PRIZE: A car each, a trip for two around the world, $250,000, and the title of TARC!
START LOCATION: Fort McMurray, Alberta.
END LOCATION: Castlegar, British Columbia!
So, we headed back to British Columbia. I swear, only Amazing Race Canada gets away with returning to previous cities/provinces (not states, technically). Anyhow I’m not complaining. We had a pretty cool real-life Spot the Difference challenge, and even a flashback to one of the most amazing Patrick Swayze films ever made, Ghost 😛 Two Express Passes were used this leg, and one of my favourite teams went from zero to hero and back to zero again in the space of two days.
Team #1 – Zed & Shabbir
DETOUR: Throw It
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Zed
Last Finished: 6/9
Wow, wow, wow! The cute father and son duo did it! Sure Shabbir struggled on the coffee run (let’s be honest, who actually enjoys running up and down hills?!) and sure, he wasn’t the greatest at pottery, but he gave them all a damn good shot. And it paid off! The boys took the challenges in their stride, not panicking and even shocked themselves when they reached the mat in first place! And do they have the coolest celebration moves or what? It was definitely choreographed, haha. As much as this team is doing well, I still feel like they will fall short along the way. Maybe make the Top 6? Hmm…
Team #2 – Korey & Ivana
DETOUR: Throw It
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Ivana
Last Finished: 8/9
Holy. Shit. This must be one of the greatest comeback legs for a team I’ve ever seen! Korey and Ivana struggled a lot with directions this leg and it all happened after the coffee run. I love how Ivana didn’t want to do the bridge jump, but love, you have NO choice! I also love how she admitted at the camp sites that she doesn’t do camping and loves hotels; amen sister!! They were in last place for a long time, until the Detour. It all happened when Korey and Ivana tuned into their inner Sam and Molly (Ghost’s Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, for the kids out there) and fireworks exploded! After a stressful leg, they sat down at the pottery wheel and all of a sudden became the most relaxed we’ve seen them.
They literally smashed this Detour out in 5 minutes. Slow clap guys, slow clap. It just shows that you never know what inner strengths you have. You might surprise yourself on the race 😉 As previous weeks, I say watch this team, they are a force to be reckoned with!
Also, I can’t help but laugh at failed high fives!! HAHAHA. Poor Ivana.
Team #3 – Adam & Andrea
DETOUR: Throw It
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Andrea
Last Finished: 7/9
Another team who seems to struggle with directions, the siblings had a much better leg this week. Teaming up with their Montreal friends Andrea and Ebonie they were able to smash out the Spot the Difference challenge quickly than any other team. As much as I think “screw the others”, if you’re willing to open up and work with others and you know there’s many other teams behind you, go for it! Adam was pretty damn happy when he found out his artsy sister was allowed to make his pottery cup for him.
She wasn’t AS good as Korey and Ivana, but still made it out of there ahead of many others. Adam and Andrea work so well together and they’re definitely one of my favourite teams to make the Top 3. Watch this space!!
Team #4 – Sam & Paul
DETOUR: Strike It
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Sam
Last Finished: 3/9
Another middle of the pack finish. And they seem to be a little bit ho hum, boring don’t you think? Maybe it’s because they haven’t had a lot of airtime, and that there are so many bigger personalities on this race, but we haven’t seen too much of them at all! Sam and Paul are definitely still threats in the race to make it to the end, so I wouldn’t count them out just yet. Their strategy at the airport with gaining Kenneth and Ryan’s extra Express Pass… Being nice isn’t going to get you the goods. At least they tried though! I do wonder if any other teams approached Team Giver and we just didn’t see it on screen. I think the boys still have some legs in them though so I’ll keep my hopes up for them! 😀
Team #5 – Karen & Bert
DETOUR: Strike It
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Bert
Last Finished: 4/9
Okay, I think every week this team seems to frustrate me. First the tightrope thing (OK that wasn’t their fault, but still), and now the use of the Express Pass… at the coffee challenge?! Nevertheless, they weren’t eliminated so I guess it wasn’t put to waste. Or was it? I feel like they didn’t even give the coffee run a shot. And if they knew what the Detour was they would have used it then instead. I don’t think the EP’s should be used so hastily. And we saw that using that early in the leg caused them to fall behind at the Detour (you never know what you’re gonna get) and come in fifth place. You could tell they were expecting first! In saying this, I know it’s TERRIBLE to go home with an EP in your pocket, but it’s all about timing.
How will they progress without any help from an EP? Prove me wrong, guys!
Team #6 – Kenneth & Ryan
DETOUR: Strike It (Used Express Pass)
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Ryan
Last Finished: 5/9
GIVE’R!!! Someone needs to do a count of how many times that word has been said. Kenneth and Ryan started off the leg giving away their extra Express Pass to a team they thought they could help them in return… Brilliant strategy! And that team was the Newfoundland girls. They admitted to not having the greatest luck when it comes to brainiac challenges so giving the girls the EP to receive help in future was a great idea.
Team Giver have struggled on a couple of challenges and this leg it was the Strike It Detour. I’m glad they gave it a good crack and when they were last at the metal works, ran over to the pottery to see who was left and thought hey, let’s have one more shot at it. If all else fails we’ll just use the Express Pass! And they did just that. I know they wanted to save it for a ‘harder’ challenge, but I think they showed us it was hard enough to warrant using the EP. It will be interesting to see how these boys do moving forward. They seem to excel most in the physical challenges. But who knows what TARC will throw at them.
Team #7 – Andrea & Ebonie
DETOUR: Throw It
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Andrea
Last Finished: 2/9
Okay, now this is more like it. I have been amazed at how they’ve come in second place in previous weeks! Andrea and Ebonie have had help along the way from different teams and even though it is a strategy, I don’t particularly think it’s the best. If you can’t stand on your own, you’re not going to go far. Obviously, I could be very wrong if they end up winning this whole damn thing I’ll eat my cap! The one thing they do have going for them is their relationship with their hometown friends Adam and Andrea. Don’t drag the siblings down, girls! Now I’m being mean, haha. Andrea and Ebonie were on the pottery wheels for AGES and really only beat Megan and Courtney because Courtney lost her damn bag (also they could’ve gotten lost, but whatevs). I’m sticking to my guns and predicting these girls go home in the next two legs. (EEK!)
Team #8 – Megan & Courtney
DETOUR: Throw It (after failed Strike It)
ROADBLOCK: Bridge Jump – Megan
Last Finished: 1/9
Oh boy oh bae oh boy. Going from last place in Leg 1, to first in Leg 2, to last in Leg 3; what a rollercoaster ride for the girls from the bay! They were so amped at the start of the leg receiving the Express Pass from Kenneth and Ryan and were even shocked they, a first place team, were given one. Oh girls… We’ll let them cuties think they’re threats 😉
The girls didn’t have any problems this leg up until the Detour… Sigh. I don’t know why they thought the metal works would’ve been easier. But I haven’t tried any of them so what do I know?! 😛 After failed attempts at making hooks, and being told off by the metal-smith (LOL), the girls switched Detours. Now, to the Express Pass. They went home with one in their backpack… NOOOOOO!! Worst feeling ever. I did appreciate how Megan expressed that they COULD do the challenges, but just not faster than the other teams. Very true, but in a race against time and others, how much do you want to stay in and win?! Easier said than done, but you could tell the girls were totally bummed not using it 🙁 (Not everyone can be Kristeph ;)) You should be proud girls, which other lovable goofballs are we going to root for now?!
Good news is that they won a trip to New Zealand. Hells yeah!!!
Blog by Lynda Olson.
ALL IMAGES USED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE COPYRIGHT CTV TELEVISION NETWORK. THIS IS A PERSONAL BLOG AND ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN.
