'The Amazing Race' Finale Wasn't Even a Little Bit Close

I’m a few days late on this because The Amazing Race is a family show, and finding time for five busy family members to watch a two-episode finale together isn’t easy. Family time takes priority over timeliness, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge what a terrific season this was. Season 37, unlike the last couple of cycles, didn’t feel like 60-minute episodes stretched to 90; it was clearly designed for that longer runtime. And it worked. The pacing felt organic, and the cast was fantastic. Special shoutout to the father-son lumberjacks, Pops and Jeff, who were eliminated early when 65-year-old Pops couldn’t keep up in a footrace against people half his age (though, let’s be honest, he could’ve kicked their asses because that dude was built, but he didn’t because he was also the sweetest man alive).

Anyway, Spoilers: Carson and Jack ultimately won the race around the world for $1 million, and they couldn’t have been more deserving. They’re at least the fourth team of gay men to win the show (though Carson and Jack are best friends, not romantically involved), proving once again that gay men absolutely crush The Amazing Race. (A gay couple also finished fifth this season.)

If either of the other two final teams had won, it might’ve put a damper on the season. The alternatives were: Jonathan and Ana, an emotionally abusive married couple, and Han and Holden, a brother-sister duo that may be the worst team ever to make a final three. Han and Holden were likable, despite the constant bickering, but they seemed to barely avoid elimination every leg, surviving on luck more than anything.

Jonathan and Ana shouldn’t have been there either. Married nurses Alyssa (who is now pregnant!) and Josiah had a 90-minute lead on them, which they lost after failing to find a parking spot. Jonathan, the emotionally abusive husband (who later blamed his behavior on undiagnosed autism), spent the finale sulking, essentially giving up, while Ana tried to stay upbeat. He flat-out told her her optimism was annoying.

Jonathan was the worst. Viewers probably noticed how edited down he was in the finale, like producers combed through the footage and found the only five nice things he said all season. He was barely in the episode, likely to avoid ending the season on a sour note.

Good call, because Carson and Jack were exceptional. They were upbeat but not saccharine, and they worked incredibly well together, even in the leg where they almost got eliminated (they were only saved because another team spent nearly 7 hours searching for a ribbon in a haystack before Phil finally put them out of their misery). It was a win for the nerds, too: Carson and Jack are proud gamers and Dungeons & Dragons players who conquered some tough physical challenges by staying calm, moving steadily, and relying on their smarts and communication.

A few interesting tidbits have come out since the finale, including in interviews and Discord threads. For example, Carson and Jack went to therapy before the race, which they credit for their strong teamwork. Also, the final leg in Miami had to be paused for several days due to flooding, which gave the racers time to reset. That downtime may have helped Carson and Jack find an extra gear—and some perspective, given the very real crisis residents were facing in the area.

In the end, it wasn’t close. The three teams were roughly even after the first of three tasks, but the second—flyboarding, where racers had to hover above the water using jet propulsion for 60 seconds—was the turning point. It was a spectacular challenge, but Ana, who has a phobia of open water, really struggled. Han didn’t do much better, despite being a pro surfer who expected the task to be a breeze. (I’m convinced her instructor gave her bad advice.)

As Andy over at Reality Blurred noted, via a Discord thread, by the time Carson and Jack reached Domino Park near the final task, they had a 70-minute lead over Han and Holden, and a two-hour lead over Jonathan and Ana. Ana needed 23 attempts to complete the flyboard challenge. Han and Holden lost an additional 30 minutes after getting into a fender bender.

On that: Phil Keoghan later addressed how the show handles incidents like that. Basically, contestants are expected to handle accidents themselves. If there’s a crash, they have to follow regular traffic protocols. In this case, Holden’s Spanish helped de-escalate the situation so they could return to the race. Also, per Phil, if teams get speeding tickets, they have to pay them. If they drive unsafely and receive two warnings, they get a time penalty.

Ultimately, though, none of it really mattered. All three teams completed the final challenge — a 100-piece memory puzzle — efficiently, so Carson and Jack probably maintained (or increased) their lead. They earned that win.