The Amazing Race Contestants Sue CBS For 'False And Highly Damaging' Editing, Seek $8 Million In Damages

A pair of contestants from "The Amazing Race" are running to the courthouse to file a lawsuit against CBS and the show's producers.

Jonathan and Ana Towns, a married couple who competed in Season 37 of the long-running reality competition, are suing CBS, parent company Paramount, and show producers ABC Signature and Jerry Bruckheimer Films for defamation, with the filing shared by Deadline accusing the show of constructing a "false and highly damaging portrayal" of the pair on the show. (TVLine has reached out to CBS for comment.) 

The suit alleges that the show "falsely portrayed Jonathan Towns, a private individual with no antecedent public profile, as a morally depraved, brutal and abusive spouse." The couple was often shown bickering on the show, with Jonathan unloading his frustrations on Ana. (Jonathan was later diagnosed with autism.) They made it all the way to the finale, but ultimately finished in third place.

The lawsuit accuses CBS and show producers of deliberately creating "a constructed, false, and highly damaging portrayal — one manufactured through the systematic juxtaposition of decontextualized footage, the willful omission of material exculpatory and humanizing content, the disproportionate inclusion of narratively irrelevant but inflammatory content, and the sustained and asymmetric application of editorial standards that were applied to no other participant in the production." The couple is seeking $8 million in damages, as well as a public apology and a re-edit of their season with "appropriate disclaimers."