When did Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss meet? Big Brother couple is all set to participate in The Amazing Race Season 34

The Amazing Race will see another showmance as part of its latest season as Big Brother couple Derek and Claire enter the race that is set to kick off on September 21. The two were introduced to each other on the reality show last year and were evicted, one after the other. They were both victims of the Cookout alliance. While the two met on season 23 of the show, they announced their relationship only after the show.

Claire and Derek are the fourth couple from Big Brother to compete in The Amazing Race for $1 million in prize money. Longtime host and fan-favorite, Phil Keoghan returns to the show.

IMDb’s synopsis of the show read:

"Multiple teams race around the globe for $1,000,000 to 'amazing' locations. The best of the reality series crop is back, with 12 teams of 2 players each racing around the world, trying not to be eliminated at a series of checkpoints in which the last team to arrive is booted from the show."

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The Amazing Race Season contestants Derek and Claire started dating in October 2021

Hailing from Los Angeles, Derek and Claire met during Big Brother's The Jury House but were unable to work on the foundation of their relationship for too long due to being eliminated early on. While Claire made her admiration for him known during the show, their relationship grew organically as they hung out off-camera.

In a conversation with US magazine about their relationship in 2021, Claire said:

"I think that we both really felt the chemistry once we got to jury house and could really connect with each other. We would stay up late talking every single night and we just really developed a bond."

In the joint interview, The Amazing Race contestant Derek said:

"I remember the first or second night that she was there, we stayed up all night just talking until 5:00 a.m. That happened every single night for the first, like, five days. That’s when I started really thinking like, ‘Wait a second, why didn’t this happen in the house? "

He further added:

"There’s such a strong connection and chemistry between us. I think that was the beginning of us thinking about what this could be."

Derek further said that he knew from the first week that Claire was his “type” and that he never let himself explore it beyond a friendship. He admitted that even though he was eliminated early on, he wanted to win the game and he knew that if he let himself, he would “just fall for Claire in the house.”

The Big Brother couple is now set to appear in The Amazing Race Season 34. In a conversation with Parade magazine, host Phil Keoghan spoke about what he thought of the teams set to compete in the latest leg.

As for Claire and Derek, he said that the two seemed a little “cocky” at the beginning because they had been on another reality show. He further said that they would be the first to admit that the couple was a little humbled by the race and that they realized that it was a “little bit bigger” and harder than they had anticipated. Phil even called the couple a major love fest.

Other teams set to compete in The Amazing Race are twin sisters Emily and Molly, Latin dancers Aubrey and David, retired cheerleaders Quinton and Mattie, married couple Luis and Michelle, military brothers Marcus and Michael, father and daughter Linton and Sharik, to be married Aastha and Nina, motivational speakers Rich and Dom, high school sweethearts Will and Abby, newlyweds Glenda and Lumumba, and golf buddies Rex Ryan and Tim Mann.

The Amazing Race season 34 premieres on Wednesday, September 21, at 10 pm ET/PT on CBS.