephants are coarse. You’d like to sit there and appreciate that you are that close to an elephant, but when it all comes down to it, we were fighting for our lives.
TVG: Now that you’re back from the Race, how did it impact on your relationship with your family?
JW: It’s been great. It’s amazing watching it with my daughter. Being on the Race makes you appreciate being at home so much more.
TVG: How did she react to your shout-out on TV?
JW: She loved it. She cried. Neither one of us are criers, but when we watched that last part together she lost it, and then I started crying.
TVG: How did she react when she found out that you were going on the Race?
JW: She really wanted me to try out for it, and she was really excited when I was chosen. And then she started crying. She realizes that it was a great opportunity for me, but it was still difficult for her to have me gone for a month.
TVG: Does it suck that you don’t really get a chance to see these countries in detail?
JW: It’s true. You’re going by all of these buildings, and visiting these places, but you really don’t get to appreciate them all that much.
TVG: The other Racers talk about Thailand, and being sequestered there, but no one has ever given me the details. What do you do there?
JW: Sequester is awesome! It’s in Thailand, which is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. We had this huge house, and Miss Kitty, who took care of us there. She cooked amazing Thai food for every meal. We went to nice restaurants, we went snorkelling, we went out and got to experience the culture, go shopping. And we got to eat. And sleep!
TVG: What did you do first, eat, sleep or shower?
JW: Showered. Well, first you sit down and talk to everyone that was eliminated before you, because they don’t know what has been happening. So, we did that first. They were still waiting to find out who had U-Turned Kris and Amanda, so we brought that information into the sequester house. And then you are shown where your room is and then you have a shower.
http://tvguide.sympatico.msn.ca/These+blonds+are+anything+but+dumb/RealityTV/Exit+Interviews/Articles/090327_TAR_jodi_christie_GD.htm?isfa=1
marigold:
.... another interview
The Amazing Race: Death Cab for Christie and Jodi
Christie Volkmer and Jodi Wincheski had what it took to be the first all female team to win The Amazing Race. The duo was in shape, worked well together, and were airport experts thanks to their jobs as flight attendants. Unfortunately, while they excelled at tasks they were lousy at non-plane transportation. After coming in second to last on numerous legs, they were the final team to reach the pit stop during a non-elimination round. Sunday night, they hoped to redeem themselves. Unfortunately, a confused taxi driver led them in the wrong direction and, despite a stellar performance on the tasks, they were unable to avoid elimination. The upbeat duo told fancast why they have no regrets.
How did you get so behind at the beginning of your final leg? Was it because you had to stop for gas?
Christie: No! It looked like it though. Our cab driver took a 30 minute detour because he wanted to take us to a place called Pushkar because everyone else that had been to India recently went to Pushkar for this religious ceremony. So even though we told him about 40 times where we wanted to go, about 30 minutes later we passed by the airport that we left.
Jodi: By that point he needed gas and directions because he was still lost. It looked like [in the episode] that it was the gas station but it was because we were on the way to an entirely different city.
How did he misunderstand where you wanted to go? Was there a language barrier?
Jodi: He spoke English. He wasn’t fluent by any means, but he did get that we wanted to go to a village. He had just gone to Pushkar like a million times during the week. He had it in his head that that’s where we wanted to go.
Christie: We kept asking him, “Are you sure? This doesn’t seem right.” He called another taxi driver who said, “Dude they’re not going to Pushkar, they’re in a race,” because the other taxi driver, we think, had racers in his car. He just turned around with this look on his face. He felt really bad. I think he was just nervous. We were mad but we felt bad for him because he didn’t do it intentionally.
It seems like the two of you had a lot of bad luck on the Race, despite excelling on the task. Why do you think you had so many problems?
Jodi: It is what it is. There’s a lot of skill involved with the Race but there’s also an element of luck and ours just didn’t really go the right way. There were some other teams that seemed like they were struggling and they’re still in because they had better luck with taxi drivers.
Did you background as flight attendants help you with the air travel portions of the race?
Christie: We made a lot of smart decisions when it came to flights. We were disappointed that they didn’t show more of that. That, and our communication skills and being able to approach anyone really did help out.
Jodi: On the last leg there were no flights available and the airline ended up calling corporate and reclassifying their seats as economy so we could buy the seats and get on the flight.
Was that for everybody or just the two of you?
Christie: We got there and there were no seats left. We just kept asking, “Is there any way? Can you call someone?” We weren’t demanding because we know with out jobs that demanding isn’t going to get you too far. We were trying to be polite and courteous.
Jodi: And pathetic, helpless.
Christie: It did pan out because we made it on and then we just got the bad taxi driver.
According to the editing, despite having to complete a Speedbump you actually finished the detour before Mark and Michael. Was their task closer to the pit stop than yours?
Christie: We got in two minutes behind them because they were a mile and a hald closer to the pit stop and there was a lot of traffic.
Did it feel good to realize that you’d managed to catch up to them, or was it frustrating to come so close and still be eliminated?
Jodi: It was a great day because we enjoyed the tasks that we did in India. It was frustrating because we started 30 minutes behind and we knew it. From the moment we landed we were like, “Today we’ve got to make up time. We’re going to kick butt on the tasks.” And then we started with the deficit from the taxi driver. And then the Speed bump added at least another 30 minute delay. We were quick with the elephant but the traffic getting to and from the elephant was tough. We were proud that given all those obstacles we were still within two minutes but that made it tougher.
Are there any other moments of your race that you wish had made it onto the television show?
Jodi: A huge one is when we made the train choice in the second episode we definitely checked the arrival times. Everybody thinks that as flight attendants we should have known to check the arrival time. We did! We made a choice based on the fact that the faster train also stopped in Customs twice and changed trains twice. The day before Customs was a problem for Preston and Jennifer. The train arrivals were supposed to be within fifteen minutes of each other. We were playing it a little conservative which was definitely our fault.
Christie: We would have liked for them to make it clear that our roller bags converted to backpacks. They only showed us running with them once but you had to really pay attention to see. We got a lot of flack from people saying, “It’s great now but what if you had to run in sand or snow?” We’d thought about that which is why we purchased roller bags with the backpack capability.
Were the convertible bags helpful?
Jodi: Yes. I have a bad back and carrying around a backpack for a month would have killed me. We can run very fast with the backpacks. It saved us from being tired from carrying around the backpacks.
Christie: This season they took a lot of the airport scenes out. So they didn’t show us sprinting by other teams with our bags. Just getting outside the airport first was helpful.
Jodi: My biggest problem with the last show is, while we were doing the camel task, at one point I grabbed two buckets and carried both all the way back to my camels. They would have been my last two buckets too dump and I would have been done before Mark and Mike. They only let me dump one bucket. There was nothing in the clue that said you had to dump one bucket at a time but they said it was designed to have to go back and forth. That’s frustrating, especially when you come back to a two minute deficit at the end.
What advice would you give to future competitors on The Amazing Race?
Christie: It’s a lot more physical than you would expect. I think this season they upped the physical aspect of it.
Jodi: Prepare as much as possible. Know your geography. Learn a little bit of foregin languages. You need to go to the gym. You need to run.
Christie: Stay hydrated. There are so many times I had cotton mouth because there was no time to get water.
Jodi: Bring some kind of powerbar or granola bar because you do not eat.
Christie: A lot of times you’re afraid to eat. Jodi got sick and we think it was slight food poisoning. In all of these other cultures the food isn’t bad, but you’re not used to it and maybe you’ll react to it differently.
Jodi: The last episode I threw up for about an hour as we landed in India.
Kynt and Vyxsin are fancast’s celebrity Amazing Race bloggers. They have this question for you: Girls! After seeing you two swiftly and skillfully apply Make-Up to the largest land creature on earth, we have to know: are either of you interested in pursuing a post-Race career in cosmetics? Or is it back to the friendly skies as Flight Attendants?
Christie: I hope my make-up doesn’t look like the elephant’s!
Jodi: We were painting with the equivalent of a popsicle stick.
Christie: It would be nice with Aveda or L’Oreal but not fingerpaint.
How did going on the Race change your lives?
Jodi: It’s a huge sense of empowerment, of being able to conqure your fears, of being able to get through so many situations in a very stressful environment. It teaches you that you can do anything. It shows you what’s important in your life. There are so many adventures out there, but it’s all about your family.
Christie: Seeing all these different cultures was an eye opener. These people are so opposite of us but we still have the commonvalues of family and friends.
Jodi: People in horrible exonomies that have zero money were giving us money and helping us out. It really shows you a lot.
http://www.fancast.com/blogs/the-amazing-race/the-amazing-race-death-cab-for-christie-and-jodi/
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