Survivor showmances happen all the time, but it’s rarer for a couple who meets on the show to make it over the long haul. If there has ever been a couple I was most invested in, it’s probably Season 44’s Frannie and Matt. The dynamic duo were fine enough players in the game, but their meet-cute on the show actually led them to a real life relationship, and now they are even having conversations about joining my other favorite reality show The Amazing Race in an upcoming iteration of the TV schedule.
It turns out though, both parties are not of one mind when it comes to (maybe) (one day) meeting feel and making their way to the mat on a worldwide adventure.
Matt’s Take On The Amazing Race
For Matt, the thought of another adventure sounds wonderful, and I can see why. You get more TV time and the chance at another big prize package while getting to travel around the globe with someone you love and respect immensely? Where do I sign up? Here’s what he said to Us Weekly about the prospect of joining the cast of The Amazing Race.
I’ve been trying to convince Frannie to do The Amazing Race with me the entire time, and she’s a little bit more Survivor or bust. I think it would be so fun. And not only that, I think we would crush it. I think it’d be so easy.
Honestly, I’m not sure if “easy” is the word I’d use, given contestants are traveling around in different time zones, they are tasked with competing in a variety of physical and mentally laborious challenges – some of which they are pretty much guaranteed to be terrible at –and they also need to be able to navigate complex directions in foreign cities in which they don’t have Google maps and may not be able to speak the language.
But I appreciate his chutzpah. Unfortunately for Matt, his partner Frannie who, let the record show did outlast Matt on the CBS show (seriously, watch it with a Paramount Plus subscription), she’s less bullish about the prospect of returning for another great reality TV show.
Frannie’s Take On Hopping From Survivor To The Amazing Race
According to Frannie, while she’s a bit of a “type A” personality, one of the more interesting things about being with Matt is that he's more go-with-the-flow and loosey goosey with timelines. While it sounds a little endearing, she's not sure it would help them to compete against myriad teams on the other CBS reality competition show.
Let me share my skepticism because I am very much a type A planner type person. My whole life, I plan trips down to the moment. I’ve never missed a flight. I start dating Matt, [and] I’ve missed two flights. We would not thrive on The Amazing Race.
There are some big similarities and big differences on The Amazing Race and Survivor. There's a social element to both competitions as teams can choose to help or not help one another on Race in a way that's different but reminiscent of the island-based survival show. There are competitive challenges in both and both recently switched to a 90-minute format. Finally, both have led to some of the most iconic reality TV moments of all time.
However, in Race the team component plays a way bigger role than on Survivor, which switches to individual gameplay at The Merge and is way more heavily a social game with the vote being important. The Amazing Race also has 11 teams instead of 18-20 contestants, so it's easier to win the money but also easier to loose and go home early on.
For me, I kind of love when people I already know compete on The Amazing Race. And the two franchises do have a storied history. Rob Mariano and his wife Amber Brkich (who later took his last name) both competed on Survivor, winning different seasons, and made it far on The Amazing Race. Natalie Anderson and Nadiya Anderson competed on both, with Natalie winning Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. Mike White also competed on both, though only did pretty well on each show. I'm just saying, sometimes when one show doesn't give you a W, the other show has proven to be fortuitous. We'll keep you posted if Frannie and Matt ever join.
