The Amazing Race eliminated "Ballroom Dancers" Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez in the penultimate leg after they voluntarily took a time penalty during the Season 34 episode that aired Wednesday night on CBS.
ADVERTISEMENT
Aubrey, a 29-year-old dance studio owner from Los Angeles, CA, and David, a 29-year-old helicopter mechanic from Los Angeles, CA, were eliminated in Iceland after they arrived at the penultimate Pit Stop in fourth -- and last -- place.
RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
"You can't put a price on the experience that we lived," David told The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan following his team's ouster.
"Reality TV Romance" Derek Xiao, a 24-year-old product manager from Los Angeles, CA, and Claire Rehfuss, a 25-year-old AI engineer, from Los Angeles, CA, finished the leg as Team No. 1.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Big Brother couple, who met on the show last summer, won a five-night stay for two to London, England.
"Married Couple" Luis Colon, a 34-year-old firefighter from Miami, FL, and Michelle Burgos, a 34-year-old dancer from Miami, FL, placed second.
Michelle said she and her husband were "ready" to take the $1 million home.
And "Long-Lost Twins" Emily Bushnell, a 36-year-old law firm admin from Ardmore, PA, and Molly Sinert, a 36-year-old healthcare admin from Palm Beach Gardens, FL, met Phil at the Pit Stop in third place.
Prior to the elimination portion of the show, The Amazing Race broadcast featured all four teams flying over 2,000 miles from Spain to Reykjavik, Iceland, "the land of fire and ice," according to Phil.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Final 4 teams boarded helicopters to take them to the starting line of this penultimate leg of the Race. They were all competing for a spot in the finale.
RELATED LINK: 'SURVIVOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO'S STILL TOGETHER?! WHICH SHOWMANCES SPLIT UP? (PHOTOS)
During the leg, the teams had to climb an icy glacier wall, dive between tectonic plates in very cold water, and complete a Roadblock task.
Luis and Michelle got off to a lead after finishing the ice climb in first place, but Derek and Claire arrived at the Roadblock task in first place thanks to their stellar navigation skills, although Derek had struggled to drive a stick shift.
The Roadblock required teams to rappel 100 feet into a cave, where they'd find a clue. The participating Racers then had to navigate the rest of the course by jumping, swimming and sliding back down to reunite with their partner.
ADVERTISEMENT
Derek attempted the Roadblock, and he was soon joined by David, Luis, and Molly.
David admitted he can't swim, so Luis found the clues and got out of the cave before him. David was concerned how he would even get out of the Roadblock, but he managed to finish the task.
Emily cried about how she had been running the Race with "hurt legs" and she just felt "done."
While the teams were diving between tectonic plates in the Silfra Fissure, they had to spot names of 14 volcanoes and dates next to them, which represented the year in which they had erupted.
Once a team got out of the water, they had to list the volcanoes in the correct order from the most recent eruption down.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'BIG BROTHER' SHOWMANCES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHICH COUPLES HAVE SPLIT UP?? (PHOTOS)
David, once again, had trouble swimming, but Claire's incredible memory allowed her team to advance to the Pit Stop at Gullfoss Falls in first place.
After two failed attempts and a bad swimming experience for David, Aubrey determined that she didn't want to put David back into the water. The team decided to sit this one out and take the two-hour penalty.
"I'm just so happy that we got to do this journey together, and at least I can say that I tried," David told Aubrey.
Aubrey and David therefore stepped on the Pit Stop mat in fourth place and were eliminated.
Phil noted how their last-place finish probably felt bittersweet, but Aubrey assured the show's host she didn't feel "bitter at all."
"Honestly, Phil, I've watched you since I was in second grade. It's so cool to be standing in front of you," Aubrey cried.
RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
David said it was "an honor and a pleasure" to compete on The Amazing Race.