Daniel & Ryan

Daniel Little and Ryan Thomas are a team of Intensive Care Nurses and the Official Winners of The Amazing Race: Australia v New Zealand.

They played a strong social game, relying on their alliances with the other teams and their ability to charm locals to carry them deep in the game. This was offset by their poor navigation skills, which nearly got them eliminated twice. In the finale, Ryan was able pass Sally in the final memory Roadblock, winning them the race.

Profile

These charming nurses are used to performing under pressure, how will they operate together around the globe?

Daniel (28) and Ryan (32) met while working in the Intensive Care Unit of a trauma hospital in NSW six years ago and quickly struck up a friendship. The personable pair claim their professional skill set as their biggest strength. "We work in tense situations where our level of communication and efficiency remains good, clear and professional," says Ryan. Daniel adds: "You've got to have a sense of humour when you're a nurse. We‟re used to working with a whole range of different people and being sensitive to emotional and tense situations."

Ryan is a perfectionist when it comes to planning and is used to micromanaging patients in critical conditions. He admits he's going to be out of his comfort zone on the Race. Daniel prefers to go with the flow and hopes his spontaneous and easy-going nature will set the right tone when facing the unknown and unexpected.

Both love travelling. "The interesting thing is we've been to different places, I've done Europe; Daniel's done the Middle East. I've lived in West Africa and done South East Asia; Daniel's volunteered in India and Ghana. We've got variety between us," says Ryan.

Do they have any downfalls? "My hair is a massive weakness!" laughs Ryan, who packed his hairdryer to maintain his hairdo on the Race. He recently celebrated his ten year wedding anniversary with his wife, Fiona. They have three kids under the age of three together.

In their spare time, Ryan enjoys DIY projects around his home and Daniel loves music. "It‟s rare to see him without his guitar," says Ryan.

As a team, they're completely positive and enthusiastic about the Race. "We're here to have a great time," says Daniel. Ryan adds: "We genuinely feel we've already won in the sense we're on a crazy adventure flying around the world, once- in-a-lifetime, bucket list sort of thing!

The Amazing Race: Australia v New Zealand

Race History

Daniel & Ryan's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	Australia → New Zealand	No Detour	Daniel	4 of 10
2	2	New Zealand → Cambodia	Shrimp / Shoot	Ryan	3 of 9
3	3	Cambodia → Thailand	Climb Up / Drill Down	Ryan	3 of 8	^[1]
4	4	Thailand → Namibia	Pipe / Poo	Daniel	6 of 7
5	5	Namibia → Russia	Cossack / Coat Rack	Ryan	3 of 6
6	6	Russia	Boil / Build	Daniel	1 of 6	^[2]
7	7	Russia → Portugal	Wet / Dry	Ryan	1 of 5►
8	8	Portugal → Croatia	Used Fast Forward		3 of 5►
9	9	Croatia → Argentina	Tango / Tribute	Daniel	3 of 4
10	10	Argentina → United States → Australia	No Detour	Ryan	1 of 3
				Average	2.80
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 used the Salvage Pass
Notes: 1: Daniel & Ryan received a 30-minute time credit at the start of Leg 3 for winning the Step Counter challenge in the previous leg. 2: Daniel & Ryan chose not to use their Salvage Pass to save John & Murray, who came in last, eliminating them.

Trivia

Daniel & Ryan are the first team to win the Salvage Pass and later win the race.

External links

Interviews

Matt Shand at Daily Telegraph Australia (08/02/2014): "Two intensive care nurses hit the road in the Amazing Race"
Alison Stephenson at Perth Now (08/28/2014): "Daniel and Ryan explain what being on the show is really like"
Jonathon Moran at Adelaide Now (09/23/2014): "NSW nurses Daniel Little and Ryan Thomas in top three to win $250K"
Lisa Herbertson & Alison Stephenson at Daily Telegraph Australia (09/25/2014): "Amazing Race top 10 secrets: How Daniel Little and Ryan Thomas won, and what fans might not know"
Anna Brain at news.com.au (09/26/2014): "WINNING The Amazing Race was the easy part"
David Knox at TV Tonight (09/26/2014): "Daniel & Ryan win The Amazing Race: Aus v NZ"
Andrew Brown at Parramatta Holroyd (09/26/2014): "Westmead male nurses win The Amazing Race Australia"
nswnma.asn.au (11/03/2014): "Amazing win for male nurses"