Reality Dish Exclusive Interview: Winners of The Amazing Race 14, Tammy and Victor Jih

Interviews

Well it almost didn’t happen thanks to a task in Romania…but Tammy and Victor managed to overcome that and come out as the winners of The Amazing Race 14. I had a chance to talk with them about their alliance with Jamie, Cara, Margie, and Luke, how badly Victor wants to go back to Romania and Nick and Starr. Here is what Tammy and Victor had to say….


Billy Debney: Hey Guys!

Tammy and Victor Jih: Hey Billy!

BD: Congratulations!

VJ: Thank you so much!

BD: How does it feel to be the winners of The Amazing Race, and actually be able to talk about it now?

TJ: Oh you know its still sinking in, even though it actually happened before Thanksgiving, yeah its still sinking in for me.

VJ: You know it’s actually weird, given the way these reality shows work. We were really excited about winning…but that was in November. So everyone is excited about that now…but for me now I’m just excited about talking about it. Different emotions.

BD: Did you have to keep it a secret from everybody?

TJ: Yes.

VJ: We didn’t tell anybody! My Dad would have nightmares because he would read internet spoilers. He swore that we lost…or didn’t do well at all. But we couldn’t say anything.

BD: How did he react when he found out?

VJ: He was shocked. You could see it on his face. You could tell he was very proud. They made a last minute trip to New York from Taiwan…but they kept asking if they really needed to come…if it would be worth it. We still didn’t want to tell them so we kind of had to play the mothers day card. So we basically guilted them into it.

BD: So what’s the story behind you getting cast?

TJ: Victor has always been a fan of the show. He started watching since season one, and he actually made me watch it with him. I really enjoyed it..but he was the true fan. And it was just recently that I started saying “I want to go on an adventure! If these people can do it so can I!” So I called Victor and said lets apply!

VJ: I guess some behind the scenes stuff…we actually applied for Season 13, and we actually met all the teams from that season. And at the end we did not get cast…they picked Nick and Starr instead. So i thought…oh well the dream is over. But when they contacted us for Season 14…I was thrilled.

BD: Kind of funny that they picked Nick and Starr over you…and both of you won your seasons!

VJ: (laughs) Exactlly! Maybe they were just saving the best for last…

BD: Obviously! How do you think Season 13 would have gone for you?

VJ: You really never know! The one thing I learned is that there are so many things that could go right or wrong. I wouldn’t say its all luck…but it really does play into it huge. And to survive and continue to the end of the race really requires you to manage, anticipate and overcome bad luck. I mean leg three could have gone very different for us.

TJ: Well putting luck aside…we would have had a fighting chance (laughs).

VJ: Yeah I would love to race against Nick and Starr and see what happens.

BD: So when did you guys first talk about your alliance with Jamie, Cara, Margie and Luke?

TJ: You know I wouldn’t call it an alliance. We all ended up walking the streets of Locarno on the night of the first leg. We were all starving and cold…and scared to spend money. We didn’t know what laid ahead and what we needed to save for. So we finally found this restaurant where the 6 of us all shared one personal pan size pizza. So it was kind of there where we talked and said how cool it would be if we were the final 3 teams.

VJ: Yeah and I think we just clicked early on. All 11 teams had to meet the priest that first night. And the only 3 teams that went into the church to look at it were our 3 teams. So we bonded over that and just had a chance to talk.

BD: Very cool. Now this question is for Victor.

VJ: Oh no…

BD: How badly do you want to go travel around Romania again?

TJ: (laughs)

VJ: (laughs) I feel bad because I feel like Im gonna get contacted by the Romania tourism board. Romania itself was beautiful! But of course I have many many many emotional assosiations with Romania.

TJ: Well we had a very good view of Romania!

VJ: Thats true. We made it to the top of the mountain and it was gorgeous! I would love to go there again and enjoy it this time.

TJ: Well I would not like to go there again….and do gymnastics.

VJ: She hated that task so much, and the leotard represented everything she hates about it. We actually fought over the fact that I thought she should keep the leotard…that she would want it later. She did keep it for a few legs…but then finally said, NO…I am not keeping this thing.

TJ: You are clearly not a girl…no girl wants to keep a white spandex outfit.

BD: So did you think that was it for you guys when you were lost in Romania?

TJ: Well I can speak for myself…when we were climbing up the mountain and I felt that Victor had basically shut down. I kind of gave up…put on my sunglasses and figured it was it. I was just gonna enjoy my hike because clearly we werent turning around. It wasnt until we finally turned around that I thought…lets fight through it, we havent seen Brad and Victoria…who knows what could happen.

VJ: For me, I just stopped thinking about the game. I was thinking in the back of my head that something could have gone very wrong with Brad and Victoria. I really just wanted to finish the leg. Even when Phil told us we were still in the race I was just like…alright…fine.

BD: Now other then that what was the hardest part of the race for you?

VJ: Being locked in a hotel room with my sister!

TJ: That was actually so hard. As great of a relationship as we have….I just think brothers and sisters are not supposed to do that.

VJ: It was like being locked in a cage. But other then that…the physical tasks were out of our comfort zones. We learned Chinese when we were kids…but we did not learn how to carry pigs or to carry cheese. And clearly my sister didn’t learn to do a cartwheel. And we didnt learn how to syncronize dive. I would say the diving was the scariest for me…even more then bungee jumping. For someone who has never dived before…jumping on a spring board was tough. All I could picture was Greg Louganis hitting his head on the diving board.

BD: And what was the best and easiest part?

TJ: I loved karaokeing in Thailand with the Thai lady boys. My whole family loves to do Karaoke. We have always had a Karaoke machine…that was perfect for us.

BD: Now have Mark and Michael figured out that they were infact….lady boys?

TJ: (laughs)

VJ: They claim that they knew all along. But there is a lot of suspicion amongst the other teams.

BD: (laughs) Now how heavy was that pig?

VJ: I think it was 140 or 150 punds.

BD: That looked pretty difficult for you guys. Was that pretty frustrating seeing Margie and Luke kind of roar past you?

TJ: I wasnt really thinking of the other teams at that point. I was just frustrated with myself. I just felt so limited. I tried putting it on my shoulder cause I knew that was the easiest. But i just could not stand up after bending down to put it on my shoulder. My legs just were not strong enough.

VJ: I really had flashbacks to cheese hill. It was very difficult. I knew how hard it was for me to do. But to watch my sister struggle so much and really push her limits. You almost feel like you have no choice but to yell and scream. I’m actually so glad that we had our prior experiences so we could push each other through it.

BD: Now what did Jen and Kisha say to you guys when you talked to them after the U-turn?

TJ: They have honestlly been class acts. They didn’t hold it against us at all. They know it was part of the game and that we didn’t do it because we hated them. They are just so incredibly in shape and so strong. And frankly had they made it to the final leg…they would have flown through that pig task.

VJ: It was funny…you can see from the note that we were worried about it and wanted to talk to them. But you cant talk to the team that is eliminated. There was actually a very awkward moment on the way to Hawaii. We saw them in the Tokyo airport with Mark and Mike. But we couldnt go talk to them. So it was very awkward just looking at them and wondering what they were thinking. Honestlly we knew after the race that it was alright…but seeing on TV that they were still rooting for us was great and speaks volumes about their characters.

BD: Were you surprised about any of the eliminations?

TJ: I was shocked about Preston and Jennifer being first out. When we first met all the teams and surveyed them all…we thought they would be our biggest competition. I mean look at them. They are so young and athletic. So that was a big shock.

VJ: (laughs) Heres another piece of inside info. Without giving away Jennifer’s email adress….it bascially says that she is a track girl. Because she ran track in high school. It was just kind of ironic that at the end they were eliminated because she couldn’t run.

BD: Would you ever go on the race again if say an All-stars 2 came your way?

VJ: Without a doubt! I would love to. It would be very fun. Especially if we get to go against Nick and Starr.

BD: And last….whats next for you?

TJ: Well…back to work!

BD: Back to real life

VJ: Exactly.

BD: Well thats all I have for you. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me…and again…Congratulations!

VJ: Thanks so much!

TJ: Thanks Billy!