It was love at first set of squats.
Amidst the clinking of weights and the rhythmic hum of treadmills at Equinox in Midtown Manhattan, Joe Moskowitz and Ian Todd’s love story unfolded.
Their eyes had been engaged in a silent dance during midday workouts for months, but their flirtation reached its peak on the ab mat.
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The casual eye flirtation became a lunchtime ritual, a connection that neither could deny. Then, like a plot twist in a romantic novel, Joe vanished from the gym scene.
Unbeknownst to Ian, Joe was off on a month-long escapade in Africa with friends. Ian, feeling the void left by Joe’s absence, thought their unspoken connection was lost forever. 💔
However, fate had other plans.
Weeks later, as Ian was leaving Equinox, he spotted Joe back from his African adventure. At that moment, Ian decided it was now or never. Swiftly getting dressed, he followed Joe out of the gym and introduced himself.
A coffee date at Bluestone Lane was set for the following day, and from that moment on, Joe and Ian became inseparable. Their love story, born amidst the clang of weights and the whir of gym equipment, grew stronger and eventually developed into an engagement in Thailand and a stint on the 35th season of The Amazing Race, where they finished in tenth place.
Queerty recently caught up with Joe and Ian to chat about their engagement, their experience on The Amazing Race, and what’s next for the happy couple. Here’s what they had to say…
QUEERTY: What’s your ideal date night?
IAN TODD: We’re more into a date “day.” We love to be outdoors. On the weekends, we’ll do a morning Barry’s class together, followed by cooking breakfast and exploring a new neighborhood in the city. You can catch us popping into furniture stores, grabbing a good mezcal cocktail in the West Village, or walking on the Westside Highway, where Joe will stop to say hi to every dog he sees.
What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done for one another?
IAN: Well, Joe hasn’t done laundry in almost six years, so… there’s that! During our first Christmas together, I got Joe a trip to Switzerland. Neither of us had been, and it seemed like the perfect trip for us to take together. We flew into Geneva and drove up to Zurich. Outside of that, we had zero plans. We stopped along the way, booking hotels the night before and staying until we felt like we’d seen what we wanted to see. It was spontaneous, which is hard for me, but also romantic. And a way for us to really get to know each other and how well we’d travel together.
JOE MOSKOWITZ: On that same Switzerland trip, we each got a bracelet from a local artist at one of the small towns we drove through. We always make sure to check out the art markets wherever we go. They were beaded bracelets, and upon getting back to NYC, Ian’s bracelet happened to get caught on something and break, losing three or four of the beads and making the bracelet unwearable. He was sad and tossed it. I sneakily grabbed it out of the trash and proceeded to visit every bead store and jewelry store I could find in Manhattan, trying to find replacements that matched. Strikeout after strikeout until finally, after many days of trying, I found ones that would work and fixed the bracelet. It’s the small things, right?
How was the proposal?
JOE: Pretty epic. It was also Ian’s birthday trip, and we had five people join who are very special to us. The sun was rising, and we were on a floating hut in the middle of Khao Sok National Park, surrounded by nature with no cell service. Ian got down on one knee after reminiscing about all the fun/crazy/incredible travels we had over our first five years together. I was stunned but eventually said yes after the shock wore off. It seemed like an eternity.
IAN: We’re now a year into our engagement and haven’t made any wedding plans yet, but we’re thinking something small, exotic, and off the beaten path.
What’s something that drives you crazy, either in a good way or a bad way, about each other?
IAN: Joe is late to just about everything. It drives me crazy. He was late to our first date, and I’m confident he’ll be late to our wedding, too. It won’t ever change, and I’ve come just to expect it. Now, if it’s important, I just tell him a time that’s 30 minutes in advance of when I actually need him there. This caused a ton of frustration at the beginning of our relationship and was something I wasn’t sure I’d be able to overcome. We’ve made some progress but we’re not quite where we need to be yet, after all it’s only been six years.
JOE: Ian’s nose is always stuffy and running, and he refuses to use tissues because they’re just too weak. So, a paper towel it is! A paper towel on the dresser, a paper towel on the kitchen counter, in the pocket of these pants, those shorts, that jacket, and the other jacket. They’re everywhere! I bet you can guess whether or not they also end up in the wash.
Was there ever a time when things got rocky for you two? How did you get through it?
JOE: When NYC shut down during COVID, we were part of the mass exodus that left Manhattan and fled to Florida. Only it wasn’t a cute Miami moment… it was the Panhandle with Ian’s parents.
IAN: Living with your parents in your 30s is hard. Living with your parents and your partner in your 30s is impossible. Things got rocky. We fought. My parents fought. And everyone was on edge some days. To reset, we’d get outside: go kayaking and work out in the driveway. Really anything to get some alone time. The sun and the outdoors were our respite. We’re thankful for that time with my family but not dying to do that again any time soon.
How did you like competing on The Amazing Race with each other?
IAN: We loved it, and we’d do it again in a heartbeat. You don’t ever get to spend uninterrupted time with your partner like we did on The Amazing Race. Cheesy? Sure, but spending time with just the two of us was exactly what our relationship needed. In NYC, it’s go, go, go all the time, and The Amazing Race allowed us to slow down to appreciate one another again. We’d sit down after a long day racing, and instead of burying ourselves in Instagram on the couch, we’d reflect on the day, on our communication, and how we could improve our standings on the show and also as a couple.
25 years from now, where do you see each other?
IAN: Perfect world; we’re retired and have a fitness-inspired B&B in a coastal town. Think onsite gym and lots of available activities like bikes, paddleboards, and yoga. We’ve talked a lot about what this would look like: Joe would run a coffee shop on the first level, and we’d have five to 10 rooms that we’d rent out, ideally in Spain or Australia. Oh, and we’ll also have a dog…
JOE: Three or four dogs!
IAN: Joe will be his cool-as-a-cucumber self, not a worry in the world, and I will be balancing the finances, cleaning the already clean house, and being my wound-tight self.
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How much do you get paid to run these puff pieces on social media influencer wannabes? It’s not cute. Their platitudes are so banal.