Gay Race
team gets booted

So last evening was your final appearance on the show. How are you both reflecting on the entire experience?

Tom: Well, I'm still rowing right now actually [laughter]. No, but it was an amazing experience, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And even though we didn't win this race, we won so much more for our relationship and for ourselves.

Terry: And we did it with dignity, from the beginning until the end.

Did the show bring you closer?

Terry: I would say if anything it reaffirmed our relationship and just how strong it is. It was funny to see how all the nongay couples argued so often but we never did. We just had fun, believed in each other, and kept going.

Do you think being gay adversely affected your relationships with people on the show or the locals?

Tom: I don't think so. Although Terry and I are obviously and openly gay, we wanted to be defined by our personalities, not our sexuality. So I think once people got to know us and the locals got to know us, our sexuality really became a nonissue.

Do you harbor any regrets from the show?

Terry: No, no regrets at all. I would do The Amazing Race: All Stars in a second!

Tom: I don't have any regrets either. Sure, there are a lot of "shoulda, coulda, wouldas" that go through your mind, and for me I wish I jumped into the water and started swimming three hours before I did. That may have saved us.

So it was ultimately the rowing that messed you guys up?

Terry: We rowed for an hour and a half in the wrong direction, and even though we were in second place when we got to the correct spot, we were concentrating on the rules because we got burned the week before with the rules. We were concentrating on where our boat was supposed to be located by the ropes, and every time another team came in our boat got further and further away from everyone else because of the current. And they didn't show how our boat flooded, so we wasted a lot of time just trying to get the water out of the boat. So between that, over seven hours of rowing, being baked in the sun, and fighting the current, it was a lot of fun!

What was your favorite experience from the show?

Tom: My favorite experience was doing the show with Terry; we've only been together for 2 1/2 years, so to have the experience of a lifetime with him was the true highlight for me. And despite the competitive nature of the show, we developed some nice friendships with the other teams, so that was a highlight as well

Terry: I second what Tom said. And with regard to the other teams, who would have thought that these gay guys would sleep with 20-something-year-old cheerleaders, sharing a slumber car with them while going through Mongolia?

Tom: Yeah, James and Tyler were so jealous that we slept with the cheerleaders before they did.

Tell us about your experience with Dave and Mary.

Terry: Oh, we love them! It's funny to think about two gay New Yorkers befriending a Kentucky coal miner and his wife, but it happened.

Tom: Dave and Mary said many times that they had never met gay people before, and Terry and I found that hard to believe and we told them we guarantee that they've met gay people before but maybe they didn't know that they were gay. That's such a foreign concept to us after being in New York City for so long, but for them that was the reality and maybe they really hadn't met any gay people before. What was so wonderful though was how they were so open to the idea and so accepting of us and who we are--you can only hope that other people would be like they are.

Who are you cheering for out of the remaining teams?

Terry: I would say we are cheering for everyone in the "back pack," especially Dave and Mary, the Cho brothers, and the Alabama girls.

Tom: They are the three remaining teams in the "back pack" since we were just eliminated, and I think it would be wonderful to be at the finish line and watch those three teams racing to the final finish.

It does seem like they have odds stacked against them, but it would be great to have the underdogs triumph.

Tom: I think what we learned from this race is that anything can happen, and while they appear to be underdogs, it is impossible to tell how luck and skill will play roles in the end. We were all surprised that Duke and Lauren were eliminated as a top team, and there has been a different team in the number 1 position in all four legs of this race, so it is really wide open at this point. I don't think any of the "back packers" are underdogs.

Well, thanks for chatting with us, and we will keep an eye out for you on All Stars.

Tom: We think it would be a great idea to get all the gay reality show contestants and put us on an island to see if we're successful!