Are ‘Amazing Race’ Stars Jonathan and Ana in a Toxic Relationship?
As one of the most competitive games on television, ‘The Amazing Race’ is a globe-trotting whirlwind of adventure.
Published May 9 2025, 2:45 p.m. ET
Fans of the popular and long-running competition CBS reality series, The Amazing Race, have seen plenty of contestants and couples come and go throughout the seasons — but current players (and married couple) Jonathan and Ana have sparked intense reactions about their relationship.
As one of the most competitive games on television, The Amazing Race is a globe-trotting whirlwind of adventure that tests a variety of skills for contestants aiming for the $1 million grand prize.
Are ‘Amazing Race’ stars Jonathan and Ana in a toxic relationship?
The dynamic between husband and wife team Jonathan Towns and Ana Rivera Towns has caused an uproar amongst some fans who deem their relationship as toxic while suggesting that Ana should end her marriage.
Following the April 30 episode, fans called out Jonathan for his behavior towards Ana, specifically when he told her to “stop crying” and also blamed her for the reason the couple lost their lead.
The fan outrage continued during the May 7 episode when Jonathan told Ana that she was a “terrible partner” after his wife expressed to him that he was being mean to her. “Jonathan is terrible to Ana on this show, full stop. That’s it. No debate. It is incredibly uncomfortable to watch,” when fam commented on X, formerly known as Twitter.
What has Ana said about the backlash against Jonathan?
Per InTouch Weekly, Ana took to social media following the show’s latest episode to cite editing as the reasoning behind her husband appearing so angry with her during the competition.
“Very interested to see what they CHOOSE to show tonight.” Ana wrote in response to a TikTok comment that read: “My friend was on Amazing Race and told me that she and her husband fought the entire time and they edited out 100 percent of it. She was SO happy lol.” The caption over the screenshot of the comment added, “FYI, we have heard this from COUNTLESS racers that have been on the show in the past.”
What has Jonathan said about the response to his behavior on ‘The Amazing Race?’
On April 8, 2025, the couple posted a video to their YouTube channel where Jonathan openly discussed the intense backlash and also revealed that he was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
“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,” Jonathan said, while also sharing that his “hyperactive brain” was triggered while filming 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 added. “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.”
Supporting her husband as he opened up in the video, Ana said “Especially now knowing it’s an actual disorder, it didn’t stop you from doing well in the race. It didn’t stop you from succeeding in the race. I mean, we proved that in, you know, the legs coming up. … But we just didn’t know how hard it was going to be.”