An Interview with Rhandi & Ashley from ‘Race to Survive: New Zealand’

RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND -- "Water and Ice" Episode 201 -- Pictured: (l-r) Rhandi Ohrme, Ashley Paulson -- (Photo by: Daniel Allen/USA Network)

Thus far our journey through New Zealand via the hit USA Network series, Race to Survive: New Zealand, has only seen one team be sent home for outright finishing last. For every other elimination has come forth via a tap out due to injury. But that changed last night, because despite battling a major injury and finishing a brutal leg of the race, Rhandi and Ashley were sent home for being the last team in, and well, with their exit now at hand we here at NTG were able to sit down with them and discuss their time on the show.  
 
John Betancourt: I’d like to start off by getting to know, how hard it was to finish this race.
 
Ashley: It was inch by inch on those boulders, that was crazy, and the maze. It was a slow process that required, I'm sure, all of Rhandi's patience, all of my like, you know, grit, to just like, push through on this bogged ankle. But it was also so rewarding to finish it and not have been like, “Okay, we're just going to stop.” But to be able to actually put our hands on that crate one last time and be able to do this together, it was seriously… it was so incredible.
 
John Betancourt: Rhandi, since you were Ashley’s emotional support during this, and her physical support, how hard was this for you?
 
Rhandi: I think the hardest part about it was watching Ashley, who I love, admire, respect, look up to in so many ways. Um, watching her suffer for us, you know, because that's not fun to see, and Ashley is so unbelievably fast and athletic, and so to watch your partner not be able to do what she's capable of, it was hard to watch. Not hard because I was mad at her, not hard because I was frustrated, but because to try to put myself in her shoes and to imagine what she was going through, it was hard to watch, and I just… my hope and my prayer was that I was there for her in the best way that I could be. I mean, we're about the same size, so I tried so hard to help her, but there's not a ton you can do when you're both about the same height and the same weight. But I was hopefully there for her in the best way that I could, both physically and emotionally.
 
John Betancourt: Now something I definitely want to expand upon here, is the finish. Because I would love to know what it meant to finish this race.
 
Ashley: To finish this race, to finish it, it's just, it's one thing that, like, I really am excited for my kids to see that, like, even though times were so hard, and hopefully other people can get this feeling too, times were so hard. They were not going our way. It was not how we had envisioned it, Rhandi for sure, could have been there hours, if not a day before, and you stick through with each other, and you finish what you start. And you know hard work is… it doesn't always mean that it's going to be the best outcome, but you learn and grow from those experiences. And we did. We learned and grew so much through that time.
 
Rhandi: The ability to be able to show up at that third crate, hand in hand, and slap our hands down together and know that we persevered, and we made it. I will cherish that moment forever. And you know, Ashley and I, like, we're both coaches. Like, it's our job to help and teach and inspire others to finish what they started. So, for us to be able to find that grit, to find that teamwork, to push through and finish what we started together as a team, hand in hand, is something I'll always cherish.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, you two really wanted to see this thing to the absolute end. With that in mind, what are each of you going to miss about this competition?
 
Ashley: Oh gosh, I miss so much of it. I miss the connection with the other teammates. I miss my time with my wilderness wife under our little tarp, you know, munching on our little almonds or whatever we might have had. It was such an incredible experience to be out there with zero social media, like no distractions. It's just our surroundings. And there's times just like, gosh, wow, did I really like see it for everything it was worth. Now that I'm away from it, maybe I should have, like, taken advantage of this more or whatever, but I think that was really special time. And I miss not having other distractions, just being able to, like, go out and focus and be in the wild and do something crazy.
 
Rhandi: Yeah, it was really a privilege to live in a way, in such simplicity. Circling back to… we never had a roof over our head. We didn't have social media. We didn't have a job. There were no distractions. It was the rawness of connecting with Ashley, connecting with the cast mates, and then pushing our bodies and our minds in a way that we haven't done before. And I will miss… I miss Ashley. I miss the way that we were able to connect and laugh and joke and I mean, I hope that it shows despite the hard things, like I think we had more fun than any other team. I'll go ahead and say it like we embraced, we loved every moment of it. So, I will miss just like the real rawness of the way that Ashley and I connected, the way that we connected with our other castmates, um, the beauty of New Zealand, and seeing it and experiencing it in a way that that most don't have the opportunity to do. I don't take that lightly, and it almost feels like a dream like, when you watch Lord of the Rings, and it's like this misty… this misty dream. Did that really happen? Did we really live that? We really did.
 
John Betancourt: Now it goes without saying, that this race pushes people to their limits. I’m curious as to what being pushed that hard taught you about yourself that you didn’t know before?
 
Ashley: There's always a little bit more to give. There's always a little bit more to give. You think you've got nothing left, and there's still just a smidgen. And so, you know, don't give up on yourself so easy. And we all have a tendency to just be like, “Ah, I'm uncomfortable. I'm done.” But we can always push just a little bit further.
 
Rhandi: I think that there were moments in certain challenges, some of which you saw, some of which didn't make it, where I truly wondered, like, “How are we going to get through this?” And you usually can always problem solve your way out of a hard situation. When you feel like there's no way out there, there's a way out, you just have to dig into it and keep holding out. And so that's certainly a huge theme, and it goes back to what Ashley said, there's always a little more to give. There's always a way to solve the problem. And also, I do way better on no calories than I thought I did.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I want to ask for each of you today. I know that you mentioned teaching is an important part of this, and obviously that you all found some deeper meaning from this race. I would love to know what you want others to take away from your journey on this show.
 
Ashley: That you can be the support for somebody. Like Rhandi was this like… she was so strong and fast out there. She got me through that. Be that person for somebody else, um, cheer them on, despite like them, like I was slowing her down so much and just to have her there by my side and being like, “It's okay. Things didn't go our way how we'd seen it, but that's okay,” and we can all be that person to somebody at some point in our life or their life. We all need a Rhandi in our life.
 
Rhandi: I think another big takeaway that I hope people can learn from our journey is get outside of your comfort zone. Don't be afraid to do something that's scary. It's okay to step into the unknown. It's okay to know that you're going to challenge yourself in a way where you might not have the answers and you might not be the best, and you might not do the best. If you have a dream and you want to take a challenge on, and do something new, don't be limited by your abilities or by your gender. Us being the all-female team like, go for it anyways, get out there and see what you can do with hard work and grit and in a really amazing partner that you can put your trust in, really, you can accomplish just about anything. And so, I hope that those who are wondering, “Can I do it? Should I, do it? Should I try it?” Yes. Try it. Do it like you have nothing to lose, Ashley and I didn't finish the way that we wanted to finish, and we regret nothing, and it was such a special experience. So, I hope that people will take away that they can get out of their comfort zone and go after those things that they dream of doing.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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