So last evening was your final appearance on the
show. How are you both reflecting on the entire experience?
Tom: Well, I'm still rowing right now actually
[laughter]. No, but it was an amazing
experience, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And even
though we didn't win this race, we won so much more
for our relationship and for ourselves.
Terry: And we did it with dignity, from the beginning
until the end.
Did the show bring you closer?
Terry: I would say if anything it reaffirmed our
relationship and just how strong it is. It was funny
to see how all the nongay couples argued so often but
we never did. We just had fun, believed in each other,
and kept going.
Do you think being gay adversely affected your
relationships with people on the show or the locals?
Tom: I don't think so. Although Terry and I
are obviously and openly gay, we wanted to be defined
by our personalities, not our sexuality. So I think
once people got to know us and the locals got to know
us, our sexuality really became a nonissue.
Do you harbor any regrets from the show?
Terry: No, no regrets at all. I would do The
Amazing Race: All Stars in a second!
Tom: I don't have any regrets either. Sure,
there are a lot of "shoulda, coulda,
wouldas" that go through your mind, and for me I wish
I jumped into the water and started swimming three
hours before I did. That may have saved us.
So it was ultimately the rowing that messed you
guys up?
Terry: We rowed for an hour and a half in the wrong
direction, and even though we were in second place
when we got to the correct spot, we were concentrating
on the rules because we got burned the week before
with the rules. We were concentrating on where our boat was
supposed to be located by the ropes, and every time
another team came in our boat got further and further
away from everyone else because of the current. And
they didn't show how our boat flooded, so we wasted a
lot of time just trying to get the water out of the
boat. So between that, over seven hours of rowing,
being baked in the sun, and fighting the current, it was
a lot of fun!
What was your favorite experience from the show?
Tom: My favorite experience was doing the show with
Terry; we've only been together for 2
1/2 years, so to have the experience of a
lifetime with him was the true highlight for me. And despite
the competitive nature of the show, we developed some
nice friendships with the other teams, so that was a
highlight as well
Terry: I second what Tom said. And with regard to the
other teams, who would have thought that these gay
guys would sleep with 20-something-year-old
cheerleaders, sharing a slumber car with them while
going through Mongolia?
Tom: Yeah, James and Tyler were so jealous that we
slept with the cheerleaders before they did.
Tell us about your experience with Dave and Mary.
Terry: Oh, we love them! It's funny to think
about two gay New Yorkers befriending a Kentucky coal
miner and his wife, but it happened.
Tom: Dave and Mary said many times that they had
never met gay people before, and Terry and I found
that hard to believe and we told them we guarantee
that they've met gay people before but maybe they
didn't know that they were gay. That's such a
foreign concept to us after being in New York City for
so long, but for them that was the reality and maybe
they really hadn't met any gay people before.
What was so wonderful though was how they were so open
to the idea and so accepting of us and who we
are--you can only hope that other people would be like
they are.
Who are you cheering for out of the remaining teams?
Terry: I would say we are cheering for everyone in
the "back pack," especially Dave and
Mary, the Cho brothers, and the Alabama girls.
Tom: They are the three remaining teams in the
"back pack" since we were just
eliminated, and I think it would be wonderful to be at the
finish line and watch those three teams racing to the final
finish.
It does seem like they have odds stacked against
them, but it would be great to have the underdogs triumph.
Tom: I think what we learned from this race is that
anything can happen, and while they appear to be
underdogs, it is impossible to tell how luck and skill
will play roles in the end. We were all surprised that
Duke and Lauren were eliminated as a top team, and there has
been a different team in the number 1 position in all
four legs of this race, so it is really wide open at
this point. I don't think any of the "back
packers" are underdogs.
Well, thanks for chatting with us, and we will keep
an eye out for you on All Stars.
Tom: We think it would be a great idea to get all the
gay reality show contestants and put us on an island
to see if we're successful!
