Emily Bushnell's knee injury on The Amazing Race season 34 could potentially shake up expectations for which racers will reach the final four. Emily and her sister Molly Sinert applied for The Amazing Race with the ultimate goal of spending more time together after being apart their entire lives. The identical twins were separated at birth and reunited 36 years later after separately submitting their DNA and receiving the shocking news that they were sisters. So far on The Amazing Race season 34, Emily and Molly have excelled each week and have become one of the strongest teams among the remaining final five.
Emily's knee injury could be an obstacle for upcoming physical challenges, allowing other teams to pull ahead and beat the sisters. Emily and Molly's opportunity to bond during the season has strengthened their cooperation and communication skills. Their easy-going trust in each other, along with a knack for several types of challenges, has contributed to their stellar record of multiple top-three placements so far in the race, including one first-place finish in Italy. Emily's injury began in Leg 4, but it was manageable for the next few legs. Now, wearing a knee brace and facing challenges including running downhill and biking, Emily has begun to be visibly affected by the injury, and the fans' expectations for the finale has been shaken.
Emily Bushnell Fought Hard To Compensate For Her Injured Knee
Fans and racers know that even the smallest setbacks can be critical on The Amazing Race. So far this season, racers Quinton Peron and Madison Lynch had navigation issues and were ultimately eliminated due to a few errors when reading the map. Emily's injury could pose a similar challenge for the sisters. In The Amazing Race season 34, episode 9, "Vamos a la Playa," Emily struggled on a downhill journey to the first clue and informed her sister that running was out of the question. Running proved to be an issue again during the Roadblock, when Emily had to recreate a Picasso painting and continuously jogged back to an example. Although she managed to successfully solve the puzzle quickly, the time lost due to her slower movements allowed other teams to pull ahead.
Other The Amazing Race contestants are aware of Emily's injury and may factor the issue into how they run the race in the upcoming second half of the Megaleg. Having seen other teams eliminated over physical setbacks, like Abby Garrett and Will Freeman's elimination after COVID-19, racers can't help but notice when an opponent is struggling. After lagging behind due to a delayed finish in the Roadblock, brothers Michael and Marcus Craig mentioned Emily's injury as a potential advantage for their game. "As awful as that sounds, if we catch Molly and Emily, and if it comes down to a run, obviously we're gonna catch them, right?" Michael pointed out. Knowing about Emily's injury is now in play and could motivate teams who are behind to keep pushing.
An injury on The Amazing Race can be devastating for any team. On top of the physical constraint, two consecutive legs can be challenging for racers, as seen when Rich Kuo and Dom Jones's previous Megaleg struggles. Molly and Emily still have a chance to succeed despite Emily's injured knee by relying on the mental fortitude and diverse talents that have gotten them to the final five. Fans have been expecting the sisters to make it far all season long, with some even predicting that they could win the entire race, so an elimination at this point would be shocking for many. If the injury does end up causing the twins to lose, they played a stellar game and persevered despite the challenges of an injured knee.