The third team eliminated from The Amazing Race was a married couple, Brad and Victoria Hunt. Unfortunately, Victoria wasn’t feeling well on the day I got to talk to them, but Brad did tell me a lot about their Amazing Race experience nonetheless. Here is what he had to say…
Josh Clinton: Hey Brad, how are you doing?
Brad Hunt: Hi Josh, I’m good thanks.
JC: Good. So were you and Victoria both fans of The Amazing Race before you got on the show?
BH: Yeah, absolutely. We are both big fans of The Amazing Race and Survivor. That is actually how we got on, it was a Survivor applicant from a long time ago and almost been chosen several times. Then, finally Victoria sent the casting director of Survivor an e-mail and said “This is your last chance. You know I’m right for the show. I know I’m right for the show, put me on the show now or it’s over!” She enclosed the most recent picture of herself, which just happened to have me in in, so finally they said come try out for The Amazing Race.
JC: So Victoria actually tried out for Survivor first?
BH: Yeah, she almost got on a couple of times. But after we got on the race, she was so glad. She didn’t know why she wanted to sleep on the ground and eat bugs and put that through myself. The Amazing Race is really a much better deal if you can get it.
JC: Yeah. So you were all for doing the race with her then?
BH: Yeah, she suggested after the first season that we try out for it, and I said “sure”. It was either make an audition tape or call a divorce lawyer. It was pretty certain that at that point in our marriage, if wouldn’t have worked out, but fortunately things came around and there was better timing this time to be on the show.
JC: Cool. Now tell me what was the thought process behind attempting the risky connection times between flights in Amsterdam?
BH: Well originally there was plenty of time to make the connection in Amsterdam. When we started realizing that maybe our plane would be delayed, we became concerned and asked the gate agent. The gate agent said “oh no, there is no possible way. Your plane will be delayed any more. There is fog all over the place, so you will have plenty of time to catch it.” So we got the best information we could get from a local expert and that is what he told us. Still even when we were on the plane, we keep asking them “are we going to make it?” and they said “yeah, you should make it.” Then, it wasn’t five minutes before we landed when they said “oh, you might not make it!” In Europe, they don’t hold the plane for stragglers. So the plane we were trying to catch actually took off at 8:30 and our plane landed at 8:30. So we missed it by however much time it would have taken to get to gate to gate. Then, the airport was closed due to fog and we were stuck in the airport.
JC: Yeah, that sucks. How far behind the other teams did that put you then?
BH: I think we were about 18 hours behind everybody, but I’m not sure.
JC: Yeah, and in the end, how far Tammy and Victor were you?
BH: About 4 or 6 hours. That last leg I think we ran faster than any other team, so if you took our flight time out we would have been golden. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that way.
JC: Right. We didn’t see much of you in the last episode. So what you were guys doing?
BH: We were just trying to work our way back. Some of the stuff they showed was just boring really. We were in the airport on the internet trying to get enough information about Romania so we weren’t scrambling once we got there. We talked to locals and other travelers. The one thing they didn’t show that was kind surprising and really exciting was when we got to Romania, we had a cab ride from the Bucarest airport to the gymnastics challenge that was straight out of a James Bond movie. We had guy driving 40 or 50 miles per hour through rush hour traffic, missing other cars by inches, swerving into other lanes, going down one-way streets, driving up on the trolley tracks, honking his horn, and flashes his lights. I thought the camera crew was going to stop him, because they didn’t want to die. But they didn’t care, they were like “go man go!” Fortunately, we had a cool camera crew, they were into that stuff.
JC: Yeah, that would have been fun to watch.
BH: I don’t know why they didn’t show it. It would have been good.
JC: What was the hardest part of the race for you guys?
BH: It is more stressful than anyone can imagine. The lack of sleep, I don’t think many people realize how little sleep you get there. So the tremendous lack of sleep, time zone differences, money differences, language differences, everything looks completely different. So we were stressed and we had a camera in our face the whole time, and even though we got used to the camera in terms of being self conscious of it, but the constant presence of that camera always reminds you that every single move you make is life or death. The cameraman is always poking us about that. He is there saying “Are you sure you are going the right way? Are you sure? Don’t you think you should have done that?” He is really just feeding you with a lot of second guessing, but that is just his job. It really makes you aware that one false move and you’re dead. The stress is just incredible.
JC: I bet. Did you get along with all of the other teams or were there a couple that you really didn’t like at all?
BH: No, we ended up liking everybody. It’s funny how it works. We ending up going there and before the race starts we have the production stuff and meeting and all of that. They went over the rules and during that entire time we aren’t allowed to talk to anybody at all. So you are just looking at them, putting your game face on, and you start to not like them because they are competition. But as soon as the race starts, you find out once you talk to them that they are all really wonderful, friendly people. But they are all great and we are still in contact with them. We will be heading to Los Angeles with them to have a viewing party there with the couple cast in the end.
JC: That’s cool. Do you think you have made lifetime friends out of this then?
BH: I don’t know about lifetime. A few of them probably will be lifetime, but for now we have all been through an unique experience, and we all support each other. On Saturday and Sunday of last week, they all knew we were going out that day, so they all sent supportive e-mails and phone calls. So whoever is going out next we will call them and tell them to “keep their chin up and it’s not that bad”. (Laughs) I feel so terrible. We had this big viewing party with all of our friends there, and we know what is going to happen in the end. This is a dirty trick, because our friends are so excited as they come over and they are like “You guys are so great! You are going to win this thing, I can tell!” and we were like “oh god, just wait until you see.”
JC: Yeah. Did you and Victoria have a favorite part of the race?
BH: Actually the favorite part, we both agree, was that last leg. We raced really hard and faced with adversity, we didn’t have any time to focus on anything that was related to the race and get where we needed to go, and do what we needed to do. We raced hard, we made no mistakes, we had good luck, we were completely focused on trying to catch up, and it turned out really well. So that was probably our favorite part. Surprisingly enough. Everyone thinks we are bummed out, but we are like “No, actually we aren’t!” We were too focused on what we needed to do, and didn’t have too much time to feel sorry for ourselves.
JC: Cool. Do you think this race is wide open or do you have a favorite to ultimately it?
BH: I think there has been enough foreshadowing that I don’t think I am giving anything away when I say that the lead will flip back and forth some more times. Just the same way you saw Victor and Tammy be invincible on one leg, and then the next leg they were hopelessly lost. They essentially went from first to last in one episode. So I think you are going to see more drastic changes like that.
JC: Yeah. Now that you have seen yourself on TV, do you and Victoria think you have been portrayed accurately as far as your real personality goes?
BH: Yeah, actually we feel they have been pretty generous with us. There were moments were Victoria and I were arguing and bickering a little bit in the first few days of the race. We were kinda stressed, and it took us awhile to kind settle down. But they chose not to show any of that. There were also a few times that we got lost in some embarrassing, stupid ways and once we found out where we were, we couldn’t believe we did that. They didn’t show any of that either or show us as bumbling Americans. We didn’t get a lot screen time, but they left out all the negatives. For the most part, what happened in that last leg is how we are. Victoria and I have faced a lot of adversity, but both of us know that there comes a time where you have to put all of that behind you and deal with it the best you can, and keep a good attitude about yourself.
JC: Right. Do you learn anything about yourself or Victoria on the race that you didn’t know before?
BH: No, we knew all of those things before. One of the things that caused us to bicker in the first part of the race was I’m very task-orientated with tunnel vision. So I would tend to focus on the task and ignore her feelings, and I would say some insensitive things that hurt her feelings. So she’s crying, then I would get mad she was crying, so we had to have a little discussion. She said “you hurt my feelings” and I said “you have to try and not take it personal”, then she said “well you try and not be such a dick!” She said “you don’t be a dick and I won’t take it personally.” Her and I have this ability to talk explicit about things and not really blame each other and fight all the time. It was a lesson that we had known about ourselves before, but we had come against it again. And I have no delusions that we won’t face it again at some time in our marriage.
JC: Yeah. So what’s next for the both of you then?
BH: Well Victoria hurt her hip pretty bad running down the mountain, so she is going to be having hip surgery coming up this summer. And two weeks before the premiere, I was diagnosed with cancer, so I got some challenges ahead of me.
JC: Man, that stinks.
BH: Yeah, I know.
JC: Well that is all I have for you, but good luck with everything and thanks for your time.
BH: Thanks a lot!
– The Amazing Race airs on CBS in the U.S. on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
– The Amazing Race airs on the CTV network in Canada on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
