Rhode Island detectives Michael Naylor, 45, and Louie Stravato, 47, almost managed the comeback of the season on The Amazing Race. They spoke with PEOPLE about how close fourth really was to third, why they targeted teams other than the cowboys, what the reaction at the station has been and whether Louie has been cleared by an internal affairs investigation of a cop-operated cocaine ring. --Carrie Bell
Despite starting with a two-hour deficit and a speed bump, you caught up and were neck-and-neck with the brothers for most of this leg. Just how close was it?Michael: It was very close. They had about a 10-minute start after finding the stamps. When I talked to Daniel, his cab ride was as bad as mine although I didn’t react as bad as he did. I’d say we got to the mat within 10 minutes -- 20 tops -- of them.
It seemed like your day job helped your game quite a bit.Michael: It gave us a little bit of an edge and made up for not being able to speak the languages. You didn’t see on TV but some police officers in France drove us to a location when we flashed our badges. If we told we were police officers, they bent over backwards to help.
Louie: You have to be aware of your surroundings. And when it came down to searching for stuff, we were at ease and in our zone.
Do you think you targeted the wrong team when you influenced Caite and Brent to take out Carol and Brandy, especially since they placed first in this leg?Michael: You learn as a police officer not to underestimate anybody. It could be the little old lady that shoots and kills you. Caite is not dumb. Both of them are very athletic and have no fears. I thought the final four teams were equally qualified. Everyone asks why we didn’t target the cowboys, but Carol and Brandy were world travelers who knew languages.
Did the Race change your relationship?Louie: We were close before and are still. We had little arguments here and there, but we never got sick of each other. Mike is an incredible motivator. There were times where I wanted to die and he never let me quit.
Michael: Cops from around the country have thanked us for showing what partners do. Louie and I were never partners -- we’ve worked on the same cases -- but we worked this like we’d been partners forever.
Favorite Race moment?Michael: I grew up a poor kid in Providence. I’d never been anywhere. It’s between bungee jumping with Jett and crawling through the WWI field in France. Louie still has knee scars.
Louie: To understand what those soldiers did for our country was incredible. I loved every thing about Germany. And Singapore was an absolutely gorgeous country!
What has the reaction been with your kids, co-workers and perps?Louie: My kids look at me like I’m larger than life. People come up to you from out of nowhere and ask to take a picture and that’s the coolest thing. Perps recognize me at the station. Our brother cops are ball-busters so they bought me an inhaler after that episode where I had a hard time on the stairs.
Michael: I got puzzles on my desk and puzzle texts. I wanted my kids to see that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose as long as you fight clean and hard and do your best.
In March, Louie was put on desk duty pending further investigation of a cop-operated cocaine ring. Any update?Louie: Unfortunately, I’m still on desk duty and I can’t comment, although I’d love to, because it’s an ongoing investigation. But I’m confident I’ll be cleared shortly.
Monty Brinton/Landov
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