Lake Macquarie newlyweds Tim Sattler and Rod Jones toughed out a 23-day race around the globe to become the winners of The Amazing Race Australia on Tuesday night.
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The couple, aged 29 and 28 respectively, beat 10 other teams to take home the $250,000 cash prize.
"This journey, this race, this insane crazy adventure we've all been a part of, it's the most fun we've ever had in our lives," Tim said.
"We've learnt so much about each other and at the end of the day we're still together after something like this. I'm so in love with him."
Rod added: "If our marriage can last The Amazing Race, it can last a lifetime."
When The Amazing Race Australia kicked off in October, 11 teams set out and travelled through South Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Africa and Thailand.
On Tuesday night, the final three teams - Tim and Rod, Indigenous couple Jasmin and Jerome and siblings Viv and Joey - took on the last leg of the grand adventure in the Top End, Northern Territory.
After tackling the last series of challenges, Tim and Rod, hand-in-hand, were the first to cross the finish line where show host Beau Ryan declared them the winners of The Amazing Race Australia.
The couple both grew up in Lake Macquarie and at one point lived around the corner from each other in Charlestown.
They did not cross paths, however, until their late 20s when they befriended each on social media.
"We had mutual friends but we hadn't met in our entire lives," Tim said.
"It sounds corny but as soon as I met Rod I thought, 'Wow, I want this guy in my life for the rest of my life'. I found everything I was searching for."
"Tim asked me out three times on Facebook and I kept thinking, 'He's way too good looking, he won't be interested in me,'" Rod said.
"I made some excuses but finally I said 'Yes'. I remember I told my mum, 'I think I just found my husband.'"
With that navigational challenge behind them, the Teralba couple signed up for the all-Australian reboot of reality television classic The Amazing Race.
Tim and Rod, both personal trainers, described the adventure as "Honeymoon 2.0".
"We thought as a couple's adventure what better way was there to test the relationship and do something out of the box," Rod said. "We grew up as fans of the show and it was a great goal for us."
Rod, who grew up in Caves Beach and Belmont, said the show proved that he and his husband could "go through anything together".
"I am so proud of Tim, how he battled through and was so encouraging of me when I was stressing out. It's great to know we can handle really stressful situations."
Tim said their fitness and the fact they did know how to handle conflict were advantages in the race, however, he described the competition as fierce.
"Right off the bat there was big threats and who they turned out to be definitely provided surprises," he said.
"I think people are going to be shocked to their core at some of the situations we end up in. We went to insane places I never thought in my wildest dreams we'd go to."
The pair said they were impressed with the diversity of teams on the show, including nuns, social media "influencers", farmers and firefighters.
