The Amazing Race winners Jas and Jag Bains recount discrimination and being called "terrorists" on the show

The Amazing Race season 38, featuring Big Brother alums, concluded on December 10, 2025, with brothers Jag and Jas Bains being crowned the winners.

The Bains were grateful for their journey and the victory, but they shared that it was not a smooth ride as they faced racial discrimination on various occasions during the show. 

In an interview with Parade, published on December 11, 2025, Jag and Jas, who made history as the first Punjabi Sikhs to win The Amazing Race, shared their experience of facing discrimination while racing across Europe. 

While the discrimination was not always explicit, sometimes it was enough to make them feel uncomfortable and realize that, at the end of the day, they looked different from the majority because of their turbans. 

From being rejected by taxi drivers to people barring them from entering stores, Jas and Jag encountered a variety of discriminatory behaviors.

Recounting one such incident, Jas told Parade that when they were in a taxi in Romania, the driver addressed them as “terrorists,” leaving them shocked.

“We were in the taxi, and the guy didn’t know any English. And he just looked back at us, and he was like, ‘Oh, boom, terrorists.’ And that’s all he was saying the entire time,” Jas said. 

However, even with that, they remained positive and determined to win the show. 

The Amazing Race season 38 winners Jas and Jag reveal that taxis would notice them only after they hid their turbans under their hoods

Out of all the instances, the one that viewers saw and the one that popped Jas and Jag’s “reality bubble” was when they struggled to get cab drivers to accept them in Hungary.

Looking back on the incident, Jas admitted that when the cab drivers discriminated against them because of their appearance, it brought him and his brother back to reality. 

“We are two people with turbans running this race around the world, and we are going to face racism and discrimination, right?” Jas said. 

After about 45 minutes of trying to get a cab, the brother revealed that they finally had to hide their turbans under their hoods. After doing that, they got a taxi within two minutes, which, to them, was “insane.”

It impacted their gameplay and their mindset, as Jas and Jag explained that they did not take cabs for the rest of the leg and only resorted to public transport, while their opponents continued as they were. 

That said, there were other smaller incidents, which, they admitted, they were “used to.”

“Like, we’re walking or running down a sidewalk, people crossing that sidewalk. We face that every day. We’re walking into a store to ask for directions. People are like, ‘No, you guys aren’t allowed in here.’ So you have those micro things that you face too,” Jas explained. 

Regardless, Jag mentioned that he did not want those experiences to stop them from achieving anything or from moving forward. 

Even when they saw other teams taking cabs and navigating the race comfortably, Jag did not want to let that feeling push them into a “negative mindset.” 

Consequently, he and his brother decided to do whatever they could to push through, even if that meant making “slower progress.”

Remembering the time when they were called “terrorists,” Jas mentioned that had it been any other time, he would have left the cab; however, he and Jag persevered because they knew it was crucial to their game. 

That said, the Bains brothers noted that it was a “full circle” moment for them when they got a Punjabi Sikh driver during their final leg in New York City. It not only boosted their confidence but also made them restore their belief in themselves. 

Speaking about their victory, Jas and Jag admitted that they felt “honored,” adding that the journey was “surreal” to them.

Stay tuned for more updates.