Suh-weet! The Tyler Interview...

You may know Tyler as one half of the "hippies", one of the most popular twosomes ever on CBS's The Amazing Race. Or maybe you know him as a documentary-making visionary. Either way, he's one awesome guy who also happens to share a birthday with me which makes him about 10 times more awesome.

I had the opportunity to speak with Tyler and he answered some questions to give us all some insight into this season's Race and also some insight into the man himself. Brace yourself.

What ultimately made you want to do this?

Tyler mentioned his 'desire to live the Indiana Jones lifestyle' he fantasized about as a kid. He noted that he loves traveling and meeting new people.

Had you watched the Race before?

Neither he or BJ had watched the Race prior to them applying but they eventually did watch every episode.

What did you feel were the biggest advantages and disadvantages going in?

As for the advantages, Tyler explained that 'BJ and I have a relationship that doesn't require a lot of each other'. There was also the fact that they have done a lot of traveling and were familiar with many languages. The only disadvantage he mentioned was he wished their beards were 'a little bigger'. Tyler explains that beards are power.

Who did you think would be the biggest competition going in?

Tyler stated, "Ourselves." He said he knew that if they slacked off at all they wouldn't win. He did mention that they were always wary of the frat boys and that the Glamazons were very committed.

What were your highest and lowest points in the Race?

For highest Tyler joked, "37,000 foot altitude." In seriousness he said that it was in Perth because it was such a relief after not being eliminated in Oman. The lowest point for Tyler was in Greece getting lost. He says, "For the first hour of getting lost we were sure we were getting eliminated."

What was your favorite Pit Stop and Detour/Roadblock?

For Pit Stop, Tyler said that he liked racing in Oman because he had never been there, but he liked hanging out in Japan near Fugi-Q Highlands. For a Detour/Roadblock he loved riding the bicycles through Tokyo.

Did you think you had it wrapped up in Japan?

Tyler said, "We fantasized before ever being accepted about going to Japan." He felt that they would dominate and that even knowing simple phrases helped them a lot.

What was the first thing you did when you got home?

Tyler said that he went and saw his girlfriend, He was so exhausted and so tired that he says "I don't think she thought I did very well." He did sleep a lot.

Did it motivate you more the legs you finished first in or the ones you finished last?

Tyler says both had their advantages. It was less stressful being first, but being last makes you 'this frantic, wild, crazy foaming at the mouth animal'.

What was up with the MoJo rivalry and how did it start?

Tyler says that it came about in Oman when Eric and Jeremy told Mojo the hippies wanted to yield them. What we didn't see was that all of the teams besides Mojo were hanging out together and the subject of yielding came up and since Mojo were the only ones not there for strategy purposes BJ and Tyler said they would yield them. Tyler stresses, "Mojo never got on our nerves before that. We just had fun watching them explode." He felt that Joseph and Monica were stressed and needed someone to hate.

Would you have still done the Fast Forward knowing you'd have to eat crickets ahead of time?

"I think we would have done it," he says. An editing trick made us think BJ and Tyler were about to give up in the middle of the task, but their hesitation actually happened before they even started eating. Tyler says they didn't have too much trouble and nothing was really going to stop them.

Anything fun happen behind the scenes?

"In Tokyo we had a 36 hour Pit Stop where the final three teams got to spend the day at Fuji Q Highlands riding all the roller coasters. We went in a haunted house ride where I was so scared that I had to hold on to Jeremy's arm for comfort. The Frats were pretty mad that we decided to leave RayYo money in Japan. But they had helped us in Oman and we felt obliged to return the favor (double fold). We all got along really well in Japan," Tyler says.

Any random comments on some of the teams?

Frats: Good guys with good hearts forced by their good looks to be the womanizers by society's expectations

RaYo: Smart, goodlooking couple with a profound, introspective insight of reality

MoJo: Innocent

Fran and Barry: The universal Grandparents

Lake and Michelle: Misunderstood southerners

Where do you plan to go from here?

Tyler and BJ are talking about doing more television escapades. Tyler himself is working on documentaries including one that I very much enjoyed called Kintaro Walks Japan. I recommend that everyone check it out.