Author Topic: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*  (Read 58356 times)

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Offline Bluesky

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #100 on: April 17, 2012, 09:33:30 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:

Precisely because they went undercover.

Obviously this season was set up to be one of controversy, drama and inter-team squabbles (unfortunately; although I know some members delight in the drama, I detest it).

You can see how the producers set up multiple potential dynamics - Kentucky boys vs. Mississippi girls; three young(ish) male/female teams guaranteed to squabble among themselves and hopefully with each other; two young male teams vs each other; two young male teams vs two young female teams; etc, etc. Some worked, some did not.

And two male law enforcement types vs two female law enforcement types.

However, Jamie and Nary removed that dynamic by pretending to be teachers. Furthermore, they stayed out of most of the squabbles. In the eyes of the producers/editors, this made them relatively boring and undeserving of screen time, especially at the beginning when there were plenty of absurd drama moments from other teams who later went out.

(From the very beginning, the clowns were an exception to this drama dynamic, and also obviously had no hope of contending vs most of the other teams. I wonder if the producers hoped and hunted for a different sort of team and were unable to find one.)

Offline Prophet

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #101 on: April 17, 2012, 01:16:48 PM »
Here's their elim interview from CBS:

Elimination Interview: Nary & Jamie

Posted on Apr 17, 2012 02:02pm

We asked Nary and Jamie questions that YOU (the fans!) sent in via Facebook and Twitter! See what they had to say about their time on The Amazing Race!

Daniela S.: do you think you would have gotten futher if you would have been honest about what you do for a living?
Nary: No - I don't think it would have made a difference in our Race game.
Jamie: I completely agree.

Diane P.: You ladies were most professional and gave it a good run, would you have done anything different?
Nary and Jamie: I don't think we would have done anything different. We were very happy with how we ran and would do it the exact same way if we were to run it again tomorrow.

Cammy W.: What is one item or knowledge you wish you would of had or attained for the race? Great run ladies! You ran the race well!
Jamie: I would have brought ear plugs and an air pillow!
Nary: A pillow would have been great because I had to borrow Bopper's.

Paola C.: If you were to make an alliance with other teams, who would you choose and why?
Nary: If we were to create an alliance it would probably be Mark and Bopper and Brendon and Rachel. They were our best friends on the Race.

Emily A.: How has your friendship/working dynamic changed since being on the show?
Jamie: I don't think it has changed at all. Our friendship has gotten stronger since our experience on the Race. As far as work... Nary tends to get noticed more but nothing has really changed.

Robin H.: Looking back, do you think keeping your real profession a secret helped you? How so?
Nary: I don't think it necessarily helped us or harmed us. The main reason we did it was for u-turning purposes and the u-turn came at a point where it didn't really matter anymore.

http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/elimination_interviews/106987/
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Offline apskip

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #102 on: April 17, 2012, 04:08:21 PM »
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:

Precisely because they went undercover.

Obviously this season was set up to be one of controversy, drama and inter-team squabbles (unfortunately; although I know some members delight in the drama, I detest it).

You can see how the producers set up multiple potential dynamics - Kentucky boys vs. Mississippi girls; three young(ish) male/female teams guaranteed to squabble among themselves and hopefully with each other; two young male teams vs each other; two young male teams vs two young female teams; etc, etc. Some worked, some did not.

And two male law enforcement types vs two female law enforcement types.

However, Jamie and Nary removed that dynamic by pretending to be teachers. Furthermore, they stayed out of most of the squabbles. In the eyes of the producers/editors, this made them relatively boring and undeserving of screen time, especially at the beginning when there were plenty of absurd drama moments from other teams who later went out.

(From the very beginning, the clowns were an exception to this drama dynamic, and also obviously had no hope of contending vs most of the other teams. I wonder if the producers hoped and hunted for a different sort of team and were unable to find one.)


The Clowns were eliminated due to Dave's inability to do math in his head. It's hard to say how well they might have done if that had not happened.

Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #103 on: April 17, 2012, 05:27:46 PM »
http://www.realitywanted.com/newsitem/5309-the-amazing-race-20-exclusive-interview-with-nary-ebeid-and-jamie-graetz

The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz

Posted on 04/17/2012

by Gina Scarpa

Going into this week's leg of The Amazing Race, Nary and Jamie knew they had their work cut out for them. After coming in last and survivor a non-elimination leg, they had a Speed Bump to complete and a lot of time to make up. Despite two teams being U-Turned, the federal agents couldn't make up enough time to stay in it and they were eliminated. Today, we talked to them in an exclusive interview about lying about their profession, the team they did not want to work with, and whether or not they could've stayed in The Amazing Race.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Amazing Race?
A. Jamie: I think it was my idea initially. I basically printed out the application and told Nary to fill it out. It all happened so fast! I went online and it was due within an hour. I panicked and filled it out like a crazy person.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Why did you feel lying about being federal agents was a good move, especially with the Big Brother team in the mix? They definitely had the biggest target on their backs.
A. Nary: The main reason why we lied to begin with was that people perceive law enforcement very differently. We wanted people to meet us as individuals and not portray us as federal agents. That was one reason and then, we felt like we could also be looked at as a threat. Stuff like that. Most people like teachers and that's why we decided to use that profession. In regards to the other contestants, we didn't know we would have other law enforcement agents, military, Big Brother players. That's something we planned out in advance.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Art and JJ figured out that you guys were agents. Do you think that, because you had law enforcement in common, you could have worked together?
A. Jamie: I mean, in hindsight, people would think, "They're federal agents, they're federal agents. Why not work with them?" They made me dislike them. I don't care if I'm knee deep in quicksand, I'm going to look to Nary for help. Trying to work with them... no. We can handle it on our own. That's kind of how we operate. Yes, we were great friends with Mark and Bopper and we got along with Brendon and Rachel. We did so much better operating on our own. Calling it an alliance is a strong word but when we got a chance to help Mark and Bopper, we did. Same thing with Brendon and Rachel.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: People have had strong opinions of Brendon and Rachel ever since they first appeared on Big Brother. Why do you think everyone had such a problem with them - because of their strong personalities or because they've already been on a reality show, twice, and Rachel won?
A. Nary: That, for sure, is one. Yeah, she won on Big Brother. People were like, "She already won something," and people already had a bad taste in their mouths. Knowing them as people, from what you see on tv, they're actually really nice people.
A. Jamie: We had never seen them when she was whining and crying. We were doing our own tasks at the time. Seeing that on tv was totally new for us. Did it drive me bananas? Absolutely! It's like, "Girl, you're better than that!" She knows how to get their airtime. She knows what she's doing.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: One thing that is rough about watching The Amazing Race is listening to the couples fight with one another. It seems much better to run with a friend, like the two of you or Mark and Bopper.
A. Nary: We actually did say that! We said it would be really tough on a relationship. Jamie and I probably did annoy each other and it happens! That's gonna happen! But do it with a significant other, seeing it, we're like, "Oh my god! Thank god!" JJ said it right. He said, "And this is why we're not here with our wives!" It's gotta be tough on those relationships.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Teams didn't U-Turn you this week because you were so far behind but you did come close to catching up. Are you glad you weren't targeted?
A. Jamie: You could tell we were behind. We were hours behind but we made up great time. Without a stabilizer like a train station or an airport, it was really against us. When Mark and Bopper had their Speed Bump, eventually, we all caught up together at a train station. Those are the only ways you're really going to catch up. It would've been silly for Art and JJ to U-Turn us. Would it have changed the ending? Not a bit.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you handle your elimination?
A. Nary: I mean, at that point, we could've been eliminated the episode prior. We knew that if we came in last this time, we'd be eliminated. We knew our chances were slim. It was emotional because we're still competitive and hate to lose but when we look back on it, it's like, "There's nothing we could've done better. We ran a really good race and we're proud of ourselves and we're happy." If we had to go out like that, there's nothing we could've done.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Of all the countries you visited along the race, which one would you most want to go back to?
A. Jamie: I think I'd go back to Africa. I'd go back and go on a safari.
A. Nary: Tanzania was just amazing! I'm so glad we got to see it. It's something I've always wanted to do. I actually liked Paraguay too.

 

Offline Bluesky

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #104 on: April 17, 2012, 05:37:50 PM »
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:

Precisely because they went undercover.

Obviously this season was set up to be one of controversy, drama and inter-team squabbles (unfortunately; although I know some members delight in the drama, I detest it).

You can see how the producers set up multiple potential dynamics - Kentucky boys vs. Mississippi girls; three young(ish) male/female teams guaranteed to squabble among themselves and hopefully with each other; two young male teams vs each other; two young male teams vs two young female teams; etc, etc. Some worked, some did not.

And two male law enforcement types vs two female law enforcement types.

However, Jamie and Nary removed that dynamic by pretending to be teachers. Furthermore, they stayed out of most of the squabbles. In the eyes of the producers/editors, this made them relatively boring and undeserving of screen time, especially at the beginning when there were plenty of absurd drama moments from other teams who later went out.

(From the very beginning, the clowns were an exception to this drama dynamic, and also obviously had no hope of contending vs most of the other teams. I wonder if the producers hoped and hunted for a different sort of team and were unable to find one.)


The Clowns were eliminated due to Dave's inability to do math in his head. It's hard to say how well they might have done if that had not happened.

Apskip, you are absolutely right. Anything might have happened had they not gone out in that task, "obviously had no hope" is an overstatement on my part.

I should have said something more like from day one, to those of us here at bluesky central, that team just didn't seem to fit the same pattern as the other teams. Almost like they would have fit better on the prior season.


Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #105 on: April 17, 2012, 05:51:39 PM »
:tu SO much Slayton for all the Interviews!! That is a huge help!!
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #106 on: April 17, 2012, 05:52:58 PM »
Precisely because they went undercover.

Obviously this season was set up to be one of controversy, drama and inter-team squabbles (unfortunately; although I know some members delight in the drama, I detest it).


Me too!!

:bigwelcome to RFF, Bluesky!!
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Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #107 on: April 17, 2012, 07:11:50 PM »
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/the-fien-print/posts/hitfix-interview-jamie-nary-talk-the-amazing-race

HitFix Interview: Jamie & Nary talk 'The Amazing Race'

The federal agents talk tent-building and teacher-playing

By Daniel Fienberg

There are two very different approaches to touting your credentials as a federal agent on a reality TV show.
 
There's The Phillip Sheppard Method: The "Survivor" contestant announced his credentials as a former federal agent so early and so often and with such outspoken enthusiasm that his fellow contestants either doubted his background or doubted his sanity. He made it to the end of the season in part because Boston Rob knew he couldn't possibly win and carried him along.
 
Then there's The Jamie & Nary Method: The "Amazing Race" team decided they were going to tell their competition that they actually worked as teachers, rather than as federal agents. This strange plan sprung a leak when another team, border agents, began to suspect them of being in law enforcement. This led to fighting and variably passive aggressive hostilities, but not much else.
 
Jamie Graetz & Nary Ebeid were able to weather their difficulties with Art & JJ, but the federal agents were unable to overcome a multi-hour deficit and a Speed-Bump on last Sunday's (April 15) Leg of "The Amazing Race."
 
It was still a solid run for Jamie & Nary, who made it through more than half of the Race without internal bickering and definitely came out of FederalAgentGate looking saner than Art & JJ.
 
In their exit interview, Jamie and Nary discuss the strategy behind their professional obfuscation as well as the difficulties of the tent-building challenge that ultimately proved to be their undoing.
 
Click through for the full interview...
 
HitFix: You guys came into this last Leg with a major time deficit. Did you know exactly how far behind you were?
 
Jamie Graetz: Yeah. When we started the last Leg of the Race, we knew we were hours behind. Everybody did that crater, which took about an hour, and that was great, because we could enjoy it and take our heads out of the game for a minute, but then we knew as soon as that was over that we had to hit the ground running and make up some serious time.
 
 
HitFix: What does it do for your mindset going into a Leg with that sort of deficit, knowing that you have no margin-for-error, but also that you've got a bigger deficit coming because of the Speed-Bump?
 
Nary Ebeid: I think Jamie and I always had a good attitude about everything we did. So knowing we were still behind, we always knew that there was room for error from the other teams. We also knew that there was a U-Turn and we pretty much had a feeling that two teams were going to be U-Turned. so we knew that there was still potential for us to catch up. We never put it in our heads that, "We're done and we're going to do this slow and we don't care and we're going to walk to the Pit Stop. We don't care. We're gonna take our time." We never had that in our head. We ran all the way through. We raced the entire way, no matter what, because something can happen along the way. You never know. And that's how we were racing all the way through to the end.
 
 
HitFix: And was it easy to set the Race aside to actually enjoy that hour ride through the crater?
 
Jamie: I think that for us, it was pretty easy to. We kinda were already in a certain place and we were like, "OK. Today's gonna be a tough day, but we're OK with however it ends, as long as we're safe and we have a good time." So we were taking it all in and it was probably pretty hard not to. You can't really explain with words the scenery and the animals. It was really an amazing, unbelievable experience. We really appreciate that the show did that for us. You come and go from these countries so quickly and sometimes it's only at night and you don't really get to see much, so I was super-appreciative that the show gave us that time to appreciate where we were. It was very likely that none of us will ever get back there again.
 
Nary: The Ngorongoro Crater is just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it's just an absolutely breathtaking thing to see. The wildlife is just right next to your vehicle and it's something I've always wanted to do and I got to check it off of my bucket list that I went on an African safari. It was just an amazing, amazing experience. Just being able to take your head out of the game and enjoy what you were doing was just an unbelievable experience.
 
 
HitFix: What went through your heads when you spotted the other teams in Karatu and you realized that at least you were going to see them and maybe even have a chance to catch up?
 
Jamie: We did run into Brendon and Rachel and they had confirmed, after we chose to do Air Supply, the bike challenge, they did confirm that that was the easier one to do, but besides seeing them, which was a great feeling, the big thing was when we were doing the Speed-Bump and we saw Ralph and Vanessa. That was like a huge eye-opener. We were like "Wow. The only thing that separates us right now is the Speed-Bump." That probably took us maybe 15 or 20 minutes to do. If you watched the previous episode, you saw that we beat the Mississippi Girls because they got lost, so I had in my mind, "Well shoot. What if the tax cab doesn't know where to go? Or what if it breaks down?" So the 15 or 20 minutes that were separating us, i.e. the Speed-Bump, that was pretty impressive. We made up hours worth of time. So that was a little spark under our butts.
 
 
HitFix: And then was there a moment when you saw what the Roadblock actually was and you saw that the bees and honey harvesting weren't going to be challenging? Was there a moment of disappointment when you saw it wasn't going to be more time-consuming than that?
 
Nary: It was a fast challenge. It actually went faster than I thought. Then, of course, we were the only ones there and it was like, "OK. Maybe they did come through and they're already at the Pit Stop" or "Maybe they didn't find this place." Because we completed that task so fast, we thought, "Wow. We did this quick. Maybe somebody else took a longer time." So seeing that challenge didn't stop us in any way or mess with our heads in any way. It was just, "We have a task. We need to finish it. And we need to keep moving." So that's just how we had it in our heads the whole time.
 
 
HitFix: What are your thoughts now reflecting back on the tent-building task? That's pretty much what did you guys in, right?
 
Jamie: Yeah, that was a doozy. It was tough. It set us back. We both feel like it was hard for many reasons. We're not very big people. It was hard for us to get the structure set. It was also tough because, you kinda tell, but they're just canvas bags full of poles. There's no instructions on how to put it up. You're just looking at a ton of poles and they're rusty and they don't fit in together well and there's no oil. Everything was not easy, I guess you can say. Every part of that was hard. Everything was heavy. Not to complain, because we got it done, but when you look at it, it just wasn't an easy task and it did slow us down. Then, unfortunately for us the next day, we didn't end up meeting at an airport and waiting for a flight or anything, which ultimately gives teams time to catch up. In a lot of circumstances they do. Mark & Bopper were living to see another day because they caught up at a train station. We just never got that opportunity. It unfortunately went to another Pit Stop and, for us, there was just not enough time in the day to catch up.
 
 
HitFix: You mentioned that you guys are not the biggest team. Did you feel like there was, I don't want to say "gender bias," but did you guys feel like you guys were at a disadvantage that there was nothing you could do about?
 
Nary: I wouldn't necessarily say that there was "bias," but then on the flip side, if there were other female teams, they probably would have had just as hard a time as we did. This thing was super-tall. The pieces were heavy. Ralph just threw the thing over his shoulder and walked away. Jamie and I had to carry them together, because they were heavy. And reaching up for the pieces, we were stepping up on a wobbly table to try to reach. Putting some of these pieces together, like Jamie said, they're rusty. They're hard. It's tough. Some of the stuff, I felt like I was using all of might and I was like, "OK. If I can't get these pieces together, I don't know what we're going to do," because they were tough to get together. Getting that base, in and of itself... And then it's so high and you're trying to throw the tarp over it. There was a lot that came into play and if you had somebody taller and maybe somebody stronger, yeah, that would have helped. But I don't know if I would necessarily say "gender bias," because what if you had a woman who was really tall or really big and strong?
 
 
HitFix: OK. Talk me through the decision to not tell the other teams about your actual jobs?
 
Jamie: It was just our strategy. We came up with the strategy prior to the beginning of the Race. In our experience -- I've been on over eight years and Nary's been on over six years -- you come across people who don't know anything about you, but when they find out that you work for the government or in law enforcement, they already have stereotypes and a lot of those are bad, or skewed. So we thought that to get on a more even playing field and people can get to know us for who we are and based off of our actions and what we say, they'll be like, "Oh, Nary and Jamie are like this, because this is what we've seen." That's all we really wanted. It wasn't that we thought we were better than anybody. That was just our strategy. We didn't know U-Turns were going to come into the game pretty late, towards the end. We also didn't know and it turned out that there were several people in law enforcement and the military. That can be seen as A) "Oh, we can all work together" or it can also be B) The opposite, where you can be like, "Oh, well they too are federal agents and if we get beaten by two female federal agents, we're never going to live this down at work." I think that's probably why Art and JJ wanted us out towards the end. They were conspiring with Bopper to try to get rid of us and Bopper wasn't having it. They probably were like, "Man, if we get beaten by two women, we're never gonna hear the end of it." If nothing else, I thought it was funny. I think it's funny when we were stacking watermelons and Art & JJ were like, "Go teachers!" That made me laugh. I thought it was funny. We I had to do it again, I'd do it again. I thought it was funny.
 
 
HitFix: It seemed like you guys might have been perfectly happy to admit what you did, but you objected to the way Art & JJ sorta tried to out you. What did you guys think about their approach in that circumstance?
 
Nary: Jamie and I said if from beforehand: If they approached us in a professional manner and they were like, "Hey. This was said. That was said. We came up with this conclusion. Is it true?" in a more cordial manner, we probably would have said, "Yes we are. It was a strategy and that's why we lied and said we were teachers." But the way it was approached... Vanessa and Rachel were fighting and it's embarrassing, in the airport, and we were extremely embarrassed for them, so we were like, "We're gonna stay far back away from this nonsense." And then it was really literally minutes after that argument that he comes and tries to stir another pot and we're like, "Come on. This is what you're doing? This is child-like behavior. You're trying to stir more of a pot here." So that's why we didn't tell them off-hand at that moment. We were like, "You know what? Let their brains go crazy. Let them think, 'Oh. Are they local cops? Are they federal agents? I don't know.'" We were like, "Let them go crazy trying to figure it out." So that's why we kept it that way. It was because of their approach. It just wasn't a nice approach.
 
 
HitFix: Were there skills from your professional skill-set that you hoped maybe would be more of an asset on the Race and that maybe didn't come into play as much as you hoped?
 
Jamie: Maybe. I think overall who we are and why we do what we do, it takes kinda a certain individual who's willing to kinda be willing to potentially be shot at and carry a gun and it's not normal and I get that, but I think overall, it really did do us justice. You didn't ever hear us fighting and bickering and berating each other. When you give us a mission, we're gonna get it done. It might take us a little bit longer. or we might even be quick, but whatever the case, we're gonna get it done and we're gonna figure it out and we're gonna see it to the end and that, overall, I think is very much what we do. We do function a lot on little sleep and on maybe not very much food sometimes and that you might not see so much on camera, it might not be so apparent, but as soon as people started getting tired and hungry, it was weird. You'd see people start to fight and you'd see weird things happen because they're not used to it. On TV, you don't really know that we haven't slept and we haven't eaten, so you wouldn't maybe attribute that to being sleep-deprived, but certain things like that. I think our skill-set really did carry us through. When I jumped over and rappelled down that parking garage, should I have gotten it on the first try? Absolutely, but I couldn't reach the rope. So in certain regards like that? Yeah. I kick myself in the ass every time I think about out, but I think overall it did us justice and it really helped us through the game.
 
Nary: Like Jamie, doing what we do for a living brings a lot of skill-sets, mental and physical. We're in pretty good physical shape, so that helped us. Mentally, there are times where we don't sleep for days, so that helped us out, even though we don't sleep for days for almost a month at a time, we get to rest it off, it catches up to you. Stuff like that. And just being mentally strong. In certain things we have to do, we have to be mentally strong, because we don't know what's on the other side of something. So for us, it's like you have to try to stay as calm as possible, because the more angry you get and the more you're gonna fight, the worse the situation is gonna be. That's why Jamie and I work well and work the way we did and just supported each other, because yelling at each other wasn't going to get us anywhere and that's the same with our profession as well.
 

Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #108 on: April 17, 2012, 07:14:56 PM »
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s66/the-amazing-race/interviews/a376837/amazing-races-nary-jamie-qa-we-got-so-close.html

'Amazing Race's Nary, Jamie Q&A: 'We got so close'
Published Tuesday, Apr 17 2012, 7:37pm EDT | By Catriona Wightman

Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz had a lot of ground to make up in the latest leg of The Amazing Race after being saved by a non-elimination leg the previous week. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort, they couldn't quite do it and became the latest team to get sent home.

Digital Spy recently spoke with the duo, so read on to find out how they feel about their elimination, why they pretended to be teachers, and which team Jamie would have used the U-Turn on...

You were obviously at such a disadvantage going into this leg. What was your attitude going in? Did you think you'd already been eliminated or did you have an open mind?
Nary: "Of course when we first started the leg we were hoping we were going to go to an airport and have some type of equalizer - instead we were racing, we're still in Tanzania, and we're like, 'Oh no, this is not looking good', because we already started two hours after the last team took off, so we knew there was going to be a lot of catching up to do. We just had to keep our hopes up. We were just going to race - we were just hoping something happened to another team. We knew there were the U-Turns coming up and we were hoping the other half of the U-Turn was difficult and we would be able to catch up. And we did end up catching up which was nice, but then we had our Speed Bump. So right when we got to our Speed Bump our hope kind of went down a little. We knew our chances were slimmer but we still had hope and it didn't matter, so we were still going to fight all the way through the end."

Was it frustrating having to do the Speed Bump when you knew you were close to Vanessa and Ralph by that point?
Jamie: "Yeah, absolutely, because we knew if we hadn't had to do that Speed Bump we would have been completely neck and neck. But it wasn't terrible. It was definitely doable. I think we did it in maybe 15, 20 minutes or so - it was just a bit windy. But still, we're not very tall people and some of those things had to be hung very high, so we're stacking a chair on top of a table! It was a little frustrating, but we did it I think as fast as you could do it. We were trying to make up hours of time and that's hard to do unless you have a meeting point like an airport or a train station where everybody catches up, and we never got that opportunity."

You did get very close, like you said - were you proud about how close you came?
Jamie: "Oh yeah. I mean, we got so close. I think we were within 20 minutes of Vanessa and Ralph hitting the mat. I think we were really close, so that's a nice feeling. But at the end of the day, it just doesn't cut the mustard. You just have to take it and we had a great run, so I think it was kind of bittersweet knowing that we finished last."

You had a good attitude throughout the Race - you didn't really argue or complain. How did you keep that up?
Nary: "Our friendship has never entailed any of that - if we're annoyed with each other we just stay quiet and then deal with it. But never the arguing, the screaming, because you don't get anywhere doing that. We didn't even have to tell ourselves, 'No arguing, no screaming', we just knew, 'Hey, we know we're going to be tired, we know we're going to be cranky, we've just got to do it'. And rooting for one another and cheering the other on, that really helped. When I was struggling with the gnome, she's like, 'Come on, you got it', knowing we were the last team. I know Jamie was like, 'Oh my God, I wanted to cry!' But it just was great to know Jamie was like, 'Don't worry about it, you got it, you're still going to get it' and lo and behold, like three gnomes later. The support really, really helps and screaming at each other's really not going to get you anywhere - then I'm going to be like, 'Screw you, I don't want to do this, I don't want to put this tent up together!' So that's just how we work - we're just more professional. That's how we deal with it."

So do you think the Race brought you closer together?
Jamie: "Yeah, absolutely. We're super tight - we've both said before we consider each other like a sister and that's how we treat each other. But you can grow together and still learn about each other. It just reinforced the fact that we're there for each other 110% and never going to leave you behind or leave you hanging. That's why I feel like you don't see us fight, because we're so similar in the fact that you give us a mission, you give us a task, and we're going to get it done. I don't care if we're bleeding, sweating, hungry, tired - we're going to get it done and I'm going to make sure she does her best and she's going to push me to do my best. Those qualities just reinforced what we already knew about each other. It was fun to see how far we could be pushed because we were doing things we've never done before, so it was fun to watch each other grow through the experience as well."

Did you have a chance to enjoy this leg? You had so much time to make up but there was that amazing safari at the beginning of the leg.
Nary: "Yeah. I mean, our first task was to go on a safari in the Ngorongoro Crater - it's an unbelievable sight. You forget that you're racing and that we definitely got to enjoy. Not only did we get to enjoy elephants when we were in last place and we took advantage of that, but then we go on this safari, this amazing, beautiful safari, and it's like we forget we were racing. It was an amazing feeling and then the moment we were out of there we were just straight racing and it's like, 'Oh my God, we're so far behind'. That's the only time we really got to enjoy it because our focus was just completely on the safari and not on the Race. It was just a great feeling."

I've got to ask about your decision to pretend you were teachers - what was your reasoning for that?
Jamie: "It was something we had come up with before the Race started. We figured, 'Hey, we don't know who these contestants are - we've seen them, we're unable to talk to each other'. A lot of stigma, a lot of stereotypes come with people who worked in law enforcement and some of those are good and some of those are bad, so it was just our strategy for saying, 'Hey, we just want to start off on an even playing field with everybody else where they just see us as who we are based off of our actions and what we say'. That was pretty much our main reason for doing it. We didn't know that the U-Turn was going to be so late in the game, where people kind of already know this far down the line who's who. Had a U-Turn come earlier on, you don't know. OK, there's other people in law enforcement but they might see that as a threat because they might say, 'I don't want to get beaten by another agency because I'll never live that down'. So it could work either way - you've just got to take a risk. If nothing else it was funny and it was funny to us and we had a good time with it. Those that matter to us, i.e. Mark and Bopper and our friendship with Brendon and Rachel, they didn't care at all. They just wanted to know, 'Hey, was everything else you told us truthful?' And once we told them 110% it was, it was like we hadn't skipped a beat. They didn't care at all. So that was our strategy."

Did you ever consider revealing the truth - maybe when Art and JJ called you out?
Nary: "Our strategy from the beginning was, 'We will reveal it at the very end, at the last leg when everything's done'. But once Art and JJ approached us, the way they approached us we weren't happy with it. So we were like, 'No, we're not going to tell you, so let them go crazy in their heads still trying to figure out what we do for a living'. But once it got out and Brendon and Rachel and Mark and Bopper were like, 'Hey, is this true?' then because they're our friends we felt like we owed it to them to tell the truth. Those were the only two teams up until the very end that knew what we did for a living."

Hypothetically, if you'd reached the U-Turn before the other teams, would you have used it? And if so, which team would you use it on?
Jamie: "Um, I think I would have used it on Art and JJ."
Nary: "Ha! See, and I wouldn't! I probably wouldn't have. Knowing that we were first, I wouldn't care."
Jamie: "I think I would have just to have them eat something foul just for a little bit! And I would have been fine with that. I don't think I would have done it for anybody else though. Especially if we were way ahead, there's no reason to but just for s**ts and giggles I think I would have done it for Art and JJ."

So were Bopper and Mark and Rachel and Brendon the teams you were rooting for when you left?
Nary: "Absolutely. Once we were interviewed and they were like, 'Who are you rooting for?', of course Mark and Bopper were our first choice, and Brendon and Rachel were our second. We were like, 'If Mark and Bopper don't win, we want Brendon and Rachel'. Only because we have a friendship with those teams. I mean, Art and JJ we didn't want to at all, and Dave and Rachel, I mean they're a strong team and we knew they were a strong team - we just didn't have much of a relationship with them, so that's why we didn't choose them or anybody else or Ralph and Vanessa. We didn't have much of a relationship with the others, so that's why we picked those two."

If you could do the Race again, would you do anything differently?
Jamie: "You know, there isn't much I would change. I mean, I would bring ear plugs, and I would have brought a little air pillow! And that I regret. Besides that, I think we had a mission in mind - we wanted to win $1m, we wanted to make sure we took the time to enjoy and appreciate where we were and every country and our surroundings and the people, and then third have fun - like, have the time of your life. I feel like except for the million dollars, we accomplished that 110%. I'm thoroughly satisfied with how we played the game - we stuck true to who we were, we stuck true to who we are as agents and what we stand for and the type of agency we work for and we learned a lot about each other. And in the end, we left with an even stronger relationship. That's worth more than $1m to me, realistically."

You did seem like one of the teams who had the most fun and appreciated it the most - what was your favorite moment, if you could choose one?
Nary: "I have to say stopping and watching those elephants."
Jamie: "Yeah!"
Nary: "Only because it's one thing that sticks out because it's more recent. It really is - knowing we were last and then seeing that and just taking it in. A lot of times when you're in these countries you're racing and racing and you want to be able to take things in. Sometimes you just can't. In Argentina, they're dancing while we're making pińatas and we want to just stop and watch them dance because it's just so beautiful, but we're like, 'We're racing here and we're moving and we're moving'. To be able to stop and just enjoy it along with going into the Ngorongoro crater, it's amazing stuff like that where you're able to stop and take a breath and take it all in. Tanzania did it for us - we were happy we were able to see Tanzania. It was a beautiful, beautiful place and the wildlife was unbelievable."

I think that was a good moment for viewers as well.
Jamie: "Yeah! I mean, because I think you could hear the surprise in our voice and whatnot, that it was like it just took our breath away. We were like, 'Wow, we need to jump out of the truck for a minute and take this in'. It really was just a special moment."

If you had the chance, would you go on the Race again?
Jamie: "At first I said, 'I don't know'. I was so tired and so hungry! But that drive inside me would say 110%. Whether my work would allow it is a whole other story but in my heart I would love to run again with her!"
Nary: "Absolutely and I agree - I mean, this is an experience of a lifetime and to be able to do it a second time, that's just amazing. Absolutely."

Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #109 on: April 19, 2012, 08:10:37 PM »
http://shows.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRace/article/Persistence-couldne28099t-save-Jamie-and-Nary-a-second-time-on-the-e28098Racee28099

Persistence couldn’t save Jamie and Nary a second time on the ‘Race’

by: Sheri Block
Date: 4/18/2012 3:19:00 PM

After starting the leg in Tanzania almost two hours after all the other teams, Jamie and Nary knew staying in “The Amazing Race” would be an uphill battle.

But the federal agents from Los Angeles, Calif., who were saved from elimination on the previous leg, say they never even considered giving up despite all odds being stacked against them.

“Jamie and I never, ever were the type to give up. Just how long we were at the tent challenge (on the previous leg) alone tells you. We knew every team was gone and we were there two hours after they all left until we completed that thing,” says Nary.

The team got a small glimmer of hope during the current leg as well, after catching up to competitors Vanessa and Ralph, who had to perform the U-turn and encountered bad luck with a cab.

But because Jamie and Nary had to complete a Speed Bump challenge (a task only they had to do because they were saved from non-elimination on the previous leg) it put them behind another 20 minutes. When they finally got to the Pit Stop host Phil Keoghan confirmed they were the last team to arrive and this time had been eliminated.

“I think it was bittersweet because we were really pleased with how we played the game,” says Jamie. “We’d been asked before, what would you do differently? And I don’t think we’d really change anything. I was happy with how we played, how we represented ourselves. We didn’t put on a show for TV, that’s exactly how we are with each other.” 

They weren’t completely honest with the other teams, however, at least when it came to their careers.  The federal agents thought they might be seen as more of a threat if they revealed what they really did for a living so passed themselves off as teachers instead.

“The whole point of us lying about our professions was the whole U-turn thing. People might have perceived us in different ways (as) a strong team or (maybe they) just don’t like law enforcement, so they might choose to U-turn us . . . but the point where the U-turn came into play it didn’t really matter,” says Nary.

But border patrol agents Art and JJ almost blew their cover in a previous leg when the guys said they suspected the girls also worked in law enforcement.

Jamie and Nary didn’t flinch and stuck to their story.

“I don’t think we really cared,” says Jamie. “It didn’t really matter at that point . . . they thought they kind of got us, like, ‘Oh we’re stirring the pot,’ but they kind of approached us in a foul manner, after all the commotion, everybody’s fighting and we were pretty embarrassed . . . had they approached us as friends, like, ‘Maybe we know a lot of the same people, we’re interested,’ then we probably would’ve told them but that didn’t happen so we told them to suck rocks basically.”

Nary says they did end up telling JJ after the whole “Race” was over what their real professions were.

So were there any hard feelings between the two teams?

“We don’t really care for them. How about that?” says Nary with a laugh. “We’re not friends with them. We don’t really care to speak to them.”

Nary and Jamie say their skills as federal agents did come in handy on the “Race” in terms of being able to focus on the task at hand.

“I think what you see is, probably a lot in part why we’re federal agents is because we are the way we are, the A-type personality, you give us a mission and we’ll die trying to get it done,” says Jamie.

“Sometimes when we do search warrants or enforcement ops, we’re hungry, we’re tired, we’re out on the street for several days at a time so we’re used to operating under sleep deprivation and what not and it’s hard for a viewer to determine that because you just see people bickering.”

Even so, being on the “Race” has been an incredible experience for both Jamie and Nary, who say it only strengthened their already close friendship.

“Running a race around the world just brings you so much closer and being able to say you experienced that with (such a good friend) is just an amazing feeling,” says Nary.


Offline maxen

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #110 on: April 19, 2012, 08:19:07 PM »
Really good job slayton.  :tup:

Offline AR FAN

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #111 on: April 19, 2012, 08:58:24 PM »
Never liked them, Good Riddance.  :yess:

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #112 on: April 28, 2012, 11:10:28 AM »
One of my favorites. :tup:
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Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline Jobby

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #113 on: April 28, 2012, 11:23:36 AM »
One of my favorites. :tup:

One of the BETTER racers with AWESOME attitude in recent seasons... sounds better.

Offline Jobby

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #114 on: June 03, 2012, 01:22:25 AM »
Highly unlikely we will see them in Allstars/UB... But if Amanda and Kris were given a second chance, I think they should too!

They were more interesting than other all-female teams and... to be truth, they were really ripped off by a gender discrimination random weird task. Building a tent in Africa??

Please give them another chance to be on the show CBS! :hrt:

Offline maxen

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #115 on: June 13, 2012, 09:54:23 AM »
Highly unlikely we will see them in Allstars/UB... But if Amanda and Kris were given a second chance, I think they should too!

They were more interesting than other all-female teams and... to be truth, they were really ripped off by a gender discrimination random weird task. Building a tent in Africa??

Please give them another chance to be on the show CBS! :hrt:

X2... i understand some people don't want them back but if there is a WTF choice i want these two for a second chance.

Offline AR FAN

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Re: TAR 20: Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz *Federal Agents*
« Reply #116 on: June 14, 2012, 11:40:33 AM »
 
Highly unlikely we will see them in Allstars/UB... But if Amanda and Kris were given a second chance, I think they should too!

They were more interesting than other all-female teams and... to be truth, they were really ripped off by a gender discrimination random weird task. Building a tent in Africa??

Please give them another chance to be on the show CBS! :hrt:

X2... i understand some people don't want them back but if there is a WTF choice i want these two for a second chance.
No thanks, they were a waste of space the first time. Hopefully Clarie would be available, with Brook, next time.