The Amazing Race 37 Mark Crawford and Larry Graham Interview

Parade

Best friends Mary Crawford and Larry Graham talk with Parade following their elimination from 'The Amazing Race 37.'

Transcript

00:00Gentlemen, I'm very excited to talk with you.

00:03Listen, it wasn't a long time, but it seemed like a good time.

00:05And so I think I'm excited to break down your fun day in Hong Kong.

00:09I want to start just by asking in general, you know, what got you

00:13in Hong Kong on the race in the first place?

00:17Were one or you or both of you fans prior to this?

00:20You know, what made you decide to go from watching to playing?

00:25So it started with with me.

00:28My wife actually started watching the show back when it first began.

00:32And she's the one to say, no, that ain't happening.

00:35You come here and watch this.

00:36Look at what these fools are doing.

00:37And so I started watching and we became it became a

00:42a thing that we watch.

00:43We love reality shows.

00:45And I applied.

00:46I applied for Survivor two or three times, broken the

00:52tough as nails and this show a few times.

00:56And it's it's actually it's pretty tough to get people to commit.

01:01For number one, that you're you're embarrassing yourself on national TV.

01:05But two, it's it's a time factor.

01:07So I told Larry, you know, buddy, you got to do it with me.

01:10And he's he's my buddy. He's not going to let me down.

01:12And so he started watching it and caught up.

01:16And I'll I'll let him finish the story.

01:21Well, we got. Hong Kong.

01:26And the 747, that's about it.

01:29It was all Mark showed up.

01:31Talk about let's travel the world.

01:32And I thought he stopped at cruise ships and everything.

01:35And next thing you know, we're trying to get in shape.

01:39And, you know, so many thousands of people fly.

01:42And I really never thought it would happen.

01:44And I mean, dang, it happened.

01:46So it's pretty cool.

01:48So the so the

01:51that day of the first episode started

01:54that morning in L.A.

01:56And we were doing video video.

01:59You know, we would retake several, several things.

02:03And then three to one, let's go.

02:05So we raced around L.A., got to the airport at midnight

02:10is when we caught our flight of the first day.

02:13So we were up all day.

02:14So then it was a 14 hour flight.

02:16When the flight landed in Hong Kong, then it was like, OK, guys, ready?

02:20Three, two, one, let's go.

02:21So so if you work the clock,

02:24it was two straight days that we were just going.

02:28So fatigue and, you know, being absent minded and doing crazy things.

02:33We were pumped up.

02:34All the teams were pumped up on adrenaline and and fatigue, but didn't know it.

02:40Yeah. Well, let's talk about, you know, how things started to where things

02:44ended here, because I mean, it seemed pretty close

02:47between you and a couple of the other teams.

02:51Was that the sense that you got as well, that while you got out of the dance last,

02:55there was probably a lot going on with the cabs and getting lost

02:58to the pit stop and everything that you were minutes away from getting eliminated?

03:03Yes, it was.

03:04We could literally see the other teams when we got out of the cab.

03:10Wait, they were there.

03:12So it was that close.

03:13And that's Phil claims that was three teams that finished

03:17closer than anybody ever has.

03:20Wow. Between the black team, the yellow team and us,

03:25probably 45 seconds, you know, I'll say less than a minute,

03:28because literally we were trying to get the cab to stop

03:32and there was a bus there and he wouldn't stop and they were getting out of the cab.

03:37So time we settled up the cab, we were running behind.

03:41And that's that's how close it was.

03:45Wow. Wow.

03:47Well, let's talk about, you know, what ended up getting you in the hunt there,

03:50but towards the back of the pack in the first place.

03:52So you get this choice at the fork in the road, sing or dance.

03:58And, you know, dance wasn't necessarily your forte,

04:01but it sounds like sing wasn't either.

04:03Talk to me about what made you decide on that.

04:05And how do you look back on that decision, given everything that happened?

04:09Well, like I said on the show, we couldn't pronounce even the stop signs

04:13and just the signs of the street.

04:16So we knew singing wouldn't probably be our best thing to do.

04:21And there was going to be two teams behind us,

04:24you know, at the dance.

04:28And there was one team we knew was going to be about an hour.

04:31So we're hoping they would be behind us or they would give us even more time.

04:36But it ended up they got in the other lane.

04:39That kind of we can we can call it like it is.

04:42I cannot sing. And Larry's worse than I am.

04:46So it really wasn't a fork.

04:47It was just the direction we had to go.

04:50Hmm. So then what ended up happening with the dance?

04:53Because obviously, you know, it was a lot of trial and error for a lot of teams.

04:56Was there anything in particular about the dance

04:58that had you guys struggling the most with it to the point

05:01that it put you in last place?

05:04I think the instructor, when

05:08when you fail, you go back and the instructor wanted to start

05:12where we screwed up.

05:14But we need to start from the front and do the whole thing.

05:18And he couldn't understand it.

05:20And it's kind of getting a little bit frustrated.

05:21But, you know, it's a judgment call.

05:24We we thought we did great the first time we did it.

05:27But undoubtedly, we didn't. So

05:31that's, you know, it's kind of this.

05:33It's not like you can either jump over a five foot pole or you can't.

05:37You know, it's a lot of discretion and that kind of stuff.

05:39But yeah, so obviously, you know, while it was a lot of you

05:46running your own race, you had, as Mark was talking about, this two day period

05:49where you could get to know some of the other teams.

05:51Were there any particular teams that you got along really well with

05:55or got to know a lot during all these times

05:58when the teams were interacting with each other during your time in Hong Kong?

06:02Yes. So actually, we

06:06and we we were the more talkative ones

06:09when we're supposed to not talk to any team or or they're going to

06:14electrocute you or something.

06:15We we did communicate with a lot of them

06:19when the first day, just a little fun fact, when when the

06:24when when we were sitting around after one of the photo shoots

06:29and we were around each other and able to communicate a little bit.

06:33Larry and I had this scheme planned that we were going to.

06:37So we were going to let them think that Larry was somebody.

06:41So when they who are the two young girls

06:45are here again?

06:47Yeah. Yeah. Bernie and Kerrigan. Yeah.

06:49And so so she's a little busy body, just a little jabber jaw.

06:53So we we had her with her back to us.

06:56And and I said, Larry, they still don't have a clue who you are.

07:01And her little ears perked up.

07:03And so that turned into the rumor mill.

07:06And so for a long time

07:12through this entire show, they were trying to figure out

07:15who is who and who Larry was.

07:17And that turned into a big thing.

07:20Even after we were gone, it was still going on to who Larry was.

07:25And in the end, all he all area, he's my friend.

07:27That's who he is.

07:28But but that was a fun thing we did.

07:31But we got along really, really well.

07:34We would have probably teamed up pretty quick.

07:37And we had several teams that we were looking at.

07:40Melinda and Erica, you know, they agreed.

07:44Hey, you know, golly, we hate y'all got out because y'all was our pick.

07:48Jeff and Pops, man, they would have been great to team up with.

07:52Pops had a bad leg like Larry had a bad leg,

07:56you know, but there was,

07:58you know, man, teaming up is paramount, even in this game.

08:03But we were we were well on our way.

08:06I am so stunned.

08:08So like I've now I'm were you giving clues away or Larry?

08:11Were you trying to like walk around like you had an air of superiority to you,

08:14like you were waiting for people to recognize you?

08:17No, I had a beard, you know, so everybody's trying to hide something.

08:21You have a beard.

08:22So that was that's the only.

08:24But it was so much fun

08:26because we knew she was trying to hear our strategy.

08:29And then when we, you know, said that, oh, it was on.

08:32Even like at the airport.

08:33She go, I know who you are, but don't tell anybody else.

08:38I won't let you walk.

08:40So it was fun.

08:42Oh, my God, that I love.

08:43I absolutely love that.

08:45Well, let's go from, you know, the outward focus into the inward focus,

08:47because, Larry, you have this really touching moment on the mat

08:51when you're able to get really emotional and touching and open

08:54about your relationship with Mark.

08:57Talk to me about where that came from.

08:59I mean, maybe it's to Mark's point.

09:00Was it the adrenaline fading?

09:02Was it just like the special time and place

09:03that that had you talking about Mark in that way?

09:06Hell, if I know.

09:10I mean, it's just you're in Hong Kong

09:13and we had done the best we could, and, you know, we're in the middle

09:15of the race the whole time.

09:17And if you get in slow taxis or whatever, just mess you up.

09:23And and, you know, I'm here with my best friend.

09:25I had already hurt my leg.

09:27So we got off the plane.

09:29And you just have all those emotions.

09:31Why the F's? Why the F's?

09:32And it was just I don't know what happened, be truthful.

09:36But yeah, usually he's a cry baby, not me.

09:40And that's the fun thing.

09:42I got to poke at him instantly.

09:44You know, I'm Mr.

09:45Unsensitive now, but we were in our little week of quarantine.

09:50You know, he said, yeah, you're going to end up crying.

09:53So it backfired.

09:55I would go back to what you said, though, Larry.

09:56You said you you hurt your leg.

09:58I know that Mark had said you had had, you know, a bad leg.

10:01I think I heard you say something while you were going up the stairs

10:03to the pit stop at a certain point.

10:04Did you just like re aggravate an injury or did something happen?

10:07Now, what happened when we were in Hong Kong?

10:11We took off running for the taxis and it's kind of going downhill.

10:15And there's another team in front and she stopped.

10:18And when I planted my foot, I could feel my my knee

10:22like I've extended my leg.

10:26And and I could feel the tendons.

10:28And but it was tight that it would hurt only if you moved a certain way.

10:33And it just and it just got worse and worse.

10:37It started swelling on me.

10:39And three days I had to wear ice.

10:42So but that's just being old.

10:46Well, well, the last thing I want to ask is whether your international

10:49travel plans will be put on ice, Larry, because you said

10:51this was your first time out of the country.

10:54And, you know, it was it was it was a short time, but it seemed like you guys,

10:57especially at the end, really took in just like the mere idea

11:00of getting to experience this, if even for a day.

11:03So what was it like for you for this to be your first time out of the country?

11:07Oh, wow. Like I I told people last night, you know, our first flight

11:12was 14 hours out of the country.

11:14Then I took another 14 hours back into the country.

11:18You know, I'm about international.

11:20But Mark and I belong to a motorcycle club.

11:23Right. And then and we actually rode our motorcycles in.

11:28I think it was in September or so to Canada.

11:32We went over in Canada.

11:33So I got to use my passport twice the same year.

11:36So that's pretty good.

11:38Oh, well, this was such a delight to get the chance to talk

11:41with a real life celebrity and his best friend.

11:45I know it was a great time getting to the chance to, again, get a peek

11:49into your guys experience, because, again, we only got so much.

11:52It was a lot going on with that 90 minute episode.

11:54And I'm glad we got what we did.

11:55But I'm even more glad that I got the chance to talk with you today

11:58and truly get to get your perspective on not only what happened,

12:02you know, all the fun that was had on and off screen,

12:04but also very clearly the the bond that you guys have had for years

12:07at this point and will continue to have and has probably been

12:09even more strengthened by your time in Hong Kong together.

12:12So thank you guys so much for taking the time to chat with me today.

12:15I thank you.

12:16Yeah, of course.

12:17All the best to you and yours.

12:18And take care. You have a good one.

12:20All right. Jackie and Laura, we said, hey, I will.

12:23I will be talking to him in like half an hour.

12:25So I will say they are great.

12:27They are so much. I'm so excited to talk to them.

12:29All right. You have a good one, guys.

12:30All right. Bye bye.

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