http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051215/ENT/312150012/1025/life
Thank you, LA Woman 3, for the link :)
'Amazing Race' winners reflect on newfound fame
'Amazing Race' host Phil Keoghan, far left, congratulates the Linz siblings, from left, Alex, Nick, Tommy and Megan, after they were the first team to arrive at the finish line in Lewiston, N.Y.
Shortly after receiving their $1-million check from “The Amazing Race: Family Edition” Wednesday, the four Linz kids from Anderson Township did a group phone interview with Enquirer reporter John Kiesewetter.
Nick, 24, Alex, 23, Megan, 21, and Tommy, (“Bone”), 19, were the first to reach the finish line near Niagara Falls on the two-hour season finale Tuesday night, ending the 25-day race.
Here is a full transcript:
Question: On CBS “The Early Show” you announced you were giving half the money to your parents. Explain your decision.
Tommy: We’re giving one half to our parents, and the other half we’re splitting seven ways, among the seven children in our family. We decided we’d do this before the show began (taping in July).
Alex: It’s the family edition. You know, we love family vacations. We did this particular show because of our family vacation last year. That’s what started this whole thing. Someone (at the Cancun airport last Christmas) suggested that we do “The Amazing Race,” and lo and behold, we applied and we got on the show.
Question: So how much do you actually get? What is one-seventh of $500,000? You’ve had since August to figure it out.
Nick: I figure 50-60 grand, after Uncle Sam takes his part.
Alex: We don’t know what that number will come out to. It doesn’t matter. It’s $2 more than I had before the race. The experiences we had had to be more than enough reward, though it does give us each a little bit of a financial safety net.
Question: Don’t you have debts and college loans to repay? Why not pay off loans first, then split the rest with the family?
Nick: We all took out loans go to college. We got loans, with the help of our old man. I’m certainly paying them back right now. Certainly college wasn’t paid for. Yes, I’m going to wipe out the college loans.
Alex: We may be getting a fresh start now with the (prize) money. But our parents have paid for so much, taking care of seven kids. My dad worked his butt off providing well for all of us. We went to private grade schools, and they sent us to St. X (High School) -- and that’s not cheap. We’re giving them half of the money, and that doesn’t add up to half of what they’ve spent on us.
Alex: I’ll probably pay off the private loans, but I might keep the ones at the low government rate. Maybe I’ll get a nice place of my own. (He has been living at home while working as an Anderson Mercy Hospital emergency medical technician.) And I’m trying to go back to school, and I’d have the money to pay for it.
Question: Mom says Alex may go to medical school?
Alex: It’s a dream of hers. I’m really enjoying working in the health-care profession, and I’d like to work in health care someway, somehow – maybe med school or something. But just because you’ve got $1 million doesn’t let you into medical school. You’ve got to have the grades.
Question: Alex, you still live at home?
Alex: Yes. I had so much debt. I tried to work my way through college, and it hasn’t been easy. My parents have been nice enough to let me hole up there. That’s one reason to give them half the money.
Question: When did you shoot the show?
Megan: We left on July 2, and came back in early August.
Question: Were you fans of the show before being asked to audition last Christmas?
Tommy: We were familiar with the show, but we weren’t fanatic fans. When we found out we were going to participate, we watched all of the shows (season 7) last spring.
Question: Were you disappointed “The Amazing Race” didn’t go through Europe, Asia or other continents, as in previous seasons?
Alex: We’re asked that a lot. Every single place I went to on the “Race,” I’d never been to. We’ve traveled a lot as family, but I’d never been to New York or Washington D.C., or out West. I think it was exciting for people to see our own country, and see things you can do here (in America).
Question: Did any of you keep journals?
Nick: We all did.
Question: Where did you visit that you’d like to go back and see again?
Nick: A lot of places.
Alex: On the leg we finished first (the Salt Lake City episode Nov. 22), we won a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Wyoming was very pretty. I’m looking forward to going to Jackson Hole.
Tommy: I want to go back to Panama, and Costa Rica.
Megan: I’d love to go back to Costa Rica. The water and land were just gorgeous. I spent my 21st birthday there. I’d love to go back and spend another birthday there.
Question: Did this experience bring you closer?
Tommy: We learned a lot about each other. We learned we work well in stressful situations. Nick and Alex are closer in age, and have a closer relationship. Meg and I are closer in age, and have a closer relationship. Nick and Alex had moved out of the house by the time we went to high school. This gave us an opportunity to spend time together, and for Nick and Alex to see how much Megan and I have grown.
Megan: We’ve always been a close family, and like any other family we’ve had our arguments and differences. Tommy and I are close in age, and sometimes we’d have our problems. This brought Tommy and I closer together. There’s no arguing any more. We definitely grew up during the race.
Question: Did you guys never argue during the 25-day shoot? Or did CBS just not show it?
Megan: You can’t really say “never.” It was like any other family. Me, being a girl with these boys, I got frustrated at times with the boys – but five minutes later it was no big deal.
Alex: I think CBS gave a pretty good idea how we ran the race. We always made light of adversity. We always tried to enjoy what we were doing, even when the car battery died. You did see a lot of arguing going on with the other families, but it was at the highest-stress parts of the race. We were fortunate enough to keep our bickering to a low level that CBS didn’t want to bring it out.
Question: Was it true you helped the Paolo family from New York win the Nov. 1 episode taped in Costa Rica?
Tommy: Alex and I were close to the finish line, but Megan and Nick were far behind. The Paolos were all close to the mat (finish line). Mrs. Paolo was really struggling, and so we decided to help her. Alex: Her son was yelling at her to hurry up. She was really wheezing and gasping very bad. We let her know that knew we couldn’t win. We just kind of walked her up to the mat. We told her, “Don’t push yourself. You’re going to win this one.” Second for us was OK. It meant we were still in the race.
Question: I’ve heard you’ve stayed in touch with many families from the show?
Nick: Everybody has been e-mailing back and forth. Every family.
Question: Every family? Even the Weavers, the Florida family which were kind of loners or outcasts?
Nick: I don’t know if they’re on the list or not. I’m not sure I’ve seen any e-mails from them.
Megan: When we visited Chicago – my brother TJ lives there – we’ve seen the Godlewskis and the Bransens.
Question: You guys were very friendly with the Bransen girls (Elizabeth, 25; Lauren, 22; Lindsay, 20), who came in second. You haven’t become closer to them since August, have you?
Nick: No. They all have boyfriends, by the way.
Alex: We had our sights set on winning the race, not on socializing and romances.
Question: What’s next for each of you?
Nick: I’m moving back to Cincinnati this weekend. My dad’s company, Tripack, is moving it’s machine division to Milford. I’m going to find an apartment in Cincinnati.
Alex: I want to go back to school in the fall, med school or something health-care related.
Megan: I’m going to take some time off school, and try to get some experience as an event planner. I’ve got a couple places I’m looking at in Cincinnati. I’d go back back to school next fall. Eventually I want to move out to Los Angeles or Chicago.
Tommy: I’m going to stay in school and keep partying. I’m enjoying my youth.
Question: Would you consider a TV career? Are you going Hollywood on us?
Nick: Not me.
Alex: If any opportunities come around, it will be something that I’d think about – but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Megan: To be honest, I would take any offers. I’m having too much fun with this.
Question: The Bengals wanted to honor you at a home game earlier this season, but CBS prohibited any publicity until the show ended. Would you want another invitation from the Bengals? Your family has season tickets, right?
Megan: We hope we get to do something with the Bengals….Nick, Alex, Tommy and I have all been getting approached at Bengals games, and asked to sign autographs and have our picture taken.
Question: Are you anxious to get home and finally be able to talk about it?
All: Oh yeah!
Question: It’s been a great six months, hasn’t it?
Alex: It’s been a great year, especially for Cincinnati, with the (St. X) Bombers, Bengals and Linzes! The Bombers won the state football title, the Bengals are having a winning season and headed to the playoffs, and we just won ‘The Amazing Race.” Put all three together, and it’s been pretty awesome for Cincinnati. We love the Bombers. We love the Bengals. We love “The Amazing Race.”
The Linz family is (from left) Tim, Travis, Alex, mom Terri, Megan, Liz, Matt, Nick, Tommy and dad Tom.