Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!
Long-time fans of The Amazing Race believe they know who’s going to win season 34 based on the show’s editing. Derek and Claire, a dating couple who met when they competed on Big Brother season 23, are heavily favored to take the prize. Speculation on who will win has long been an important part of reality TV fandom, and fans often look for clues about how each season will play out.
Fan predictions hinge on both performance and screen time, along with a bit of misdirection. Newly reunited twins Emily and Molly have been heavily featured in season 34, but in a Reddit thread started by user u/laughsymphony, a sharp-eyed commenter noted, “I don’t think I have ever seen a team SCREAM Fallen Angels as much as Emily and Molly in quite some time.” Another fan believes that Marcus and Michael are getting a winner’s edit, but, “most of the teams who get that edit don’t win or make a crucial mistake in the final three that costs them the win!"
It’s All In The Amazing Race 34 Edit
Derek and Claire have been contenders throughout the season, with two first place finishes as of leg seven. They easily bounced back from the second leg, in which Claire’s lack of yodeling ability cost them some time, and they have not been in any real danger since. But there are other strong teams in the race, and Derek and Claire are notably hesitant to work with any of them. So they are far from a lock, based on performance. So what is it about the way Derek and Claire are being featured that potentially predicts their win? It's all in the overall edit.
The Amazing Race, like other competitive reality shows, typically works hard to misdirect viewers. But Derek and Claire are not only receiving a favorable edit, they’re also getting a lot of narration time. Some of this could be expected simply because they’re already known from Big Brother, but coupled with their strong performance, it could definitely signal an eventual win. Luis and Michelle, along with Marcus and Michael, have also put in two first place finishes each on this season of The Amazing Race. And Luis and Michelle also finished first in the first half of the mega leg. But they haven’t gotten the amount of screen time that Derek and Claire have enjoyed.
Derek and Claire are, in many ways, the type of team that fits the ideals of The Amazing Race. They’re nerdy but more athletic than expected, and they aren’t particularly prone to drama. They personify the show’s long-running premise that anyone can win, not just highly physical types. Whether they win is yet to be seen. But if they do, the editors might have inadvertently signaled this result, possibly in part due to their own enthusiasm for The Amazing Race season 34 team.
Source: u/laughsymphony/Reddit