'The Amazing Race 35's Andrea Simpson and Malaina Hatcher Break Down Their Ferry Breakdown

Andrea Simpson (L) and Malaina Hatcher (R)

Pack your bags, because The Amazing Race is back! Every week, Parade's Mike Bloom will bring you interviews with the team most recently eliminated from the race.

Andrea Simpson and Malaina Hatcher stuck out amongst the cast of The Amazing Race 35. Between their bright pink outfits and their trademark "out of towners" yell, the college friends brought a unique energy to the race, hoping to carry them through to the end. They surged out to the front of the pack in Thailand when they hit the ground, but chose to swap Detours, which sent them careening to the back of the pack. It would unfortunately be a position they would become all-too-familiar with over the course of the race. While they consistently scraped by to avoid elimination, their attitudes never deterred, Malaina's excitability balanced against Andrea's calm demeanor. And, perhaps as a result, they kept pushing through, overcoming newfound fears of fish and arduous tasks to reach as high as fourth place.

Unfortunately, that streak seemed to end when the racers left Asia for Europe. A trip to Germany introduced self-driving into the season, which proved to be the biggest of Achilles heels for Andrea and Malaina. What followed for them was an afternoon all around the Frankfurt countryside, as the two struggled to find a ferry. And when they did, it was the wrong one. None the wiser, they went all the way to the Roadblock, only to realize they didn't have what they needed to continue. Their coin error pretty much cashed out their game, and they were eliminated mid-leg among the fallen streamers and confetti of an emptied-out carnival.

Now out of the race, and with Malaina tending to a personal matter, Andrea talks with Parade.com about everything that went down on the road and the ferry, their struggles in the back of the pack, and their choice to lie about who they U-Turned.

Related: Everything to Know About The Amazing Race 35

Hi, Andrea! I'm so happy you were able to navigate onto this Zoom call without getting lost. [Laughs.]
[Laughs.] Oh, we're starting early with this! You don't want to ease your way in.

I promise that's the only shade I'll throw! Well, I'm really excited to talk with you, regardless of the circumstances. Let's start before the race even begins. You and Malaina have talked about having a relationship that has spanned decades, and you've been there for each other in your respective hours of need. What made you decide to go onto The Amazing Race together?
So I'm not sure if you know, but I've always been a fan of The Amazing Race since season one. I would consider myself a super fan. So I've watched all the seasons. Going into college, I'm the one that alerted Malaiana, "Hey, you should start watching this with me." And she got hooked on to it, so we both started liking Amazing Race. So that's when we're like, "You know what? Let's try to apply." And, in college, we applied, submitted a video, did our own application. We didn't hear anything. And then the second time, we did an open casting call, waited hours in line with everybody else, only to not get a response. And then 15 years later, we're adults living our best lives. COVID is over. Let's just try again; third time is the charm. And we got that phone call.

That's so interesting. Do you feel like that life experience between the first time you applied and getting on now changed the way you approached the race?
I mean, back then, when I first applied, I was in my early 20s. I probably would definitely have a hell of a lot more energy. However, in my 40s, you have a lot of life experiences to fall back on, how to navigate, manage actions and reactions. So, absolutely, I think me being older and 15 years later, trying out again, and getting on just allows you to have a different perspective in life. I've always told my friends and my family,  always continue to try, Even when doors close, just keep on trying, who knows. This was third time's the charm. However, what if they said, "No, just keep on trying"? Fifteen years ago, what I would have done? I probably would have been like, "Whatever, I'll just sit on the couch." They always say things happen for a reason. When the stars align, the magic happens.

Well let's get into where unfortunately the magic ended for you and Malaina. We have to get into this wild day getting lost in Germany. Can you try to put into words just everything that was happening?
Oh my goodness, Mike. They edited so much of the drive. That drive was unreal. I just, it was unreal. First of all, when we were running out of the airport to our cars, it was Greg and John, Robbin and Chelsea, myself and Malaina. So we were third coming out of the garage. I don't even know where the other teams went. They stopped and then they turned around and went somewhere else. I'm like, "Okay, well, we're running." So we're coming out of the garage, and thank God it was automatic. Myself and Malaina knew how to drive stick, so either of us could have done it.

So we're coming out of the garage. Greg and John were leading, of course, then Robbin and Chelsea, and we were behind them. Robbin and Chelsea veer off somewhere, I don't know. And we were still falling behind Greg and John. Then Greg and John veer off somewhere. Hindsight is 20/20, we should probably should have just went along with Greg and John and got lost with them wherever they went. Because throughout these previous legs, they've been doing great. So even if they got lost, we would have been lost with them and found our way back.

Can you estimate how much time you spent driving around lost before you found what turned out to be the incorrect ferry?
I would say by the time we got to Kaub, we were driving at least four to five hours. There was also a detour on the highway; that was a mess. Then it was an accident, so traffic was backed up. So there was a lot of other stuff outside of us just getting lost that was dragging out the time. And then even when we got to Kaub, it was still daylight. But who knew there was more than one ferry? [There were] three or four different fairies that you could have gotten on to get across. We didn't know that. And there's more than one castle in Kaub. So I'm like, "What is going on?"

So yeah, that within itself was just very frustrating, not knowing which ferry to get on. And none of the ferries had their names plastered. And then the guy when we were on the ferry, I'm like, "Are you the guy?" He's like, "Yeah." When you see it like it, you're distressed and you're trying to get through it. But then when you're sitting back and watching it, it's like, "Why did you do that? Why didn't you read the clue again, or press the issue? This doesn't look right. Woulda, coulda, shoulda."

I noticed a stark difference in energy between the first and second times you approached the Roadblock. At a certain point, did you just assume you were out of it once you got sent back to the ferry to get the right coins?
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head, Mike. So when we went to the castle the first time and I opened the Roadblock clue, there was actually another clue in there. So I'm like, "Okay, we're still in this." So we get up there. And, of course, I realized we had the wrong coins. So I'm like, "Alright, let's go back down and get these coins and figure it out." Once we figured it out and got back, then I saw that the clue was gone. I'm like, "Oh, Lord, this ain't good." And then we've been driving literally all day. We hadn't eaten. So we're hangry. We had chips and dips; we didn't have any real food. So we're hangry; tensions are high. All that mixed into I gotta figure out that one Witten equals a Heller and I'm like, "I don't got time for this!"

[Laughs.] So we saw the self-driving cause a lot of conflict between teams last leg. I'm curious, was that the same case with you and Malaiana? Or were you largely just concentrated on getting to the next place?
It was like, "Let's just concentrate on getting there." And we kept a positive attitude. "Let's just concentrate on getting to Kaub and getting there." We've been turning around back and forth. But we're still in it. That was our mindset throughout the whole time getting there. "We're still in it." So I just feel like if we got on the right ferry, we would have still been in it. Because, again, like I said, once we got to the castle, there was still a clue in there. So if we had gotten it right, we would have we would have been in, and then kept on going.

Though you were in dead last here, you had run a race up to this point of largely being in the back of the pack. Did that surprise you, and how did you handle that mentality of being close to elimination so many times?
Yeah, that mindset is is is crazy. Because, like you say, you're racing and you know, you're in a competition, and you want to put your best foot forward. But then when you feel as though you've done as much as you could with the circumstances, and now you realize that this is the end of the road, it's just like a dagger to your heart. But, again,  this is a one-in-a-million chance to do this. To actually be on The Amazing Race is life-changing for me. I'm always grateful for the opportunity, and to just be able to be on the show that I love that I've seen and watched since the inception.

So just that alone is enough for me. I mean, of course, I want the million dollars, and to keep on racing. However, those memories, just to be able to say I've been to India who can say that? I've been to Vietnam. I've been to Thailand. No money in the world can take away from those memories. This newfound friendship I have with 12 other teams. We talk to each other every day. So this lifelong bond I will always have, and I'm forever grateful for it.

Well, you talk about that bond with the other teams. Let's talk about something you chose to withhold from them in your U-Turn choice. When you see people like Corey and Garrett decide to be open to Anna Leigh about U-Turning her and Steve, what chose you not to do the same?
It's a competition! Am I on the stand? I didn't commit no murder, no crime. This is a competition. So why are you drilling me at the Roadblock, Anna Leigh? Please tell me. No, you will find out when everybody else on TV. And when I watched, I couldn't believe they showed that. But she was a good sport about it. She was like, "Oh,my gosh, Andrea." She was cracking up about it. It was hilarious.

But no, it's a competition. It's supposed to be an anonymous vote. We voted in private. So why am I telling you who I voted for? And why would you get mad that someone voted for you? You had to have known that you had a target on your back. The number one people in the pack have to know that they had a target on their bacsk. And unfortunately, Robbin and Chelsea had a target on their backs because they just weren't really vibing during the race. And granted, it's a race. I don't have to help you. But helping people can go a long way. So it's a give and take.

What's the thing you learned the most about Malaiana racing around the world together?
Who knew that she was afraid of fish? [Laughs.] I was like, "You have gloves on! Why are you jumping up and squirming about this fish that you can pick up?" I've also learned that she is very good at keeping me at bay. Because, when we were in India, I was getting at my wit's end with the drivers with the rickshaws. And she was definitely the person that was calming me down. Normally, I'm calming her down, and she was doing the opposite. So I've learned that she definitely has patience just as much as I do. And I know I can be a little bit short-tempered, and she was able to balance that. So I feel as though we definitely had a great opportunity to just balance each other out and to know where our weaknesses and strengths are. When we see the other person falling short, she picked me up, and vice versa. And that's what friends are supposed to do. If I'm lacking, that's where you step in.

Next, read our interview with Liam and Yeremi Hykel, who were eliminated in The Amazing Race 35 Episode 6.