"After 11 countries, 17 cities & more than 33,000 miles traveled... there are still not enough words to adequately express the gratitude we're feeling for our experience on The Amazing Race. From start to finish, this journey has changed our lives and relationship, which we are eternally grateful for. Having the opportunity to participate on The Amazing Race was a lifelong dream in and of itself, but all that we've gained from this experience is beyond measure. Dreams really do come true."
It’s officially been one week since the finale episode aired on CBS where we ran to the finish line and won The Amazing Race. It’s difficult to express the myriad of emotions we’ve experienced since that night and they're aren't enough words to adaquetly express the immense gratitude we have. From the love and support we’ve felt to the fun celebrations we’ve had with our loved ones, it’s been such a relief to finally talk about how this journey ended for us. First and foremost, to everyone who watched and supported along the way, THANK YOU! We can’t say it enough, your support and love were felt each step of the way, from start to finish, and we will never be able to repay all of the kindness that was sent our way as we raced around the world.
A massive weight was lifted off our shoulders as Season 32 of The Amazing Race finally came to a close. We carried this secret with us for two years (744 days to be exact) and only had each other to talk about it with, plus the incredible cast who've become family. While it was AMAZING to relive our journey together throughout the two year waiting period, it was even more special to finally share and have conversations about the show with our friends and family.
We were able to watch the finale with both sets of parents in New Orleans, Louisiana - where our Amazing Race journey concluded. We had hoped we would be able to get together with the entire cast and celebrate the end of the season however the pandemic had other plans. Our sisters joined virtually, and we recorded their reactions as the episode played out. When we got back from The Race in December 2018, we were obviously overjoyed with excitement after getting engaged and ultimately winning, however, we agreed to stay tight lipped about the outcome, which made watching the episodes with our loved ones even more fun.
We are so grateful for the support we’ve gotten since the show started airing. It has been overwhelming to hear from family and friends who were watching the season and cheering us on along the way. Each week we would get heartfelt messages from fans and friends who had opinions and questions about The Race. We love talking about the show so it was fun to discuss our Amazing Race adventure with everyone. We also received some really personal and uplifting messages that have truly touched our hearts. Putting yourself out there on national television as a same sex couple can be extremely overwhelming but the incredible messages and videos we’ve received have meant so much to us. We only hope that we can continue to be a light to everyone who continues to follow our journey.
If anything, we wanted to showcase our relationship so that everyone could see a same sex relationship on television, especially if they have never been exposed to one in their daily lives and to help normalize seeing LGBT relationships in the world. Not only did we get to travel to every location, but we also got to share a very special moment when we got engaged at the finish line! The significance isn’t lost on us, we walked away knowing that yes, we were thrilled to be engaged, but that we hoped those who watched would be reminded that anything is possible in life and in love. The engagement was the hardest secret to keep because it was the starting point for the next chapter of our lives together and we are so grateful that our friends and family got to share in the celebration on their TV screens.
This experience has been absolutely phenomenal. From meeting the other 20 competitors to traveling around the world, we will never take any of it for granted. Season 32 cast members became more than friends, they became family, and we are so grateful for everyone’s friendship over the past two years. We are also so grateful for the incredible crew that travels around with the show. They are all fantastic people and are doing everything we do while holding 50-pound cameras and sound equipment. They are all rock stars.
Running The Amazing Race together was by far the hardest thing we’ve ever done as a couple. It tested our relationship in many ways but it ultimately made us stronger. As we look to the future, we know that whatever comes our way we can handle it and overcome it together. We may have some bumps along the way, but we will always have each other. The Race was life-changing and we are so grateful that all of you joined us on this journey. Cheers to the next chapter!
A huge thank you to CBS, Bertram, Elise, Phil, Lynne, Jodi, Shaprintace, the entire production crew, casting team and everyone we met along the way who took a chance on "The Boyfriends" (now fiancés) and gave us the opportunity of a lifetime.
In March of 2019, we flew back to New Orleans to retrace our steps from the final leg of The Amazing Race and also look for wedding venues! We filmed the entire weekend and also talked about how we felt being back! You can watch that video below.
love you guys :))