Rowah and Amani signed up to The Amazing Race Australia in a bid to smash stereotypes and prove Muslim women can do anything.
The series – which has been praised for its diverse cast – proved to be the perfect platform for the mother-daughter duo, who reveal they’ve been thrilled by the positive reaction to their casting.
“To put ourselves out there and show everybody that, as Muslim women, we can do anything and we are so capable, was really rewarding,” Amani tells TV WEEK.
“The feedback we’re getting from everybody, all the women in the community in Australia, has been outstanding,” adds Rowah. “We feel like we’ve done everybody proud and that’s all that matters.”
Rowah and Amani were eliminated from the series.
(Image: Network 10)
The contestants reveal the outpouring of support from Muslim women has been touching.
“It hasn’t stopped. The support has been so overwhelming,” Rowah reveals.
“Even people saying ‘me and my daughters are sitting down watching it,’ or ‘we couldn’t pick better role models,’ that kind of thing. It’s been really good.”
“Feedback like that makes us want to get out there more and inspire and motivate people more,” says Amani.
Though there have been some negative comments directed towards the women, Rowah insists it’s water off a duck’s back.
“I’m 40 years old, chuck them my way. They don’t bother me,” she says.
The ladies aren’t bothered by negative comments.
(Image: Network 10)While competing in intense challenges with your mother sounds like a recipe for disaster, Amani reveals they actually fought less on the series.
“I honestly think we got along more on the show than we do in real life,” she says.
“The most rewarding part [of the show] was probably being given the chance to spend more time with mum. Like spending literally every single second together, you don’t get to do that normally.”
Despite being the third team to be eliminated, they’re still “incredibly proud” of all they overcame.
“The rice challenge was the hardest part, that was absolutely brutal!” Amani says, of the eating challenge in Vietnam that saw her devour parcels of green sticky rice for more than an hour.
“But in general the whole show was a challenge for me. I guess that’s what we signed up for, it’s what we wanted, and we definitely got it. I was pushed to my limits!”
Though this season’s supposed villains Sid and Ash have tried to sabotage other teams, Rowah and Amani maintain it was all in the spirit of the game. They don’t hold any grudges.
“Yeah they’re playing the game, but at the end of the day it’s a race and they’re doing it well,” says Rowah.
“The ropes thing though, Sid got on my nerves a little bit there,” admits Amani. “I thought for one second he wanted to be my team mate, he tried to push it a bit and make me fall off but I didn’t.
“But Ash and Sid are awesome. We didn’t take anything to heart.”
Like the nuns Judy and Therese, Rowah and Amani also admit to having a little Beau Ryan crush.
“Helllooooo, Beau!” jokes Rowah. “He’s just got that charisma and that sense of humour where he gets along with everybody and anybody. He’s an awesome host.”
“Just seeing him at the pitstop every time, I couldn’t help but smile. Even when you’re being eliminated, I was just smiling. “
The Amazing Race Australia airs Monday and Tuesday, 7:30pm, on Network 10.
