The Amazing Race eliminated "Father/Daughter" Gary Ervin and Mallory Ervin during Sunday night's broadcast of the seventeenth edition's eighth episode.

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Gary and Mallory became the sixth team eliminated from the around-the-world competition.

"I wouldn't have rather done it with anyone else," Mallory said following her ouster. "I wouldn't have competed in Miss America, I wouldn't have been on The Amazing Race if it weren't for the things my Dad's taught me -- keep going after your dreams, you have one life and you have to live it -- live it full out like it's a race."

The Amazing Race's eighth seventeenth-season episode began with the Race's six remaining teams leaving the course's seventh Pit Stop in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Since they had been the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop in St. Petersburg, Russia, "Doctors/Friends" Nat Strand and Kat Chang were the first team to depart at 1:06AM.

They were then followed by "Home Shopping Hosts" Brook Roberts and Claire Champlin at 1:28 AM, "Dating Couple" Nick DeCarlo and Vicki Casciola at 1:29 AM, Gary and Mallory at 1:46 AM, "Dating Couple" Jill Haney and Thomas Wolfard at 1:53AM, and "Newly Dating Couple" Chad Waltrip and Stephanie Smith at 4:45 AM. 

Chad and Stephanie had been scheduled to depart at 2:45AM but unintentionally overslept in their hotel room, resulting in the couple departing two hours past their original departure time.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to fly 4,000 miles to the city of Muscat, Oman where they must make their way to Burj Al Mubkharah and meet a man who will give them an ingot inscribed with the time they could climb the fort and receive their next clue.

Given the late-night Pit Stop departure times, the teams had plenty of time to buy tickets before the next flight departed St. Petersburg, however only Nat and Kat and Brook and Claire were able to get tickets on the first flight to Muscat.

Jill and Thomas, Nick and Vicki and Gary and Mallory got on a second flight to Muscat, while Chad and Stephanie were able to catch up and get on a third flight which arrived in Muscat only minutes after the second flight.

Once they arrived in Muscat, Brook and Claire and Nat and Kat were the first two teams to receive their ingots at the fort, where they discovered they had time to relax and sleep until their 7:30AM admission time. They were soon followed by Jill and Thomas and Chad and Stephanie who received the time slot of 7:45AM, and Gary and Mallory and Nick and Vicki who could climb the fort at 8:00AM.

Later on at 6:00AM, while the teams were waiting for their admission times to come up, Chad surprised Stephanie with a marriage proposal, offering her his mother's ring that he carried with him since the beginning of the Race.

Stephanie accepted, turning the "Newly Dating Couple" into the "Engaged Couple." 

Once they reached the top of the fort, the teams received clues which instructed them to navigate and drive themselves to Jebel Shams, a local mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, a safety driver would take them to the top, where they would find their next clue.

Chad and Stephanie were the first team to make it to the top of the mountain and retrieve the teams' next set of clues, which instructed one member of each team to complete a Roadblock task. They were then followed by Jill and Thomas, Nick and Vicki, Brook and Claire, and Nat and Kat.

Meanwhile, Gary and Mallory got lost for what Mallory called "hours" and were the last team to arrive at the bottom of the mountain. 

For the Roadblock, one member of each team had to rappel 500 feet onto a narrow ledge on the side of the mountain and search through hundreds of lamps to find one particular lamp holding Aladdin’s magic ring. They would then need to deliver the ring to a man waiting to give them their next clue.

Chad opted to do the Roadblock for his team, and he was later followed by Jill, Vicki, Claire, Kat, and Mallory.

Most of the team members struggled to find the lamp, especially Kat who grew very frustrated. However, Chad and Stephanie discovered the lamp fairly quickly and were the first team to complete the Roadblock task. They were then followed by Jill and Thomas, Nick and Vicki, Brook and Claire, Nat and Kat, and eventually Gary and Mallory.

After finishing the Roadblock, the teams were instructed to drive themselves to a stack of books in the town of Nizwa, where they would find their next clue.

Chad and Stephanie were the first team to arrive at the stack of books and were followed by Jill and Thomas, Brook and Claire, Nick and Vicki, Nat and Kat, and finally Gary and Mallory.

Nick and Vicki's drive to Nizwa was delayed because their car had a flat tire.

"Are you kidding me!" Nick shouted.

"Babe, just calm down, don't get pissed off," Vicki said.

"No, this is bullsh-t!" Nick replied as he driver began to change the tire wiht his team's driver.

Once at the stack of books, the teams learned it was time for them to complete one of two Detour tasks: "Water Table" or "Wedding Table."

"Water Table" required the teams to pump water from an ancient well from below ground and once their water truck was filled, they would then have to navigate the confusing streets of Muscat in search of their assigned house and make their delivery.

"Wedding Table" required the teams to make their way to a traditional Arab market where they had to purchase 25 frozen chickens and all of the rest of the ingredients for a traditional wedding soup meant to bring health and virility, which they would then need to present to the bride and groom. 

All of the teams opted for the "Water Table" task.  

Jill and Thomas completed the Detour first and were followed by Chad and Stephanie, Brook and Claire, Nick and Vicki, Nat and Kat, and Gary and Mallory.

After completing their Detour tasks, the teams were instructed to drive themselves to the Muttrah Souq in Muscat and search for a renowned market where they must first find a vendor and retrieve frankincense, and then search the market for the famous Ali Baba, where they would exchange their frankincense for their next clue.

Jill and Thomas were the first team to find Ali Baba and receive their next clue, and were followed by Chad and Stephanie, Nick and Vicki, Brook and Claire, Nat and Kat, and Gary and Mallory still struggling in last place.

The teams' next clue instructed them to drive to the Pit Stop at Al Alam Palace. However, on the way to the Pit Stop, Jill and Thomas made a costly mistake by violating The Amazing Race's rules and hiring a taxi driver to lead them.

Jill and Thomas were the first team to find The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan at the Al Alam Palace, but Phil then informed them that they had incurred a 30-minute penalty for breaking the rules. 

Chad and Stephanie were the next team to arrive at the Race's eighth Pit Stop, but claimed first place, as Jill and Thomas were still sitting out their penalty time. Phil revealed to the team that they won a trip for two to Belize.

Nick and Vicki were the next team to arrive in third place, and Brook and Claire then met Phil on the mat securing fourth place.

It was then a battle for fifth place, as Nat and Kat and Gary and Mallory were racing to the palace. Gary and Mallory saw Nat and Kat driving, which gave them high hopes of possibly avoiding elimination and not arriving last.

However, Nat and Kat ended up arriving at the Pit Stop in fifth place with Gary and Mallory behind them in sixth and last place.

Phil then confirmed Gary and Mallory's elimination.

"Gary and Mallory, I'm sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the Race," Phil said. 

"It's alright," Mallory noted.

"You really wanted to do this didn't you?" Phil asked Mallory. 

"This is one of the best experiences I'll have, I know, and it's because I got to have it with my Dad," Mallory replied. "It's just really special -- he's really special."

"We share a special bond since she was my oldest -- the boy I never had -- I'm just proud to have done it with her," Gary added. 


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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