Stephen Yemoh is an accomplished television producer that has worked on such shows as Love Island and Squid Game: The Challenge. His latest project is the fascinating new competition series, The Anonymous. Which debuts on USA Network on August 19, 2024, and in anticipation of its arrival, we sat down with Stephen to discuss this fascinating new show!
 
But before we get into the interview, here are some details regarding the show, so you have a full understanding of the conversation ahead!
 
"The Anonymous" is a strategic competition played in two worlds, the real world and anonymous mode. The Digital Anonymous Networking Interface, or “DANI” for short, has invited 12 players to live in her domain and work side-by-side to raise a prize fund of up to $100,000. Despite their close quarters, all players will have their own private underground hideouts, where each is completely anonymous and can say anything and everything behind the mask of a unique handle. In their hideouts, players can provide raw, unfiltered takes on their fellow contestants. They will scheme, connive and deceive to build influence and advance their game. The question is: Can they stay anonymous while doing so, or will the other players guess their identity?  
 
Each week DANI conducts tests where all contestants must try and match players to their handles. The player who is best at staying anonymous becomes the one with the power to eliminate their competitors. In a game where every move is calculated and a single misstep can expose who you truly are, only one will take home the grand prize. 
 
John Betancourt: I would love to start off by getting to know what it was that inspired the creation of this very unique show.
 
Stephen Yemoh: We're always trying to find good new competition formats, things that spark an interest with the viewers. And I think we wanted to answer some, some kind of broad questions, like, you know, we live in an age of social media. How can we bring social media into a potential competition, reality format, and ask that sort of question of, what will people do when nobody knows that it's them that is doing it, basically, which is what The Anonymous sort of actively tries to, sort of answer. DANI's put them in this position where they can say, whatever they want, for the good of their game, but no one actually knows that it's them. And how does that play out? And what strategies will people use in order to be successful at this show?
 
John Betancourt: I must say that I was super impressed with how anonymity was preserved. What kinds of challenges did all you run into in assembling a show this ambitious and that had this much potential for someone to leak information?
 
Stephen Yemoh: I mean, we put a lot of things in place, so leaks didn't get out. We made sure that players didn't have any access to phones or laptops or anything like that, so if somebody did leave the game, they couldn't send a message to the rest of the players or anything like that. Um, and generally, we had a really cooperative cast who really enjoyed playing this game. I think, as you said, it's a new, unique concept, and they really enjoyed playing it, and so they bought into the game that they were playing, and they knew that not leaking it would be beneficial to the viewers, because they wanted everyone to see how much of an interesting game this was.
 
John Betancourt: This show also boasts quite the group of competitors, with faces we know and don’t know. How did you all select such a broad group of competitors?
 
Stephen Yemoh: I think for the good of reality TV. Reality TV audiences are becoming more broad. I think we've gone through an age where we saw just sort of hot, beautiful people playing these shows. (Laughter) But I think actually life… it's not like that, you see so many different people in your offices or in your zooms now, people are working remotely, that we just want to reflect them. We know that different people from different backgrounds have so much to offer, and we like to give the opportunity for as many people as possible to see a version of them in the shows that we make. And I think that brings a richness to any show when you've got various different people that are bringing something different to it and I think it makes it interesting for the players that play as well. If you're just playing with loads of people that are exactly the same as you, that's quite boring. I think this game takes you out of your comfort zone, and the people that are in it should also take you out of your comfort zone as well. They should test your social skills, test your perception, and your deception, by having people that you don't you sort of do these types of things with on a daily basis. So, we just wanted to get a nice, broad and warm, and root-able cast. And I think we managed to do that.
 
John Betancourt: That leads me right to my next question. Because, as you said there too, the audience is definitely engaged in a very unique way here. I think that's why I appreciate this show, because the format almost adds a little commentary on our world. And I'm very curious what it means to you to offer up a show that is not only engaging and entertaining and fun, but also kind of adds a little poignancy and a little bit of tasking of the audience too.
 
Stephen Yemoh: I just think people relate well to things that are in their world. I think if you can bring something that’s like,” Oh, I can sort of see how that relates to my world,” it becomes immediately more interesting. You know, I think there's a lot of people out there who have, sort of have two different profiles for their social media, you know, it might be they say different things on LinkedIn to what they say in their real life. So, I think that sort of living in the social media world is part of most of people's everyday life now. So, I thought that we could bring that in and gamify it, was really interesting to us. And I think it helped the players, because, because they sort of had an idea of how to speak in a group chat. You know, we've all got our group chats with people, and how do you speak in a group chat, and what makes that interesting? But also, how do you use that and use the power of anonymity in order to, you know, improve your game and enhance your position within the game.
 
John Betancourt: I do have to ask, because I think this is something that's going to be, you know, discussed very heavily and analyzed very heavily, and rightfully so, because it's such a cool idea. But under on a more intimate level, what do you kind of hope audiences take away personally from a messaging standpoint? Because I do think there's something we can learn from a show of this caliber.
 
Stephen Yemoh: I think you can learn that you can have fun online and not be mean. I think one of the things that we wanted to make sure this show wasn't, is just like trolling online. It wasn't just a load of people hiding behind a screen and saying whatever they want, meanly about certain players. I don't think it ever got to that stage. And I think if you know, I don't know how deep people read into shows, but you don't have to be mean online. Just because your true persona isn't necessarily out there for the people to see doesn't mean you have to be mean, but you can still have fun with it. I think the players all played hard, and they played with strategy, and they, you know, all played for themselves, but they weren't mean at any time, and we were really happy with that, and that's also kind of why we chose the cast that we did, because we knew it wouldn't ever get to that.
 
John Betancourt: Yeah, that's a really good point. So, as a follow up to that, would you say that perhaps this show could teach us about how to strategically use social media in a much more impactful and helpful manner.
 
Stephen Yemoh: Yeah and look that does happen. There's loads of great social media accounts out there which I use on a daily basis, which improve my life, and they enhance my life, and they are great. They give me comedy; they give me life skills. They give me just a bit of like light relief, or they give me some things to think about, poignantly. And, you know, I think that’s the great part of social media, right? You must use it every day in your world. The root of it is brilliant, and it has so many brilliant uses in everyday life and but unfortunately, sometimes that that doesn't quite work, but look the show isn't a commentary on social media at all. It is just, we've used the positives of social media and try to gamify it a little bit in order to see, you know, how people will play strategically. Like, I mean, people, you know, people use different types of social media to enhance their businesses or their lives in certain way. And I think that this show kind of does this as well.
 
John Betancourt: As a producer, what did you enjoy the most about assembling the show and watching it come together?
 
Stephen Yemoh: I'm sure you've spoken to many producers over your time, but I just love the fact that you can have an idea, put it on paper, and then through lots of conversations and working together and development, you can take it and you can find a cast, and you can create a world and a game, and then you take it back to the edit, and you put it all together, and you have somebody go, “this is fun, this is like, cool” when it's really different. I think this show feels familiar enough to be comfortable, but different enough to feel fresh. And I think that's really important for us at Studio Lambert, whenever we make shows, we're just trying to make it so, you know, audiences that like this type of show will go, “Yeah, I can give that a go,” but when they watch it, go, “Oh, this feels a bit different to everything else that I've watched.” And I don't know what you felt, but I felt like we got that when we were watching it play out and once, we sort of put the show together.
 
John Betancourt: I did feel that. It really is quite different but easy to be comfortable with. The last question that I have for you today, now that we're so close to it, what are you most excited for audiences to experience when they settle in to watch this three-episode premiere and beyond?
 
Stephen Yemoh: Um, I'm really excited for the audience to sort of see a new game, a new format, which is, you know, quite interesting. There's so many brilliant reality shows, competition reality shows, out there. But this feels new and feels fresh and like I said before, it speaks to people's daily lives, but I'm really excited for everyone to see this cast as well. I think the cast are really, really warm, really root-able. They got the game very quickly. You know, I think some of the great shows over the years, they keep being great because people have watched it for years, and then they know how to play it. This show, they've never seen it before. They are fresh into it. They're the debut cast, but they got the game really quickly, and they played the game really well, and with good heart, they were funny with it. And, you know, I just love the way that they all bought into this world and bought into DANI and the idea of trying to be The Anonymous, and that's what makes it a really fun watch, for me.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Something we don’t talk about enough in the entertainment world, is how many icons and pioneers make up the family entertainment side of the business. For so many amazing folks have brought to life impactful family stories that have inspired generations of fans, and in recent years, Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz can be added to that list. For they are the creators of the highly beloved series, Yo Gabba Gabba! and they are also the brain trust behind the new chapter in the saga, Yo Gabba Gabbaland! on Apple TV+, and we had the distinct honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss the next chapter in this saga!
 
John Betancourt: I’d like to start today by getting to know what inspired each of you to want to bring this franchise back to life.
 
Scott Schultz: We had always kind of thought that it would be amazing to bring Gabba back, but fundamentally, it needed to be the same magic in all the pieces, right? And so, you know, there's various people that really flirted with wanting to bring it back, and it just wasn't the right time and place. And I think it wasn't until, you know, it's been a few years talking with Apple TV Plus, but you know, they really cared to bring back a new series, not just season five, you know, expansion of the old series. And so, I think we were really lucky to have that type of partnership to bring back a vision of how Gabba could be so much bigger.
 
Christian Jacobs: Just, you know, Scott and I and, everyone else working on the show. Yeah, it was always kind of a dream to keep the show going and keep it alive. And so, like he said, I agree, all the pieces kind of had to fall into place. And Apple TV was -- it felt like the perfect opportunity and perfect partner and perfect time to like, okay, let's bring it back for real and for a whole new generation of kids and parents. It's almost like we're getting to that point where it's like kids that grew up watching Yo Gabba Gabba! are kind of getting to that age where they could have kids or getting close. So, it's like the new generation of adults, kind of like Gabba kids, and so fun to see that. And pretty… kind of a trip.
 
John Betancourt: Now you mentioned a little bit that in taking a little time to get there, there's been some challenges. Could you elaborate a little further on what challenges came into place and bringing this to life, because I'm sure it was not an easy task, in the slightest.
 
Scott Schultz: Yeah, especially because we really wanted this, you know, to be the magic, like the old show, like I said, um, so that's very, very tricky to do, especially because, you know, the old show was very practical, you know, it was very contained. We could turn on the lights and just start filming. And we wanted to bring that same aesthetic. It had to be that same DIY aesthetic that looks like a parent has painted, you know, tiny things that you could put down in a play set, and then we're zooming down in there. And so, to expand the world, you know, really, we had to take a challenge that I don't think any other kids show has done, is like using volume screen technology to try and really make this world expand. And that was a trick, you know. I mean, they're doing it on Mandalorian, but for kids shows, it was, you know, a real epic exploration. But I think at the end of the day, beautiful, because we were able to kind of use it for this intention in a way that works in the same way as the old show, we were kind of breaking the barriers of what a kid's show could be at that time. So, you know, it reminded us so much of season one of the first show, where we're reinventing the wheel, you know what I mean?
 
Christian Jacobs: Yeah, it's definitely taken a little bit longer than we had hoped. Finally, here. So that's all that matters. You know, better late. But yeah, to Scott's point, there was all kinds of new challenges and new things in order to expand the show, but ultimately, you just wanted to make more Gabba, you know, more Gabba, bigger and better.
 
John Betancourt: Something I do want to know. Because, I mean, this has been an absolute pop culture phenomenon. It is obviously near and dear to both your hearts, because the smiles on your faces speak to that. What does it mean to each of you, then, to bring it back to life?
 
Scott Schultz: It means the world to me because we are able, to bring it back to life in the right way. I was always scared that the show would come back, you know, maybe, like other shows where the creators aren't involved and they just kind of bring back for the IP and really Yo Gabba Gabba! is not that. Like it's there for the heart of the show. And Yo Gabba, as we, me and Christian experienced early on, so much bigger than us, because we opened up to that co-collaborative spirit, like, we're creating this with all sorts of bands and artists and DJs, you know, celebrities, like we're inviting everyone to this setting and this playset, you know what I mean, this preschool world, and really, just allowing all of us to play and experience the wonder of being that age. So, for it to be able to come back in that same type of magical way is kind of a dream come true. And like, you know, kudos to Apple, kudos to everybody that came back to support this, including, you know, the bands who were never on the show before that just came in and, you know, the artists, everybody coming in to collaborate in the same type of way, like, it's a beautiful thing to experience, you know, for me personally, because so well beyond me.
 
Christian Jacobs: Yeah, I agree. And Scott and I, we haven't really done a whole lot of stuff together since, since Gabba and, I think, coming back together as friends, because the show grew out of our friendship and our love for not only our children, but also for children's television in general, like we, we love, like the kind of the golden age of kids TV. And we grew up on obviously, we were Sesame Street fans and Pee Wee's Playhouse and all the bigs. You know, we loved those shows as kids ourselves. And so having Gabba grow out of our childhoods and our friendship and our love for our families, and then having it come back together, like as us being back together has been really, really important for our lives.
 
Scott Schultz: It's so beautiful. It's all about the relationships, right? And I feel like that translates to the show. It's like me and Christian coming back together, you know, as friends is kind of the heart of the characters coming back together, and like having more interactions with each other, it's, it's been a beautiful experience
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you. What are you each most excited then for audiences to experience with this new iteration of the show?
 
Christian Jacobs: Well, I'll jump in first. I want to say, it's hard to say most excited about but I think for me again, like touching upon the new, new generation of kids. Obviously, there's a whole bunch of kids that grew up watching the shows, and they're grown up, they're in their early 20s or late teens, and they get to kind of re-experience it with another generation of younger kids and I think for me, that’s just exciting to see. Also, the reach that Apple has with the show, because the first iteration of the show, you know, not to get into the nitty gritty of the licensing process for the globe, but Apple TV's global reach, it's already going to have such a bigger impact than the old show did. And the old show went as far as we could throw it, if that makes sense. But the new one, it's going to get to be in everyone's back pocket, around the world. And for me, that's so exciting, to not only touch a new generation of kids, but a new generation globally. And we have a global kind of focus in the show, there’s a new segment in the show called The Culture Kids, where we’ve gone to different countries, using iPhones and filming little almost like little documentaries, one-minute documentaries about a day in the life of a child in a different country, in a different culture. And to me, it's how the show will it resonate, or how it resonates globally with kids around the world, that’s really exciting for me and Scott, we're really stoked.
 
Scott Schultz: Yeah, I'm most excited for the world to meet Kammy. She is so amazing. And I have a daughter who's around that age, like 12, and she is so enamored by this idea of Kammy. And I just can't wait for the world to meet her, because in person, as the human, Kamryn Smith is so amazing, as you’ve probably experienced. But you know. In GabbaLand she's everything. And I think this is really going to spark that imagination that kids of any age, right, myself included, this is their imagination, bringing their toys to life. You know, I mean, playing with their reality as they see it. And it's, you know, it's an in point for them. And anyways, I'm excited for Kammy. I'm also excited in the future for us all to get together into a live show, right? That experience of all coming together and experiencing a live show, dancing, expressing, singing songs… that, to me, is like, lookout, I'm waiting with bated breath for that to happen. You know, hopefully next year.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Kamryn Smith is a rising star in the entertainment business, and currently has the honor of playing Kammy Kam in the new Apple TV+ series, Yo Gabba GabbaLand! and we had the distinct honor of sitting down with Kamryn to discuss her work on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to start today by getting to know how you became the host of this important show.
 
Kamryn Smith: This story is kind of long, but I'll make it short. Um, so basically, we were on another job, and one of the prop guys was the creator of the show, and we didn't end up knowing, and he tapped my mom on the shoulder and was like, “Is this your daughter? She's so good, and she would be a great fit for Yo Gabba Gabba!” And my mom was like, “No way, because me and my brother used to watch that show when we were younger.” So, my mom was like, so excited. And then that day, his brother, Parker, ended up drawing me in like, a Yo Gabba Gabba! outfit. And my mom was like, “Wait, that's like crazy, because like, this is real, like, this is no joke.” So, like, four years later, he ended up staying in touch with us, and then. it was real, like they were getting it done and finished with Apple TV Plus. And so, we finally got the audition, and I ended up doing it, and then couple days later, they were like, “You got it,” and it was crazy. And we couldn't believe in we were like, we're gonna have to go to Utah for three months. And we were so excited.
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you to be part of a franchise that is just so beloved and so iconic?
 
Kamryn Smith: It means so much for me, because it's so different from me watching it on the screen with a different person, than watching me, because I'm like, this is just crazy how, like, I just see myself in like, this whole world and this whole magical adventure that, like, I'm taking people on. And it's crazy.
 
John Betancourt: It also looks like you’re having so much fun doing the show. How much fun was it to be Kammy?
 
Kamryn Smith: It's so much fun because everybody on set is the most nicest people on set. They're always looking out for me, and they're just always so nice to me, and it makes it more fun because we always have music playing. We don't -- it's more silly, more fun when I'm doing it, instead of being like, super serious, and we have like, Nerf guns on set, and like, you know, it's like, more fun. It's not super serious. So, it was always fun.
 
John Betancourt: That does sound like a really good day at work. Now was there any pressure on you to go in and be a part of this show, since it is so important, and you’re such a fan?
 
Kamryn Smith: No, there was no pressure at all. You know, when I was coming into this, I thought of it more as being myself instead of being a different character. Um, because, you know, Kam, she's a younger girl, but like, she's still me, and I brought myself into this instead of being like, “Okay, I'm gonna set her up as a character instead of, like, being myself.”
 
John Betancourt: That's a great way to approach that. Now, what are you most excited for audiences to experience when they tune in?
 
Kamryn Smith: Um, I'm most excited for audience to experience like the magic and then the new adventures that we have on this show, because there's so many new things and new ways that we're going with this and just like the whole new world.
 
John Betancourt: Now since you’re fan of the original show, and now the host of this one. What do you like the most about this version of the show.
 
Kamryn Smith: Um, something that I like about this show, I think, is that it's from a kid's point of view, like mine, and I think it's showing the kids’ way of how I take care of all my characters and all my toys and how I'm showing them new ways and new adventures to go.
 
John Betancourt: Now everyone takes something away from this series, because it is so special. What do you hope audiences take away from this version of the show?
 
Kamryn Smith: I hope they just take. Um, like, the way of friendship and family, because that's a big thing is, us on the show, we are all one huge family, and they're, the toys are, like my babies, basically, and I hope they take away the friendship and the family part of it.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this show?
 
Kamryn Smith: I'm most proud of me. This sounds kind of weird, but just me doing it. You know, this is my first, like, huge project, so me, just like actually going through with it. I'm also proud of me, like learning my scripts, remembering them in my head, because that's something really hard, and I didn't realize how hard it was until I did it. So really, just like learning my scripts, and, you know, remembering them, and just like believing in myself that I could, like, you know, do it.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

The highly anticipated comedy/mockumentary series, Mr. Throwback, is now available for the world to stream on Peacock, and to properly celebrate its arrival, we here at NTG sat down with the show’s Executive Producers, Matthew and Daniel Libman, and David Caspe, to discuss the creation of this ahow and more.
 
John Betancourt: I'm very curious to start with what it was that inspired each of you to want to be a part of this series.
 
Matthew Libman:  We’re all huge basketball fans.
 
David Caspe:  Yeah, we grew up – the three of us grew up in Chicago during the glory days of the Bulls, and have been enormous basketball fans since, and huge Stephen Curry fans. So, he was the driver. Once we heard he wanted to make a show, we wanted to be a part of it.
 
Daniel Libman: The remote possibility of being friends with Stephen Curry was my main entry point. (Laughter)
 
Matthew Libman: And then also the three of us and Adam Pally, just love working together, and have worked together so much, and have developed a shorthand. David and I have been, obviously Daniel and I are brothers, and David and I have been friends since the third grade, and we've worked together on almost every show we've done. So, there's a shorthand there and just a love of working together that you know, we would do anything together. So, it was a no brainer for all of us.
 
Daniel Libman: Some would call it a crutch. (Laughter)
 
Matthew Libman: It is. It's a huge crutch. Are you kidding? It's a massive crutch. Why? Why do anything alone?
 
Daniel Libman: Yeah!? When you could use a crutch!  
 
David Caspe: I would call it a burden, which is a little different.
 
Matthew Libman: Would you call it a ball and chain situation?
 
David Caspe: Yeah, I’d call it more shackles.
 
Daniel Libman: John, could you give us the Zoom? (Laughter from all)
 
John Betancourt: Not a problem. I could sit here this and listen to this all day. This is great.
 
Matthew Libman: It was such an innocent question, and it really turned south very easily.
 
John Betancourt: Hey that’s okay! It keeps this conversation honest!
 
Daniel Libman: We're gonna give you the raw, unfiltered, shit.
 
John Betancourt: That's what I'm talking about. So, with that in mind that also kind of brings up what kinds of challenges you ran into in having Stephen Curry be part of this show? Because the NBA season is close to year-round now.
 
Daniel Libman: Well, that's the biggest one. Is just he's, this might shock you, but he's a very busy, individual, individual. He's got an extremely busy day job and a lot of other obligations.
 
Mathew Libman: And a family life.
 
Daniel Libman: He's very devoted to and dedicated to his family. So, the fact that he even found time for this and us is truly humbling for us. And we were, you know, we felt really grateful to have the time that that we got with him, which was a lot to shoot, you know, as you know, these shows can be very time consuming to shoot, and he was all in and very generous with his time. And so, yeah, other than that, there that there were no, no real challenges other than just, you know, finding the time. And once we had it, it was, it was smooth sailing from there.
 
John Betanocurt: Obviously, I do want to dive into all the great aspects of this show. I was very impressed with the mockumentary style, very impressed that it has heart to it, and I kind of want to know from each of you, what led to the decision to create such a complex but also, you know, just wonderfully hilarious show.
 
Matthew Libman: You know, I think, I think some of the stuff that we're inspired by, some of the documentaries and also like dramas that we like, have so many layers to them and, you know, so many sort of like facets that are fun to kind of like, unravel and follow and different, you know, rich sort of fabric of characters. I think this is just sort of like what we what we lean into. And then I think once we were assembling the cast and realized what an incredible, incredibly gifted cast we had, it felt like we could do so much with them and give them so much that they could make even better. So, it kind of just became this like feedback loop of, you know, you know, us trying to, like, give these amazingly talented performers sort of material that was worthy of them being in the show. And it elevated our writing, I think, just to have them to write for. But no, it was very much just like the style lent itself to, like a certain, you know, depth that we were trying to hit and, and, and I hope we did.
 
Daniel Libman: It's just, you know, it was just sort of just identifying these little you know, parts of all these genres that really spoke to us and trying to pull them in, and, you know, put them under one roof. And that was sort of the fun, and the challenge of their elements, of sports documentaries, of the true crime genre, of the mockumentaries that we, you know, love and that were super influential for us, comedically. And just trying to marry all those things into one tone. Was really the baseline, and then, yes, trying to give our actors stuff to help us look good. 
 
David Caspe: I mean, I think we were really wanted to challenge ourselves to like, I think if you've heard that a sort of famous sports celebrity or something was doing a television show, you would maybe -- immediately your brain would jump to, like, a multi cam where they're kind of taking care of their family, or, you know, them and their kids or something. And so, we wanted to sort of try to really challenge ourselves to come up with what's maybe different than what people would think is the show. And I do think, for better or worse, of whether people like it or not, I don't know, but I do think that this is probably… in flipping it on… is not going to be the show they expected to see when they heard Steph Curry's doing a sitcom, you know?
 
And I think they'll also be, like, pleasantly surprised at how much it like, Stephen Curry is in this show, you know, I think, like, people would assume like, “Oh, he'll just, like, be on FaceTime at the start and the end of every episode,” or something like that. But he is firmly in the show as much as anyone else is, you know. So, yeah, we were just trying to kind of build out his world from there. And, you know, I think you see a lot about celebrities, and stars and stuff now, but you don't see quite as much about the world around them, you know. And so, I think we were just interested in the world around them. And, you know, a lot of times they say, like power corrupts, but I actually think, like, power corrupts people around people with power, oftentimes more than the actual person themselves. So that was something interesting to us.
 
John Betancourt: Actually, yeah, that was the first thing I did notice was that he is a huge part of the show and actually, David, you kind of lead me right to my next question. I am very, very curious, because there is a lot of heart to this show and in the journeys the characters go on, and I’m curious what you hope audiences take away from the heart, from an underlying message standpoint.
 
David Caspe: I will say myself, like the main thing that was really like, sort of touchstone for me from the beginning, and I think for everyone, was that, like, you know, almost every person has something in their past that that defines, or they believe, defines themselves or their life going forward. You know, a mistake you made, or something that happened to you. And, you know, I think we liked the idea of making a show that sort of acknowledges that everybody has that, you know, and that… I mean… this is way too pretentious for a comedy, for an interview about a comedy, but just that concept of, like, you know, everybody's got something that they regret or something that they think defines them. But we all have that, you know, and we should all get past it, you know, I guess was the general thought.
 
Matthew Libman: I would just say that it was hard really, because no one we know, has any issues with their dad. So, it was very it was like, we just had to just make that up. (Laughter from all)
 
Daniel Libman: None of the three of us at all.
 
Matthew Libman: And we're all parents, and we're like, so good at being dads.
 
Daniel Libman: We’re not even worried that any of the stuff – I mean there's not stuff with our dads could creep into our own parenting.
 
Matthew Libman: No, no, no, no. That's not even a concern literally or remotely.
 
David Caspe: Or even that the making of this show kept us away from our children for such an amount of time that that could affect –
 
Matthew Libman: Almost repeating the sins of our fathers inadvertently.
 
David Caspe: Yeah, exactly, and that down the road they'll be making a show also about fathers, is quite possible. No, John, I don't know, you know my favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen, and so I definitely spend a lot of time listening to art about dads, you know? So, I figure we should make some. (More laughter from all)
 
John Betancourt: I love that. So, focus groups. That’s how you got all this together because it’s three perfect dads. I love that. Now, everyone is so close to watching the hard work you put together and enjoying this series, and I’m curious what you’re all most excited or people to watch when they tune in?
 
Matthew Libman: I really think it is, honestly some of that the heart and some of the sort of, you know, sort of more slightly dramatic storytelling. I also just think, like you mentioned, the sort of subverting people's expectations of like, what a Steph Curry sitcom would look like, and kind of being surprised by what that ends up being. I think, you know, we put a lot of thought, like we are just as serious as you know about the writing, as we are about the production design, about the cinematography, about costumes, about music, about editing, about sound mixing, like we love the whole like, every aspect of what goes into making a TV show.
 
So, there's just so much that we're very proud of on the show. And besides us, we work with incredibly gifted people from production and post and editors and every director, Dave Wain did an amazing job. So, we're just, you know, it was such a crazy race and sprint to the finish here that we're just so grateful that we got it done. And we're just really excited for people to see everyone's sort of hard work on the whole team.
 
Daniel Libman: I'm excited for people to have a break. I think people need a break. And if they can take three hours and have a nice break and laugh a little, hopefully…
 
David Caspe: Sign up for Peacock in the process.
 
Daniel Libman: and like, maybe even, like, leave a tip. I don't know if that's a feature that they can do. (Laughter from all)
 
Matthew Libman: If there isn’t, write to your Senator.
 
Daniel Libman: Yeah, so you could sign up for like, a premium and then like, leave a gratuity, like you do at a restaurant? No, I think, I'm excited for people to hopefully just have a little bit of a respite and enjoy some comedy, which it feels like there is less of these days.
 
David Caspe: Yeah, I want people to see the whole, you know, Stephen Curry and the whole cast. I think we assembled really, a really killer cast and just, they're just one through ten, or something hilarious, you know, I'm trying to think of how deep it goes. But fifteen, one through fifteen, just absolute killers.
 
Daniel Libman: You know, I won't tell you who sixteen is, but they stunk. (Laughter from all)
 
David Caspe: It was just an insane cast. The writer’s room we had was so incredible. They just put in so much hilarious stuff. And yeah, the look and feel the show. I don't know. It's just a lot of really, we got to work with a lot of really, really talented people, and we, we really are proud of the product, so we're just excited for people to go and check it out.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

​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.
​
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?
​
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.