OMG, I had speculated that they would be told there are 4 teams in the final and I'm just so glad they weren't eliminated! They have been my favourite team throughout the race!
My fave team too! So happy they’re in the final leg and hoping for an underdog win!
But who would have expected them to be the last surviving dating couple tbh?
^ Oh yeah, that is surely not something anyone would have guessed!
Two years ago, I traveled with a friend a treacherous 35 miles to audition for The Amazing Race. We knew we had it. We didn't care that the odds were greater of being struck by lightning than getting on the show. How could they not want us? I mean, we are two successful businesswomen who put the "S" in sassy and social media and loved the show... so we knew we were a shoe-in.
Not only did we not get on the show, we didn't even get a "Dear Jane" email, tweet or smoke message. We were dumped like a prom corsage by the football bleachers.
But I still watch, and when they roll out the latest teams each season, I still shake my head that I am not standing on my spot ready to race to victory.
Season 26 is getting ready to end on CBS tonight as the final four teams jet off to Dallas for their last chance at one million dollars. I had the chance to choose one team to interview and just knew that it had to be Rochelle and Mike. I conjured up nine questions that I and all their fans were dying to know.
SheKnows: You are the only team left that came from the couples group and there are three of the Blind Dates left. Do you think them not having a history together turned out to be an advantage?
Rochelle Nevedal: I think that there were advantages to either. For example, we knew our strengths and weaknesses going into the race; however, the blind dating teams didn't have previous baggage. Also I felt that an advantage the blind dating teams had was they got to sleep in separate rooms during pit stops, so they had time away from each other where they could clear their heads. Whereas, Mike and I, although I love him to death, were stuck within 20 feet at times locked in a hotel room for the entire month we were gone.
Mike Dombrowski: In the beginning, I thought the couples would have a huge advantage just on the awkwardness of meeting someone on a "blind date" and minutes later being thrust into a worldwide race for one million dollars with them. However, it sure did turn out the opposite, as they almost started out in a "honeymoon phase" showing each other their best side of themselves, wanting to make the best first impressions they could on each other, whereas the pre-existing couples had already been there and done that.
SK: It looked like the team from The Amazing Race was really pushing for some blind date love connections. How was that perceived behind the scenes?
RN: I don't really think they thought it out too well because going on The Amazing Race is one of the most stressful and least romantic things anyone could ever do, especially on a blind date. I heard a lot of joking behind the scenes of how they felt, like they were given the complete opposite of what they asked for, which luckily makes for great TV.
MD: It seemed like in the first few legs, Phil would always be asking the blind daters if they had a connection, and the answer leg to leg always ended up being a "just as friends" connection. As you can tell, by the final few legs Phil seemed to give up on them having any romantic connection... except that kiss between Jeff and Jackie in Monaco!
SK: What was your favorite and least favorite stop on the race?
RN: My favorite stop was Monaco, Namibia, Peru, Japan... I can't really pick a favorite because each place was so unique and amazing in their own ways. However, if I had to pick a least favorite it would have to be Bangkok, Thailand because we had a really rough day there, and the language barrier was the most difficult of all the places we'd been to. I would love to go back without the stress of the race, though, because it was a really exciting city, and they have amazing pad Thai there, too!
MD: My favorite was, hands down, Tokyo, Japan. It's been a place I wanted to visit my entire life, and even in all the pre-race interviews, I named it as my number one place to visit. So when Phil announced it on the starting line, I was super pumped. Even after spending hours in a park doing a dance routine, I wouldn't trade my experience in Tokyo for anything. My least favorite place was anywhere I had to drive a stick shift, so Munich, Monaco and Namibia. Although they are amazing places, I didn't really get to enjoy them much because of the stress of driving into the unknown.
SK: Which challenge were you most afraid to do, or thought you could never do and what did it mean to you to beat that fear?
RN: I think the most terrifying challenge was stacking the beer crates because of my fear of heights. It definitely felt good when I stacked the last crate on top, and it gave me a boost of confidence knowing that I was able to accomplish something I didn't see myself ever doing.
MD: Actually, mine was the puzzle box in Nagano, ha ha. Not because it was dangerous or risky, but because it was our first Road Block, and I was doing it all by myself... and I'm horrible at puzzles. My fear came in the form of, if I took too long on that challenge, it could have been my fault that we were eliminated in the second leg. Luckily, I figured it out in a good amount of time and the burden was lifted off my shoulders.
SK: I auditioned for The Amazing Race two years ago, and in the time that I had to wait to find out that I didn’t make it, I thought about how I was going to basically check out of life for four weeks. Were you concerned about that and what do you think life is going to be like when you do go back?
RN: My biggest concern was being away from my son for an entire month. I guess the hardest part was not even having a phone conversation with him to make sure everything was going OK. When we got back, we both definitely went through a bit of post-racer depression. Life isn't as fun when you don't get to rip open a clue every morning that tells you where in the world you are going to fly today.
MD: My only concern was if my cat was going to be OK, ha ha. I made sure all my bills and everything were taken care of before we left, so I really didn't have any worries. I knew Rochelle was going to miss her little boy more than anything and would constantly be worrying if he was OK, and I didn't want to have any worries on my end, because they would have been petty in comparison to hers.
SK: Would you audition for another reality show?
RN: I never, ever imagined myself being on a reality show, so even today it's pretty surreal. I am pretty shy and have never really liked being in the spotlight. However, this experience has been such a positive thing. Not only has it brought me out of my shell, it has given me experiences and memories that I will carry with me forever. I would do the race again in a heartbeat! Other shows, I'm not so sure, but you never know!
MD: The casting directors actually saw my audition video for Big Brother, and that's how I was approached about Rochelle and I doing The Amazing Race. So, yeah, I could see myself trying out for Big Brother again in the future, or you never know, Survivor might want Rochelle and I on a season just to split us up and see how we fare separated, ha ha. The Amazing Race was such an awesome experience, I would actually like to see how other reality shows compare behind the scenes.
SK: What's it really like having cameras on you 24/7? Are they there even when you go to the bathroom? Change clothes? And what about fooling around, if you weren't too exhausted from all that racing!
RN: At first it's pretty weird, but it's definitely something you get used to very fast! You are miked up at all times, even when you go to the bathroom. Your crew must go with you everywhere you go, even if it's just to walk down the airport hall to grab a bite to eat.
SK: How does one even begin to pack for a trip like this? Did you really have only the bags we saw or did you have a secret bag stashed somewhere?
RN: Yeah, packing was a task! You learn to live minimally, though. Before we went on the trip, I piled everything I wanted to bring on the living room floor. Come to find out only about a quarter of that would fit in my bag. I am the worst packer and always feel like I need to bring my whole wardrobe with me, even if it's for a weekend trip. Once I got it down to one bag, it was still way too much. I ended up throwing out half of the stuff I brought so I could lighten up my bag to be able to run faster. By the end of it, I was down to about three shirts and two pairs of pants.
MD: I was really concerned with the "extra" things we need to bring, like a compass, notebook, etc. Clothes didn't really matter to me, as long as I had my trusty watermelon hat. But the bags you see on TV and the fanny packs are all we get, so you do have to pack very smart. Like Rochelle said, you're throwing away clothes nearly every airport you're in.
SK: If you can do The Amazing Race, you can do anything now, right? What’s next on your list when you get home and catch up on your sleep? How will anything compare to this?
RN: Since Mike and I have settled down after the race, things are pretty much back to normal. Although we aren't racing to a new country every day, I have been just enjoying spending time with my son and Mike.
Mike: When we first got back home, as Rochelle said earlier, you get a post-race depression. You go from racing around the world to back to a normal schedule within a few days, and it takes some time getting used to. As far as doing anything goes, I am a promoter of pro-wrestling events, and this gave me an entire new outlook as a promoter. Overall, I think after this entire season is over, I'm going to re-watch it all the time. It's all so surreal, from actually doing it, to watching yourself do it to having random strangers come up and ask about it. I honestly don't think there is anything to compare to it; it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime thing that very few people will be able to live. From the traveling, to the bonding experience to making friends that you will have for the rest of your life, it truly is an amazing experience.
Who are you pulling for to take home the $1,000,000 prize?
IDK why I love Mike & Rochelle so much, they didn't exactly have memorable quotes or antics, but they're a very very nice team that loves each other and the Race and works well together, and isn't that what makes a good team?
One of the main reasons why they lasted so long is all of the eliminated teams made at least one mistake that caused their elimination. And they'd probably be invisible throughout the returning season if they did get picked.
When we got back, we both definitely went through a bit of post-racer depression. Life isn't as fun when you don't get to rip open a clue every morning that tells you where in the world you are going to fly today.
Although I totally agree that they'd be invisible in a returning racer Season, I don't agree that they wouldn't do well. They could have potentially won Season 26 had their taxi not abandoned them. They would most likely have found the Ranch before Laura & Tyler, which would have eliminated them, and with Hayley's blunder at Reunion Tower, they could have been neck and neck with Jenny & Jelani fighting for first.
^^^ THIS. I don't think I've seen a team robbed as badly in a loooooong time, if ever!!! That blasted taxi driver.
I don't think I've loved a team this much since the Pre-HD Seasons.
Rochelle is afraid of height. I don't think she will do well in rappelling task.
Interview from TvGuide.com with Mike & Rochelle.
What happened with your cab? It wouldn't wait for you outside of the stadium?
Rochelle: Yeah. First off, we held the cab and as he was dropping us off, I asked him to wait for us and he said, "No, I can't do that." I let him know the situation and then I asked him if he could at least call his cab company and have them send another cab. He said, "No, I can't do that." He just absolutely would not help us at all. So after he dropped us off, we were left to ourselves.
Mike: It took us probably five or 10 minutes [to find another cab]. We had to run up the street from AT&T Stadium. We were in an area where there weren't a lot of cabs. It wasn't a big populated city area. It was mainly a highway. We spotted a cab a little ways down the road and we grabbed him and it wasn't a good choice, but it was all we had at the time.
And then he ran out of gas.
Rochelle: Yeah! [Laughs] Even before he ran out of gas, he didn't know where [the ranch] was located. We stopped three or four times, and he said he got the directions and he knew where to go now. But every single time he tried to drive there, he got lost again, so we'd stop somewhere else, get directions from them, but he'd just drive around in circles.
Mike: He didn't follow the directions at all. There was one point where some lady physically drew a map with the train tracks and gas station, and Rochelle's like, "This is where we're going," and he's like, "Yup." And he went the complete opposite way. It was terrible. ... We were in an area where there was no way to get another cab at all. We were on dirt roads. He was our only option.
Rochelle: We seriously stopped and knocked on people's houses. It took a long time.
It did seem like the other teams were long gone before you got to the ranch.
Mike: Yeah. They didn't show much of our struggle getting to the ranch. That was a huge part. We were stopping at people's houses, running on their front yards. It was crazy. We spent close to an hour, if not more, in his cab just trying to find the ranch. Nothing was going our way.
At that point, did you think you would be eliminated knowing that there would be a mid-leg elimination?
Rochelle: Yeah. When we finally arrived there, we knew it was over.
Mike: I wasn't sure at the time though because I didn't know when the elimination was gonna take place. I truly didn't expect it to be a Roadblock and then you get to the next challenge and it was an elimination. I was trying to keep my hopes high. Even if we had busted that out, it probably wouldn't have ended well.
You missed out on monster trucks!
Mike: I know! [Laughs] I wanted to drive the monster trucks!
How do you think you would've done at the selfie challenge?
Rochelle: I think we would've done really well because we didn't really take a lot of selfies throughout the race. [Laughs] I'm sure they tried to keep the amount even for the [final three] teams, but we wouldn't have had a lot of selfies to sort out.
Mike: I don't even think we would've had enough selfies to fill up [the map]!
So then maybe you could've won.
Mike: Right? It would've been easy for us! If it weren't for that cab!
You definitely were the underdogs. After you got first place on the third leg, you were always trailing, barely making the cut. What was your mindset like while playing catch-up?
Mike: I thought as long as we kept working together and not arguing, we felt like had a chance. We had some hiccups with navigation, catching earlier flights. In Germany, we struggled with navigation and getting directions, but we overall had a pretty good sense of that. So if there was a challenge that was a little harder on us that the Olympians would've busted out, our navigation skills could help us out. We always relied on that and staying positive and having a good time.
Rochelle: I think keeping cool helped us. I think a lot of the other teams were hectic and spent a lot of time running back and forth, trying to figure it out, and we kind of ran a more relaxed race. I think we saved a lot of time by not running down the street in the wrong direction.
There were some times where you had some good luck being behind and being patient. You were able to do the dog-feeding Detour because you were far back enough and you found the shoe-shining place when everyone else missed it in the last pack.
Mike: Oh, yeah. The shoe-shining place - when I watch that back, it was mind-blowing to me that people missed it. The Speed Bump was right there. It was really out in the open and there were llamas and typewriters and stuff. They knew it was something to do with the race, but they just didn't look around enough.
How did it feel being the last pre-existing couple on the race?
Mike: I thought that was really cool. I did not expect that. Going into the race, we just didn't wanna get eliminated first. We got through that and the next milestone was first place on the third leg, which was huge. Beyond that, we just didn't wanna get eliminated and suddenly the Olympians were eliminated. That was a huge surprise. Then it was narrowing down ... and suddenly we were in the final four.
What did you think of the blind date twist?
Rochelle: I think it was definitely a cool twist. When that was announced, I actually felt a sense of relief, thinking that we had an upper hand. Then we soon found out that they had certain advantages that we didn't have. There was definitely no baggage between them.
Mike: Even if they weren't looking for love, when you're meeting a new friend, I think it was Jelani who said in one of the episodes, "If you're meeting someone for the first time, you always show the best version of yourself." Spending three weeks with them every single day, it will be stressful, but you're still trying to show them the best side of you. You don't wanna go into the race with someone you hate or don't get along with. I mean, we did see a little bit of that!
Rochelle: Every single one of the blind date teams was super in shape, super intelligent, relatively young with great skills. I think the teams they chose for the blind dates were definitely tough. There weren't any easy blind date teams that you think might go out early. I think it would be cool if they did it again but not blind dates for love, but just two strangers. I think that's a cool relationship to watch develop.
They all did end up friends.
Mike: Yeah. That's a great way to meet a friend. We're friends with the entire cast, probably will be forever. But if you had taken me on that race to date someone, that's asking a lot -- racing around the world trying to win $1 million and trying to find love. That's not a place you can find love easily. They really tried to make it happen. I felt bad for Phil. He constantly had to ask about it and everybody just kind of turned around and laughed, like, "We're really good friends!"
Mike: We're just getting ready to enjoy the summer! That's really it. Trying to have a normal relationship. We haven't really had that. It was preparing for the race, doing the race, preparing to watch ourselves on the race, so now we get to have a normal relationship.
1. Jordan L: This question is for Mike and Rochelle. Were there any countries you two really wanted to explore, which you didn't visit in The Amazing Race?
Mike: I personally wanted to race around the Australian outback, and since I'm Polish, Poland obviously would have been pretty cool. However, since I was a child I've always wanted to visit Tokyo, Japan...and low and behold that was our first stop...I was pumped!
Rochelle: I agree with Mike, the Australian Outback would have been awesome. New Zealand would have been pretty great too. However, I think we had one of the best routes on TAR. We went to a lot of places I have been dying to see and even a few I never thought of going to that surprised me on how incredible they were.
2. Ellen H: Mike and Rochelle, great teamwork! What was your favorite part of the race? Would you two ever consider running the race again?
Mike: I really cannot pinpoint one exact favorite part on the race, it was all so great. It seemed like it just topped itself leg after leg. Though, I must say I've never felt the excitement or adrenaline rush like I did at the end of Leg 11 in Peru when we were the last team to check into the mat, and Phil said "However..." and handed us our next clue to fly to Dallas and continue on to race in the final leg. You bet I'd run the race again!
Rochelle: It's so hard to pick a favorite! I absolutely loved everything about it. There is nothing like the rush of waking up every morning and ripping open a clue that tells you where in the world you are flying that day. Even the nights that we had to sleep on the cold floor of the airport, or at the internet cafe in Tokyo inside a cubicle, were some of my favorites just for experience of it all. I also think that the experience of getting out of our comfort zone and being pushed to our limits was one of my favorite parts of it all, because it's something I learned so much about myself, and us as a couple as well. And yes! I would run the race again in a heartbeat!
3. Amy W: Mike looked much thinner by the final leg! I'm curious how much weight he lost during the race?
Mike: When we got back home I weighed myself and I actually lost about 20lbs on the Race. I don't think there is a better weight loss program than running 12 legs on The Amazing Race.
4. Laura G: Did any of you conquer any fears while on the race?
Mike: I didn't have many fears heading into the race (other than snakes, or swimming in the open ocean...which we luckily didn't have to do), but it actually helped me in day to day life. I'm not afraid to approach a random stranger and ask them for anything, and I'm usually a quiet guy, but if I need to be vocal...I sure can now!
Rochelle: I had a lot of fears coming into the race. I am not an adrenaline seeker by any means, and I came into the race with a huge fear of heights, roller coasters, meat, and bugs. I was faced with my fear of heights during the beer crate stacking challenge in Germany, and I wouldn't say I have completely conquered it, but I definitely have learned that I can work though my fears, and accomplish anything I set my mind to.
5. Amber H: Mike and Rochelle, What was your most memorable and enriching part of the race?
Mike: I know Rochelle is going to hate this answer, but the dancing challenges, especially the one in Peru. Not because they were fun by any means, but because we REALLY had to work together to pull them off successfully. They were challenges that one person couldn't be stronger in and get through, you had to learn, practice, and perform the dance as a perfect functioning unit. As corny as it might sound, in my eyes it really made our relationship stronger that we could complete such daunting tasks as a team. That's something I'm really proud of, and proves that I have not only the beast teammate in the World, but the best girlfriend in the World.
Rochelle: I think in 30 years, what I will remember the most is our experience we had as a couple, and as a team. I absolutely know for certain it wouldn't have been the same, or as enjoyable with anybody else. The support he gave me when I was struggling, stressed out, or just needed a moment to breathe and compose myself was something that I will never forget, and is truly made me realize I am so lucky to have him.
6. Emily R: I want to ask Mike and Rochelle if they are still together and if he has met her son yet? I really liked them and wish they had won.
Mike: Thanks Emily! Yep, we are still together and grow happier and happier together every single day! I met her son, Nehemiah, when we returned from the race, and since then we've become best buddies. I introduced him to the world of professional wrestling, which he is in awe with, and we're even going to see WWE together in a few weeks. I'll pick him up from school sometimes and we'll have boys days where we hangout, go watch a movie, and eat pizza. He's such a great kid with a huge personality and imagination, I'm so lucky to have met him! Also, sometimes he and I can be quite the jokers, I'm sure Rochelle agrees that we can be quite the handful together from time to time!
Rochelle: Handful is an understatement! haha No, things have been great since we came home and Mike got to meet Nehemiah. They have become BFFs and my son really looks to Mike as a friend and role model. My house has never been filled with so many wrestling moves, movie nights, or laughs. Things are really good.
7. Heather P: To Mike and Rochelle, any plans of tying the knot after going around the world?
Mike: I'm 100% positive that it will happen sooner than later, just not right now. Our relationship has been pretty much Amazing Race related for nearly the past year, so we're going to take some time to enjoy doing normal couple things like dinner, movies, concerts, camping, and just relaxing and enjoying our time together. Although I will say, there is no other girl in this entire World for me. She's got my heart on lock!
Rochelle: When it happens, it will be time, but like Mike said so much of our relationship has been race related and we are both looking forward to normal couple things and enjoying our summer together. I honestly can say, with all my heart, that Mike is the one for me and definitely someday I hope I am lucky enough to call him my husband!
Awww, they are the sweetest!
Engaged! Congrats Mike & Rochelle!