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Race Leads Tampa Couple Back To Each Other

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By WALT BELCHER wbelcher

@tampatrib.com

Published: December 9, 2008

Their second-place finish on "The Amazing Race 13" Sunday night might not be the last TV viewers have seen of Tampa couple Ken and Tina Greene.

"We want to do a travel adventure series that would show people how to stay fit and have exciting, challenging vacations," Tina Greene said in a telephone interview Monday.

"One of the things that we are going to do now is try to get that kind of TV show developed," the business executive added.

Even though they lost the race and $1 million prize to the brother-and-sister team of Nick and Starr Spangler, the Greenes say they saved their marriage, gained a new appreciation for each other and now have thousands of fans.

"All of our family and friends are saying that what we got is worth more than a million dollars," Tina Greene said.

During the taping of the race this summer, the other teams didn't know that they had been separated for several months.

"They thought we worked well together," Ken Greene said. "Like every team, we had moments when there were disagreements but we proved we were good competitors."

Tina Greene said that during the finale, everyone was in tears after he pulled out their wedding rings and asked her to "start over."

"And we'll do it right this time," he said.

He said he felt that she wouldn't turn him down with all those people watching. She said she cried again Sunday watching the emotional finale.

The drama of using the race to test their relationship was one of the subplots as the teams raced nearly 40,000 miles over five continents.

Although the footage was edited to show their most frustrating moments, he says they knew they would be opening up their lives.

"I think the editing was tougher on Tina than on me," he said of the scenes in which they appeared to be bickering.

Some catty bloggers also were hard on the couple but she says the positive feedback has been overwhelming.

"Everywhere we go people tell us how much they were rooting for us to stay together and how they admired that we could compete with the younger teams," she said. She is 48 and he is 52. The winners are 21 and 22.

She says she had brief moments when she thought that getting back together with him wouldn't work, but they were fleeting.

"When I looked at the big picture, I saw this man who had these wonderful strengths," she says.

Both say that visiting New Zealand was the highlight of their journey. The low point was falling behind on the last leg of the competition. The inability to flag down cabs and find reliable drivers was a constant nightmare that was out of their control

They estimate that they came within five minutes of beating the Spangler siblings. They did get $25,000 for coming in second place.

They had to keep the outcome of the race secret until Sunday. The race was taped this summer.

In September, Ken Greene, who had been living in San Diego since the couple split, secretly moved to Tampa. He loaded everything he owned into a U-Haul and drove 43 hours straight to get here in time for her birthday.

Tina Greene owns a Tampa-based firm that recruits medical and pharmaceutical executives. Ken Greene, a former NFL defensive back and college football coach, is a distributor for a company that makes a health beverage from acai palm berries.

She says they plan to renew their vows soon.

The couple also came in first on three legs of the race, winning two vacations and a pair of ATVs.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"Leverage," 9 p.m., TNT

If you missed the debut Sunday here's a chance to catch this mystery thriller about a crack team of modern-day Robin Hoods who bring down the corrupt and powerful.

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