Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss won The Amazing Race Season 34, and the couple still can’t get over it. The couple, who met while competing on Big Brother in the summer of 2021, won $1 million competing together. Before the duo won, they recounted their experience and how it felt like crossing the finish line first. Get the details below.
Derek Xiao And Claire Rehfuss Won The Amazing Race Together
The former startup founder and AI engineer spoke with Us Weekly ahead of the Wednesday, December 7, finale airing.
“It’s surreal,” Claire said about winning the $1 million prize. “It’s just unbelievable. It’s so amazing. What a fantastic opportunity.”
Derek chimed in, mentioning how he and his girlfriend made it to the final leg.
The TV star explained that he didn’t believe it. He said he expected Pjol to give him and Claire a two-hour time penalty because of their past on Big Brother. The 25-year-old added that he was still shocked and would only believe it after watching the episode.
Although the pair had no concept of time during the race, they estimated that their closest competitors were 15 to 20 minutes behind. They also estimated the second runner-ups to be 15 to 20 minutes behind the first runner-ups.
Amazing Race Brought Derek Xiao Made Claire Rehfuss’s Relationship Stronger
Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss had dated only for about nine months when they went to compete in The Amazing Race season 34. The twosome recounted how they went into the long-running CBS series confident about their relationship. However, their assurance waned right from the first day of tough challenges.
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However, they grew closer and stronger after that and now feel better about their relationship. The startup founder admitted that he overestimated the strength of their relationship because they had not experienced conflict yet.
Claire attested to this by saying that people warned her their relationship would either break or grow stronger. The 26-year-old said she and her partner were required to communicate on The Amazing Race Season 34. She also said that the lessons they got from the show are helpful for their relationship outside of the show.
Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss are amazing people, and their fans are excited about their win. Hopefully, they will continue to win in many more scenarios together.
