The Amazing Race 34 is the thirty-fourth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the Euro-Mediterranean region to win US$1,000,000. This season visited three continents and eight countries, traveling approximately over ten legs. Filming took place from May 25 to July 16, 2022. Starting in Munich, racers traveled through Germany, Austria, Italy, Jordan, France, Spain, and Iceland, before returning to the United States and finishing in Nashville. Much like the previous season, this season used a chartered plane rather than commercial airlines to facilitate travel between countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New elements introduced in this season include an international starting line during the first leg; the Scramble, where teams could perform the first leg's tasks in any order; and eliminating a team in every leg. The season premiered on CBS on September 21, 2022, and concluded on December 7, 2022.
Dating couple Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss (from Big Brother 23) were the winners of this season, while long-lost twins Emily Bushnell and Molly Sinert finished in second place, and married couple Luis Colon and Michelle Burgos finished in third place.
Format
The Amazing Race is a reality television show created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, and hosted by Phil Keoghan. The series follows teams of two competing in a race around the world. Each leg of the race requires teams to deduce clues, navigate foreign environments, interact with locals, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel on a limited budget provided by the show. At each stop during the leg, teams receive clues inside sealed envelopes, which fall into one of these categories: Route Info: These are simple instructions that teams must follow before they can receive their next clue. Detour: A Detour is a choice between two tasks. Teams may choose either task and switch tasks if they find one option too difficult. There is usually one Detour present on each leg. Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one team member can complete. Teams must choose which member will complete the task based on a brief clue they receive before fully learning the details of the task. There is usually one Roadblock present on each leg. Scramble: A Scramble allows teams to complete a set of three tasks in any order that they choose. At the end of each task, teams receive one of three clue puzzle pieces that reveal their next destination after they are combined. Most teams who arrive last at the Pit Stop of each leg are progressively eliminated, while the first team to arrive at the finish line in the final episode wins the grand prize of US$1,000,000.
Production
Casting opened in mid-November 2021 with prospective contestants were required to be fully vaccinated. Production began on May 22, 2022, with the teams and filming crew departing from Los Angeles International Airport on a chartered Titan Airways Boeing 757, so as to reduce prolonged personal interactions associated with COVID-19 infections much like in the previous season. Filming began on May 25, 2022, in Munich, Germany, making it the first time the American version of The Amazing Race started outside the United States. On May 30, photographs were posted online of sightings in Bologna and Florence, Italy. Jordan was visited for the first time in the entire franchise, with teams racing through Petra on June 2. On June 12, racers were spotted in Ronda, Spain, and the city's tourism office announced that the show had filmed there a day later. Filming concluded in Nashville in mid-June.
The first leg of the season, announced as the series' 400th leg, featured "a game-changing element" called the Scramble, where teams were told the locations of all of the tasks that they had to complete at the start of the leg and could complete them in any order. This season originally planned to exclude non-elimination legs for the first time in franchise history. However, after one team received a positive COVID-19 test before the fifth leg began and was removed from the race, the last team to arrive in the leg received the final departure time as a penalty at the beginning of the next leg.
Release Broadcast
On March 9, 2022, CBS renewed The Amazing Race for a thirty-fourth season set to air during the 2022–23 television season. On June 23, 2022, CBS announced that the season would premiere on September 28, following the premiere of Survivor 43. On October 5, the season began airing in the Wednesday 10:00 pm time slot, following Survivor and The Real Love Boat. Starting on November 2, The Amazing Race was moved forward to the 9:00 pm time slot when The Real Love Boat was shifted onto Paramount+.
Prior to the premiere, CBS News Sunday Morning aired a segment with correspondent Tracy Smith competing on the first leg with her husband.
Marketing Expedia replaced Travelocity as the series' main sponsor. With the change in sponsors, the season featured one Expedia-focused leg that included a local tourism-inspired task called an Expedia Experience.
Contestants
The cast included Big Brother 23 HouseGuests Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss, former Los Angeles Rams cheerleader Quinton Peron, and former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan. Rex Ryan was originally asked to compete with his twin brother, Rob Ryan, but the latter was unable to compete due to his work obligations with the Las Vegas Raiders. Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez were not initially selected for the final cast, but were called to compete two hours before The Amazing Race started production.
ContestantsAgeRelationshipHometownStatus 33EngagedMarina del Rey, CaliforniaEliminated 1st(in Munich, Germany) 34 40Golf BuddiesBrentwood, TennesseeEliminated 2nd(in Innsbruck, Austria) 59 32Motivational SpeakersHuntington Beach, CaliforniaEliminated 3rd(in Florence, Italy) 35 50Father & DaughterBrooklyn, New YorkEliminated 4th(in Petra, Jordan) 23 24Childhood SweetheartsBirmingham, AlabamaMedically removed(in Amman, Jordan) 25 41NewlywedsNorcross, GeorgiaEliminated 6th(in Domme, France) 41 29Former Rams Cheerleaders Pasadena, CaliforniaEliminated 7th(in Toulouse, France) 27 Vista, California 38Military Brothers Richmond Hill, GeorgiaEliminated 8th(in Ronda, Spain) 30 Alamogordo, New Mexico 29Ballroom DancersLos Angeles, CaliforniaEliminated 9th(in Hrunamannahreppur, Iceland) 29 34MarriedMiami, FloridaThird place 34 36Long-Lost Twins Ardmore, PennsylvaniaRunners-up 36 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 25Reality RomanceLos Angeles, CaliforniaWinners 26
Future appearances Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss appeared as clue givers during the first Roadblock of season 35.
In 2023, Luis Colon competed on the second season of The Challenge: USA.
Results The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order. A placement with a dagger () indicates that the team was eliminated. An italicized placement indicates a team's placement at the midpoint of a Mega Leg. +Team placement (by leg) Team123a3b45678a8b910 Derek & Claire 1st 4th 6th 7th 2nd 4th 3rd 1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st Emily & Molly 5th 7th 2nd 1st 5th 6th 2nd 3rd 4th 4th 3rd 2nd Luis & Michelle 10th 5th 4th 4th 1st 1st 4th 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Aubrey & David 11th 8th 3rd 6th 8th 2nd 6th 5th 2nd 2nd Marcus & Michael 6th 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 5th 1st 4th 5th Quinton & Mattie 3rd 10th 8th 5th 6th 3rd 5th Glenda & Lumumba 2nd 2nd 10th 8th 7th 7th Abby & Will 8th 6th 7th 3rd 4th Linton & Sharik 4th 3rd 5th 9th Rich & Dom 9th 9th 9th Tim & Rex 7th Aastha & Nina Notes
Race summary
Leg 1 (Germany)
Episode 1: "Many Firsts But Don't Be Last" (September 21, 2022) Prize: US$2,500 each (awarded to Derek and Claire) Eliminated: Aastha and Nina Locations Munich, Germany (Nymphenburg Palace) (Starting Line) Munich (Luitpoldpark) Munich (Englischer Garten – Seehaus Biergarten) Munich (Augustiner-Keller Biergarten) Munich (Friedensengel ) Episode summary Teams began at the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Germany, and encountered the series' first Scramble, where they had to complete each of the following Oktoberfest-inspired tasks in any order so as to get three parts of a clue which, when assembled, directed them to the Pit Stop. For the task at Luitpoldpark entitled Roll, teams had to roll a beer keg through an obstacle course within 55 seconds to receive a puzzle piece. If teams were unsuccessful, they had to wait out a two-minute penalty before making another attempt. For the task at the Seehaus Biergarten entitled Saw, teams had to use a two-man saw to saw completely through a log to the beat of Bavarian music to receive a puzzle piece. For the season's first Roadblock at the Augustiner-Keller Biergarten entitled Smash, one team member had to use provided tools to free a puzzle piece from an ice block. The three puzzle pieces fit together to form the shape of the Friedensengel and the written instructions directed teams to the Pit Stop there. Additional notes Before the race began, teams rode a log raft down the Isar and through the Mühltal hydroelectric power station. This leg was announced as The Amazing Races 400th leg.
Leg 2 (Germany → Austria)
Episode 2: "Patience, Is the New Me" (September 28, 2022) Prize: Reward points for a five-night trip for two to Lima, Peru, and Machu Picchu (awarded to Marcus and Michael) Eliminated: Tim and Rex Locations Munich (Friedensengel ) Patsch, Austria (Grünwalderhof) Innsbruck (Marktplatz) Innsbruck (Stiftskeller Annasäule) Innsbruck (Hofburg Imperial Palace) Episode summary At the start of this leg, teams departed from the Friedensengel in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop, and had to drive to Grünwalderhof in Patsch, Austria, which had their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to correctly sing three Alpine yodels to receive their next clue. Before beginning this task, both team members had to don traditional Austrian costumes, which they had to wear for the rest of the leg. After the Roadblock, teams drove to the Marktplatz in Innsbruck and found their next clue. This season's first Detour was a choice between Bells Ringin' or Partners Swingin'. In Bells Ringin', teams had to use Tyrolean bells to play an Austrian folk song called "Tiroler Glockenklang" to receive their next clue. In Partners Swingin', teams had to correctly perform an Austrian wedding dance to receive their next clue. After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: Hofburg Imperial Palace.
Leg 3 (Austria → Germany → Italy)
Episode 3: "It's All in the Details" (October 5, 2022) & Episode 4: "Everyone's an Artist" (October 12, 2022) Prize: Reward points for a five-night trip for two to Sydney, Australia, the Blue Mountains, and Hunter Valley (awarded to Emily and Molly) Eliminated: Rich and Dom Locations Munich, Germany → Bologna, Italy Bologna (Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca) Bologna (Arco del Meloncello) Bologna (University of Bologna – Teatro Anatomico Formaggeria Barbieri, Ristorante Diana & Osteria del Cappello) Bologna (Ducati Factory) Florence (Villa Bardini) Florence (Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria & Trattoria Ponte Vecchio Osteria Belle Donne, Il Latini, Vivoli Gelato & Trattoria Ponte Vecchio) Florence (Piazza Ognissanti) Episode summary (Episode 3) During the Pit Stop, teams were flown to Bologna, Italy, and began the next leg at the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. Teams departed in groups 15 minutes apart based on the order of their arrival at the previous Pit Stop and had to drive to the Arco del Meloncello for their next clue.