‘The Amazing Race 24’ team spotlight: Brendon & Rachel look to repeat ‘Big Brother’ success
In just under two weeks, “The Amazing Race 24” is set to premiere on CBS, and we’re going to have some spotlight articles up until then to get you ready for the season.
Since we are going in alphabetical order here, what better way to start things off than Brenchel? Brendon & Rachel are easily one of the most well-known teams in the history of the show, and also one of the more controversial ones. Either you are a member of Brenchel Army, or you probably don’t like them at all. There’s really no middle ground here. We’ll start off by stating that we are big Brenchel fans, and enjoy seeing them on the show. It’s always nice to have teams that are extremely competitive and will do anything to race; also, they bring the drama. You always need at least a couple of teams that are entertaining to watch, regardless of whether or not things are going well for them.
Names – Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly
“Amazing Race” history – Placed third on season 20 (which was won by Rachel & Dave)
Claim to fame – Mostly for fighting, whether it be with Vanessa & Ralph or with each other. Rachel produced one of the best soundbytes in the history of the show when she proclaimed that she thought the race was supposed to be “fun” in the middle of a breakdown.
Strengths – Being super-competitive is a big one, and also being someone who may not actually be taken that seriously right away. They were never that dominant in season 20, and they can use that to slide under the radar a little bit. Also, these two are married now and have spent even more time together. Therefore, you have to imagine that this will lead to things being a little less volatile this time around.
Weaknesses – There is still potential for things to escalate quickly here when it comes to drama, and that could slow them down compared to a team like Jet & Cord, who don’t really fight with each other at all. Also, they may not be a team that everyone is willing to work with; while they have never won “The Amazing Race,” Rachel did win “Big Brother” and some teams may decide that they really don’t want them there.
Prediction – Given that Rachel won “Big Brother” her second time, it is still very possible that these two come out here and do very well. There are not really that many supremely athletic teams on the race this season, and they should at least be on par with John & Jessica (but behind Flight Time & Big Easy) on the meter of just how physically capable you are. Unless they make a catastrophic mistake early, there is no reason for Brenchel to be out the first few weeks of the season. (We’ll save our full predictions for right before the premiere.)
We’ll have the rest of our “Amazing Race” spotlight articles at the link here, so come back the next couple weeks to get more of those. Also, sign up now for our CarterMatt Newsletter to get some more news sent straight to you!
Photo: CBS