Reality Rumors

After 28 days, five continents and more than 45,000 miles, Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner were the first team to cross the finish line during last night’s finale of CBS’ The Amazing Race: All-Stars, making the pair — who had never previously raced together as a duo — the winners of The Amazing Racer’s eleventh installment and its $1 million grand prize.

“I got into the best shape being in this race with Eric because he kicked my butt, the race kicked my butt,” said Danielle after crossing the finish line.  “I’m so happy to be here.  I’m shaking.  I can’t believe this is real right now.”

Eric, a 28-year-old waiter from Deerfield Beach, FL, and Danielle, a 23-year-old bartender from Staten Island, NY, met while competing against one another on The Amazing Race’s ninth season.  Eric was paired with friend Jeremy Ryan and finished second while Danielle was teamed with friend Dani Torchio and finished seventh.

“I’m so happy to be here with Danielle,” said Eric.  “From what I went through last time — coming in second, so close — I mean to be in first is just unbelievable.”

It was deja vu all over again for Oswald Mendez and Danilo Jimenez, who just like during The Amazing Race’s second season, finished in fourth place during CBS’ The Amazing Race: All-Stars. 

While the pair was “marked for elimination” since they were the last team to arrive at the eleventh leg’s Pit Stop, the penalty never came into play as they were also the last team to reach the twelfth leg’s Pit Stop during last night’s penultimate episode of All-Stars.

“To be able to go through this and survive it twice leads me to believe that I will have Oswald in my life always,” said Danny upon finding he and Ozzy were eliminated.  “He’ll be pushing the wheelchair as I’m going into the home… the gay nursing home that I’m going to open up.”

Uchenna and Joyce Agu took a risk on a flight to Malaysia that found them stuck in Frankfurt at the beginning of The Amazing Race: All-Stars’ ninth leg, and as a result the married couple from Houston, TX were the seventh team eliminated from the competition. Uchenna and Joyce’s elimination marked the first time in 20 Racelegs that The Amazing Race 7 winners were sent packing.

I guess we can’t win them all,” said Uchenna during last night’s All-Stars broadcast on CBS.  “We’ve won this race before.  We know how hard it is to win it.”  Added Joyce, “Having never been eliminated before, it’s a strange feeling because this is it for us.  This is the end of the road.”