The taste of tea was bittersweet for Margie and Luke on 'The Amazing Race'
by: Sheri Block
Date: 3/30/2011 2:33:00 PM ET
After Luke was stumped finding a cup of mango and papaya tea amongst hundreds of others in India, he and his mother Margie were the next to be eliminated on “The Amazing Race.” The team from Colorado Springs, Colo., answered CTV.ca’s questions about their elimination and Luke’s determination to finish the challenge via e-mail.
CTV.ca What a heartbreaking episode to watch and I’m so sorry you were eliminated.
Luke: Where's my farewell tea? :-)
CTV.ca: Luke, what was going through your mind as you were trying to find the right tea?
Luke: I was going crazy!! I was trying to figure it out how other racers found the right tea! I tried smelling but it didn't work out well for me since all teas smelled so similar so it's hard to tell the difference. Basically I just picked (a) teacup randomly and hoped it's the right one!
CTV.ca: Margie, how difficult was it for you to watch your son go through this?
Margie: It was heartbreaking to watch; it was actually harder to watch on TV.
CTV.ca: Luke, why was it important for you to finish the challenge? Did it remind you at all of the surfboard challenge from last time you ran the ‘Race?’
Luke: Yeah, I literally had a flashback of the surfboard task where I was really frustrated. I didn't want to let my Mom down. I want to show the world that I'm not (a) quitter so I pushed myself through teacups and finished it strong. I'm really proud of myself even (though) it wasn't easy!
CTV.ca: Margie, how proud were you of Luke that he wanted to keep going?
Margie: I am so proud of Luke; he just never gives up. He may not win every race but he finishes them.
CTV.ca: What a nice gesture for Flight Time to give you a hug and wish you well at the painting elephant challenge – what did that mean to both of you?
Luke: That was really nice of him. He's the only one (who) knew how I felt. We endured really bad. He drank tea for three hours. I drank one more hour after Globetrotters left. It wasn't the most easy task I faced on ‘The Amazing Race’ so it was really nice of Flight Time to take a couple minutes to say good job and all that.
Margie: For me it was the most memorable moment of season 18. It was so nice (of) Flight Time to take the time to come over and hug us both; he is the only other person that knows what Luke endured.
CTV.ca: Luke, why did you apologize to your Mom once you got to the mat?
Luke: I felt like I let my Mom down. Twice! Surfboards and Tea. Both were my downfall. It was really hard to go out that way. I didn't want to repeat the same mistake I made from the first season with the surfboard task. Tea was really tough. We both knew it's the luck, not the skills, so we just got bad luck on that day. We are proud of ourselves for making it to the halfway (point) of the 'Race.'
CTV.ca: Margie, how emotional was it for you at that moment? And why was no apology necessary?
Margie: I think Luke thought he let me down; nothing could be farther from the truth. I was more proud of him for finishing that leg of the race than I was for winning any leg.
CTV.ca: You came in third on Season 14 – were you disappointed with your finish this time?
Luke: My Mom and I talked about it before going on the ‘Race’ for the second time that we would have fun this time around! It would have been nice if we could go little further but I am happy that we made it to the halfway (point) of the ‘Race’ so that's something we are proud of.
Margie: I was very disappointed. We felt like we were just hitting our stride in China getting a 1st place and a 3rd place finish and were really ready to race and then the tea fiasco.
CTV.ca: Luke, you not only proved that someone who is deaf can run ‘The Amazing Race,’ but can run it twice. How does that feel?
Luke: AMAZING! I never thought in a million years that I would actually get to be on ‘The Amazing Race.’ And, doing it twice! I'm SO lucky. I'm really thankful for an incredible experience!
CTV.ca: What was the experience of the ‘Race’ like a second time around?
Luke: The vibe was totally different the second time around because we knew who everybody (was), their downfalls, and their strengths. Second time was just much tougher. It's more physically exhausting and we had to run much farther this time around. It definitely kicked our butts!
Margie: This season was harder than season 14. The legs were longer, we had to run farther distances and the tasks were more physically challenging.
CTV.ca: What was it like racing alongside Jen and Kisha considering you had a run-in with them the first time around?
Luke: There were no grudges this time around, we talked it out and became friends so it was nice. We (send) tweets to each other sometimes.
Margie: We made up with Jen and Kisha a long time ago and we were happy to be racing with them again.
CTV.ca: What were some of the highlights from the ‘Race’ this time?
Luke: The Outback! I have always wanted to visit the Outback. It was WAY hotter than I expected it would be! The train ride across the Outback was just so beautiful. That was my favorite highlight of the ‘Race.’ I'm going back to Australia next year so I am really excited about it!
Margie: Sydney was so cool and of course Flight Time hugging us right before we were eliminated and getting to know so many new, very cool racers.
CTV.ca: Is your bond even stronger between the two of you now? Any plans to do another reality show?!
Luke: Mom and I have always been close before we went on ‘Amazing Race’ but it has definitely made our bond much stronger now. As for doing more reality shows, I wouldn't say no if another show comes along! As long as there's no surfboards and tea involved!
Margie: I didn't think our bond could get any stronger after season 14 but somehow it did. Luke and I will always have these AMAZING memories.
http://shows.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRace/article/The-taste-of-tea-was-bittersweet-for-Margie-and-Luke-on-The-Amazing-Race