"The Amazing Race" wouldn't be "The Amazing Race" without at least one couple possibly on the verge of getting married, hoping the show would help set up their future and let their relationship grow. The first of this season's potential husband-and-wife couples, Stephanie and Anthony, found themselves getting bad news from Phil in this week's episode.

Here's what they had to say for themselves:

MSN: Stephanie and Anthony, sorry to see you booted off "The Amazing Race."

Stephanie: We were too.

Anthony: We're off the hook.

MSN: How would you describe your experience overall on the show?

Anthony: It was an unbelievable experience. We were looking to do something adventurous that was going to boost our relationship, and that's exactly what we got. Obviously we're not happy with how long we lasted, but we're definitely feeling pretty good about being able to experience that.

MSN: How did you think this affected your relationship? You were saying originally you wanted to win the prize to get married.

Stephanie: Yeah, that and have a nice start to a life. It would be great to win a million dollars. It definitely made our relationship better, without a doubt. We're very much in love, the experience was fantastic. It was great.

MSN: What did you do to prepare to be on the Race?

Stephanie: We actually started working out and exercising and doing boot camp classes and eating healthy and building up our stamina. That helped us a lot. It just stinks that a majority of the percentage of being on the show is a lot of luck.

MSN: How do you mean?

Stephanie: If you have a bum taxi that breaks down, or your car can break down, you can get lost, that sort of thing. That has a lot to do with luck. The planes, everything.

Anthony: We watched a lot of episodes from past seasons, trying to pick up things that would help us out. Like she said, we definitely got in shape because we thought that would be a big part of it. I even bought a Rosetta Stone (program to) learn Spanish, but I don't know if that helped too much.

MSN: So what do you think you might have done differently, if you had a chance to?

Stephanie: As soon as we got into the taxi, I think we should have gotten out of it right away, once it broke down. I don't know. The taxi thing really screwed us up. That was a major thing.

Anthony: In between the challenges, we should have focused on moving a little bit quicker. That's what set us back. Getting on the second plane, getting in the wrong cab that broke down, things like that are what caused our downfall I think.

MSN: How'd you get along with the other teams?

Stephanie: We got along great with the other teams. We all got along really well.

Anthony: While we were on the Race, we didn't have that good of a relationship built up with anybody. Nobody pissed us off, nobody was really overfriendly with us. Everyone was really nice people, a class act, so we got along good with them.

MSN: And Anthony, one of the things you said after the Race is you still have your good looks.

[Laughter from both]

Anthony: I caught so much grief over that. ... Yeah, when I was having my "final thoughts" interview, they were trying to get things out of me that I was appreciative of. I was like, 'I've got my health, I've got my parents, I've got my good looks and I've got Stephanie.' I caught a little hell from my friends and everything, but whatever. It was funny, I think.

MSN: What did you guys learn about each other from being on the Race?

Stephanie: We learned we worked great as a team, that's for sure. We didn't fight once, really. That was great for us. As a team, when we're working toward something, we're great together.

Anthony: We knew going into the Race that arguing was only going to slow us down. We were on the same page. It really wasn't our downfall, which a lot of people thought would be the case.

MSN: Who would you say is the team to beat right now?

Stephanie: It's up in the air. Anything can happen at any time. You've got Mark and Bill, who are extremely intelligent. You've got Ken and Tina, who are very athletic. It's all up in the air. Marissa and Brooke. ... It's anybody's ballgame right now. Anybody's.

MSN: So what does the future hold for you two?

Anthony: We're definitely heading in the right direction. This was the experience of a lifetime. We wanted to boost our relationship and it did, you know. We know we need things like that to put excitement in our relationship and get us to the next level. We think we're heading in the right direction and we'll most likely be together forever. Hopefully it'll work out that way.

Stephanie: Definitely getting married is a good possibility in the future and having kids and raising a family and having a life, you know? I'm looking forward to that.

- posted by Raoul