The Amazing Race > The Racers
TAR 20: Misa and Maiya Tanaka *Sisters*
Flamant:
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s66/the-amazing-race/interviews/a366788/the-amazing-races-misa--maiya-tanaka-interview-we-need-a-redemption.html
The Amazing Race's Misa & Maiya Tanaka interview: We need a redemption
Published Wednesday, Feb 22 2012, 11:12am EST | By Lara Martin
Misa Tanaka and sister Maiya Tanaka's exit from The Amazing Race on Sunday (February 19) will always be remembered for just how close they were to the pitstop when they abruptly turned around and ran off, apparently not seeing Phil Keoghan standing just in front of them. Unfortunately, that decision forced the San Diego siblings into last place and they were eliminated from the race after just one leg in Argentina.
Digital Spy spoke to the sisters about exactly what happened at the pitstop, which racers they befriended on the journey, and whether they recognized their famous competitors:
You must be tired of this question, but just how did you miss Phil and the pitstop?
Misa: "When we ran out there we were so frantic to find the mat that we had no idea what we were looking for. When you're under those circumstances, there is so much pressure, you're fatigued and dehydrated, you get tunnel vision and you only see a few feet in front of you. We looked around, we looked to the right, everything, but we didn't have a clear expectation of what we were supposed to find. We were looking for Phil and knew he'd have a little bit of an entourage with him, but at the end of the day we just did not see him."
Maiya: "The other factor is we knew how close it was. Joey and Danny only had a few more empanadas to make and we had to find Phil asap. That added pressure and knowing they were right on our tail made us a little scatter-brained at that point."
Just how close was it between you guys and Joey and Danny?
Maiya: "Well, we saw them on the mat so we knew it was only a matter of seconds. It was just a really close game at that point. We honestly ran around the whole property and came in from the vineyard - which nobody else came in from! We know we made a few wrong turns at that point!"
It sounds like you can almost laugh about it now… Can you or is it still a bit of a sore point?
Misa: "It's still a bit of a sore point for me. Watching it was really tough and even though we knew the whole time we'd come in last, it was still heartbreaking to watch that and relive the whole thing. All of your emotions definitely come out and watching it again I could feel everything I was going through that day. Now, looking back, we can laugh and say, 'Oh, my gosh, what were we thinking?' but it's still a tough pill to swallow."
Maiya: "I think the main thing is it happened and there's nothing you can do to change the outcome so you might as well look at it in a positive light. We got to go to Argentina, we got to travel, I got to be with my sister and we got a lot closer. She got to skydive, I got to play in the sand!"
How was the overall experience in Argentina?
Maiya: "It was great. I loved the people there. I got to interact with a lot of them because I was stranded on the side of the road so it kind of forced me to! Everybody was so kind and everybody who drove by was willing to help me. This guy drove past on a motorcycle and although he couldn't help pull me out, he had rope. The next guy couldn't help pull me out because his car was too small but he had wire. Eventually we had a guy with a truck who could pull me out. It was a group effort. I realized how generous and kind strangers can be. It really made me appreciate the fact that we're on the show, it's such a great opportunity, and we weren't going to give up."
Misa: "It was amazing for me because I've always wanted to go skydiving, so having the opportunity to do that and have it recorded on TV and be able to relive it was just awesome. And to skydive over such an amazing and beautiful country left my speechless. These are the memories we'll always treasure forever."
How much did the race impact your relationship as sisters?
Misa: "We had each other for support throughout the entire race and just training together in preparation to run the race brought us closer. We were working out together the whole time, researching together, and then having no cell phones or technology ,and dedicating all the time to each other, competing with each other, and acting as teammates brought us a lot closer."
Would you ever travel together again?
Maiya: "I don't know about that! (laughs). No, I'd love to travel with Misa. I'd love for her to come out to one of my golf events or something like that. I feel we did get a lot closer and we can rely on each other and have each other's backs for everything. We'd like to travel together where we're not under so much pressure!"
Misa: "We'd love to go to Japan, that would probably be our biggest dream come true; it's where our ancestors are from."
Did you have enough time on the race to strike up any friendships with the other racers?
Maiya: "Art and JJ are actually from San Diego so we had an instant bond with them being from the same area. They were kind of like poppa bears to us, they looked out for us, and they were really cool guys."
Misa: "Bopper and Mark are so funny! Bopper was so entertaining and he was somebody we instantly felt a bond with. We knew he had a lot of fight in him because he was fighting for his daughter and the bigger picture. Also Joey and Danny, mainly Joey, because I rode in the plane with him. It was so nervewracking! Even though I've always wanted to go skydiving, I was so nervous being up there in the plane. We kept getting higher and higher, but he kept me cool."
Maiya: "Also, being a female-female team, we got kind of close to the other female-female teams which were Nary and Jamie and Team Double Bubble, Kerri and Stacy. It was kind of like girls stick together a little bit. It would have been interesting to see what we could have done together."
Did you recognize Team Big Brother - Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas?
Misa: "I had no idea they were on Big Brother! They told us; they were very upfront with it at the airport after coming out of the vineyard, but I would have never known if they hadn't said something."
Maiya: "Some people tried to lie about what they did but they were very upfront about it."
What is next for you?
Maiya: "Right now I'm preparing for golf season and I will be playing on the Futures Tour and the Canadian Tour and I'll try to qualify into some LPGA events. Basically, it's prep season and I've been working out and eating right and practising a whole lot since I've been back. I'm excited to start the season. I've been kind of a little timid in the sand bunkers lately (laughs) but I figure all my bad luck has escaped me for the year!"
Misa: "I'm back to buying cars and I really hope that I'll be able to do some print work or commercials and hopefully some charity events as well so we can really give back from what we gained through our experience on The Amazing Race. I'm excited for what's to come in the future."
Would you do the race again if you could?
Maiya: "Yes, 100%!"
Misa: "In a second! We wouldn't think twice about it."
Maiya: "We are such a good team and we have so many talents and skills we didn't get to showcase, so I do feel we would do it again in a heartbeat."
Misa: "We need a redemption! We would not make that goof history mistake ever again!"
Maiya: "And we know what Phil looks like now!"
Jobby:
It's just so hard to read their interviews. -_-
Flamant:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/elimination_interviews/83783/
Elimination Interview: Misa and Maiya
Posted on Feb 22, 2012 04:16pm
We asked Misa and Maiya some of the questions that you (the fans!) sent in via Twitter and Facebook! See what they had to say about their experience on The Amazing Race!
Sean F.: What were you looking at that made it impossible for you to see Phil just a few yards away?
Maiya: We weren't looking at anything I guess. We were so drained and let down that we were hopping Phil was going to jump out in front of us. We were running around and had to make a few u-turns and that was one of the ones we shouldn't have made.
Julie M.: Were you embarrassed at all?
Maiya: Honestly, this has got to be one of the biggest mistakes in Amazing Race history so, yes. It is embarrassing. However, we gave it our all and we only were seconds away. We just needed to look both ways.
Misa: More than embarrassing it was disappointing. We fought really, really hard and caught a lot of unlucky breaks, but I was more disappointed than embarrassed. It is a huge mistake that we regret but we were more disappointed.
Anita L.: What is the hardest part of playing The Amazing Race?
Misa: The hardest part is not realizing how much of a mental game it really is - there are contributing factors like not eating, sleeping, dehydration, etc. The unknown is really hard. We are such rule followers so not knowing the directions and where we were going was really hard well as well.
Maiya: For me, not winning was the hardest part to ACCEPT because we are so competitive. Any loss is really difficult and tough to swallow.
Erin W.: What was your proudest moment while racing in the Amazing Race?
Maiya: I was the most proud of how we acted and how we never gave up. I think the fact that we kept getting unlucky but we continued to persist through everything and kept our head up in the end, that is what I am most proud of.
Misa: I'm really proud of our perseverance and that we were able to fight through all the challenges that came our way. We never got so disheartened that we even thought to quit. We kept fighting till the end.
Leigh G.: How much of a role does nerves play in the game - i.e., it's going to be televised, there are cameras around, etc. Were you able to tune any of that out as you played? You did great, by the way, to even get on the show! :)
Misa: Thanks. It was really stressful to have to make decision quickly during the game, but it was not nerves of being on television.
Maiya: You almost forget that the cameras are there. The nerves come from wanting to win so badly and wanting to do well.
theamazingracer21:
Who thinks they will come back for a 2nd chance (all star season,ect)
Aussie:
I doubt they will, but they do deserve another chance.
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