The Amazing Race teammates Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone didn't return for the restart of Season 33 after a 19-month coronavirus shutdown, and now the childhood friends are explaining why.

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The Amazing Race executive producers decided to stop filming after three legs in Glasgow, Scotland and postpone filming Season 33 once COVID-19 began to spread in February 2020.

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Production restarted 19 months later in Switzerland, but Anthony and Spencer were one of four teams who weren't able to come back and resume their race for #1 million.

"We definitely wanted to come back, but... 19 months or whatever it was later, we were just, like, it was a totally different world we were looking at when we came back," Anthony said during a joint Wednesday appearance with Spencer on Lulu & Lala's YouTube channel.

"Twins and Radio Hosts" Marianela "Lulu" Gonzalez and Marissa "Lala" Gonzalez also raced on Season 33, and they were one of five returning teams to start fresh in Switzerland after the COVID-19 hiatus.

Anthony explained of his team's absence, "I had actually just started a career job. I was doing financial advising that I had been doing for the past couple of years."

"And I kind of just got the position I had been wanting for a while," he said. "And I just, at that time in my life, I couldn't take that much time off."

Spencer, on the other hand, acknowledged how he had been "ready to rock" when The Amazing Race invited them back to begin Leg 4.

"So, I mean, we were both sad that we couldn't come back. And I'm sad watching the episodes, knowing that we couldn't go back either," Spencer said. "It's hard to even post anything."

Anthony said all of their friends and family were well aware they had competed on the show's 33rd season.

"But not everybody knows that we didn't go back," Anthony revealed. "I feel like we're going to let them down."

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Now that Wednesday night's The Amazing Race episode aired on CBS, the cat is out of the bag.

"We're going to have to explain it, but it is what it is," Anthony noted. "It was just a timing thing, really."

Lulu and Lala pointed out how the guys had done very well during their short-lived experience on the show, and Anthony and Spencer expressed interest in maybe appearing on a future season of The Amazing Race.

"We would go back, yeah," Anthony confirmed.

But Spencer admitted racing in the future may not be the same because he and Anthony had really vibed with the Season 33 cast.

"We had a pretty solid cast and we got to bond because of COVID and it being shutdown and everything," Spencer shared.

"And I look at other seasons -- and I might be biased because we're on this season -- but it just seems like we had a good cast overall, like from the beginning," Anthony acknowledged.

Anthony added, "No matter what everybody's story was, it just seemed like it made for good TV. So definitely our cast, Season 33, was special, I feel like."

The men reiterated how they've just been working hard in the last year or so and would "someday" love to race again or be attached to a similar project.

In the meantime, Chris is still doing a lot of public speaking and said he's trying to pursue acting as well as sell a TV show that he's been putting together for a few years.

As far as their dating lives go, Spencer said he's taken but Anthony confirmed he's "single and taking applications."

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During last week's The Amazing Race episode, host Phil Keoghan gathered the remaining nine teams together after Leg 3 in Scotland to announce, "The Amazing Race has traveled over a million miles around the world and visited almost 100 countries. And from Day 1, our No. 1 priority has been to make sure that all of you are safe."

"Right now, the world is dealing with the coronavirus, and in order to keep you safe, we believe the best choice for all of us is to suspend the Race."

Phil added, "In an ideal world, the planets will align and we will pick this Race back up again and hopefully have all of you starting the Race again. We understand the sacrifices all of you have made, and we know to have you all come back and start back on this race again would be challenging."

Phil told the teams they could return home, regroup, and come back "better and faster" than they were in the beginning.

"You guys are one of a kind, and we want to see you go home safe to your families," Phil announced. "Thank you very much!"

And a whopping 19 months later, The Amazing Race picked back up in St. Gallen, Switzerland with only five teams.

The teams who gathered together that day were "Best Friends" Ryan Ferguson and Dusty Harris, "Flight Attendants" Raquel Moore and Cayla Platt, "Twins and Radio Hosts" Marianela "Lulu" Gonzalez and Marissa "Lala" Gonzalez, "Internet Personalities" Kim Holderness and Penn Holderness, and "Married Educators" Akbar Cook Sr. and Sheridan Cook.

In addition to Anthony and Spencer, the other teams who were unable to resume the Race were "Married Couple" Connie Greiner and Sam Greiner, "YouTube Sensations" Taylor Green-Jones and Isaiah Green-Jones, and "Dating Couple" Caro Viehweg and Ray Gantt.

"Not everybody had the ability to come back and race for that $1 million prize. So, a few familiar faces [are] taking their place!" Phil declared.

Suddenly, two previously-eliminated Season 33 teams came running out and cheering: "Singing Police Officers" Michael and Moe as well as "Father and Daughter" Arun Kumar and Natalia Kumar.

None of the returnees seemed upset that producers had welcomed back two teams they had already beaten and eliminated given the times.

During an interview with Us Weekly earlier this month, Phil said the teams who were able to restart The Amazing Race after a lengthy hiatus were "in high spirits" with "a tremendous amount of anticipation... and comradery."

Phil noted that the cast was both "excited" but also "super emotional" to be back.

"What people have been through, it hasn't been easy for people. Everybody has faced hardships, job losses, and [deaths] of people who are close to them," Phil shared.

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Once filming resumed, teams learned some adjustments and changes had been made to ensure their safety.

The teams flew in a private chartered plane, ran a limited race route through a handful of Mediterranean countries with "remote areas or small cities" where coronavirus infection rates were low, and were constantly tested for the virus on the road.

The teams also avoided public transportation and reportedly engaged with only vaccinated locals.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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