Exclusive: Bates Battaglia and Anthony Battaglia talk 'The Amazing Race' (Part 2)

Bates Battaglia and Anthony Battaglia were crowned champions of The Amazing Race's 22nd season during Sunday night's two-hour broadcast of the CBS reality competition's finale.


The "Hockey Brothers" were the first team to cross the 22nd season of The Amazing Race's finish line in Washington D.C., claiming the $1 million grand prize.

"Newlyweds" Max Bichler and Katie Bichler finished second, while "Roller Derby Moms" Mona Egender and Beth Bandimere finished the Race in third place. "Friends and Country Singers" Caroline Cutbirth and Jennifer Kuhle were eliminated in fourth place just before the final leg. 

In an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Monday, Bates and Anthony talked about their The Amazing Race experience and victory. Below is the concluding portion of their interview. Click here to read the first half.

To read some of what Max and Katie had to say, click here. To begin reading our interview with Mona and Beth, click here. For the initial portion of Caroline and Jennifer's interview, click here.


Reality TV World: You guys raced side by side with Caroline and Jennifer for many of the season's legs. Could you talk about your reasoning for racing so closely with them? Was it strategic because you didn't think they were a threatening team so it wouldn't hurt to take them to the end or was it simply because you guys had all become great friends and you truly wanted to help them out?

Bates Battaglia: Oh, we definitely became good friends. We still talk to this day.

Anthony Battaglia: We helped each other out. They definitely helped us with the hardest part of our Race -- was getting airline tickets and stuff like that. And they were right by our side trying to help us out, and we tried to help them as much as we could, you know, picking up their dog in Switzerland and whatever we could do to help them out. But they helped us out probably more.

Bates Battaglia: Yeah, they probably helped us out more than we helped them. We tried, but I mean, we weren't that strong. (Laughs) We really weren't that strong.

Reality TV World: Could you guys talk a little more about your relationships with Caroline and Jennifer? I remember at one point in the season Caroline mentioned Jennifer had a crush on Bates. Bates, were you kind of reciprocating those feelings. And Anthony, how did you feel about the dynamic between your two teams?


Anthony Battaglia: Oh my God. Bates was all over her. It's unbelievable, like they were making out -- no, I'm just kidding. They would not stop talking. I just wanted to do the Race, and Bates, you know, I just wanted to switch partners. You were embarrassing yourself.

Bates Battaglia: No, that's not even true -- not even true at all.

Reality TV World: Did either of you end up actually dating either of the girls after the Race?

Bates Battaglia: No, we are very good friends, but no. It ended right there as friends.

Reality TV World: Not only did you guys help out Caroline and Jennifer during the second half of the Race, but you were in an alliance with pretty much all the teams except for Mona and Beth and [Joey Graceffa] and [Meghan Camarena]. It seemed like the toughest competitors stuck together and targeted the teams who weren't really winning any legs. Could you talk about the thought process there? Was it a "keep your enemies close" type of situation?


Bates Battaglia: Well actually, going into it, we tried to be friends with everybody. I mean, we liked everybody. We were friends and all that stuff, but when it came down to the very end there with the U-Turn and all that stuff, we had to use the alliance and shut them down a little bit.

Reality TV World: You had made it clear you thought Mona and Beth were going to be a tougher team to beat in the finale than Caroline and Jennifer, as you were both a little disappointed when you learned you'd be going up against Mona and Beth. Would you mind sharing why you had that perspective?

Anthony Battaglia: Well I mean, Mona and Beth probably were the toughest team. They obviously made it to the finals, and if it came down to it, we were going to beat them in a foot race. It didn't matter. If the girls were going to give us a problem, you know, we're a tough team. We're good to go! (Laughs)

Bates Battaglia: Mona and Beth though, they were an extremely strong team, like overall, I think they were the strongest team in the Race. I will absolutely say that in a second. I thought they were super strong.

Reality TV World: What were your general opinions of Joey and Meghan? It almost seemed like your alliance working against them was a personal issue rather than a strategic one. And when I talked to the pair last week, they believed they had become outcasts simply because a few of the other teams just didn't like them. What's your response to that?


Bates Battaglia: Oh absolutely it was all strategic! Right off the bat, we knew that they couldn't U-Turn anybody else. So that was like an immediate thing. You U-Turn them and they couldn't U-Turn anybody else.

Anthony Battaglia: It wasn't personal at all. They were on the other side of the alliance. They like the "Roller Derby [Moms]" and we were kind of on the other side. So, you know.

Bates Battaglia: But at the end of the day, it was the U-Turn. Once we U-Turned them, they couldn't U-Turn anybody else. So it was very strategic.

Reality TV World: When I've spoken with other teams this season, they mostly all agreed you two were one of -- if not "the" -- biggest threat this season, yet your alliance never U-Turned you guys or tried to get you out. So from those teams' standpoint, do you think it was almost a little foolish of them not to target you guys when they had the chance? It's like they helped keep you in the Race and obviously you ended up winning.

Anthony Battaglia: Well yeah, it was -- even early on, you know, everybody should've went after us. And I think they were trying to a little bit, but they didn't, and it worked out!


Bates Battaglia: I think the reason why is because we played it well. We played, like, we were friends with everybody. We didn't try to like be jerks or anything. We played a straight game. We didn't try to be like jerks or anything, so.

Anthony Battaglia: Everybody knew what we were doing. We put our cards on our -- sleeves?

Bates Battaglia: On your sleeve.

Anthony Battaglia: Yeah, that's what we do! What you see is what you get and it worked out, I guess, I don't know.

Reality TV World: From what you guys were saying earlier, it sounds like you attribute some of your victory to the help you received from Caroline and Jennifer. Do you feel the same regarding your other alliance members in that they played a role in your victory since they opted out of U-Turning you and also helped you at times?

Anthony Battaglia: No, we won because we're top notch. (Laughs)


Bates Battaglia: (Laughs)

Anthony Battaglia: We're top notch.

Bates Battaglia: Yeah, I would say that Caroline and Jennifer definitely helped us out throughout.

Anthony Battaglia: They definitely helped us out, but we're -- I mean, I'm not going to lie, we're amazing. We're amazing. Amazing Anthony, Amazing Bates, whatever...

Reality TV World: Joey and Meghan told me they thought Max was rude and kind of a jerk and that Katie was the "b word" often during the Race. Yet [Pamela Chien] and [Winnie Sung] told me earlier in the season they believed Max was just a sarcastic goofball. What did you two think?

Anthony Battaglia: I thought he was that until I actually met him. I really like Max and Katie.


Bates Battaglia: They're awesome!

Anthony Battaglia: They're one of my favorite teams. I still talk to them today. They're awesome and they're, I don't know.

Bates Battaglia: I don't know. I think those interviews [on the show] don't express how awesome they are. I love Max and Katie. They are awesome.

Anthony Battaglia: But the first time I ever met -- or when I talked to Max, I'm like, "You know what? The first time I met you, I didn't really like you." And he's like, "You know what? When I first saw me too, I didn't like me." And that's what he said, so that made me like him even more.

Bates Battaglia: Yeah, we definitely like Max and Katie. Caroline and Jennifer, we love! We love all four of them.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on The Amazing Race and was it your first time applying for the show?


Anthony Battaglia: It was our first time applying for the show.

Bates Battaglia: Yeah.

Anthony Battaglia: We did a super sweet casting [video].

Bates Battaglia: We were very convincing.

Anthony Battaglia: Yeah! I mean...

Bates Battaglia: We're tons of fun.


Anthony Battaglia: I came into the studio with no teeth in. I mean, how could they not cast us?!

Reality TV World: How many teeth are you missing?! (Laughs)

Bates Battaglia: All of us, or just him?

Reality TV World: I guess both of you.

Anthony Battaglia: Overall, I'm going to say nine, ten.

Bates Battaglia: Ten or twelve. 


Above is the concluding portion of Bates and Anthony's exclusive interview with Reality TV World. Click here to read the first half.

To read some of what Max and Katie had to say, click here. To begin reading our interview with Mona and Beth, click here. For the initial portion of Caroline and Jennifer's interview, click here.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski