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Tonight, the ninth season of "The Amazing Race" takes off from the mile-high city of Denver. Our obsession with the show is well-documented, so we wanted to catch up with one of the former contestants to learn about her experience on the race, get the dirt on the other racers that season, and solicit advice for future would-be contestants.
Hera McLeod was a contestant during the sixth season of the show. She ran the race with her father, Gus, overcoming a slow start to eventually place seventh. Controversy erupted several times that season -- first, when contestant Jonathan Baker came under fire for his verbal attacks on his wife Victoria, and later when eventual victor Kendra Bentley questioned why poor families in Africa kept "breeding." Gus and Hera provided not only one of the season's most amusing scenes -- with Gus trying to sneak sips of beer in a German beer hall -- but also the season's most powerful moment, when Gus and Hera were overcome by emotion while visiting the slave house in Senegal.
A graduate of George Washington University, Hera spent several years in Los Angeles, attending graduate school and working as a special education teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District and has since returned to the D.C. area.
How did you come to be on the Amazing Race?
I applied for Survivor. The same people cast for the two shows. I got to the finals for "Survivor," but they decided that they would like me better on TAR, so they asked me to find a partner.
What made you decide to run the race with your father?
We needed some bonding time. We tend to butt heads a lot and we needed this. Also, he is the most directionally savvy person I know. Despite his weight, he had the potential to be a fierce competitor.
What surprised you most about yourself being on the race? About your father?
What surprised me most is how well we worked together. We only fought a few times and none of our fights impeded our game.
One of the most emotional moments of the season was when you and your father visited the slave house in Senegal. How did this affect you for the remainder of the race, and your life after the race?
That moment will go down in history as one of the most intense and amazing moments of my life. It definitely both changed my relationship with my father as well as deepened my perspective on life. My dad does not tend to be an emotional person. I had never seen him cry. That moment helped to make him more human and taught me more about him.
Some of the other contestants on your season -- Jonathan, Kendra -- have faced intense criticism for how they handled themselves and what they said on the race. Was this something the other contestants noticed? Did their behavior affect the race?
Their behavior never affected our game.
Do you think you were portrayed accurately?
Yes, but we were very lucky. Since there were so many other teams who had fights worse than ours, they didn't show our worst moments.
With whom did you hang out most on the race? Do you still keep in touch with any of the other racers?
We hung out with Don and MJ a lot as well as Jonathan and Victoria. It is funny how they didn't show any of Jonathan's good qualities. After Don and MJ were eliminated, Jon and Victoria were pretty much the only team that talked to us at all. Although Jonathan is very high strung and likes to scream, he never lied to us or tried to mess with our game. I respect that.
Tell us about the Phil we don't know...
Phil is a diva! He is always worried about getting dirty. One day I told him that he looked better when his shirt wasn't tucked in and he was seriously offended. He is a nice guy though.
Can you give us any clues as to where Sequesterville is?
Ours was in Mexico...it is different depending on the season. They usually send you to a place that is warm so that they can cut down on the complaining.
What have you been doing since the race?
Working...trying to enter back into real reality.
It was reported that you said the family edition might be canned due to lack of interest. Did you come under fire from CBS for this? How restrictive is your contract with CBS?
I thought the family edition was a terrible idea. I did come into fire for speaking out against it, but my contract with them ended a couple of weeks ago so now I am FREE to say whatever I want! :)
If you were talking to someone who was going to be on "The Amazing Race," what one piece of advice would you give them on how to prepare?
Be yourself. Find a partner with whom you can tell a story. Don't spend any money on your video...that is the least important part. They want to see you and not how much money you spend to edit.
You blogged about the contestants from season 7, and your father did post-episode commentary on channel 9 -- are either of you planning to offer your impressions on the upcoming season?
I have been really busy, so I doubt it. I love to talk about the show, but frankly...I am so over pimping myself to CBS for free. I love to talk to the fans, but that is probably as far as I will go. I am, though, considering attending TARCON 9.
You're a GW alum -- how about them Colonials? Have you made it to many games since you've been back in town?
Haha -- I am a former GW rower...so I have some residual anger against the basketball team for getting all the scholarship money. But really, I would love to go to a game. I just have been really busy trying to juggle living back home with my parents...and having a social life.
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