Engaged dancers Dana and Matt finish first in 'The Amazing Race' Season 28
Engaged couple Dana Borriello and Matt Steffanina were named winners of the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race” Season 28, taking home the US$1,000,000 (AU$ 1.39 million) prize.
Virginia-based Matt, 30, and his 29-year old fiancé from New York are both dancers and choreographers. They managed to defeat Vine personality Cole LaBrant and his mother Sheri LaBrant who came in second place, as well as YouTubers and friends Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl who arrived last on the finish line.
After racing around the world for 12 legs, the three final teams traveled to their final destination, California. They were instructed to proceed to Angelus Plaza in LA, where one team member had to leap from a height of 130 feet to get the next clue which was hanging in mid-air.
The teams also traveled to Santa Barbara aboard a helicopter, then rode a dinghy from the harbour to look for the Theresa Ann boat for their next clue. They also had to participate in synchronised mountaineering at Gibraltar Rock. The final challenge was another Roadblock – the last for the season – located at the Grassini Family Vineyards in Santa Ynez. The challenge made one team member arrange letters and hashtags on a series of wine barrel lids to spell the names of the cities in the order visited on the Race. Afterwards, the representative had to hang them with the hashtags in the correct chronological order. Their final clue instructed the teams to search the grounds for the Finish Line, where "TAR" host Phil Keoghan was waiting for them.
Before winning the race, Matt and Dana came in second on Leg 11. They had a strong start on “The Amazing Race” Season 28 after finishing first on Leg 1. Throughout the race, they were always on the top five teams to arrive on the mat.
[READ: “'The Amazing Race' Season 28 Update: Get to know more about the 7 remaining teams”]
In their team profiles found at the CBS site, Dana describes herself as loyal, sarcastic and honest. She also says that she is most proud of having visited a lot of countries. “When I was younger, travel didn't seem like a real possibility and I am really proud that I have made that part of my life,” she reveals. Matt, who refers to himself as competitive, ambitious and reliable, says food is the most exciting about travelling. “In foreign countries you can do just about anything if you sign a waiver,” he adds.
When asked about the biggest challenge they would face as a team, Gerckens points out that they are both stubborn and control-freaks. “We will definitely find ourselves in a few power struggles,” she says. Matt agrees, predicting that they’ll have difficulty in decision-making. He also admits that Dana’s quick temper sets him off.
Both hope that “The Amazing Race” will help them make their relationship stronger. Matt says he wants to learn how to communicate better under pressure with my partner. Dana, on the other hand, says, “I hope that Matt and I can learn to work together better and really prove what an incredible team we can be together. I hope that being out of my comfort zone while racing will help me to get over that and be more comfortable to not be in control of every situation.”
Click here to watch "The Amazing Race" Season 28 finale titled "The Only First That Matters" Click here to see photos from the "TAR" finale which were posted on the show's official website.
