‘Amazing Race’ Winners Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss Are Still in Shock Over Their $1 Million Win: ‘It’s Surreal’

usmagazine.com:

They did it! Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss, who met while competing on Big Brother in the summer of 2021, just won $1 million after competing together on The Amazing Race.The former start-up founder 25, and AI engineer 26, spoke exclusively with Us Weekly ahead of the Wednesday, December 7, finale airing – and before they even had a chance to watch the episode – to break down the finale, their experience and what it was like crossing the finish line first.“It’s surreal,” Claire tells Us of winning the $1 million prize. “It’s just unbelievable.

It’s so amazing. What a fantastic opportunity.”“I remember me and Claire were in the final leg. We finished all of the challenges, and now we’re just running to the pit stop.

We run into the room and then we see everyone, all of our cast, Phil [Keoghan, host], all the camera guys standing in the auditorium, like, clapping, cheering our name,” Derek explains. “I turned to Claire and I was like, ‘I still can’t believe this.’ I was expecting us to run up to the mat and Phil was gonna say, ‘Unfortunately, we have to give you a two-hour time penalty because you are a Big Brother team.’ Like, something crazy.

I did not believe it. I probably still won’t believe it until I watch the episode.”While the duo had no concept of time during the race, they estimate, “Molly and Emily were probably 15 to 20 minutes behind us.