BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Idaho fans of The Amazing Race have had a lot of fun this season. All of us here were cheering Joel Strasser and Garrett Smith on as they participated in competitions around the world.
The journey around the world for Joel and Garrett began in Hollywood. Once it was all done, and they finished in second place, there was another challenge: keeping it a secret.
"Keeping this big secret...was tough, and it's been stages. At first, we couldn't even tell anyone we were on the show. Finally, the end of August, they announced the cast, so then we could say we were on the show. Then all the questions came, and we could give no answers," Joel said. "It would have been cool to say, just pay attention because we are going to go far, but we had to keep it quiet."
The pair competed in various challenges, some involving memory, others involving food.
"I would say the most challenging task we had to do for each of us was probably the dancing the challenges. Neither one of us are dancers," Garrett said. "Going into the show, we each agreed the other one would do all of the dance challenges. When it came down to it, I had to dance with bowls on my head, which was easier than the dance Strasser had to do, the Irish dance, because, man, that was a lot of footwork and really fast."
The final challenge proved to be tough for them.
"What you don't see during the show is how many different things there are set up there," Garrett said. "It's not just the kayaks, and that's it. We're going through the paddles, making sure the pictures are right, make sure the countries are right. We started looking at the smaller details, which were insignificant. But because we didn't know what the mistake was, we started looking at those small details."
They said 100 variables were in the final memory challenge, making it even more difficult.
"Each one of the challenges was actually a lot of fun. I think my favorite was probably walking on top of the Space needle. I'm not a big fan of heights, but in that setting, it's something you don't get to do," Garrett said.
They say there is only one thing they would change.
"Seattle was so much fun. I wish we would have had the chance to take it in, though, because we were just stressin' trying to hurry so much that we didn't really stop and breathe," Joel said.
Finishing second place is something to be proud of, and they explained what helped them do well.
"Positivity is the biggest thing for us. One of the most important things we put into practice is that the race will throw everything at you and try really hard to keep you off balance. There's a lot of stuff outside your control," Joel said. "The only real things you can control are your attitude and your effort."
Joel and Garrett said they did not waste time fighting with each other like other teams. Instead, they focused on their attitude and trying hard.
They talked about how their family encouraged them on the journey.
"A big inspiration for me is my daughter that has special needs," Garrett said. "I see her with the things that could hold her back and how she doesn't let anything affect her."
The encouragement from their kids had a lot to do with their success, but they were not the only ones.
"Our wives were the true heroes here," Joel said. "We were out having fun. Yes, it was super tough, but it was fun. We were out living our dream while our wives were holding it together for a month while we were gone."
Their wives also organized weekly watch parties at Big Al's to raise money for local charities. The guys say they are having fun getting recognized by others in the community, and you are welcome to say hello as you see them out and about.
Watch the full interview by clicking the video player above.
ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwts6eo2arpKeutL%2FEq2SappRitKK%2B0Z6rrWWjora1tIyfqailXZ6xorTOrGSapZGvtq%2BzjKuYnJ1dqa6ssYxrpZ1lmaN6uLvRpZtmop%2Bqv6%2Bx2A%3D%3D