‘Are you saying we’re the best?’: How a couple of Gen Xers conquered The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition

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Actor brothers Stephen, 49, and Bernard Curry, 51, were last night named winners of The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition after a come-from-behind victory in Java, near Mount Merapi. They won $100,000 for their nominated charity, One in Five, which raises money for research into mental health. They spoke to national TV editor Louise Rugendyke about why a couple of Gen Xers were made to win.

Congratulations! Were you approached to do this together or did one of you have to talk the other one into it?

Bernard: It’s not the first time we’ve been approached to do something as a set of brothers. And each time I asked Steve, he’s very politely said no, that’s not really his jam. But then I thought this one, being just travelling, and it’s not too physical, I thought I could get him across the line. I instructed him to talk to [comedian] Pete Hellier, who did it last year, before making a decision. And Pete, basically, in no uncertain terms, said do it.

Stephen: What I love about the show is that it’s not about double-crossing, it’s about facing the challenges and trying your best. And some of the [challenges], I’m absolutely terrible at, and that’s OK. I knew I would be. And look, I didn’t know I’d have so much trouble finding a key to put into a padlock to open it. That day [episode five, in Uzbekistan], my brain had stopped working, my hands had stopped working, and I was shattered not to be able to find a key.

Rob Mills and Georgie Tunny, Stephen and Bernard Curry, and Aesha Scott and Scott Dobson.

Did you do any special prep beforehand? Because I’m always stunned when people go on The Amazing Race and they don’t know how to drive a manual car or ride a bike. Basic race skills!

Bernard: We felt as though our entire lives leading up to that point were really the practice. We would always go camping and fishing with our dad, and mum always got us interested in cooking. And just the fact that we’re Generation X, you know, we pretty much can just have a swing at anything.

Stephen: Are you saying we’re the best generation, Berns?

Bernard: I am saying that.

Stephen: The one thing we were really hoping would be one of the challenges was reversing a trailer. But they wouldn’t let us do it.

Bernard: The one thing we didn’t practice, though, was dancing, and that was our kryptonite [the brothers struggled all race with the dance challenges, even taking a time penalty when they quit a Gini Sisila fire dance in Sri Lanka].

What challenge did you feel the most confident doing?

Stephen: Anything to do with filleting or guts. We’ve basically been raised our whole lives going hunting and fishing. There are a lot of people who balk at it, or might actively vomit due to it – I just saved that up for the eating challenges – but that was where we were most in our comfort zone.

Bernard: Strangely enough, it’s not something you know you can do until you actually do it, I found I have a newfound superpower for imbibing disgusting amounts of gross food and being able to compartmentalise it and just swallow it down. You don’t know you have a special skill until you’re forced to do it.

Stephen: And I can tell you, it [the food] left an indelible and unspeakable imprint on my brain. I cannot rinse it.

What was the worst thing you ate? There was a lot of vomiting this season…

Bernard: The stinky tofu [in Taiwan] was not great. It was not great…

Stephen: There’s a line in the movie Kenny, where he says, “There’s a smell in here that’s going to outlast religion”. That was the smell.

Did you use a bucket?

Stephen: I did need a bucket, and I used it many times.

You both have a lot of experience on television. What was it like showing yourself on screen and not hiding behind a character?

Stephen: We did go in there intentionally to show ourselves and our relationship and, of course, hopefully win some money for One in Five. Before we went on, [the producers] said, “What really ticks you off about each other? What makes you fight?” And we had to tell them we haven’t had a fight since Bernie was 13. And she went, “Yeah, right.” You can see these moments [in the show] where they might have liked it if we cracked it at each other. But it’s not our jam. People think we’re a bit strange that we actually, genuinely like each other’s company.

Stephen and Bernard Curry say one of their biggest strengths on the race was that they “genuinely like each other”.

Bernard: And also, we approached it like professionals. We’ve both been part of reality TV before [Bernard hosted Beauty and the Geek, while Steven co-hosted Blow Up], so we know what the machinations of these shows are. We’re always going to be very courteous to our running team, which is a camera person and a sound person, and be easy for the producers and not complain.

Bernard, what were Stephen’s strengths and weaknesses? Now is your chance to complain!

Bernard: Steve’s strength was bringing everyone together with his openness and humour. He’s always telling jokes, much to the producers’ distraction and chagrin, because they wanted us all to be ultra-competitive. And we all ended up loving each other. And [the producers] are like, “Guys, you want to win this. Just stop helping each other in the race”. So that was the main strength Steve brought, and look, his knee [was the weakness], it was hanging by a thread.

Stephen, what about Bernard’s strengths and weaknesses as a partner?

Stephen: I’ve been reminded of how capable Bernie is across the board. He’s a bit of a beast, and he can do far more physical stuff than I can do. There was the challenge with the five-metre pole [in episode 13, in Java], where you climb up and get those three baskets and get them down. That is something I couldn’t even conceive of doing. Bernie’s got a real never-say-die attitude. His weakness? Probably the odours. We shared a room for many years as children, and I’ve been reminded, in no uncertain terms, of the sights and the sounds and the smells of my brother.

On the last couple of legs of the race, in Indonesia, you two were really on the back foot, coming last in one of the dance challenges, while Stephen was really struggling with his knee. Did you ever think you were cooked?

Stephen: Bernie, just because he is intrinsically positive, thought we were going to win it from the start. And I never did. It wasn’t an arrogant approach to it, he was just of the mindset that if we applied ourselves, we could win it. But I genuinely didn’t because I know my knee is crappy, and I’ve got a cataract on one of my eyes – there are parts of me that are feeling very 50. But those last three episodes, that was when we really started to think we could actually, genuinely win this.

You raced through five countries over five weeks – it snowed in Uzbekistan, and it was so hot in Sri Lanka that heat stroke claimed Stella Klim – which country was the most difficult?

Stephen: Uzbekistan felt pretty difficult, just because of that cold and it’s a fairly oppressive place. And that was the second country [we visited], and you really felt like you were up against it, and this is going to be a long time away. We are very much family men and to be away for that amount of time is not in our comfort zone.

Bernard: People in Uzbekistan were not quite as welcoming as they might have been in Sri Lanka, say, or Indonesia. It felt a little colder, in that sense.

Stephen: They’ve got the internet, but they don’t have smiling yet.

Stephen and Bernard Curry on the mat after their grand final win with The Amazing Race host Beau Ryan.

By winning, you stopped Rob Mills and Georgie Tunny, who came second, from getting married at the finish line. Have you apologised for destroying their wedding dreams?

Bernard: We did offer to marry them, but they chose not to take it!

Stephen: That’s right! We’ve had a lot to do with them since the race finished, two absolute gems. Across the board, the people – well, the people who didn’t get thrown off [SAS Australia host Ant Middleton and his brother Dan were disqualified from the race early on due to a “breach of the production’s code of conduct”, according to Network Ten] – there were some really good eggs.

What was the first thing you did once the race was over?

Bernard: We had a five-hour layover in Bali with Rob and Georgie [once filming was finished], so we all went to Kuta and drank some Bintang.

Stephen, I have to ask, how is your right knee, Nigel, doing now? It was hard seeing how much pain you were in, particularly in that final episode.

Stephen: Nigel’s not so good. But it’s all right. One of these days, I’m going to get Nigel fixed and he’ll be OK. But it’s a bit of a struggle. As I said, I’ve never felt more 50 in my life.

Look, you were my pick to win from the beginning, so I can’t wait to see you on the next celebrity edition of Australian Survivor.

Stephen: [Laughing] You’ll see him, you won’t be seeing me, but we can all watch it together.

The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition is now streaming on 10Play.

What did you think of this season’s edition of The Amazing Race Australia? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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