Amazing Race
Henry Zhang and Evan Lynyak are prepared to set boundaries with their fellow teams during Season 30 of “The Amazing Race.” CBS

Evan Lynyak and Henry Zhang may not be planning to make enemies during Season 30 of “The Amazing Race,” but they still are in the competition for one reason and one reason only—to win.

In a pre-race interview with CBS, the Yale graduates and champion debaters admit that their focus is on winning the competition, and while they intend to be friendly with their fellow competitors, they aren’t going to let friendships distract them from their ultimate goal in the end.

“Everybody is here because they recognize it’s a competition, and we’re happy to be nice to everyone when it’s possible and it doesn’t interfere with our ability to do well,” Evan says. “So, we will be nice, but set strong boundaries that will allow us to compete as hard as we can.”

In order to assure that they can win, the dating couple also admits that they have put a lot of work into the Race, and believe that the preparations they made will help them get through higher-stress situations, whereas other teams could crumble.

“We’re really methodical, we’ve really prepared a lot for the Race,” Henry says. “I think that’s really going to show when it comes down to the high pressure, pressure-cooker situations where you have other people who are scrambling, because they’re not sure what they did correctly, or they didn’t prepare adequately, and I feel like we’ll be able to handle a lot of those situations with ease.”

But the two still hope that their prepared states won’t put a target on their back with the other teams, and that they’ll still come off as likable to their fellow racers.

“I think we’re still likable,” Evan says. “Like, I don’t know if looking at us anybody would be like, Oh those are just some Ivy League nerds who can’t talk to people,’ so I think we bring a good balance of skills that are what you need in the Race.”

Will Evan and Henry’s preparedness give them an edge? Tune in to Season 30 of “The Amazing Race,” premiering Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS to find out.

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