Self-described “Asian Cajuns,” Louisiana’s Michelle Newland and her sister, Victoria Newland, hope their international adventures on season 32 of The Amazing Race will help them forge a tighter sisterly bond and win the $1 million prize.
Of the 11 teams that started the race in the show’s recent season debut, the Newland sisters are one of the 10, two-person teams still in the competition. After the first episode, the sisters are currently in second place, having bested two sets of current and former professional athletes, and a team of Olympic hurdlers. First-generation Americans, Michelle and Victoria’s parents left communist Vietnam after the war. Bent on giving any future children better lives, their parents moved to America. The sisters were born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana and both graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Additionally, the sisters speak fluent Vietnamese, which they believe will give them a competitive advantage if they need to talk strategy in front of their competitors. But this is where their commonalities stop, though Michelle believes their differences will prove to be an asset in helping them to beat the competition.
Michelle told Heavy that she and her sister each bring to the international competition skill sets that will serve them well. Victoria, who is a physician auditor at ACS Medical Business Solutions, is more organized, whereas Michelle, who sells BMWs at Moss Motors, is more sociable (via CBS). But unlike her detail-oriented and athletic sister, who’s a three-time half-marathoner, Michelle admits she’s not athletically inclined and has a laissez-faire approach to life. Interesting, since The Amazing Race follows competitors over continents and features a myriad of physical and mental obstacles. It was all the more puzzling that competing in The Amazing Race was Michelle’s idea (via The Advocate). “She called me at work, and I was getting ready to go to Lafayette General for a big presentation, and I was, like, ‘Michelle, I don’t have time for this. Are you joking me?’” said Victoria. “It’s crazy because she’s asking me if I want to do The Amazing Race, and I’m, like, ‘Michelle, you don’t even sweat. What are you talking about?’” Michelle was so serious about competing in the show that she even started a workout routine. By the time the sisters were selected for the show, Victoria, as well as Michelle, were both in fighting shape.
Michelle said sociability, as well as her job in sales, will come in handy when the duo has to negotiate at any point during the competition. She said she is fearless when it comes to approaching or starting a conversation with people. Conversely, Victoria is the more organized and responsible sister. She is not only responsible for handling their passports and the money, but Victoria also is the one who pays the bills, like cab fare. Victoria is so meticulous with her duties that she admits it can be maddening for Michelle: “I’m the responsible one of the team. I had to carry the passports and the money, the calculator and the little notebook, and she … when we were in the cab, she was yelling at me, like, ‘Hurry up and pay him!’ And I’m, like, ‘Michelle, let me use my calculator and convert everything so we don’t get gypped.’”
Based on the first episode of the season, it looks like the sisters’ organizational set-up is working. It will be interesting to see if they will continue operating on this path, or will they be adaptive enough to change their strategy if they start falling behind in the competition.
The Amazing Race airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on CBS.
Sources: Heavy, CBS, The Advocate