The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan typically remains neutral when cast members display controversial behavior on the show, but he appeared to subtly address the way Jonathan Towns has treated wife Ana Towns during one brief moment in season 37.
“I know when you first came into the race, particularly when things didn’t go your way, you were extremely hard on yourself and your team,” the CBS personality, 57, told the software developer, 42, during the April 16 episode after Jonathan and Ana, 35, arrived on the mat in third place. “What’s the most important thing you feel like you’ve learned on this race?”
Jonathan replied, “If I could learn to become more resilient and to stay confident, through adversity and through the lows, we could maybe have a good shot at winning.”
Phil’s comment came amid a wave of backlash Jonathan has received from viewers due to the way he has spoken to his wife throughout The Amazing Race season 37. His most controversial moments have included telling Ana to “stop whining” when they lost their lead, asking her to “be quiet” when she was offering supportive comments and calling her a “terrible partner” after she told him that he was being mean to her.
“Jonathan can yell at Ana to stop whining and crying but Ana can’t try to be encouraging and tell him to not give up … the difference between being supportive and not supportive is glaring,” one fan wrote on X.
“I am so sick of Jonathan’s bulls–t. If something is even slightly Ana’s fault he f–king drills into her, but whenever he screws up it’s just ‘bad race luck’ or something similarly stupid. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a team to lose more than I want them to. #TheAmazingRace,” another user added.
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Jonathan addressed the criticism in an April 8 video on his and Ana’s YouTube channel, “The Road Less Traveled.” He explained that, after watching his behavior with Ana unfold on The Amazing Race, he sought professional help and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“Looking back at what I was seeing, and knowing what I know about myself now, it’s so hard for me to be supportive and helpful to somebody when my brain is in this overheated state,” he said.
Jonathan added that his “hyperactive brain” was triggered during the show.
“When I’m on The Race, unlike when I’m at home, I cannot control the external factors. I have no control – my routines are completely non-existent,” he noted. “And we rely on – people like me rely on routines in order to help us regulate our emotions and to control the amount of stimulus that we can get at any given time.”
Citing the moment where he told Ana to “stop whining,” Jonathan admitted he spoke to his wife in a “harsh tone.” However, he added that his “mindset” at the time “felt like there was a nuclear reactor that was melting down.”
“Even though I know now she’s going to express her frustration in her way, and I need to respect that, at that time, I was just overwhelmed with everything that was happening at that time that I felt like I didn’t have time to deal with the crying,” he said.
