Amazing Race's Christie and Jodi Talk Taxis, Thongs and Tight Finishes

Southwest Airlines flight attendants Christie Volkmer and Jodi Wincheski made their last trip around the Amazing Race globe Sunday, becoming the fifth team to be axed this season. Saved from elimination last week, the duo fell behind early in India and their extra Speed Bump task certainly didn't help matters. Find out exactly how close they were to making it to Thailand, how they kept their cool and what it was really like running in Russia in a thong.  
TVGuide.com: What happened after you left he airport? You were second to leave and then you stopped for gas.
Jodi: We had a taxi driver that took us, once again, 30 minutes in the wrong direction. We went toward Pushkar and our driver insisted even though we said Dhula Village, but he thought for sure we were going to Pushkar. That was the big thing. The gas [we had to stop for] was just the icing on the cake!
TVGuide.com: Had you considered getting a new cab or were there none around?
Jodi: You just can't because they take you to such remote areas that there are no cabs. You can't switch because there's nothing out there. I mean, there's a camel. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: You guys seemed to have bad luck traveling. You rocked at the tasks and then all these other factors did you in. How did you keep calm?
Christie: Thank you! We were proud of ourselves about the tasks.
Jodi: You just have to know that you don't have a choice. Getting all upset and angry doesn't do anything for your team. It just gets you more upset and angry. And it doesn't do any good to yell at your cab driver or anyone else because he's not doing it on purpose. He's just trying to help.
Christie: We get it on the plane a lot [as flight attendants]. We get a lot of attitude. We're like, "Listen, we're trying to help you. Don't scream at me."
TVGuide.com: How long did the Speed Bump take you?
Jodi: Maybe a good 30 minutes because traffic was really bad. By the time we finished the Roadblock, we were probably a couple minutes behind. The Speed Bump just took up another 30, so we were like, "Dang it!" Luckily, it took Mike and Mark quite some time with their barrel Detour, but when it was all said and done, we hit the mat two minutes after Mike and Mark. That was pretty hard.
TVGuide.com: What happened at the end? They showed you leaving your Detour before Mike and Mark left theirs.
Jodi: We had the fantastic cab driver! But also, they were about a mile and a half closer. I was pretty upset. I was trying to come up with everything in my power to make up time on the tasks. [At the Roadblock] I grabbed two buckets for the water, carried them [back to the trough] and they said I could only dump one.
Christie: It was frustrating because if you could stuff hay down your bra and carry it, I don't know why you couldn't carry two buckets.
TVGuide.com: Christie, we have to talk about you running in your underwear last week.
Jodi: The clue said "strip down to your skivvies" and that's what Christie did. Several other teams changed into their swimsuit bottoms. It didn't say you could change! So I'm very proud of her for doing that.
Christie: I got a lot of friend requests on Facebook the next day. I was so cold that I forgot I was running in my thong. By the end of it, it's a G-string because it's moved! [Laughs] It was uncomfortable and I was freezing and there wasn't much I could do, especially with the cameramen on me.
TVGuide.com: Well, they were behind you too.
Christie: Oh, I know! Coming up the stairs into the auditorium, one of the guys said, "I think I saw your grandchildren." [Laughs] I was like, "I know, I don't care anymore!"
TVGuide.com: Did you get a lot of cat calls?
Christie: It was crazy. People yelling, screaming and whistling. Camera phones were out. That was OK. The worst part was passing these women that were 55 and 60 and looking at me like, "You little slut," you know? [Laughs] That was the hard part — like I actually chose to go do that!
TVGuide.com: Did you have any alliances with any teams?
Christie: No, we tried to work a few times with Tammy and Victor just when we saw them. But we didn't form an alliance because there's a lot of commitment attached to it.
Jodi: Part of the whole race was for us to be able to accomplish it on our own. And we don't know these people. Just because somebody says something to be true, we don't know that's the case.
TVGuide.com: Did you find that a lot of people lied to you or lied to other teams?
Christie: I don't know if anyone lied to our face, but there was a general consensus that Jaime and Cara were telling people that we were saying not to work with them — which never happened. But we've cleared that up since the Race.
TVGuide.com: Who were you cheering for after you got eliminated?
Jodi: Kisha and Jennifer or Mike and Mel.
Christie: Obviously, we want a girl team to win, and Jennifer and Kisha were such good sports that were always telling us during tasks, "Good job, ladies." We didn't really get that camaraderie with Jaime and Cara that we got with them.
Jodi: They're strong, but they're classy. Also, I just really love Mike and Mel because they were positive all the time. Mel was one of the people I trusted most in the Race because I knew that he wasn't going to lie to me.
Christie: I've had so many people call me and tell me they're pulling for those two. My mom's 68, which is Mel's age, so I was really impressed with him. And to see Mike so worried about his dad — I just really appreciated that relationship.