Abbie & Ryan

Abigail "Abbie" Ginsberg and Ryan Danz are a team of Dating Divorcees on The Amazing Race 21.

After winning the first leg and a chance at the Double Your Money prize, Abbie & Ryan emerged as frontrunners, with other teams seeing them as threats. However, the couple's attitudes also alienated them from other teams, particularly the Dream Team alliance of Jaymes & James, Natalie & Nadiya, and Trey & Lexi. After taking an unnecessary flight gamble to Russia in the seventh leg that backfired on them, Abbie & Ryan found themselves nearly half a day behind the Dream Team, racing alongside Josh & Brent from then on. Though they were saved when misfortune befell James & Abba, their poor social play and threat status came back to bite them in the ninth leg when the Dream Team organized their demise, hatching a plot to game the Double U-Turn, eliminating them in 5th place.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com^[1]

Abbie[]

Age: 31
Hometown: Encinitas, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Dating Divorcees
Current occupation: Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Describe what you do: I technically train competitive students which includes tap, jazz, turning/jumping and condition classes. I also choreograph dance routines and design costumes/props for competitive dance groups and soloists on a regional/national level.
Favorite hobbies: Dance, design and exercise.
3 words to describe you: Creative, athletic and thoughtful.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud of the training and growth that I have provided for the past eight years at my dance studio as well as the accomplishments that I have helped my students to achieve. It is so rewarding to see students achieve their goals and grow as dancers and human beings.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Katniss
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Hugh Jackman for his stellar good looks (not for the song and dance talent, though.)
What scares you most about traveling? Getting lost and not having the ability to communicate.
What excites you most about traveling? I hate how generic this is, but it is true… Exploring new places that I have never been to before.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: I would have to say it's a tie between learning to communicate and not piss each other off at the same time. We can be juvenile and sarcastic with one another. The other would be our battle for control/power between over each other. We are both Type "A" and can be bull-headed.
Pet peeve about your teammate: He's addicted to his phone and can't disconnect easily. Also, his impulsivity can cause problems.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I would love to visit Paris, France and go back to the 1920s. Can we make that happen? Last time I went I was 21 and broke. I could barely afford a baguette. I'm hoping this time will be a step up from that.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I'm hoping to gain some clarity on what I mean to Ryan. I feel lately that our relationship has become a rollercoaster. The highs are high but the lows are low. I am trying to be patient, but I know what I want and right now he can't give that to me.

Ryan[]

Age: 35
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Dating Divorcees
Current occupation: Financial Service Company Owner and Start Up Company Entrepreneur
Describe what you do: Creating, Communicating and Implementing.
Favorite hobbies: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
3 words to describe you: Positive, unfiltered and danger seeking.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Forming, developing and branding an ever-lasting, internationally recognized and reputable financial services firm with over 6.5 billion dollars in assets under service/management.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Oprah, because she is giving, smart and successful.
What scares you most about traveling? Being taken and held hostage.
What excites you most about traveling? Immersing myself in new environments and new people. Absorbing a new culture.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: When we fight I spit venom and don't tend to converse like a normal human being.
Pet peeve about your teammate: She is over analytical, doesn't compromise and plays the victim.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? Thailand – It looks beautiful and is close to other counties. I hate traveling to just one place; I'd prefer to have access to nearby countries.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I hope to gain clarity about this relationship. Can it work at a time when I want to be boyfriend/girlfriend and she wants something more?

The Amazing Race 21[]

Race History[]

Abbie & Ryan's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	United States → China	No Detour	Abbie	1 of 11	^[1]
1	1	United States → China	No Detour	Ryan	1 of 11	^[1]
2	2	China → Indonesia	Ice-by-the-Pound / Fish-by-the-Barrel	Abbie	4 of 10
3	3	Indonesia	Lion's Head / Egg Head	Ryan	1 of 9
4	4	Indonesia → Bangladesh	Pound the Metal / Pound the Cotton	Ryan	2 of 8
5	5	Bangladesh	Straw Dogs / Bamboo Jungle	Abbie	2 of 7
6	6	Bangladesh → Turkey	Simit / Scrub It	Ryan	2 of 7
7	7	Turkey → Russia	Alphabetized / Synchronized	Abbie	4 of 6
8	8	Russia	Movers / Shakers	Ryan	4 of 6
9	9	Russia → Netherlands	Back in Time / Organ to Grind	Ryan	5 of 5⊃
				Average	2.78
Legend: The team finished in first place The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg The team that won The Amazing Race The team that crossed the Finish Line second The team that crossed the Finish Line third ► The team used the Fast Forward pass ϵ The team used the Express Pass somewhere during the leg ⊂ The team used the U-Turn ⊃ Recipient of the U-Turn ⋐ The team that used the second slot of the "Double U-Turn" ⋑ Recipient of a second U-Turn due to the "Double U-Turn" twist
Notes: 1: Leg 1 had two Roadblocks and no Detour. The team member who sat out the first Roadblock was required to perform the second one.

Post-Race[]

Abbie & Ryan broke up sometime in the fall of 2013.
Abbie has since married Malik Naber.^[2]
- Abbie gave birth to her and Malik's first child, a daughter in September 2016.^[3] Their second child, a son, was born in 2019.

Trivia[]

Ryan was first contestant from The Apprentice franchise to participate on the race.
- He previously appeared on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and was eliminated in 4th place.^[4]
First team eligible to win Double Your Money.
Highest racing average of a team who finished in 5th place in the US version, at 2.78.

External links[]

Ryan's Website: ryandanz.com

Interviews[]

Kimberly Nordyke at The Hollywood Reporter (11/26/2012): "Abbie and Ryan on Their Rivalry With the Twinnies and Losing Out on $2 Million"
Joyce Eng at TV Guide Online (11/26/2012): "Flight Connection Drama Was Bizarre"
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski at Reality TV World (11/26/2012): "Exclusive: Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz talk about The Amazing Race" [Parts 1 & 2]
Reg Seeton at The Deadbolt (11/26/2012): "We were shocked"
Sheldon Sherman at Yakkity Yaks (11/27/2012): "The Amazing Race: The Yak Chats with Abbie and Ryan"
Gina Scarpa at Reality Wanted (11/27/2012): "The Amazing Race 21: Exclusive Interview with Abbie Ginsberg and Ryan Danz"
Daniel Fienberg at HitFix.com (11/30/2012): "Frankfurt and U-Turn talk with the latest eliminated team"
Sheri Block at CTV.ca (11/30/2012): "Abbie and Ryan more upset about losing a friendship than a chance at $2 million"
Rob Cesternino at RHAP (02/25/2013): "Amazing Race 22 Episode 2 Recap with Ryan & Abbie"
Rob Cesternino & Jessica Liese at RHAP (11/11/2013): "Danz Danz Revolution: Ryan Danz on the Latest Amazing Race 23, Episode 7 Recap: Speed Dating is the Worst"