They are now all on their way to find the largest mosaic in South America back in Trujillo. Blair feels that Hayley's biggest strength is her attention to detail. Hayley & Blair look pretty relaxed riding down from the mountain and have no problem finding the mural and the clown who hands them a magnifying glass. They find the clue almost immediately, return to the clown to get the next clue and now they're off to find the Detour: Shake Your Hips or Make Some Bricks. In Shake Your Hips teams need to dress up and perform a Peruvian courting dance while in Make Some Bricks teams make bricks for an archaeological conservation project. Hayley & Blair choose to make bricks.
Jenny & Jelani have made their way to the mural and they took a bit of time getting there and missed Hayley & Blair, but they also found the clue, got the next one and they chose to dance. An interesting choice for a blind date couple. Definitely not the side of the Detour that Wayne and I would choose, . . . we're not doing a courtship dance.
Hayley & Blair arrive at Make Some Bricks and watch how to make the bricks before they get started. Their first bricks suck. The corners have no points, the sides are rounded, . . . those are not going to pass.
Mike & Rochelle seem to have gotten a lemon for a taxi as it sounds like it's falling apart. They clunk and clatter their way down the mountainside and I think they're both praying the cab doesn't explode, or crash.
Jenny & Jelani have arrived at the dance task. They change into their outfits and watch the performance before they get trained on how to perform the dance. There's a lot of moves to remember but the most important seems to be eye contact and confidence. This is a courtship dance, you're not supposed to be looking around, . . . and there's a lot of flipping of that skirt.
Yep, it's official, Mike & Rochelle's cab has died. This won't be good for the only couple remaining as Laura & Tyler drive by. I don't even think Mike & Rochelle saw them go past. On the other hand, it's great for Laura & Tyler who were hoping that someone would get a flat heading back to Trujillo.
In the archaeological brickyard Hayley & Blair's bricks are getting a little better but not much. They got three of them right when the foreman checked so they go back and figure out what they did wrong. Apparently it's all in the way you slam down the mud. Their next set of bricks are looking a lot better.
Back in the field Jenny & Jelani are enjoying their practice run and have decided they're ready, while a replacement taxi has arrived for Mike & Rochelle. This definitely puts the Truck Stop Lovers in last place but it's still early in the day.
After figuring out where they messed up, Hayley & Blair have succeeded with their bricks and now need to make a delivery of finished ones but they tip the first load over. Blair's not exactly a wheelbarrow driver and they decide to make two trips.
Jenny & Jelani do their dance and they look good, the crowd applauds a little, but they're not good enough. Back they go for another practice run as Laura & Tyler have made their way back to town and found the mural. For some reason Laura's starting to emulate Hayley and has started arguing with Tyler, which is okay because so far this episode Hayley's been fine.
I'm not sure why so many people have a problem with Hayley online. In real life I'm sure she's not edited so badly. When Blair needed a break on the wheelbarrow, Hayley took over. They're really working well together today and he appears to actually be paying attention. That's all any woman wants. They race back to get their second load.
Tyler & Laura find the little mosaic clue, get the Detour clue and decide to make bricks so they're off to Chan Chan. Meanwhile Mike & Rochelle can't find the right clown who knows he's missing a couple. Who knew there'd be a spare in the neighbourhood. Tyler wasn't too impressed with the "magic" show the clown performed to produce their next clue.
Hayley & Blair complete the delivery and are now on their way to find the clue box by the statue in Huanchaco back in town. (I didn't catch the cross streets.) Meanwhile Jenny & Jelani missed something again in their routine as Mike & Rochelle finally found the right clown, knocking over his stand. They race back to the mural and got the next clue and also chose to make bricks, which is where we find Laura & Tyler following the brick making recipe.
By the statue in Huanchaco, Hayley & Blair find the clue box and get the next clue. Roadblock; Don't Rock The Boat where both team members must carry a reed boat to the shore and then one of them must use the boat to paddle out and retrieve their next clue from a buoy offshore. Blair decides he can do it and he starts to paddle out. All he needs to do is grab the clue, catch a wave and ride it back to Hayley. He's hoping he doesn't suck at this, . . . so does Hayley.
Mike & Rochelle arrive at the bricks to find Laura & Tyler still there. There's a bit of pressure and it's the first time I've seen Mike & Rochelle argue but they decide there's no way they're gonna be able to do this after their first few bricks and they switch tasks. That's usually a big mistake, especially if these two can't dance.
Hayley & Blair hoist up a reed boat and head to the shore as Jenny & Jelani finally nailed the dance on their third attempt. We find out that Blair has his own stand-up paddle board so he's hoping it works the same way. It doesn't. Hayley almost looks concerned as Blair continues to go under.
At the dance task, Mike & Rochelle change into the traditional costume and go out to watch the performance and now the pressure's on. Mike actually looks pretty good in that outfit. Rochelle realizes that this dance is not just about the moves but the emotion. More pressure. Speaking of pressure, Tyler may not be using enough as the foreman crushes four of their bricks.
Out at sea, Blair is starting to get the hang of things, paddles out and gets the next clue. Like most tasks, once you figure out how to do it getting it done is simple. Jenny & Jelani get the clue to the Roadblock, while back in the brickyard Tyler & Laura have made their twelve bricks and now it's time to deliver. As they turn the corner with their full wheelbarrow they realize moving all the bricks at once might not be the best idea. Laura keeps telling Tyler to breath.
Mike & Rochelle fail at their first dance attempt as Jenny & Jelani arrive at the reed boats. They already decided that this one is Jelani's task. As Jenny & Jelani grab a boat, Blair has made his way back and Hayley is so proud of Blair right now. Hayley & Blair are now on their way by foot to Virgen Del Socorro, the Pit Stop for this leg of the race.
Laura broke one brick on delivery but the foreman caught her so Tyler races back to grab a replacement with Laura on his heels. Mike & Rochelle fail their third attempt as back out on the waves, Jelani is taking a beating and letting the waves hit him on the side rather than riding through. Has this guy never been in any kind of boat before.
Tyler returns with the brick and they get the next clue as Mike & Rochelle try again. Mike knows he messed up his footwork on that last one and they're sure they're going home if they don't get this soon. Then again, so do Laura & Tyler if they took longer making bricks than Mike & Rochelle did at the dance task . . . which it looks like they may have. After their fourth attempt Rochelle needs a minute before they try again, but try they do.
As for trying again, Jelani has found the "Jelani way" to ride the reed boat. He's found that by leaning way back the waves will carry him along. That's an interesting way to do it, unless he falls asleep. He's got the clue and heading back in.
Hayley & Blair have made their way to Virgen Del Socorro and are Team Number 1. They also win a 5 day trip for two to Goa, India with a massage and a round of golf. They did great this episode, with nary a complaint from either of them. At this point, they're the team to beat.
Over at the reed boats Laura has to do the Roadblock because Tyler has done five and each team member can only do so many. I believe it's an even split and if you intend to make it to the end you better keep track of it, otherwise you could have one team member doing the first set only to find that the last set are too hard for the other team member. I've never seen that happen but I suppose it could.
Mike & Rochelle finally nailed the dance, received their next clue and they're off to the reed boats. They know they're likely in last place but they're no Bergen & Kurt and they just keep going. As for going, Jenny & Jelani are Team Number 2 and they are definitely going to the finale.
Tyler is carrying the boat by himself and then has a pep talk with Laura before she paddles out. Mike & Rochelle get the Roadblock clue, arrive at the boats and really need to race through this but Laura is already on her way back in. They still don't know what position they're in as Laura returns to shore. Out goes Rochelle and Mike tells her not to worry about it. He's feeling a little like a helpless boyfriend but he's really supportive.
Laura & Tyler have found Phil and they are Team Number 3 while Rochelle is getting beaten by the waves. Rochelle was almost ready to quit but she refused to do so and she went back out there and finished it. She couldn't let her son down and I respect that.
Mike & Rochelle are the last team to arrive, . . . however they're still in the race and Rochelle can hardly breathe as Phil hands them their next clue and warns them that he will be eliminating a team in the final leg. All the teams are sure they're going to win this race because the other teams have so many problems, especially Hayley who says "they've got this" . . . then turns to Blair and says, "you're gonna listen, right?" It would be a change, and like politics in Alberta, change is good.
The teams are now on their way to Dallas, Texas for a "rappelling football monster truck rodeo," but we'll have to wait one more week to see who wins The Amazing Race. Anyone care to take a guess? I wouldn't mind any of these teams winning, . . . Yes, even Hayley & Blair, . . . but the team that may be the most deserving is Mike & Rochelle. No matter who wins I'll be back here next week to let you know how it all turns out.
If you can't wait that long for my witty banter be sure and check back on Sunday and Monday for my update on what's happening in the Big Brother Canada house, and again next Wednesday to see who's being voted out of the tribe next on Survivor. Until that time.