Okay, I'm back and it's time to get down to my review. Nick & Matt finally managed to breakout from that second place spot and are the first team to depart on the tenth leg of the race at 10:16 pm. All teams are now on their way back to Canada to Penticton, British Columbia. Talk about a big change, from Delhi to Tokyo to Vancouver to Penticton. I've spent many a wonderful summer on the shores of the Okanagan and I'm really looking forward to this leg.
Gino & Jesse are close behind, leaving at 10:23 pm and once the teams arrive in Penticton they'll need to make their way to D'Angelo Estates Winery to find their next clue in a brand new Chevy Silverado. The boys are looking forward to coming home to their comfort zone. Almost an hour behind them, Simi & Ope depart at 11:18 pm and are also glad to be heading home. Everyone gets $550 on their BMO card as Dujean & Leilani leave at 11:20 pm. That leaves Brent & Sean as the last team to depart at 11:37 and they know they'll have to speed through their upcoming Speed a Bump to avoid being eliminated.
Oh look, everyone's together again at the airport. Big surprise to the four teams already there that Brent & Sean weren't eliminated in the last leg but it should also come as a reminder that there are no more "saves" for anybody. Time for a long flight across the Pacific, and a good time for the teams to get some rest. They're gonna need it.
All teams race out of the Penticton Airport and grab a taxi to take them to D'Angelo Estates Winery. Gino & Jesse seem to have grabbed the lead while Simi & Ope have dropped into the last cab. Not great, but it's just the beginning of the leg.
When the teams arrive at D'Angelo Estates they find that they need to work their white Silverados through a congested maze of black Silverados before they can move on. It's actually pretty easy, there's even an app for that, and once they've freed their white ride teams will need to make their way to the Summerland Waterfront Resort. Too bad it's a little early for peach season in the Okanagan when they filmed this leg. This is also when the teams are warned of the Double U-Turn ahead.
While Gino & Jesse are analyzing the situation, Nick & Matt are already moving the black trucks out of their way. It only took 4 moves and Nick & Matt are out of there and off to Summerland. Gino & Jesse have yet to even move a truck when Brent & Sean arrive and jump right in. Simi & Ope and Dujean & Leilani have also arrived and Gino has finally decided on a course of action, . . . maybe. In their hesitation they've realized that the other teams are now moving the other trucks in their way. Wait for the road rage.
The worst part of this is that both team members need to be in the vehicle to move it, so when Simi & Ope move a black truck then run back to their white one, Gino & Jesse back the same black truck up and race back to their white one. Lather, rinse, repeat.
While the other four teams play traffic jam, Nick & Matt have arrived at the Summerland Waterfront Resort and rip open their next clue, . . . Roadblock; Who Wants To Get Wet? In this Roadblock one team member will need to suit up and get into the cold spring waters of Lake Okanagan to attempt a two part wakeboarding course. First they'll need to make it across a slide and remain upright for three seconds, then they'll need to complete a jump to get their next clue. Without that extra information, Nick decides to take on the Roadblock.
Back at D'Angelo, Brent & Sean managed to get through the maze in only 9 moves. That's actually pretty good with those other teams around them. Gino & Jesse are on their bumper after only 14 moves. Seriously, they really are as they caught up to the Designers on the road while Nick & Matt are climbing into their boat.
Nick isn't feeling to confident about his wakeboarding abilities and based on his first attempt I'd tend to agree with him. I've water skied a few times before but apparently my family all thinks this would be a task for Wayne. Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. As Nick goes under, Brent & Sean and Gino & Jesse arrive and it's Jesse and Sean heading into the water.
Out in the boat Matt is starting to get a little nervous as he notices the other teams arrive and gear up. They're quickly losing their lead if Nick can't stay upright long enough to complete the course, while on another course Simi & Ope are through the maze in 17 moves. That left Dujean & Leilani in last place as they needed 27 moves to get their truck through.
On the water, Sean is a little concerned that he won't have enough upper body strength for the wakeboarding. Based on Nick's inability to stay upright I don't think it's the upper body strength Sean needs to worry about. Jesse figures that wakeboarding is kinda like snowboarding and he's sure he has this, and initially he does . . . until he gets to the slide and slams into it. That's gonna leave a mark.
Arriving at Summerland, both Simi and Leilani have no choice but to take on this Roadblock as neither Ope nor Dujean can swim, although Ope swims a lot better than Dujean. At least he'll get in the water if he has to. Leilani doesn't look too impressed that she has to do it but both team members need to perform an equal amount of Roadblocks by the end so I'm not sure why she's so grumpy looking. Maybe it's the fact that there have been an awful lot of water challenges this season.
Nick is up . . . and down. Now Brent us up and actually managed to stay upright through the slide obstacle but as he neared the "jump of terror" (his title, not mine) Sean panics and under he goes. At least he missed ramming himself into the jump. Simi got up quickly but couldn't stay up and Leilani . . . not so much.
Jesse makes it back up and through the slide and then stays upright long enough to make the jump, with a nice splashdown in the other side. Gino & Jesse must now head to Covert Farms and find the Wine Lounge for their next clue. As the brothers race off, Matt is starting to get a bit stressed watching Nick go under, but he stays supportive. That's a good teammate.
Finally Nick manages to stay up and ride the slide but he falls right after it and has to start again. Sean has a little better luck as he's already done the slide and just has to stay focused long enough to get over the jump, which he does and the Designers slide into second place.
Gino & Jesse had no problem finding Covert Farms and the Wine Lounge and rip open their next clue, . . . Detour; Brains or Brawn.
In Brains, teams will need to find three bottles of wine in the vineyard using the coordinates provided, then they'll need to use a potato sling to launch potatoes at a target, and finally they'll need to use a forklift to stack 10 pallets. Easy, peasy. In Brawn, teams will need to toss ten 65 pound sacks of onions onto a truck, then they'll need to flip a massive tire over 100 meters and place it on a rack, and finally they'll need to make their way across a set of monkey bars over a pile of manure. Once completed, all teams will have to make their way through a Freak'n Farmer Mud Run, at the end of which they'll find the Double U-Turn. I'm thinking Wayne and I would choose Brains, but either way we'd be getting dirty.
Gino & Jesse unsurprisingly choose Brawn as Nick finally makes his way through both the slide and the jump, as gracefully as a pig, as Matt would say. It's about time. He'd probably say that too. That leaves Leilani and Simi still in the water.
At he Brawn Detour Gino & Jesse have no problem with their ten onion sacks but that tire must be even heavier than it looks. Time for these brothers to take a breather while the other brothers make their way to Covert Farms. Brent is a little annoyed having to pull over so Sean can jump out to pee and compares his brother to having the body of an old man. Hey! What's wrong with having the body of an old man?
While Sean is taking a pee break, Nick & Matt drive on by, forcing Sean to shake it off and get back in the truck.
Back on the water Simi and Leilani are both still trying to stay upright as Nick & Matt find Colvert Farms and choose Brawn. Brent & Sean are close behind the Wrestlers but must first perform their Speed Bump. They need to bottle, cork and label a dozen bottles of Covert Farms wine, including the wax seal, to get their next clue.
As Brent & Sean get started bottling their favourite beverage, Gino & Jesse have completed the Tire Flip and are now on to the Monkey Bars. They made short work of those and are now on to the Mud Run as Nick & Matt start the Tire Flip.
Brent's concerned that the wax isn't drying fast enough and Sean tells him he's using too much of it as he keeps corking the bottles. Rather than seal the corks first Sean decides they should get the labels on first.
Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, Gino & Jesse have removed their shirts and hit the mud running. Not the best run for Gino's hair gel, but it doesn't matter as Gino & Jesse are the first to the Double U-Turn and it's no surprise that they decide to U-Turn Nick & Matt, their biggest competitors.
Having completed the Detour, Gino & Jesse can now drive themselves to the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad where they'll need to locate a MiniJon hidden somewhere in the 4,00 square foot display and then use a magnifying glass to read their next clue. There's more than 18,000 little people throughout the display and only a few MiniJon's hidden amongst them, but that's better than only one.
Simi and Leilani are still persevering on the water until Leilani takes a hard fall on the slide and cut her leg up with pieces of plastic still stuck in it. The medic takes a look and Leilani is concerned that she may not be able to keep going.
As Leilani decides to suck it up, Nick & Matt complete the Tire Flip, make short work of the Monkey Bars and move on to the Mud Run while Brent & Sean complete their Speed Bump. When Brent & Sean get to the Detour they immediately choose Brawn based on a quick skim of the clue. Silly Brent & Sean, they can barely lift the onion sacks.
Simi completes the Roadblock, prompting Ope to cheer nice and loud for his daughter, and there's only Leilani left on the water.
As Nick & Matt complete the Mud Run and hit the Double U-Turn they find that Gino & Jesse are as concerned about them as they are about Gino & Jesse. They've been U-Turned and are now on their way to find out what the Brain side of the Detour entails, but not before U-Turning Dujean & Leilani. Ha gotta do what a gotta do.
In Osoyoos, Gino & Jesse have found the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad and are pumped hoping to find Jon, only to realize they need to find little Jon. That's a really detailed display and at one point they think they've found Jon, but they haven't.
Having made their way to the Brains side of the Detour, Nick & Matt start searching for their three wine bottles, while back at Brawn, Sean is . . . lounging in a tire before puking again during the Tire Flip. This guy has the intestinal fortitude of a marshmallow.
Simi & Ope arrive at the Detour and also choose Brawn and I wonder why everyone so far has gone that way. It's definitely going to be more physically taxing and I just don't get why Brent & Sean or Simi & Ope would take that route. I'm pretty sure Wayne and I would have chosen Brains.
Speaking of which, Nick & Matt had no problem finding their three wine bottles, and they were just as quick on the potato slingshot despite Nick's directions, so now they're off to pallet stack. Who knew that Matt used to drive a forklift? On the other side, Brent & Sean are actually doing fairly well and have just finished the Monkey Bars as Simi & Ope finish the Onion Sacks and start flipping that huge tire.
Meanwhile, Leilani is still on the water and they know they're way behind as she finally completes both the Slide and the Jump. Dujean seems to think he'd have done better but Leilani has no idea how since he's terrified of water. He'd have probably drowned and Leilani would've had to dive in to save him. Or not. These two are always down on each other, especially Dujean, and I'm surprised they've made it this far.
Gino & Jesse are still searching for MiniJon, but after a quick hug break, they immediately find the little guy. They shoulda hugged sooner. They're now on their way to the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre, the Pit Stop for this leg of the race as they search for big Jon.
Brent & Sean are not enjoying the Mud Run at all, but they're really, really happy they weren't U-Turned and they're off to locate MiniJon in Osoyoos. Arriving at the Detour, Dujean & Leilani chose Brawn because Leilani can barely think after all that time in the water. As the Exes race off to grab some onion sacks, Nick & Matt complete Brains and are now off to repeat the Mud Run. Over on Brawn, Simi used her brain when she figured out that she could cross the Monkey Bars over the top rather than hanging from them. Off to the Mud Run.
Finally we get all that pent up drama that Leilani has been holding inside. I've been waiting ten legs for her to go off on Dujean, and it's about time. Unfortunately the editors decided against it. I wonder if there was a lot more drama than we've seen. May get a chance to ask them that soon.
As Nick & Matt complete their second Mud Run, Brent & Sean have arrived at the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad and Gino & Jesse are racing through Nk'Mip in search of BigJon. Gino & Jesse are Team Number 1 and have also won a trip to Tokyo, Japan and two years worth of free gas. I think that's five years of gas for the boys now. They've made it to final four.
Simi & Ope get down and dirty under the wire while Brent & Sean are searching for MiniJon. They know Jon's an Olympian but for some reason they think he's a speed skater and start looking for a little guy on skates. Nope, he wasn't a speed skater, but somehow they managed to find him just as the Wrestlers arrive. In their haste to get out of there they end up going the wrong way, but at least Sean figured it out quickly and they make a quick change.
Back at the Brawn Detour, Leilani can't get across the Monkey Bars and Dujean starts laughing about it. That girl has an awful lot of patience not to just smack him upside the head. I'm sure he's not trying to be abusive, but he just doesn't think before opening his mouth. He's gonna need to work on that.
Simi & Ope are so happy not to be U-Turned that Ope does another little victory dance. As they head to Osoyoos, Nick & Matt have found little Jon and they're off to find big Jon. Once again the Wrestlers have caught up to the Designers and it's going to be another foot race to the mat.
At the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad, Simi & Ope start searching for MiniJon and Simi keeps bumping her head into the plexiglass. While she's busy doing that, Nick & Matt and Brent & Sean both arrive at Nk'Mip. Yep, it's another foot race to the mat, but Brent & Sean prove to be a bit quicker on their feet and are Team Number 2, with Nick & Matt right behind them as Team Number 3, where they've been before.
Jon informs Brent & Sean that he has some bad news for them and they look a little worried until Jon smiles and tells them he doesn't speed skate. He was a skeletor. That broke the tension as they all laughed and the Wrestlers and Designers walked off together.
Simi finally finds Jon and Ope does another little dance. I guess he's got the music in him. As they head to the Pit Stop, Leilani still can't make it across the monkey bars and Dujean is of no help so they decide to switch Detours. Dujean thinks they should just take the penalty but Leilani sees a penalty as giving up and she doesn't want to give up, until she decides she's done with Dujean and decides to just take the penalty and get it over with. Leilani's as done with Dujean as she is with this Detour and they both know they're in last place. When they find they've been U-Turned they're devastated but at this point it doesn't make any difference.
Simi & Ope are Team Number 4 and Ope says that the one thing they have going for them is teamwork. Well, that and a really strong father and daughter bond.
As the rain lets up Dujean & Leilani finally make their way to the Pit Stop and Jon is sorry to inform them that they have been eliminated from the race. When Jon asks if they'll remain friends, Leilani says she thinks it's time to go their separate ways for awhile, maybe a long while. Considering their history it's a big accomplishment that they won two legs and made it all the way to the tenth without killing each other.
So there you have it, my review of the tenth leg of the Amazing Race Canada. Next week the teams are racing through my backyard in Edmonton, Alberta where they'll find themselves transported back in time (I recognize that saloon). It looks like they'll also have another FaceOff at a curling rink and tempers will flair as teams resort to stealing cabs in order to stay ahead. I'm not even going to mention who stole whose cab. Until that time.