A few weeks ago we posted a harsh promo for “The Amazing Race” where a contestant was hit in the face with a watermelon after her watermelon sling shot backfired on her. That episode has since aired and the contestant, Claire Champlin, has spoken out about the accident in good grace.
Champlin, who will now forever be immortalized as the girl who got owned by a watermelon said she didn’t know what had happened until her partner came up and started wiping watermelon juice off her face.
“Honestly, I thought I was a lot more injured than I was, and then CBS gave me the go ahead to continue,” explains Champlin.
“If I was ever going to be hit by a watermelon, that was the place to be. The whole staff is top of the line, I was grateful they were right there by my side.”
According to Champlin, she had resumed the race less than 15 minutes after being hit in the face, despite the promo teasing that she may quit the race.
“I just think it was a freak accident,” she says. “Everybody said if I tried to do it again, there is no possible way I could. I’m not even going to attempt it. I thought I was going to go down in history for so many other things.”
“But if the watermelon is my claim to fame, I guess I’m just going to take it and run with it. A watermelon, it can’t hold me back.”
“My mom refers to me as watermelon girl. She posted it on her Facebook page.”
Champlin finished the first leg of the race in fifth place with teammate and fellow Home Shopping TV host Brook Roberts.