‘The Amazing Race 24’ spotlight: Are Natalie & Nadiya underdogs, or contenders?
Let’s start with a very great announcement when it comes to “Amazing Race” “twinnies” Natalie & Nadiya: You can actually start to tell who is who for a change! We’ve never been so happy that someone dyed their hair a different color ever, since it’s hard enough as it is to keep track of individual people on the show, especially with the same-sex teams.
When it comes to these two actually being a part of the cast, we figure that the two of them are probably pretty polarizing with the general public. Some love them, some cannot stand them. Personally, we find them very entertaining. They have funny moments, they get under the skin of some of their fellow racers, and they’re super-competitive. To be perfectly honest, they were not one of the teams on season 21 that we thought would be a major force going into it, but they surprised us with strong from beginning to end.
Names – Natalie and Nadiya Anderson
“Amazing Race” history – Finishing in fourth place on season 21, and are surprisingly the only team from that season to appear. Seriously, you bring four back from a “meh” season 22, but no Chippendales or James & Abba? Maybe they had other things going on.
Claim to fame – Mostly, shouting “twinnie” at each other until eardrums in the audience burst. They were also very good racers who almost made the finale, but we knew from the moment there was going to be an all-star season that these two were a lock. It’s hard to find really big personalities on all-female teams just thanks to the way that the show often casts it (*cough* too many cheerleaders / beauty pageant contestants), but they have them here.
Strengths – Very competitive, and can get through most of the physical tasks at the same speed as the boys. They are also sly game-players, and will partake in the strategic portion of things if given the opportunity. We don’t get the feeling that they care so much about whether or not people love or hate them at this point, and that can be a good thing if you have other contestants who are very concerned over edit and being likable, even to the point that it costs them time.
Weaknesses – The irony with the twinnies is that sometimes, they annoy each other when it comes to their loud voices and constant “encouragement.” While they don’t take any conflict personally, there is a decent amount of conflict that comes out of them. They claim in the video below that they want to be calmer this time around … and we’ll believe that when we see it. (Plus, calm twinnies is not as entertaining!)
Prediction – We don’t see these two being the first team out by any means, but we also don’t see them winning. They should fall firmly in the middle of the pack, where they will probably not be targeted by many of the teams and they should be able to get some good camera time. Eventually, we don’t see anyone taking them out so much as them doing something to ultimately hurt themselves.
What did you think about Natalie & Nadiya being a part of the show this season? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and head over here if you want to read even more scoop from this season.
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Photo: CBS