'The Amazing Race 35's Rob and Corey McArthur Talk Representing the Power of Sign Language

Rob McArthur (L) and Corey McArthur (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.

We have never had a parent/child team like Rob and Corey McArthur on The Amazing Race. Rob is only the second Deaf contestant in the show's 20+ year history, and he and Corey went on the show to highlight both the Deaf and CODA communities and give a peek into their dynamic. And that peek revealed an in sync, loving, and incredibly consistent team. Rob and Corey came in feeling underestimated, due in part to their age difference and Rob's Deafness. But they proved themselves from the jump, only finishing out of the top five teams one time during the entirety of the race. The parent and child treated each other as peers and worked incredibly successfully as a team, seemingly never engaging in conflict during stressful self-driving.

Even during the rare slip-up, like Corey's struggles dancing in India or a misunderstanding of a Detour in Slovenia, Rob and Corey never seemed to falter. Their task skills and chemistry allowed them to always power ahead, and they were never in danger for elimination. Going into the final leg, Rob and Corey seemingly had the wind at their back. They had just finished in first place and were going to a city they were most familiar with in Seattle. Unfortunately, in the last stretch, one mistake can cost you the million. Despite finishing the "Scramble" shortly behind the other two teams, they got crucially lost on the way to the final task. And so, while the sun was setting in Seattle, so it was on their race.

The day after the finale, Rob and Corey talk with Parade.com about what truly led to their third-place finish, whether there was any unseen conflict between them, and how the Deaf and CODA communities have responded to their story.

Related: Everything to Know About The Amazing Race 35

How are you guys doing today? I know it was a bit of a celebration, but I can imagine seeing yourselves lose a million dollars is bittersweet to say the least.
Rob McArthur: Yes, it was an awesome night. I'm really proud of how we did. We did the full race, pretty much until the finish line. And so that was our goal.
Corey McArthur: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. It obviously had a bittersweet ending. And it's one of those things that, going into the race, our goal was really race the full race. We want to be a team that gets to see everything the race has to offer. Let's get a first place; that's been my dad's dream. And then once you get to the finale, obviously, there's that little part of you that goes, "Wait, this is achievable, we can do this." And when that kind of doesn't go your way, it hurts. But I think once you kind of process that a little bit, there's just so much to look back on and be grateful for. The good is incredible.  I'm very happy with the overall experience.
Rob: And the opportunity to be with my son was priceless. It was amazing.

Well let's start with how things ended. From our perspective, it looks like you fell out of it when you got lost going to the final task. Was it as simple as that?
Corey: Yeah. Sadly, it really was just as simple as getting lost. And we felt like we really crushed those tasks. Sadly, it's The Amazing Race, not The Amazing Task Accomplishments. The crux of the game is getting from point A to point B. And we managed to throw a point C somewhere in there that did not belong. The nerves really get to you. And so when you stop and ask someone for directions, we're trying to move as quickly as possible and probably could have been a little more careful with the notes that we had taken. We, unfortunately, also grabbed a couple of people that were in hurries. They were like, "Oh, my Uber is here, I need to go." So we were scrambling to write the notes down. And I remember, at one point, I wrote directions, where the last two turns I flip-flopped. So I made a note to myself, "Remember, these are switched. So I need to look out for this one instead of this one." And then, in the craziness of everything, I forgot that I had switched those, and just didn't see the street that we needed to turn on. And we didn't notice it until it was a little too late.

Going from the end of the race to the beginning, how long had you been watching The Amazing Race? And what made you decide to take the leap from fans to contestants?
Corey: The Amazing Race has really always been a family thing. We started watching season 14 because of Luke and Margie. I remember one day my mom mentioned, "Hey, there's going to be a Deaf guy and his mom on The Amazing Race." And I was like, "The amazing what?" And so we just decided to start watching. And they were wonderful, so fun to watch. And we just fell in love with the show. And I loved all of the amazing places that it highlighted, the travel. And it felt like such a cool way to get real, authentic relationships front and center for people to see. And it was really fun to watch. And we always talked about one day. Let's do it. That could be us.
Rob: And you've had that experience, different cultures and traditions, which was really enjoyable. I really enjoy that. I'm so lucky to have that opportunity.

So with Rob's disability, I know there were a couple of adjustments you would make to your racing. For example, you had two copies of directions so that Rob could read them while driving. What other things did you do to accommodate during the race?
Rob: Before the race, we agreed normally I would communicate with them in the rearview mirror. But it's in another country. I wanted to make sure I paid attention to the road and was very careful as a driver and do everything I could to not miss anything. So when we wrote our notes and have a copy of them, I was able to have those accessible to me in my view. I was looking at the street, so I didn't miss anything. Looking back at Corey for directions, it was very important for me to have those directions close to me. And when I was looking at the road, it was important to have a copy so he could follow up. So if he knew that I mentioned that I had made a wrong turn, he can make sure to address that and we get on the right track.
Corey: What other things do you think we adjusted that were different?
Rob: We didn't adjust much.
Corey: I think it's hard to have another perspective outside of our own. The way our relationship works is the only way I know it to work. So I didn't feel too much that there were like, things that we would have done any differently. You know what I mean? I guess hard to explain. But yeah, it's the way we operated was very much just how I grew up. And like my upbringing and who's pretty normal. So I can't think of anything that was like a little man, we have to change this for the race.
Rob: We didn't have to adjust much. But we're just used to using the mirror to communicate. As you're sitting in the back, I would use the rearview mirror. That's what we did as you grew up. That's pretty standard amongst a lot of Deaf people.

You were one of the most consistent teams on the race. In fact, you finished out of the top five only once the entire season. What was your reaction to your performance as it was happening?
Rob: I'm proud that we are consistent and that we were a strong team. And I expected that. We're pretty good at navigating, figuring things out, and strategizing and thinking, approaching this as a team. Our approach was great. We'd love to get through things and make it happen. And Ireland, [when we got first], that was an amazing time. You crushed through two Roadblocks.
Corey: Like my dad said, I think we expected to come in and do pretty well. And as soon as we got through that first leg, I think you can ask any team on The Amazing Race, your goal from the start is "don't be first out". And as soon as we finished the first leg getting a second place, we know, "Alright, we belong here." And I think you kind of see some of our intro narrative where we said we're going to surprise people by how competitive we are. And that's something that flows through our veins. We love games. Whenever we are with family, we have cornhole tournaments. We play darts. And my dad and I are never like, "Oh, we're just gonna joke around." We're like, "I'm beating everyone here." And so I think with games, tasks, we have that competitive edge. And, I was lucky that I had the X-factor of "Roadblock Rob" by my side, because he nails everything he does. And I wasn't surprised by that one bit. Every time he did a Roadblock, I had the utmost confidence that we were coming out at least in the order we arrived. 

Now you mention Ireland. I can't help but mention that fans were clocking some chemistry between you, Corey, and your instructor for the Riverdance Roadblock. Want to tell us about that?
Corey: Yeah, she was really, really cool. Obviously, she was cute. We got along. Nothing really came of it. We connected after the show, exchanged pleasantries, and chatted for a little bit. But yeah, nothing really came of it. But obviously, I know that the way it was shown in the show seemed like it was a lot more than it was.

Clearly your story means a lot to both the Deaf and CODA communities. What has the response been like to your journey on the race?
Corey: It's been really inspiring, the response that we've gotten. The Deaf community, the CODA community, just sign language community in general, has been so supportive, and there's so much love. And it's really cool to hear that people like the way that we're representing their identity. And that's what makes me the happiest at the end of the day. I wanted to show the power of sign language and raising a child with sign language, and how that can create a much closer relationship. And so, I really, really am in awe at the way that people have received us, and really happy that people feel that we represent them in their community, and their identity is something that's being shown on TV. Obviously, representation is massive. If you can see yourself in the media, accomplishing your dreams, that's gonna lead you to want to do those incredible things as well. And I've loved it.
Rob: Yes, I would agree with that. And our sign language, which is at the core of our relationship, I'm really proud to demonstrate that to the world. And I know that our community are really proud and support us. We're fortunate to have their support.

To speak differently about representation, you definitely have one of the most unique dynamics of any parent/child team we've seen. And I think it stems from, as you mentioned in the premiere, Corey, communicating for your father often times. It allows you to see each other more as equals, which I think is one reason why you did so well in the race.
Corey: I could not agree more. One of my favorite things leading into the race was my dad and I sat down and had a conversation. And he said, "I want to make sure that you know we're going to this race as equals. You're my partner. I am not the dad. I'm not going to override your decisions. I have all the confidence in you. And I trust your contributions to this team. And I know you feel the same. And so we went into this race knowing we had a goal. And the way to accomplish that was to work together, not at each other or against each other. I think you'll hear really similar stories from Greg and John. But it's us solving the problem of getting to the end of this race.
Rob: Yes, I agree. I'm really proud of my son. As you grew up, I taught you. And I see you now and all of the lessons that you learned really did help in the race. I am your dad. However, I know that we have a relationship where we can work together and move forward as equals. And that was very important.

Next, read our interview with The Amazing Race 35 second-place finishers Joel Strasser and Garrett Smith.