While Rosales wasn't immediately available to talk about her win, an employee of Costa Mesa Florist said on Tuesday that the impact of Rosales' finish in the race has had customers (and the media) talking. She said that customers have watched the show and contacted the shop owner throughout the race to show their support. In addition, Rosales' participation in the race served as a real morale boost for them, the employee says.

The dating couple beat out 10 teams as they took first place in the race that encompassed 10 cities, four continents and approximately 30,000 miles. And, they did it all with a calm mind-set, even in the most harried situations.

"Every team has its way to be successful, and for us, it's definitely staying calm," Erwin said in the last episode (see videos, parts 1-5).

Rosales and Erwin didn't exactly have a clear-cut path to the finish line throughout the months-long race, and the same was true in the final episode. They took first place in two legs of the race — not counting the final — but just two weeks ago they were about to be eliminated from the competition, as they finished in last place.

But it all came down to the last episode, and in it, the California couple showed they had the gusto to finish strong and show what it takes to win the biggest prize. (Click here for a play-by-play of the final leg of the journey)

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

Previous Article    Next Article