Having raced across the world, and faced countless detours, road blocks and pit stops, on Sunday night Toni and Heath were crowned the winners of The Amazing Race Australia 2022.
“I still can’t believe that we’ve done it, even though we’ve watched ourselves on TV and shared the experience with family and friends,” Toni told 10 play, “I’m like, we’ve done all that and it was just this year but I can’t believe it. It’s not sinking in, and it’s definitely not sinking in that we won!”
Standing in the final leg of the race alongside Angel and Frankie and Kelly and Georgia, Toni and Heath were at the back of the pack. You could tell all three teams felt the emotional weight of the final pit stop being within arms reach.
“I thought I was stressed throughout the race and then just went to a new level,” Heath said. “I just felt like I couldn’t think clearly, the stress was overwhelming.”
“Ripping that envelope in Perth, knowing we had to get on a flight [and] waiting around in the airport,” Toni continued, “we just wanted to crack on. You just want to start because you’re getting anxious and nervous and you just want to make sure that you can calm down and give it your all and not make stupid mistakes.
“It was probably one of the most nervous days of our lives,” she added.
Toni and Heath were at the back of the pack, and a small mistake saw them fall further behind the teams. But it was a road block where teams had to collect a bucket and spade from a hotel before searching 200 sandcastles for a button where the tide turned in their favour.
“We lucked out,” Heath said, “I’m so grateful, but I could have been the same as the others, sifting through 200 sandcastles and not finding it.”
Driving to collect their bucket in second place, Toni and Heath noticed that the team ahead of them — Angel and Frankie — hadn’t collected theirs. Unaware that Angel and Frankie had gone straight to the beach and had to double back to get their bucket and spade, Toni and Heath slid into first place.
When they found their button, they had a clear lead on the other two teams who struggled to find their buttons in their sandcastles. But Toni and Heath had no idea how much of a lead they had, admitting that on their way to the final puzzle challenge they assumed they had fallen back into second place.
“We didn’t exactly know where the lighthouse was,” Heath said, “when we drove past it we thought maybe Kelly and Georgia were right there…. We thought, oh god they’ve overtaken us here.”
Arriving at the final challenge, the pair also had no idea just how close they were to the final pit stop. Having taken copious notes throughout the race when they noticed clock towers, they managed to smash through the race and ripped open the final clue.
“I think I read the clue out so quickly that I had to redo it because I was just like, ‘Oh my god it’s Beau and the biggest prize ever!’” Toni said, laughing.
Racing to Beau, the pair were completely overwhelmed when they saw him, knowing they were in first place.
“I think we just started jumping around like crazy people, bouncing. The smiles were huge,” Toni said.
“I remember Toni collapsing on the mat and I just completely ignored her and was just jumping around,” Heath said as the pair laughed.
Reflecting on the moment when the pair were confronted with the other 10 teams they were competing against they both admitted they never thought they’d be the team to take home the biggest prize yet.
“We went on The Amazing Race to see a few countries and have some amazing experiences, meet some fabulous people,” Toni explained.
“We always said we’re on this for the experience, there’s no chance we’d win, and then… here we are,” Heath added.
Arriving at the final pit stop the pair were greeted not just by Beau but also a handful of the recently eliminated teams which was an added bonus for Toni and Heath.
“Just to see how happy they were for us because they all wanted it,” Toni said, “they all would have loved to have won, but they were genuinely happy. It was great to share that with people like Steph and Lauren and Chelsea and Jamus.”
Throughout the race, Toni spoke about her terminal cancer diagnosis. Seeing it back had obviously been emotional, but she admitted to being overwhelmed by the love and support from fans whose lives have also been impacted in some way by cancer.
“I’ve had so many messages through our Instagram, people reaching out who have got the dreadful disease, or have lost somebody they have loved, and that’s one of the big reasons why we went on [The Amazing Race],” Toni said.
“Because I’m feeling so good and cancer probably will get me one day, but for now I’m feeling wonderful and if I can inspire other people who get that dreadful news… I think it’s good for them to know that, even if they get such a terminal diagnosis like myself, you can still live a healthy, active life for a number of years I hope.
“People should apply,” Toni continued, “just do it. They get wrapped up in normal day-to-day work stuff but, to do something like this is just one of the best things we’ve ever done, and probably ever will do.
“Yes it was hard and stressful and anxiety-provoking but it was also just so incredible. I can’t quite believe what we’ve done.”
