We have our finalists: Michaela & Cedric, Olivia & Yeremi, Theo & Adrienne, and Turbo & Sydney have all made the final. This group has endured a lot, and every single person has won at least one elimination. Each person has accumulated many successes, and there will be a lot of competition.
As it stands, any team has a shot at winning, but who has the best chance? Based on what we’ve seen this season, here is my assessment of the final teams. Keep in mind, the episode 18 trailer teases an opportunity to stake a claim, so there’s a chance new pairs could be assembled and a brand-new team could take the win.
4. Theo & Adrienne
The UK duo has endured a lot together. They’ve needed to rely on winning Arenas and Hail Mary coin flips to get to the final, but after four elimination wins, they’ve earned a spot in that race. So, why are they the lowest on the list?
This team is the only pair that has not won a daily challenge. You could argue that this was strategic because Theo always wanted to vote in the nomination ceremony, but he also had the fewest points going into the partner selection. However, he had a solid performance in the mini final (though he may not have eaten all of his food, giving him a boost).
Both Theo and Adrienne overcame injuries this season: Adrienne hurt her foot in the first daily challenge and Theo had to sit out of the Cyclone challenge because of knee inflammation. These injuries may be a thing of the past, and both competitors seem to be healed so far. Since becoming permanent partners, the duo usually compliments each other well, unless Theo isn’t listening to the rules like we saw on Dirty Drifter.
3. Michaela & Cedric
So far, this has been a standout season for Michaela. She had the most points heading into the permanent partner selection, and she won four daily challenges, tying Sydney for the most wins. While Cedric hasn’t been quite as successful, he certainly hasn’t disappointed. He notched two daily challenge wins with Michaela and won two eliminations with her.
If Cedric had any perceived weakness, it would have been physical strength because he’s smaller than most of the other men on this season. Usually, that doesn’t have a great impact during the final, and his puzzle and endurance skills will shine during that race. On the other hand, Michaela has been an exceptionally well-rounded player all season.
The biggest issue here: The team is on a downward trend. They landed in the last two Arenas because they had back-to-back last-place finishes in daily challenges. The show is also emphasizing Michaela’s ankle injury, which is likely foreshadowing a problem that will arise during the final race.
2. Olivia & Yeremi
This team has only done a single daily challenge together, and they did well enough to avoid last place, but we don’t have a lot of information to base their team dynamic off of. As individuals, both Olivia and Yeremi have done really well this season.
Yeremi has literally been a front-runner since the start of the season: He was the first person to finish the Day Zero race. This made him a highly desirable partner, and many people are nervous to go into the final and compete against an Ultra Marathon runner and US Marine Corps veteran. Olivia has also been a solid competitor this season, and her biggest issue was communicating with her former partner Will. That seems to be resolved now that she has Yeremi.
If these two communicate well, they might be unstoppable, and based on Global Exchange there’s a good chance that they’ll become a dynamic duo. There’s also the potential for Yeremi to struggle while working with Olivia. When she was with Will, he was frustrated when Olivia would move slower than him because of her pregnancy. If this happens again, Yeremi might not want to keep working with Olivia and could take the opportunity to stake a claim.
1. Turbo & Sydney
There’s something about this team that just works so well. Turbo is a proven champion, so we know he can endure a long, tough final. He has a lot of faith in his abilities, but Sydney makes him seem humble.
Since the start of this season, Sydney has been noted for being one of the cockiest players we’ve ever seen. Now that we’ve reached the final, it’s hard to argue with her. Throughout the season, she won four daily challenges, more than any other rookie (and tied with Michaela).
This team has been fully in sync since they became partners after the selection process — even before that, they knew they wanted to work together. Sydney has the patience to help Turbo in the areas where he struggles (usually language related), and Turbo appreciates that Sydney can keep up with him and doesn’t need him to carry her. They won the last two daily challenges going into the final, and they stand a good shot of nabbing three wins in a row, including the grand prize.
Stop Being Polite 