The Amazing Race 34 had multiple couples in the cast. Showbiz Cheat Sheet talked to Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez over Zoom on Dec. 1 about the highs and lows of their race. They also gave advice to future pairings who have a shocking start to their race.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from The Amazing Race 34 Episode 11, “How Am I Going to Survive This?”]
Aubrey and David explain why their end to ‘The Amazing Race 34’ isn’t bitter
Q: At the end, you said to Phil [Keoghan] that there’s nothing bitter about the ending to your race. Do you still feel that way?
Aubrey: One thousand percent.
David: Absolutely!
Aubrey: We weren’t supposed to be in the race to begin with. We were alternates to the show and, you know, having a couple of hours to pack and then get on the race and, you know, start this whole process. We enjoyed every single moment of it. There wasn’t a time where we were just like, you know, not having it. We were so grateful to get through Germany and then Austria, 11 out of 12 races! Who can say that they’ve done that? Like it’s amazing in itself. So nothing bitter.
Aubrey returned a lot of their supplies for the race
Q: Being alternates, do you think that kind of set a certain tone to how you guys approached the race?
David: Yeah, I would have to say 100 percent because if had we got the call, you guys are on the cast. OK, it’s go time. We got to prepare for this. We got to prepare for that. I had to become proficient at certain things. But because we didn’t have that, we didn’t put ourselves under that–
Aubrey: Pressure.
David: Yeah, pressure, but more so like to that level. We didn’t hold ourselves accountable to that extent. I felt like me, personally, it kind of took a toll.
So when we got the call, we didn’t even have like watches, our backpacks, even like the shoes that everyone was wearing. I was like, David, we really underprepared for this [laughs].
Aubrey: It was even down to like the backpacks that the other contestants had. I had started sending everything back to Amazon when we didn’t get our call. You know, we had bought things from, you know, sports stores and things like that. And I ended up sending most of it back.
David: Plus, we only had a certain amount of time. So it felt like we just grabbed what we could and threw it in the backpack, zipped it up, and ran.
Aubrey: So, I mean, that definitely played a role in how we did on the race. But I think we did very well with what we had, what we had.
Aubrey reacts to finally making Phil Keoghan smile
Q: Aubrey, you told Phil, every time you see him, he has an unpleasant look on his face, and you knew you’re like second to last or last. You placed second that day. Did you remember if there was more to that interaction with Phil about the looks on his face?
Aubrey: You know, I meant that in such a sincere way, being a huge fan of the show, when you see contestants run-up in their first and second, Phil’s like, ‘Welcome and Bienvenidos.’ It was like, you know, congratulations.
But when you see those other teams that are showing up, even the audience is like, what place did they get? Like I’m always–I would always take note on Phil’s reaction because that kind of tells you where you’re at.
It is no different while you’re racing, especially us, who had constantly come in last, second to last place on multiple occasions. Yeah, to see Phil smiling for the first time and not like, ‘Aubrey, David [in a serious tone]. You are the second to last team to arrive.’
It was like Aubrey and David! It’s just so different. But I feel like the way it was portrayed on TV came across in a different way than how I truly meant it. And I meant it as thank goodness we see a happy, smiling Phil and not Phil that’s like giving us the scare that we could potentially be going home.
Their advice to future alternates of ‘The Amazing Race’
Q: Do you have any advice to future alternates, or do you–I guess you’re not even told that you’re an alternate, right? You’re probably just like, oh, you might be going on and then you’re waiting for the call. So what do you have to say to anyone who is waiting for that call? But you don’t want them to be in the same predicament as you guys were?
David: Absolutely. If you go through the process, like stick with it, get it, improve on the things that you need to improve and above all else, like don’t lose that hope. Don’t lose that hope. I never lost the hope. I told Aubrey, like, let’s just stick around. You never know. Like, if it’s meant for us, it’s meant for us. And, you know, for one reason or another, it was meant for us.
Aubrey: It was meant for us. Yeah. I think, you know, preparing as if you’re going, I wish we would have prepared mentally as if we’re going and not just materialistically. You know, we ordered the, you know, shoes and backpacks and all the things like that. And those were things that we could send back or take with us, as we did. But we definitely did not prepare mentally.
And if we would have put more time into it, maybe we would have, you know, ran the last race. But the truth of the matter is we did what we can with what we had. And we ultimately did 11 out of the 12. And we’re so happy and feel so grateful that as alternates, we got to run The Amazing Race.
Q: Mentally, how would you prepare, if you can, if you have a second shot at it?
David: I think a lot of the mental preparation would come with putting yourself in a position that makes you uncomfortable. Right? Aubrey’s case: heights. If you’re uncomfortable with heights, put yourself around heights so that you can get used to that and that feeling and how to cope with it. In my case, the water.
Aubrey: So I think just conquering our fears prior to the show would have probably been a lot better [laughs].
David: It could have been potentially could have been helpful.
Aubrey: Yeah, but the cards fell, how they fell and if you’re an alternate, stick with it.
This interview has been condensed for this article.
Other Exit Interviews:
‘The Amazing Race’: Marcus Says It Wasn’t ‘a Surprise’ to See Claire and Derek Helping Another Team
‘The Amazing Race’: Quinton and Mattie Reveal They Were Pulled Over, Rules in the Race, and More
‘The Amazing Race’: Glenda and Lumumba on Their Car Crash and Strengthening Their Marriage
‘The Amazing Race’: Abby and Will Dream for Round Two After Shocking Ending to Their Race
‘The Amazing Race 34’: Sharik Addresses Sabotage Accusations, ‘I Was Dying, so I Needed to Finish’
‘The Amazing Race 34’: Rich and Dom React to Sharik Almost Quitting and Their Own Stress
‘The Amazing Race 34’: Rex and Tim Reveal Their Routine to Drop 50 Pounds
‘The Amazing Race 34’: Aastha and Nina on Their Slow Start and Double Dates With Claire and Derek
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