Author Topic: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*  (Read 18156 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Theo

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1098
  • 2020 mood
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #25 on: March 19, 2012, 03:50:10 AM »
Sad to see them go! :'(
TAR Jeopardy Revival: here

Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #26 on: March 19, 2012, 04:28:37 PM »
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Kerri-Stacy-1045040.aspx

Amazing Race's Kerri and Stacy: We Are Not Navigationally Savvy
Joyce Eng
Mar 19, 2012 03:06 PM ET
by Joyce Eng

After completing the gnome-curling Roadblock in second-to-last place on The Amazing Race's Bavaria leg, Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers seemed to have secured the final Top 7 spot. But then, they got into their car. "Kerri and I were always efficient in the challenges. What killed us in this leg was we couldn't get from Point A to Point B," Stacy tells TVGuide.com. "When we could get there, we'll kill the challenge. But then we'll get killed going to Point B!" The cousins wound up losing their five-minute lead on federal agents Nary and Jamie, and got eliminated. Why were they so bad at navigation? And why weren't they rooting for Ralph and Vanessa afterward? Find out below.

How far behind Nary and Jamie were you?
Stacy: I don't think we were that far behind. After we had gotten eliminated, we saw them in passing.
Kerri: We probably had about a five-minute lead. I think I saw them behind us at one point, but I wasn't exactly sure. We had kind of driven around. People tell you to go one way and it's wrong, and you turn around and go another way.

What happened? Was it just bad directions?
Stacy: Yeah. We totally got bad directions. We couldn't spell it any other way. People directed us to, like, three different places instead of the one place we needed to be in five seconds.
Kerri: I think we even passed it at one point.
Stacy: No, we didn't pass it. But we were practically right next door to it and everybody kept sending us to different places!
Kerri: Nobody could really articulate to us what the Pit Stop was. I don't think we realized it was that barn until we saw the cows! Until they mooed at us!

How many people did you ask?
Stacy: Five people. We went into a store and we waited on a man for directions. He shopped for a minute and he came out. He was like, "Wait one second. Let me put this down." And then he disappeared and nobody else spoke English. I was like, "OK, Kerri, let's go drive." And then he comes running, like, "Wait! I know where it is!"

Did you have a map?
Kerri: No. And it didn't seem like anyone had a sense of urgency. I want to take responsibility for our actions, but when you're left in a situation like that, you have to ask locals because there's no other way to find a place, especially when there's no sign of the name on the building. It was kind of vague. I'm sure the other teams had a hard time. They don't show that necessarily because they can't fit everything into an hour, but I'm sure they did. Everyone kept telling us to go to the next village. In America, we don't have villages, so it was hard to know what they meant.
Stacy: It was hard to determine where each village was. Like, do you mean the next village 20 minutes from here or two minutes from here? ... We drove around for probably 10 or 15 minutes. It's not a lot, but it's bad when somebody's on your tail! I was just saying a prayer, like, "God, I'm sure we can bargain right now." [Laughs] "Let's negotiate something and maybe we'll get there and Phil will be like, 'This leg continues.'"

You had a lot of trouble with self-navigation. You got lost last leg, and the beginning and end of this one.
Kerri: Yeah. I think navigation savvy is one of those things where you either have it or you don't. You can't practice being navigationally savvy. Personally, I've never been savvy with navigation. Going from A to B? That's not my strong suit.
Stacy: But that's part of the Race. We get so dependent on GPS and technology to find things. When I'm overseas, I use the GPS to go everywhere. I'm never lost because I always have GPS. You take that tool away and you really gotta have that savvy. And we didn't have it the past two legs.

How did you end up at the wrong castle?
Stacy: There were two castles and the way we came into the castle town was from a different direction, so we didn't see the right castle on top of the hill. So as soon as we ran up to the wrong one, we were smart enough to ask, "Is this where Ludwig's bedroom is?"
Kerri: Yeah, because we were not gonna wait to go on the tour! [Laughs] Thankfully, people pointed us to the right direction. We always made sure that before we dove into something that could be time-consuming we knew were doing the right thing. We went to the wrong castle, but we asked. The other thing about the Race is you don't realize how much time other teams waste and that you can make up time. But when you're in the back, it's just hard to get out of that mind-frame. You need mental prowess to really overcome that.

How did you get along with the other teams? The extra clips online show some drama between you and the twins, and Vanessa and Ralph.
Kerri: The twins —they were just guys. You know how big brothers pick on little sisters? That's what our relationship was like. At first, you don't really know the other teams, so you're just trying to feel each other out. But Ralph and Vanessa — it wasn't so much Ralph. You know how you can be a good person, but one bad apple could fall off the branch? I think it was like that for their team. She pre-judged us before she even talked to us. ... Even though that little tiff happened with the twins, we don't judge them for that. It happened in the moment and we all got over it. But Ralph and Vanessa were like, "Oh, they're stuck-up." How do you know we're stuck-up when you haven't talked to us yet? Vanessa said that about us to other teams and they told us, so we were like, "Really? Is this The Real World or is this The Amazing Race?" Then Ralph tried to block us on the plane when Stacy was trying to get me to the front. She wasn't telling anyone to block him.
Stacy: Kerri was a few rows behind me on the plane, so I asked the people who were in front if they could let her get off the plane with me. ... Vanessa was just very catty. I can't deal with catty women. I can't tolerate it.

So I take it you weren't cheering for them after you got eliminated.
Stacy: Oh, no. [Laughs]
Kerri: The truth of the matter is, Stacy and I wanted to run a clean race. We work in athletic fields and we're all about sportsmanship, being classy and representing well for our hometown and family. I was not about to go on TV and act like a fool. I wasn't going to do something underhanded because that's not what I value.
Stacy: TV or not, Kerri and I aren't crazy people in our everyday lives. Going into the Race, I just believed that if I'm gonna beat you, I'm gonna beat you with my wit, my athleticism, and I'm gonna feel good about taking it from you. I don't have to overcompensate for my weaknesses by playing little mind games and just being overall catty and stupid with you.

What are you up to now?
Stacy: I'm about to take a mini trip to go see my husband. He plays [basketball] overseas, so I'm gonna see him. Other than that, I'm busy, taking care of my business and my children. And Kerri's always busy!
Kerri: I am a social butterfly. I'm always doing something, partying, planning social events. I'm back at work and trying to advance my career with whatever God gives me next.


Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #27 on: March 19, 2012, 04:37:35 PM »
http://www.thedeadbolt.com/1003025623-navigating-the-amazing-race-with-kerri-and-stacy.html

Navigating The Amazing Race with Kerri and Stacy
by Reg Seeton

This week on The Amazing Race cousins ‪Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers‬ were eliminated in Bavaria after the girls fell victim to directions and their own navigational skills.

Although Kerri and Stacy had to say goodbye to their fellow competitors on The Amazing Race, both gave it their all this week when the CBS reality series touched down in Germany. When the girls had to go from task to task, getting around Bavaria became the biggest challenge of the race. It seemed like each time Kerri and Stacy found their groove, the map became their enemy.

So, what went wrong for Kerri and Stacy in terms of directions?

For Kerri, it was all about the obvious.

    “It’s Bavaria, Germany and people speak German and we speak English. I think people there are used to tourists and shrugging you off to the hot tourist spot. Some of those spots weren’t where we needed to be.”

Interestingly, both Kerri and Stacy overcame similar challenges the week before but couldn’t navigate the streets to survive another leg of The Amazing Race. In fact, just when it seemed like the girls got a lay of the land, new directions would lead them astray.

For Stacy, getting a handle on directions in Bavaria was a bit more complex.

    “Despite the fact that we’e showing you exactly where we need to be, we were asking the locals, ‘Do you know where this is?’ And we’re showing them in writing, black and white, exactly where we needed to go, they would send us to, say, the castle again when we were trying to go to the Pit Stop. So I do think in Bavaria there are customs and tourists and the fact that we were looking for a common local spot just really didn’t mesh well.”

At one point in the leg this week, Kerri and Stacy couldn’t find the real life fairy tale inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle. In fact, Kerri and Stacey climbed a huge hill only to learn they were in the wrong place.

So, how did Stacy feel to get all the way up to the wrong castle only to realize that the Sleeping Beauty caste was elsewhere?

For Stacy, as she told TheDeadbolt, things may have looked tougher on TV.

    “It wasn’t so bad, because Kerri and I are athletic gals. When we realized that we were at the wrong castle, it was just on to the next one. We knew we were somewhere at the back of the pack but we knew that we could out-run and out-hustle anyone else in that portion of the pack. So we were just ready to keep it moving.”

Earlier in the leg, The Amazing Race teams were given the choice of styling Bavarian beards or building a gingerbread house. It was a choice that didn’t give the girls many options.

As it turned out, Kerri and Stacy chose the gingerbread house by default.

Had they been able to better maneuver the streets of Bavaria, things may have been different.

As Kerri explained, they wanted to try their hand at the beards.

    “We definitely wanted to style the beards but we couldn’t find it. It was in a totally different town. We saw some of the other teams going to do the gingerbread house, so we figured there was strength in numbers. Like Stacey said, we felt we could out-hustle some of the other teams. For us it was just safer to do.”

Although both Kerri and Stacy had a hard time with directions on The Amazing Race, the girls revealed that the process at large was a huge challenge. Despite how easy things look on TV, the reality of The Amazing Race is much tougher on the body.

For Stacy, it was about putting it all together to run the most amazing race as possible.

    “I definitely feel that the toughest part was time management, getting enough rest, eating right and having enough energy. What people don’t see is that you’re going for hours and hours and hours, maybe a day or two days traveling. As soon as you arrive, it’s like go time! The toughest part to The Amazing Race is time management and sleeping and eating when you can.”

For Kerri, running The Amazing Race was all about serving your brain well while staying strong both physically and mentally. Although directions became a problem, it was easy to become tired.

As Kerri revealed, it was a blend of mental and physical.

“You had to stay mentally strong. When you’re exhausted, it’s hard to think right to perform. Just mind over matter, it’s really hard, especially when you’re faced with not having any food, being sleepy or tired.”

So, despite what we saw of Kerri and Stacy on The Amazing Race, were there any moments that didn’t make it to air that the girls wish we saw at home?

    “We wish you guys had seen us change the hell out of that tire when got a flat on the way to the airport in the first leg. We were really happy at how quickly were were able to change the tire on that vehicle. When we got to the airport there was this big conspiracy that we had gotten lost and not had a flat tire. So we really wish more people could have seen it and how well we performed.”

Offline TexasLady

  • Forum Moderator
  • RFF Assistant Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 24166
  • So much to watch, so little time!
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #28 on: March 19, 2012, 06:44:21 PM »
I liked the Kerri and Stacy, I'm sorry they didn't get to stay in the race. They stayed classy.
The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #29 on: March 19, 2012, 08:19:42 PM »
except when it came to navigation, where they were woefully deficient. This was their downfall.


Offline Prophet

  • TarKonian Game Host
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 8141
  • ∞∞
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #30 on: March 19, 2012, 08:57:25 PM »
Remember how they fell so far behind in leg 4 because of slowness in transport and navigation. In fact they had never really finished that high. They seemed nice though.
Physics alone is not enough.

Those who forget history are sure to repeat it.

Offline TexasLady

  • Forum Moderator
  • RFF Assistant Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 24166
  • So much to watch, so little time!
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #31 on: March 19, 2012, 10:30:31 PM »
Navigating and transportation woes kill a lot of dreams for winning TAR.
The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

Offline RoscoePWaggles

  • RFF Not So Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #32 on: March 19, 2012, 11:22:56 PM »
These ladies did a great job and their kids should be proud.
"The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #33 on: March 20, 2012, 11:14:09 AM »
I love these two, and especially Stacy, but I don't have positive vibes... :duno:

Stacy may have given the better impression or maybe she just naturally looks a bit less peeved off.  At the end Keri looked gave some less than cordial looks at her partner.  I was a bit annoyed with Stacy going on about her children though, didn't she do that in the skydiving as well?  The editing was probably against them in the last episode but I wasn't sad to see them go.

Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #34 on: March 20, 2012, 09:17:29 PM »
http://www.digitalspy.ca/ustv/s66/the-amazing-race/interviews/a372087/amazing-races-kerri-stacy-qa-we-had-plain-old-bad-directions.html

Amazing Race's Kerri, Stacy Q&A: 'We had plain old bad directions'
Published Tuesday, Mar 20 2012, 8:03am EDT | By Catriona Wightman

Was it sliding gnomes across ice or just plain old navigation that proved to be Kerri and Stacy's downfall on The Amazing Race? Either way, the Mississippi cousins were the last ones to reach the pitstop on Sunday's episode and had to say goodbye to the competition.

Digital Spy spoke to Kerri and Stacy to find out what went wrong for them and who they want to win now...

You were a bit tearful when you were eliminated - how did you feel?
Stacy: "We were really heartbroken, because we set off to go across the world and to really win this Race, and in our minds we saw ourselves crossing the finish line. And all of that ended at that mat last night. Really, Kerri and I - we were a team of two, but we were really running that Race for our families and to represent our state, and we just at that moment felt like we let them down, because we knew we had so much support behind us."
Kerri: "We've been together all our lives and we're used to our family cheering us on. And it just really stung to know that this is it. Even on a lighter note, I was kind of disappointed that it ended there because I wanted to see more of the world - I wanted to go and see different places."

But you seemed quite proud - did you feel proud of yourselves?
Stacy: "We did. We felt really proud because in everything we went for in this Race, Kerri and I were extremely efficient and I felt like in all of the challenges we performed each and every one successfully. We really did well on the Race."
Kerri: "In a number of challenges we might have come in behind other teams and we beat them out of the challenges, so that was very gratifying to us. And as far as what we could work on before the Race, as far as gelling and being in sync with each other and practising on our strengths in training, we were really, really good at that, and I felt like we had that under our belts, so I was proud for that too, because we spent a lot of time preparing for the Race as well."

You left the ice rink before Nary and Jamie - did you think you were safe?
Kerri: "We did think we were safe... for a moment! Up until someone told us to go to the Castle, which was the wrong pitstop. And then I think that was the point where it was like, 'Oh my God, there's a problem'. Houston, we have a problem! Bavaria, we have a problem! It was just really hard because people were giving us bad directions and there is a language barrier. I don't think we realized up until we got to the pitstop that the pitstop was even a farm. No-one had articulated that to us - we weren't able to understand what we were looking for. I think if we could have at least known that much we could have gotten there easier."

Do you know how close it was between you and Nary and Jamie?
Stacy: "I think we were somewhat close to them. I don't think we were far behind them. If I could guesstimate, we may have left the rink within five minutes of them, so making it to the mat to the pitstop behind them had to be somewhere within five to ten minutes."
Kerri: "And there's a lot in the Race that goes on as far as stopping to get gas and so on. There was another time in Paraguay where Stacy and I left something before Nary and Jamie and then they beat us to the next challenge. So there's a lot to be said for the outside occurrences in travel that can be really time consuming!"

So what do you think your downfall was? The language barrier? Your navigation?
Stacy: "Our downfall was definitely the navigation.We just had plain old bad directions, and you know once you're given that and you only have maybe five minutes to work with, then you're out of it. It really hurt us that day. That was the one time that we had bad directions and that we struggled. People sending us to the wrong place, period. I wish it would have been a non-elim leg! I wish we could have been saved. It never would have happened again, I promise!"

On a lighter note, what was your favorite moment from the Race?
Stacy: "One of our favorite moments that I know sticks out in Kerri's mind - I know she's going to say changing that flat tire! Right before we left for the Race, my uncle, Kerri's dad, has a tractor. And he was so avid about, 'No, before you leave you have to change this tire on this tractor'. And he really beat that into us and made us change this tire on this big tractor and what do you know! First leg on the way to the airport we get a flat tire. And I mean, Kerri and I changed the heck out of that tire!"
Kerri: "We worked together and we were really fast and efficient at getting that job done. And that wasn't even a challenge on the Race! It wasn't a standard challenge, but it was a challenge for us. It was just something, and you think, 'This is not going to happen to us' but it really did."

So aside from learning how to change a tire, what other tips would you give people going on the Race?
Stacy: "I would definitely say work on your time management, because in between challenges it's up to you to be rested, to be fed, to have a good perspective for the next day. I think one of the keys to mastering the race is mastering time management - sleeping when you can, eating when you can, and keeping energy. That traveling can fatigue you so much and if you can master your time management - your rest, your eating - you'll be more able to adapt to what's waiting for you next."

And you mostly seemed to avoid arguing, too!
Stacy: "Yes! Kerri and I, we're first cousins, we've been together since birth - well, I'm two months ahead of her, but you know! I mean, we've had our share of arguments in the 30 years we've been alive but when it comes to getting the job done, arguing doesn't even come to our mind. It's about getting the job done."
Kerri: "And we prepared before. We really spent a lot of time talking and pow-wowing together with our family, coming up with strategies. Our uncle pulled us aside and he said, 'You know what? Make sure when y'all get on the show, you've got to stay focused and don't get on there arguing and bickering'. And even though he didn't have to tell us that, it was one of those things that can really get you off your game, so we made sure to focus on staying with a fresh mind, not letting petty stupid stuff between us get in our way, because I've seen that to be the demise of a lot of other teams. We were aware of that beforehand so we were able to focus on not doing it. We are human and people do have disagreements but I think we were really focused on the challenge at hand and not our petty disagreements."

Were there any teams you particularly bonded with? Who do you want to win?
Stacy: "We're definitely rooting for our country cousins Kentucky to do well in the Race! We absolutely love and adore Mark and Bopper and we love and adore Jamie and Nary and 'Brenchel'! They're really nice people but you know, we're really going to stick by our country roots and root for our country cousins from this point on."


Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #35 on: March 20, 2012, 09:23:51 PM »
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-kerri-paul-and-stacy-bowers-talk-about-the-amazing-race-13285.php

Exclusive: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers talk about 'The Amazing Race'
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/19/2012

Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers were eliminated from The Amazing Race's twentieth season during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition.

The "Cousins" team became the fourth team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived at the Race's fifth Pit Stop at Landhannes Farm, a 200-year old working dairy farm, in Ehrwald Austria, Germany in last place due to a fatal combination of bad luck and poor navigation skills.

On Monday, Kerri and Stacy talked to Reality TV World about their The Amazing Race experience -- including how much of their time was wasted on getting lost and why it kept happening, whether they were really set on doing the "Fairy Tale" Roadblock task or had an entirely different plan at first, who out of all the Racers they believed had a "mean personality," and what they thought would have been the turning point in their Race and could've saved them from elimination had they caught a break.

Reality TV World: How far behind Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz do you think you guys finally arrived at the Pit Stop?

Stacy Bowers: I don't think we were really far behind them. I know I can guesstimate that leaving the gnome, the curling Roadblock, that we maybe had left within five minutes of them from that task. But then we went to the wrong place after that.

Reality TV World: They didn't show much of you two attempting to complete the "Fairy Tale" Detour task, but while you guys arrived at the task in last place, you ended up finishing it ahead of two other teams. So how did that task go? Was it difficult and about how long do you think it took you to complete?

Kerri Paul: The "Fairy Tale" task was really difficult because we had to search around for this gingerbread through the snow and it was snowing on us. It was freezing, and then we had to put the gingerbread house together -- you know, assemble the roof.

And so Stace and I were really focused on being efficient because we didn't want to make the mistake of doing it wrong, and then they tell us that we have to start over. So, we were making sure that we had each piece of gingerbread stuck against the other.

Then "Brenchel" [Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly], they even had to go out and collect more gingerbread. They didn't even have enough. So, that was one of the things that held them back. I think that Stace and I were really efficient and working hard. Stace was eating the cookies (laughs) to figure out and make sure they fit together perfectly like a puzzle.

Stacy Bowers: We only had one utensil and I mean, we're talking like, these are dirty cookies that were along the path, so it was "do whatever you have to do" to win and complete this challenge. So even if it meant chewing on dirt a little bit, hey, I'm up for that challenge too.

Kerri Paul: Any time that Stace and I went to a challenge, we were going into it knowing that we had to rocket. And so, we were running through challenges. Even if you paid attention and watched us, we really were fast in all our challenges, because we were focused. Like [William "Bopper" Minton and Mark Jackson], we love them, but they had a more relaxed feel when going through challenges.

I don't know if they helped them or not, because they were in the Race longer than us obviously, but we were focused. We weren't playing. We were balls to the wall. We weren't being silly during the challenges. So it was like Bopper would be singing songs (laughs) and throwing us off our game, but I just think that's his way, you know?

Stacy Bowers: And he didn't throw us off our game!

Reality TV World: Now that you've seen the episode and caught a glimpse of what the "Champion Male" Detour task was like, looking back, do you regret not starting off the with the beard task or switching tasks at any point, or do you think you ultimately made the right decision in choosing Fairy Tale?

Stacy Bowers: Honestly, Kerri and I wanted to do the "Champion Male" challenge first, but I mean, the story of our night was directions and no one seemed to know where that place was. So we were like, "Oh my gosh. What are we going to do? We're just going to have to go to this one."

Kerri Paul: And then we -- no, we saw Bopper and Mark, remember? So we were like, "Well we're just going to follow them." Because you know that at least if you have another team in sight with you, you just know that you have to beat them out. So we were confident that we could beat them.

Reality TV World: So that period of time when you were driving from the train station to the restaurant and then to the Detour, you got a little lost. What happened there and how long did you think you got lost for?

Kerri Paul: During that time, we worked with Jamie and Nary and "Brenchel." We worked really well with "Brenchel." They didn't show it a lot on the show, but we were kind of with them and navigating with the map and I was actually instrumental in showing them where it was.

Stacy Bowers: Right.

Kerri Paul: (Laughs) Because they were going the wrong way. I think it was Jamie and Nary went the wrong way and then turned around...

Stacy Bowers: No, it wasn't Jamie and Nary. It was Rachel and Brendon.

Kerri Paul: They were in the same position.

Stacy Bowers: We just happened to run into Jamie and Nary through it all.

Kerri Paul: Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Stacy Bowers: And we were like, "Where did they come from?!" You know? (Laughs)

Reality TV World: Kerri, what did you find so difficult about the gnome-sliding Roadblock task on ice? Why do you think particular teams excelled at the task while others struggled so much like you and Nary? Do you think it was actually an easier task for the men or something for whatever reason?

Kerri Paul: I think some people may be more inclined if they're used of pitching or throwing or something, but at first, it was just difficult because I don't think Stacy and I had a good rhythm at first. But once we got out rhythm and Stacy stood on the target and she started sliding the gnome straight to me, I could kind of get a rhythm and then that way, I can tailor my pitches or my slides versus having to get up.

Because at first, I was kind of having to get up and go and get the gnome and go back to my spot. It's kind of like playing basketball and shooting a free throw. When you practice, you want to stay in that exact same spot and do that exact same motion every time because it'll help you. But once we got our rhythm, we were fine. It was just getting to that point.

Reality TV World: So how long did it take you to finally complete that Roadblock task and do you think the pressure of competing directly against Nary overwhelmed or psyched you out a little bit to the point where the task took you longer than it normally would have?

Kerri Paul: It started to psych me out but I knew that I had to remain calm and confident, because I started to freak out, but then I had mind over matter. I had to just keep telling myself, "Kerri, you can do this." I don't even know if they played it, but even in the other challenges, I would have to just verbally say, "You can do this. You can do this," you know? (Laughs) -- just to get myself through it.

But I feel like I focused. It's just really hard because you have to -- you not only have to hit the target, but it has to land on the target. So it's not so much just aim, but it's the velocity at which you're sliding the gnome. So that's what made it kind of challenging for me. But I feel like once I started getting in my rhythm and I started shooting it in and Stacy started kind of giving affirmation to help me do it better.

Reality TV World: Stacy, what was going through your mind while Kerri was attempting to complete the Roadblock task? Were you frustrated or stressed because you seemed to be neck and neck with Nary and Jamie? How good did you think your chances were at that point of avoiding coming in last place?

Stacy Bowers: Well, I knew that that was a challenge that Kerri could master. I think I was just getting a little frustrated because initially, I don't think Kerri had confidence in herself and in finding her rhythm, but I have kids, so I learned to not get frustrated so quickly. (Laughs)

It might take a couple times for people to catch onto things, so I just -- what was important for me was just to remind Kerri, "Girl, you can do this. This is nothing for you. Just put it right on that circle! Just push it." And then I would kind of tell her, "Okay, that was too hard. You almost had it. Just slow up a little," you know?

And once she found her rhythm, there was really nothing I could say or do or coach her anything to Kerri to hit it. She was getting really close and it was just a matter of moments before she -- you know, we struck gold. (Laughs)

Reality TV World: So it sounds like you two were pretty convinced you could survive another leg leaving that Roadblock task, right?

Stacy Bowers: Yes, we knew we could make it!

Reality TV World: How did you get lost heading from the Roadblock task to the Pit Stop and for how long were you lost for?

Kerri Paul: Oh gosh. (Laughs)

Stacy Bowers: I would say we were lost for about 20-30 minutes, because people were giving us the wrong directions. We went back to that yellow castle, which was the wrong place, and that's in a whole totally different city or what they call villages. And it's really hard...

Kerri Paul: I don't know if it was 30 minutes. It wasn't that long, but it seems like it. Because when we had to go in that store, we had to drive there.

Reality TV World: Since you both got lost on the way to the Pit Stop and also got lost going to the restaurant from the train station earlier in the leg, what do you girls think was wrong with your navigation skills? What could you have done differently to better the situation in figuring out those directions?

Stacy Bowers: Well the problem was, the directions weren't good at all. (Laughs) It was kind of hard to decipher where we were actually going.

I think that people are just really accustomed to tourists in that area, so you would ask them for directions, and they would immediately send you to a tourism [spot] like the castle. Leaving the [Roadblock] we showed them exactly where we had to go. It was written out, "We have to go here." And yet, we were still directed to the castle.

Reality TV World: When you guys got lost on the way to the Pit Stop, did you still believe Nary and Jamie were behind you or did you start to think you had put yourselves in last place? Did you feel like your only hope was a non-elimination leg at that point?

Stacy Bowers: It didn't occur to us that we were -- we always knew we could be in last place, because she might have gotten it a second after us. We had no idea and I never felt like we were out of it, and I don't think Kerri ever felt like -- when we're looking for directions -- we never had the affirmation, "Oh, we're in last place."

But we knew, "Kerri, we can do it! We can get it. Let's go, let's go." It was always, "Let's go. We can do it!" And once we got to the Pit Stop and reality set in, when we drove up, we saw seven cars. So, we knew we were the eighth ones and that's when it hit us, "Man, Nary did it."

Reality TV World: Do you guys think if you had gotten on that first train with Art Velez and J.J. Carrell, Rachel Brown and Dave Brown Jr. and Danny Horal and Joey "Fitness" Lasalla that it would have changed the outcome of your elimination? Do you think that would have made all the difference or that it wouldn't have made up enough time for you guys based on the two times you got lost and how long it took you to complete the Roadblock task?

Kerri Paul: I feel like if we had been on the first train -- and there's a lot to be said with being in the group, and that was one of our strategies as well. We wanted to remain with the group, because Stacy and I are very good at going into something with a group and getting the rest of the teams out of the challenge.

So, I feel like if we would've been in the first train, we would have definitely gone with the other teams to do the hair cutting -- the hair-styling challenge.

That would have been quick and we wanted to do that because we're girls. We're used to flat irons and curling irons and pomade. That's what we use everyday. So, I definitely know we would have been in the Top 3 if we would have gone on the first round -- with the first group. But half of this game is luck.

Reality TV World: Rachel and Dave and Nary and Jamie had entered the wrong castle looking for the Roadblock task clue and ended up going on a time-consuming tour by mistake. How easy do you think it was for them to confuse which castle was the correct one and how did you two come to the right conclusion?

Kerri Paul: It was very easy to confuse the castles because there were two castles and we even got sent to the wrong castle, but we wanted to make sure before we went inside, that we were in the right place.

I think that -- when we're watching the show, we didn't even realize that they had done something so time-consuming. You don't know how far ahead or how far behind anyone is, but watching the show, that's what kills you.

Because you're watching it thinking, "Oh my God. Look at that big mistake! We could have made up time right there." But of course, there's nothing you can do about that after the fact. But we were diligent in making sure that we were in the right place, and if we weren't, we went on to the next.

Reality TV World: I want to talk a little bit about last week's episode. How did you guys feel about surviving the leg? It seemed like if Bopper and Mark hadn't made the fatal mistake of driving to the airport right off the bat instead of the travel agency -- which was the only place they could buy their tickets unless waiting for possible standby seats -- then you guys would have been eliminated since you arrived at the Pit Stop just before them. Would you say you beat them in that leg because you ran a better leg than them in general or because you got lucky that Bopper and Mark had made a mistake in your favor?

Stacy Bowers: I would say we finished, like in real time, we finished a good -- it was a good time between Mark and Bopper and actually finishing the leg. We finished way before them. But I just think Kerri and I, we did run a good leg. We had car problems, is what started our leg off on the wrong foot. But I think Kerri and I did a great job in Italy.

Reality TV World: Last week, Art and J.J. decided to share their prize money for coming in first place with Bopper and Mark because Bopper's little girl was sick and he needed the money. What was your reaction to that? Did it surprise you that Art and J.J. decided to do that and would you have done the same had you been in their shoes?

Stacy Bowers: I was definitely surprised that Art and J.J. did that, because in my experiences with them, they weren't -- it didn't seem like they were the most pleasant people to be around.

So, I was kind of shocked by their act of kindness and I guess I was happy that they do have a sensitive and nice and friendly side that I -- just because we weren't really around them very much -- that I never had the opportunity to see.

Kerri and I, we're friendly people and I'm sure if we were in the same situation, we would do the same. But that's how we are. We're just naturally loving, fun, happy people, and we are always willing to help someone else in need.

Kerri Paul: We got a really good vibe from Mark and Bopper from the first time we met them, and we're country girls too, but they're even -- in my opinion -- more country than we are. (Laughs) But we kind of -- that kind of drew us to them or them to us.

We had a really good relationship the whole time. So I feel like we know them and Bopper had told us about Madison, his little girl, and what problems she had. So I definitely know that we would have done the same thing in sharing our prize money with them.

Reality TV World: Were you guys aware at all of the bad relations that existed between Rachel and Brendon and Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley? During a previous leg, it seemed like Rachel and Brendon really disliked Vanessa and it got to the point where they couldn't even work in the same space. Did you notice any of that happening while you were racing?

Stacy Bowers: We definitely noticed the tension, but I mean, I think a lot of people noticed tension with Vanessa because she was just a difficult person. But we saw it because we were there in the airport.

We saw them exchanging words and I wasn't surprised. Rachel is a really nice person and when you pair a nice person with somebody who's just kind of a mean girl -- personality I mean -- that's what happens.

Offline choroneko

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 198
  • It's super effective!
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #36 on: March 20, 2012, 10:51:52 PM »
Oh ~ Vanessa is the mean girl. Interesting...  :o
Choroneko used Splash
Natalie & Nadiya | Jaymes & James | Abba & James

Offline starrynight

  • RFF Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #37 on: March 21, 2012, 01:02:37 AM »
Yeh I got the impression on BB last year that Rachel is nice, but the editing suckers people into believing she isn't.  Vanessa might not be that nice on the race (she seems stressed out a lot), but I find her entertaining. :D

Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #38 on: March 21, 2012, 03:08:23 PM »
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/the-fien-print/posts/hitfix-interview-kerri-stacy-talk-the-amazing-race

HitFix Interview: Kerri & Stacy talk 'The Amazing Race'

Latest bootees talk poor navigation, changing tires and fear of dolphins

By Daniel Fienberg Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012 3:13 PM

Stacy Bowers and Kerri Paul weathered four Legs of "The Amazing Race," including two Legs that hinged on Stacy conquering her fear of heights to jump from planes or rappel down buildings.
 
What did the Mississippi Cousins in on Sunday's (March 18) "Amazing Race" episode was that old standard: Bad directions. The Cousins had completed a Roadblock ahead of struggling Jamie & Nary, but faulty navigation left them in last place just minutes later.
 
In our exit interview, Kerri discusses her confessed navigational difficulties, Stacy talks about her fear of heights, Kerri tries to explain why she's afraid of dolphins and the cousins explain how pre-Race training paid off in a moment we didn't see on TV.
 
Click through for the full interview:
 
HitFix: Could you guys talk me through what happened after you left the Roadblock in Bavaria? It was hard to tell from Sunday's episode...
 
Stacy Bowers: What happened was that when we had left the Roadblock, we had stopped and gotten directions. Despite the fact we had shown the people exactly where we needed to be, they directed us to the castle. When we saw the castle, we were like, "This is definitely not it," so we had to stop again and get directions again and that was the story of the night, you know? Just bad directions all the way around for us.
 
HitFix: How much did you guys feel like that set you back, time-wise?
 
Stacy: Well, that cost us the game. I would guestimate we weren't very far behind Jamie & Nary when they did finish ahead of us, but it cost us some valuable minutes. I think we were off-course for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but that seems like 10 or 15 hours when you're living in the moment, but it was what killed us.
 
HitFix: At the beginning of episode, we saw Kerri lamenting her navigational skills. How did you guys end up in the situation where Stacy was driving and Kerri had to be navigating?
 
Stacy: We got in the situation because in the previous Leg, Kerri had problems driving the European standard vehicles, so she felt more comfortable with me driving. Then that day, it was just snowy and the roads were really slick and really bad and so Kerri, she just did not feel comfortable at the wheel at all that day.
 
Kerri: A lot of people don't know, but Stacy, she's lived in Italy and she's lived all over Europe, so that's pretty much her forte, driving in Europe. She's done it before and so we felt like we were gonna go with the sure thing versus me driving. I'm a very intelligent person, so I felt confident in navigating, but I won't say that that's my strongest suit, but I thought that I could still handle it. And even though Stacy's driving, she's helping to navigate as well, so we just felt that we were better with her in the drivers' seat for that Leg.
 
HitFix: So Kerri, were you maybe overstating your navigational issues earlier? I think you said you could get to the mall and that was it?
 
Kerri: I think I was kinda being a little coy, but I'm really not the greatest person with maps. I'm not gonna say the generalization that it's a woman thing, but I think that in my dealings, the women that I know, we're better with landmarks. Men are better with a map or a street, I know my husband's like that. I am a landmark person. I'm a visual person. I have to see, like "OK. Turn at the big blue building" versus "OK, turn at 2nd Street." It's just the way that my brain works. I can't say that I'm the best navigator, though, but I don't think that I'm worthless. Like I said, it's definitely not my strong suit.

Stacy: I think Kerri was on-point when she said the only place she knows how to go is to the mall. That was a true statement, in my opinion.
 
HitFix: I wanna follow up on that interaction. Stacy got a little upset at the end of Sunday's leg. What was that moment like for you and how did you guys feel like you worked together for the rest of the Race?
 
Stacy: For me, it was just devastating, because as more minutes go by, the longer you're lost, the less optimistic you become, but you're fighting with yourself to stay optimistic, to keep a positive mindset. It's not really like me to get so frustrated. It's not really in my makeup, but it was frustrating for me, because after everyone's giving us terrible directions and then the somewhat decent directions I needed to retain so we can get there, you know? That's kinda frustrating to me, because to the end, I believed Kerri and I could it, we could make it. Regardless of what odds were against us, I knew that if any two girls can overcome all odds, it's Kerri and I, especially Kerri and I working together as a team.
 
Kerri: But I think a big thing for us is that when you're racing, you're racing and rushing. I think a lot can be said for slow and steady. Slow and steady wins the race and I always believe that's true, because when you're trying to get directions from somebody, they rattle it off and then you're like, "OK, thanks!" and then you run off and I felt like a lot of times we were doing that and we didn't really retain the information or didn't really fully understand what they'd even said and that causes you to go find another person. And there is a language barrier and, I've said this before, I don't feel like we even knew what we were looking for, specifically. I feel like if we would have known that we were looking for a barn or a stable, that would have made it easier, but it was very hard for us to understand the locals and where we were going, let alone what we were looking for. If they had said, "Oh, you're going to that barn over there," that would have been a much better indicator of "OK, this is where we need to be" versus us looking through the town part when it was more like in the country area.
 
HitFix: Stacy, you had to face multiple heights-based challenges during the Race. How did you feel about those challenges and how are you feeling about heights these days?
 
Stacy: No way on this planet did I ever think that I would jump out of a plane or even descend down a building. But I went into the challenge scared as heck. Exactly what you saw on TV, multiply that by a million and that's how I was really feeling. I think that the moment that was the most like, "OK. This is real. Either I'm going to live or die" was when they opened the door on the plane and there was a little cloud floating in the doorway and I was like, "Oh my gosh. I don't know if I can do this." But I just feel like that reassured me that I'm the strong woman that I envision myself in my head to be. I feel like Kerri and I, we face these challenges and we can face our fears with the mindset of, "We are as strong or stronger than what we visualize ourselves to be." I hope that's what's reflected to everyone else. Now on the same token, I'm not jumping out of any planes any time soon. I'm about to ride a plane, but I will not be opening any doors on the plane.
 
HitFix: And Kerri, did you feel like you had any similar phobias that you were either looking forward to confronting or dreading confronting?
 
Stacy: I didn't have any phobias, but had some things I really wanted to do. I love doing aerial stunts. I think I'm addicted to adrenaline. So I think going on the Race, I was looking forward to doing those types of things. That was one of the disappointments of when we got out, because I wanted to be able to do more and to see more, so I think that was the hard part for me.
 
HitFix: So are you jealous that Stacy got those two particular Roadblocks?
 
Kerri: No, I'm not jealous. I'm happy for her that she got to do it. I know that my life does not stop with "The Amazing Race." There are many opportunities for me to go and jump out of an airplane and actually I was supposed to do it last summer, but I couldn't for whatever reason. I think it's good that she got to do it and face her fear and I think it was great that other people to see it and it was an inspiration to others. So, no. Definitely I think it's a good thing that Stacy did that and it's helped her kind overcome that fear.
 
Stacy: Dan, I think you should ask her if she's going to face her fear and go swim with dolphins this summer.
 
Kerri: That is my fear! I forgot about that! I really thought, like, "Oh God. If they make us get in water with dolphins, I'll freak out." Like if maybe we went to Jamaica, we might have to do some kind of dolphin stunt. That was my fear.
 
HitFix: Um, Kerri... Why are you afraid of dolphins?
 
Kerri: I have no idea. Nothing ever happened to me with dolphins. I think they're really cute animals, but I think it's because they're smarter than you. I think it's because I'm a control freak and in the water, you're not top-of-the-food-chain anymore. They're smart and cunning and we're humans and we rule the Earth, but in the water? We don't rule and I think that's what throws me off a little bit. Yeah. I'm a little weird in that respect.
 
HitFix: And Stacy, you have no problems at all with dolphins?
 
Stacy: Oh, no. That was one of our agreements. We were like, "OK. Before we go on the Race: Stacy's doing all the water and Kerri's doing all the air. And that's it."
 
Kerri: Yeah. We were tricked. We were tricked into her jumping. When Stacy decided to do the rappelling, I think Stacy was thinking, "OK, you did the other one, so it's my turn" and going for turn and that's how that ended up happening.
 
Stacy: Yeah, it wasn't like I wanted to do it.
 
HitFix: As a last question: Give me a favorite moment from the Race that we didn't get to see on TV...
 
Stacy: Definitely, Kerri and I both will agree, it was changing the tire in the first episode. We left the vineyard in first or second place. I know we had passed other people highway going to LAX and as soon as we get to the airport what happens to us? We get a flat tire. What's ironic about that is that a week or two before we left for the Race, Kerri's dad had us practicing outside in the heat, in the blistering sun, changing a Mahindra tractor tire. When we changed that tire, you can tell that we changed it to perfection, because we had a lot of practice in doing it.
 
Kerri: It's one of those things, my whole life, my dad is a teaching dad. He's definitely a "Teach a man to fish..." Growing up, it was all girls. We had one boy, but I think my dad was like, "I'm going to teach my daughters to be independent." You know how you have those parents who are always trying to teach you something and you're like, "Dad, no! I don't want to hear it!" But that was one of those times where I could actually say that I'm so thankful that he made sure that we were adept at changing tired, because it really came in handy.
 
Stacy: With the whole tire-changing thing, he just kinda suckered us into changing the tire so we could go and plow the garden.

Offline bc922

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 177
Re: TAR 20: Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers *Cousins*
« Reply #39 on: March 21, 2012, 03:11:23 PM »
http://www.realitywanted.com/newsitem/5209-the-amazing-race-20-exclusive-interview-with-kerri-paul-and-stacy-bowers

The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers

Posted on 03/19/2012 by Gina in The Amazing Race and Cast Interviews

by Gina Scarpa

On last night's episode of The Amazing Race, Kerri and Stacy's navigation skills got the best of them in Bavaria and they were the last team to arrive. The cousins from Mississippi were told that unfortunately, they had been eliminated from the race. Today, we spoke to the pair in an exclusive interview about the difficulties of running the race and how they handled being sent home.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Amazing Race?
A. Stacy: It was my idea to do the show because I've watched it for years and I've traveled back and forth, supporting my husband's career for the past few years. I wanted Kerri and I to get together and do something fun, because I had been missing that family time. Kerri is always down for any crazy adventure.
A. Kerri: She brought it up to me and I was like, "Sure!"

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the toughest part of actually running the race versus how you thought it would be when you watched it on tv?
A. Kerri: I think the travel. People don't realize that you're traveling for 18 hours sometimes and it's really tough. It's really hard to eat or drink water. It's really hard on your body.
A. Stacy: Time management on the race is like, key to this race. You have to really master that skill in order to just have energy and just have the willpower to keep going.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Since you weren't around the other teams all of the time, were there things that you saw when watching the episodes back that surprised you?
A. Stacy: I didn't realize how much other teams struggled in some of the challenges. Like, when you're going through it with your teammate, it's like, "Oh my gosh, I bet everybody is just going through it and knocking it down. We're doing so bad!" Now that we've watched it over, we're like, "We whizzed through some of those things!"
A. Kerri: Other teams bickered a lot. I didn't think they had that much drama.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What went wrong for you this week?
A. Kerri: I mean, Stacy and I have always been really strong because we've been a team our whole lives. It was just the navigation! We had gotten some pretty poor directions. No one knew exactly where to go and it was so vague. They would say, "Go that way" but once we go up the street, where do we go from there?
A. Stacy: Some people seemed so confident in what they were saying.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Last week, Phil let Mark and Bopper know that it was a non-elimination round when they arrived last. You were not as fortunate this week. How did you handle being eliminated?
A. Stacy: I think I can speak for both Kerri and I. It was devastating for us. We felt like we were a sleeper team because we could outrun and outhustle a lot of these other teams. We saw the vision of crossing the finish line. It was really heartbreaking because we're very competitive and this was like our first big loss in life.
A. Kerri: It's hard to take that loss. You have to relive it every day with our family and our fans. We have to deal with the fact that we knew where we ended.
A. Stacy: We did this for our family. Family is so important to us and we knew we weren't just a couple, we were a group. We really wanted to bring this victory home because we're just two gals for Mississippi. Even to this day, I'll call her and I'll say, "Oh my gosh, I had a nightmare last night!" I can't shake this losing feeling. It's a once in a lifetime event so it's not like we can hop back on a plane and search for plane.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: That being said, if they called you and asked you to run the race for a second time tomorrow, would you go?
A. Stacy: Oh yes! Definitely! I have kids and last night, seeing how much my children were invested... I would do it again in a heartbeat just for them. They were really heartbroken and if I could do anything to turn those frowns upside down, I would!