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>By Christopher Rocchio, 03/12/2007
>
>After easily winning the first three legs, Rob and Amber Mariano were
>surprisingly the fourth team eliminated from CBS' The Amazing Race:
>All-Stars. On Monday, the 30-year-old Rob and 28-year-old Amber talked to
>Reality TV World about the abrupt end to their All-Stars journey; how they
>align and lie to their advantage; as well as what's next in their careers as
>professional reality television stars.
>
>
>
>Reality TV World: You guys won the first three legs. What happened during
>the fourth leg?
>
>Rob: It was horrendous. We had some bad luck to start out with and it kind
>of snowballed. There wasn't much we could do about it.
>Amber: Every chance we got to make-up for it, something else kept
>happening. And we kept trying to make-up the time and something else would
>happen. After we made-up for [losing time while trying the "Sign It" Detour
>challenge], we got on the second [charter flight], got to the airport and we
>get outside and there aren't any taxis, so everything kept snowballing. It
>was a bad leg.
>
>Rob: Then to top it all off, at the end at the final Roadblock, it was a
>challenge that was a needle in the haystack, [a] lucky thing [of] who could
>find their letter first. There was no real skill to it.
>
>
>
>Reality TV World: Rob, you appeared a little more fatigued during the
>fourth leg of the race than you looked during previous legs. Was that the
>case?
>
>Rob: It was frustrating to deal with not being in the beginning of the
>pack, but a lot of times people don't see the actual sleep deprivation that
>the racers go through. And at this point I think we were up for two or
>three days straight. So it was definitely taking a toll, but it's not an
>excuse. We were still gung-ho and ready to go and win that leg of the race
>when we started out, and we gave it 100%% effort all the way through. At the
>very end, [the producers] showed it being very close. [But] it wasn't too
>close in actuality, it was about 10-15 minutes [between when Charla Baklayan
>Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan checked in at the Pit Stop amd we did].
>
>Reality TV World: Rob, during the first leg of the race, you guys switched
>Detour challenges midway through and it worked. Why didn't you listen to
>Amber and switch to "Navigate It" from "Sign It" during the fourth leg?
>
>Rob: You know hindsight is 20/20. We had spent so much time trying to get
>it right, and in the actual rules and instructions -- even though [The
>Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan] said it in a voiceover last night that
>spelling was important -- it was actually not conveyed to us that spelling
>was an issue. So I knew Magellan's route, and I knew that he left from
>Seville, Spain from history class, but I couldn't figure it out what was
>wrong.
>Amber: And to give Rob credit, this [Detour], I had no idea where Magellan
>went or where he started or finished or anything, so I felt bad because
>there was so much pressure on [Rob] but the thing is he knew it right from
>the start and we just couldn't figure out what we had wrong.
>Rob: To answer your question, I think the fact that we invested so much
>time is what kept me to try to want to figure it out. And in actuality
>because it was a spelling mistake, it's a good thing that we did switch,
>because I don't think I would have ever figured it out. Even though I
>actually verbally said, "Is it spelling?" That was just kind of going
>through my mind. But I never thought that it would be an issue because when
>I looked at the other teams' boards, I mean half of their cities that they
>wrote down were completely illegible.
>Amber: It's hard because when you're trying to work at something for so
>long, it's almost the purpose of getting finished quickly almost left our
>minds, and we just wanted to know... we just couldn't figure it out. It was
>like for our own good we just wanted to know what it was.
>
>Reality TV World: How much time did you waste on "Sign It" before finally
>giving up and switching to "Navigate It?"
>
>Rob: Over an hour and a half.
>Amber: A long time.
>
>Reality TV World: During "Navigate It," Rob do you think you further hurt
>your chances when you led Amber and the team of Dustin Seltzer and Kandice
>Pelletier to the wrong location to find your next clue?
>
>Rob: No, at that point it didn't matter because [Ozwald Mendez and Danilo
>Jimenez, Teri and Ian Pollack, and Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner] had
>already signed-up for the first [charter flight]. Everybody else was on the
>second plane, which didn't leave until the next day. We could have taken 15
>hours to do that challenge and it wouldn't have mattered.
>Amber: I mean we didn't know that at the time, but when we showed up at the
>airport it didn't matter.
>
>Reality TV World: Did the facts that the wait for those charter flights to
>Argentina were so long and your second flight left three hours after the
>first give you some time to catch up on your sleep? Did you still like your
>chances of finishing the leg without being eliminated?
>
>Rob: I mean we didn't think we were out of it at all because we were on the
>second plane. We had four other teams with us. So I figured if anything
>all we had to do was beat one of them. You know, we ran into some bad luck
>when we came out of the airport. We didn't have a cab. The reason we
>didn't have a cab was because our camera guy got held up and had to go
>through customs -- which is a completely random thing that all the teams
>have to deal with -- so that was just bad luck...
>Amber: It was just bad timing.
>Rob: ...that our guy got pulled for customs and had to get checked, where
>the other teams didn't. What it came down to, we got to the final Roadblock
>and we still had a chance. What's frustrating is that that final Roadblock
>was a needle in the haystack type Roadblock that was just based on luck.
>There wasn't any skill involved with it...
>Amber: It wasn't strength. It wasn't skill.
>Rob: ...it didn't work out for us.
>Amber: It's kind of frustrating when you go out on something that's just
>about luck. You can't really say, "The reason why we didn't win is because
>I failed at this challenge." It was just because he couldn't find a stupid
>letter in a bag. It's kind of frustrating.
>
>Reality TV World: Do you think that Roadblock was a fair challenge?
>
>Rob: I mean it's fair in the fact that it's fair for everybody. Everybody
>had to do it, you know? So it's 100%% fair.
>
>Reality TV World: Amber, were you surprised when Charla and Mirna believed
>you had found the next clue when you lied to them along the Beagle Channel?
>
>Amber: No, I wasn't [surprised] because they're very stupid (laughing). I
>think there are some teams that wouldn't have fell for it, but I knew that
>[Charla and Mirna] would fall for it because they're so frantic and the way
>they race is just so crazy and all over the place that any information they
>get they just suck right in and don't even think about it.
>Rob: It's funny because afterwards watching the show last night, you see
>Mirna saying that she didn't fall for it. But that was clearly in the
>interview she did after the leg was over.
>Amber: And they went down and searched for the clue for 20 minutes.
>
>Reality TV World: Rob at the post office, how long were you looking for the
>letter before Charla and Mirna arrived? It didn't appear like you had the
>long lead that you should have had given Charla and Mirna's shuttle boat was
>supposed to leave 20 minutes after yours.
>
>Rob: It was a lot quicker than it should have been. What happened was -- I
>don't want to sit here and play "poor me" -- but we were on the boat and the
>boats were supposed to be 20 minutes apart. We had the second to the last
>boat [along with Uchenna and Joyce Agu]. All the other boats went, and
>they're going very fast to the island and it takes a certain amount of time
>to get there. Well our boat had additional cameramen with additional
>equipment on it, which wasn't really fair. Our boat was literally chugging
>along, to the point where one of the security guards actually pulled up in a
>boat next to us and said, "What are you guys doing?"
>Amber: [He said] "Why are you going so slow?"
>Rob: And we're saying, "This is as fast as it will go." So instead of
>actually having a 20 minute lead over Charla and Mirna...
>Amber: I think we had about five minutes.
>Rob: Not even five minutes.
>Amber: And when we were blown away by that. When [Charla and Mirna] showed
>up, we were shocked because we thought, "At least we have 20 minutes before
>the other team gets here." And here, because our boat took so long... It's
>just one of those things where we had a really bad leg. Nothing was going
>our way.
>
>Reality TV World: Considering the tone of the letter they penned for
>Uchenna and Joyce, did you think Susan and Patrick's letter to you was mean
>spirited and inappropriate?
>
>Rob: Funniest thing about it is, when we read the letter, Amber and I had
>no idea who Susan and Patrick were. We actually had to come home and look
>it up on the Internet because it just blew our minds. We got this letter,
>and it was a mean-spirited letter...
>Amber: We were like, "Who?"
>Rob: We went back and were like, "Oh yeah, they're very bitter from [The
>Amazing Race 7 when they finished eighth to Rob and Amber's second]." It
>didn't really surprise me. It was rude.
>
>Reality TV World: How far behind Charla and Mirna were you?
>
>Rob: About 10 or 15 minutes.
>Amber: It wasn't a foot race at all. They finished before we even started
>reading our letter.
>
>Reality TV World: Amber, what did you think of the third leg's Roadblock at
>the fishery? Why do you think you did so much better than some of the other
>teams?
>
>Amber: Honestly, I think just the fact that I wasn't being a girly-girl in
>a way, the fact that everybody else was getting really grossed out, and
>they're scared and everything that goes on with it. I was just in a zone
>where I knew that we were a little bit behind and when I saw Danielle was
>doing it I was like, "Rob I can do this. I want to do it." Honestly I
>thought it was kind of fun. I was laughing the entire time. It was
>difficult. It was very hard, they said there were 80 fish or something like
>that in there. Some of them weighed 15 pounds, but it's just something I'll
>never do ever again. I think the fact that I had a good attitude about it
>and I was just having fun with it, I think that's what really helped me. It
>kept me focused and I ended up doing pretty well at it. I impressed myself
>(laughing).
>
>Reality TV World: During that leg of the race, you also worked together
>with Eric and Danielle. Where did that relationship come from?
>
>Rob: It was just a spur of the moment thing. In actuality what happened
>was Amber and I -- it didn't show this -- but Amber and I left a lot earlier
>than Eric and Danielle from the challenge. We stopped and asked for
>directions, and the guy told us it was four hours away. Well a four-hour
>drive can either make you or break you in the race, so what we did was we
>actually turned around and went back to the fishery and I had Amber read the
>clue again. Not that I didn't trust her, but I wanted to make it 100%% sure
>she had it right.
>Amber: Before we drove four hours in the wrong direction.
>Rob: As we're pulling out, Eric and Danielle were behind us and [Amber and
>I] were looking on the map and we couldn't find Petrohue. So I stopped to
>see if [Eric] knew where it was, and he did know where it was. And we were
>able to find it on our map, so it worked to our advantage in that situation.
>
>Reality TV World: It seemed like you guys always had another team around.
>Was having another team around part of your All-Stars survival plan?
>
>Rob: We always said that an alliance really doesn't have any place in this
>race. You know it's you against the course and everything. But at the same
>time you have to beat at least one other team at the end of the day... at
>the end of the leg. So if you have one team with you, it's kind of like an
>insurance policy. As long as you can outrun whoever you're with at the end,
>then you'll be alright. You know that you're never alone unless you're way
>out in front. But if you're alone in the back, it's not good.
>
>Reality TV World: During the first leg, you held the shuttle for Ozzy and
>Danny at the airport. Rob you joked that it was "the first kind gesture
>I've made." Were there any other "acts of kindness" you performed during
>All-Stars that went unaired.
>
>Rob (laughing with Amber): No. When I get into these situations on these
>shows, my competitive nature takes over, and I think that's what it is.
>Like last night, Mirna crying, "I can't believe Amber lied to me." It's like
>are you kidding me? Have you watched any of the shows we've been on in the
>last five years? You can't believe it? We're gonna do what it takes to
>win.
>
>Reality TV World: During the second leg of the race Rob you called Eric out
>when he went ahead of the other teams in-line at the ticket counter. When
>Amber defended Eric, a little squabble between you two ensued. Rob, do you
>still think Amber was wrong and she should have stuck up for you?
>
>Amber (laughing): Yes he still does [think I was wrong].
>Rob (laughing): Life will never be the same I tell you. No, you know it's
>just one of those situations where she's speaking on impulse and I was
>trying to do something to rile [Eric] up. After the fact [Amber and I]
>talked about it and we both realized what the other was trying to do.
>Amber: Sometimes it's hard for me to separate competition from real life.
>You know what I mean? And when you're out there, people don't realize it's
>not just a competition but that some of it's real life. You're natural
>feelings come out and natural things come out, and since we were in a
>competition, I probably shouldn't have said what I did. I kind of lost
>track of what we were doing...
>Rob: We're working on it... she'll be tougher on the next show (laughing).
>
>Reality TV World: Do you recognize that part of your Race success might
>have come from the fact that your fame seemed to make it more likely that
>strangers would buy you maps or drop everything they were doing to help you
>or do you really think that had nothing to do with your success?
>
>Rob: Well initially the first time around it definitely helped. As far as
>strangers buying us maps, we asked. Other teams didn't ask. We had to
>asked literally 20 people before we actually got somebody to do it.
>Amber: The people that bought them for us didn't know who we were. I think
>the first race it definitely helped us. We'll totally admit to that. But
>the second race, I don't think we had any help as far as our fame goes.
>Rob: I think the reason why Amber and I were so successful the first time
>we ran the race and all the reality shows and in everything we do really is
>because we're not afraid to take chances and take risks. Because we do
>that, we put ourselves out there and there's a possibility we could fail --
>like we did last night -- but at the same time, that's what will help us to
>get to the end in a lot of these things. More often than not we're going to
>succeed, rather than fail, by taking the chance. We make our own fate,
>basically, instead of just standing back and letting it come to us.
>
>Reality TV World: Was there anybody you were surprised to see or not see
>participating in All-Stars?
>
>Rob: Christie should have been there [The Amazing Race 5 runner-ups Colin
>Guinn and Christie Woods]. I remember watching their season and thinking
>that they were great, great racers.
>Amber: When we were talking -- before we actually got to the starting city
>[for All-Stars] -- Rob and I were predicting what teams we thought should be
>there. And we were saying if [Christie and Colin] were there, they'd
>definitely be tough to beat.
>Rob: As far as all the people [on All-Stars], they all deserve to be there.
>Clearly Mirna's there for the drama, which she, you know, delivers.
>Amber: Oh so well...
>Rob: Charla's a sweetheart... she's just [too] abrasive even for me.
>
>Reality TV World: How was returning to The Amazing Race different than
>returning to Survivor?
>
>Rob: There was definitely some apprehension going back to The Amazing Race
>again, because of circumstances...
>Amber: What happened the first time.
>Rob: ...the first time around. But at the end of the day, we considered it
>a real honor that CBS asked us to compete on the All-Stars. Being on the
>All-Stars of Survivor...
>Amber: We're the two luckiest people. I mean, honestly, there are so many
>people who would die to be on one of the shows that we've been on. The fact
>that we've got to do Survivor and The Amazing Race -- both twice -- it's a
>pretty spectacular thing we've been able to do.
>
>Reality TV World: Most of the other teams considered you guys as their
>major competition. Who did you consider your biggest competition and why?
>
>Rob: It's tough to say because we never really considered that until we got
>all of these questions today in all these interviews. At the time, we were
>just really concerned with ourselves. We were running our own race against
>the course.
>Amber: A lot of times it's not the other teams in the competition that get
>you knocked out of the race, it's you yourself messing up in the course.
>Rob: Bad luck.
>Amber: Or bad luck. I think some of the teams realize that, but I think
>some of the teams don't. And the teams that don't realize that kind of help
>you advance in the race because they get distracted by the other teams, and
>that's what makes them do badly.
>Rob: I mean look at [John Vito Pietanza and Jill Aquilino]. What I thought
>would be a very, very strong team made one wrong turn and they're the first
>team eliminated. So as far as a pure competition show, the race doesn't
>have what I think Survivor has. But it's still a great show...
>Amber: The competition is the course. It's not the other teams.
>
>Reality TV World: Who would you like to see win?
>
>Rob (laughing with Amber): No one. Honestly, we know who won because we
>were at the finish line. But you know what, everybody else who's left in
>the race, we wish them all good luck. They beat us, and you know what, we
>can't really say anything that.
>Amber: Right, they beat us, so...
>Rob: We were humbled by it.
>
>Reality TV World: Are you living out in Vegas or back in Pensacola now?
>
>Rob: We're all over the place. We're going back to Pensacola tonight
>actually to hang-out for a little bit, and then we have a new project coming
>up starting pretty soon, which you will be hearing about soon.
>
>Reality TV World: You can't elaborate on that a little bit more?
>
>Rob: I'm sorry I can't. We're still in contract negotiations and what not,
>but it will definitely be huge.
>
>Reality TV World: Any plans on doing another season of your Fox Reality Rob
>and Amber: Against the Odds show?
>
>Rob: That's a possibility...
>Amber: It's something we just need to wait a little bit longer to figure
>out what's going to go on with that but it's a possibility.
>
>Reality TV World: Rob, how about Sci Fi Investigates, is that coming back
>for a second season?
>
>Rob: No, that was a one-track pony (laughing). That was actually a fun
>experience.
>
>Reality TV World: A couple of months ago, you told OK! Weekly you were
>starting to think about starting a family, any new news on that front?
>
>Rob: No. We're still thinking about it.
>
>Reality TV World: So Rob, what do you think about the Red Sox chances this
>year?
>
>Rob: I think they spent a lot of money on [Japanese import Daisuke
>Matsuzaka], I hope he can throw.
>Amber: He better be worth it.
>Rob: But they're making some moves. And you know what? I was happy the
>[New England Patriots] made a couple of moves over there too. I think the
>Sox will do well this year. I think they'll do real well.
>Amber: He says that every year though.
>Rob: Yeah but I think if they actually get their cards lined up correctly
>they have a real shot at repeating [their 2004 World Series Championship].
>I'll definitely be up in Boston for some games this summer.
>Amber: Hopefully we'll get to make it to more games this year.
>
>Reality TV World: We just learned that you guys will be throwing out the
>first pitch at a game for The Trenton Thunder -- a minor-league team of the
>New York Yankees -- on May 3. What the heck is a Sox fan doing throwing out
>a pitch at a game in the heart of Yankees country?
>
>Rob: Let me tell you something, I'll be sporting my Sox cap... no doubt
>about it.
>
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