After falling for each other in the Big Brother house last summer, salesman Jeff Schroeder, 31, and salon receptionist Jordan Lloyd, 22, decided to take their new relationship for a test drive around the world on The Amazing Race. While they didn’t win any money this time around, the couple agree the experience gave them new tools to make their long-distance (he’s in Chicago. Illinois; she’s in Charlotte, North Carolina) relationship last.
So sad to see you guys go as you never ceased to entertain.
Jeff: At least we accomplished something.
Much of the entertainment value came from Jordan’s ditsy moments — the granddaddy of them all being confusing Noah’s Arc and Joan of Arc.
Jordan: I was like, “I don’t want to watch this episode because I know they’re gonna show that stupid thing I said about Joan.” If I ever learned about her, that was a long time ago and I’d forgotten. Racing, you’re not always thinking straight and the first thing that came to my head when I heard Arc was Noah and animals. It made me feel better when Caite said the same thing. At least I wasn’t the only one.
Where did you go wrong? Biggest misstep?
Jordan: Directions. It was cold. We didn’t communicate well with each other. The whole cab ride in Germany really threw us off for the next two legs. That guy took us probably 40 minutes out of the way and put us so far behind. It just went downhill from there.
Jeff: That really messed with our heads. It’s hard to play catch-up.
It must be hard to swallow when bad luck — or even worse, bad directions — are to blame for your elimination.
Jeff: If you can’t trust a tourist office, who should you get directions from? But one hand washes the other. When something good happens in life, usually something bad happens. We got sent on some unfortunate cab rides and got some bad directions, but we also got saved by a non-elimination [round] and a U-turn. We should have been off the show two weeks earlier. Not winning wasn’t the worst thing ever. We had a great time doing the show. We learned a lot about each other and doing the show made us a stronger couple.
Glad to hear you guys are still dating. Many contestants who have known each other much longer weren’t so lucky.
Jordan: The Race helped us learn more about each other. A lot of things I didn’t understand about Jeff going in, I understand now. Like sometimes I felt he was yelling at me because he was raising his voice. I kept telling him, “Lower your tone with me.” I learned that’s just Jeff being competitive. I thought it was going to make or break us. It just made us stronger.
Jeff, is it fair that people accused Jordan of holding you back?
Jeff: I was worried about that going in and sometimes she could have tried a little harder, but I was also too competitive. It kept me from communicating well with Jordan. I was trained in sales and she was never in sports so she doesn’t share my way of thinking. I dealt with her like a coach would a player, but that’s not the way to do it with her. You have to talk a little softer and understand where she’s coming from. But we learned from it. She turned it up a level and I toned it down a little and that’s going to help us throughout life.
Is this it for you guys and reality TV or is there another show you’re hoping to get on?
Jeff: I think people are getting tired of us and need a break, so we’re going back to our regular lives. We loved every minute of our 15 minutes of fame and I’m sure we’re gonna miss it, so I would never say never.
Glee bosses have confirmed plans to launch a TV talent contest to give aspiring stars the chance to win a role in the hit show.
