The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan has broken his silence on Jonathan Towns and Ana Rivera Towns, a team on season 37 who stirred up controversy due to their tense dynamic.
“With Jonathan and Ana, probably the most controversial team that we’ve had this season, they’ve obviously been struggling in their relationship,” the reality star, 57, told TV Line in an interview published on Monday, May 12, ahead of the season 37 finale. “They wanted to come onto this show, I think, to test things. Fans have a lot of opinions about this particular team.”
Jonathan, 42, has faced backlash from viewers throughout the season, which premiered on March 5, for the way he has spoken to wife Ana, 35. The comments that he came under fire for the most included blaming Ana for losing their lead in the competition, telling her to “stop whining” and calling her a “terrible partner” after she told him that he was being mean to her.
“It’s always difficult to judge from afar, and I gave up a long, long time ago trying to figure out why people are together and why some relationships work and don’t work,” Phil continued. “I’m certainly no expert in that department, and I think it’s unfair to judge from the outside.”
The CBS personality added that, “regardless of whatever is going on in that dynamic,” Jonathan and Ana “are a very strong team.” However, he explained that Jonathan is “probably the most competitive” cast member this season, which has led to some of the issues between him and Ana.
“Even when he comes in second, to him it’s a loss. One of the things I discussed with him along the way was, ‘Hey, you’ve got to take it easy on yourself, but also take it easy on your partner,’” Phil said. “Sometimes when you do your best, you don’t necessarily win, and that’s OK. That’s life. Most of the time, we lose, right? I get that he puts all that pressure on himself, but it’s one thing to put that pressure on yourself. It’s another to put it on your partner.”
Jonathan and Ana Towns
Phil concluded, “They should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved, but you can’t just make it like, ‘Oh, I’ve won, I feel good,’ and ‘I’ve come in second and I didn’t win it, so I feel terrible.’ So I hope that if there’s any takeaway for him, it’s just: ‘Take it easy. You’ve done really well and you can’t win every leg. You’re up against some really tough competition.’”
Fans saw the longtime Amazing Race host subtly address Jonathan’s behavior when the software developer and his teammate arrived on the mat in third place during the April 16 episode.
“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,” Phil told Jonathan. “What’s the most important thing you feel like you’ve learned on this race?”
The California native 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.”
Jonathan addressed the criticism he has received from fans during an April 8 video on his and Ana’s YouTube page, “The Road Less Traveled.” He revealed that, after seeing his behavior play out on the show, he sought 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.
Explaining that he had a “hyperactive brain,” Jonathan continued, “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. 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.”
Jonathan later admitted in a YouTube comment to a fan that he mistreated his wife.
“I treated Ana very poorly while we were on the show, and I understand how that can trigger a lot of strong emotions in people, but yes, we have come a long way since then,” he wrote on May 8. “Thank you for your support.”
