By Sherry Daws

sherry@louisville.com

They share clothes, they share make up and the experience of a lifetime as they compete to win $1 million! Over 50,000 applicants applied for Amazing Race 12 and CBS picked a couple of local Bardstown Road kids. Self proclaimed road trip junkies and Goth Energizer Bunnies, Vyxsin Fiala and Kynt Cothron epitomize what makes Louisville such a special place.

These sweethearts who laugh about being so broke once they had to share the last pack of Ramen noodles are winners regardless of how the Race ends because they are a team that cannot be torn apart. They lean on each other and face challenges with a positive attitude. There is a genuine goodness about them that you simply can?t discount. I had the pleasure of speaking with them earlier in the week.

Have you always been Amazing Race fans?
Kynt: I have been since season 1, Vyxsin came on board a bit later. The whole premise of Amazing Race is better than any other reality show. You aren?t restrained to a house, this show is so fast paced and adventure packed. It?s all about overcoming challenges and building relationships. It?s just so exciting, your heart is pounding all the time, you never know what?s coming next, you have to have nerves of steel.

What prompted you to get involved? Who's idea was it and what was the other's first reaction?
Kynt: I was so excited when I saw they were casting again and I just knew we had to do it.
Vyxsin: Kynt is the schemer, he?s always coming up with ideas for adventures and when he told me they were casting for a new Amazing Race and wanted us to try, I thought it was incredible.

Tell me about support/ encouragement you've received.
Kynt: Everyone seems very excited for us. The groundswell of support has been phenomenal. People come into the places where we work and they wish us luck and say they?ll be watching. That has really meant alot to us.

Were you originally from Louisville?
Vyxsin: I'm originally from Minneapolis.

What brought you here?
Vyxsin: I had just gotten out of college and wanted a change. I really just threw a dart at a map but Louisville turned out to be a great fit. It?s a perfect mixture of a larger city with a small town feel.

Favorite thing about Louisville?
Vyxsin: The architecture.
Kynt: People really make a town and there is just such a friendly vibe here.
(Vyxsin agrees) Everyone is so warm and loving, people of all ages come up to us and wish us well, from little kids to little old ladies. We love it.

Have you seen final cut of shows or will you be waiting and watching with the rest of us?
Vyxsin: We haven't seen anything at all.

That has to be a little scary...
Vyxsin: Yeah, a little because they take 7 days of 24 hour footage and condense into less than an hour each week, but we were just ourselves, so...

Do you think the show will capture your true personalities?
Kynt: I think it will, we were ourselves the whole time, so however it?s condensed, I think it will still capture who we are. People usually think of Goth as being synonymous with gloom and doom and that?s not us at all.  We're actually very positive, insightful, intelligent people who like to have fun.

Where and with whom will you watch premiere?
Kynt: Not sure yet. We?ll probably just order pizza and watch it with some friends and family.

Whose idea was it to frolic in the graveyard for the preview video?
Kynt: The film crew from Amazing Race come to each team's home city and they ask the contestants to take them to some of their favorite places and we were taking them around and ended up there in Cave Hill Cemetery, it's one of the most beautiful places in Louisville.
Vyxsin: Some people may think it's odd, but I find it so peaceful there.

Best thing about the experience?
Vyxsin: The opportunity to travel like that. And you aren't by yourself. My teammate, my best friend, my favorite person in the world was right there to share every moment of the experience.

Most difficult?
Kynt: Packing! We're both kind of high maintenance and we had to pack very light. Also, the fear of being eliminated...
Vyxsin: Definitely.
Kynt: You always had to keep your game face on and be ready for anything.

Speaking of high maintenance, I have to ask the question that's been on everyone's lips...can you really maintain the full make up routine throughout the show?

(They both laugh.)
Vyxsin: You'll have to tune in to find out!

Check back next week for part II including recommendations from Vyxsin and Kynt on where to go and what to do in Louisville.