Natalie & Meaghan are the first to leave the Fourth Pit Stop along the waterfront in Macau at 8:45am and receive the first clue for this leg, . . . Fly to the Yukon, then drive your brand new Chevy Silverado to Sky High Ranch and enjoy breakfast with the ranch hands
Following close behind after last weeks big improvement are Ryan & Rob, then Rex & Bob, Cormac & Nicole, Pierre & Michel (who are counting on getting the Express Pass), Mickey & Pete, Alain & Audrey, and finally Sushi & Jinder who came in last on the non-elimination leg. They're gonna need to step it up this leg to get past both their Speed Bump and last place finish, or it's "Sayonara, Tsunami Siblings." My recommendation, stop asking for help and focus on the task
As soon as they get to the airport the Olympians hand the Express Pass over to the Twins. What the heck are they thinking? Big mistake. You never give the Express Pass to another strong team, that's just asking for trouble, even if they promise never to U-Turn you. All teams are on the same flight (no surprise there) and fly 12,000 kms from China to the Yukon Territory, then drive themselves to the Sky High Ranch for the night and they'll get their next clue in the morning
Morning comes, the breakfast bell is rung, and everyone gets the clue . . . Detour; Ride A Sled or Make Your Bed. In Ride A Sled, teams must choose three dogs from a dog board, then run 1.5 kms down a trail to Fish Lake where they will find a pile of harnesses to search through for their three dog's harnesses, harness their dogs, attach them to a sled and off they go for three laps each to get their next clue. Easy enough if you get the right dogs, but animals can be hit or miss.
In Make Your Bed, teams need to grab two heavy backpacks and make their way into the forest to a campsite where they will find a locked chest and a key frozen in a block of ice. Using another campsite as reference they need to empty their packs and set up their campsite as well as make a fire to melt the ice and unlock their chest. Once their site matches the model correctly they'll receive their next clue. Being detail oriented I'm pretty sure Wayne & I would do this one.
Mickey & Pete, Rex & Bob, Cormac & Nicole choose to Make A Bed, while Pierre & Michel and Natalie & Meaghan choose to Ride A Sled, as do Sukhi & Jinder and Ryan & Rob. I've lost track of Alain & Audrey in the crowd, but Cormac has decided that this is not a user-friendly tent. At least he didn't make the same mistake as the Olympians and the Twins who both only grabbed two dogs names instead of three and now need to race back. This is what happens when you fail to read the clue.
The girls get the third name and head back but the Twins decide to switch and avoid running back, figuring that building the campsite will be easier. Meanwhile Mickey & Pete admit that they usually set up their campsites drunk so this one should be a lot easier. Mickey even invites Nicole to stay in their tent tonight and Cormac's like "That's my Mom." I'm pretty sure he was kidding Cormac.
Rex and Bob can't agree on what colour the front of the tent is and need to run back and check. Bob was right, unfortunately the Twins have now arrived and have no trouble setting up their tent. As usual, this irks Rex. Then again, what doesn't irk Rex?
Sukhi & Jinder are torturing their poor sled dogs as Natalie & Meaghan grab their third harness. When the siblings realize that Ryan & Rob are already hooking up their dogs they race over to ask for help and see how they did it, rather than going to check the example. Not the best idea, since the boys could have it wrong, but it seems to be the way Sukhi & Jinder continue to operate. They're driving the bartenders crazy but at least they figured it out. Audrey (found them) looks almost as confused as Sukhi as she examines her harness.
Back at camp, Mickey & Pete have their key but they've missed something in the set-up. Cormac & Nicole and Rex & Bob also failed the first inspection.
Audrey almost lost a dog but managed to catch it before it ran off, meanwhile the Siblings and Olympians are on the track. The Bartenders however have completed their six laps and received their next clue . . . Take a drive up Grey Mountain and search for your next clue. They've managed to move into first place and are finally showing a smidge of personality.
Rex & Bob fail their second inspection, but Mickey and Pete get theirs and off they go to Grey Mountain and move into second place. Sukhi & Jinder have completed their laps and are now off to find their Speed Bump as the Olympians complete their laps, leaving Alain & Audrey alone at the track.
To complete their Speed a Bump, Sukhi & Jinder need to hitch up a 20 foot cargo trailer to their SIlverado (insert Chevy ad here) and then drive it 12.5 kms down the road, where they must back it into place without hitting any of the marked cones. Yeah, good luck with that. Although Sukhi had no problem backing up to get the trailer, dropping it off should prove interesting.
In search of Grey Mountain, neither Mickey & Pete, nor Ryan & Rob have a clue where they're going, but at least the Bartenders have stopped someone and asked for directions.
Cormac & Ncole complete their site on their third attempt and move into fifth place, while the Twins have it on their first attempt and are now in sixth. They may end up using that Express Pass sooner than they thought. It's not looking good for Rex & Bob, but then again Alain & Audrey are still riding their sled so it's still a toss up for last place.
Alain & Audrey manage to complete their laps before Rex & Bob so we now know who's in last place, at least for the moment. Things change quickly during the race. While the Olympians stopped for directions, Alain & Audrey drove on by but I'm guessing they'll need to get the same directions as everyone else, unless the girls just let them follow along behind . . . which they do. That's three big mistakes this leg.
The Bartenders are the first to the Roadblock; Yukon Biathalon. One team member needs to jump on a fat tired bike and make a gruelling 1 km trip through the woods then back to the firing range where they'll have five rounds of ammunition to shoot out five targets 50 meters away. If they miss any of the targets they'll need to repeat the bike trip again before receiving more ammunition to shoot out the remaining targets. On the upside, they don't reset the targets. Ryan decides to do it for the Bartenders.
Rex & Bob finally complete their campsite and if they're really lucky they may be able to catch up and pass Sukhi & Jinder, who just completed their Speed Bump. Nicole, Alain and Natalie all choose the Roadblock for their teams, as Sukhi & Jinder and Rex & Bob search for Grey Mountain. Speaking of which, the Dudes have finally stopped for directions while the Twins are still arguing over stopping and wasting time.
Ryan missed three of his shots, while Natalie missed one. Nicole missed all five and had to head back out on the bike but Alain hit all five targets and just like that went from the back of the pack to the lead and received their next clue . . . Drive yourself to the Red Trail off Chadburn Lake Road and follow the marked trail to find the next clue.
The Twins finally stopped to grab a map, while the Dudes have arrived . . . only to have Pete miss all five shots. (And all this time I thought the other dude was Pete). Natalie completes her last shot on her second attempt while Ryan finishes his shots on his third. So much for that lead they had on the girls.
Alain & Audrey have found the trail and get the next clue . . . Portage your canoe to the Yukon River, then canoe 1.5 kms downriver through Miles Canyon to find Jon at the Pit Stop. This could be a big game changer for Alain & Audrey.
Sukhi, who has never handled a gun before in her life, hit four of the five targets on her first attempt. I may have to stop picking on Sukhi. Not only did she complete the Speed Bump without too much trouble but she's a damn good shot. Pierre's first attempt hits two targets, Pete's third misses everythiing, as does Nicole's sixth. Rex managed to ht two of the targets and as he headed back into the woods he hollers this week's episode title. C'mon, it's not that hard to hit a big gaping hole 50 meters away with a rifle (says the guy swilling beer while sitting on his couch).
Sukhi hits her last target and she and Jinder are outta there. Back on the portage trail, Audrey is having some issues, but this is not the time for issues. Especially now that the Olympians and the Bartenders have arrived. Ryan & Rob pass the girls as they have some issues carrying the canoe and the Bartenders are second into the water and catching up to Alain & Audrey.
Not fast enough though, boys. Alain & Audrey were far enough ahead that Alain could get piggy-backed to the mat and hear Jon say that they were Team Number 1. They also won two tickets to any sun destination that Air Canada Rouge flies to and $3,000 on their Scotiabank Amex card. Nicely done and, as I said, a big game changer for the lovebirds.
Ryan & Rob were close, but not close enough as they were Team Number 2, thus ending Natalie & Meaghan's winning streak, who arrived as Team Number 3. Back at the Biathalon, the Twins complete their targets and they're off. Meanwhile Pete's seventh attempt hit three targets, while Nicole's seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth attempt were still miles off the mark. She's determined not to go home today, but those 10 kms through the woods must be killing her.
On the river, Sukhi & Jinder aren't sure if they're going downriver or upriver as they decide to switch directions just as the twins enter the water. Rex is on his fifth attempt and nails his last two targets, while Pete's eighth attempt finishes off his. Nicole misses again. Definitely should have let Cormac do this one.
Sukhi & Jinder somehow managed to make it in as Team Number 4, a big improvement over last week. That's stepping it up. Can't say the same for Cormac & Nicole who's 13th attempt finally hits one target. Pierre & Michel are Team Number 5.
Rex & Bob have arrived at the canoes and are just behind the Dudes as they head off to the Pit Stop. Nicole's determination may be helping her as she heads off on her 21st km through the woods, and then hits two more targets. Only two more to go.
Mickey & Pete are Team Number 6, while Rex & Bob are starting to spin in the river. Unfortunately it's not enough for Cormac & Nicole to catch up, as Rex & Bob arrive to be Team Number 7. Nicole finally gets her last two targets, after 22 kms through the woods and over 100 rounds of ammo.
This was a tough task for Nicole but they ran to the finish like true competitors to be the last team to arrive and unfortunately they were eliminated from the race. When Jon asked her what kept her motivated Nicole said she always taught Cormac never to give up and she couldn't give up, and she never did. It almost brought a tear to my eye. That's good parenting and I'm sorry to see them go, especially Nicole.
Next week the teams are off to Winnipeg for a little karaoke competition and an attempt to beat the Olympians at their own game in a hockey shoot out. Sure they show the girls getting stuck in traffic by a really long train, but I'm sure that's just a teaser to get us all worked up. Everyone who's ever driven through Winnipeg has been stuck by a really long train. It's too bad that Cormac & Nicole are out because they'd have an advantage in their home town, but I guess that's not to be.
Of corse between now and the sixth leg you can look forward to our video recap of tonight's episode sometime in the next 24 hours. Our exit interview with Cormac & Nicole, and the thoughts from last year's second place racer Cory Mitic on tonight's tasks and the infamous Express Pass handoff, will follow later in the week. Enjoy your summer and feel free to leave comments. Also, check out the Facebook group The Amazing Race 24/7 to chat with other fans about tonight's episode, the Australian season, and anything else Amazing Race related. See you real soon.