Jonathan Towns, TAR37, discusses the red flags raised
We met Ana and Jonathan Towns on The Amazing Race 37. Right away, fans noticed his behavior towards his wife, which raised several red flags among the show’s fans. Week after week, we watched him blame Ana for everything.
Jonathan Towns
If anything went wrong, it was Ana’s fault. If things went right, he took the credit. Towns felt they should place first in every leg of the race; when they didn’t place near the top, it was her fault. Although red flags were raised in nearly every episode, fans exploded during one leg.
Ana was driving, which meant he was supposed to navigate. Instead, he continued to degrade her, she ended up navigating and driving as he just seemed to refuse to. At one point during all of this, Towns informed her ‘She was a terrible partner.’
Fans took to their social media accounts defending Ana. One fan posted ‘JONATHAN, WTF MANNN! THAT WAS SO UNCALLED FOR SMH.’ While another post reads, “They have to be actors, this can’t be real life for her.’
Jonathan Towns Continues His Explanation
Continuing with this response, ‘This can’t be their kids’ road map to treating other people, let alone people you love. You are a terrible partner.’ These are just two of the fans’ reactions; others were worse, and none defended Towns’ behavior.
The couple has a YouTube Channel, The Road Less Traveled, where he addressed his behavior and the statement made to Ana on the show. He praised his wife, saying, ” I wanna say that out of everybody in this race, nobody came further out of their comfort zone than my wife.”
“She comes from nothing, essentially. She has not been exposed to any of this stuff. And she has never been placed in a competitive environment. And here we are on The Amazing Race, a hyper-competitive environment full of impressive people, and she is keeping up.”
He sought out help after filming stopped. His diagnosis is ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)’. The explanation he gave fans listening to their podcast on April 8th was that it was hard for him when he couldn’t control the external factors. His routines are non-existent.
He does admit his behavior on the May 7th episode was terrible and truly no excuse for it. Saying, “At the end of the day, I am 100 percent responsible for who I direct my anger towards. I directed that anger at my wife, which never should have happened. That’s on me.”
Ana stated, “We are an emotional couple. We hold nothing back. You are going to see us fight, and that’s just normal. We love each other.”
Possibly trying to protect her husband and children, Ana posts on her social media, “We’re two complicated people, in a complicated relationship, but we are committed to each other. to our children, and to our future, which is never in question.”
Photo Credits: YouTube and Instagram
Quote excerpts: The Road Less Traveled YouTube Channel
