The Amazing RaceSeason 37 is the biggest season of the franchise, boosting a total of 14 teams.
Mark CrawfordandLarry Grahamare retired firefighters and best friends from Tennessee.
It’s Mark and Larry.
Image by Zanda Rice, CBS
How are you both?
MARK CRAWFORD:Doing well.
LARRY GRAHAM:How are you?
Image via CBS
COLLIDER: I’m doing great.
Alright, if you could describe your experience onThe Amazing Racein one single word, what would it be?
MARK: Very hap–frustrated.
COLLIDER: Fair, fair, fair.
What was it like watching yourselves on TV doing this experience?
There they are."
So that’s pretty neat.
I’ve gone out already and people recognize me.
“Hey, were you on TV the other night?”
So that was kind of different, you know.
We had to come home and watch it ourselves just for people just coming up, hugging, talking.
It was a great reunion for us.
COLLIDER: You two have a great friendship.
Talk to me about what inspired you both to doThe Amazing Race.
I guess it’s part of us being first responders, thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies.
We were super fans of the show.
Why did you dance?
And why did you not go sing?
You should have went to sing."
It’s like, yeah, it’s that easy.
But what’s crazy is we literally loved every team that’s on there.
You know, it’s like we have no dislike for any team that’s on there.
So that’s, that’s pretty neat experience.
MARK: That’s the easy part.
It’s a pretty cool experience.
COLLIDER: Alright, so our first leg saw you going from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.
What were the first reactions getting to step foot in Hong Kong?
LARRY: I couldn’t believe how clean Hong Kong is.
So you just think it wouldn’t be as spotless.
And literally, there’s not a cigarette butt on the ground.
And the view is, I never knew they had the mountains and all there.
It was really a neat place to go.
A lot of nice people.
And, but gosh, the traffic is unreal there.
And I’m glad that we were able to do that before they got rid of us.
COLLIDER: Oh, I love that.
I can’t wait to see how it plays out on screen.
Mark, let’s talk about the Roadblock.
What was it like tackling that tower in the rain?
We both stay in shape and very active, and I do a lot of CrossFit.
So, they always make us climb things.
Climb ropes and hang off this, and flip upside down on this.
So the wall was challenging.
It wasn’t a gimme just to climb that bamboo, whatever, pyramid or whatever it was.
COLLIDER: So you mentioned you’re super fans of the show.
You hit the Fork in the Road.
How freaked out were you?
And I really thought we’re probably dead last getting there.
And next thing you know, we’re like seventh or eighth.
And even though we took the dance, there was a few places behind us.
And we knew one team was over an hour away because they missed the ferry.
So, but we sure couldn’t have sang.
We’ll still been there.
COLLIDER: What was the hardest part about the dance challenge?
MARK:Communication.Uh, the little Hong Kongian that was teaching us.
He could speak English.
Just how close were you between Courtney Ramsey and Jasmine Carey and Mike Fiorito and Nick Fiorito?
MARK: We could literally see them when we got out of the cab.
We could see them ahead of us.
So they, we had them scared and they knew we were coming.
And that’s part of the race.
It was that close.
And while we’re waiting for the taxi to stop, they were getting out of their taxi.
So that’s, that’s how close it was.
This competition series should be on the same level as Survivor!
LARRY: During that one race?
Is that what you’re saying?
COLLIDER: If you continued on and weren’t eliminated in this leg.
Because you weren’t the last one to arrive officially.
So, depends on what the next legs are.
We might have been way on up there.
We can only guess what the other ones were, but they don’t keep singing and dancing.
And we let our taxi go.
But you know, you learn.
MARK: That’s the game.
LARRY: It was a neat experience.
COLLIDER:The Amazing Raceis special because it allows you to see just how special these friendships are.
At the mat, Larry, you give a special tribute to Mark.
What was it like to experience this journey together?
LARRY: Well, I had joked about Mark sometime during the show was going to cry.
So, for two years, we have been doingAmazing Racestuff and have so much invested.
And then just lose on the first leg.
It was just, it was just killing me that we were not still doing it, you know.
MARK: It hurts.
LARRY: But somebody has to lose.
Actually, we came in eighth, you know, if you think about it.
I think I know what the answer is, but what do you do it again?
LARRY: Oh yeah, no doubt.
COLLIDER: Let’s end on a high.
What was the best part ofThe Amazing Racethat was not game related?
And we’re still friends, and we still talk on the phone, and we still communicate.
When we head that direction, if we go to St. Louis, we’ll see the Lumberjacks.
And they’re, when they come to Tennessee, they’re going to stop and see us.
Those connections are a treasure without having any money.
COLLIDER: I love that so much.
Well, congratulations onThe Amazing Race.
It was so much fun watching you both.
LARRY: Thank you.
MARK: Thank you, Michael.
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