THE GOOD
THE BAD
I received quite a bit of internet backlash for my behavior in Bangkok and also managed to offend cat lovers all over the world. I'm not going to make excuses for the way I interacted with Jelani or blame it on editing. I was simply having one of the worst days of my life. It pushed me into panic mode. I let the heat, stress, and possibility of elimination get the best of me and in turn I became the worst version of myself to my race partner and my best friend on the show. I'm so grateful to have been paired with Jelani as throughout the day, he remained calm and supportive even when I was in crazy stress mode. He's the best!
Jelani and I got off to a rough start as our taxi driver opted to take surface streets from the airport to the temple causing a great deal of delay resulting in us being the last team to arrive at the first clue box. Throughout the day, we kept getting lost and at one point we were basically running in circles. That day, we tracked more than 7 miles on our Fitbits!
After finishing the transmission roadblock, Matt and Ashley wanted to work with us to figure out Metal Castle. The four of us went into a nearby shop together where the store clerk told us that the location was a ten minute run. As the four of us started running, I realized I couldn't run. I was running on empty. At that point, I didn't know where Jon and Harley were. We were so behind and had lost a lot of time getting lost that I knew there was a chance they could be ahead of us and that we would lose in a foot race against Matt and Ash as they're much more fit than me.
So, faced with the possibility of elimination, I told Jelani I wanted to take a taxi. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong by not telling Matt and Ashley. We all received the same directions to the location so we all knew where we were going. And if they wanted to get in a taxi, they could. I didn't see it as an act of sabotage as I would never purposely hurt another team. But as competitors facing possible elimination on The Amazing Race, I didn't think I needed to give them the heads up on our plan.
I feel so bad about Ashley's fall. I didn't see it happen as we were already in the taxi. But after seeing that and knowing that they had a really tough day as well, I totally understand why they were so pissed at me. I'm sorry guys! I love you!
THE FAB
When I was about 6 or 7, I was at a family friend's home when her cat leapt on me and scratched me up pretty badly. Since then, I've been quite scared and cautious of cats as the memory of what happened hadn't completely faded. I'm usually okay around my friends' cats as I have time to get to know them and play with them. But when I found out that we were going to a cat cafe, I tensed up because it was going to be a room full of strangers! So yes, I was definitely nervous when I stepped into Caturday Cafe. But honestly, by the time we left, I felt so much better! The cats and kittens were really cute and friendly and if anything the experience has helped me realize that most cats are friends not foes.
I learned a lot from this leg of the race and hopefully will be able to take those lessons and apply it to the rest of the race and in my everyday life!
I learned a lot from this leg of the race and hopefully will be able to take those lessons and apply it to the rest of the race and in my everyday life!
Here's an unaired clip of our Bangkok pit stop mat chat with Phil, Mike and Rochelle.
