Joel & Ashley, being the first team to end leg three are the first ones out at 11:41am and they're on their way via public bus No.3 to Ho Chi Minh City, the cultural centre of Vietnam. There are two other teams on the first bus joining Joel & Ashley and they are Steph & Kristen and Kate & Kelly. Jillian & Emmett are on the second bus which is chased by Frankie & Amy as it pulls away. Those buses are followed by a few other buses with the rest of the teams and Anne & Tanya are the last to depart at 1:44pm, two hours behind the lead.
After a 100km bus ride from Cai Be to Ho Chi Minh city, finding the next clue was a snap and the task was even easier. All teams had to do was locate a popular temple, go inside and release a bunch of birds from a cage. Granted a few of these teams have issues with birds (mostly Kelly) but seriously, . . . what kind of a challenge is that? In a season where team members are climbing on the outside of a gondola, rappelling down the Calgary tower, and hauling coconuts on a canoe . . . this was pretty lame.
After releasing the birds all teams would get their next clue and head to a marked corner for their next clue, which was this leg's Roadblock; Fix That Scooter. In this Roadblock they'll need to channel their inner mechanic and reassemble a motorized scooter using the available tools, parts and Vietnamese instructions.
Steph & Kristen were the first to the Roadblock and Kristen starts without even looking at the instructions, which we know is not going to end well. Kate & Kelly and Joel & Ashley are right behind them and the clue asks who feels like a tool and Joel says he does. Joel's a mechanic so according to another of Gord & Wayne's rules he'll probably mess it up, but we hope not. Joel comes across as a fairly laid back and friendly guy so as long as he stays focused he may be able to disprove our rule.
While Kelly and Joel chose to tackle the Roadblock, Jillian & Emmett arrive and this is as much Emmett's task as it is Joel's as he has always worked on motorcycles. While the boys battle it out Kristen calls for a check and gets a failed mark on that one. She eventually finds the instructions and that should help her stay at the front.
With the instructions Kristen completes the Roadblock just ahead of Emmett and as they head to A Soi, Rita & Yvette and Frankie & Amy arrive and Yvette and Frankie choose to do the Roadblock. Kelly just keeps plugging along trying to get it right.
Joel & Ashley are not impressed with their meal choice, especially Ashley who starts gagging as soon as she sees the plate of insects. Joel just powers through in an attempt to get it done. At least they're fried, which is more than can be said for dessert. Meanwhile, back at the scooter shop, while Frankie and Yvette keep assembling, Kelly calls for a check and she and Kate are moving on.
Time for dessert and Ashley was even less happy when her dessert tried to wriggle away from her, but again Joel was on it like it was just another snack. Eventually Ashley had no choice but to suck it up, literally, in order to get the next clue.
Detour; Flip Flop or V-Pop. In FlipFlop teams have to find Glow Sky Bar and then recreate a high flying bartender routine to mix two drinks and receive their next clue. In V-Pop teams will make their way to Kingdom Karaoke and they'll each need to phonetically memorize a verse and the chorus of a popular V-Pop song and then perform the song live on stage. Joel & Ashley choose FlipFlop and head off to Glow Sky Bar.
As they leave A Soi, Julie & Lowell arrive at the scooter shop and Julie chooses to do the Roadblock, which is a pretty obvious choice since Lowell would probably have a helluva time trying to read the instructions.
Meanwhile Jillian & Emmett arrived at the food challenge and just choked it down as quickly as possible, as did Steph & Kristin who are really upping their competitiveness. As both teams move on to dessert Jillian & Emmett finish up and choose V-Pop while Steph & Kristin choose FlipFlop which is where we find Joel & Ashley considering flipping Detours.
Back at the scooter shop both Frankie calls for a check and she's good to go. Scooting right behind is Yvette who completed the Roadblock and both teams are on their way to the food challenge. Way at the back of the pack are Anne & Tanya who've just released their birds and all their negative energy . . . they hope.
Unfortunately there are no teams around to watch Kelly & Kate dig in without complaint and then choose V-Pop. They're on their way to catch up to Jillian & Emmett who find the karaoke bar and start learning their parts, badly . . . despite Jillian's delusion that she's a good singer.
Meanwhile, way up at the sky bar, Steph & Kristen feel they learn faster by doing so they almost immediately try their first attempt . . . which obviously failed. Joel & Ashley were pretty relieved by that because they still hadn't figured it out.
When Frankie & Amy arrive at the food challenge, Amy can't eat the bugs because she's a vegetarian and she loves all animals, so Frankie eats the whole plate full herself. While Frankie chows down, Rita & Yvette are served dessert and they jump out of their chairs when they see it. They force it down and Amy will have no choice if she wants to stay in the race so . . . Amy eats the dessert and off they go right behind Rita & Yvette.
Over at the karaoke bar, Jillian & Emmett make their first attempt and get booed off stage just as Kelly & Kate arrive. While Kelly & Kate start translating the phonetics into Chinese characters, Emmett doesn't feel he can do it so they decide to switch. It's still early so this may be the right decision for them but switching tasks is always a risk.
Way behind the other teams, still back at the scooter shop, Julie finds her last piece and she's done and they're out just before Anne & Tanya arrive. I had actually wondered what happened to Anne & Tanya and that's not a good sign, especially when they arrive and find seven completed scooters and know they're in last place.
Jillian & Emmett arrive at the sky bar and having already switched tasks they have no choice but to make it work. They see Steph & Kristen on their 12th attempt and their arrival put a little bee in Joel's bonnet so Joel & Ashley make an attempt but they fail, while Anne gets her scooter done and she and Tanya race to catch up.Frankie & Amy arrive at Kingdom Karaoke as Kelly & Kate make their first attempt and nail it, which isn't really a big surprise. This side of the Detour seemed like it was tailor made just for the girls and they're off to find Jon at the Pit Stop on the boulevard in front of City Hall.
As Kelly & Kate race out, Rita & Yvette come in and cranky Frankie is not happy with V-Pop. At least she and Amy are still ahead of a few teams, such as Julie & Lowell who are okay with the fried food but the live dessert almost threw Julie. It took a bit of effort but Julie did it and they chose V-Pop.
Steph & Kristen make attempt 21, 22, . . . and on attempt 25 at Flip Flop they get it so it looks like it could be a foot race to find Jon at the Pit Stop. However, it's obviously not as close as the editing would like us to believe as Kelly & Kate are Team Number 1 and have won a 5 night trip to Los Angeles, California. This was a great leg for these two little dynamos and they looked genuinely surprised to take the top spot.
Rita & Yvette nailed the V-Pop challenge almost as quickly as Kelly & Kate, which pushes Frankie & Amy to give it a shot . . . until they're booed off stage. Back to the rehearsal room they go . . . while we jump back to the food challenge to find Anne & Tanya forcing their way through it. I was sure Anne was going to bring it all back up but she managed to keep the crickets down.
Meanwhile, it's the 39th attempt for Joel & Ashley and the 30th attempt for Jillian & Emmett and neither team is getting it. We can't say the same though for Rita & Yvette who are Team Number 3. Obviously the girls racing through the Detour was a big motivator for Frankie & Amy who do a lot better on their next attempt and they are off to the Pit Stop.
The 59th attempt for Joel & Ashley is the charm and they can finally make their way to the Pit Stop. This leg was a big blow to them, especially this last challenge, but at no point did they let it get to them. They just kept plugging away at the routine until they got it right. So did the Exes but it's the 41st attempt for Jillian & Emmett, . . . 42nd, . . . 54th, . . . 56th as Anne & Tanya arrive.
Julie & Lowell are really surprised to be Team number 6 when they show up. They're nowhere near as surprised as Jillian & Emmett who are on their 59th attempt and the pressure is on because they need to beat Anne & Tanya at this task or they're done. It's their 63rd attempt and they've finally done it and race out of the sky bar for the Pit Stop. Anne & Tanya did it in 30 attempts but they still were the last team to leave and that does not bode well.
Jillian & Emmett are team Number 7, a tough leg for them just like it was for Joel & Ashley. Sometimes it just takes one challenge to totally flip the game on its head. Anne & Tanya are the last team to arrive and the supermoms have been eliminated from the race. They did their best and their 35 year friendship is still intact so it's not exactly a total loss.
Next week, teams return to the west coast of Canada where a log jam could seriously jam up one teams chances. I'll be right here to give you my review and this time there should be no reason to be so late. All the family issues have been dealt with and my family will be camping in the mountains while I hold down the fort. Seriously, I'm spending my summer as a conductor on the steam train at Fort Edmonton Park so come on down and say "hi". If I can make it happen I may have a guest host to help with a video review next week but I can't guarantee it. Until that time.