"The iconic blunder" — The Amazing Race star Jonathan Towns reveals he almost didn't make it to the Italian leg

In season 37 episode 9 of The Amazing Race, teams traveled to Italy from Bulgaria where they had to perfect their pizza-making skills. Before the teams could even reach, Jonathan and Ana Towns almost didn't make it to their destination as they slept through their alarm. The couple recalled the incident on a May 7, 2025 video posted on their YouTube channel, The Road Less Traveled.

"It almost happened, guys. The iconic blunder from The Amazing Race, it almost happened to us to start the leg. We slept through our alarm," recalled Jonathan.

They had previously used two alarm clocks but had gotten rid of one, keeping a simpler Amazon Basics alarm. However, they forgot to turn it on, and Ana woke up at 1:40 am, realizing their mistake.

With a call time of 2:09 am, Ana mentioned that they quickly got dressed and packed their bags in a rush, not even brushing their teeth. They ultimately managed to get ready in time, avoiding a mistake made by previous contestants.

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Ana's pizza-making skills gave her team the advantage on The Amazing Race

Ana and Jonathan Towns also gave advice to future contestants hoping to join the race. They stated that in The Amazing Race, contestants are responsible for waking up on time, with no staff members coming to wake them up. If they oversleep, a camera crew will wait outside their door until they wake up. The couple mentioned that they felt tired and stressed after their close call.

They realized that oversleeping could have cost them the game and suggested to future contestants that setting alarms properly is crucial. They normally double-checked each other's alarms, but on this occasion, they got complacent and their system failed. Ultimately, when they arrived at the airport, they got to know that their flight wasn't departing immediately, giving them time to catch their breath.

"We got a little too comfortable, got too complacent. Our system started to break down. Two-Step Verification for everything. Disaster was narrowly averted there," said Jonathan.

As the couple was able to make it to the Italian leg despite the challenges, fortune favored them again as they were informed about the impending challenge. The teams had to compete in a pizza-making challenge. While others were phased out, Ana and Jonathan rejoiced as the former had previously worked at Domino's Pizza. Her prior experience wasn't known to others, and it helped them secure first place.

"You don't understand. Luck is an understatement. Like, we were just like, 'This is incredible,' because nowhere in my application did I write down that I used to work at Domino's. Nobody knows that I know how to make pizza," Ana mentioned.

Ana successfully completed the pizza-making challenge on her first attempt, while teams struggled. She even had missed part of the demonstration, but her prior experience gave her the confidence to complete The Amazing Race challenge. In the YouTube video, she compared her pizza-making skills to someone not forgetting to ride a bike even after a significant time.

As the couple finished the pizza challenge on The Amazing Race, the pair still had to face troubles. Ana had to run to the Pit Stop carrying the pizza with Jonathan. Jonathan also recalled that he was "groaning, moaning" while hoping to finish the leg. Due to their head start through Ana's pizza-making skills, they reached the Pit Stop first and won the leg.

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Catch new episodes of The Amazing Race season 37 on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm ET.