Two contestants from The Amazing Race are suing the companies behind the long-running reality competition, claiming the show’s editing falsely portrayed one of them as an abusive husband and caused lasting reputational damage.
According to People, Jonathan and Ana Towns, who competed on season 37 of the CBS series, filed an $8 million defamation lawsuit on March 4 in Los Angeles Superior Court against World Race Productions, CBS, parent company Paramount Global, ABC Signature, and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
The couple alleges the companies orchestrated a narrative that falsely depicted Jonathan as abusive, distributing what they call a damaging portrayal to the show’s massive audience.
In the complaint, the Towns accuse the production team of implementing a “smear strategy so audacious and immoral that it would shock the conscience of even the most cynical propagandist.”
They argue that the alleged defamation was carried out through the “production, editing, marketing, and national broadcast” of the season and are seeking a jury trial along with compensatory and punitive damages.
The legal battle stems from the couple’s appearance on season 37 of The Amazing Race, which was filmed between May and June 2024 and aired from March through May 2025. The Towns ultimately finished in third place in the competition, which sends teams of two racing around the world to complete physical and mental challenges while navigating unfamiliar cities on limited budgets.
The long-running series, hosted since its debut by Phil Keoghan, first premiered in 2001 and has become one of television’s most recognizable reality competitions, earning multiple Primetime Emmy Awards during its more than two-decade run.
Despite the show’s reputation for highlighting both teamwork and tension among competitors, the lawsuit claims producers intentionally singled Jonathan out as the season’s primary villain.
According to the filing, the show falsely portrayed him — “a private individual with no antecedent public profile” — as “a morally depraved, brutal and abusive spouse,” presenting that depiction to CBS’s “tens of millions of viewers.”
The complaint also alleges producers had footage that could have shown Jonathan “accurately and completely,” but instead made the “deliberate determination to suppress those materials and to substitute in their place a constructed, false, and highly damaging portrayal.”
The lawsuit also describes tensions during filming, claiming Jonathan experienced a “meltdown” and “clear emotional anguish” at one point during production.
The filing says he raised concerns with human resources over what he perceived as bias from production staff, but continued competing after receiving assurances that the race was being administered fairly.
After filming ended, the couple says Jonathan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The lawsuit argues that behaviors shown on the program were “behavioral manifestations” related to that diagnosis and “not volitional acts of cruelty or intentional interpersonal aggression.”
It also alleges that production failed to provide contestants with access to a licensed mental health professional or “any support whatsoever of medical, psychological, or pastoral nature” during or after filming.
Jonathan says the show’s broadcast triggered harassment, threats, and mockery from viewers who “accepted the false portrayal as truthful,” while Ana Towns claims she also suffered reputational damage and emotional distress.