Author Topic: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"  (Read 56935 times)

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Offline Faith511

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #25 on: October 04, 2012, 07:18:00 AM »
I like this team alot. I also like Caitlyn and Brittany. Hope abbie and ryan win so that they can win 2 million!

Offline ianthebalance

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #26 on: October 08, 2012, 09:01:41 PM »
http://ryandanz.com/surabaya-indonesia/

This is Ryan's second post showing a leg from his own point of view. This one was so descriptive... :hearts:


Offline theschnauzers

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #27 on: October 09, 2012, 12:41:50 AM »
Ryan is really doing an excellent job with these blog entries. I've really enjoyed them so far.
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Offline Best Loser

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #28 on: October 09, 2012, 02:04:01 AM »
This entry was really enlightening. The first one I thought was a little too justifying and fake, but reading this one makes me believe he actually is a decent guy. It just seems completely different than the vibe I'm getting from them on the show, though I suppose that's due to lack of major screentime.


I suppose now that one of my two favorite teams has been eliminated that I'll root for them, but I still would much, much rather the Subs do well.

Offline Kendall

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #29 on: October 09, 2012, 07:03:08 PM »
really really love this team.. i hope they make it to top 3 along with nadiya and natalie and trey and lexi... and i hope they win this season  :)
It's been a while


Offline Faith511

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #30 on: October 23, 2012, 07:19:23 AM »
I love them!!!  :hearts: I really hope they win!!!
Hilarious Moment: Ryan shushing Natalie  while Abbie shoots herself in the head. Priceless

Offline chill_sd

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #31 on: October 29, 2012, 01:11:25 PM »
It looks like his blog posts have been taken down.  I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that CBS has not been posting any insider videos of Ryan and Abbie.

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #32 on: October 29, 2012, 01:32:37 PM »
Ryan @ the pitstop. Pls man.  :res:

Offline eragon

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #33 on: November 02, 2012, 12:28:14 PM »
I'm rooting for this team to win.

Offline Theo

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #34 on: November 02, 2012, 08:25:59 PM »
Wow. It really makes me surprised. At first, I think this team will be annoying and bickering each other, but it turns out they are really calm and strong. Abbie & Ryan are awesome! :hearts:
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Offline Best Loser

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #35 on: November 19, 2012, 12:49:41 AM »
On twitter Ryan's been talking about how scripted this past leg was.

Offline supah

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #36 on: November 19, 2012, 12:53:56 AM »
On twitter Ryan's been talking about how scripted this past leg was.

SARCASM ALERT. remember that time he said someone gets preggers on the race?

Offline theschnauzers

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #37 on: November 19, 2012, 01:03:51 AM »
I just read the tweets from tonight, and I agree Ryan was being tongue-in-cheek about the "scripted" comment.
He also mentioned that they were only given 60 seconds per attempt; that task was even harder than it looked on TV.
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Offline Theo

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #38 on: November 19, 2012, 03:29:00 AM »
Yeah I saw that. I hope everything will be alright  :ascared
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #39 on: November 26, 2012, 03:15:45 PM »
Message from Ryan:

I'm really touched by all the emails, calls, texts, messages from friends, family, and those that I see every day and those I haven't seen since grade school. Wow, what an adventure. I meant what I said tonight at the end of the show, that I can't put into words what the experience meant. It's truly an opportunity of a 100 lifetimes.

While we didn't win, and while that was our primary goal, I...am so proud of Abbie Ginsberg, so proud of the way we treated each other, so proud of the way we embraced the experience constantly throughout while maintaining our competitive nature. I'm also proud of the relationships we formed. I'm proud that we were loyal and honest throughout, to ourselves and our word. I'm proud that at our lowest point(s) that we stayed positive with each other, encouraging, supportive and respectful.

In the end the opportunity was truly priceless. We are so lucky to have the opportunity that tens of thousands have auditioned for, hundreds of thousands would do in an instant, and millions watch weekly.

We didn't lose 2million dollars, it was never ours to begin with. We would've run the race for $1. In fact, we would've paid a lot of money just to participate, even if just for 1 leg. I don't know a single person that wouldn't step out of their lives for 1 month to do the Amazing Race. Amazing is an understatement. I know there are production and casting and executives that I have reached out to to share my gratitude, but one more time, thank you. You have given me/us way more than we could ever give you.

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Offline bc922

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #40 on: November 26, 2012, 06:03:17 PM »
http://www.thedeadbolt.com/1003028764-the-amazing-race-abbie-and-ryan-on-the-chippendales-we-were-shocked.html

The Amazing Race: Abbie and Ryan on The Chippendales, “We were shocked”
54 mins ago by Reg Seeton

This week on The Amazing Race, dating divorcees Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz were eliminated after being U-Turned by Chippendale dancers, Jaymes and James.

Although Abbie and Ryan won the first leg of The Amazing Race to line themselves up for a potential $2 million prize, a series of delays and a timely U-Turn cost them their shot at the top spot.

After forming an early alliance with Team Chippendales, Abbie and Ryan fell behind the pack and found themselves racing for last place against New York farmers Josh and Brent. The Amazing Race fate of Abbie and Ryan was sealed when the Chippendales chose to U-Turn the dating couple, which immediately kept Josh and Brent in the race.

A day after their elimination from The Amazing Race 21, Abbie and Ryan filled The Deadbolt in on what happened, what went wrong, their relationship with the Chippendales, and more.

THE DEADBOLT: Do you regret teaming with Josh and Brent?
RYAN DANZ: The experience for us was so much more than just about the race or winning the money, or even the travel component. We didn’t know what to expect.

We were hoping to gain clarity with ourselves and our relationship. That in and of itself was a major blessing. We got to do something that so few people will ever get to experience. We really developed a much deeper relationship with each other through it.

Then sort of this of off-label reward was this relationship with Josh and Brent that will pay off dividends well beyond any prize money we would’ve won. So there are absolutely no regrets whatsoever with that.

THE DEADBOLT: How do you feel now about the Chippendales and their choice to use the U-Turn?
ABBIE GINSBERG: We look at it as two separate things. We knew there was a great likelihood we’d be U-Turned. So, to be bitter about a U-Turn in general, not at all. It’s part of the game.

We chose not to use the U-Turn early in the race because we didn’t need to. Had we been racing for last place, there was the potential we could have used it on another team. It’s all part of it.

We were shocked that it was them out of the people that were left. We knew that “Twinies” and “Texas” would do it in a heartbeat. But for it to come from them, we were shocked.

What you guys didn’t see was the relationship we had built with Jaymes and James pretty much from day one. We’re talking back at LAX. We said that we wanted to align with a dominant male-male team. They had come up to us and said, “You guys are strong. What do you say about helping each other out to make it to the final three?” We shook hands, all bets were off, and may the best person win. We did a lot of helping each other out along the way, little things.

THE DEADBOLT: So, what went wrong?
RYAN: We got pretty far behind leaving Turkey. There were some flight issues that you saw, and flight issues that you didn’t see, so we didn’t see them for a couple of days. They didn’t see us for a couple of days either and didn’t know what had happened. When we finally did run into each other at some point, Jaymes, blond Jaymes, comes up to us and says, “Oh my god! Thank god you’re here, I can breathe again.”

I’m only bringing this up because either he was the best actor of all-time or he genuinely cared about us. We had some concern because we were so far behind and there was a U-Turn coming up. He said, “Don’t worry about it. I know that Texas and the Twinies are plotting but we have your back. We all want to race together and race with the strongest team.”

They really wanted to take pride in beating us fair and square. So, having said that, cool! It’s definitely a mechanism in the game where we could use it. We talked in Indonesia that we just don’t believe in them as race fans.

But these guys were recruited for the show whereas Abbie and I applied as fans. They have other interests. One of the first things that Jaymes told us was this was an opportunity for him to get his own TV show. You know, it’s fine if that’s what it is but we just felt betrayed. We were sticking to our words with everyone we were talking to and holding our end of the bargain up.

THE DEADBOLT: In the end, how were you going to play things with Josh and Brent had you not been U-Turned?
RYAN: If the U-Turn didn’t happen, we basically would’ve gone to the ditch together. I think it was caught on TV that I was under the impression that they were sort of resigned to the fact that they went as far as they could go. They got as much out of the experience as they wanted to at that point.

I think we were under the impression that if we stepped on the mat at the same time – there was some rule that stated if that happened, which team would prevail – we would have been fine with moving on.

Offline Polaroid

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #41 on: November 26, 2012, 07:46:34 PM »
Sad to see them get eliminated last night. :( Abbie dancing with that woman was so sad... So happy that Abbie and Ryan treated each other with care and respect!

Offline RaceUntilWeDie

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #42 on: November 26, 2012, 08:02:13 PM »
For a team that I wasn't much of a fan of, I found their elimination to be pretty sad.

It is really cool character development to see how Abbie & Ryan started this Race off strong and dominant, the "team to beat," only to be pretty much near the back at the pack in their last few legs.

Offline Best Loser

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #43 on: November 26, 2012, 09:42:26 PM »
I don't know if I believe the part about Ryan & Abbie applying, but I totally believe them that they actually have seen the show and were not recruited.


Them being upset only because of who U-turned them reminds me of Colin & Christie and Chip & Kim.

Offline Mug Costanza

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #44 on: November 26, 2012, 11:30:48 PM »
I've made it known on other threads that I was overall disappointed with the casting choices this season.

That being said, Abbie & Ryan were by far my favorites this year. Rarely, if ever, am I actually physically saddened by a team's elimination, but Abbie & Ryan's elimination left me moping around my house last night.

I'm not going to complain about them being U-Turned or be mad at Jaymes & James for doing it. It's just really sad that it all happened after they had another day of terrible flights. :( Abbie hugging that sweet woman who gave them 6 Euro was the most emotional moment I've seen on the show in a long time.

But I'm very happy that Abbie & Ryan did not turn out to be the "bickering couple" team we all thought they would be. :hrt:

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Now I have nothing to look forward to during the last three episodes. :lol:
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Offline AmazingRace

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #45 on: November 27, 2012, 03:09:42 AM »
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-abbie-ginsberg-and-ryan-danz-talk-about-the-amazing-race-%28part-1%29-14120.php

Exclusive: Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz talk about 'The Amazing Race' (Part 1)
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

Reality TV World: What's the status of your relationship now? Are you guys still together, and if so, how are things going?

Ryan Danz: I'm dating [Jaymes Vaughan] from the Race.

Abbie Ginsberg: (Laughs)

Ryan Danz: Yeah Abbie, you lost out. That's my best chance at winning a million bucks... No, we're great. We just got back from a week in Tahoe. We had the dogs. We had hot chocolate -- we've just been enjoying each other's company and kind of reflecting on our journey.

It was just an amazing experience and we've taken a few months to let everything sort of set in and figure out how it all unfolded and just kind of moving on from that. But what an opportunity in 100 lifetimes, like I said at the end of the show!

Reality TV World: Going back to the second leg of the Race, Amy Purdy and Daniel Gale helped you guys find the last clue when you were searching for it but you guys beat them in a foot race to the Pit Stop -- ultimately finishing the leg in first and winning the chance to claim $2 million at the end of the season. And then last night, Jaymes and James Davis made a similar move in that they put their own chances in the Race before your friendship. So would you mind talking about why you were angry at the "Chippendales" but kind of thought it was okay and fair to beat out Amy and Daniel when they had helped you? Some viewers have been saying it was a little hypocritical, so I just wanted to get your perspective on that.

Ryan Danz: I just want to say one thing and then Abbie will take the response. But when we passed Amy and Daniel, that was to secure first place. We didn't eliminate them from the Race in that move.

So, the difference being, I don't think it's hypocritical at all because Jaymes and James actually orchestrated us out of the Race, whereas Amy and Daniel -- even in that moment, what you don't see is us discussing that Daniel had been eating fallopian tubes that day and we all thought he was incurring a penalty. So if we let them finish ahead of us, just by the nature of the penalty, we would've been moved up to first place anyways.

Abbie Ginsberg: And the big difference as well is that if you really look at our situation with Daniel and Amy, that was in the heat of the moment-type of thing. Everybody was in the heat of the moment at that point. We didn't strategize or try to stab them in the back or plan it.

It just so happened that they offered information, and they would say it was in the heat of the moment for them as well. The outcome was what it was because of that, but you know, people who were next to us -- like the blondes [Caitlin King and Brittany Fletcher] -- they got the same information.

And Ryan and I were talking earlier. We seriously thought [James LoMenzo and "Abba" Mark Abbattista] were in first place that day. We saw them running earlier than us, and we at no point thought it was in the bag -- that we were outrunning Daniel and Amy for that first place.

We think the difference is, with this U-Turn thing, is it was plotted and planned. It was a strategy move, which we don't fault them for it. It's part of the game. But they're two very different situations.

Ryan Danz: And just to add on, we knew Daniel and Amy a little bit up until that last point in Shanghai. We had talked to them briefly on the flight. We really liked them, but we had no real alliance with them unlike the "Chippendales."

What the show didn't really cover is even leaving LAX for Shanghai, we very quickly got very close on all of our flights and helping each other along the way. It wasn't just an alliance. It was a true friendship, and it went to the point where we had just said, "Look, let's get each other to the Final 3 and then as soon as we get to the Final 3, game on -- all bets are off..."

Abbie Ginsberg: May the best man win.

Ryan Danz: ... And we've seen them in Russia after not seeing anyone for a few days. And when they saw us, you know, they said, "Oh my God, we can breathe again! Thank God you guys are okay and you're here." And I said, "Well, we're concerned. We're so far behind everyone because of these flights and there's a chance of a U-Turn coming."

[And the guys were like,] "Hey, don't worry about it, Abbie and Ryan. We got your back. We won't let anything happen to you." So the development of the friendship is very different from Daniel and Amy, and the Daniel and Amy move cost them ultimately one place in the standings. It didn't get them out of the Race.

Reality TV World: Diving a little bit more into how Jaymes and James worked with Natalie Anderson and Nadiya Anderson and Trey Wier and Alexis "Lexi" Beerman and basically conspired to get you guys out, because there was deliberate conclusion to get rid of you, do you think that's fair gameplay in the Race? Do you think The Amazing Race should be more of an individual team game?

Abbie Ginsberg: No, I think it's absolutely fair. It's part of it. There aren't rules that define you have to work by yourself. I mean, there were instances when we worked together with other teams. So I don't think there's any rule against strategizing. It's part of the game, you know? Unfortunately, we were on the bad end of it.

Reality TV World: It sounds like you were very surprised when you found out Jaymes and James had U-Turned you. But after watching last night's episode and seeing how difficult the decision really was for the guys to make, did it change your opinion of them at all? Did it make the outcome of your Race any easier for you to handle?

Abbie Ginsberg: Well, I think we were just shocked about who it was initially. Had it been the twins of the Texans, we totally would've understood.

Ryan Danz: I don't think that, watching it back -- because I knew we'd be interviewing today -- it's odd to me that they played it up as, "Oh, I don't know whether we can do this. Should we do it or not?"

Because they kept saying, "We just want to get to the U-Turn board first, because if we get there first, we're not going to have to use this U-Turn strategy that the next two teams will have to be the ones to do it."

And then sure enough, they get their first and they play up this, "Gosh, I don't know if we should U-Turn our friends," thing. But then, they ultimately do. I don't think it was ever a question in their mind what they were going to do.

Abbie Ginsberg: Right.

Ryan Danz: It had nothing to do with the fact we were racing for $2 million and they were only racing for one. It had everything to do with the fact that up until after Turkey, we had dominated the Race course in terms of the finishes.

We beat "Chippendales" five out of six times. We beat Trey and Lexi four out of six times. We beat Natalie and Nadiya five out of six times. We could've been racing for a dollar. All they saw was that we were the ones that...

Abbie Ginsberg: We were in their way.

Ryan Danz: ... We were in their way of getting the million. So, I don't think it was that tough of a decision as they let on.

Reality TV World: So just to clarify, do you think Trey and Lexi and Natalie and Nadiya had that same mindset -- that the money wasn't a factor in them deciding to target you because they just considered you threatening and wanted you out?

Abbie Ginsberg: (Laughs)

Ryan Danz: Definitely, because I believe if there was even a dollar at stake for us and a million for them, they were going to do the same thing. We were the ones closest to winning.

Abbie Ginsberg: Even though we were hours behind, you know? You could argue too, "Why U-Turn a team that's already so far behind?" Jaymes and James were looking at the end goal inside there. I don't fault them.

Ryan Danz: Yeah, I have no problem with the U-Turn being used against us. It's part of the game. But it was a little discomforting that we talked exclusively about it in Indonesia the first time around, and everyone's thoughts were, "We don't even think U-Turns should be part of the game. Let's win based on talent. Let's see the best teams racing at the end. And then let's see who wins."

So you know, okay fine, it was used against us -- and likewise with the bad luck with the flights. I still think cabs and planes should be part of a world race. So, yes, we were on the losing side of that, but that's how we feel. That's what makes the Race so great.

Reality TV World: You guys were a very competitive team all season, which intimidated some of your fellow Racers -- who, in turn, kind of categorized you as an unlikable team. However, you raced side by side with Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge throughout a few legs until that no longer became a possibility anymore with the U-Turn incident. Could you talk about your reasoning for racing with them? Did it really come down to the fact you thought they weren't threatening and you wanted to help your friends out who were in the same grim situation as you, or was it more of a "keep your enemies close" type of thing?

Abbie Ginsberg: Not at all -- not the latter, not at all. We hadn't had the opportunity to really get to know them during the first part of the Race pre-Istanbul, because they were at the back of the pack.

You sort of realize that when you surround yourself with the same people, you're bound to develop closer relationships or enemies. But they weren't around to even have that opportunity to develop a relationship with until Istanbul.

And I think what started it for us was that night in the Frankfurt airport. We didn't strategize to keep them around so we could backstab them. That's not the way Ryan and I work, although I'm sure there are a lot of people that don't know us out there that think we would do that. (Laughs)

Ryan Danz: I would just add that the strategy...

Abbie Ginsberg: Four heads are better than two!

Ryan Danz: ... Josh and Brent are strategic geniuses. I mean, for what they lacked in brawn, they certainly made up -- more than made up for -- in mental prowess. That night, we spent eight or nine hours in the Frankfurt airport together and we didn't sleep. We just discussed Race strategy.

We were so far ahead of the other teams in regards to the upcoming legs and the U-Turns and all the possibilities, that when it all played itself out last night, I was sort of laughing -- thinking, "These guys don't even know. We were well beyond you as a foursome here," and we knew that we probably couldn't get passed a U-Turn or a Double U-Turn if we were that far behind.

And so all we cared about was getting whatever resources, intel and insight that we had in why we've been successful up to a certain point over to Josh and Brent. We basically -- our only motivation really was to say, "Look, if we can't win, we want you guys [to] and we'll do everything we can to kind of slingshot you up to the front. And here's what we would do if we were you to just try and win."

Reality TV World: Obviously the U-Turn changed things, but if it hadn't, what was your plan when it came to separating from Josh and Brent? Did you plan on beating them in a foot race to the Pit Stop or having both teams step onto the mat at the same time and asking The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan to decide who goes home? What were you thinking there?

Ryan Danz: I think, you know, and there's some background here that I really probably can't get into. But we all had the rulebook with us, and I was aware of the tie-breaking mechanisms in the game. And so, we would've been fine just based on those mechanisms to move forward, and that would've been sort of the outcome. That's why we were okay with doing things the way that we were going to do.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised that Josh and Brent didn't wait for you two to finish the second Detour task, especially considering all you're talking about now and how much you had been through together? Did you have any hard feelings that they chose to move forward without you?

Abbie Ginsberg: Not at all. We understand their predicament, and I don't think that they did it easily. I think that, as you saw, there was a lot of trepidation for them, and we get it. What are you going to do at the end of the day? For them to come back and help us with the Detour, it didn't make sense.

Offline AmazingRace

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #46 on: November 27, 2012, 03:25:28 AM »
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amazing-race-abbie-ryan-elimination-394367


'Amazing Race': Abbie and Ryan on Their Rivalry With the 'Twinnies' and Losing Out on $2 Million
 by Kimberly Nordyke

The Hollywood Reporter: It seemed like many of the other teams were gunning for you. Was it because of the $2 million prize?

Abbie: Honestly, before the $2 million prize [even came into play] -- I don't mean this in a cocky way -- but everyone was looking at us. We're athletic, a male-female team -- and in the beginning everyone was doing a lot of sizing up. But the $2 million added an extra bull's-eye to our back.

Ryan: I don't think the $2 million had anything to do with it. If you are racing for one dollar or a million, it's the same thing. It's all about getting the strongest team out. ... If [another team] has an opportunity to use a U-turn, it's not about us winning $2 million and them $1 million, it's "what ensures myself a better opportunity for winning $1 million for ourselves?" It was based on that.

THR: Have you had a chance to talk to the Chippendales yet?

Ryan [laughs]: Oh yeah, they're here right now.

Abbie: They're going to move in with us.

Ryan: They're the sweetest guys and felt really bad. We're going to send them a basket.

STORY: 'Amazing Race' Creator Feared Cancellation Until Their First Win

Abbie: No, we haven't spoken to them, but do we hate them? Absolutely not. It's part of the game. But we were surprised it was them out of all the teams remaining. We wouldn't have been surprised if it had been the twins or Trey and Lexi. They were vocal about not liking us. But what [the series] didn't really show was that our relationship with the Chippendales really started at LAX airport. We started the race saying it was important that we have strong teams racing against us at the end, and they agreed. We all made a pack to help each other as best we could and make it to the final three. So we were surprised it was them, and you saw that emotion pretty clearly in the episode. But it's part of the game, and we potentially would have played the U-turn as well.

Ryan: I disagree.  We had the opportunity to U-turn the Chippendales in Indonesia, but we all wanted to race on equal footing and do the course as best we could and not use gimmicks. We didn't see them for a few days after Turkey, and [when we reconnected], it was like we hadn't seen our long-lost brother in years. They went out of their way to reassure us they were holding up their end of the bargain. We had helped them along the route many times, and they helped us too. But you see on the show edit that highlighted the struggle Jaymes was having at home with his dad's cancer. Of course for anyone having to face that adversity, it's brutal. You wouldn't for a second put someone you just met on the race in front of your own family. ... But on the show, watching them at the U-turn board ... it seemed like they very much already had their mind made up and were just hamming it up for the cameras.

THR: There was some criticism when, in the premiere, Amy [Purdy] and Daniel [Gale] pointed you in the direction of the mat, only to end up coming in second, thereby losing out on their shot at $2 million. [The couple was later eliminated.] Do you regret that?

Abbie: All we can really say is that from both sides, it was a heat-of-the-moment thing. We were not going into it with that as our strategy to be backstabbing, to get information and turn on them. Everybody was helping each other out in small ways. But it was the first leg, and we were all like chickens with our heads cut off. We didn't go into it planning to do that, and we don't regret it, and I don't think they regret giving us the information.

Ryan: When we got to the restaurant that day before [the teams were forced to eat] frog fallopian tubes, Daniel [broke the rules during that challenge]. When we saw that, we assumed they would get a penalty, and it didn't matter if they finished ahead of us because they would have been out of first place anyway. And we didn't know the pit stop was the next clue anyway.

Abbie: And we thought Jaymes and James were ahead of us. We didn't even know we were running for first and second place that day.

Ryan: We've talked to Amy and Daniel extensively after [shooting] ended. What we take away is that there are no hard feelings. We were not trying to be malicious. We didn't feel like cheating or stealing was in the scope of the game. With the money issue you saw in Bangladesh [in which two teams found another team's money and kept it], you start to talk about character issues, and we never got anywhere near that.


THR: Who are you rooting for to win?

Abbie: The Beekman boys [Abbie and Ryan formed an alliance during the last two legs with goat farmers/life partners Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge]. We developed a strong friendship with them beyond the race.  We were lucky to spend all that time with them in Frankfurt and Amsterdam and Russia, especially. They are very classy guys and smart and humble. We're rooting for them all the way.

Ryan: If not us -- and it's clearly not -- then it has to be them. We would feel a sense of accomplishment if the won, in a way, because we spent so much time giving them ideas and strategy. Maybe then can use some of that info to help them get to the front of the pack and win. It would feel like a victory for us, in a way.

THR: Why did you seem to have such a contentious relationship with the twins?

Abbie: Watching back, a lot of people keep asking me, "What did you do to generate such hatred?" But we're competitive people, and they're competitive people, and for that reason, they didn't like us and they thought we were annoying. But we thought they were annoying. There's no real backstory -- just one of those oil and water situations that we can laugh about now.

Ryan: Here we are three months down the road, and besides the Beekmans, we talk to the "twinnies" the most. They're still young -- they're 10 years younger than us. But they've reached out to us for help in some ways and have trusted us in our opinions and asked for advice. If you say a few things in the race and that get aired, it feels like we were obsessed with them. But it was just a small speck of sand in the entire beach of the race.

THR: Will you ever go back to Frankfurt?

Abbie [laughs]: Nope. I'd buy a condo in Bangladesh first. But the airport did have a free-espresso machine that was insane.

Ryan: I can't understand how we have tickets and we're there 30 minutes before the departure, and they won't let us board.

Abbie: And we had a backup plane. We had two flights. It was not like we were chancing it. Our connection was the same duration as the twins. We gambled, and the luck worked in their favor, so what are you gonna do?

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #47 on: November 27, 2012, 03:30:22 AM »
Amazing Race's Abbie and Ryan: Flight Connection Drama Was "Bizarre"
By Joyce Eng

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/tv/tvguide/article/Amazing-Race-s-Abbie-and-Ryan-Flight-Connection-4068173.php#ixzz2DPhugsls

What was it like watching the episode?
Abbie: We were both pretty at peace. There were moments of where I got teary-eyed again, not because we were upset about going out, but it brought back a lot of emotions.
 Ryan: Watching the show last night, I teared up for Abbie. And I already knew what happened. I was such a big baby doing the organ grinding with my head down, but Abbie was dancing in the streets of Amsterdam. It was incredible to see her shake off the frustration and do it. Because I couldn't do it. I was wearing my poopy pants that day. [Laughs] It was one of the many, many instances of watching Abbie throughout the Race that shocked me ... watching her do something I couldn't do.
 
What happened with the first connection? Why wouldn't she check you in if you weren't checked in? Was there a check-in time you missed?
Ryan: We have no idea. It was bizarre. Even today, I was reaching out to people that may know in the airline industry, like, "How did that happen? The plane and the gate attendant are still there. How did we not get on?" We had tickets. Maybe I should've said, "I don't understand the check-in procedure." But up until that point, whenever we bought our own flights, we always bought them at the originating airport and we were always able to board as long as we had tickets in hand. We never had a check-in problem. And we never got a good explanation as to this whole check-in procedure.
Abbie: It was baffling. We were half an hour early. The plane was sitting there on the tarmac, still connected to that [walkway]. We left since we booked a backup flight and we didn't have a problem getting on that one. And then it was the bad luck of the second plane breaking down. It was one of those planes where you have to board the bus to get on, so it was an extra 20 minutes. It was insanity.
 
You guys had a chance to catch up to the first three teams had you made that first connection.
Abbie: Yes! We had no idea at the time, but to watch and see that had we been on that first flight, we would've landed before Trey and Lexi - I was like, oh my God! We didn't see anybody at the airport that morning.
Ryan: We actually watched them open their clue the night before. It was horrific. [Laughs] It was, like, 10 o'clock at night and we had another, like, seven hours before we could leave. It was crazy. We had to go to sleep knowing that teams had already left hours before. We assumed that they might've flown out that night. ... It turns out they didn't fly until the next morning. ... People say to us, "You got so unlucky with the flights." I say, "It is as much part of the Race as the tasks themselves." Yeah, it's annoying, but I'm not going to get completely hung up on the flight situation because that's just part of the Race. I love that teams have to make their own flights and they're not forced on the one or two flights production chooses for us. I love that something like that can cost people the Race. To me, the show is about world-traveling.


I think a lot of people were surprised at how closely you worked with the Beekmans this leg and the first Moscow leg, especially when you waited for them at the swimming task. Do you think that had any domino effect on your standing this leg?
Abbie: No, I think it would've only been a few minutes if we had left the swimming task without them. We had decided to run the leg with them. What was important to us was sticking to our word. Had we stepped out before they were done swimming, they probably would've caught up to us at the locks Roadblock because I had trouble and we would've been in a similar situation. It's not like it cost us hours. And I think people forget that the Beekmans had a four-hour penalty too, so we arrived together that leg, but we were four hours ahead of them the next leg. We really went to the airport this leg in the best standing that we could have under the circumstances.
 
You did bleed time in the time zone Roadblock last week, which was hilarious.
Ryan: [Laughs] Oh, God! That was incredibly stupid on my part. I couldn't believe it took me that long to figure it out!
 
You were under the correct assumption that you would be U-Turned and you would then U-Turn the Beekmans. Did you discuss this with them?
Ryan: Yeah. When we got stuck in Frankfurt the first time with the Beekmans, we strategized a couple legs ahead of that Double U-Turn. What we cared about was one of us two teams had to go on and win the Race. We hoped that if it was us that were U-Turned- we thought it would be the girls or Trey and Lexi doing it - and got out, then the Beekmans will go on and win. We literally spent the whole night talking about how to make this work and how to slingshot one of the two teams back up to the front because at that point we were seven or eight hours behind. We really connected with these guys on a much deeper level and hopefully it will go beyond The Amazing Race. Look, $2 million is a lot of money. We're not ever going to deny we wanted to win that. But if we want to look at the silver lining, apart from the time we spent together and seeing the world, we made some very, very, very great and deep friendships.
 
Did you know that they wanted to wait for you to do the other Detour?
Ryan: No. Well, we knew it was hard for them, but we didn't expect them to wait for us. People say, "Are you mad? You guys waited for them during swimming." We're not upset at all. This show - there are some things that are gimmicky with the editing, but they blew me away with how accurate they tell the story. They showed it exactly how I remembered it. It was Brent and Josh not wanting to leave us and feeling bad. What we didn't know was them delaying moving on to the Roadblock and hoping we would catch them.
Abbie: What would've happened then is we would've jumped on the mat at the same time again.
 

How would they eliminate a team in that case?
Ryan: We looked it up and the rule said that the team that finished higher the previous leg would win.
 
You would've stayed then. So you would've definitely U-Turned them had the second one been available?
Ryan: Yeah. As you saw on the show, they wanted us to U-Turn them so we could do the second Detour together. I had said on the show - and they even said it - that they had sort of resigned themselves, like, "We've gone as far as we can go." I said, "Guys, that's not what we talked about. It's not OK to say this is good enough." We really wanted to empower them to continue and have belief. My hope is they got a real fire in their belly as Brent said on their ride to the Roadblock. I hope that we can take pleasure in their ongoing success if they maintain it.
 
Were you really that mad at the Chippendales or was it an "in the moment" thing?
Abbie: No. Initially, we were just shocked that it was them. What they didn't show was the alliance that we had formed with them from the beginning at LAX. Aside from Daniel and Amy, they were one of the first teams we befriended. We were helping each other out the whole Race and of course they don't have time to show all of that. That's why we were a little shocked it was them. But are we mad at them? No. It's a game. The U-Turn is part of the game. We don't fault them for making that decision. We're all competitors and we understand that trying to take out a strong team is part of the game. Of course, it stung right at the beginning when emotions are running high and you haven't slept or eaten, and you're trying your damndest to overcome all these obstacles in your own. I think we were both in disbelief as to who it was, but not in disbelief as to being U-Turned.
 
What do you think of their plan with the Double U-Turn? No one's really strategized like that before.
Ryan: That's a great idea. You got rid of a strong team and made a double U-Turn a single U-Turn. Well done. Just be prepared for the consequences. They're letting the Beekmans back in the game and they're thinking they're the weakest, but those guys have a legitimate shot to win. They come off as easy-to-beat and they're not dominating each leg, but there's a lot more to them.
 
What are you up to now?
Abbie: We're sitting in our pajamas and drinking coffee!
Ryan: I have a cabin in Lake Tahoe and we just got back from a week there. We were unplugged. We brought our black Labs and did the nature thing.
Abbie: Back to work today. I will have about 800 students who are going to ask me all sorts of questions at the dance studio. Mondays have been a ritual of recapping Sunday episodes, but this one, I'm kind of dreading and excited about.

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #48 on: November 27, 2012, 03:32:49 AM »
Exclusive: Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz talk about 'The Amazing Race' (Part 2)
by Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

Reality TV World: Last night's episode showed you guys arriving in Frankfurt and a woman telling you that you had never checked-in and therefore you'd miss the earliest available flight for you guys into Amsterdam. Could you clarify what happened there and how much time did you lose because of that problem? -- Just an hour, was it?

Abbie Ginsberg: Well to start off, people thought we were crazy for connecting back to Frankfurt, and we booked two flights just to be safe. So we definitely learned our lesson and we thought that we were putting our best foot forward that way.

But what happened was once we got in, we ran to the gate to make that first connecting flight, and for some reason, we didn't show up in their system as checked-in. And so they decided to close the doors early on the flight -- we're talking like half-an-hour earlier on the flight -- because we weren't shown in the system even though we had our tickets with us.

So as we ran to the counter, the plane was there in visible sight. It was still connected to the walkway, and they just closed the doors on us. We begged and begged and begged, and there was nothing that could be done.

So then, we went down to the next connecting flight, which left an hour. And we're like, "Okay, well good thing we got a second flight! We'll get there, no big deal." And that flight... was when there was engine trouble. So they had to de-board that entire flight, move us onto another flight -- so it was just a sequence of unlucky crappy flight stuff. 

Reality TV World: You guys were truly a team who experienced a lot of bad luck towards the end of your race with the delayed flight into Frankfurt where you missed the layover and then everything that happened during last night's show that you've been talking about. Would you attribute your elimination solely to that constant stream of bad luck?

Ryan Danz: Yeah, I mean, I don't see how any -- if you looked at our times on the Race course, when we actually started racing each of those legs, we were, I think, faster than all the other teams on each of those legs. We did the synchronized swim in Russia in an hour-and-a-half. I think the fastest another team did it was in three hours.

We did the dancing task on the third try. All the other teams were there for at least six or seven or more tries. But it wasn't a race-course race. We were dominating. I think there were only like three tasks out of 18 or so where a team arrived after us and left before us.

And in each of those three instances -- and I'm talking about the balloons in [the first leg in Surabaya, Indonesia] and the maps in Russia and the time zone [Roadblock task] and then the scale in Dhaka -- we not only finished ahead of those teams that passed us, but we made up time on the second part of that Roadblock or Detour.

Abbie Ginsberg: We ran the course impeccably.

Ryan Danz: Yeah.

Abbie Ginsberg: You can look and say that the start of our demise was in Istanbul, Turkey -- yeah, Istanbul airport. And it was just flight after flight after flight. Like Ryan said, if you take away the fact that we were 8-10 hours behind in Moscow, we actually ran the leg very quickly.

Ryan Danz: Yeah. And so, yes, to answer your question. The only reason we are out of the Race is not because of the Double U-Turn. It's because of all the bad flight problems, including the bad flight that you don't even see that we had before we even got out of Turkey the first time.

Abbie Ginsberg: But had we caught that first flight from Frankfurt into Amsterdam and then got U-Turned, there's a great likelihood that we would've had enough time to even succeed through both of those Detours and overcome the U-Turn to finish ahead of the Beekmans [Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge]. It was an hour, so it really does boil down to that.

Reality TV World: Do you think the outcome of your Race would've been any different if maybe you guys tried to be a little more friendly with the other teams or tried to form some other alliances?

Ryan Danz: Well, we had the alliance with the "Chippendales" [Jaymes Vaughan and James Davis] from even LAX. We got very close with them and it wasn't even an alliance. It really was a friendship. We were sort of sharing family stories and we knew about [one of their] dad's situation and some other stuff with Jaymes and James. And we shared stuff.

So that one was just a backstab, but since that, we did everything "by the book" in terms of building relationships with them. And we still got hit in the back only because we were a casualty of our own success. You know, people say, "Well what if you didn't win that first leg? Then you wouldn't have been the target."

And I say, "Even if we came in second, we could have a second-place finish in every leg of the Race and it's not going to change anything." We knew right away in the first few legs of the Race that we were the strongest team, and that was the reason why we went home. It's not like they wouldn't have U-Turned us if we told better jokes.

Abbie Ginsberg: And at one point, it turns into Survivor and all you're doing is trying to strategize and build alliances. There's a lot of time when you're running on your own, so you build these friendships and alliances that you can. But to us, we did that. We did just that, and people aren't going to like everybody in every team on the Race.

If you're talking about like the twins [Natalie and Nadiya Anderson] and Texans [Trey Wier and Alexis "Lexi" Beerman], the twins just didn't like us from the beginning because we were a threat and vice versa. We were both competitive and you're not always going to like the person that's right up against you for the million-dollar prize.

Ryan Danz: And granted, I think our personalities -- we obviously know how to connect with people. Our relationship with the Beekmans I think speaks volumes about us. So maybe it's not necessarily just us. And yes, I know we're competitive. I know we're confident, and that can be misconstrued...

Abbie Ginsberg: As cocky...

Ryan Danz: ... But obviously guys like the Beekmans -- there's no better people in the world and [they're] some of the best people I've ever met, and they take in a real [friendliness] towards us. So I think that also speaks about us.

Abbie Ginsberg: I mean, that's a good point. You know, we do get an edit of cocky and arrogant, and that's fine. We'll take it. I think there's a fine line between competitive and cocky, and for a lot of people who don't know us, they immediately put us into that category. But Ryan's right.

Why would we then have these friendships with people that are so different than us? I mean, the Beekmans couldn't be more different yet we've developed such a great friendship with them that we'll continue, you know?

Reality TV World: How long would you say it took you to complete the "Back in Time" painting Detour task, and then how much time would you say it took you to finish that second "Organ to Grind" task?

Abbie Ginsberg: I think I would say about an hour for the Renaissance painting, maybe a little bit more -- maybe an hour-and-a-half. And then, yeah, let's see -- maybe 45 minutes for the organ one.

Ryan Danz: Yeah, the thing with that Rembrandt [task], is we didn't have a real plan in place with the Beekmans to leave together. I think if Abbie and I had completed that first, I know we would've run ahead because of the U-Turn. But we actually were approved at the same time.

Abbie Ginsberg: Yeah, exactly.

Ryan Danz: So that was really an interesting moment, you know, where we would've moved forward. They were more or less -- I don't want to say resigned -- but they were okay with us moving on. And I think that they intentionally sort of delayed leaving the U-Turn mat while they were discussing [things] in the hope that we got it done quick enough that we caught back up to them.

I think they wanted us to make the decision via our actions whether or not they were going to move on, as opposed to them having to make that decision themselves, because they were so conflicted by it. 

Reality TV World: Natalie and Nadiya found James LoMenzo and "Abba" Mark Abbattista's $100 cash earlier this season and stole it. And they ended up splitting that money with Trey and Lexi, forcing James and Abba to try to make the money back by begging locals nearby. What was your reaction to that whole situation?

Ryan Danz: And they shared it with the "Chippendales" too.

Abbie Ginsberg: (Laughs)

Ryan Danz: No, I'm just kidding. (Laughs)

Abbie Ginsberg: We were quite surprised. Watching it on TV for the first time, we didn't know it had happened. And I remember that day back in the Dhaka airport, we had some time to kill, and we couldn't figure out where James and Abba were. We were like, "Oh, they're probably at a library or doing research or scheming," because they were so secretive.

Turns out they were actually trying to earn money, and that's where they were! But Ryan and I talked about that situation, because it's very controversial and a lot of people are saying, "Well, it's no different than what you did to [Amy Purdy and Daniel Gale]." And it is very different.

At the end of the day, I think both of us would've been really scared sh-tless that once we get to the mat, we're penalized or even kicked off for stealing.

Ryan Danz: And it's wrong!

Abbie Ginsberg: It is wrong. I think that had we been in that situation, we wouldn't have done it. And there might be people who disagree and say, "Well you guys are cutthroat. You burned Amy and Daniel." It's a different ballgame when it comes down to somebody's belongings.

Ryan Danz: And I shared with Abbie while we were kind of talking about it, "What would we have done if we had found the money?" And I think the way that we approached the Race together -- and you're not going to believe me when I say this, but it's true -- the most important thing to me was not winning the two million dollars or the most legs or any of that.

It was actually making this experience a respectful one for both Abbie and I. I think one thing I am most proud of -- or the thing I am most proud of -- is how I treated her on the Race. I never embarrassed her. I never belittled her. I never made her the scapegoat.

I was supportive and respectful, and I did that because I wanted her to know that regardless of how she did or we did, that was more important to me -- that she felt that support from me and that I loved her deeply. But also, she's got 800 students at her dance studio that watch us...

Abbie Ginsberg: And calculate every move... (Laughs)

Ryan Danz: ... And my business associates and my employees watched it. And I think that in that moment, it becomes more than the Race when you find money, especially because they deduced right away whose it belonged to. And knowing it's going to be watched back by all these people near and dear and then people who don't know us, I wouldn't have taken that reputational risk to keep the money.

And you know, from a strategy standpoint, I do believe the Race is a different beast. I do believe it's a closed course. I do believe that the regular rules of society don't really apply. But I wouldn't have even -- we're pretty cutthroat as a team, but I don't think we would've even done that.

Abbie Ginsberg: No. And the money at that point, you have enough money to do what you need to do. It's not like it's going to benefit you that greatly.

Ryan Danz: And I will say this, I think the twinnies are calculating, and I think they were aware of the risks on many levels and they decided to do it. And I think conversely, Texas is blown away and they're getting blown out the water publicly for being a part of that scheme. And I don't think they ever once sort of figured out that, "Here they are presenting us as a young, cute Christian couple."

Abbie Ginsberg: Kind of like the little sister that just goes along with it.

Ryan Danz: And the repercussions are really, because of the Internet -- they're going to be for a lifetime potentially that they're going to have to battle this wound. And I'm glad we're not a part of that.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on The Amazing Race? And also, would you ever consider doing an all-stars edition if given the opportunity since you believe your time was cut short?

Abbie Ginsberg: Well first of all, to answer the all-stars question, hell yeah! (Laughs) A twice in a lifetime-opportunity, I had a blast. I mean, it was insane. Well, I can say I had a blast now. (Laughs) It was really stressful!

We submitted a tape the old-fashioned way and went through the process of that. We got a callback and first got told, "No." And then, I think another pair fell through and they called us back and wanted us. So we were very, very, very fortunate to have -- to be a part of these 11 teams out of tens of thousands of applications.

Ryan Danz: Yeah, and for me, I know where Abbie's coming from. She would go back tomorrow. It was that special of an opportunity. Unfortunately for me, there's so much stuff that's happened.

It is a TV show and there's a lot of stuff that takes to get this thing to be what it is on TV, and a part of that is unfortunately there's some downside to it, and I may have burned some bridges or I may have sort of -- I don't imagine there will be a call coming in in the next day or so asking me to come back. But if I ever did, you know, I want to discuss it with Abbie.

Abbie Ginsberg: Well I'm in! So I guess I should look out for another partner! (Laughs)
 
« Last Edit: December 07, 2012, 11:38:19 PM by AmazingRace »

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Re: TAR 21: Abbie Ginsberg & Ryan Danz "Dating Divorcees"
« Reply #49 on: November 27, 2012, 06:44:53 AM »
I didn't really like them at first, but towards the last three episodes, they have become my favourites by far! <3 :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: Definitely need to be recruited for Unfinished Business 2.0, if ever such a season takes place. :tup:

I'm afraid that they're going to be the team that tries to sabotage or mislead other teams. :lol:

In hindsight, I think it worked out the other way around! :lol: :groan: :lol3:
I'd rather walk alone than let them throw dirty confetti. ♥