'The Amazing Race' eliminates Racers Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz

The Amazing Race eliminated Racers Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition's 21st season.


The "Dating Divorcees" team became the seventh team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived at the Race's ninth Pit Stop at the House of Rembrandt's mistress in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in last place.

"The 'Chippendales' cost me 2 million dollars. Just thinking about how much that really is, is life-changing. It sucks. It's a bad feeling. It was brutal. I don't feel like we accomplished what we set out to accomplish, and it just feels wrong. It doesn't feel right," Ryan said following his team's ouster, referencing how he and his teammate qualified for the 2 million grand prize since they had finished the season's first leg in first place.

The ninth episode of The Amazing Race's 21st season began where last week's broadcast left off, with the Race's remaining five teams meeting with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan and leaving the course's eighth Pit Stop at Sokolniki Park's public performance pavilion in Moscow, Russia.

Since they had been the team to finish in first place at the Race's eighth Pit Stop, "Chippendales Dancers and Best Friends" Jaymes Vaughan and James Davis were the first team to depart the park at 7:32PM.


Following Jaymes and James were "Dating Couple" Trey Wier and Alexis "Lexi" Beerman at 7:49PM, "Twin Sisters" Natalie Anderson and Nadiya Anderson at 9:15PM, Abbie and Ryan at 5:28AM, and "Goat Farmers and Life Partners" Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge at 8:11AM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to figure out that their next destination was the capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam. After flying there and landing, they must travel by rail to the central train station, where they'd search for their next clue.

Natalie and Nadiya managed to grab seats on a flight to Amsterdam via Rome which landed at 11:30AM. Jaymes and James secured a 10:45AM flight arriving in Amsterdam at 12:15PM. Trey and Lexi had a connecting flight in Larnaca, which was scheduled to arrive at 1:05PM.

Abbie and Ryan booked two pairs of tickets for flights connecting through Frankfurt -- one due to arrive in Amsterdam at 12:45PM and the other being scheduled to land at 2:05PM.

Josh and Brent bought ticket for a flight via Oslo that would arrive in Amsterdam at 4:35PM.


Once in Frankfurt, Abbie and Ryan were told they never checked-in ontime for their first available flight to Amsterdam, so they had to wait for a 12:55PM flight about an hour later. Once they finally got on that flight, their aircraft experienced some technical difficulties to the point where the pilot announced the plane couldn't be repaired quickly enough for them to just be delayed. Therefore, Abbie and Ryan were forced to switch planes.

While Jaymes and James, Natalie and Nadiya and Trey and Lexi were waiting for their flights to take off, they discussed how there could potentially be a Double U-Turn in the leg. The three teams promised each other that the first pair to arrive at the Double U-Turn board would use it on Abbie and Ryan and the second team to make it to the board would U-Turn a team already ahead of them in order to eliminate the possibility of Abbie and Ryan using it on one of them.

Natalie and Nadiya's plane landed first out of all the flights, and once at the central train station, their next set of clues instructed them to either complete a Fast Forward -- which would allow the team to finish the task in first place to skip all the other leg's tasks and head straight for the Pit Stop -- or continue on with the leg normally.

Natalie and Nadiya opted to try the Fast Forward, believing they already had a solid jump on the other teams behind them. The clue then told the girls to make their way to the Van Gogh Cafe and find a marked bus. Once on the bus, the twins learned they must each eat five herring in seven minutes before the bus, that also traveled underwater, returned to the shore.

If the team failed to eat all the fish in the allotted time, the bus would return to the cafe and the girls would have to wait 10 minutes before they could try again.


While the girls were attempting the Fast Forward task, Jaymes and James' flight had landed and they began making their way to the bus described in the Fast Forward clue. The guys hoped they were in first place and figured they could do the Fast Forward task, however, they ran into Natalie and Nadiya as the girls were getting off the bus. Natalie and Nadiya told the men they had finished the task, which luckily informed the "Chippendales" not even to attempt it.

As a result, Jaymes and James learned they must travel by boat to Magere Brug and look for Poffertjesboot to receive their next clue instead.

Meanwhile, Trey and Lexi arrived at the central train station and received the clue instructing them to find Poffertjesboot. They assumed they weren't in first place so decided to forego the Fast Forward task. As for Natalie and Nadiya, after completing their Fast Forward task, they rushed to the Pit Stop at the House of Rembrandt's mistress.

Natalie and Nadiya then arrived at the Pit Stop mat and met Phil in first place. For finishing ahead of all the other teams, Natalie and Nadiya received $5,000 cash apiece.

Jaymes and James were the first team to find Poffertjesboot -- although they were technically still in second place -- and they were followed by Trey and Lexi. Josh and Brent and Abbie and Ryan eventually arrived at the same spot simultaneously, as both teams ran into each other at the Amsterdam airport and had decided to run the leg together since they were already so far behind everyone else.


Both teams did the same thing in the prior leg, which ended up featuring the elimination of James LoMenzo and Mark "Abba" Abbattista. Ryan later admitted he and Abbie were okay with working with Josh and Brent so closely because they didn't see the guys as being a threat.
 
It then became time for the teams to complete one of two Detour tasks: "Back in Time" or "Organ to Grind."

"Back in Time" required the teams to dress as characters matching Rembrandt's Night Watch painting. Working with a group of extras, the teams had to place the extras with their props in the same way they were positioned in the work of art. Once the teams recreated the look of the painting precisely, they'd earn their next clue.

"Organ to Grind" required the teams to find one of three street-organs stationed on three different bridges. One person from each team would then have to operate the organ while the other teammate collected tips. Once a team earned 30 euro, they'd receive their next clue.

The clue informing the teams of the Detour task also cautioned that a Double U-Turn would be coming up in the leg.

Jaymes and James and Trey and Lexi chose to take on the "Organ to Grind" Detour task, while Abbie and Ryan and Josh and Brent collectively decided to attempt the "Back in Time" task.


At this point in the Race, Abbie and Ryan were planning on U-Turning Josh and Brent once they got to the board. They figured that because the three teams ahead of them were all very close, they wouldn't U-Turn each other. If Abbie and Ryan got U-Turned, which was a definite possibility, they'd have to U-Turn Josh and Brent to have a chance at staying in the Race.

Jaymes and James, still in second place, were the first team to complete the Detour task. They were soon followed by Trey and Lexi in third place. Josh and Brent and Abbie and Ryan eventually finished their Detour task around the same time and waited for one another to continue forward.

The team's next set of clues required them to make their way on foot to Museum Geelvinck. Once there, they had to search the gardens for their next clue.

Jaymes and James were the first team to find the clue box in the gardens, and they were soon followed by Trey and Lexi and eventually Abbie and Ryan and Josh and Brent.

Upon arriving at the cluebox, the teams discovered the Double U-Turn board. Jaymes and James felt absolutely terrible to U-Turn anyone, but they had made a deal with Trey and Lexi and Natalie and Nadiya to U-Turn Abbie and Ryan if it was an option. Holding true to their word but feeling guilty at the same time, the "Chippendales" chose to U-Turn Abbie and Ryan.

Trey and Lexi, who saw the board second, stuck to the plan as well and U-Turned Jaymes and James to use up the last available U-Turn -- knowing the men were most likely ahead of them anyways.


Once Abbie and Ryan and Josh and Brent got to the Double U-Turn board, they realized Abbie and Ryan had been U-Turned and therefore needed to go back and complete the other Detour task. Abbie and Ryan were not able to U-Turn Josh and Brent, so it became obvious that Josh and Brent would get to the Pit Stop before them unless the guys waited for them or something went terribly wrong on the rest of their trip.

Abbie and Ryan felt defeated. The pair backtracked to complete the "Organ to Grind" Detour task, while Josh and Brent grudgingly left them behind and moved on. Josh and Brent considered helping them but realized Abbie and Ryan would never let them finish ahead if it came down to a foot race to the Pit Stop mat. 

After completing their Detour tasks, the teams were required to travel by bus to Ransdorp, and once there, search for a marked field for their next clue.

Once at the field, the teams received a clue instructing them to complete a Roadblock task. For the Roadblock, one member of each team had to participate in "Ditch Vaulting," which required them to vault across a muddy ditch, pick up their next Pit Stop location printed on a pair of wooden shoes and then vault back again.

Jaymes and James arrived at the Roadblock task first and James completed it before any of the other teams. Trey and Lexi then made it to the location and Trey attempted the task. After they left, Josh and Brent arrived and Josh gave it a try. Finally, Abbie and Ryan arrived at the Roadblock task once they had completed both Detour tasks. Ryan chose to vault across the ditch but struggled a few times.

Jaymes and James, maintaining second place throughout the whole leg, arrived at the Pit Stop in second place. Trey and Lexi subsequently secured third place. Josh and Brent then finished the leg in fourth.


Abbie and Ryan eventually made it to the Pit Stop in fifth -- and last -- place. The team were extremely disappointed to have been eliminated and were speechless when Phil asked them how they were feeling. They felt they had lost the chance of a lifetime.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski