On Sunday’s season finale of Relative Race on BYU TV, everyone was shocked when Team Blue and Team Red finished in a tie, a first for the show. That meant that the three remaining teams, including Team Black, would advance to the finals.
Last week, I spoke with Michael Anderson and his son, Dylan, and they told me about their wild adventure. He told me that he came back with a newfound confidence and that convinced him to run for a seat in the North Carolina State Representative race for District 83. If you live in that district, make sure to vote for him on Tuesday, May 8th. He also told me they came back with all 24 blue t-shirts that they gave them to wear for the 10-day competition.
SOW: What was it like when you heard that you and Team Red both finished 1 hour and 8 minutes over the time limit? Meaning that you both tied for second place and would move on to the finals?
MA: I mean it was an incredible shock. It was great. Believe me, once we knew Team Black won that day we were like, oh boy, somebody is going home? But it worked out well I think for everybody.
SOW: Did you think you were going to make it to day 10?
MA: Well listen, after the fifth day I looked at Dylan and I was like there’s no way we’re going to make it to the last day. It was not easy whatsoever. After that day we picked up steam, and things started falling our way. I will tell you the day that really helped us tremendously was the eighth day and there was like a home court advantage. I didn’t even use a map.
SOW: Talking about maps, what is like driving with Dylan now that you are back to normal?
MA: We’re back to normal now and we know mostly where we’re going to be. We can use GPS, we know where we want to go and we’re not timed. What a lot of people didn’t understand was something that was equally as hard as using a map was going the speed limit constantly. You are constantly looking down and making sure you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re going places you’re not familiar with. You’ve got a time limit. You’re going against the other teams. You don’t know what challenge you’re getting ready to walk up to. You don’t know what relative you’d walk up to. It was just really stressful every single day.
SOW: What about the most stressful day of the race, what was that final day in DC like?
MA: All right, well I’m going to be just blunt with you here. We showed up the morning of the final day. We’re on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We’re in jeans and blue shirts, and everybody else shows up in these tight jogging pants and nice tennis shoes. Then we find out what we’re supposed to do. I look at Dylan and I said, we ain’t got a shot in the world. We are not the most nimble and athletic people on the planet. And when we found out what it was, I’m like, oh Lord, have mercy. Don’t kill yourself, don’t have a heart attack. And I’m telling you the truth is there is a paramedic. They were eyeing me the whole time. Look, I’m OK. We enjoyed the final day.
SOW: What did you think of the challenges that they gave you throughout the whole competition?
MA: I tell you what the minds behind this whole show, how they come up with these challenges in the whole 10th day. I don’t know how they do it. I would love to come up with my own challenges and make them do it. They, they are very creative. They are very supportive of you. They encourage you the whole time. I mean they are by your side and they want to make great TV show. We’ve got that and we did everything we could to make it as good as positive as we could.
SOW: What did you think of the people who worked on the show?
MA: They work so hard and they care. They truly cared about us. They truly wanted the best for us. Sure, they laughed at us when I got a cramp. I have not only found family, but I’ve made new friends. I plan to come out to Utah, the first chance I get. I’m on it. I’m going to come over to the network and say hello to people. I will make it a point to go to the production company and say hello. And I’m dead serious. I am definitely doing that this year. We just more people need to know about this show period.
SOW: So you appreciate all that Relative Race has done for you?
MA: Life is so short and we have so many things that we need to be appreciative more and worry less about Selfie and Snapchat. Worry more about your family and your neighbor. This show I cannot say enough. I mean I should work for their marketing. I love this show that, so I would be an outstanding marketer for this show. I say that these people at the network and I just can’t say enough about the work that they do. They work their tail off every single day and they don’t get the credit they deserve.
While season 3 of Relative Race is over, season 4 is going to air in the fall. Be prepared for Michael Anderson to tell everyone to watch it. And whoever he does not tell, I am going to tell them to watch the best competition show on television. Every week, you end the episode feeling good. You see people who start out with no families, end the season with a mother, father, siblings and more cousins than you can count on your hand. How many other shows give people the families they never knew they had and have always wanted? We need more shows that are positive like this one. Plus, you see parts of America, you never knew about. What more can you ask for from a TV show?
