‘The Amazing Race’ Season 26 Cast: Blair ‘Not In It’ For The Money, But Hopes Experience With Blind Date Hayley Will Lead To ‘Awesome’ Friendship [VIDEO]
While some of those being set up on extreme blind dates on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race seem focused on either winning the $1 million or finding the love of their life (or both), one season 26 contestant may just really be there to enjoy the experience.
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Blair Townsend, a 31-year-old Navy physician from Florida told CBS in a pre-race interview that he hopes he'll be matched up well on the race and find a great connection with his partner (he is paired up with 28-year-old RN Hayley Keel), but at the end of the day, he's just happy to have the experience of being on the show at all.
"This is going to be, first out or winning the million dollars, it's going to be an awesome experience, but for me, it's not enough if I'm out first, second, third," he said in the interview. "I want to see it all the way to the end, I want to be in the mix that final race. You know I'm not in it for the money at all, I'm in it for the experience, getting set up with somebody that I could have an awesome friendship with, and something more than that, so that's what's at stake."
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However, even though he isn't seeming to hold out hope he'll make an amazing love connection, Townsend does still hope that he'll be able to work well with his partner, and plans to find some way to make it all work
"I'm not nervous about the race, it's one hundred percent excitement, the only thing that I'm a little nervous about is who my partner's going to be," he said. "I think people might think that we're underdogs. We don't know each other, we've never met, hopefully we're compatible, but I don't know that until the race starts. But it's a huge question mark and all I know is I can control myself, my attitude, my outlook on the race, and then work very, very quickly when I meet this person to kind of figure out what her strengths and weaknesses are to do my best to compliment."
The Amazing Race premieres Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9:30 p.m. on CBS.
