Exclusive: Rachel Reilly and Elissa Slater talk 'The Amazing Race' -- Every leg was an emotional roller coaster!

Rachel Reilly and Elissa Slater were eliminated from Season 31 of The Amazing Race during the latest broadcast on CBS.


Rachel, 34, and Elissa, 32 -- who raced as former Big Brother houseguests and sisters from Van Nuys, CA, and Las Vegas, NV, respectively -- were ousted from the Race to win $1 million after arriving at the eighth Pit Stop at the gardens of the Grand Hotel in Giessbach, Switzerland in last place.

"I guess I was super delusional that I thought we could win," Rachel cried upon learning her team's fate at the Pit Stop.

"Rach, we win at life! We have healthy babies, we got to do the Race together," Elissa reminded her sister.

During a recent exclusive interview with Reality TV World, Rachel and Elissa talked about their time on The Amazing Race. Below is the concluding portion of what they had to say.


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Reality TV World: What was your reaction when you found out Nicole Franzel had actually whispered in Victor Arroyo's ear that she wanted to U-Turn you girls instead of Leo Temory and Jamal Zadran? Were things still awkward between you girls and Nicole and Victor at that point?

Rachel Reilly: Oh my gosh Switzerland is so much fun, how could anything be awkward?! (Laughs)

Elissa Slater: It was actually so cool. Like the place we were doing the Double U-Turn...

Rachel Reilly: It was so beautiful!... And it was the first place of democracy! Ahh, it was so cool!


Elissa Slater: So we were feeling so empowered, so we were just like, "Whatever, nothing is going to ruin our vibe."

Reality TV World: Were you shocked Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl didn't get U-Turned? Because at this point, they've had three first-place finishes.

Rachel Reilly: Oh my god, I love them. They are so smart right?! Literally. They are such great people and they have such a good social game. And they're just good at everything.

Elissa Slater: Korey honestly has the best personality you could ever find in a human, like, you want to be around him. He is infectious and fun, and they are freakin' awesome. They are really cool people.

So yeah, they are smart, and that's why they didn't get U-Turned. They are super fun to be around, they're super competitive, they're really nice and they stay out of things. They are the whole package; they are cool people.


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Reality TV World: When you lost your clue after your first Detour task in which you dressed up the cow, you asked Colin Guinn and Christie Woods if you could see their clue -- and they refused. You seemed to understand their decision, so would you have done the same had you been in their shoes?

Rachel Reilly: I think Elissa and I always played strategically. (Laughs)

Elissa Slater: Yeah, we always do, and that was smart. They are literally so awesome too, and honestly, [Christie] should have told me "no." We just U-Turned them, right?! So it was like, "No, girl, good try though!" (Laughs)

Rachel Reilly: They did the right thing.


Elissa Slater: Yeah, you know, they're playing the game and they're smart. She thought really quick, and so I think we probably wouldn't have shown someone our clue either.

Reality TV World: Was it uncomfortable working on the Detour right next to Colin and Christie after you had voted to U-Turn them? I mean, Christie even told Colin not to talk to you.

Elissa Slater: Yeah, you know, nobody likes to get U-Turned.

Rachel Reilly: I didn't think it was awkward at all! We're in Switzerland! How much fun can we have in Switzerland!

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Reality TV World: You told Leo and Jamal you had made a Big Brother pact with Nicole and Victor. Did you make that pact before or during The Amazing Race, and what did the pact entail? Were Britney Haynes and Janelle Pierzina a part of the pact as well?

Rachel Reilly: Oh my god, isn't Leo and Jamal the best team ever?! They were so much fun and they're just great Racers. And we're in Switzerland! It's such an amazing place to be...

Elissa Slater: We weren't thinking about anything other than the fact we were in Switzerland...

Rachel Reilly: And Elissa, how much fun did we have with Janelle and Britney?! They are the best. They are such great girls...

Reality TV World: So Britney and Janelle were part of your Big Brother pact then, it sounds like?

Rachel Reilly: We had so much fun on The Amazing Race! It's such a great adventure, and can you believe I raced 33 legs?! What an amazing experience I've had on this show... I've had all these experiences when we're at Christmas dinner, when we're older, we can talk about.


It's just been this crazy, fun, amazing experience, and it's all been televised. I'm so blessed and lucky to have been on this show, and it's fun you get to learn about different cultures when you go on The Amazing Race... I've grown so much as a person from being on this show.

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Reality TV World: The Survivor teams I talked to this season pretty much agreed The Amazing Race was equally if not more challenging than Survivor. How would you girls compare your experience on the Race to your time in the Big Brother house?

Elissa Slater: I thought the Race was surprisingly so, so challenging. We prepped a lot for Race and I thought it would be as challenging as it was, but then I think it outshined in the challenge [department].

Just because it's like every leg is an emotional roller coaster because you don't know what place you're in. So the whole race, we don't know if we're at the back of the pack or in the front of the pack. And then you could be in the front and all of a sudden you go to the back if you get a bad cab driver or who knows what happens.

And then you're running so far and you don't eat until your Pit Stop, so you're hungry and thirsty and hot. And you have a camera in your face the whole time... so it was super challenging.


And Big Brother was a totally different dynamic... it's like you don't have any mental stimulation because you don't have anything to read and you don't have music. It's just you literally have to entertain yourself by sitting outside and making conversation with people.

But the challenges in Big Brother are extremely challenging to the point where after you do the challenges, you literally can't walk for a week. So they are physically extremely demanding as well, which I didn't know... I didn't know how challenging they were.

Like when you're holding onto a giant popsicle and it's rotating and they're spraying you with freezing cold water... you are literally dying. I feel like after every Big Brother challenge, I couldn't walk for a week -- and I'm in really good shape.

Rachel Reilly: I feel the same way!... You get to meet new people and experience new cultures... You go around the world and you see that people are very genuine and good and they want to help you.

It really just speaks to a different level of humanity... We're not just on a television show filming stuff; we're actually in the market in Uganda with these people, who are letting us wash their clothes and make a rolex at their station. So they are very generous and you see how these people are... You actually get to experience a little bit of what they're experiencing.

Elissa Slater: Everything she said. It was so special to get to interact with people from other countries. I loved Uganda and Tokyo; people were just so friendly and helpful even though we were running around like maniacs... They wanted to be a part of what we were doing.


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Reality TV World: How did your casting on this season of The Amazing Race come about? And Rachel, were you able to choose your partner between Elissa and your husband Brendon Villegas?

Rachel Reilly: Ohh, casting decisions are always kept confidential, girl! (Laughs)

But I can tell you it was such a fun thing I got to do with Elissa and with Brendon. It's kind of like my whole family has been involved with all the shows I've been on. So, we're very much a CBS family.

Reality TV World: I imagine it was tricky getting away to film the show though, considering you both have children. Was appearing on The Amazing Race an easy decision to make?

Elissa Slater: It was definitely tricky. You have to really think about -- because you're going to be gone for that whole 22 days and you're going to be traveling and can't talk to your family.


So that is really hard and it's tricky, but if you have the opportunity to win $1 million, who's going to turn that down?! You have a 1 in 13 chance to win a million dollars. What time do we have better odds? And I'm a working mom, and I will say a million dollars would go a long way for my family.

Rachel Reilly: For me, it's like, you can't turn it down. Plus, you get to have the adventure of a Lifetime!

Elissa Slater: We're all business in my family and my husband was like, "Absolutely, do it! Please. Bye girl! But come home with the money." (Laughs) As long as profit is involved, we're good, and I'm like, "I'm down."

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To read the first half of Reality TV World's exclusive The Amazing Race interview with Rachel and Elissa, click here.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski