‘The Amazing Race’ Season 34: 4 Favorites After Episode 5
The Amazing Race Season 34 completed another leg in Jordan — the show’s first time ever in the country — on Oct. 19. After a tough day in the desert heat, eight teams moved forward, and one team said goodbye. While it’s still fairly early in the competition, four teams in Jordan showed serious potential to win it all. Here are our favorites after The Amazing Race Season 34 Episode 5.
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for The Amazing Race Season 34 Episode 5.]
Derek and Claire
Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss, a reality showmance from Big Brother 23, have been a team to watch all season long. They dominated in the first leg in Germany, and despite falling behind in Austria, the team managed to bring themselves from 10th place to fourth by the end of the second leg. After a Megaleg in Italy, Derek and Claire came in seventh place.
In Jordan, the teams had to complete a Roadblock where they used a metal detector to locate and dig up a piece of debris from a spaceship. Derek opted to do this one, but it wasn’t much of a break for Claire. He sprinted his way into the Roadblock and found the debris in just a few minutes (unless that was an editing trick).
Many fans were shocked to see Derek and Claire arrive first at the clue box in Petra. There, they decided to pick a slide puzzle Detour. Claire pulled from her work experience as an AI engineer to evaluate and solve the puzzle quickly. Then, Derek and Claire made it to the Pitstop in only second place. The team maintained their confidence throughout the episode and strategized well, which are both important to winning the competition.
Michael and Marcus
Marcus and Michael Craig, a pair of brothers in the military, came out of the first leg in sixth place. However, when they reached Austria, they stepped up their game and ended the leg in the top spot. Michael and Marcus have remained in the Top 3 since then, finishing leg 3 in second place.
At the Roadblock in Jordan, Marcus strategized by marking his tracks in the sand to ensure he didn’t scan the same spot twice. That smart thinking paid off, as he was the first to find the debris.
While most other teams opted to do the puzzle Detour, Marcus and Michael ended up doing the more physical challenge: “Camel Caravan.” This Detour required the team to carry jugs of water from a cistern and bags of hay to a feeding spot for camels. However, the brothers quickly learned that it would take several trips to fill the watering hole. Despite the heat and how long the task took, Michael and Marcus finished the leg in third place. They haven’t shown many weaknesses in the race so far.
Emily and Molly
Even though they only met a little over a year ago, long-lost twins Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert have great synergy. They’ve recognized their own strengths and weaknesses throughout the race and planned accordingly in Roadblocks. Emily and Molly ended the first two legs in fifth and seventh place, respectively. However, when it came to the exhausting Megaleg, the twins powered through and finished in first place.
Right off the bat in Jordan, Emily pulled a muscle in her thigh as she and Molly ran to the Roadblock. So, Molly took over the task and finished shortly after Marcus. Keeping Emily’s injury in mind, they opted to do the puzzle challenge. And even though Emily’s leg slowed them down a bit, they reached the finish line in fifth place. Emily showed perseverance with the injury and never let it affect her mindset.
Luis and Michelle
The Amazing Race Season 34 Episode 5 really gave Luis Colon and his wife, Michelle, a chance to shine. The team had a rough start in 10th place, but they worked their way up to fifth place in leg 2 and fourth place in leg 3. As they entered Jordan, Michelle revealed that she and Luis spent the previous night visualizing the Pitstop and how they would react to coming in first.
Luis and Michelle took some time to get through the Roadblock, but they rushed over to Petra and fell in line with some other teams completing the puzzle Detour. And though Claire and Derek were quick to finish the puzzle, Luis and Michelle were faster. They received their final clue and raced to the Pitstop for an emotional moment as host Phil Keoghan revealed they were in first place.
After their comeback in episode 5, Luis and Michelle are definitely contenders to win the race. They visualized the Pitstop and worked hard to get there, keeping a positive mindset every step of the way. Many fans are rooting for them now, with one person calling Luis and Michelle a “dark horse” team.
“Luis and Michelle went from the back of the pack to first place after having a dream and envisioning it,” another person tweeted.
New episodes of The Amazing Race air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
