Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’ ‘The Amazing Race’ is an undeniably gripping reality series that centers around pairs with pre-existing bonds as they traverse the globe while facing unique challenges for a chance to win $1 million. It thus comes as no surprise that the franchise has evolved into a staple of reality competition over the past 25 years, and season 39 only raised the bar at every step of the way. The 13 pairs in this installment began their journey in Canada before traveling more than 25,000 miles across 5 continents, 9 countries, and 13 cities to reach the finale in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Retired Athletes Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman Are Juggling Their Roles as Public Figures and Family Women
Since Alexandra “Ali” Krieger and Joanna Lohman are both highly decorated soccer players who retired in recent years for personal reasons, they were unsurprisingly very competitive on the show. The former actually stepped away from her beloved sport in 2023 after winning the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championship with the Gotham Football Club as their captain. However, it’s imperative to note that by this point, she was already a Champions League Winner (2008), an Olympian (2016), and a 2-time World Cup Champion with the US National Team (2015 and 2019). As for Joanna, she retired in 2019 after some incredible stints with the US National Team, Washington Spirit, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, and Washington Freedom.
Today, both Ali and Joanna remain dedicated to the world of sports as advocates, experts, and public figures, all the while also being family women whose priority is their loved ones. Ali is thriving as a Co-Host/Soccer Analyst at ‘Futbol W’ on ESPN, an Ambassador for Gotham Football Club, a rising business advisor/investor, and a proud mother of two young kids, whom she shares with her ex-wife, Ashlyn Harris. A few brands she is currently associated with include League One Volleyball, Hello Divorce, and Crux Football Player Investor Collective, but she also aims to own a women’s soccer, hockey, or basketball team one day. In her personal life, her two children and her girlfriend, Jen Beattie, a fellow former soccer player, seem to be Ali’s top priorities these days.
As for Joanna, the 44-year-old is now an Author, Co-Host, Performance Coach, and Public Speaker who does not shy away from advocating for what she believes is right. She proudly penned a parenting/life-lessons book titled ‘Raising Tomorrow’s Champions’ alongside Paul Tukey in 2021, all the while serving as a Sports Diplomat with the Department of State. Since then, she has continued to work as a human rights activist, a mental health advocate, and a public speaker whose talks focus on similar aspects as well as performance. The Silver Spring, Maryland, resident is even a Room Tilter at Limitless Minds, an Advisory Member on the Board of Yale School of Management, an Instructor at Electives, and the Co-Host of ‘The Riley & Jo Show.’ On the personal front, she has been happily married to a corporate professional named Melodie George since 2021, with whom she shares a young daughter.
Ann-Marie and Riley Tejcek Are Hardworking Women Dedicated to Their Chosen Paths
As women who are no strangers to thriving in largely male-dominated fields, mother-daughter duo Ann-Marie and Riley Tejcek applied to ‘The Amazing Race’ to challenge themselves. They also hoped to get to know one another better through this experience and learn precisely who they are as individuals when faced with adversity or internal fears almost daily. After all, the tight-knit pair knew that they would have to do things they would never even attempt in real life, but they saw it more as a blessing and an opportunity rather than a roadblock.
Coming to Ann-Marie and Riley as individuals: the former is a Kentucky native currently residing in Indianapolis, Indiana, whereas her daughter is an Indiana native based in San Diego, California. They are both forces of nature in their own right, especially with all the wonders they have achieved both personally and professionally. At age 56, Ann-Marie serves as the Vice President of Global Medical Affairs Strategy & Operations at a healthcare firm called Eli Lilly & Company. She has held this title since March 2023, but she has been employed by the business in various positions for over 3 decades as of writing. Ann-Marie is also a proud family woman, surrounded by the love of her forever life partner, their 2 daughters, their respective spouses, grandkids, and now an adorable fur baby.
On the other hand, there is Riley — a 29-year-old athlete, author, adventurer, devout Christian, fitness enthusiast, travel aficionado, and servicewoman in every sense. She played Division 1 softball at George Washington University, from where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2019, before becoming a professional. However, her sport of choice was bobsled as the pilot from 2020 to 2025, during which she won gold at the 2025 North America Cup and was part of Team USA for the Olympics.
Moreover, she is a best-selling author of children’s books, an inspiring public speaker, and a US Marine Captain who has been on active duty for over 7 years as of writing. The Co-Host of ‘The Riley & Jo Show’ is currently working as a Marine Recruiting Officer while juggling her love for adventure, fitness, Hyrox, and travel. Yet, her priority today is her husband and their son, Miles David, who came into the world in August 2026.
Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca Are Proud Of Their Careers and Connections
Andrea Tager Ballesca grew up watching ‘The Amazing Race’ alongside her father, so getting to compete in it with him as her partner was an absolute dream come true for both of them. Anuar Tager had expected the experience to bring him and his daughter even closer, but neither had ever imagined it would be so positively poignant that they still can’t even quantify it in words. Therefore, although they have returned to their normal lives since filming concluded, their relationship is now stronger than ever before, thanks to a new sense of openness and understanding between them. Coming to their present standing, while Anuar has always preferred to keep his life well away from the limelight, we do know that the 58-year-old football fan is a Developer in Houston, Texas.
Anuar and his daughter’s mother separated in the early 2000s, when Andrea was just 3 years old. It appears that he has since devoted all his focus to his career and family while keeping his personal life out of the spotlight. As for the 25-year-old adventure enthusiast, Andrea, she has always had a deep desire to help others. Thus, she is presently utilizing her aptitude and skills to that end to the best of her abilities. The former Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), CPR Instructor, and Surgical Technologist is presently pursuing her MD at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Andrea also volunteers as a Surgical Technologist at the Faith In Practice non-profit in Guatemala whenever possible and does Global Emergency Medicine Research at Brown University.
Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo Are No Strangers to the Limelight
It was around 2023 that siblings Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo first applied to participate in the aforementioned show because of their love for it, but they didn’t get a response until much later. They were invited for the ensuing season yet had to say no owing to some personal reasons, so when the opportunity to come on for season 39 arose, they embraced it with their arms wide open. However, it’s imperative to note that neither Cody nor Jaime is a stranger to the world of competition or the limelight, considering they both have careers that involve the same on a large scale.
Cody kick-started his professional trajectory as a young man by working on a farm, and has since evolved into a man of many hats. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University in just 3 years (2013-2016), immediately after which he zeroed in on his passion. Since then, he has served as a Project Engineer at various businesses before ultimately securing a position at the construction company Flatiron Dragados in 2023. The Long Beach, California, resident continues to work there to this day, all the while also being a voice for sustainability, owning several investment properties, and pursuing acting as an additional path. The 36-year-old already has several credits under his belt, including ‘Triple Life with My Billionaire Crush’ (2024) and ‘My Secret Agent Husband 2’ (2025).
As for Jaime, she is a dietitian, nutrition/wellness content creator, public figure, and family woman who hasn’t shied away from sharing her life on social media over the past few years. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services from Western Illinois University in 2015, then immediately pursued her Master’s at Eastern Illinois University. She subsequently worked at different medical establishments and treatment centers, realizing somewhere along the way that she could reach a much wider audience through social media.
Therefore, the Tinley Park, Illinois, resident became a creator, helping people from across the globe on their health journeys and sharing snippets of her own life with them. The 33-year-old does this while also serving as a full-time Registered Dietitian at Nourish since November 2025 and an Adjunct Nutrition Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago since January 2026. She is also a family woman, having the unwavering love of her brother, two sisters, mother, and husband, Jonnathan “Jonny” Tribo, with whom she shares two adorable children, Kai and Anya.
Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire Are Pursuing Their Dreams
Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire of Placer County, California, have been best friends since they were 3, so they knew a thing or two about how to complement one another. However, their motivation for coming on the show was not winning; instead, it was to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is essentially a long version of their dream date. After all, the duo admittedly love nothing more than games/puzzles of all kinds, as well as traveling to new places to become familiar with different cultures, food, people, and traditions. Conner is establishing himself as an artist and content creator with the sole aim of living on the road. He documents not only the builds he is working on but also his extensive road trips, car camping adventures, and more, including a cross-country trip in his 30-year-old Mazda Miata.
Most recently, he traveled 7,000 miles from Tecate, Mexico, to Hyder, Alaska, in a Geo Metro convertible without stopping at a single hotel – he truly lived in the tiny car. As for Garrett, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering in 2021 and his Master’s Degree specializing in Water Engineering in 2022. So, the California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo alum has been serving as a Design Engineer at Sherwood Design Engineers since then. On a personal front, we should mention that the 27-year-old California resident is in a happy, healthy relationship with a woman named Madison Grigsby.
Dafina and Saran Dunmore Are Self-Made Women Navigating Various Avenues
Although Dafina and Saran Dunmore are sisters hailing from Chicago, Illinois, they consider themselves to be more like best friends because they have always been extremely close. They admittedly rely on one another a lot as they genuinely “love being sisters… We just think it’s such a special relationship. It’s like the one person you are 100% sure you can count on.” Therefore, the moment one of them came up with the idea of applying for the show, they knew they would have no one else by their side as a partner than their built-in forever best friend. That’s not to say they don’t have dissimilarities – they do, especially since they are drastically different people with drastically different career paths.
At 52, Dafina is juggling a corporate job she loves with her passion for music as a DJ. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City before diving headfirst into the world of finance. She served as a Financial Analyst and a Stock Analyst before becoming Associate Director at Fitch Ratings in 2007, where she gradually rose through the ranks. In fact, since April 2021, she has held the title of Senior Director, responsible for providing analytical leadership across various sectors in the company’s domain. Moreover, over the past few years, she has also been working as a DJ whose style blends Chicago house with afrobeats, disco, and modern jazz.
As for Saran, the Mass Communications graduate from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is a leading figure in the fitness industry as an entrepreneur and pioneer. The former Personal Trainer for MTV’s reality show ‘I Used To Be Fat’ and former Fitness Reporter at NBCUniversal is the Founder of an active-lifestyle leadership academy called Kids Leading Kids. Inspired by the success of her organization, she has since even established the KLK Fest, wherein everything her business offers is essentially done in a community setting, with her daughter also helping along the way. The 51-year-old music and travel enthusiast admits that her now 11-year-old daughter, Sanaa, is her inspiration.
Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby Have Started Building a Life Together
When we first came across Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby on our screens, they were just a couple who’d been dating for 1½ years and were excited to travel more of the world together. We specify “more” because the Alabama natives had already traversed a fair few locations, including the latter’s homeland of the Philippines, from where he was adopted at an early age. It was the former who suggested they apply for the show, since she grew up watching it as a fan, and when she began dating Dalton, she knew he was the perfect partner for the race and for her. Daisha and Dalton got engaged in December 2025 and tied the knot in a cozy ceremony surrounded by all their loved ones, a day before their season’s debut.
In other words, they happily got married on September 29, 2026, announcing on their long-running joint Instagram account that they are now officially the Hambys. Moving away from their personal lives, the Jacksonville State University alumni earned their Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Emergency Management, respectively. However, the 2022 graduates have chosen careers far removed from their educational backgrounds. They co-own Dhamby Productions and thus serve as videographers, creating audio-visual content for businesses, weddings, organizations, and social media. They also document their lives, adventures, and travels on their own personal social media accounts and YouTube channel. The current countdown of the countries they have visited is 32.
Doug and Dylan Matter Lead an Intentionally Active Life While Staying Close
Doug and Dylan Matter are a grandfather-grandson duo with a 54-year age difference, but it wasn’t as evident as many expected throughout their run on ‘The Amazing Race’ season 39. That’s not only because of the former’s fitness level at the age of 73, but also because the 19-year-old San Diego, California, native considers and treats him as one of his best friends. According to their own accounts, the youngster grew up 35 miles away from his beloved Pop, so they used to hang out a lot after school, watch the show together, and plan how to tackle each challenge. Therefore, when the opportunity to actually compete in the series came after they applied, they embraced it with open arms.
Doug was a firefighter for more than 30 years, so he gradually climbed the internal ladder before being appointed La Mesa Fire Department’s 8th Chief in 1998. Hence, he reportedly oversaw the opening of Fire Station 12 on Dallas Street in 1998 to accommodate the construction of State Route 125 and eventually retired in the 2000s with the same title. Since then, it appears he has been enjoying his retirement alongside the love of his life, Debra Matter, whom he has been married to for over 52 years as of writing. He is also surrounded by his children and grandchildren, who love hanging out with him and accompanying him for hikes, mountain biking, runs, and surfing. Among them is adrenaline buff Dylan, a sophomore at the University of Southern California, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication.
Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla Are Blissfully Preparing For the Next Stage of Life
Erin Taylor has admittedly been a fan of the show since she was 10 years old, so she convinced her life partner, Javier “Javi” Vintimilla, to apply for it as a birthday gift to her in 2024. That’s the same year they tied the knot – in a beautiful, dreamy ceremony surrounded by all their loved ones on November 16 – so they were over the moon when they were accepted in January 2025. They gradually became even more motivated to compete as they realized it was an opportunity to travel and test their communication in stressful situations in preparation for having kids one day. The potential $1 million grand prize at the end was also a significant factor.
After filming concluded in late 2025, Erin and Javi not only returned to their lives together in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but they also moved forward as proud dog parents and expectant parents. In other words, the couple is expecting to welcome a baby boy into their world around mid-November 2026. So, joyful excitement is evidently an understatement for what they are feeling right now. While Erin is a Florida State University Hospitality Management graduate turned Human Resources professional, Javi is an Aviation Expert. The 28-year-old has served as a Human Resources Director at Ultimate Jet Vacations since 2023, whereas the 30-year-old Florida State University Business Graduate currently works as a Pilot.
Read More: Outside Cast: Where Are They Now?
You must be logged in to post a comment.