Best friends and American heroes Anthony and Spencer were fan-favorites on The Amazing Race season 33. Find out why they couldn't return to compete.

Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone were the "Hometown Heroes" team on The Amazing Race season 33 but revealed why they did not return to the competition after its extended COVID-19 hiatus. The childhood best friends were already proving themselves to be strong competitors in the Race and many fans were shocked to hear they wouldn't be back. So far, there's a lot to know about why the pair did not return to compete and whether they would want to go on another season.

In August 2015, Anthony and Spencer made headlines after they stopped a terrorist attack on a train to Paris. They were on vacation when an armed terrorist stormed their section of the train and Spencer heroically tackled the man. Since then, Anthony and Spencer received the highest honor possible by the French president and later wrote a book about their incredible experience. They also starred in a Clint Eastwood film about the attack where they played themselves.

Anthony and Spencer won the first leg of the race in London when it started filming in February 2020. They did not do as well on the second leg after wrongly decorating a cake with the Norwegian flag in a challenge. Alas, they bounced back and placed highly on the third leg of The Amazing Race season 33. Production then halted for a year and a half and all of the available teams returned in September 2021. In an interview with another Amazing Race team, twin sisters Lulu and Lala Gonzalez, on their YouTube channel, Anthony and Spencer talked about their decision not to come back.

The pair both wanted to come back and compete after The Amazing Race's unprecedented hiatus, but the timing was just not right. Spencer said that he was ready to go back, but his partner Anthony had just started a new financial advising job that he had been working towards for years. Anthony said that he was not able to take that much time off of work and the pair were upset that they could not finish what they started. The pair added that it's been hard watching the rest of The Amazing Race season 33 and seeing the fan support knowing that they would not be back. Anthony and Spencer also added that they would happily go on another season of The Amazing Race if the opportunity presented itself.

Anthony and Spencer told the other contestants that they had been friends since they were 12 years old. 17 years later, they were still close. The pair felt that their strong bond would help give them an edge on The Amazing Race season 33. They had also traveled together through Europe before, and they clearly worked well together under pressure given their backstory. Many fans and their competitors thought of Anthony and Spencer as frontrunners going into The Amazing Race and were disappointed that they could not return.

Next: Amazing Race: Are Caro & Ray Still Together After The Show?

The Amazing Race season 33 airs Wednesdays at 9 ET on CBS.

Source: Lulu Lala/YouTube