Skip to main content

Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss took a risk on The Amazing Race 34 in episode 9, but it could pay off in the end. Wednesday. Nov. 16’s episode saw the Final 5 begin a Megaleg in Spain. Derek and Claire came neck-and-neck with another Amazing Race team, Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez. Still, Derek and Claire pulled a surprising move by helping Aubrey and David through a Detour. Some fans criticized the help, but the strategy made sense. Here’s why.

[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for The Amazing Race Season 34 Episode 9.]

Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez cook fish on a beach on The Amazing Race 34.
Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez in ‘The Amazing Race’ Season 34 Episode 9. | CBS

Many fans of ‘The Amazing Race 34’ were shocked to see Derek and Claire helping Aubrey and David in the Final 5

In one of the Detours in episode 9, teams had to prepare plates of cooked sardines. Derek and Claire were the first to arrive at the Fish Fry Detour, giving them a head start to get the hang of the process: skewer the fish, salt them, and cook them over an open flame before putting them on a plate.

A little while later, Aubrey and David arrived. They started to follow the cooking steps, but they missed one key detail: salt. Derek was kind enough to remind them of the missing step and show them how to do it. He also advised them to add more fish than needed and follow the steps exactly to get it right.

“Hopefully that will pay off later, and they’ll help us in the next leg,” Derek said in a confessional.

Claire didn’t have a problem with helping either, adding, “We are willing to help you up until it’s not helpful for us. And then we’re gonna be cutthroat.”

Some fans were surprised at how much Derek did to help Aubrey and David. After all, The Amazing Race 34 is down to its Final 5, which is typically every team for itself.

“I am NOT nice enough to give advice or help out another team at this stage of the race,” one fan tweeted.

“Why even help them? You know next time they will not help you back really,” another person wrote. 

Why it made sense for Derek and Claire to help Aubrey and David on ‘The Amazing Race’

Derek and Claire are no strangers to forming alliances, as they competed on Big Brother 23 last summer. Of course, BB23 also showed them how often alliances could fail. Derek and Claire likely felt confident enough on The Amazing Race to help another team without risking their spot. If Aubrey and David help them out in the future, that’s great, but if not, it might not make much of a difference.

Derek and Claire helping Aubrey and David on The Amazing Race could also be a smart strategy to knock out other teams. With the assist, Aubrey and David were able to complete the Detour shortly after Derek and Claire. That left Michael and Marcus Craig and Molly Sinert and Emily Bushnell at the bottom of the pack — two of the strongest teams in the Final 5 and the biggest threats to Derek and Claire. If one of those teams is eliminated, it could lead to an easier win for Derek and Claire.

Many fans on Reddit agreed this would be smart thinking on Derek and Claire’s part.

“I think part of it is that he knows [he] and Claire are stronger than the team they’re helping. They’d rather help them and compete against them than help some of the other teams,” one fan wrote in a discussion about the episode.

“Smart move of Big Brother to help the other team, keep Marcus and Michael down and out,” another user wrote.

Fans will see if Derek and Claire’s strategy paid off in ‘The Amazing Race 34’ Episode 10

Related

‘The Amazing Race 34’: Derek and Claire Have a ‘Very Expensive’ Plan for the $1 Million Prize

Since it was a Megaleg, nobody went home on The Amazing Race 34 Episode 9. By the end of the episode, Derek and Claire, Aubrey and David, and Luis Colon and Michelle Burgos were already on their way to the second half of the leg. Meanwhile, Emily and Molly and Marcus and Michael were stuck at the fish detour.

Emily’s knee injury gave her trouble, which could put her and Molly behind in the second half. Plus, Marcus and Michael had a delay at the Roadblock, as Marcus struggled with a puzzle. Fans can tune in next week to find out if Derek and Claire’s Big Brother strategy worked.

New episodes of The Amazing Race air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Best in Entertainment