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TAR15: Daniel McMillen & Samuel McMillen - Brothers

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RealityFreakWill:
Article from People:

The Amazing Race: Bickering Brothers Still Best Friends

Sam, 23, and Dan McMillen, 21, bickered their way to second place on The Amazing Race 15. The gay brothers and students from Liberty, Mo., discussed their many controversial moments (Elbowgate! Taxigate! Franzgate! Pixelationgate!) with PEOPLE as well as how coming out on TV compared with telling their conservative family that they are both gay upon returning home. –Carrie Bell

It was a close second. Hard feelings?
Sam: When looking at my bank account, it would be nice if a half a million extra dollars was in there but despite sounding cliché, it really is a priceless experience.
Dan: It was harder to keep the secret for four months than to lose. Everyone has been bugging us about what happened and we couldn’t say a word. I’m just glad we’re able to talk about placing second. And honestly, we got to see all these fantastic places on someone else’s credit card and got some money out of it. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Not even how much you fought?
Sam: I don’t think we fought anymore than the other teams. They just showed more of us. It’s much more stressful than you think when you’re watching from the couch. We’re still talking. We’re still brothers. The experience and watching the show helped us learn how to treat each other and respect our differences.
Dan: He needed someone like me to keep him focused and moving. Otherwise, he’d have stood around for four minutes staring at every bridge and building.
Sam: That’s so true. But I was in awe of all the places we were seeing and didn’t want everything to be a blur.

How did you feel about your portrayal as villains?
Dan: Somebody has to play that part and I don’t think we did anything that wasn’t acceptable as part of the game. Looking back in fact, we hesitated too much in that taxi situation. Brian and Ericka eventually said it was okay because we called them another cab and they didn’t show it. And in the Kafka challenge, I probably shouldn’t even have given Big Easy the F clue.
Sam: It was a fun role to play. If we did it over again, we’d push the envelope even farther and be even more ruthless.

Level with us: Did you throw elbows in Estonia with the Globetrotters?
Dan: We never elbowed them. I know there’s a penalty for getting physical with other teams. Why would I risk getting eliminated when we were in first? It was a small and slippery walkway and they slipped.
Sam: What was so annoying is that they blamed us for their mistakes. We did not elbow them. It wasn’t our responsibility to give them the clue. We understand that things get heated in the middle of racing so by the next day it was always water under the bridge.

Speaking of Estonia, what was the deal with the crotch blurring? You’re the only team that required it.
Dan: We have really good genes. My boxer briefs were so thin and wet and so were Sam’s light-colored shorts so you could see too much outline.
Sam: I think they’d rather be safe than sorry. But it’s not like we know for sure. We didn’t get a call from the editors saying, “We’re gonna go ahead and blur your junk.” People ask us about that more than anything else. They think that we were turned on by the hotties. That was not the case. Believe me, there is nothing erotic about playing volleyball in Estonia with your brother in the mud. Especially because we still aren’t sure it was mud.

Hardest task?
Sam: The license plates because we had put a lot on the line to be on the show and to know it could end right there, five minutes after it started, was so nerve-racking.
Dan: We knew going on the show meant we were going to have to come out to everyone in our family as soon as we got home whether they were ready to hear it or not, and whether or not we were ready to tell them because it was going to be on the first episode.

How’d the reveal go?
Sam: It was suspected by some and everyone was very supportive and positive. Even more than we thought they’d be. We have a wonderful family who accepts us for who we are.
Dan: It was almost as easy as coming out to the other teams. Most of them were starting to figure it out. We didn’t have any negative reactions or situations. I loved when Gary said Matt was adopted to lighten the mood.

http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/12/08/the-amazing-race-bickering-brothers-still-best-friends/







 
 

 
 

Dånooky:

--- Quote from: RealityFreakWill on December 08, 2009, 02:35:41 AM ---Sam & Dan did an awesome interview with AfterElton and I loved reading it.

Interview: "The Amazing Race"’s Sam and Dan McMillen Are Neither Dumb Nor Villains

Link to the article: (It's long, so not posting the whole thing here, hence the link!)

http://www.afterelton.com/people/2009/12/sam-mcmillen-dan-mcmillen?page=0%2C0

--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---AE: Come on, you're celebrities now. It should be easy pickin's.
DM: I'm holding out for Lance Bass. Just kidding. I'm holding out for Phil Keoghan. That's who I'm holding out for.
--- End quote ---

dun, dun DUN!!! :lol:

RealityFreakWill:
Amazing Race's Sam and Dan: We Know Who Wayne Newton Is

Brothers Sam and Dan McMillen argued all the way until the end of The Amazing Race, coming up just shy — 10 minutes to be exact. "The truth is, I don't think we fought any more than anyone else," Sam, 23, tells TVGuide.com. "All the other teams had the exact same experience. Ours just happened to be the ones that got shone. We were perfectly fine afterward." The two are also perfectly fine with Harlem Globetrotter Big Easy after Dan, 21, left him hanging last week. Find out what else the two had to say about their time, their "villain" edit and more.

TVGuide.com: Did you really not know who Wayne Newton is?
Dan: [Laughs] We know who he is, but we asked the concierge [who Mr. Las Vegas is] and they told us this it was this new comedian — George Wallace. So we see Wayne Newton thinking, "Oh, maybe that's his birth name." We called him George Wallace and he was like, "No." And for some reason, his name was just not popping into our heads. It was on the tips of our tongues. It was so embarrassing! ... We were confused when he told us his name. We were thinking maybe Meghan and Cheyne already finished because he told us, but maybe he wasn't familiar with the rules or whatnot.

TVGuide.com: What went wrong with the poker chips?
Sam: That was totally me. We wanted to be cautious and make sure that we didn't get it wrong. We thought if we got it wrong, we'd have to put all the chips back on the table and start over. We didn't read the clue right, so we wanted to be careful and took our time and that's why they passed us. We've never played poker in our lives, so we had no clue how to count fast and it really came down to, "Hey, who knows how to count chips?"

TVGuide.com: You guys got the villain edit this season, especially after you, Dan, didn't tell Big Easy the answer was "Franz." Why were you so gung-ho about getting the Globetrotters eliminated?
Dan: We never had an alliance with him. The deal was to help each other out and I clearly helped him. It was his fault that he couldn't get it, but I do not regret that at all.
Sam: From day one in casting, we wanted them out. They were so secretive and quiet and did their own thing. I didn't like that. ... We're all friends now. It's cool. Big Easy wasn't mad. On the mat, Dan looked at him and was like, "Please don't kill me." [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Your other "evil" tactic was stealing Brian and Ericka's cab.
Dan: Yeah, but why wouldn't we? The truth is, what they didn't show you, is that we actually had that cab driver call for another cab and the cab was supposed to be there in five minutes, so Brian and Ericka were like, "Yeah, you can take our cab. That's fine as long as the other cab will be here in five minutes." But that cab never showed up, so technically it was that cab driver's fault for not showing up.
Sam: Were we the villains? Probably not, but the edit gave us that picture. We don't mind it. Somebody has to do it.

TVGuide.com: Your fights were insane. What's the deal?
Dan: We're polar opposites. We couldn't be away from each other for seven days a week for three weeks, so of course you're going to fight. Any relationship, you're going to fight. Since we're brothers, we take it to the next extreme, but the two minutes after the fight, we're OK.
Sam: We had the big famous fight at the haybales. That stuck with us the rest of the time and that's why everyone picked out our fights. The golem was the other one.

TVGuide.com: Your other story line earlier this season was Maria and Tiffany not knowing you were gay. They said you told them before you told the rest of the group.
Dan: We actually told them in Vietnam. We just wanted to because it was kind of awkward and Tiffany was saying some weird things, so we were like, "Hey, we're gay." [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Maybe they just picked on you guys, but the show played up your lack of geography knowledge — calling the Persian Gulf a country, not knowing Monaco, among them.
Sam: [Laughs] Yeah, we know where Monaco is. The Persian Gulf thing was just a fluke. Honestly, we know the Persian Gulf is a gulf and we said the country thing out of, I don't know, a moment of idiocy, but we thought maybe there was an airport that was known as the Persian Gulf Airport, like one specific airport in Saudi Arabia or someplace. And right after I said Prague's a country, I went, "Oh no, it's in the Czech Republic," but of course they cut it off before I corrected myself.

TVGuide.com: What's next for you guys?
Dan: I graduate from school in May and then I'm going to Africa for a little bit and then find a job. Back to the real world and hopefully many good things to come.
Sam: I'm putting together med school applications. I'll be applying this summer. I could see myself doing medicine in Third World countries, fighting infectious diseases and stuff like that.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Races-Sam-1012930.aspx

RealityFreakWill:
Teams and Tactics with Sam and Dan of The Amazing Race

After cranking up the competitive heat in The Amazing Race 15, brothers Sam and Dan McMillen became one of the strongest teams of the latest amazing season. Although Sam and Dan rubbed a few Amazing Race teams the wrong way with how they approached The Amazing Race, both Sam and Dan were fearless in their run for the million-dollar Amazing Race prize. When the teams touched down in Las Vegas for the final leg of The Amazing Race, Sam and Dan were very much in the running to cross the Amazing Race finish line in first place.

With Meghan and Cheyne keeping amazing pace, with Brian and Ericka close behind, Sam and Dan had that one moment in The Amazing Race that cost them the lead when they were forced into the Monte Carlo casino to count $1 million in poker chips. The stop at Monte Carlo was long enough for Meghan and Cheyne to gain ground on the brothers to win The Amazing Race while Sam and Dan hit The Amazing Race mat in second place.

The morning after the season finale of The Amazing Race 15, we went one-on-one with Sam and Dan to find out what went wrong in Las Vegas, whether they have any regrets about how they ran The Amazing Race, and how Sam and Dan feel they compliment each other after butting heads so many times during the race.

THE DEADBOLT: So what was it that cost you guys first place? Was it the cab or Monte Carlo?

[The Amazing Race] DAN MCMILLEN: It definitely was not the cab. It wasn't that close. It was close, probably about ten minutes. It was the thing with the poker chips since we don't play. We don't gamble and have never been to a casino really, so we just didn't know how to count them and we were counting them one by one. Cheyne has played poker before and he knew exactly how to do it. So that was really where we lost it.

SAM MCMILLEN: Also, I think to sum it up, we were just too careful on that leg. We should've just gone for it and evened the stacks and just flown through it like they did. But we wanted to be cautious so we didn't mess up.

THE DEADBOLT: It seemed like at the mid-point of the race that you guys really cranked up your competitive play. Was it a conscious decision or was that right from the start?

DAN: I think once it got down to the final six and once the poker girls got out was when we were like, "We're not working with anyone anymore. We're completely in this just for us." So I think after the Netherlands, or starting in the Netherlands, was when it really started getting heated for us.

THE DEADBOLT: Since some of the teams thought your tactics were questionable, in hindsight do you feel you had to play that way to get so far in the race?

[The Amazing Race] DAN: We weren't like, "Oh, we have to do this." We were saying that if the opportunity comes and we have to make a decision that might look back-stabbing, we're going to do it. I think that a lot of people look at it and they say, "Why would they do that?" But the majority of people probably would do the same thing we did.

SAM: [laughs] And we don't really care.

DAN: For example: Say we hadn't stolen the cab, maybe we could've gotten on the little metro that was nearby. You never know. But if we were given the opportunity, we would totally do it again.

THE DEADBOLT: So Dan, how did you feel about not giving Big Easy the word?

DAN: I loved it. I wouldn't change a thing. We agreed to help each other out and I did, I gave him an "F". That's a ton of help, especially going into the final three. So I don't see why people were so turned off by that. Looking back, I should've told him it started with an "N" or something, then they really would've been messed up. I mean, Big Easy and I are friends now, so it's all good. But it's not my fault. Let's just say we might be the mean team of the season but they might be the dumb team of the season.

[The Amazing Race] SAM: It's really funny, because Dan and Big Easy really only worked together on their first guesses then they stopped working together. So when Dan finally did get it, Big Easy is like, "Come on, help me out." Dan had no obligation at that point.

THE DEADBOLT: When you were up on Madalay Bay, were those actual glass windows? What was preventing you from crashing into someone's room?

SAM: That's a good question. I was actually really worried about that. I kept trying to look in to see if there were people watching me go down. But yeah, those windows were really thick. It felt like walking on concrete almost. They were really thick windows.

THE DEADBOLT: How much did it actually help you guys when you were bantering back and forth at the roadblocks?

DAN: I don't know. I think it actually helped us because no matter how much we yelled, or much we argued, we were going to get it done. And we weren't going to be sensitive to it, so we just kind of moved on. We each knew our special needs. So once we got to a roadblock, we made the decision within like two minutes.

THE DEADBOLT: What's the one task you wish you would've switched places on?

SAM: I would say the hay bales.

DAN: Yeah, definitely.

THE DEADBOLT: Is there anything we didn't see that you guys wished got aired?

[The Amazing Race] DAN: No, I think they did a great job. I was happy with our edit, even at the end. We were kind of made out to be the villains but I liked it. I think they edited us well, so I was happy with it.

THE DEADBOLT: How do you guys think you complemented each other?

SAM: I guess I would say our styles in life are so different but it was cool to come together and try to work together on the race. So we complemented each other very well. We balanced each other out a lot.

DAN: Yeah, we fought a lot but we each contributed equally with our skills and stuff. So that was a nice complement.

THE DEADBOLT: Did the brother relationship help?

DAN: Definitely. I think being brothers helped us a lot, because look at the past season, or the past two seasons, siblings have won. So we almost kept the streak going but we didn't.

http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/106818/sam_dan_amazing_race_interview.php

RealityFreakWill:
The Amazing Race 15: Exclusive Interview with Sam and Dan McMillen

On the season finale of The Amazing Race, teams headed to Vegas, where they headed to a wedding chapel, repelled face first down a hotel, joined the cast of Cirque du Soleil, counted a million dollars in poker chips, and visited Wayne Newton’s house.  At the poker chip challenge, Sam and Dan McMillen were in first place but Megan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney were able to come from behind, finish first, and arrive at the finish line about 8-10 minutes ahead of the brothers.  Today, the runners up spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about their experiences on the show, their fighting, and how they feel about being pegged as the villains.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Who came up with the idea to try out for The Amazing Race?
A. Dan: I think it was me.  I’ve watched it since I was in 7th grade.  I turned 21 and we got it goin’.  It was a long process.  I told Sam that our story would be pretty cool.
A. Sam: Completely coincidentally, Star from 2 seasons ago was a friend of mine in college.  When Dan said let’s apply, I said, “Hell yeah!”

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You didn’t reveal right off the bat that you’re both gay and I can understand why.  Did you have a plan about coming out to the other racers or did it just sort of unfold naturally?
A. Sam: Honestly, we were expecting it to be something that would unfold naturally.  When we did start coming out, we recognize that the best time to come out is when it feels natural.  We told the girls in Vietnam.  We wanted to wait until the finish line to reveal it to everyone else but we ended up telling them in the airport in Dubai.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You had some competitive moments, from stealing Brian and Ericka’s taxi to a few run-ins with the Globetrotters.  Do you think that the racers this season were too nice?
A. Dan: Exactly!  I was so surprised that we were looked at as the villains. 
A. Sam: After the race, and everything was said and done, Dan and I had no idea that we were going to be painted as the villains.  It just goes to show you how nice everyone was when those things make us the villain.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It seems like you got close to all of the other racers this season and were genuinely friends.
A. Dan: Actually, 8 of us have matching tattoos!
A. Sam: We have a permanent bond with them whether we like it or not!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What, do you think, was your strongest leg?
A. Dan: Definitely Amsterdam!  That was our first place finish.  It was a smooth race for us.
A. Sam: I think Dubai was also a good leg, when we did the gold counting.  They edited it to make us look like idiots.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The stress of the race certainly took its toll on you as the race went on and you started fighting more.  Did you underestimate how much it would affect you guys?
A. Sam: Absolutely!  I have probably yelled at someone once in my life before the race.  I had no idea I had that kind of explosion in me.  In that sense, it goes to show how real and genuine the stress of the race is.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: For a minute there, I thought you caught a break when Meghan and Cheyne went to the wrong casino.  What happened with the poker chips that cost you the race?
A. Sam: He knew how to stack them and make sure they were even.  We were too cautious and I take the blame for that.  I wanted to be careful because I didn’t think there was any way they were going
A. Dan: I think it was the fact that Sam and I have never played poker in our lives.  We were counting chip by chip.  Cheyne has played before and was comfortable with counting.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How long after Meghan and Cheyne crossed the finish line did you arrive?
A. Sam: About 8-10 minutes.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Now that you’ve watched the show, do you feel like America got an accurate picture of who you two are?
A. Sam: I think they accentuated a few things more heavily then they actually existed.  We didn’t really fight as much as they showed and we didn’t any more than any other team.  Well, maybe a little bit.  I think for the most part, we’re very pleased with how it turned out and how we were edited.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you have any plans to travel more?
A. Sam: I’m gonna travel all spring and apply to med school in the summer.
A. Dan: I’m graduating in May then going to Africa in May and June.  When I get back, I’ll get a job.

http://www.realitywanted.com/newsitem/2689-the-amazing-race-15-exclusive-interview-with-sam-and-dan-mcmillen

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