'Goat Farmers' win 'The Amazing Race'

Josh Kilmer-Purcell, along with his fiancé, Brent Ridge, won the 21st season of “The Amazing Race” on Sunday night. Kilmer-Purcell stated on Monday that he would be quitting his job at advertising agency JWT New York and joining Ridge in Sharon Springs, N.Y., where the couple owns a farm that has been featured in another reality TV series, “The Fabulous Beekman Boys” and is also the subject of a book titled “The Bucolic Plague”.

Throughout the season, the couple was identified onscreen by the host network, CBS, as “goat farmers.” All competing pairs were given unique descriptions that were superposed on the screen when they appeared. In the final moments of the finale, just after the couple had won the $1 million prize, Kilmer-Purcell went on to tell Ridge that having won this race would bring the couple together for another fifty years.

Kilmer-Purcell lives independently in an apartment the couple owns in Manhattan and was working as a creative director at JWT New York, which is part of the JWT division of WPP. Ridge, most recently, worked at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. The couple used to meet on their farm every weekend.

Kilmer-Purcell, who is 43, said in a phone interview that he had been in talks with JWT about leaving the company. One of the main reasons behind this is the couple’s business is based on the farm. The farm sells products such as soaps and linens along with stationery and cookbooks. Kilmer-Purcell also said that the business has been growing.

He further said that competing in “The Amazing Race” might have delayed his decision to leave the firm. Had he announced that he was leaving when the show was still eliminating contestants, people might have gone on to assume that the reason behind his departure was the couple’s first-place finish. He intends to wrap up his work at the agency within the year and hopes for a smooth transition. He said that he would also be open to returning to work if the firm requires him on a project basis.

Brent Ridge, 38, along with Kilmer-Purcell, was hopeful for “The Fabulous Beekman Boys” to be picked up for a third season now that the couple has won “The Amazing Race”. That reality series featured the couple’s life on the farm and ran for two seasons on the Planet Green cable channel. The channel was part of Discovery Communications before being taken off air. The couple have been together for 15 years and state that if the show is picked up for a third season, it might signal wedding bells for the duo.