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.

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. But in the case of Corinne Kaplan and Eliza Orlins, the self-proclaimed “Team Villain,” conventional wisdom proved not to hold. The outspoken Survivor vets struggled with transportation across land and sea as they made their way through Ho Chi Minh City. And despite a temporary cooldown in “Snow City,” emotion heated up throughout the leg, culminating in an elimination reaction of extreme anger.

Despite being new to the race, Corinne and Eliza came in with confidence, profoundly experienced in travel. They even provided their trademark snark to some of their competitors early on. Unfortunately, they were writing cutting checks that their racing couldn’t cash, falling to the back of the pack in the frenzied streets of Japan. Despite their initial stumbles, they were able to improve their performance, though not without making a few enemies. The Afghanimals gave them their own animal nickname of “Team Snake,” while sisters Rachel Reilly and Elissa Slater admonished them for trying to steal their cab. While they were able to adjust to the learning curves of the race, Eliza had problems with the curves of the Roadblock motorbike track, putting them in last. After a difficult leg, they finally hit their boiling point on the mat, to the point where they had to walk away and decompress, adamant their involvement with the race was done.

Now out of the race, Corinne and Eliza talk with Parade about whether those feelings still hold, the struggles Survivor teams faced, and what they learned about each other on the race.

You had the opportunity to watch back how everything went down last night. What’s your reaction now that you saw things from a third-person perspective?

Corinne Kaplan: I wish I could watch it from a third-person perspective! (Laughs.) I was there, and it’s very hard to take myself out of it. I felt so horrible at the moment watching Eliza struggle knowing there wasn’t anything I could do other than say words of encouragement that might put something in her. Watching it back, I didn’t realize how strong and beautiful our friendship is. There was no moment in which I didn’t treat Eliza with respect and vice versa. That hug [after we were eliminated] was very striking. It’s not a part of me I normally show on TV, or in real life. As far as things I said, please. The only thing I regret in life is eating things for the calories. I do not regret the things I say or do; I don’t take back anything. But I was really surprised by how touching the episode was watching it back.

Can you talk us through what was happening emotionally before, during, and after you were eliminated?

Eliza Orlins: I was absolutely crushed, just devastated. We had so much more fight in us and felt we were a strong team and supportive duo. We had so much we wanted to do and experience. Getting eliminated was awful, pure devastation. If you watch the deleted scenes, you can see a longer conversation on the mat where I say, “I’m just in an anger phase right now. I’m frustrated we didn’t do better.” Then you see us from the moment where we walk away from the mat, and I realize it’s truly over. I collapsed sobbing. Love me or hate me, it’s plainly obvious how much I care.

Part of that emotional reaction came from the fact that you were right next to the Reilly sisters, who you were not afraid to mince words about this leg. What’s the status of your relationship since you were eliminated?

Corinne: This is different than some of the other feuds I’ve had on other reality shows. You have to understand that when we went into the race, we only knew Chris and Bret. Those were the only people I felt allegiance to. I couldn’t care less about what happened to everyone else. It’s a zero-sum game; I’m just trying to advance. When I met the Reilly sisters in their head-to-toe body gloves and crazy eyelashes and lips, I wasn’t exactly interested in becoming friends with them. I thought they were a little ridiculous.

Having said that, it wasn’t like me versus Sugar or Phillip during my other shows. Once we got off the show, I got to know them very well, and I enjoy them a lot. I texted both of them yesterday; we speak on a thread all the time. I have nothing against them in real life. But put yourself in my place. I never watched a second of Big Brother in my life. I have no idea who these people are. But they show up, and they’re really extra! (Laughs.) I don’t think I’m the only person who would have felt very off-put without knowing anything else. Now that I know them as two people and friends, I think very differently.

You also butted heads with the Afghanimals, which you said stemmed from some actions in the first leg. Can you elaborate on that?

Eliza: On the show, we talked about how we were excited to see the Afghanimals. We felt they were people who had overcome U-Turns and looked like they were having so much fun when they were racing. They always picked a girl/girl team to have an alliance with. When we realized they were going to be on our season, Corinne and I were so excited to meet them. And they didn’t give us the time of day. They didn’t speak with us during our entire 12-hour flight to Tokyo and were pretty obnoxious to us. I listened to a podcast where they said it was because they knew who everyone else was except us. So basically we weren’t important enough for them to talk to, which is pretty insulting. We didn’t like the way they conducted themselves. That didn’t really peeve other teams because they didn’t see that side until the show started airing. They’re trying to be camera hogs and a deceptive, obnoxious duo.

So it’s safe to say you’re not going clubbing with them any time soon?

Corinne: I would never go out in public with them, no. I don’t hate them, because I reserve that term for people like Sugar. I have no use for them. I think they’re kind of losers, and I don’t want anything to do with them. I would not say I’m as pleasant as Eliza is. Eliza’s very kind. She’ll wish them a happy birthday.

Eliza: Yeah, I text everyone.

Corinne: She likes everyone. Whereas I have no use for them. They don’t exist in my world at all. We were massive Afghanimal fans but did an about-face on that pretty quickly because they were dicks. I don’t find them funny, witty, entertaining, or very good-looking. They’ve got nothing for me. I’m not interested, but I don’t wish any ill will towards them.

Eliza, can you talk you through the struggles you had during the motorbike Roadblock?

Eliza: Before the race, Corinne and I delineated which one of us would do which type of Roadblock. If it were heights, she would do it. If it were a puzzle, I would do it. But if it were heights and a puzzle, I would do it because I could get over the heights easier. I designated myself the driver. It turned out to be driving a motorbike, but we considered it a driving challenge, so it was always going to be me. I knew how to drive stick, and Corinne says she has no balance. When we realized it was a driving challenge, we knew I would be the one to do it. It was awful. Some people said the bike looked smaller on TV, but it was a pretty big bike. Apparently the lighter you were, the more difficult it was to keep the bike under you. I’ve spent 35 years of my life actively avoiding trying to drive a motorbike. I’m terrified of them. My best friend is a surgeon, and she calls them “donorcycles.” I don’t have a death wish. It was devastating watching teams pass us and making me feel like I was failing and letting my team down. I was certainly never going to go give up, but it felt at some points like I was never going to complete it.

You have both played on Survivor seasons that had a new versus returning player structure, always on the side of the returning players. What’s it like to be on the newbie side of things?

Corinne: I didn’t love it! Everyone who was coming in from Big Brother and Survivor assumed it was going to be themed as Big Brother vs. Survivor. Obviously, we didn’t want to play against people who have already raced, let alone their third [expletive] race! We felt incredibly disadvantaged, but we kept a positive attitude. There are a lot of things that you would never know unless you raced.

A good example is changing over money. If you’re going to change over money at the airport, you have to do that prior to getting on the plane, while also finding other teams to split the fee with. Yes, we are both well-traveled and smart people. We’re adept at traveling and making our way through the world. But if you haven’t raced previously, you’re not going to know these little tricks. Another one is with cabs. In Laos, we got in the tuk-tuk because we just wanted to get the clue, and got gad. If you’re a racer, you know to check the gas tank before you get in, so you don’t have that problem. We kept telling each other we hoped we could last long enough to pick up the learning curve.

What would you say is the one biggest difference between all the international travel experience you had and competing on The Amazing Race?

Eliza: That’s a tough question. The Amazing Race is so unpredictable, and I don’t mind unpredictability. The last time I went to Luang Prabang [in Laos], I was in the same town and did all the same things we did on the race. And it didn’t give us an advantage. You have to be so on point with every single thing, and you’re not in control of your own destiny. The luck of your driver is huge, and I think that’s underestimated when you watch the show. Who knows what would have happened if I got to the Roadblock early and I had an hour lead on everyone else. Every single little thing matters so much, especially on a season with so many equalizers where everyone gets pushed together.

Your relationship is notable in that you’re the only pair not to have played on a season together. What did you learn about each other working as a team on the race?

Corinne: I say this all the time, but I admire how receptive to feedback Eliza is. I wish I could have that too. Sometimes she would do something on a leg, and I wouldn’t reprimand her, but I would say, “Let’s not do that again.” She has this flexibility. She looks at the world as a place where she only wants to get better living in it. Obviously, we deal with internet trolls. Once you’re eliminated, every troll comes out of hiding. But it rolls off her back, and she figures out how to use it as constructive criticism. It’s something I truly love about her. When you’re racing with someone, you want to be able to tell them, “What you’re doing is pissing other teams off, don’t do that.” If you can’t do that, then you don’t have a good partner to race with.

Eliza: Corinne and I have been friends for a decade. Her first season of Survivor was right after my second season, and she was in an alliance with a friend of mine from law school. Being in this stressful situation where you’re together 24/7 without a minute apart, a book to read, or a phone to look at, you get to know a person really, really well. I learned Corinne is so tough. That girl doesn’t have an ounce of quit in her. She’s also just effortlessly witty. Some teams take time crafting out what to do for airtime. It just rolls off Corinne’s tongue, even when we’re not on camera. She had me in stitches. I can’t imagine a better person to be with because I cried laughing from things she said. Finally, she’s unbelievably loyal as a friend. There’s no doubt in my mind she has my back one hundred percent no matter what. I think a lot of that came through in last night’s episode where I was struggling. She may be a “bitch” or a villain or whatever you want to call her, but when it comes to her friends, she’s loyal, kind, and supportive.