Pack your bags, because The Amazing Race is back! Every week, Parade’s Mike Bloom will bring you interviews with the team most recently eliminated from the race.

Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl know the devil is in the details. After running a dominant race three seasons ago and falling right at the end, the best friends and social media stars were not looking to replay those actions. They ran faster and raced harder, winning four legs in a row while simultaneously maintaining positivity, enthusiasm, and plenty of puns. Getting their second chance at the gold in the land of gold records, they ultimately fell short. But they ran to the finish line with bright smiles, having improved on their previous placement and now sharing a record for most legs won across seasons.

The YouTubers were getting views from the very beginning, with the Afghanimals eyeing them as competition. When an early U-Turn appeared, they took advantage, convincing Team Fun to target the guys. Luckily, their racing prowess allowed them to catch up, making their time in Laos not so lousy. They maintained a solid position in the front half of teams as they traveled through Asia and the Middle East. But when they read the race would be visiting Uganda for the first time, their usual positive demeanor cracked, touching down in a country that persecuted homosexuality. Despite initially being overwhelmed, they got their heads in the game and clinched a Head-to-Head victory, giving them their first win of the season. But that was only the beginning.

The second half of the race featured unbridled domination from the best friends. They finished in first place the next three legs after Uganda, running consistently amidst mountainous marathons, bouncing boats, and chaotic canals. They were even able to emerge unscathed from two other U-Turns, including the first-ever popular vote for the disadvantage. Their social bonds got them particularly close with fellow racers Colin Guinn and Christie Woods, as the teams worked to help each other get to the finals. It was only fitting, then, that the quartet–and two of the most dominant teams in Amazing Race history–faced off on constructing a million dollar drum set. Unfortunately, Tyler and Korey’s detail-oriented superpower found its kryptonite, as a stray washer and the White Stripes cost them the green.

After the race, Tyler and Korey talk with Parade about the surprises they faced in the final leg, how they reacted to all of the U-Turns this season, and their experience racing in Uganda.

How did it feel when you heard you were returning and had a chance for the win after what happened in season 28?

Korey Kuhl: I can recall the day and the moment I got the email asking if we wanted to come back. Tyler and I had always said we’d drop everything to come back. And I think they were kind of like, “Put your money where your mouth is!” (Laughs.) We were super excited. We felt prepared, and we had some unfinished business to take care of. We wanted the opportunity to prove we were a great team and not one-trick ponies who dominated a social media season. We had a lot to prove, and we were ready to do so. It’s mind-boggling we’re now record holders.

At the starting line, Tyler said that people thought you were too goofy last time. Did you guys change your attitude or behavior coming onto the race for a second time?

Tyler Oakley: There was never a moment where we were hyper-conscious and self-editing who we were. We were just ourselves the entire time. I do have a theory that the editors put my laugh on a loop the first time we were around. Then after a while, people were like, “Okay, we get it. We hate the cackle.” By the end of our first season, I was sick of my own laugh. This time around, we were a lot more focused because we had to be. As much as we had to be jubilant and joyous and jump around the world, the competition was fierce. The first time around, we didn’t know what to expect, so we were all having fun and it was all going well. This time, it was challenging. There was never a moment where we could let our guard down at all. It makes it a little more serious without even trying.

Speaking of looping noise, let’s talk about the final task. Korey, have your brothers let you near a drum set since the last leg went down?

Korey: Listen, the problem is they never let me around drum sets growing up. That was the problem all along. Drums were always their thing, and I was not part of that.

As Amazing Race superfans, what was your reaction to finding out there wouldn’t be a memory challenge this season?

Korey: You’re exactly right. I knew there were seasons where there wasn’t a final memory task. But that was something we were for sure banking on. The first time we raced, it went exactly how we thought. We knew there was going to be an extreme Roadblock at the beginning of the final leg, which Tyler tackled, and then a memory challenge for me to handle at the end. We went in with the same strategy going into this finale. Tyler crushed that first Roadblock, and we were ready to rip that clue and see “Go do a memory challenge.” Both of us were surprised when it wasn’t the case. It was still an incredible leg; I love the tasks that we did. But we were surprised the finale came down to us building a drum set.

Tyler: Even while we were building the drum set, I was certain there must be a memory thing coming. Even when the clue said, “Go to the mat and find Phil,” I thought, “Surely we’re going to run up to the mat, and there’s going to be a memory challenge before we’re allowed to step on it.” Korey and I knew our capitals, countries, greeters, greetings, flags, every little thing you can possibly know.

You guys also had the home state advantage being from Michigan. Was there any benefit you guys got from having been to Detroit several times before?

Tyler: Not really. I’ve been to that Detroit airport more times I can count on any fingers or toes. But you don’t often leave the airport to go explore, especially for things like “fowling.” Those were not on my radar. As much as there might be a home town advantage, there might also statistically be a home town curse.

Let’s go back to the beginning of the season. What was your reaction to finding out that Team Fun U-Turned you in Leg 2?

Korey: It completely caught us off-guard. We knew we were threats. That was one thing we couldn’t hide going into season 31. I think that’s what made us more on our game. The first time around, we knew we were a strong team, but we didn’t want to let the other teams know it. We knew coming into season 31 that people knew we were a strong team. What shocked us was that Team Fun had done it to us. They were a team we bonded with in Japan, a team we looked at and said, “Let’s watch each other’s backs.” I had met Becca and Floyd after the first time they raced, so it was surprising to see friends do it. But it also wasn’t surprising because we knew we were a threat.

The funny thing is when it happened, I never once thought we were going home that day. It never entered my mind. I remember we ripped open the clue, and Tyler asked, “Which side of the Detour do you want to do?” And I said, “Babe, we’re doing them both!” (Laughs.) We hit the ground running and never once looked back. We thought, “Alright, let’s prove how much of a strong team we are and add ‘survive a U-Turn’ to our resume.”

Tyler: And even more delicious was being able to pass the people who U-Turned us. We got to wave, “Later!” on an elephant while Becca was screaming, “Pai Pai!” (Laughs.)

What’s crazy to me is that, despite finishing in first place so many legs in a row, you were never targeted for a U-Turn after that. What bonds did you make that allowed you that safety?

Tyler: We are naturally a social duo. We don’t shy away from people; we spent our time in airports with everyone. But it’s also “manufactured” in ways. We wouldn’t buy everyone fast food at the airport like the Afghanimals did, because people would become suspicious of it. We were more natural about it because that’s just who we are. I think there’s something to be said to have food and give it to people. We knew to pack tons of snacks, so maybe people getting snacks from us all around the world was helpful. We had genuine connections with everyone. When it comes down to saying names out loud in front of each other, I couldn’t imagine any of them doing it to us.

Korey: When we were there on the first day, Phil called out that I was the only one there who knew who every other contestant was. It was the fanboy in me being so excited to see all of these Survivor, Big Brother, and Amazing Race contestants that I watched and loved. When we had downtime at airports, of course I was picking their brains about their shows because I’ve been a super fan of all three shows. That helped solidify our bond because it was a true connection I had with everyone. We loved to hear other people’s experiences on their other shows.

One of the biggest connections you made was with Colin and Christie, who you guys even helped in the penultimate leg. What informed your mentality to have an Amazing Race Final 3?

Korey: It’s so hard to explain. We had this weird moment of love at first sight with Colin and Christie, and it was fully reciprocated. The last few episodes they show us helping them quite a bit because there were so few teams left that they couldn’t edit it out. But there were certainly moment where Colin and Christie helped us early on. They told us the number of stairs in Uganda, which Detour to choose in Vietnam, how to find a map in Laos. There were so many times where we had been scratching each other’s backs the entire day. We never once worried about the other team.

I remember in the market where we helped Colin and Christie after we checked in, production joked about it. To be fair, they were definitely going to beat Nicole and Victor; they had a big head start. Production was like, “I can’t believe you helped a team that’s been so dominant this season!” And I was like, “Listen, we’ve beaten them the same amount of legs that they’ve beaten us.” It’s a true camaraderie, and we’re not afraid to go up against them in the end.

Tyler: And to the very last second, it felt head-to-head with Colin and Christie. We were honored to be right next to them. I think a lot of people can be like, “Well, that’s the downfall of bringing a strong team to the end.” I was honored to go to the end with the strongest people. And I honestly felt in that last challenge it was anybody’s game. I’m so happy for Colin and Christie. It worked out how it should have worked out.

Korey: It’s so funny. In season 28–and no offense to Matt and Dana or Sheri and Cole–but people joked that we took two “lay-ups” to the finale, and we got third that day. So we know anything can happen; it comes down to who has the best last day.

You had a strong reaction to landing in Uganda considering its persecution laws, and Tyler also had the opportunity beforehand to highlight LGBTQ+ refugees from that country. What has the experience been like to both race through the country and see it air?

Tyler: We went into that episode’s airing unsure as to what was going to be shown. They could have easily skimmed over what we were going through and focused on the drama between the teams. We had no clue they were even going to talk about it. I was really grateful. In the end, we got first and sort of strong-armed the storyline to talk about what we were going through. I was happy the conversation was had on a national level about queer rights and what’s going on in the world. We really wanted to be respectful of the people there.

It felt challenging on a human level to prance around the place where people like us aren’t allowed the freedoms we’re usually allowed. We had security and certain circumstances that allowed us to behave more freely than the locals. It felt disrespectful to them. We tried to communicate that to people who don’t know that feeling of having to hide who you are. I’ve seen people online say, “Why not act straight for a day?” It’s bigger than that. You can’t turn your eye from the problem. The solution is not to assimilate; it’s to fix the problem. It was a challenging day, but I’m grateful the conversation was had.

Was there anything new you learned about each other or yourselves on your second trip around the world?

Korey: Both times we did the show, I surprised myself with how strong we are. You sit at home, watch the show, and think, “I can do that.” But when you get cast and get asked to go back, you doubt your ability. To go out and do it with Tyler again, setting records and having the time of my life with my best friend, it’s humbling to come home and recognize that inner strength. You get to be proud in the moment of what you accomplished.

Tyler: Nothing surprises me anymore about Korey. He’s the perfect partner on The Amazing Race. He has such a great memory, is the fastest person you’ll run against, and is strong and positive. The second time around, I wasn’t surprised about anything. I learned the first time I lucked out and won when it came to a partner. As Korey said, I surprised myself. You go into it with all of these doubts, asking, “Are you going to be fast enough? Strong enough? Smart enough?” To be able to make it to the end again proved to myself that I could do it. I always knew Korey could do it, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could.