​The brand-new Apple TV+ series, Women in Blue (Las Azules) is quite the landmark series. For not only does it explore a bit of history by transporting us back to Mexico in 1971, to tell a unique story about Mexico City’s first women-led police force. But it also boats a stellar cast one composed of talented Latin women with magnificent resumes. After all there is Bárbara Mori, who is best known as Rubí from the telenovela of the same name, and she is joined by Ximena Sariñana, Amorita Rasgado, and Natalia Téllez, all of whom have numerous television and film credits under their belt, and to celebrate the show’s release we sat down with this talented group to discuss this important new show.

John Betancourt: I would like to start by discussing what it was that attracted each of you to this series.
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Ximena Sariñana: To me, it was definitely the challenge of, you know, of interpreting a person in the autism spectrum, like Ángeles. I mean, I grew up being an actress, but most of my life I've been a musician. So, for me, I've never considered myself a true actress. So, this was a true challenge for me, you know, to be able to portray somebody with such specific characteristics and doing it so that, you know, so that it feels truthful, and it feels honest, that was by far one of the hardest roles that I've had to play in my life.
 
Bárbara Mori: Well, yeah, for me it was, you know, I was wanting to work with Fernando Rovzar, who is my husband. We wanted to work together for long time, for so long and so that was my first inspiration. And then second, I think this is a show, a series, that is very, you know, important to tell, because it's inspired by true events about women who were constantly underestimated by society, who joined the police force for the first time, and they achieve a lot of things in the police force. And so, it's very inspiring story to tell, and especially because it's in the 1970s, but now in the 2024 we still struggle with a lot of things, and we haven't changed, in that sense, in so many ways.

John Betancourt: There are so many layers to this story and so many important moments and messages. What's the message you hope the audience takes away when they watch this first season?
 
Ximena Sariñana: I think that a lot of the characters in this series don't fit into the mold that they have been asked to fit in by, either by society or expectations, or, you know, other people. And I think that's a very beautiful message, you know, for everyone, which is, you know, you don't need to fit in in order to reach your maximum potential and to be happy. And you know, don't be scared to pursue who you really are in order to reach happiness.
 
Bárbara Mori: Don't be afraid to be yourself. And also, I think one, another message, that’s beautiful is when the women comes together. You know, they share in this, this case, these four women, they share the need to help others, to solve crimes, to investigate cases, to make justice, to be useful for the police force and for the society and the community. So, when they joined together, and they inspire each other to be strong enough to be determined, to secure their voices. And so, I think it's value of friendship that we show here.

John Betancourt: What does it mean to each of you, to be part of such an important story?
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Natalia Téllez: It’s an absolute privilege to tell part of the history of Mexico, worldwide, stories that actually happened, the struggle from women to grab a spot in labor, in society. This really happened. This one did exist, and it opened, opened the pathway, not only Mexico, but in Latin America, women started becoming police officers, and entered into this new environment, and we are representing a Mexican story made by Mexican women in Spanish. This is quite significant for me. It's a dream come true.
 
Amorita Rasgado: Above anything this story, it is told in Mexico, Mexican women, but at the same time, I do feel that many women around the world will mirror the experience. Like having the chance to tell this story today, above anything, this is grateful. This is so very important, and I'm so happy for being part of the casting.
 
John Betancourt: I am very curious as to what message you hope the audience takes away when they watch this, since there's so much messaging and layers to this story.
 
Natalia Téllez: I think the message is, together, we are stronger and determined. Once we know what we have, we are focused. Nothing will stop us. This is a story of sorority. Causing trouble. Fight, revolution, and some female revolutions, not necessarily are violent. Literally, as Valentina said, sometimes you have to jump into the system and with consciousness, fully aware, to break it from within. Yeah. Courageous union.
 
Amorita Rasgado: I love thinking that this story could have only been told from sorority, from the sense of belonging, because women, no, Mexicans, we touch, we hug ourselves. For me, this is the part of the story, and I resonate in my heart. I'm so happy to say that this project is being launched.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Fernando Rovzar is a talented, and award winning, producer, director and writer that has brought to life many incredible projects throughout his career. His most recent work, Women in Blue (Las Azules) made its debut on Apple TV+ today, and to celebrate its arrival we sat down with Fernando, who is the co-creator and executive producer of the show… to discuss its inception and more.
 
John Betancourt: Thank you so much for your time today, Fernando, the show is an absolute pleasure to watch. I am very curious what inspired you as the co-creator to bring this story to life.
 
Fernando Rovzar: Thank you so much for your kind words. I mean, what inspired me was just reading an article very, very hidden in newspapers in Mexico about this obscure time when women were invited into the police. And really nobody, nobody knows about it. The craziest thing is that at the same time, I think the reason nobody knows about it is because true intentions would have, would have come to light, and the true intentions were just making people forget about the student massacre of 1968 and it was trying to distract people, from a terribly violent government. And in doing so, they just created this, this female police department, without any intention of letting these women actually investigate, let alone arrest anybody or do any real police work, and forcing them to have to work behind the backs. of the police they were working for, if they were going to have any chance at helping catch this serial killer that's actually just murdering women.
 
John Betancourt:  It's also such a poignant story for now, I kind of noticed as well, and I'm very curious, because of all the messaging and all the layers, what's the number one underlying message you hope the audience takes away from this season?
 
Fernando Rovzar: I think that what the show is really about, and not only in the case of Las Azules, of course, but I think that the show is really about doing a little self-exploration in trying to become who we are really meant to be, and not who society says we have to be. And I think we're all trapped in that, not just women and not just in the 70s. I think anybody that grows up in a certain environment or country or religion, you know, we are automatically preloaded with an operating system that says we have to be this, we can't be that. And I think that the journey of self-discovery is a beautiful one, and I think the Azules went through that, but if you look closely, I think you'll find every single character show is actually in the same journey, only in a different way. I think, the men who were extremely chauvinist in that time were also trapped in that environment, in a society that sort of made them be that way. You know, and if you go back to history, and you can, you think of, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine about, like, even, like Nazi Germany, or like slavery in the U.S. and you think about, you know, its many, many people were just part of the wave. Because that was society. Society told you, you had go along with something that is, in retrospect, absolutely inhuman.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to what you've put together here?
 
Fernando Rovzar:  I think that I'm proud… I'm really proud of the show. I've watched it with my teenage daughters, and they find heroines on the screen. And it's very difficult in Mexico, because heroine Mexican TV stars tend to be soap opera stars, and they tend to value, you know, different things. And they tend to be, I guess, praised because they're good looking, or because they, you know, get the hottest guy, and I think that to have characters that young girls can look up to in Mexico is something that I feel… very fortunate to be a part of it, and also to be able to show a character like María, like Valentina, Gabina and Ángeles, who in many ways remind me of my own mother and my grandmother. Who were women, raised kids alone, and worked, and also were mothers, and were like your business partners, and were your therapist, and were your coach and also were your caretakers, and the many faces that women wear, I think is something… it's nice to stop for a second and praise that.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

An unspoken rule in Hollywood, is for celebrities to keep their private lives to themselves, for varying reasons, but the common one we know of, is to allow for them to have a life beyond their stage persona and the person the public expects them to be. But in recent years, that’s changed, and more and more celebrities are eager to open up to their fans and showcase who they are and what they stand for and tonight, one particular celebrity is going to open up to his fans like never before.
 
For tonight, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix will debut on Freeform, which offers unpreceded access to Wayne’s life, truths and feelings and family and in anticipation of the show’s release, we sat down with Wayne and his family, consisting of Mandie Taketa, Maile Brady, and Jason Michael Fordham to discuss this incredible look into all of their lives. 
 
John Betancourt: We are going to start with a two-part question, the first part is for Wayne. Wayne, how hard was it to speak your truth in this series? 
 
Wayne Brady: It was incredibly hard, because if you're in the public eye, it would be silly for you to say you don't care what anyone thinks because you're in the public eye. I think the hard part, the struggle, is getting to the point where you care, but you get over it, because your truth is much more important than… than what they think. And then people come around too. Once you believe in what you're talk talking about, the same people that dug you before are like, “Oh yeah, I agree,” and the people that don't, then I don't need you.
 
John Betancourt: Now for the rest of the family, how hard was it for all of you to have such an open and honest look into your lives?
 
Mandie Taketa: I think it was easy because we're safe with each other. Now ask me again after this airs, okay? 
 
Maile Brady: I second my mom's answer. 
 
Jason Michael Fordham: Yeah, same. I mean, we enjoyed being with each other. How that lands? We'll see.
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to each of you to be part of a show that is truly so open and honest?
 
Wayne Brady: It's beautiful to be able to show a family that is diverse like ours, being able to laugh together, being able to have each other's backs, to be able to show you what a real family looks like. And when I say real, I mean real, because not everyone here is related by blood, but everyone is related by intention, and that's just found family. So, the fact that we can show America what a group of people that love each other, that want to be in each other's lives look like, and they happen to look like us… then victory.
 
Mandie Taketa: I'm with Wayne. I agree, 100%. It means everything to us. And we're really, we're aware of what a privilege and how fortunate we are to be able to share something like this.
 
Maile Brady: I think it's… I'm really excited that people will see a family that looks like ours, function and be vulnerable with each other and really enjoy each other's company. And I'm very proud of what we have created together as our family union.
 
Jason Michael Fordham: And for me, I mean any kind of nervousness or fears is just because I care, you know, I care that our message sort of lands, that we're representing ourselves well and being truthful to the way that we are, and I think that we did that. And so how that's received, you know, remains to be seen. 
 
Wayne Brady: Can I tell you how I see us, especially knowing the world that you live in and that I love as well. I see us as the X-Men. We are a team that… we've been thrown together. Sometimes we don't fit the normal mindset of what is acceptable, but we come together for a mission. I kind of see, see myself as a Cyclops in, in the whole mix, I'd say that Jason is our… well, I was going to say Beast, but, no, no, he's Hank Pym.
 
Maile Brady: I'm saying I'm Magneto. 
 
Wayne Brady: Oh, okay, you can be Magneto and, and Mandie is our… well, I was going to make you Storm, but I was going to say that Mandie is our Jean Grey. So, you have this group that have come together. We all have these different powers, and we decided that we could kick more ass going through the world to get together than separately.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, if you had one word to describe this series, what would that word be? 
 
Wayne Brady: Fresh.
 
Maile Brady: Unexpected
 
Jason Michael Fordham: Authentic.
 
Mandie Taketa: Uplifting.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

After ten incredible weeks of watching nine teams be whittled down to three on Race to Survive: New Zealand on USA Network, we finally have a winner of this year’s competition in hand; Ethan and Tyrie. Who pushed hard from beginning to end to get their hands on the final crate, and we had the distinct honor of sitting down with Tyrie, to discuss his time in New Zealand to close out our coverage of this year’s journey. 
 
John Betancourt: Well, I will go ahead and start by asking the $500,000 question, how's it feel to be the winner of Race to Survive: New Zealand?
 
Tyrie: It feels good, man, you know, like I said beforehand, you know, my family's proud. You know, it's pretty cool. So just waiting for it, it hasn't really hit me all yet. I probably won't even celebrate until I see it in my bank account, you know. But it feels good, you know? It feels good to be home and to continue to tell stories to my people. It's awesome. 
 
John Betancourt: So, I definitely want to dive deep into your win since runtimes can shorten some of that majesty, and really learn what was going through your head when you touched that crate. 
 
Tyrie: Yeah, you know, when we touched that crate, I don't know. I have a problem with feeling gratitude. So, I didn't really feel like anything like immediate, you know, it was just kind of like, that's it. We're done, you know. But I was smiling, you know, I was happy. and I felt good. You know, about everything Ethan and I accomplished as individuals, not just the race, but, you know, things we accomplished between his father and myself and my past, you know, things like that. So, we had those deep conversations amongst each other. And that was more of winning, you know, life than $500,000 in a way. So, it was really cool. 
 
John Betancourt: Now, you mentioned that it hasn't sunk in for you yet, and that there wasn’t really a sense of gratitude in that exact moment. So, what were you feeling? 
 
Tyrie: We were just pumped up. I was just so happy to be there. I was so happy to be a part of New Zealand at the time, and, you know, and be welcome there the entire time. We were just pumped up. We love doing all that stuff. We love sleeping in the dirt, you know. So, it just kind of naturally progressed very well, and we felt pretty good out there. 
 
John Betancourt: Now, one question I have to ask that I know everybody wants to know, is… for the entire race, you two were just unstoppable. Because you two were either chasing the leaders or being the leaders, but at the same time, you guys made it look so easy. How on earth did you make this win look so easy? 
 
Tyrie: I think that's experience, just life experience. You know, Ethan and I, we grew up. And adversity, is kind of like the glue to our friendship, too. So, you know, we work very well together and our experiences, you know, just being like, we have starved, we have not slept, we work plenty. You know, there's nothing different than what they're doing on that show that we don't do for work, except for the food is better. (Laughs) Yes, I think experience was huge. You know, there's some things you're blind to, your own blindness, and out there, you kind of saw them do some stuff that’s kind of like they just don't know, you know, like Corry and Oliver having that fishing pole, I would have done some damage with that thing, but they didn’t know how to fish, you know, simple as that.
 
John Betancourt: So, forty days, six races, grueling stuff behind that. What would you say was the toughest moment for you out there? 
 
Tyrie:  Toughest experience was dealing with the interviews, dealing with, you know, me, Ethan, had our own conversations saying, you know, “it's okay for us to kind of let loose and put ourselves out there.” That's what we agreed on. And so, we did it together. I think that was the most foreign thing for us, you know, all that other stuff we enjoy, you know, pooping in the woods and all that. So yeah, I think just the entertainment side of everything was so new to us. And we were just trying of get a feel for everything, you know, read who we're working for, also our competitors. 
 
John Betancourt: Now I think doing something this tough teaches us a lot about ourselves, and I’m curious what you learned about yourself that you didn’t know before? 
 
Tyrie: You don't want to be chased by me in the woods. I know that. (Laughter from Tyrie and John)
 
John Betancourt: Oh yeah, we all learned that. You guys catch up quick. 
 
Tyrie: I think the biggest thing you know for me out there that I felt connection with was, like, my spirituality, you know, and I've always done that. I've always talked to my family, and I've always been a part of it, but embracing it in front of a bunch of strangers and, you know, and then Ethan just being all about it too, you know, not that he's never been against it or anything, you know, but it was really cool just for that, and that was surprising to me, and, and it's kind of like one of those things where I grew up, I had a lot of insecurities about who I was, you know, just because of how I was talked to and certain things like that. 
 
But it wasn't like scarring or nothing, but it's just things that I have to deal with, right? And I think being there and embracing my Native American culture and all that, that was huge. And that made me feel, I was like, “Wow. You are capable of this.” And, you know, whatever people want to say to at this point, whatever, like… it is, what it is. And you grew up this way, this is who you are, you know. So, I think recognizing -- being even more independent and even more self-aware of myself, this is how it grew me. I think.
 
John Betancourt: Now to follow up on that a bit, now that you have the win under your belt and you had that awakening out there, what’s changed for you now that you’re back?
 
Tyrie: You know, life… so coming back, right? This is my first summer home since I was 18. So, I've been in the military and then fire and I've been traveling the world and doing all these other things. So, you know me, the newest thing to me, actually has nothing to do with the race, to be honest with you, it's just me coming home and spending that time with my family that I've missed out on for so long, and with my friends, going to the lake and just having a beer with them, like normal people stuff, you know? I've been missing on so much of that, and that's the biggest change just coming home and being home and being with my people and doing my, you know, my tree service, Low Stump. So, yeah, that's, that's huge.
 
John Betancourt: Now out of curiosity, what's next for you? Because, I mean, obviously it's, you know, it's life changing, money hands down. What are you planning on doing with your life next, now that you had a chance to get this in your hands?
 
Tyrie: Yeah, I'm just gonna stick to the plan, you know, I'm going to stick to the plan. And the goal is just profit. I want assets. I want I want to chase the entrepreneur stuff and, and whatever else comes down. I have no idea what to expect. You know, I don't really say no to opportunity. So, if something else were to come down the line, you know, it has to make sense for me. And I can make my own schedule. So, I'm pretty open to just about anything, but it's got to be worth the adventure, you know. So, who knows? Who knows? I don't know where I'm going to be next year, even two years down the road, let alone five. So, I know it’ll be good places, though. 
 
John Betancourt: Are you planning on sticking with smoke jumping? 
 
Tyrie: I think I’m going to retire from jumping. I think I'm done with fire, just in general, you know, with just how much they disrespect us in how they pay us. I'm not a fan of -- it's just for how much hazard and stuff we do. I'm tired of working for the government and just getting shit on, to be honest, and it's just at that point, you know. And again, I have my niece here. Finally, she was born in January, so it's just nice to finally be home and be a part of that. And that's what I've missed the most. So gotta take care of up here (Tyrie points to his brain). You know?
 
John Betancourt: I agree with you 100% on that, and I was shocked to learn through the show what pay looks like for a smoke jumper. Now, we’ve talked a lot about your spiritual journey, the win and really… you’re in the limelight now and people are indeed looking up to you. What do you hope they take away from your journey? 
 
Tyrie: You know, I hope audience can just take away the fact that, you know, I'm proud of myself and Ethan, for being -- we were on TV and we did all this stuff, sure, but you know, the number one thing I'm proud of both of us is we stuck to our guns, and we are who we are, you know, we never compromised ourselves. We never acted like we were someone else we weren't, you know. So, I hope people can see that and see how genuine we really are and just take that for what it is, and be yourself, and learn from all the things you do. And guys like Ethan and I, you know, again, we had our own past, and we were both very scared young boys at a time, and we conquered that, and we conquered other things on our path. And now we're still these, these smoke jumpers, and sure, we're in this cool community of dangerous, hazardous jobs, but we still cry. 
 
And it was cool to kind of put that out there, you know, kind of the message we were just sending, you know, all that, I just hope they see it, they enjoy it, and they understand it for who we are, and it's okay. You know, a big thing Ethan, I, we hit on is just men's mental health, you know, now that’s women’s too. But you know, we can only speak for men, because we are men, right? So, you know, that's something very dear, because you know him and I, we both, we have several friends that have like, you know, suicide, and me being the military too, you know, a lot of things like that. So that was, it was a lot. It was a lot. So, I hope they take that for what it is. And, you know, I hope some reservation kids can see that, you know, I left and came back, and you can always, always come back home, whether you like it or not, whether it's 20 years or whatever. You know. You can change your life and for the better.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, you mentioned there’s a lot that you loved about being there, what will you miss the most about the race? 
 
Tyrie: The suck. I think just the same thing I'm going to miss in fire, you know, all those type of things where it's like, super shitty, and you hear Ethan talking about on the show, you know, that's where we thrive. And me, personally, I've always been in that environment, just from when I left home, you know. So, I know I can thrive when everyone else is not doing too hot. And I just like that. I don't know what it is, but I've always been that way, you know. So, I miss the suck, to be honest with you, but I missed the suck during fire season, too. And you know, lot of people don't believe stuff from like that when people say it, but it's just who I am.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

Truly one of the most fascinating teams we spent time with during this season of Race to Survive: New Zealand on USA Network, were Paulina and Creighton. For they had unique circumstances hanging over them as a recently divorced couple. But the potential drama accompanying that, mattered not, and they found a way to unify and make their way to the final race, and as part of our farewell to the season, we sat down with both of them to discuss their experiences in New Zealand.
 
John Betancourt: So, I have to start by asking, whether or not it was actually hard to finish this race. Because you two made that final leg look easy and you kept such incredible pace with Ethan and Tyrie. 
 
Paulina: Oh, thank you, yes, it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. (Laughs) Absolutely. 
 
Creighton: I like hearing that we made it look easy, though, because at that point our bodies were falling apart. We had so much tape on our joints that we felt more mummy than human. (Laughter from John)
 
John Betancourt: I love that, but you two really did an amazing job there, and you also had a lot of meaningful things to say about the race as it went on. And I’m very curious what it meant to each of you, to finish this race.
 
Creighton: That was our goal. Our goal, from the very beginning, was to see the beginning and ending of every race. And so, the money, like, the money is great. Winning the money would be amazing, but finishing every race was our number one goal. And so just getting to that point was meaningful. 
 
Pauilna: Yeah the money, you know, it was an exciting factor, but more than anything, like at the end of the day, you know, maybe going into a competition where the goal is to win money, this isn't the best mindset to go into it, but for me, like I wanted, Creighton and I to come out closer and to find this new formed relationship that we ended up finding. And I wanted us both, and especially for myself, like I just wanted to come out like a strong, confident person, and to prove to ourselves that we had everything it took to get through that race and finish in this in that final three and to do it together. Because I think there was a lot of doubt that Creighton and I, after going through the divorce that we would have even be able to make it through the race at all. And I think it just shows so much to who we are as individuals and how we work together, that, you know, we have what it takes, and to prove that really felt truly incredible. 
 
John Betancourt: I do want to expand on that a little further, because it really did seem like you two just had, like, the most philosophical experience going through the race. And I'm very curious what it taught you about yourself that you didn't know about yourself before.
 
Creighton: Man, one of the first things that Paulina and I started saying consistently out there is we can do hard things. We've always been strong. We've always been outdoorsy. Though we didn't know that we could do things like this with as little food as we had, with your super recently divorced spouse. Like, yeah, ex-spouse, ex-wife as your partner. It was a lot of, it was a lot of firsts for us to navigate out there. And we wanted, we tried really hard to do the race in a way that we're proud of.
 
Pauilna: Yeah, yeah. And I think for me, you know, I've always, I've always felt a lot of self-doubt towards myself. I've been a competitive athlete my entire life, and you know, when I talk to myself, it's always not in the not most uplifting, positive way. Because when I see other people beating me, I automatically think that it's because I'm not good enough. And this, the thing that this show taught me was that I am good enough, and I do have what it takes, and I am strong, I am more, and I like, started changing my mindset and the way I spoke to myself throughout the race. Of like, instead of talking down on myself, I started to lift myself up, and you know, speak more positively towards myself, and seeing that change and how much it like, affected me in the race, like, that's during the race four, when we passed Ryan and Bronsen. 
 
Like, that was a big part of us being able to pass him. Was I could feel in myself that mental shift of like, “Wow, if you talk positively to yourself, like, and if you continue to see just how strong you actually are, you'll be so much better and happier. And so that's what I learned and gained from this. And so, yeah, that was huge for me, and to finish in the final three and to make it to that final crate despite everything that was going against us, like, just prove that to ourselves. But like, yeah, you're so much stronger than you've given yourself credit for. So that's incredible. 
 
John Betancourt: Now, we spent ten weeks with you, came to know you and you placed second and that kind of makes you icons that people are looking up to. So, I’m curious, what you hope the audience takes away from your journey.
 
Pauilna: I love that question. I think a big thing for me is, you know, to take away like, especially if it's a female like, don't let who you are like prevent you from doing something that you want to do. So, get away from the self-doubt. Don't let any like, you know, like saying like, “Oh, I've never done that before” stop you from doing something that you've always wanted to do. So, for me it’s like, on this show, I just wanted to go show everyone that whatever you put your mind to, you can do it. And it is like we, Creighton and I, discovered it is mind over body and mind over matter completely, like our bodies were torn apart, but our minds were so strong that that's like, that is what got us there. Like, it was absolutely true grit. And I think same for all of the final three teams. Like the grittiest group of humans, I've ever met who's like, mental fortitude was just like, unmatched. 
 
Creighton: Man, if you're gonna go out in a situation like that, it's important to have goals and reasons to put yourself through it. And so, you know, everybody's goals are going to be different, but if you're out there with a strong purpose, you're going to have a much more positive time.
 
Paulina: Yeah, and I think another thing, like with Creighton, I too, is, you know, we may have gone in there as a divorced couple, but we all, we came in there with love for each other and respect. And I think like a good thing to take away is like you may not be with somebody anymore, or it could be friendship, it could be literally anything, complete stranger. The more you treat someone with like, love, respect and kindness, like, the farther you'll go. And you can see that amongst like the other teams, like, you know, you just see so much love and respect amongst everybody we were with there. And I think there was a lot of self-doubt, or a lot of doubt between Creighton and I, from the viewers of like, “Oh, well, they're the divorced couple. The bickering is going to hold them back,” but Creighton and I knew that what we had was beyond a divorce, and so that's why we were able to work so well together to get to where we did. 
 
Creighton: Yeah, man, everybody's going to bicker. It doesn't matter who your teammates with. You could be teammates with, like, suppose yourself and you're still going to, like, fight and disagree. It is just what happens. 
 
John Betancourt: Something I’ve heard often from the other folks from the show I spoke with… was just how magical an experience this was. What are you each going to miss the most about this competition? 
 
Creighton:  I'm going to miss most about this competition was the simplicity of it all. You had very few cares or worries, you just lived your life out there. It was, it was simple. I miss the simplicity. 
 
Paulina: Yeah, I think just being completely disconnected from the world, and you're focusing on the present moment, and it's not an opportunity you get very often. And then, honestly, for me too, just having this connection with Creighton, continuing to… to have that relationship, will be, it'll be, it'll be sad to… to no longer have that.
 
Creighton: Yeah, but we're always going to have this show to look back on
 
Paulina: Hell yeah, we are! (Laughs)
 
John Betancourt: Now, if given the chance to go back and do the show again, would you? 
 
Pauilna: Hell, yes.
 
Creighton: Absolutely.
 
Paulina: Not a doubt. It's like, we've been asked that so many times, and every time it's like, yep. 100% on that.
 
Creighton: 100%.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have for each of you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to what you accomplished on the show? 
 
Paulina: I think I'm most proud of us for working so well together and creating such an incredible bond post-divorce. And honestly, just like… making it to that final crate. Because there were a lot of things that made me believe we weren't going to get there, but we did. 
 
Creighton: Yeah, making it to the final crate as friends. It's pretty cool. 
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 
​

Truly, the end of Race to Survive: New Zealand on USA Network was nothing short of epic. Since all three of the final teams were close to securing the win, and well, to properly send off this season of adventure we here at NTG sat down with members from all three of the final teams to get their closing thoughts on the competition, starting with one half of the third-place team, Nik. 
 
John Betancourt: So, what a finish, one that I have ask a little more about because I have to know how hard it was to finish this final segment of the race. 
 
Nik: I had zero in the tank. Like, I basically ate all that food at the food cache, and by the point that I was actually going towards the end, that food was gone, long gone. Uh, severely depleted, severely tired, uh, getting to the point where I was just like, “Okay, like, it's just like, left, right, left, right, left, right,” and that's all it was. There was nothing else in me. It was, honestly, I have not been that challenged in probably… yeah, even when I was younger, it was very, very hard at the end that was like the final slog. And I can honestly say the way I felt, I hadn't felt like that since I'm very, very young. And even then, I don't know if it was as hard as that, very difficult.
 
John Betancourt: With that in mind then, if you had nothing left in the tank, how did you finish this race?
 
Nik: Just one step in front of the other like, there's no quitting. There's no quitting, right? I'm injured. I can walk, and that's it. Like, that's the entire race for me, right? So, like, you know whether we wanted to walk or run or whatever, I was for whatever, right? So, she asked me to come. I came. I'm there, and that's it. Like, I can't sit down, like, there's, you know, there's either doing this or they're saying I quit, which is either sitting down, not taking a break, like sitting down, being like, I'm done. There's no way I can do that, because it's just not programmed into me. And the way it is, literally just left, right, left, right, and then just stop thinking, because there's, there's no… you can't sit and think about it, because as soon as you think about it, you'll flip out and you’ll just be like, “I quit.” So, the way it is, it's just that monotone -- and literally, you know, once we were heading, like, super, super, up the slope, rock to rock to rock, and it's like, where am I going next? Where am I going next? Where am I going next? And that's it. Just distract yourself with that, because there's no other way to do it. 
 
John Betancourt: Now in your closing interview you talked about deeper meaning for you regarding this race, let’s expand on that and talk about what it meant to finish this.
 
Nik: You know, it was just by race three, me and Kennedy had kind of lost, lost some will, lost some motivation. And, you know, past that point, I kind of felt that I already learned everything I needed to know. Like I'd already done the starving, the nine days extreme fasting cardio, I call it. And so, like, I already, like, mental wise, I'd already reached this level where it was, like I was happy with everything. But like, what I realized then, as we got going, as we basically kept going through was that, you know, now I had to stay because Kennedy had some lessons to learn still, and so I think that was the big thing. Because I learned my lessons, but hers were on the later races. And so basically, that's why I kept going. It was like, I have to stay until she learns everything she needs to learn. Because Kennedy had a lot of self-confidence and self-esteem issues about, like, for example, nav.
 
And it was just like, you know that fifth race, that time trial, she was very scared. And this was her lesson. She had to be alone to nav to see that. And so, once that was done, then it was like, well, we got to finish this race, like, because, like, I've learned all my lessons. She'd learned all her lessons, so now you have to complete the circle, like we made it. And so, from there it's, it's basically, that was what it meant. It was like, you closed the story, you finished the story. You asked me to go. We came together, we did the thing. We finished, right? I'm all about that, the story, and especially the finish. It's like, “Hey, man, we finished.” And you know, it's like, when we start to look at all the competitors that fell to injuries, I'm like, these are like, very, very, very, very, very high-level people. And I'm just like, this is ridiculous. Like, we're at the end, they're not. And it's, it's, it builds your confidence, for sure, because you're like, maybe I do have something, you know?
 
John Betancourt: Now something I thought was pretty amazing, was that you two had a strategy for winning this by going slow and steady. What inspired that strategy? 
 
Nik: It's not -- we didn't make it up kind of on our heads. It was literally… practicality. So, the first race we knew. Right away, it was like, because she knew beforehand, she wasn't a cardio -- she's a bodybuilder, so we knew right away that was going to be a problem once we got on the first race, we made the decision, because she was so slow before even the first race, we even knew where the food caches were. We're now grabbing food caches because you're too slow. We don't know the competitors. But I know she's never really run to a high level. So, I'm like, There's no way. So, when we went through the whole race, it was basically everything that we did was due to necessity. So it wasn't that we wanted to walk. It was that simply, it was like, at this point in time, her ankles couldn't handle that weight. For example, race four, like, she's like, “I can't.” So, it's like, if you can’t, then we can't. And so that's what we did. And, like, once you take that kind of approach to it, it's like, okay, well, we can't keep up with them, so we're going to kill the sheep. Because, like, why not? We're going to eat tonight anyway. 
 
And so, a lot of that stuff, it was all necessity, right? And, but hey, necessity breeds innovation, right? Like, we decided, okay, if we're going to be slow, we're going to make sure we navigate properly. Yeah, we got lost here and there, but for the most part, like, we made some gains where people you know, made a lot of mistakes due to nav and whatever. So, and the biggest things, we didn't we didn't stress ourselves out, like we're already on the backpack. So, it was like, when she made a mistake, whatever, when I made a mistake, it was like, okay, well, so there was a lot to it, but it was basically mostly due to necessity that we did a lot of what we did.
 
John Betancourt: What are you going to miss the most about this race?
 
Nik: There's just like, a different level of like, mental acuity. Like, I mean, the food was good. Like, the deprivation for the food was good to a certain extent. Once you, if you grab both food caches, you were basically on cloud nine, the extreme cardio that you did during that, like, it was just for me, the first nine days were the best, because that six or seven days, once there was no food, and once we did everything that we did, there was a very, very high level of mental acuity where it was basically like strips, a man, everything, of all these needs. And it's like you really get to the focus in on kind of nothingness, you know, enjoying the moment, because you literally have no other choice. There's not even food to enjoy. You're just like… and so there's a lot, a lot of mental stuff that that we gained from that. And it was, it was pretty good.
 
John Betancourt: Now in keeping with the theme of learning, what did this race teach you about yourself that you weren’t aware of before? 
 
Nik:  Uh, the patience. I think a lot of what happened with, you know, where it was like, “Oh, this is happening. This is happening,” it was just like, “Okay, cool.” That's like, a moment of brevity where, like, okay, like, I've definitely grown as a human being. There's a lot of patience there. It's like, we just gotta do this and do this and do this. It was nice to see that, right. Because, you know, anytime you can be kind of calm, like, people have commented like, you're basically, like, you were super calm the whole way, and super supportive and stuff like that. And, you know, that's like, a big positive feature, because it's like, man, we're doing some crazy hard stuff. This can't keep up last blah, blah, blah, and everyone's like, keeping their cools. It's pretty cool. So, what I learned most was that kind of, like, that level of calm, like, I basically achieved that, right? And so that's… the ability to self-calm, is like, is there. Because if there's any time to freak out it would be on something like that, but we just, we kept cool heads during the whole week, because it was just like, yeah, we're at this point, they're there. Let's figure it out. 
 
John Betancourt: Now, given the chance… would you do this race again? 
 
Nik: Ah, yeah, I talked to Kennedy. I basically, I am applying again, even for this season. I don't care. I'll be a standby team. I got a guy here. He's like a Serbian, basically, high level athlete. We're going to start training together. So, I'm telling ‘em, if you need a standby team, like we're there anytime, anyplace, any season, if you want this season, if you want an all-star season, I don't care, like I'm there, so 100% I would.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to what you accomplished with this race?
 
Nik: Uh, I'm most proud of that I just kind of was able to grasp the situation for what it was, understood what needed to be done and when. And I just, like, completely, like, everything just turned out the way it was supposed to turn out. So, I was super happy with just how the whole thing developed.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

Caution: This interview contains spoilers for Episode 105 of ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’.
​
After weeks of speculation and theorizing, regarding why Lucy was printed to life in Orphan Black: Echoes we came to learn during last night’s episode that it all related to grief. In that, Dr. Kira Manning lost the original Eleanor Miller, the love of her life, to dementia, and that prompted her to try and resurrect her love and fix the problem. Giving rise to a very intimate twist to this series that we will fawn over for days and to further explore the gravity of this twist… we sat down with Rya Kihlstedt, who played the next iteration of Eleanor Miller on the show… to discuss all things Orphan Black: Echoes.
 
John Betancourt I am very curious to learn how you came to play the role of Eleanor.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: I did a number of self-tapes that I sent in, to Anna (Fishko) and John (Fawcett), and I think… trying to remember if I had a script, I don't think, at least not the first time. I don't think I had a script. I think I just had scenes. And, you know, some idea of, this is really fascinating, and made something up in my head, and then I ended up, I was traveling and in Brazil, and got a note from my manager saying that they wanted to meet and test me and just do a meeting on Zoom. So, I was in Brazil with terrible internet in a room, trying to balance my computer and see them. And we had a really fascinating, interesting meeting. And then I ended up flying to Toronto, they had already started filming and I did a hair makeup test, and the most complicated and trickiest part is that I had to look like Krysten (Ritter), and Krysten and Amanda (Fix), and I had to look enough alike in three different generations to make it work. And Krysten is beautiful, but with very specific, unusual features. So, I think that was kind of the trickiest part. And I ended up wearing a prosthetic nose for the whole show, which is so spectacular that you don't notice. But interestingly enough, I look more like Amanda and Krysten looks more like Amanda than Krysten, and I look alike. So, we just had to find a way to string the three together.
 
John Betancourt: That’s just incredible, and we are going to talk about how you strung that together in a moment. But I do want to talk about how you mentioned, fascinating ideas, fascinating concepts. I'm very curious what fascinating aspects about the character of Eleanor just ignited something in you as an actor.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: It was a lot, I think Anna has created a show full of women that really, for me, the interesting part is it addresses and sorts out marriage, relationships, career women who are, I feel like Eleanor is a woman who is, who is ruled by her head, by her intellect, far more than her emotions in her heart. And to play that and look at marriage, relationships, before we even get into the clone world and dementia, and aging, and parents and I mean, I feel like it's such a multi-layered -- there's so many ideas and themes that circle through this, but that all circles back to kind of… women… and what it is being a woman of different generations, and it all fascinated me. And the more that we -- that Keeley (Hawes) and Amanda, and Anna, and we talked about it, the more complicated it got, which I love.
 
John Betancourt: So, this episode was so wonderfully layered, so beautiful. But it also, I think, from an acting standpoint, I couldn't help but also notice that the everything about this show, when it comes to the structure of Elanor’s life, everything is seamless. You know, Amanda and Krysten sync up so well, and you are a perfect extension of Krysten as well. How did you as an actor pull that off.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: You know, it's… I feel like I would have loved to have a little more time at the start of filming to really spend time with Krysten working on that. But I came in at Episode Five. They had already been filming four. Everybody was already deep in, you know, it was like being late to school, right? You get invited to the party. The party's already started. You're playing catch up. And in some ways, I mean, I would, but I think this is me, and probably most actors, always, you would love to go back and make different changes and have the opportunity to do things again. I would have loved more time to kind of develop and play with that, but I ended up, really just as much as I could, watching Krysten, just kind of taking what I thought would work without being too much, different generation, different print out.
 
How much can I thread in so it's subtle and doesn't feel like it's making a point or like it's, you know, like I am I'm pointing to something. And I tried to do the same thing with Amanda, like Amanda, and I had a number of meals together and talks, and I felt like, if we can string it through the three of us, even subtly, that will be perfect, but that was tricky. I would have loved to have come in at the beginning, before everybody started all together, and find that, I think, in a little more consistent but buried way, if that makes sense, but I'm glad you saw it and that it works enough.
 
John Betancourt: Now we have talked about the layers in brief, and there's so much in this episode, and it's so pivotal and so powerful. I'm curious what you hope the audience takes away from this particular episode, kind of from a lesson standpoint, if you will.
 
Rya Kihlstedt: Oh, my God. From a lesson standpoint, I don't know about a lesson standpoint, but I guess I feel like, for me, it's the episode where the show starts to open up, right? It starts to kind of get into where I think the show really starts to light fire, right? I feel like it really starts to kind of engage everybody, in all levels. And I don't know this, this episode is, you know, it's their… it's their love, right?
 
John Betancourt Now what's obvious to me, is how much you wanted to make sure you got the material right. Like I can hear the passion in your voice about it. I'm curious, on a more personal level, what it means to be a part of such a pivotal episode. Because, like you said yourself, this is, this is the one. What does that mean to you as a as a person and as an actor?
 
Rya Kihlstedt: I mean, I… I guess I felt like this project. I mean, to be part of something with such smart women everywhere I turned. I mean, you know, from Keeley to Anna to, you know, all of our writers on set, Amanda… like we had extraordinarily bright, smart, engaged, curious, thoughtful conversations every day. And you don't get to do that all the time, you know. And we really, I felt like got to dive in and explore marriage, what that means, what that looks like, the thought of dementia, the thought of losing your mind. What that means in a relationship, what that means if a relationship is suddenly built and started, built on, on a lie, how do you repair that? What is it, you know, how does your relationship survive? And then, for me personally, it brought up a lot of… a lot of thinking about what, you know, what moving ahead in my life looks like? What are the important things for me, right? I turned 55 this year, and you kind of go, “Alright, where do I draw the lines like, what happens if dementia…” you know, I've got two kids, what do I want them to be responsible for, not be responsible for, you know, watching my parents age, it really made me think of all of that in my life and in the imaginary a lot.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

If there is one big question that was hanging over the season one finale of the hit SYFY series, The Ark, it would have to be… what became of Angus and Alicia? Because our favorite nerdy couple were separated and in dire straits thanks to what happened to Ark One. But thankfully, night’s season two premiere of the show informed us, they’re okay and Angus is on the mend, and now that the secret is out that they survived disaster aboard Ark One, we sat down with Stacey Read and Ryan Adams, who play Alicia and Angus, to talk about season two of The Ark, and more.
 
John Betancourt: Since it's our first chance to talk, and since I'm such a fan of this show, I am curious to know what it was that attracted you each to this project and your characters in the first place.
 
Ryan Adams: Oh my gosh. I think, like, Stacey, we both hadn't really done much work before this. So, yeah, getting presented with an audition of scale like this, you know, Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner, it was immediately like, “Oh, my God, I need this.” Put everything into the audition as always. And, yeah, was just really, really, really lucky and really excited to get started. And, yeah, I think immediately presented with Angus. It was, it was so, I mean, I think I said this before, but he was originally written as a completely different guy, like, he was, like, overweight and had, like, just different morals and everything. So, reading that for the first time, I was like, “I'm quite skinny. I don't know how I can play this guy (Laughs),” but, yeah, like, Dean fantastically changed it for me, which was nice.
 
Stacey Read: Very similarly, like getting through an audition, like it was, The Ark, it was incredible. But also, I'm a big science fiction nerd. I think Ryan's a big science fiction nerd as well. So that is really cool. Like to be able to do a show where we're at a spaceship in space, like… a dream come true, really.
 
John Betancourt: I do kind of want to expand upon that a little further, because I would not have ever known, judging from your performances, that this was relatively one of the bigger roles that you've had so far in your careers, because you're both so good at it, and there's such depth to it. And I'm very curious to know how you as actors created that amazing depth and that amazing individuality for both of your characters.
 
Ryan Adams: Oh, wow. I think, what was great about season one and coming onto this show was the fact that… I know me and Stace relate to this and have the same thoughts. Our characters were so much like us, in the sense of, like Angus and Alicia, like, stepping foot onto a spaceship, super like, “Oh my god, I'm really nervous. I'm really scared. This is a big deal. I don't want to mess it up,” kind of thing. Literally, the same thoughts that we had about the show, you know, coming onto this as actors, you know, big show, don't want to mess it up. So, yeah, we related to our characters so much in that way. And luckily, they were nervous, like, well, I can only speak for myself, luckily, Angus was a bit of a nervous wreck, so I could really channel that. And “No, I'm not nervous, guys. It's just Angus, I promise.” So yeah, that was really nice to sort of start with that. It was cool.
 
Stacey Read: I was a nervous wreck too. Don't worry.
 
Ryan Adams: Okay, cool, more than just me, thank god!
 
Stacey Read: It was also really nice to be able to, like, have the characters parallel, you know, our real lives, but also, like, we would get the episodes as we were shooting. So, it's not like we knew what our character was like, or like how it was going to end. So, it was really nice being able to build on that. You know, every time we got a new episode and you're like, “Okay, so this is the character. Oh, I'll do this with Cat. Oh, she's a bit like this.” So, yeah, we just got to mold them to how we wanted them, which was really cool.
 
John Betancourt: Now, getting into kind of season two gear as it is. One thing I love about the show is it does have a lot of underlying parallels to our world and some good discussions about, you know, us finding a better way together. I'm curious what you kind of hope from a message standpoint, audiences take away in season two.
 
Ryan Adams: I mean, the main driving point that we try and hit home in this show is that it’s about hope. Um, you know, Ark One’s objective and mission with the state of their ship in season one is really quite impossible, like it's, it's a really impossible task, and they are constantly set back all the time. And it's the same with season two, but I think the thing that we love is like we just never give up hope. You know, even when you're at the darkest, darkest, darkest moment of your life. I mean, I'm thinking about Angus waking up in season two and just thinking, “How am I alive? Oh, the only reason I'm alive is because I have my worst enemy's blood flowing through my veins, cool,” and I use the imagery of “trying to get out my own skin,” kind of thing a lot this season. Um, yeah, so he's not great physically, and obviously, when that mends with the blood, his mental state doesn't mend at all. And he's really gotta live with that and just keep pushing and carrying on. I mean, let's not forget, he's got a big job on the ship. Everyone does. So yeah, sometimes working whilst having a bad mental state is, is really taxing. It's really hard. But yeah, I think what, what the crew of Ark One have to remember, is we’re not doing it really just for us, not doing it for us. We're doing it for the world. We're doing it for humanity and for our families.
 
Stacey Read: I would just like to say, like, there's a lot to take away from this show, but I think what's really lovely about this show is, it's not just the action, adventures, but the heart of it, like Ryan was saying, there is hope. And not just with that, with season two, there's, you know, conflict, and how can you resolve certain conflicts? Is there redemption? And I think it's really as humans, you know, humanity is a very complex thing, and I think when you look at the state of the world today, with the conflicts going around in the world today, it would be nice if people could just find a way to resolve things in a better way. And I think The Ark does touch on that, like, how can we resolve certain things without causing more problems?
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for each of you today, what has it meant to you on a personal level when it comes to just the enormous fan response because the show's a hit, people are all about it, and you guys are beloved characters. What does that mean to both of you?
 
Ryan Adams: It means a lot, man, it means, it means so much. I mean working on season one, like, with it being a completely new show, not attached to anything else, like we had no idea what the fan reception was going to be like. We didn't have fans at that point, you know. We had no idea what the audience reception was going to be. So, yeah, to get that, like warm feeling from and to have such a nice, loyal fan base as well, from season one, was so nice, and to have that in the back of our minds whilst making this season was so nice. You know, thinking, we're making this show for, like, people that really, really care about it. It's really, really nice.
 
Stacey Read: it's really heartwarming. Like, even as season one was coming out, I'd love to go on Twitter and just see all the, like, fans’ theories and everything. And then, you know, I get really lovely messages from fans as well. People make fan art. I love the names that the fans have come up with as well, “The Arkaholics.” I'm just like, cool we've got, like, a cool name going, like, yeah, it's really heartwarming knowing that you touched so many people.
 
Ryan Adams: I think even the fact that we got a season two, in itself was like, a nice like, “Oh, amazing. We did well, we did good. We have support” kind of thing.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

It is definitely safe to say, that people are eagerly awaiting the second season of the hit SYFY series, The Ark. Simply because the series offers up a refreshing science fiction adventure, one that fans simply cannot get enough of, and in anticipation of the arrival of its second season, we sat down with series lead Christie Burke (Lieutenant/Captain Sharon Garnet), and co-showrunners Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner to discuss all things The Ark.
 
John Betancourt: This is a two-part opening question, the first one is for Dean and Jonathan, and I'd love to know what went into the decision to create such a bigger and bolder and amazing season two.
 
Dean Devlin: I think it's really… we owed it to the people who stuck with us. You know, I mean, it was, look, we're an independent company doing a show on a big network, and we didn't know if it was going to work or not, and suddenly, six and a half million people showed up and they stayed with us through the whole season. In fact, the numbers grew as the season went on, and we just felt a responsibility. We said, “You know, we can't just give them what they've gotten. We gotta up our game in every way that we can.”
 
Jonathan Glassner: I mean, you know, if you're gonna do a series and it's successful, you better be bigger the next season, or you're not doing your job. You know, we don't want to suddenly make a smaller show.
 
John Betancourt: The second part of this is for Christie. As an actor, how meaningful is it to work on a season and a series, that is this ambitious?
 
Christie Burke: I mean, it's the most meaningful. It's incredible, the idea that, like, you know, we went to Serbia, and we did this thing, and that anyone watched it, and not only watched it, but liked it, and kept coming back to, like, this little, beautiful, heartfelt story that we created is like, I think the most meaningful. I'm really excited. I think we really took into consideration our fans when making this season in what surprises and unpredictability we wanted to show them, but also, just like we showed up every day and wanted to do the best we possibly could. So, I'm really excited for fans to watch it.
 
John Betancourt: In keeping with the two-part style here, starting with Dean and Jonathan here, what kind of challenges did you run into, from a showrunner and writer standpoint, in creating a season so… I mean, the season two premiere is just so ambitious.
 
Jonathan Glasser: You ain't seen nothing yet. (Laughter from everyone.)
 
John Betancourt: Oh man, I only received the first three episodes of season three, that’s scary.
 
Jonathan Glassner: We… actually go to planets this season. So, it gets big and fun and hard from a production perspective. Just ask Christie. It was, it was some challenging stuff this season.
 
Dean Devlin: We have very big appetites, and we have very small budgets. (Laughter) Normally… you would curb your appetite based on your budget, but we don't. And so, it's like, “All right, well, let's use every trick in the book that we've ever learned, and let's beg, borrow and steal from everyone to help us get there” and it takes everybody. I mean, you know, as much as Garnet is a leader on screen, Christie's a leader off screen. And you know, she's really on set, working with the other actors and motivating people. I mean, I we couldn't have a better number one on a show. And it takes all of that, it takes everybody stepping up to try and fulfill these ambitions we have with the time and money we've got.
 
John Betancourt: And then the second part of that is for Christie. In keeping with what Dean and Jonathan just said, what kind of challenges did you deal with as an actor with such ambitious material?
 
Christie Burke: I revel in challenge. I think I really shine when, like, something's difficult to do. Like, I don't take no for an answer. Like, if you're telling me, “we have to get this scene in this amount of time,” I'm like, “it's going to be the best scene you've ever seen in your life.” So, I kind of love rising to face difficulty, if that makes sense. I think also, too, like that kind of pressure really creates magical art, in my opinion. But I think we get to see Garnet, not only in challenging situations, but also emotional situations with other cast members, we get to see her develop deeper relationships and lots of other fun stuff.
 
John Betancourt: This is more of a global question one for everyone. I've always from day one, loved how the show had a lot of depth and a lot of intelligence about the human condition, which great sci fi always does. And I'm very curious what each of you kind of hope this season audiences take away from a messaging standpoint.
 
Jonathan Glassner: I mean, I would say it's very similar to last season in that it's hope, it's hope for that, humans, when they work together, can do anything, and, you know, even survive where we left us at the end of last season.
 
Dean Devlin: I think that's right. I mean, this is a show about hope. It's also a show about empathy, it's a show about forgiveness, and it's about grit. And you know, the storylines this year are different than last year. It's not “disaster movie of the week” this year. It's really, we go to some very unexpected places, but it's always in service of what we just said. It's always just to illustrate what the best versions of us can be.
 
Christie Burke: Well, I remember like something just came to mind right now. I remember, like the first meeting I ever had with Dean, which was really scary, by the way, (Laughs) was he said that hope is the journey, not the destination. And I think that's a really beautiful sentiment. I think it is the journey like, I think so often in society, we get caught in, like, “we got to get to the planet!” We got to do this” -- that we forget, like, human connection and like not giving up on people, and like lifting each other up is also like the destination and the journey. So, I think that's also should be the takeaway. Don't give up on people.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for each of you today, what has the fan response meant to each of you? Because this show just blew up and folks really do love it.
 
Jonathan Glassner: Wow, I love it. You know, who wouldn't? It's very gratifying to know that all the hard work we put in means something to some people. And, you know, maybe bringing a little happiness to their life for an hour every week. And I think that's valuable.
 
Dean Devlin: I've made things that were loved, and I've made things that were loved a lot less. It is better to be loved more. (Laughter from everyone)
 
Christie Burke: Oh, man, yeah, I think I second everything they just said. It's like, I feel very honored that people decide to take an hour out of out of their day and watch this show that we made, that we wanted to put our all into. And when I'm on set, I'm thinking about fans, like, I'm like, “Oh my gosh, I can't wait for them to see this amazing thing that we're making.” And I just want to, like, text every fan I know personally and be like,” Oh my gosh, this and this happened, and this and this happened,” and I'm not allowed to because I'd be fired. (Laughter) But yeah, I feel really lucky. I think sci fi fans are incredible. I've gotten to be a part of other projects that weren't necessarily in this genre, and sci fi fans are the best. They're the most loving, accepting, like, how lucky are we that we get to do it again? You know?
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

​The latest chapter in the Descendants saga is available to stream on Disney+ right now, and to properly celebrate the arrival of Descendants: The Rise of Red, we sat down with cast members, Kylie Cantrell (Red), Malia Baker (Chloe), Ruby Rose Turner (Bridget), Morgan Dudley (Ella), and Dara Reneé (Uliana) to discuss this movie and its wonderful messaging.

John Betancourt: What does it mean to each of you to be part of such a storied Disney franchise?
​
Kylie Cantrell: Oof. I mean some pressure when you put it like that, yeah, I think it's honestly like a pressure that I think I put on myself just because I'm like, “Guys, you can't touch the Descendants, the franchise is already perfect.” Like, I was such a fan of the films growing up, so I feel so similar to the fans of like, “don't mess this up.” We gotta do it justice, which I think that that's a bit of a tricky mindset to have because of the fact that this is a new story. It's a complete new, new reimagined, of course, it's the same world and where there's many nods to the older films, and that's done in a tasteful way, but essentially, it's a new movie and I think there was so much creative freedom in that and just getting to have fun and introduce these new characters that you know of, but they haven't been told in this way and imagined in this scenario. So, I think there was just so much liberty that we got to take with, you know, our characters, and it was just so iconic and fun.

Malia Baker: I mean, that kinda covers it. But yeah, I feel like, as much as a tricky mindset it is to have it was so prevalent on set and creating the story and these characters that, yeah, we don't want to mess up the old ones, which I feel like holds so true, to a testament to what we did. I feel like we didn't.  I really, I love this movie. I loved working on it, and I loved what came out of it. So, I feel like to everybody that was an old fan that watched the older ones, I truly hope that you're able to love and find this new place in your heart for this one, because it does. It's all the best parts of the older ones in this new, reimagined, new light. So, I think it's fun. I think I really hope people enjoy it.

John Betancourt: I’m also curious what message you hope audiences take away from this film.

Malia Baker: I feel like the themes that have stuck in my head the most are the female friendships in it. I feel like they're so strong throughout this movie. I feel like the mother daughter theme is a huge one that I think is so interesting, and I love talking about it because it's so versatile within the contrast between Chloe and Red and there are different relationships with our mothers, but also that our differences really push towards an equal ending and an equal outcome that we want to have. We hate each other at the start of the movie, but we end up loving each other by the end of it, and it's fueled by this motivation for, let's save our moms. Let's, like, get the pocket watch. Let's go back in time so we can solve this, which I think hopefully people will be able to take away even small chapters in their life.
 
Kylie Cantrell: I mean, I would say just that. I second that I think it is all about girl power. And, I mean, me and Malia talked about this. It's really cool that with this film in particular, aside from the other original films, there's no love story, like it's really just badass girls that are going on this journey, they come together. Hate each other in the beginning, but they learn to love each other, and, you know, kind of celebrate each other's differences by the end, instead of kind of judging each other for it, which I think is special. And there's something to take from that for every girl out there.

John Betancourt: What does it mean to be part of this storied franchise?
​
Morgan Dudley: Wow, oh my God. So unreal. I don't think like… as much as it's been my dream since I was little, I don't think I ever could see it actualized until it did. I'm just really grateful that to be here and to be here with such freaking amazing people. I'm just, yeah.
 
Ruby Rose Turner: Like, until I’m sat in that theater, watching it, it hasn’t happened yet.
 
Dara Renée: I literally feel like we're all just such hardcore fans, so the fact that we're a part of something that we love so much is truly, like, it's a mind Twister.
 
John Betancourt: If there’s one message you hope the audience takes away from this film, what would it be?
 
Morgan Dudley: I think I would want audiences to just take away that they can be whoever they want to be, and they are not tied down to their circumstances. And yeah, take the lessons that life throws at you and make them their own. When life gives you lemons, you make what? Lemonade.
 
Ruby Rose Turner: I agree. I feel like life comes from you, not at you. I feel like life is sweeter when you are. I feel like, you know, I'm gonna take a little bit of Bridget's advice.
 
Dara Renée: Yeah, I 100% agree. I mean, you make mistakes for a reason. It makes you a better person. You learn who you are and develop the version of yourself as you go through the pathways that's created for you.
 
John Betancourt: What are you each most proud of when it comes to your work on this?
 
Ruby Rose Turner: Like everybody else, yeah, absolutely everybody else, the most talented cast, crew, everybody. Like, I'm like the last part of this, because I'm so obsessed with everybody else.
 
Morgan Dudley: I also like, I am so proud of us. I feel like we really brought the story to life. I really feel like we all dug our claws into our characters and, like, brought out one of the best versions that it could be. So, I'm really grateful.
 
Dara Renée: I'm excited for people to see the music. I can’t wait. We love the music.
 
Morgan Dudley: And shout out to everybody who was a part of the creative process, because these songs are they're banging.
 
Dara Renée: They’re bops.
 
John Betancourt: The last question I have for you today, if you had to describe this movie in one word, what would that word be?
 
Ruby Rose Turner: Captivating.
 
Dara Renée: Mischievous.
 
Morgan Dudley: Wicked.
 
These interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.