Author Topic: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*  (Read 91099 times)

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Offline Aussie

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #175 on: May 03, 2012, 05:22:31 AM »
How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey  :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon?  :nono2:

I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones.  :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.

Umm excuse me my avatar doesn't have anything to do with it - plus I wouldn't be making fun of peoples avatars if I was you...
Ok, pointing out your avatar might have been rude, but, feeling sorry for me?

By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.

Ha, you call Kaylani/Lisa obnoxious, but you like Brenchel :o

Offline BlooperGuy

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #176 on: May 03, 2012, 05:27:26 AM »
How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey  :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon?  :nono2:

I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones.  :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.

Umm excuse me my avatar doesn't have anything to do with it - plus I wouldn't be making fun of peoples avatars if I was you...
Ok, pointing out your avatar might have been rude, but, feeling sorry for me?

By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.

Ha, you call Kaylani/Lisa obnoxious, but you like Brenchel :o
Sorry Vanessa minion, still can't take you seriously.


Offline Prophet

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #177 on: May 03, 2012, 06:57:28 AM »
What's going on here? :lol:

Anyway on the original point, I agree that Andy and Tommy were nothing at all like Art and JJ and to compare them at all shows the anti male team bias that many seem to have. Can you not see past the fact that they are similar in makeup but completely different kinds of racers?
Physics alone is not enough.

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Offline Declive

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #178 on: May 03, 2012, 10:42:27 AM »
By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.
[/quote]

WOOOOW YOU PICK THE WINNERS? NICE!
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Offline Reilly Queens

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #179 on: May 03, 2012, 11:12:30 AM »


Offline maxen

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #180 on: May 03, 2012, 04:33:47 PM »
It's so easy to pick "da winners" with spoilers.  :umn:

Offline Declive

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #181 on: May 03, 2012, 05:14:11 PM »
So you just pick "DA WINNERS" huh?

Tell me how great it was to cheer for "DA WINNERS" Joey and Danny.
« Last Edit: May 03, 2012, 05:17:41 PM by Declive »
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Offline Saravannan

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #182 on: May 03, 2012, 08:57:10 PM »
What's going on here? :lol:

Anyway on the original point, I agree that Andy and Tommy were nothing at all like Art and JJ and to compare them at all shows the anti male team bias that many seem to have. Can you not see past the fact that they are similar in makeup but completely different kinds of racers?

I started this argument so I figured I'd clarify. I didn't mean that they were similar at all! I just didn't like Andy/Tommy because they weren't showing the pain/weaknesses that other teams were showing and I found that boring. They (from my memory) also rarely interacted with other teams and it seemed like there was no indication of them being in a race, it was more like they were trying to beat themselves. I see how people like them because those are definitely qualities of a good team, I just though it was boring for me and I'd rather have had a team with more personality.

I wished for a team with more personality and got Art/JJ who are on the complete other end of the spectrum. They think they're right, everyone else is wrong. They think they're the deserving winners since they're using "strategy". I think they'd be terrible people in real life although that could be completely untrue. When I see people on TV, I don't think of how they are in real life, I see their character in the show. Although with all the rude things they've said/done, I find it highly unlikely that I'd ever like them, even if I met them in real life.

I also don't hate M/M teams for sure! It was just a coincidence that they were both M/M teams. I do prefer F/F teams and M/F teams over M/M just because I tend to like the interactions between the teammates more but I have loved M/M teams (Jet and Cord, Sam and Dan are the ones I can think of off the top of my head)

I don't want to start an argument, I just want people to realize that I may have different opinions of teams and neither way is correct. Don't group me into hating teams that are XXX, I analyse these teams before making my decisions on who to hate.

Offline BlooperGuy

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #183 on: May 04, 2012, 04:31:19 PM »
Wow...Aussie and I had a pretty heated argument.  :lol: I'll apologize for making fun of her avatar. Sorry dude.  :hug?:

So you just pick "DA WINNERS" huh?

Tell me how great it was to cheer for "DA WINNERS" Joey and Danny.
The funny thing is that I hated Joey and Danny, at first. After they were eliminated, I started rooting for them ( this might be because I'm supporting them on Prophet's fantasy game

Offline kevin2012

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #184 on: May 05, 2012, 01:09:59 PM »
they are insufferable
Bring on the 21!


Offline Snooky

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #185 on: May 05, 2012, 01:29:46 PM »
Wow...Aussie and I had a pretty heated argument.  :lol: I'll apologize for making fun of her avatar. Sorry dude.
My arguments are so much more heated than your arguments, so...

I rooted for all da winners since season one...so...

My avatar's not even looking through anything, so...
 

Offline kevin2012

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #186 on: May 06, 2012, 08:59:49 PM »
nvm
« Last Edit: May 06, 2012, 09:03:51 PM by kevin2012 »
Bring on the 21!

Offline Prophet

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #187 on: May 06, 2012, 09:03:05 PM »
I doubt they are going to be able to protect these threads from spoilage :lol:
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Offline kevin2012

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #188 on: May 06, 2012, 09:04:14 PM »
oh son of a gun, I'm so sorry, I've forgotten
Bring on the 21!

Offline Snooky

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #189 on: May 06, 2012, 09:05:25 PM »
I doubt they are going to be able to protect these threads from spoilage :lol:
I live in the west, so...

Offline Best Loser

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #190 on: May 06, 2012, 10:27:35 PM »
Even though I didn't want them to win, I felt really bad for them at the final Roadblock. You could just see Art's heart sink when Rachel passed him.

Offline Mug Costanza

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #191 on: May 06, 2012, 10:33:20 PM »
At the start of the season, I never would have guessed that they would be the last M/M racing, let alone that they would make the final 3. They really surprised me; I thought they'd be F7, F6 at the most. I don't like the way they dealt with other teams, but their banter was hilarious at times. They raced as hard as they could, and that's really all you can ask for.
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Offline TARismyfavoriteshow

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #192 on: May 07, 2012, 05:50:16 AM »
At the start of the season, I never would have guessed that they would be the last M/M racing, let alone that they would make the final 3. They really surprised me; I thought they'd be F7, F6 at the most. I don't like the way they dealt with other teams, but their banter was hilarious at times. They raced as hard as they could, and that's really all you can ask for.
I never would have guessed it either. I seriously underestimation them. I think it's because I can't remember ever seeing a good middle aged team.

Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #193 on: May 07, 2012, 06:28:15 AM »
Sours this season a bit for me that they got second.  Yes they could be funny but somehow it would have been ideal for them not to quite reach the final and certainly not to be so close to winning.

Offline Prophet

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #194 on: May 07, 2012, 06:39:03 AM »
Even though I didn't want them to win, I felt really bad for them at the final Roadblock. You could just see Art's heart sink when Rachel passed him.

I love how JJ had to acknowledge she existed for the first time when she was running past him to the win. :snicker:
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Offline eragon

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #195 on: May 07, 2012, 09:32:55 AM »
Well, I'm one of the few fans of Art & JJ since the start of the show in this forum and it's just so frustrating to watch Art struggling with that Roadblock. You could see the disappointment from both of them.  :( I really thought they would win it all after Rachel & Dave made that fatal (not!  :lol: ) mistake.

I hope they make it to the next All-Star season.  :hoot:

Offline Bluesky

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #196 on: May 07, 2012, 11:32:54 AM »
Yes, Art and J.J. were pretty good.

The problem they had was once they fell behind in a leg, or started pressuring themselves for any other reason, they began to choke. Had they been able to just relax more in stressful situations, they probably would have won.

When they were winning legs, they were operating smoothly and cooperating nicely. But once Dave and Rachel began to win every leg, they got more and more frustrated, bickered among themselves, and started making mistakes. All because of the pressure they put upon themselves.

Offline bc922

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #197 on: May 08, 2012, 01:01:40 PM »
http://www.digitalspy.ca/ustv/s66/the-amazing-race/interviews/a380511/amazing-race-art-jj-qa-it-just-wasnt-our-day.html

'Amazing Race' Art, JJ Q&A: 'It just wasn't our day'
By Catriona Wightman

They were one of the most competitive teams on The Amazing Race but Art and JJ ended up finishing in second place after losing out to Dave and Rachel.

Digital Spy spoke with Art and JJ to find out about their tough final leg, whether JJ's conquered his fear of heights, their "mad respect" for Rachel, whether they feel vindicated about Nary and Jamie, online comments and what's next for them...

You were such a competitive team, so how did it feel to come in second?
Art: "It's disappointing. I mean, we're there to win the Race, but you know, we got second place. It's a little disappointing."
JJ: "It was tough to stomach!"

You'd argued with Rachel and Dave a couple legs back about the U-Turn, too - was there any resentment still there or were you still happy for them?
JJ: "You're in a bubble on The Amazing Race, you're in your own little world, so there was resentment. But at the same time you have to acknowledge a team when they're really good, and they're really good! We had a chance to win for over an hour, they made a horrible mistake and they overcame it, so I give them all the credit in the world for winning the eight legs and winning at the end. Art and I definitely have mad respect for Rachel - she's such a tenacious competitor and she does it with a smile on her face. She's very kind and endearing. So in that respect we do acknowledge that they are the winners."

You did have a really difficult final leg - was there ever a point where you thought you were definitely out, or did you always think you could still win?
Art: "When I was doing the sledding, I always thought we were in second place. So the fact that [Rachel and Dave] showed up and were there, it was kind of a little bit of a shock. But by the time they showed up, I had probably done close to 30 tries down that hill, so I was hoping that she was going to have as much trouble as I was having. But when she got it on her second time, that's when I really became kind of defeated. I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy, we had a chance to win this thing and she just got it on her second try'. I mean, I was in awe. It was pretty cool to see her do that."

Can you just explain why you struggled with that so much?
Art: "Because it was a sled that's eight inches wide and 12ft long and I'm 250lbs... It's just not meant for big men to be sliding down on two little rails!"

And earlier in the leg, do you regret just following Rachel and Dave's cab?
JJ: "You know, the reason why we said, 'Follow the cab' was because our cab driver was abysmal! We realized that this guy doesn't know what planet he's on, so we're like, 'Oh dear God, that's our only chance - to follow this cab'. And then when he lost it we just told him to get to a hotel and we switched out cabs, so that's the only reason why we said follow that cab. And of course when we said, 'Follow this cab' he lost it within two seconds, so he could never be in law enforcement or surveillance!"

JJ, you were obviously a bit nervous about the towers - do you feel like you've conquered your fear of heights?
JJ: "Uh, no! If I ever do The Amazing Race again, obviously I'd do whatever it takes, but it's just unnatural. And to climb up, to go up the face of that tower - the hardest part was when you got to the very top you had to crawl, and it just felt like you were going to fall over. And I thought, 'Okay, we're going to go down an elevator and run out and do something'. They said, 'No, you're going to have to go off the front face first', and that first step off the building, I was screaming inside. I mean, it's so ridiculous. Your mind is telling you, 'This is wrong, this is wrong to just step off a building'. So it wasn't pleasant at all. And Art was such a comforting and compassionate man towards me so his words of ridicule just added to my anxiety!"
Art: "I just told him to have faith in his equipment. We had so much gear up there. I was like, 'Dude, you're never going to fall out of this'."
JJ: "Yeah, yeah, sure Art!"

You also seemed to be one of the teams most focused on strategy - did the other teams' lack of strategy frustrate you at times?
JJ: "Yeah. I think the place where it frustrated me the most was the shave your head challenge. It's like nobody's thought, 'Okay, if I don't do it then Mark and Bopper who are like felines with nine lives, somehow Phil's going to put them in a catapult and shoot them over India right into the finish line'. Why won't you do it? I mean, [Rachel's] afraid because she has her extensions - for God's sake, just grow your hair out after a month and add a thousand dollars of extensions on out of your million dollar prize, and it's all good. So it was frustrating on that point."

If you could go back to do the Race again, is there anything you would choose to do differently?
Art: "I think the one thing I would probably change is when we finished the throwing the stick challenge there in Tanzania, is making the left hand turn instead of the right hand turn when we ended up going the wrong way. If we wouldn't have made that turn, I think stuff would have been a lot different for the Race for us."
JJ: "You think, Art? You know, Art and I go back and forth on this. I always say, 'What could we have done differently?' blah blah blah, but my gosh, we were in first place for over an hour with less than a quarter mile to run to win. I mean, we did everything you're supposed to do to win and it just wasn't our day. So Art says he would change - I don't think I would change anything. I mean, I would have loved to win every leg of The Amazing Race, but all we cared about was putting ourselves in a position to win at the end and gosh, man, we did it and we just weren't able to pull the trigger."

Was it just a day of bad luck?
Art: "It wasn't a day of bad luck - it was just one of those things. It happens with every Amazing Race in every pretty much final leg. Someone can't land a simulator jet or somebody can't do this - it always happens. There's always going to be some time, somewhere after traveling for as long as you did, where you finally get to a point where it's like, 'Wow, man, when are we ever going to finish this thing?' And it just happened to be for us that it was that leg."

You made a really nice gesture earlier in the Race where you chose to share some prize money with Bopper. Can you just talk us through the reasons for that?
JJ: "On the way to Buenos Aires on the 18-hour bus ride, me and Bopper talked a little bit. I asked him about his life and we were talking about what's going on. And he told me about his daughter and all the trials going on with that, so I told Art, 'Hey, you know what, man? If we're fortunate enough to win some money, let's go ahead and split it with Bopper'. And Art was like - being the good man he is - 'Yeah, absolutely, let's do it'. So we decided to do it a leg or two prior to winning. Then when we won, we had no idea where they were and we didn't really care - it wasn't about whether they were eliminated or not, we were just going to give them the money. So that's really the backstory to it and we didn't want any strings attached or anything or to garner any goodwill or anything of that nature. It did buy us, though, in the blogosphere one day of reprieve before everybody started hating on Art and I again... which I blame totally on Art's personality!"

Have you been looking at what people have been saying about you online?
JJ: "I don't read it that much. When Art and I read it, basically it's our wives telling us... But Art and I will read some of it and they're great. I think the greatest about Art and I, since we're border patrol agents, was some guy wrote, 'I hope Art and JJ die by a stampede of Mexicans tonight'. We thought that was the greatest one ever! It's okay. You know, I think The Amazing Race portrayed us as we are - we're confident, ambitious men that when we put our mind to it and we have a goal, we're going to complete it."
Art: "And the thing too is that we speak our minds. If somebody's doing something wrong, I mean, we call a spade a spade and we don't dance around an issue and we bring it to life, and we're upfront and honest about the way we see things. Maybe that's what people don't... they don't like being told what reality is and they like stuff sugar-coated and we just don't tend to sugar-coat stuff much."
JJ: "Art, do you agree though, it seems like there are two camps in the world - where they want men to be placated and just get along, and there's another camp that likes men that are like us, that they use the word aggressive but it's not aggressive, we're just ambitious. We were put into a game and told, 'Here's the rules, play within the rules and at the end, if you're the best, you win a million dollars'. So why wouldn't we use all the tools or use all the rules to our advantage to win it? So I don't apologize for anything we did or said - I apologize for Art's rude behavior sometimes, but that's who Art is! Because that was shown so much on TV! Art was portrayed as this jolly, get-along guy, which makes us laugh."
Art: "Which I am, because my nickname is Party-with-Artie!"

Do you feel vindicated now that you know Nary and Jamie aren't really teachers?
JJ: "The thing was, it wasn't the thing about vindication for anything. It was a scenario that presented itself to us and in our line of work, that's what we do - people lie, we figure out whether they're lying or not. It was a distraction. I personally could care less what those women did for a living. I could care less, just like I could care less what anybody else did on the Race. But when they lied to us and we figured out they were lying, it was like, 'Hey, whatever, man, if that's the way you wanna roll, that's how you roll'. But I mean, it was no big deal. It was just part of the Race and somebody had to say something and it just kind of clicked in my mind that, 'You know what? These girls are lying - they're not saying who they are'. So we just called them on it but I could care less what it is they did."
Art: "But it was good drama, you know!"
JJ: "And they got off their game a little bit. We were never really worried about them getting past us or anything like that, and I know that sounds arrogant, but that's how we feel. So it was good. Art and I just wanted to stir the pot up a little bit - there was a lot of drama going on in Africa, so why not add to it and just have fun? Because we never really cared - we just wanted to win. That was the end game for us."

Are there any of the other Racers you keep in touch with now?
Art: "I still keep in touch - I mean, I became really good friends with Ralph and Vanessa. To me they were actually really good people. Vanessa kind of tended to speak her mind quite a bit. But I keep in touch with her, I still keep in touch with Danny and Joey, and I text back and forth now and then with Elliot and Andrew and stuff. So I mean, there's still people that I keep in touch with."
JJ: "And Misa and Maiya are great girls."

So what's next for you? What are your plans for the rest of the year?
JJ: "Art and I are eagerly awaiting the phone call for a Redemption show where Art and I get called back and have a good chance. And then the first challenge would be a sledding challenge, and that would just make or break the entire season for Art and I!"

Offline bc922

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #198 on: May 08, 2012, 01:10:45 PM »
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Art-JJ-1047163.aspx

Amazing Race's Art and JJ: We Don't Care If People Think We're Jerks
by Joyce Eng

When Rachel and Dave accidentally skipped the Roadblock on The Amazing Race finale, first place seemed to be for the taking for Art Velez and JJ Carrell. The border patrol agents were already at the Hawaiian sledding and stone-tossing Roadblock and if Art could complete it, the finish line was next. Instead, they watched helplessly as Dave and Rachel arrived, finished the Roadblock and went on their $1 million-winning way. "Rachel asked me how long I had been there and I said about an hour," Art tells TVGuide.com. "She was like, 'Wow!' and then she completes it on her second try! I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?!'" Adding insult to injury: They lost to their mortal enemies, who backed out on their deal to U-Turn Brendon and Rachel. Get their take on the drama, their confrontation with Nary and Jamie and more.

Do you know how far behind Dave and Rachel you were?
Art: We figured we were 20 to 30 minutes behind. ... I was [sledding] for about an hour and a half and I think I did it from anywhere between 40 to 50 times.

Do you have scars?
Art: Oh, yeah!
JJ: We're emotionally scarred!
Art: He was emotionally scarred before this whole thing started! [Laughs]

You thought you were in second until they showed up. Was it hard to focus afterward knowing you could've won by then? Or did that motivate you?
Art: When Rachel and Dave showed up, I was like, "Whoa! What's going on here? This is weird." But I was just concentrated on getting it done. I actually didn't get defeated or deflated until Rachel completed it on the second try. Once she did it, I was like, "Holy crap! That was awesome." That was really cool because that thing was whipping my butt. ... It was about being really skinny on two little sticks and just holding on for the ride!

JJ, you kept motivating Art, but was it hard for you to keep your cool after they finished?
JJ: I was hurt for Art because he was trying so hard and it just wasn't his day. It shows you how incredible this Race is that we thought we were in second and we were actually in first for over an hour. To see Dave and Rachel, I was like, "Oh my God! We're in this! This is ours!" Then it started to sink in: "God, we've been first for an hour. We just have to make one sled ride down that hill and we would've won." My heart broke for him because he tried so, so hard. ... It almost would've been better if we had just stayed with our first cab driver and drove around Honolulu for a day and a half. I mean, first was there. And it just didn't happen and that's the way it goes. ... We really, really believed that was our Race to lose. But to be able to go the whole Race, do every leg and to actually finish is an incredible accomplishment. I know the other teams cheering for us would've killed to trade places with us, as well the hundreds of Racers in prior seasons. We take pride in the fact that we ran the Race very hard, and our border patrol brothers and sisters are really proud of us, and that means a great deal to us.

So the U-Turn deal — were you really that offended that Dave and Rachel didn't U-Turn Big Brother? Why couldn't you just drop it and move on?
JJ: The whole backstory to that was we were winning so much with Dave and Rachel that we came together with a plan with Ralph and Vanessa — because Big Brother hated them — to protect us. So in the event that one of us was way, way back, the other two teams would U-Turn or Double U-Turn someone. It was just a security for us. That morning at 5:30, Dave, Rachel and I were eating breakfast — Art wasn't there — and I said, "We're still on?" And he said, "We're still on." Five hours later, Dave and Rachel decide not to honor that agreement. It was really close — Ralph and Vanessa almost lost. I know it looks on the outside like, "Oh, they shouldn't be that upset." But it was much deeper than that. If Dave and Rachel were in the back of the pack that day, they dang well would've expected Ralph and Vanessa, and Art and I to follow our word, which we all would've. And you saw in the episode — we thought that Dave and Rachel fell behind for some reason.

Their logic was that there was no reason to use it because Nary and Jamie were so far behind.
JJ: It didn't matter where Nary and Jamie were. Our main goal was to protect the teams that we wanted to go forward, which were Dave and Rachel, us, Ralph and Vanessa, and Mark and Bopper. Once we get to the final four, all bets are off. So it didn't matter how far back they were. With the Double U-Turn, the strategy is to block other people from using it as opposed to saying, "Oh, this team is already far back." If Dave and Rachel, and Art and I used those two slots, then Ralph and Vanessa wouldn't have been U-Turned by Big Brother. ... I know why they didn't do it. I understand, but your word's your word. But that's part of the game. You live in a bubble. Part of your personality does come out, but it is a game and you have to be good at it to win it. I give them all the credit in the world. They won eight legs and overcame a horrible mistake and they won it, so kudos to them.

And you chose not to talk to them the rest of the Race?
JJ: Nope, we didn't say a word.
Art: I would say hi. Some of the stuff that Rachel would do on the challenges was cool to watch. I was like, "This girl's really got her stuff together" and I admire that. I know they're another team, but I was still cordial. I would say "what's up" or whatever. We didn't talk strategy or anything.

Is it all water under the bridge now?
Art: I don't know if it could ever be water under the bridge. They're competitors. We lost $1 million. Am I happy I lost it? No. Do I need to be friends with the people who beat me? No. We'll be cordial, but I've never been to Wisconsin and I don't plan on going there. If they plan to come to California and want to give us a call, yeah, we'll love to get together with them. I'm not making any special trips to Madison.

You guys have been pretty divisive. A lot of fans find you arrogant, and Nary and Jamie called you jerks for confronting them about their jobs. I talked to Phil and he said you, JJ, had gotten very high-strung. What do you have to say about that?
Art: People think we act like jerks — whatever. We don't care. The people that know us — our friends, our agency —are the people who matter. They know who we are. We're men of integrity, we're Christian men, we're men of our word. The thing with Nary and Jamie — we deal with people who lie to our faces every day. My wife, my aunt, my grandma — my whole family are educators. When educators get together, they talk about kids, parents, administrators and other teachers. So when they didn't talk about things that educators do and they started using cop talk — I don't care what anybody says, cops talk a certain way and they use certain lingo — I'm like, "These chicks are cops." It was just fun finding out somebody's lying to us like people do to us every day. That was it. They thought we were obsessed with their jobs. We couldn't care less what they did. It was about, "Look, we know you're lying, so why don't you admit it?" And they wouldn't. But they were never a threat to us. We never had the time to talk to them because they were always going off doing something on their own. It was like, "Whatever."
JJ: Why do you think people think we're arrogant?

You were always declaring that you were the best and the ones to beat, you complained about a lot of teams, and the whole U-Turn thing obviously. I think people liked you at first, especially after you gave the money to Bopper and Mark, but you were at the very least edited to be arrogant the back half of the season.
JJ: Our mindset going into it was, "We're going to win." ... I'm an avid fan of the Race and anyone's who's watched it knows there are two groups: the teams that expect to win and a whole other group that's like, "Dear God! We're so happy we're still in it." Art and I are confident, ambitious men. If people think that's a bad trait, then that's what they think. We are never going to apologize for that behavior or that characteristic. Maybe we can apologize for Art being harsh and rude sometimes. I got grouped in there just by association with Arturo and somehow I became the bad guy and Art was this jolly, Fred Flintstone type of guy! [Laughs] Jokes aside, I would never teach my son to be happy and complacent with third place. Yeah, only one person or team can win, but you should never just shoot for second or third. Shoot for first.

What are you up to now?
Art: Just back at work.
JJ: We're sitting by the phone waiting for [creators] Bertram [van Munster] and Elise [Doganieri] to give us a call for All-Stars. [Laughs]

I think Bopper and Mark will get the nod first.
JJ: Oh, come on, now!

They can have two slots for Season 20 teams.
JJ: Yes, they can! Bopper and Mark, and us!

Offline starrynight

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Re: TAR 20: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell *Border Patrol Agents*
« Reply #199 on: May 08, 2012, 02:28:54 PM »
Thanks for the interviews.  It's a bit annoying in that first interview when they use that Americanism of saying 'could care less' when they actually mean couldn't lol. 

Otherwise it's nice to see them giving blonde Rachel credit.  Still don't know why they hated on Brendon and Rachel (just tactics as they were an easy target?) or why they got along with bitchy Vanessa (I guess because they liked her honesty as they saw it, though I thought she was very immature).  But I did find them funny at times and they obviously had a role in the race and were competitive.  They weren't forgettable and there have been more annoying louder and perhaps more stupid people on the race in past seasons.