Colorado Competitors Come Up Short In 'Amazing Race' Finale
DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado's favorite roller derby moms made it to the finish line of the CBS hit reality show "The Amazing Race" on Sunday, but maybe not quite in the order all their fans were hoping for.
Mona Egender and Beth Bandimere, from Castle Pines and Arvada, fell just short in their quest to win the show's $1 million prize. In the 2 hour finale of the show's 22nd season Egender and Bandimere, both are members of the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club, snorkeled in an Irish bog, served a meal inspired by the Titanic and played a game of high flying catch at Nationals Park in Washington in a sequence that had to be seen to be believed.
They wound up finishing third.
Looking back on the experience, Egender and Bandimere say they have no regrets, despite the fact that it meant a bunch of time away from their families while the show was being shot late last year.
"The chance to go on the show and travel the world and do the things we did was absolutely priceless," the told CBS4 in an interview by phone Monday morning. "Those are memories and opportunities that I think our kids will be happy that we took."
As for the winning team, hockey brothers Bates Battaglia and Anthony Battaglia beat out newlyweds Max and Katie Bichler, who came in second place. Country singers Caroline Cutbirth and Jennifer Kuhle were eliminated in Belfast during the first hour of Sunday's episode.
The final task tested teams' memories -- one team member had to search a ball pit to find ones marked with the countries they visited this season, and the other team member had to put them in order. Bates and Anthony finished the challenge before the other teams had even arrived.
"I think they were physically incredibly strong, and they were smart -- they kept their cool," Egender said. "They ran a really good race."
"Mona and I, we were very strong, but maybe a little bit directionally impaired at times," Bandimere said.
