The Amazing Race has always been welcoming to the LGBTQ community, featuring queer couples and people competing. In its 36th season, CBS’s Emmy-winning reality competition series welcomed two LGTBQ couples and one of them would have a near-perfect race to win the whole season.
Couple Ricky Rotandi, a 34-year-old preschool teacher, and Cesar Aldrete, a 34-year-old chef and food stylist, competed against coupleYvonne Chavez and Melissa Mainas well as 11 other teams on the series. ON the May 15 season finale they conquered the final leg in Philadelphia. After traveling over 11,700 miles all over the globe, they were the first to cross the finish line first and win the grand prize of $1,000,000.
Rotandi and Aldrete saw themselves as underdogs but that quickly faded away as the pair slayed the season, winning seven of the 11 legs including the final, and never placing below third. This marks the one of the best — if notthebest track records in the history of the franchise.
The couple add to the rainbow circle ofAmazing Racewinners that includes Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge from season 21; Will Jardell and James Wallington from season 32; as well as then-couple Reichen Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt, Jr. from season 4.
GLAAD had the opportunity to talk to newly crowned winners about competing as a couple, defying the “underdog” label, and the importance of LGTBQ representation on shows likeThe Amazing Race.
When you first started dating, did you ever see yourselves competing in The Amazing Race?
CESAR ALDRETE: I mean, I’ve always wanted to be on the show! I have talked about applying with a friend, with a cousin but like, I just never saw it feasible because I wanted to wait until I was “fit.“ I just thought of it as a race and seeing how hard it is just made me stop…but then, if something happened to the show or if it got canceled because of COVID, I didn’t want to regret never applying and at that point, I had proved to myself that Ricky was a perfect partner for me, especially for a situation like The Amazing Race.
RICKY ROTANDI: I never saw myself going on any type of reality television show until I met Cesar. We had applied for another show together and we didn’t get a chance to do it. That show didn’t work out and I’m thankful it didn’t because we applied for The Amazing Race and we got on! And I’m very happy that we did! I wouldn’t have ever thought to apply for a show and I probably wouldn’t have done a show with anyone else.
You dominated the season, winning seven legs including the final, and never really dropping below third. Is it possible to even have a strategy with how unpredictable The Amazing Race can be? What was your general plan?
RR: I think the race is extremely unpredictable and having a specific plan is kind of hard. In general, we knew going into it that we needed to be flexible and take each clue and each challenge as it came and not overthink. Our biggest strategy was fast decision-making. Reading a clue under stress and making the right choice is not easy, however, I think this is where we excelled
CA: We prepared a lot! We put a lot of effort into being ready for any scenario, and I think more than anything, we worked on communication and adaptability. Also, we focused on some skills that come into play every season, something like choreography. Ricky’s great at it because he studied and has a background in musical theater but I pretty much have two left feet. We realized that the way Ricky learns and teaches is not the easiest way for me to learn choreography. He would be like “1-2-3-4” and I would need a “left arm up, stomp right foot”. So having that understanding to rely on each other and pivot quickly, before going on the race, could save us some time.
What were some of the biggest challenges for you in the competition as racers and as a couple
CA: I think my insecurities of not being “fit”, when we applied, I had to leave aside some of those because we were like “We’re doing it, there are no regrets, we might get a chance actually on being on the show“. To our surprise we got a call back the day after applying so we started training right away. Physicality was something that we needed to work on but the biggest challenge was, once we got to see all the other teams, not putting ourselves down.
I thought of us as the underdogs and just these two cute chubby guys on which I was proven wrong. As a couple, I think we surprised ourselves at how well we did because we relied on each other and we learned to trust each other to the fullest.
RR: I think the biggest challenge in the competition was that we had to trust ourselves but also each other — and it was a little bit scary at first. You’re not sure what the race is going to entail so trusting each other can be hard. We had a lot of self-driving legs during the race which meant we were navigating to a lot of the locations. As the driver I had to fully trust Cesar to get us where we needed to go — not easy for someone who likes to be in control. However, it turned out for the best. We were able to accomplish a lot, we won 7 legs of the race! A little trust goes a long way!
What is the one moment (besides winning) this season that you will remember forever?
RR: I think the one moment that I’ll remember forever is the Murga singing and dancing. The challenge itself was so much fun. We genuinely were having a good time even though we were competing and being judged — oh and I got to show off my high kicks.
CA: I agree. I feel like we were kids again and just having fun. We had been waiting for costumes to wear during the race. However, the whole leg in Guatapé, Colombia felt like the perfect date. It was a day where we worked well together. We achieved something physical… going up those steps and being the first ones there. It was really meaningful for me because we proved self-prejudice wrong. Then [we were able] to see the beautiful landscapes. It was our first time winning first place so in that way Guatapé will hold a special place in my heart forever.
What was one thing that surprised you about yourself while competing on The Amazing Race?
RR: I think being queer kind of gave us an advantage. We were able to put all of our strengths and experiences into action. Growing up we were exposed to more of the masculine things but as adults, we were able to enjoy more artsy things — the stereotypically feminine things.
CA: Not being afraid of doing absolutely anything — whether it is wearing those colorful costumes or paragliding. I think growing up in a more conservative society we were sometimes categorized into boxes. I learned welding in junior high because that was for “men” and I could not go to home economics or crafts because that was for “women“. So now I have this skill from 20 years ago that I wouldn’t have necessarily picked to learn, but it came in handy in the race. I think floating between skills and not being afraid to adapt without judgment helped a lot.
RR: The other thing that surprised me was my ability to not give up. I knew that I had determination but being able to follow through and just push myself harder and harder each day
CA: I agree — I think we surprised ourselves and we surprised everyone with our stamina.
In addition to you, Yvonne and Melissa also competed making it the first season in 36 seasons to have two LGBTQ couples compete. What did it mean to you to have this kind of representation on broadcast TV?
RR: I think it’s incredible that this season we had two LGBTQ couples competing! I’m very thankful that it happened. Positive queer representation on TV is more important than ever. With our stressful political and social climate we need to see more representation on TV that shows normalization of queer relationships and families.
CA: We love Yvonne and Melissa… and now Vivian Rose! I have to give The Amazing Race credit because, since the very first season, they included queer couples. On top of that, something that they were really good about this season was showing the way Ricky and I are with public displays of affection. We celebrated with kisses. They showed a lot of those! Although it makes some people uncomfortable, I bet little Ricky or little Cesar are so proud of the men that we have grown up to be — being super comfortable or our skin.
RR: Also having Yvonne and Melissa there to show a positive lesbian representation was important. You don’t always see two young women sharing the life, love, and joys of starting a family on national TV. Props to CBS and The Amazing Race for picking and showing these two couples that are genuine, natural, loving, and a regular part of society. It is very special and should be done more often.
What does it mean to you, as an LGBTQ couple to win The Amazing Race and how do you hope it speaks to the community at large?
CA: Re-watching our experience and the way that we communicated with each other surprised me — how well we handled it. I mean, we never analyze ourselves like that. That’s why we never expected to receive this much love and support with so many messages about us showing a healthy queer relationship. On the other side, now seeing it as a viewer, I see how gay, lesbian, or queer couples don’t have to be “the drama”. We, as any other couple, can just reflect our love for each other. I hope that this helps more people to let go of their prejudices. It’s not every day that you see a “teddy bear” looking couple win this kind of competition.
RR: Seeing ourselves puts things into perspective on how couples are highlighted in mainstream media and national television. A queer person is seen as entertainment. In our case, there is some performance aspect but we were there to compete — but we were also seen as a genuine couple just being ourselves [and] showing genuine love with minimal drama or tension. It is just one person loving another person. We’ve received some comments of people being uncomfortable seeing so much kissing from two men. Honestly, the fact that we’re causing this conversation is awesome. CBS and The Amazing Race are showing all our PDA! That’s awesome! I think that is a big step. Everyone can just see it as something normal.
CA: Love is love is love is love.
Would you do it again if they did an all-star season of The Amazing Race?
CA:Anytime! Tomorrow! We’re just hoping that we get the call!
RR: Yes, waiting for the call. If it’san all-stars season we’re ready for it. I mean, I don’t know how they would do it. Maybe it would be an all-winners season. We had a great experience so I would love to go back and do it again.
CA: We’reready anytime Amazing Race! We’re ready to come back!
This interview was edited for clarity.
