James Wallington will be in The Challenge: the USA, which premieres on CBS on July 6, 2022, and airs on Paramount+ throughout the summer. 28 participants from The Amazing Race, Love Island, Big Brother, and Survivor will compete. The Amazing Race was not James Wallington’s greatest triumph. Will Jardell proposed in the finals after he and his longtime partner won. The couple married in 2021, three years after being engaged.
First LGBTQ couple to get engaged on Amazing Race is James Wallington and Will Jardell.
The pair dated for 4 1/2 years before The Amazing Race. Will intended to propose to James after the concert, but winning made it more meaningful. “James didn’t know I’d do it on the program. I told the producers, “I’ll propose to James while we’re traveling the globe,” since this is his boyhood fantasy. The finish line was the right place to win.”
It’s the show’s first LGBTQ engagement. The former has a “strong and enthusiastic community reaction.”
“Young homosexual teenagers have contacted out to say ‘thank you for giving us hope’ or ‘thank you for giving me the confidence to come out to my family.’ It’s moving.”
James Wallington and Will Jardell married in 2021. Will was a competitor on Season 21 of America’s Next Top Model and James participated in Capture alongside his sister Rebecca. They hit it off through their love of reality TV. Superfans, leveraged their racing expertise to become formidable challengers. They created the Main Five alliance, which dominated the tournament using “controversial answer-sharing practices,” enabling them to reach the last five, then the final three, and win.
The newlyweds told PEOPLE:
“Now that the moment is done, we can breathe, rejoice, and start our lives as spouses. We’re so happy and adored. We’re overjoyed.”
James Wallington hopes to bring his A-game to The Challenge: USA. Event planner and social media manager from Michigan, 33. Since 2001, the celebrity has managed Los Angeles parties and weddings. He’s “passionate, ambitious, extroverted.”
His interests include hosting game evenings, traveling, party planning, musical theater, hiking with the couple’s dog Zoey, and watching reality TV. The competitor has over 15K Instagram followers where he highlights his hobbies, hiking excursions, and more. They have almost 21K Instagram followers. Cayla Platt and Leo Temory will join James Wallington on The Challenge: USA. T.J. Lavin will host the program in Buenos Aires. Winners will participate in Paramount+’s The Challenge: Global Championship.