'The Amazing Race 36's Chris Foster and Mary Cardona-Foster Break Down Their Mexican Medical Scare
Chris Foster (L) and Mary Cardona-Foster (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.
When Chris Foster tripped mere steps from the starting line, perhaps that was an indicator of how he and his daughter Mary Cardona-Foster would do on The Amazing Race 36. The pair were big fans of the race, ready to see the world firsthand after the show got them to see it from their one-bedroom apartment for years. Unfortunately, the heat got turned up on them in an even more blistering fashion that the temperature of Puerto Vallarta. They got so lost navigating in the first leg that they got boxed out of the Detour. But their personal tragedy gave them the motto "we've been through worse," which got them to eke out surviving elimination.
Unfortunately, upon being told the day would continue, it just got worse for Chris and Mary. The physical toll of the race already began to hit, as spending two legs on foot had them falling further and further behind. It built to a literal fever pitch when Chris began feeling nauseous, causing them to take a break from the race. Despite the harrowing situation, the two tried to paint on a determined face through the rest of the leg. But that face sweated away as much as Chris' face paint did, ending their race.
Now, out of the race, Chris and Mary talk with Parade.com about how surprised they were by their elimination, Chris' medical scare in the Mexican heat, and Mary's ideal partner for another Amazing Race season.
Related: Everything to Know About The Amazing Race 36
You've made it clear that you were superfans of The Amazing Race. What made you decide to make the jump off the couch in your one-bedroom apartment to become racers?
Chris Foster: We been super fans for about 20 years. We used to watch it with Mary's mom. Mary kept saying, "Hey, Daddy, the application window is closing. Do you want to submit?" And finally I said, "Yeah, let's do it." We sat on our little couch in our little apartment. And we just shot the breeze with each other for a few minutes. We sent it in. We were kind of joking with each other, saying, "Hey, did Hollywood call you? I missed the call. And then about a week later, Hollywood calls and said, "Hey, we've been trying to call you." [Laughs.]
Mary Cardona-Foster: It's funny too, because my mom was the real first superfan years ago. And we had never thought about really applying; it was never something that we thought that we would do. And then something sparked in me. I was like, "Let's just apply." And it was so funny. Because the day that we submit our application would have been my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. We felt there was like a call from my mom where she's like, "Just do it. This is the time." So it's not like we had planned for years. And we just applied one time.
Chris: We got the call probably mid-August or so. So we did not have a lot of time to prepare. I don't want to jump ahead, but I will tell you I am pretty amused by my falling at the beginning of the race and being out of breath. [Laughs.] I have no problems making fun of myself. I did do some strength training. I did not get as much cardio as I would have liked. And it's a lot harder than it looks on TV.
So you've had this exhausting two-leg day in Mexico. You were the last to leave the Roadblock. How sure were you that you were eliminated by the time you checked in at the Pit Stop?
Mary: So we had actually, on the way to the Pit Stop, cut off the Dream Team in traffic. And the way that it was going it was like a one way street. And I was 99.9% sure that there was no way that they were going to beat us there. So when we were running to fill the mat, it was like tunnel vision. It was like in a dream. There's people on the sidelines. We're running to fill in the mat and we're pretty sure that we're not out at this point. And so we sprint full-force. I think you actually sprinted despite being tired. [Laughs.]
Chris: Yeah, my old man energy popped out. But we had a really funny thing too in traffic, joking with Amber and Vinny at one point. They don't show it, but Mary sort of accidentally cuts them off, and she kind of waves, "That's how we do it in Boston!"
Mary: Yeah, cut them off and then say thank you! But yeah, we had cut right in front of them just by total chance. And we were like, "Holy crap. We're still in it."
Chris: We get to the Pit Stop and she had her sombrero from the rodeo. And I was thinking, "I don't want her to be eliminated for not taking that hat with us," because I wasn't sure. So we grabbed that. Turns out we really didn't need it. But I didn't want to take any chances with that.
How much do you think having these legs back-to-back incorporated into your elimination? Do you think if you had a usual rest period between legs, you would have survived?
Mary: We gassed ourselves out in the first leg. Our directions were way off. And then by the time we got to the second leg, we're like, "We need to get our [expletive] together with directions." And we did not miss a turn on that second leg. And so I think if we had had time to catch our breath, and be like, "Next time, we need to really get our directions in order." Because we had wasted so many steps and it was so hilly. I think the second leg, we had really gotten our directions in check. And if we had lasted that leg, I think we would have been better. We may not be the fastest or [have the] most cardio. But I think in this race, it's all about directions and being efficient. And so when you're watching the show, you're like, "Okay, this is an hour" and it's "go, go, go." But you don't realize how much time is spent on the race until you're there. And so you feel like you constantly have to be running and moving and going quickly and making quick decisions. And you see with some of the teams, the best option is to like take a breather, reassess, and find out the best route. And so I was proud of us that second leg, even though we got out, that we had gotten our directions much better.
Chris: And the process is so different outside of what you see on the cameras. There's quite a bit of downtime that you don't see. We're in a hotel room. So this will be the one time that we reach Phil. And I was like, "Thank God we're going back to the hotel." And he says, "No, you're gonna keep on racing." I was tired. And we had a small break, got ourselves together a little bit. But we were so dehydrated that day.
Let's talk about that. Chris, walk me through what was going on with you as the day got hotter. And how scared were you that you'd get pulled before you could finish the leg?
Chris: Well, we had a very long day. We had been running up and down the beach for practice; we had been sprinting. So by the time we took off, I had done a lot of sprinting. I was already a little bit gassed just going to the car. Then we did manage it. I knew we weren't in last place when we found Phil at the mat. So I was actually just really looking forward to a little break that afternoon. And we did not get it. I mean, thrilled to be racing. But I was like, "We could use a little break at that point."
Mary: And the second leg, you don't see it, but his leg had cramped up. So we're going up the bridge after the balloons. It was like slow motion. [Laughs.] He's like, "Ah!" And I turn around and I'm like, "Are you joking?"
Chris: I spent so much time with the flags and the balloons and running back and forth. And I just was completely dehydrated.
Mary: I know. And so you see me mixing the water and I had some electrolytes and that's when we sit.
Chris: She saved me.
Mary: And I asked him, "Do you need a medic?" Because my concern is my dad's health. And I think a lot of people are like, "Mary's so easy on her dad." And I'm like, "I don't want to get pulled out for a medical reason. I want to not quit." And he goes, "I'm not quitting."
Chris: I was scared at that point. I may not be able to continue. I just needed about five minutes. But I did not want to be pulled out of the race. Even if we were last place, I wanted to make it to the next Pit Stop to see Phil.
You mentioned it before, but I want to talk about the navigational problems you had in the first leg, particularly when it came to getting to the Detour. Talk me through what was happening there.
Mary: Like I said, you're moving so quickly. And we had asked directions a lot. And they would give us like two blocks of information, and then we'd have to ask again. We just got really turned around. And then when we got to those damn horses, and there were none left, I am a very nice person intrinsically. And so to Juan and Shane, my first instinct was like, "We're at the back of the pack. These guys who are Air Force pilots, who navigate for a living, are also lost. But they're a physically strong team." And so my hope in that moment was like, "Let me give them a little inkling of help. And this could be an alliance that helps us down the road." And they don't show it. But when we got to the wrestling match, they were like, "Hey, this is what's going on. You're gonna have to match."
Chris: We did catch up to them. We caught up at the wrestlers, even with our little mishap there.
Mary: I have to give credit to Juan and Shane that they did help us back. Again, we may not be the strongest or the fastest. But going into this I was like, "I want to build on the relationships that we can have. And if I can give somebody some help, then they can help us back." And they did. It helped a little bit. And they ended up flying through the lasso anyway, so it didn't really matter much.
Chris: And then, at the lasso, Vinny and Amber came and blew by us. And we still ended up beating them to the Pit Stop.
I'm intrigued by that. Did you work with any other teams, especially Amber and Vinny who you left the Pit Stop with. Or at that point was it "every man for themselves"?
Chris: It was every man for themselves. And at that point, mean, we're referring to the twins as the "surfer boys," and people are calling us "the dad and daughter." We didn't really know each other that well. And as it went on, you start to know who's who.
Mary: And I think you see the other teams and there's ex-NFL and FBI. And they're so physically strong that I think even if we had aligned, there's no way we would have been able to keep up on foot with them to stay with them the whole time.
Chris: I think we might have made one more Pit Stop. But the competition was tough. I'm about twice as old as most of the people on the show. And I'm still just so proud of how we did, doing it with Mary and just a blast. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Well, on that note, you two have obviously known each other for all of Mary's life, and you live together. But what did you learn about the other person racing around the world together?
Chris: I already knew this. But Mary is just the sweetest thing. Sometimes too good for herself. I'm a little bit on the meaner side. I was, "Oh my God, why did you tell those guys?" But, as a parent, we offset each other. And I just would not want her any different than she is. She's my better half. My favorite daughter, my only daughter. [Laughs.] We're so used to living in a suite. Oh, another thing we want to clear up is, although we have a one bedroom apartment, we have made the living room into a separate bedroom.
[Laughs.] Oh, I'm sure you've gotten comments about that.
Mary: We don't live in bunk beds! I've seen people say that. [Laughs.]
Chris: We live in tight quarters, but we do have space. So we are able to give each other space. But we were tight being with each other on the race. And it was just a fantastic experience. I just learned that she's a great partner to have.
Mary: I think what I found out about my dad is I lhave looked to him as my rock and as the know-all of everything. And I learned that my dad is also experiencing like, for the first time and has this curiosity., I think even in your weak moments, you've never quit. And so that I think is inspiring to me. My dad's lived on his own since he was 18 years old. His life has not been easy either. And so for him to kind of persevere and take on the role of mom and dad. He did everything for me. I never felt like I was missing out as a kid. We may have not had money to do things, but he always figured out a way. He would take me to Justin Bieber. And I know that it wasn't easy.
Chris: I saw Justin Bieber five times.
Mary: I think I just I realize how much inner strength my dad has, where he makes it seem like everything is easy to do. And he's got it all together. And I know that you really tried.
Chris: And Mary is a very caring daughter, as you see on the on the show. I couldn't ask for a better daughter to be so good to me on the show. I mean, quite honestly, this was a dream for me. It's a double dream for Mary. And although I think we made a great team, ultimately I'd like Mary to get a redemption of season where she could do it with somebody closer to her age. I would just love that. I think Mary deserves a chance to shine. And she's physically fit and a lot better than me. Hopefully you haven't seen the last of Mary. That's what my hope is.
Mary: Mary and Anna Leigh!
