The leg started in Halifax but it didn't stay there. Which is good. I realldy hate it when the US version stays in the same city for two legs. Please don't start doing that TAR Canada, hit a city for a leg and then move on. Off to the Magdalen Islands off the coast of Quebec. And as Jon noted, one of the hidden gems of the province. And of the country. On my list of places to visit in Canada.
Once teams arrive on one the island, they have to find the sponsor's truck and properly pack the material needed into the back. Again, another old school TAR bit. In the most recent TAR US seasons, tasks are limited to Detours and Roadblocks, usually no added ones in between to make it more difficult. Again, please don't change TAR Canada; keep thes little route marker tasks in. I know it takes more planning but the show is so much better because of it.
The Italian Boys are done first, quickly followed by the Cops. Other teams struggle but get it done. Still, it's good way to separate teams on the way to the Roadblock: Who's the King of the Castle. You have to build a sandcastle similar to the example. But the trick is you also have to bury you partner in the sand and build the sandcastle around them. And by looks of the water and the time of year, I'm thinking it's not going to be warm. I've been partially buried on Long Beach on Vancouver Island and man, it was fricking cold. But I'd probably let Gord bury me cause he's much better at art tasks. I hope the wetsuit keeps people warm.
Racers doing the task are getting a lot of joy of burying their teammates, especially Neil who for me has the best line of the night about rarely getting the upper hand with his daughter. Man, I can relate Neil, I can relate. I also love how Sabrina has a momentary lapse of object permanence and steps on Nic's hand the instant it's buried under the sand. Brent also pukes again, and Brian's butt is clenched tight. Both signs that the fun is starting to fade. The Italian Boys get done pretty quick and are off the beach. They have to find a monument (sorry notes are off) and there is the first ever Face-Off. Teams have to play a game of Kayak hockey. The first team to score 2 goals win and moves on. Loser has to wait for next team and play them. Last team has to wait for pre-determined time. Wonder if they bought that hourglass for cheap from TAR US when they used it for the old Yield.
The boys wait while the buried racers start to suffer, especially Kristine. Got be hard on dad Neil to watch that but he convinces her not to quit. Soon the Cops are done and head to the Faceoff. They don't stand a chance. The IB boys defeat them handily, though Brian did score on his own net. Oh well, Off to the Detour. Ride It or Pull It. In Ride, both racers have to ride a horse through an equestrian course in less than 8 minutes. Could be easy but depends on the horse. And as soon as I saw the hay bale in Pull It i thought TAR Canada would bring out one of the hardest task in TAR history and hide clues in a bunch of bales. But phew, they didn't. you only had to push that bale into a barn and then milk some cows to get two litres of milk. Gino and Jesse decide to pick Pull It. But get lost. So much so that by the time Brian and Cynthia beat Simi and Ope in the Faceoff, and then head to the farm, the IB dropped to second. And you don't really milk bulls, Brian. Okay, you can milk a bull but you really don't want to.
And now begins a couple of harrowing tales. First Simi and Ope get beat by Brian and Cynthia. Then the Wrestlers, Brent and Sean, the Exes. That can't be fun and it's gotta be cold. So instead of waiting for another team to beat them, they take a penalty. And since it's a named task and not just a simple route marker, the penalty is four hours. Man, that's a hard hole to dig out. But a team is in an even bigger hole, so to speak. When Neil finally gets done and digs Kristine out, she can barely move. In fact, she's in so much pain,she has take an ambulance and go to the hospital. That's never good. Remember last season but on a west coast beach? So Ope and Simi could be saved. But you never know. And really, I'm not kidding because with the way things have gone with Amazing Race Canada this season (and some of the previous ones), you really don't.
Over at the barn, there's pushing and milking as various teams come in. Most are on this task save for the Dancers ride horse. Leilani used to go to horse camp so she feels she can pull this off quickly. But she's got a feisty horse (told ya) and blows the first attempt. Nic and Sabrina are still on the beach. But not for long. They're done but since there is no one to compete with at the Face-off, they are free to go with no penally. Luck holds for them.
Back to the milking barn. The boys are done first, again. Quickly followed by the cops, again. And one more again, the boys get lost and the cops make it to the top of the stairs where the Double U-Turn is. A quick thing but nope, they won't U-Turn the boys. But the same isn't true for Gino and Jesse. They discuss a bit longer and decide to U-Turn Brent and Sean, thinking the Designer Bros will be forced to use their Express Pass. (I've changed their nickname from the Designer Guys out of respect for the recent death of one of the original Designer Guys Chris Hyndman).
So it's a race to the pitstop with the Cops in the lead. But it's their time to get lost and Gino and Jesse are first to the mat, the first repeat winner this season. They win a trip anywhere in Canada and gas for six months. But something is up. Instead of declaring them Team #1, Jon tells them they are the first team to arrive. And then we get nothing. Did they get a minor penalty for something? But the trend continues as more teams come in. No declaration that so and so is Team #something, just "You are the xxx team to arrive." My brain doesn't make the connection till the end so I won't say anything till the end.
At the U-Turn, the Sweeney Boys see the situation and to save themselves, or at least give themselves some time, they decide to U-Turn Nic and Sabrina. And instead of using the Express Pass, they head out to do the other side of the Detour. That was a smart move. And Ope and Simi taking the penalty is also looking like a smart move, because even though Kristine is out of the hospital (Thank god is wasn't serious), they also had to take a four hour penalty. And they might not be able to do the riding detour even though Kristine rode horses all her life.
But in the end, she pushes through and gets the task done. I'm cutting things quick so there's a race to the Pitstop and Ope and Simi make a wrong turn, allowing Neil and Kristine to pass them and arrive at the mat. Both have the four hour penalty but Ope and Simi are behind so unless something happens with Nic and Sabrina, they will finish last. And something does, just to add more drama, the Cute Couple can't do the other side of the Detour because it's too dark and unsafe for the horse. So they have to wait for a pre-determined (and not mentioned) amount of time before they can move on. And I must add the editing for this episode was top notch because it went back and forth between the various bits of drama between all the teams without confusing us. And it did a great job of moving the story forward to the end.
And in the end, Nic and Sabrina arrive and it's so dark and cold the fiddler has put on a heavy coat. They are the sixth team to arrive. So that makes Neil and Kristine seventh and Simi and Ope eighth and last. But then I figured out why Jon was welcoming teams in that way; it's an extended leg. Which is a fine end to a great leg. To be honest, I really didn't want any teams to go home after this leg cause I felt for each one that suffered. As I said, a fantastic episode, one of the best I've ever seen.
So next week, teams will head to Sudbury, probably all on the same flight. And there's another water task. Plenty of those this year, but there are plenty of teams who can't swim or are afraid of water. Coolest thing though is the trip into a mine. I'm hoping it's the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory cause that's another place I'd like to visit. Look for our video recap of this episode. See ya then.