'Amazing Race 2024' Duo Eliminated Because Camera Crew 'Wasn't There': 'It’s Unprecedented'
Angie and Danny Butler's "Amazing Race" elimination was reportedly out of their control.
The mother-and-son duo of the reality series was in a tight competition with Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete for first place on Wednesday's episode of the show, until they lost their camera crew, according to Us Weekly.
Per the rules of the competition, the teams cannot go on without their crew. Thus, the duo was eliminated from the reality show's 36th season.
The pair, also known as Team Walla Walla, unfortunately, lost contact with their assigned camera team and had to wait at the final detour to be reunited with them.
With the long wait, other teams surpassed them, and they went from running second place in the race to the fifth spot.
While the episode made it look like Angie and Danny were reunited with their crew, it wasn't really the case, according to them.
"They had me say the line like, 'Hey, our crew is here.' Our crew wasn't there. I don't know what they decided -- maybe it's because we had waited so long," said Danny.
"There are all these meetings going on because it's unprecedented. And to their defense, I don't think anybody knew what to do. So, it was a learning experience," his mom added, noting that the producers nearly tried to find a way to save them.
Meanwhile, speaking of how they lost their crew, Danny speculated that the locals driving them might have gotten lost for an hour and a half.
Despite being out of the race, Team Walla Walla is content with the circumstances that led to their elimination from the show.
"If we had been eliminated because of something mom had done, I feel like mom would've been really sad [and felt like], 'I let you down,'" Danny said.
"I was a superfan. I was like, 'I can't let my friends clown me for something I do. I can't be eliminated on a roadblock or getting lost.' And to go out in a way that we had zero control over [was better]."
In a different interview, he told Parade that he "feels resolved to watch the ending."
"It was a chapter closing. Just to have your dream come true, get to watch it and be so blessed to have -- I would say -- a decent edit, except for the alliance episode," he added.
"We went out and know that we couldn't control it at all. There are people that are like, 'Oh, that's the worst ever.' It wasn't something I have to live with regrets about, being like, 'Oh, no, I failed that challenge.'"
"The Amazing Race" airs on CBS on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET.
