‘The Amazing Race 34’: Claire and Derek’s YouTube Recaps Teased How They Spent Their Prize Money
After a long journey together on The Amazing Race Season 34, Derek and Claire have taken home the grand prize. The Big Brother stars raced to the finish line in Wednesday, Dec. 7’s finale, and now, they’re starting the next chapter of their lives — with a big financial boost. Fans only just saw Derek and Claire win, but the couple may have hinted at their victory and how they spent the prize money in their Amazing Race recaps on YouTube.
What is the prize money for ‘The Amazing Race’?
Many fans of The Amazing Race are well aware that the winners take home $1 million each season. That’s what Claire and Derek walked away with after the finale.
However, what some viewers might not know is that the second and third-place winners get a decent cash prize, too. As E! News once reported, the second-place team gets $25,000 (Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert in season 34), and the third-place team gets $10,000 (Luis Colon and Michelle Burgos). Of course, these cash prizes are taxed.
How Claire and Derek might have hinted at their win in their ‘Amazing Race 34’ YouTube recaps
After Claire and Derek crossed the finish line on The Amazing Race, they revealed what they planned to do with the $1 million.
“Really, this million dollars is the first start of our lives together. We’re planning on getting an apartment, moving in together, and figuring out the rest of our lives,” Derek said.
Long before fans saw that moment on TV, Claire and Derek unveiled their new apartment on YouTube. The couple filmed episode 6 and onward of their Amazing Race recap series from the comfort of their new home. They shared a glimpse at the apartment in episode 6 (seen above), with Derek stating, “That $2,500 from the first leg went a long way.” Now, we’re thinking they probably dipped into the $1 million to snag their new place.
“Claire and I had been looking for an apartment for a really long time. We moved to LA, like, three months ago, but ‘move’ was really abstract. We just had a … short-term Airbnb,” Derek added.
Derek and Claire met on Big Brother Season 23 last summer. They developed a close friendship but didn’t officially announce their relationship until October 2021, after the season ended. As Derek revealed in The Amazing Race 34 finale, they had been dating for nine months already when they started the race.
Claire and Derek have another plan for ‘The Amazing Race’ prize money
The apartment isn’t the only thing Derek and Claire wanted to spend The Amazing Race prize money on. In an interview with KTLA back in September, the reality stars said they had “ambitious” plans to get a dog.
“When we win the million, the big plan is to get a dog with all our expenses,” Claire said. “It will be a very expensive dog, I guess. Or maybe we’ll get a nice adopted dog, potentially.”
Fans will have to keep an eye on Derek’s and Claire’s social media to see if they find a four-legged roommate!
The Amazing Race 34 is available to watch on Paramount+. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates on next season, The Amazing Race 35.
