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TAR 21: Josh Kilmer-Purcell & Brent Ridge "Goat Farmers/Life Partners"

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bc922:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Winners-Josh-Brent-Beekmans-1057487.aspx

Amazing Race's Josh and Brent: We'd Rather Be the Worst Winners Than the Best Losers

Dec 10, 2012 02:28 PM ET
by Joyce Eng

Need proof that the only leg that matters is the final leg on The Amazing Race? The Fabulous Beekman Boys' Josh and Brent — who had finished second to last six times during season and never in the top two before the finale — defied the odds and a three-team alliance to win the $1 million. They are the third team to win the Race without winning a previous leg. "We were the underdogs, but we didn't give up no matter how bad things got," Josh tells TVGuide.com. "I think we earned the win." Nevertheless, given their low placements throughout the Race and the fact that they seemed ready to throw in the towel to save Abbie and Ryan in Amsterdam, some fans believe they're unworthy winners. Find out why they don't mind that label, what they're doing with the money and more.

Congratulations! What was going through your mind when you got to the finish?
Brent: We couldn't believe it. It's still kind of surreal.

Do you know how far behind the Chippendales were?
Josh: Maybe 25 to 30 minutes? I don't know actually. [Laughs] It's hard to tell because we were just in a daze in that moment.

Did you think you had this in the bag knowing you left the flags first?
Brent: We knew where Gotham Hall was from our time in the city, but regardless, we still talked to someone with an iPhone and checked and double-checked to make sure we were going to the right place. So we felt pretty confident and we had a great cab driver there at the end.

How long did the flags take you, Josh? They showed the time elapsed at two and a half hours when the sun was setting and by the time you finished, it was completely dark.
Josh: It felt like three and a half or more hours. It took a long time. But I knew once I reduced it to a mathematical problem after I did the ones I knew, I just calculated how many options there were and went through them one by one. Really, that was the only way to finish. We calculated it out and there were well over 1,100 different options and I would've stood there and done every single one. [Laughs]

I think a lot of people thought you had a mental advantage over the Chippendales, and Trey and Lexi. Were you surprised at how long it took you or that you didn't remember most of the greetings?
Josh: No, I really wasn't surprised. Once I figured out the formula, I knew that it was literally trying one flag next to another one over and over again until I got it. As soon as I realized that neither Lexi nor James could remember any more than I did, I knew that they were in the same boat I was.

You had a pretty defeatist attitude for a bit, especially in Amsterdam when you beat Abbie and Ryan. Were you really serious about bowing out for them?
Brent: We didn't want to necessarily lose or drop out, but from the very start of the Race, we could see on everyone's faces that this is a huge life-changing opportunity. ... I don't know if we were more sensitive than the other people who were racing, but it's really hard to see someone's dream come to an end. It was hard after every elimination, but we had grown close with Abbie and Ryan.

Did you think Abbie and Ryan deserved to advance further than you? That's what you were implying at the mat and when you wanted to wait for them to do the other Detour.
Josh: We checked ourselves at that moment. We always wanted to make sure that we didn't just win the Race. We wanted to run the Race in a way that we'd be proud of ourselves. We wanted to make sure that we weren't going against our own values and our own way of working together. We did check ourselves, but then we made the right decision to go ahead. Ryan and Abbie would totally back it up that there was no choice for us but to continue.

How much did seeing the other three teams' alliance motivate you?
Brent: That was actually the biggest motivator. We took a different strategy to the Race. From watching 20 other seasons of The Amazing Race, we saw that it wasn't usually one team defeating another; it was a team defeating itself. That was really our strategy going in: not break down among ourselves. I think when we got to that point and saw that these other teams not only formed an alliance, but they formed one because they perceived us to be a weaker team, that made us go, "You know what? We've accomplished a lot in our lives. By no means were we the weakest team there and we have to prove it."

Natalie and Nadiya seemed to take the most umbrage to you guys.
Brent: We'll go on the record and say the twins are great girls. They're smart and funny — they kept us laughing the entire Race.
Josh: And they're super-competitive. They're terrific girls. They played to win and that's what a competitor does.

Do you think they were so upset with you because their plan backfired? They got rid of Abbie and Ryan and they didn't expect you guys to be beating them.
Josh: Yeah, definitely. I think they would've been upset no matter who was beating them. They're just great competitors. I don't think there was necessarily anything against us. We just happened to be at that moment their biggest threat. ... They were trying to psych us out just as much as we were trying to psych them out.

You guys did a better job of that at the dog food Detour.
Brent: That was funny because as soon as we saw that they couldn't talk and chop at the same time, we knew we had to keep them talking, so that's what we did.

That leg, you left the caves last. Did you think that was it?
Josh: I have to admit that on that car ride, we thought it was over, especially when we hit a detour — an actual detour, not a Race Detour. [Laughs] The twins had been self-navigating so well that day — they caught up to all of us after their Speed Bump — so knowing they left first and were doing so well navigating, I was really shocked to find out we were third.

Luck is a big part of the Race. How much of your whole season do you think can be attributed to luck? You guys stayed in by the skin of your teeth on a lot of legs.
Brent: Yeah, you're absolutely right. There's a lot of luck that goes into the game. I would say maybe 60 percent of the game is luck. But here's our thought on it: Every team at the starting line started out with the same amount of good luck and bad luck. Part of the Race is trying to deal with the chips as they fall, and when you're having bad luck, figuring out how to turn that around, and when you're having good luck, figuring out how to run with it. I think some of the other teams maybe did not have as much life experience as we've had and maybe weren't as good at being attuned to different situations. It's different when you're always in the front and then you then fall to the back — how are you going to respond to that? That's how life is. That's why we always go with the flow.

What was your lowest moment?
Brent: I think our lowest moment was probably when we missed the connecting flight, which put us so far behind. To that point, we had been pretty middle-of-the-road. I think we were 14 and a half hours behind and on the Race, that's almost insurmountable.
Josh: People will say we're the luckiest team ever, but one of the things that proved how hard we worked to stay in the Race was we were 14 and a half hours behind and by the time we set off for Spain, we were only three hours behind. [Flight and train] schedules are part of it, but we did make up time at some tasks.

Some fans think you're the worst winners ever because of your low placements and never having finished higher than third before the finale. What do you have to say?
Brent: As I said, we started middle of the pack. I think just because of the way the last half of the Race went, people thought that we were always at the end. ... And there was quite a bit switching around before Tex and Lex started dominating the last few legs. I think that because of approach that we took in that we weren't always gunning to be the first team to reach the mat, when it came down to the end when it really mattered, we weren't mentally exhausted, so we could make the right decisions.
Josh: Let me go on record as saying, I would always rather be the worst winner than the best loser!

Isn't the goal ultimately to win the final leg anyway?
Brent: That's right. That's what a lot of people, particularly the people watching the show at home, lose sight of. Ultimately, it's not about winning every leg; it's just not losing a leg.

What are you going to do with the money?
Josh: We're going to pay off the mortgage on our farm so that I can move up to Sharon Springs [in upstate New York] full time and we can be together again. We're also going to buy a building on the main street in our village that will become the headquarters of our business. ... We're also starting a line of food products, where 25 percent of the profits will go to help other farmers pay off their mortgages.
Brent: Right now, we're working on our next cookbook. That comes out next fall. And just keep on farming!

bc922:
http://www.realitywanted.com/newsitem/6003-the-amazing-race-21-exclusive-interview-with-winners-josh-kilmer-purcell-and-brent-ridge#.UMgJu4UU7Vo

The Amazing Race 21: Exclusive Interview with Winners Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge

Posted on 12/10/2012   
by Gina Scarpa

Going into last night's finale of The Amazing Race, it was safe to say that Beekman Boys Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge were the underdogs.  For much of the race, they arrived at the pit stops in the middle of the pack, but a missed flight in Germany pushed them to the bottom of the group.  They narrowly escaped elimination more than once but pulled it together when it mattered most, in the last two legs in France and New York.  Brent's courageous and calm demeanor during a bungee challenge and Josh's analytical approach to the final task led them to victory and they got their one and only first place victory this season when they claimed the million dollar prize.  We talked to the couple today about their journey, their successes and failures along the way, and what's next for them!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to do The Amazing Race?
A. Brent: I kind of pulled Josh kicking and screaming, I think.
A. Josh: It's hard! We're both longtime fans and I can tell by watching, it was hard. Then I found out it was five times harder than I thought it was!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When I interviewed Ryan and Abbie and asked them about you, he said, "What they lack in brawn, they make up for in brain." Your intelligence certainly came into play many times during the race, but especially in this last leg. Did you look at your abilities as an advantage or a disadvantage, coming in?
A. Brent: I think every team that was in the race came in with some skill that they had that was better than any other team. Some were stronger, some were more charismatic... maybe we had an advantage because of our life experience and nerdiness.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How much did you overhear from the other teams on that train ride to France and did you realize everything that was being said about you?
A. Brent: When we watched it back, obviously, we look through that veil of competitive spirit. I don't think we take anything personally. I do hope that, when the other teams look back, they realize some things about themselves and about how it might come across to people. I was having a conversation with Abbie, we watched the show together this weekend in New York with some other racers. Abbie told her dance students, "We're so quick to judge something when we see it on tv and now, I'm on the receiving end of that." I think that's a great learning lesson for anyone. We can see that some of Natalie and Nadiya's comments out of context, or maybe in context, was just their competitive spirit. They didn't mean anything in a derogatory way.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You had some tough moments throughout the race. Would you say one of the most difficult was that swimming challenge in Russia?
A. Brent: Yeah, the first half of Russia was probably our lowest moment. Up until that point, we had kinda been running middle of the road. That missed connection in Frankfurt put us way into another realm. By the time we landed in Moscow, the other teams had already finished that leg of the race. We were so exhausted and of course, Josh wanted to choose the library challenge but they had already closed. We got to the pool and that was a really hard task. I'm not saying I was the best swimmer but it was just not our best moment. After that, we got up the next day and rallied through the tasks and made up a lot of ground.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Brent, you said you came close to panicking during the Houdini challenge in New York, but you seemed pretty cool up there! How did you stay focused?
A. Brent: One of the things I always do in any situation when I'm feeling like I could be panicky, is say, "I'm not the first person to have ever done this." That's the attitude I had going into this. "Houdini found a way to do it, I can find a way to do it." I was laying there and I almost fell asleep while I was waiting to do that challenge. I was just being calm, focused, and centered.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Josh, you talked about how that final challenge became more of a math problem to solve, than a language problem. Tell us more about your strategy.
A. Josh: Well, I knew going in that I could figure out three right away, maybe even four. After that, I knew that it would be a process of elimination and I figured out the fastest way of doing combinations of different flags. There were over 1500 possible combinations and every time you got one right, that number would lessen dramatically and I kept that in my mind. Worst case scenario, I'd have to hoist those flags up 1500 times. If the other teams didn't figure it out, I knew I'd be good.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: One of the reasons it was so important for you to win was so that you could be together more on the farm. How is that going?
A. Josh: Well, we are living together for the first time in five years.
A. Brent: We're at the farm full time. We have this opportunity to really work on our Beekman business. We're working on the next book now, which will come out in September. It's just onward and upward. What we really want to say is to thank everybody who cheered us on. There's no doubt that there was an incredible amount of support and camaraderie among the other racers. To all the people at The Amazing Race, having come from a reality show, the level of production and detail, was unbelievable.

bc922:
http://www.thedeadbolt.com/1003028852-the-amazing-race-winners-josh-and-brent-we-would-never-give-up.html

The Amazing Race Winners Josh and Brent, “We would never give up!”
1 day ago by Reg Seeton

Goat farmers Josh and Brent crossed the finish line in first place to win Season 21 of The Amazing Race – Photo: CBS

This week on The Amazing Race, goat farmers Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, also known as the Fabulous Beekman Boys, crossed the finish line in first place to win Season 21 of the popular CBS reality series.

Although Josh and Brent were the underdogs all season long, the former Discovery channel hosts came from behind to win The Amazing Race after a key U-Turn earlier in the competition. Josh and Brent were all but counted out when allies Abbie and Ryan were U-Turned by the Chippendale dancers, Jaymes and James. But the U-Turn proved to be a new lease on Amazing Race life for the goat farmers who found new momentum and kept pace with the other remaining teams.

Josh and Brent didn’t give up when the odds were against them and managed to beat Trey and Lexi and The Chippendales during their final challenge at the United Nations building in New York City.

The day after winning The Amazing Race 21, The Deadbolt caught up with Josh and Brent to learn more about their victory, why they didn’t give up, and what it was like to be the underdogs all season.

THE DEADBOLT: When Abbie and Ryan were U-Turned, were you guys ready to quit, or did you look at it differently?

JOSH KILMER-PURCELL: We would never give up! That was our thing going into the race, that we would never quit. It was just really demoralizing to see a team that we had gotten close to, a really strong team, have to leave the race. It was just a very, very sad moment.

THE DEADBOLT: It looked like the first half of the race was much harder for you. What was the difference?

JOSH: Well, we were doing pretty well. For the first few legs we were in the middle of the pack and then we had a major setback with the flight connection. It’s tough to make up a 14-hour lag. But by the time we caught up, we were only 3-hours behind the next team. It was a pretty major accomplishment over two legs. We were as far back as any team could possibly be and still be in the same game. We just kept going.

THE DEADBOLT: Was it better to be the underdogs rather than the ones to beat? How do you see it now?

JOSH RIDGE: I think it was better for us to be the underdogs. We knew going into the race that every team has their specific set of strengths and weaknesses. We knew from the moment we were on the starting line that we wouldn’t beat half of these teams in a physical challenge. So we had to rely on our life experiences, having lost our jobs and having to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and start over. With that flexibility, we needed to have a “go with the flow” mentality. We knew that was going to be our strength.

I think when you’re at the back of the pack, that strength is really, really valuable. By the time we got to the finish line, the last couple of legs of the race, all of the other teams that approached the race like “I have to win. I have to come in first,” were more mentally and psychologically exhausted than we were. You could see that on the final two legs. The top three teams were starting to get frazzled.

ianthebalance:
Does anyone else find it ironic that out of the final 3 teams, they had the highest placement on leg 1 :cmaslol.

Jobby:
True! I didn't realize that! :cmas30: :cmaslol

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