Natalie (Nat) Bassingthwaighte and her sister Melinda (Mel) Sheldrick have revealed just how challenging The Amazing Race Australia really is.
Although the siblings said their experience on the adventure reality show was an “adventure of a lifetime”, they told Chattr in an interview that it was a lot tougher than it actually looks.
“There’s so much that you don’t see; they can’t show everything. It’s a lot more gruelling than it looks, but it’s also incredibly fun,” Melinda said.
Nat explained that viewers watching the show aren’t “feeling” the emotions that the contestants are experiencing at that moment.
“The episodes play out for an hour to an hour and a half, and the days start at five or six in the morning,” she added.
“I think our backpacks are like 19 kilos, and you’ve got to carry that around, so that’s a lot of weight for little people like us.”
Nat said that the pressure of the race, combined with the fact that the contestants are competing in a foreign country, makes the experience quite stressful.
“You’re thirsty, and it’s not like you don’t get fed, but your adrenaline is so high because of all those factors. You’re not eating right, you’re in a foreign country, and people don’t speak the language,” she said.
“It’s quite a bizarre thing to explain to anyone, honestly.”
Nat and Mel said the first day of the competition was the most competitive
Nat and Mel, who raced for the charity Black Dog Institute, told Chattr that they were relieved that they weren’t the first team eliminated on The Amazing Race Australia. (Julie and Luke McGregor took that title and shared their disappointment in an interview with Chattr.)
“That’s the one that no one wants to get, at least get through the first [elimination],” Mel said.
She added that all the The Amazing Race cast were fighting hard to ensure they weren’t the first team to be sent home this season.
“The very first episode, the heightened emotions were crazy because no one wanted to go out first. I think that would have been so much harder, even though we were only like one extra day,” she explained.
“Everyone was just full steam ahead; they were so crazy! Our emotions were running so high, it was quite hilarious to watch.”
Nat added that after the frantic first day of the race, she and Mel spoke about keeping cool on day two.
“That’s where the saying the following day ‘calm your farm’ came from,” she laughed.
Considering they were the second team eliminated, maybe being calm isn’t the ideal tactic for The Amazing Race? Just saying.
The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition airs on Monday and Tuesdays at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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