Can ‘Amazing Race’ Season 31 Stars Nicole Franzel And Victor Arroyo Win?

They’ve been the most surprising team all season with how well they’ve competed against other teams that seemed like they would be much stronger than them. Considering how much they’ve surprised everyone, it’s not hard to believe that Victor Arroyo and Nicole Franzel could be the first team to cross the finish line and wind up winning the $1 million prize on Season 31 of “The Amazing Race.”

As the race heads to London and then Detroit, Nicole and Victor will have a few obstacles to potentially overcome since they are starting the final legs in last place, which put them at a disadvantage with the other teams. However, there are things to also consider that could be a hint that they may just surprise everyone as well.

Pros

They’ve Performed Better Than Expected All Season

While teams who had previously performed on “The Amazing Race” have thoroughly dominated the competition thus far, Nicole and Victor quickly proved that they weren’t a team that would disappear quickly and suddenly. After getting understandably overwhelmed by the experience in leg One (though they finished that still in a respectable sixth place), they took no time at all to suddenly bust out of the middle and become a front-runner pair, taking second place three legs in a row. Their finishes have fluctuated a bit more since then, and they even come close to being eliminated at one point, but in a competition that quickly saw other novice racers fall, they’ve proven that they have the ability and skills to adapt to this competition.

They Have A Good Partnership

It’s clear the pair have a supportive relationship outside of the Race based on how they’ve worked together during the competition. They’ve generally encouraged one another, and with the exception of a few times where they snapped at each other and their one big miscommunication during the U-Turn Vote, they’ve always been a team that works well together. That’s a big asset going into the final legs.

“Big Brother” Teams Are Easy To Under-Estimate

Very few people believed Cody Nickson and Jessica Graf would do well during Season 30 of “The Amazing Race,” but the “Big Brother” alums not only proved everyone wrong by winning their season, but they partially inspired the idea to do a season of “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “Amazing Race” players—which helped pave the way for Nicole and Victor’s appearance on the show. And while Cody and Jessica may have had a better record on their season than Victor and Nicole have currently, they still seemed less likely to win than others they were up against who had dominated the season. Nicole and Victor have likely been under-estimated by their remaining competitors, who have all taken a first-place finish at least twice—and that could give them a huge opportunity to surprise and win.

Cons

They Can Easily get Caught Up In Other Drama

One thing that works against Nicole and Victor is that they have easily gotten caught up in drama over the season, specifically with fellow “Big Brother” alums Rachel Reilly and Elissa Slater. That drama not only played a huge role in their performance during the leg where they nearly eliminated but also was a part of their disagreement during the U-Turn Vote. Due to their issues with the sisters, Nicole tried to get Victor to vote for them to do the U-Turn, but Victor wound up choosing the Afghanimals—who got their revenge in the most recent leg by U-Turning them in the Netherlands. Though they made it through, they also responded to their situation by U-Turning, and effectively eliminating, Team Fun, which may not sit well with the rest of the remaining pairs—and could prove to hurt them in the next leg as a result.

The Other Teams All Have Prior ‘TAR’ Experience

Another thing that could work against Nicole and Victor, despite their overall performance, is that the remaining teams in the competition are all former “Race” stars who have performed well in their own seasons. While Leo and Jamal have never made it to a final leg, they still made it to the leg prior during both of their stints on the show in the past, and have officially run more legs overall than anyone else still competing. Colin and Christie and Tyler and Korey also both made it to the final leg in their prior seasons and know what to expect when it comes down to the wire. Not having any similar experience could wind up hurting the “Big Brother” pair.

Will Nicole and Victor surprise everyone with a win? Find out on the Season Finale of “The Amazing Race,” airing Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT on CBS.