Amazing Race’s Bernie and Carrigain Share Their Thoughts on Driver’s Seat Selection

The Amazing Race contestants Bernie Gutierrez and Carrigain Scadden expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the decision made by Jonathan and Ana Towns during the Driver’s Seat twist.

“If your goal is to push us down further because we’re already at the bottom and you want to avoid making more enemies, I can understand that,” Gutierrez, 31, told Us Weekly exclusively on Thursday, March 27, after her and Scadden’s elimination. “If you genuinely believe we’re a threat and are giving us the harder option, then say so. I get that. But don’t claim it was an accident because that feels insulting.”

In the episode aired on Wednesday, March 26, filmed in Bali, Jonathan, 42, and Ana, 35, arrived at the Driver’s Seat first, which was a new twist introduced this season. They were responsible for assigning weight values to teams for the Roadblock challenge. The couple had limited options of 15 pounds, 20 pounds, and 25 pounds for the rice threshing task.

In their initial arrangement of the values, Jonathan and Ana mistakenly failed to assign a weight for themselves, clearly wanting a lower amount. Consequently, most remaining teams received a weight of 25 pounds, including Gutierrez and Scadden, who were in last place.

Although Jonathan and Ana claimed that their mistake resulted in Gutierrez and Scadden receiving the tougher option, the duo was skeptical of this explanation.

“I feel like it really matters to Jonathan to be in first place and perform at his best. It’s hard for me to believe that they would overlook this significant decision with so much at stake—having the Driver’s Seat and the Express Pass,” Scadden exclusively mentioned to Us. “If they hadn’t put careful thought into it, it could have worked out very well for them.”

Not only did Jonathan and Ana assign themselves a lower weight, but they also skipped the entire challenge by utilizing the Express Pass they had won in the previous leg. This move not only upset Gutierrez and Scadden but also a majority of the other teams. Scadden pointed out that with the looming possibility of a U-Turn—teased for the next week’s episode—their strategy was “not a smart one.”

“It’s tough to believe it was an accident, but it also appears it wasn’t well thought out,” she commented.

Gutierrez hinted that if she and Scadden remained in the competition, she would be ready to “backstab” Jonathan and Ana at the first opportunity.

“If they asked me for assistance, I might have misled them into the wrong direction, similar to what [brothers] Nick and Mike [Fiorito] did to others,” she joked. “I would have found a way to disrupt their game. I would have rallied others to dislike them. I don’t know how, but I would have figured out a way to get back at them.”

Though Gutierrez and Scadden’s run on The Amazing Race has come to an end, the friends are thankful for the time spent together, despite occasional disagreements.

“It was an incredible experience for us. We’re friends, almost like sisters—there are moments of arguing and bickering. Not everything is perfect, but we truly love each other. This has made us stronger,” Gutierrez reflected. “We’ve become closer together, learning more about each other and enhancing our ability to support one another, especially during high-stress situations.”

The Amazing Race airs on CBS Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET and is available for streaming on Paramount+ the following day.