‘The Amazing Race’: Quinton and Mattie Reveal They Were Pulled Over, Rules in the Race, and More

The Amazing Race showed another competitive team not making it past France. Showbiz Cheat Sheet talked to Quinton Peron and Mattie Lynch over Zoom on Nov. 11. They talked about the funny and stressful moments fans missed and addressed some rules of the show.

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from The Amazing Race 34 Episode 8, “La Ville Rose.”]

Quinton and Mattie were pulled over on ‘The Amazing Race’

Q: So you did reveal on Twitter that you got pulled over, and we didn’t get to see it. So can I hear that story?

Quinton: Yes, the stress. So it was after finally we just finished the roadblock, we got into the town where the Couvent de Jacobins is. This is right after we got stuck in those barricades.

We’re stressed. We like–there’s people walking around, there’s bikes and all that. I was like, ‘OK we just need to get out of here.’ So once we finally get out, I guess I ran a red light, and I say I guess cause I still don’t believe it.

But I know. I guess cops are right, but I was next to a car the whole time, so I was like, if they ran it, then I ran it. So what the heck? Yeah. I was pulled over by a very cute French policeman. He decided to explain that in America you can do that, but in France, you can not! So he asked us for our international permits and everything.

And the funniest part of that was when Mattie, he’s running our plates and stuff, and she goes, ‘While you’re back there, can you tell us where this place is on the map?’ And I was like, ‘That was literally the highlight of that whole day.’ It was hilarious. Yes, she did.

Mattie: Because it’s like it was funny. Like we laughed. We were like, ‘Oh, my gosh. Like, I can’t believe you did that.’ But in the moment, I was so serious, too, because I was like, he’s a cop. He should know these streets. He would know exactly.

He could probably turn on his lights and lead us there if we were, if we were allowed to be led. But that’s a rule. You can’t do that. He knows, and it was a serious question, but it was, looking back, it was funny too.

Quinton: That question, Mattie got us out of that ticket.

Mattie: Yeah, totally [laughs.]

What happens when racers get a ticket in a different country?

Q: OK, now I’m just curious, like, what even happens when you get a ticket in another country for Amazing Race?

Quinton: They send it to you after.

Q: No.

Quinton: Yes. They were very, they were very adamant like whoever is driving you are in charge. Like this is it’s a car.

There, there’s a moment where like it was off camera, but I hit a pillar with my side mirror. But good thing it was off camera. I think Michelle got a ticket, didn’t she? I think she had a speeding ticket. They sent it to her. She was like, ‘Anybody else get this? Is this real?’ And it was. It was, it was, I think it was Italy?

Mattie: Italy.

Racers aren’t allowed to be more than 20 feet away from each other…even to pee

Q: I think there are a lot of theories of why you guys were left out in screen time. Do you want to give what your theory is?

Mattie: My thought was that we’re the only, we’re the first season where start to finish was planned around COVID. So the planes, the chart–you know, we did a chartered plane rather than going to the airport and finding flights.

We didn’t have any taxis or ferries or anything aside from self-driving and then on foot. Or that in Jordan, we had a driver, right? So a lot of the stress of travel was taken out of it. There was, there’s the self-driving that is its own stressor. But I think, like getting to an airport and there’s eight other couples and who’s going to get the best flights? That they used to spend a lot of time on that. And that’s completely not in the race anymore as of right now.

So with this new format, I feel that the editing has been very task heavy. I don’t think, in general, they’ve shown a lot of car drama. Like they’ve shown the highlights, you know, like Glenda and Lumumba crashing their car. But they didn’t spend that much time really on it.

And unfortunately for us, that’s where we were 70% of the time, was in the car. Cause when we got to the challenge. We were in and out of the challenge.

So I don’t know. I don’t know. But that would be my thought is that it’s very task heavy, and we’re not at the task for very long, and we also never won a leg too.

Q: Yeah, I think that was the other theory is that you guys were the middle of the pack. So it’s like we pay a lot of attention to who’s at the front and who’s lagging because there’s probably a lot of mistakes. But if you’re in the middle, it’s probably easier to get lost in the shuffle.

Quinton: But even when we were in the last quarter and the back of the pack for the last two legs and at the first leg of France, we were in the front of it. And they still didn’t give us the [motions for texts on screen to reveal their place in the race]. You know what, I mean?

We should have been that entire episode. Like people don’t like…I was reading blogs, they don’t know what happened to us when we–One they didn’t, don’t know what happened to us in Petra. They didn’t say it. They don’t know what happened to us getting from castle to walnuts. They don’t show it. They just show up. You know what I mean, like there’s no leg. Everybody else gets, like, ‘Oh, I was stuck behind a tractor.’

Mattie: We went into the parking garage!

Quinton: We went into the parking garage. Like it’s literally a, they’re at the challenge. OK, now they’re back. Cool check-in.

Mattie: On the way this last leg, they did it. This was like a small blip on the radar of that day. But on our way to the stadium, we did pull off and stop. And Quinton chose the worst spot to pull over.

A spot where there is no like very rural. Nobody like a very local business. Nobody spoke English. We asked a guy to use his phone. He didn’t have service, he didn’t have Internet. So we then we sat there for like 10 minutes with this guy writing directions. And then I was like, OK, so it’s taking us here. Like, this is the directions. He wrote it out and he goes, ‘No, it’s to the stadium. The stadium is better.’ We have to go here. I didn’t ask your opinion.

Quinton: That was when I had to find the dumpster to pee behind.

Mattie: Oh yeah. That was. That is because we can’t be more than 20 feet away from each other. And I was like, Quinton’s peeing behind a dumpster. And they said, ‘Go run by it. So you’re next’ [laughs]. I had to stand next to him!

Q: I did not know about this rule.

Quinton: Everyone has to be in the same shot. You know what I mean? It’s 20 feet. It’s not as close as you think. Not as far as you think.

Q: Are you guys going to compete in anything else together?

Quinton: Oh, I hope so. I feel like this season was really hard because I feel like this was a really tough cast to hate and hate people. So if they ever did an all-stars, yes, I want. But I know there’s like five other teams that I know. Ohhhh It’ll be a tough competition.

Mattie: They’ve done like a second chance season before, and I think, you know, we didn’t have any non-eliminations. So there is a good reason to have people from our season then have a second chance kind of season. I would love that. I would love to compete with Quinton again. We had so much fun. I would do it all over right now.

This interview has been condensed for this article.

Other Exit Interviews:

‘The Amazing Race’: Glenda and Lumumba on Their Car Crash and Strengthening Their Marriage

‘The Amazing Race’: Abby and Will Dream for Round Two After Shocking Ending to Their Race

‘The Amazing Race 34’: Sharik Addresses Sabotage Accusations, ‘I Was Dying, so I Needed to Finish’

‘The Amazing Race 34’: Rich and Dom React to Sharik Almost Quitting and Their Own Stress

‘The Amazing Race 34’: Rex and Tim Reveal Their Routine to Drop 50 Pounds

‘The Amazing Race 34’: Aastha and Nina on Their Slow Start and Double Dates With Claire and Derek