‘The Amazing Race 21’: Natalie & Nadiya defend, deny ‘stealing money’
Typically following a new episode of “The Amazing Race 21” (or any other season, for that matter), we traditionally do not feel so compelled to write a post about the reaction from some of the team members. While there is always “more to the story” than what we see on TV, there is typically a reason that we are shown what we are during each episode; but even still, there were questions that rose from an incident this time around.
So did Natalie & Nadiya Anderson (and to an extent, Trey & Lexi) really do anything against the rules of the race by taking some money that belonged to Dave & Abba prior to their flight to Istanbul? For those of you wondering whether or not they received a time penalty that was not shown since it did not impact placement (which has happened in the past), Natalie had the following to say in a post on her Twitter:
“No penalty at the end of the leg means we didn’t do anything illegal #AmazingRace”
Both members of team “Twinnie” (whose name is far more effective if you shout it at the top of your lungs a few dozen times) also justify what they did by saying that there is a distinction between stealing someone’s money, which is clearly a violation of Race Rules, and taking money that another team lost. Since Mark & Abba did not know where they lost the money, and it was not in their possession, it became fair game for another team to take.
Clearly, it’s a valid argument that this is a competition for a million bucks (or two million, in the case of Abbie & Ryan), and some of the people complaining about what Natalie & Nadiya did would probably do the same thing in your situation. There is a pretty serious karmic dilemma behind it, though, and if you believe that great acts will bring great rewards, then how they handled the situation was clearly not the right way to go about it. The irony here is that there has been so much time spent talking about this online, and really it had no bearing at all in the actual conclusion of the leg.
If you were in Natalie and Nadiya’s situation, would you have handled the money issue the same way?
Kathy
December 11, 2012 @ 1:45 am
Natalie, Nadiya, Lexi and Trey – Karma is a bitch ain’t it? You all got what you deserved, to lose. Stealing is stealing and you can justify it any way that you like but what you did was wrong! I am terribly disappointed in the network and the show for not calling this out. Condoning bad behavior is bad business.
Ann
December 3, 2012 @ 3:29 pm
All four should have been turned over to Bangladesh authorities. What despicable human beings. Sri Lankan’s must be cringing, not to mention Texans……
Some countries in the area cut of hands for theft.
Rich
November 30, 2012 @ 1:27 pm
I hoped these two someday realise that stealing is morally wrong. Their actions are an insight into who they are.
Daniel Walker
November 13, 2012 @ 6:47 pm
Actually, what the twins did IS a rules violation. Contestants are required to abide by local laws by contest rules. By taking and keeping money that they were aware did not belong to them and that they were reasonably aware of who it DID belong to, they committed “Criminal Misappropriation”. Trey and Lexi therefore committed “Aid and Abet – After the Fact” and “Receipt of Stolen Property”. In addition, the production crew committed “Aid and Abet” by not reporting the crime to the appropriate authorities. I looked this up in Bangladesh Criminal Code online. The four contestants should be eliminated and the Monster Truck Couple have a good lawsuit on their hands to sue the production company for not enforcing contestant rules.
Helena
November 8, 2012 @ 12:18 am
Carolyn………I too posted a comment on their FB page and had the same result; my comment was deleted and I no longer am able to post a comment there. What a loathsome pair those two are and I’m pretty disgusted with CBS position on this situation as well. I read on one of the links that in order to justify the harpies stealing the money Phil apparently claimed that they found it on the floor.
Snow
November 6, 2012 @ 2:32 pm
Both teams knew it was another teams money. It was a shameful act by both teams and there should have been some type of penalty for their actions.
Shame on CBS AND shame on Natalie, Nadiya, Lexi and Trey. I am sure public opinion will follow these young kids around for quite awhile. Twins have admitted cheating on tests and now America has seen them steal money and laugh about it…the Internet is here to stay, along with their very public disgraceful behavior. Punishment will come in time.
Carolyn
November 6, 2012 @ 11:38 am
I posted my disappointed opinion on their facebook page. They deleted it and made it so I can’t comment on their page anymore. Quite sad how they defend their decision with that money.
Chanakya
November 6, 2012 @ 6:51 am
As far as I am concerned this is stealing. The twins knew that the money belonged to another competitor and right thing to do would have been to handover to the persons who lost the money or to the office manager. Twins’ have not played the game clean and has brought disrepute to their country of origin.
Bob
November 5, 2012 @ 11:30 pm
The problem I have is that it appears to break the rule about not interfering with the property of other team members. If that had been a fanny pack, then they would have gotten a penalty. The guys could have easily found the money once they looked for it. In my mind, what the girls did is the same as if they threw someone’s fanny pack in the garbage. You need to leave items that are left by the other team alone otherwise you can and should face a penalty.
Ken
November 5, 2012 @ 10:34 pm
When I was in my teens (I’m 65 now) and while delivering newspapers, I found a wallet. I looked inside for ID and walked the two blocks to the owner’s home to return his wallet. My parents raised me right. Too bad Twinnie never learned the difference between right and wrong.
Gary
November 5, 2012 @ 7:21 pm
Sooooooo………..If I see a man at the grocery store get out of his car and drop his keys as he’s walking in, I should pick up the keys and drive off in his ride. It’s not stealing since the keys were lost and not really taken from him, right?
I can’t believe the author is even suggesting that competition would justify such a behavior. The only silver lining to this incident was that it allowed my wife and I to have a meaningful discussion with our children about right and wrong. I’m guessing the parents of the twins, Trey and Lexi would like to have the same conversation about now.
Alex
November 5, 2012 @ 7:02 pm
“Clearly, it’s a valid argument that this is a competition for a million bucks”
Not the case. It would not make it morally acceptable if it was a race for a million bucks or for nothing. Nor does the fact that it did not impact the final result make a difference: they did the wrong thing.
Susan Spears
November 5, 2012 @ 3:43 pm
Did the money belong to them? Even a 1st grader knows that taking something that doesn’t belong to you is stealing! There is no gray area here. It is wrong and is stealing!