The Amazing Race’s Chris and Mary Explain Why They Really Took a Break

The Amazing Race season 36 contestant Chris Foster had a valid reason for resting during the second leg of the competition.

“I was heading up to the bridge and all of a sudden, both of my calf muscles started cramping up,” Chris, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, March 21, one day after he and his daughter, Mary Cardona-Foster, were eliminated from the CBS series.

“My jaw dropped. I was like, ‘Is this really happening?’” Mary, 27, added of the stressful moment.

While the Wednesday, March 20, episode didn’t show Chris getting a muscle cramp, it did include a scene where he felt nauseous and asked Mary to rest for a few minutes.

“Our cameraman had said that day we had done about eight or nine miles [of] walking and we had the backpacks on,” Chris explained. “It was about 90 degrees. … [I] was dehydrated.”

Mary stayed calm as the pair took a breather on a bench, and she told Us how she kept a level head despite the stress of the competition.

“I wanted to push us as hard as we would go without putting my dad’s health in jeopardy. Like, this is my dad. I want to go home in one piece,” she said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I wanted to make sure that we didn’t have a tainted memory of it and that we were enjoying all the moments.”

While Mary noted that she had a few laughs watching “moments [from the show] where it looks like I’m on vacation,” she also wishes that she got to show off her more cutthroat side.

“I have a lot of race left in me. I am a very competitive person in my professional life,” Mary said. “I like to do my best and I am a little sad that [that] didn’t come across.”

Chris added that his “only regret” is that Mary didn’t make it further in the competition.

“I hope Mary gets to do a redemption season with somebody closer to her age. I really think that she is in tip top shape and could do a lot better,” he said.

While Mary was “always a daddy’s girl,” she shared on The Amazing Race that her bond with Chris grew even deeper after her mother passed away when she was 10. She told Us that competing on the show with her dad was a “full circle moment,” because her mom loved the reality competition series.

“She was the initial fan,” Mary said. “She was the one who really got us into it.”

Chris added that he and Mary were “absolutely thrilled” to have an opportunity to talk about his late wife on national television.

“We felt like we’re really honoring her,” he said. “We got her spirit and her image in front of a few million people.”

The Amazing Race airs Wednesdays on CBS at 9:30 p.m. ET.