Who is The Challenge contestant James Wallington? The Amazing race alum got engaged to husband on the show

James Wallington is all set to participate in CBS' reality series The Challenge: USA, which will premiere on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 on the television network and will be streamed on Paramount+ throughout the summer. 28 contestants will mark their appearance and take their reality experience from shows like The Amazing Race, Love Island, Big Brother and Survivor to potentially win the competition.

James Wallington won his season of The Amazing Race, but that wasn't his biggest win. In the finale, after he and longtime partner Will Jardell were declared winners, the latter got down on one knee and popped the question. Three years after getting engaged, the pair wed in December 2021.

---

James Wallington and fellow Amazing Race alum Will Jardell are the first LGBTQ couple to get engaged on the show

The couple dated for four and a half years before participating in The Amazing Race in 2018. Will confessed that he had already planned to propose to James after the show, so them winning the season made the proposal even more special.

"I knew that I was going to do it while we were on the show, but James had no idea. I told the producers 'I'm going to propose to James while we're running around the world,' just because this show is his dream — childhood dream. And then it all just worked out perfectly that it was at the finish line when we won."

They are the first LGBTQ couple to get engaged on the show. The former revealed that it has inspired "a really strong and positive response from members of the community."

"It's been really nice and supportive, especially young gay youth who have reached out saying 'thank you for giving us hope' or 'thank you for giving me the courage to come out to my family. It's been really touching."

Amazing Race Season 32 winners James Wallington and Will Jardell tied the knot in December 2021. The duo met back in 2014 when Will was a contestant on Season 21 of America's Next Top Model and James competed in the 2013 CW series Capture with his sister Rebecca. The two bonded over their shared love for reality television and instantly hit it off.

They came into The Amazing Race as superfans and used their extensive knowledge of the race to become strong contenders. They founded the Main Five alliance, which went on to dominate the competition with their "controversial answer-sharing tactics," allowing the duo to make it to the final five, then the final three after which they won the competition.

After their marriage, the couple shared the good news with PEOPLE and said:

"Now that the moment is over, we can breathe, we can celebrate, we wipe all the joyful tears and start our new lives as husbands! We are overjoyed and feel so incredibly loved. We couldn't be happier."

Now James Wallington is set to compete on The Challenge: USA, and he aspires to bring his game face on. The 33-year-old Michigan native is an event coordinator and social media manager. The star has been managing events and weddings in Los Angeles for the past 11 years. He describes himself as "passionate, ambitious, outgoing."

His hobbies include hosting game nights with friends, traveling, party planning, musical theater, hiking with the couple's dog Zoey, watching competitive reality shows, and going to the movies.

The contestant has over 15K followers on Instagram where he constantly shares his activities, hiking trips, photos with friends, family, and more. He and husband Will have an Instagram account which has over 21K followers.

---

James Wallington will take part in The Challenge: USA alongside fellow The Amazing Race contestants including Cayla Platt and Leo Temory. The show will be filmed in Buenos Aires, with T.J. Lavin hosting the "most unpredictable and cutthroat game." The winners will include one male champion and one female champion, who will go on to compete in the upcoming Paramount+ tournament, The Challenge: Global Championship.