The episode opens with the final four teams all in the same boat. Seriously. That whole continuing leg from the last episode was more like a quick race down the dock to jump on a bus. Had someone actually used the U-Turn last week (we would have) the bus might have left before they got there but somehow I doubt it. The bus allowed teams to relax a bit during its six hour tour from Lunenberg to Sydney (No, not Australia) and then the teams got to relax overnight during an eight hour ferry ride aboard the M.V.Highlander as it set sail (can you even do that on a ferry?) for Port Aux Basques, the primary point of entry into Newfoundland at it's extreme southwest tip. That's a nice 14 plus hours of non-race time for the teams to gather their strength for the finale but it's not over yet.
Arriving in Port Aux Basques teams need to make a mad dash for one of three available shuttles. The first two will only hold one team each and the third will carry the last two teams. Jody & Cory burst ashore to claim the first shuttle while Jet & Dave are right behind them for the second shuttle. That leaves the third shuttle for the Sisters and TeamTims as all four teams enjoy another overnight road trip. On the upside at least they don't have to drive, which guarantees that Vanessa & Celina will kill no vehicles during this portion of the race and will arrive where they're supposed to. Probably a good thing since the trip from Port Aux Basques to St John's is over 900 km and I feel safe in assuring everyone that the girls would have gotten lost somewhere along the way. That or killed a clutch.
Eleven hours later Jody & Cory are the first team to arrive in St. John's and they need to locate the Terry Fox Memorial. Once there they need to memorize the quotes along the curved wall behind the statue, then they need to find the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company and recite the quotes to the gatekeeper who will then allow them entry to a traditional Newfoundland Screech Party where they will be "screeched in" and get to "kiss the cod".
Though they had a 15 minute lead, Cory proves to be almost as bad as TeamTims when it comes to memorization. Jody get his part of the quote but Cory can't quite get the right words. They decide to head back to the memorial and Cory starts stressing about losing their lead but on the way back he remembers and the cab turns back around and he tries again. This time he gets it and they go in to the party to "kiss the cod" and down a shot of screech. Wayne and I would have enjoyed that part, not the cod, the screech.
Talk about a language barrier listening to the Newfoundlander (it seems rude to call him a Newfie) mangle the English language. I thought we were just a bi-lingual country, but not the way this guy says it.
Jet & Dave are only 15 minutes behind but they managed to find the newest cab driver in Newfoundland. It was only her fourth day on the job and that's never a good sign during a race but Jet praises her driving ability if not her navigation. They find the memorial, memorize the quotes, and head in search of the party where they have no problem with their memory and go in dancing and prancing and generally having a great time. We're going to miss the guys when the show is over. Jet doesn't understand a word the Newfie is saying, but he gets the gist and the next clue.
Vanessa & Celina and the TeamTims arrive pretty much in unison as the boys are leaving, even though they were 15 minutes behind (and 30 minutes behind Jody & Cory). They make quick work of the first task and all teams are liquored up and running for broke.
No surprise here that Jody & Cory are the first to make it to Shea Heights Overlook and this week's Detour . . . Tell A Tale: where the team must attempt to memorize a unique fisherman's tale from two old fishermen, complete with Newfie accent and intonation, and then recite the story to a group of listeners . . . or Wag A Tail: where teams get to team up with a Newfoundland Dog and a wagon to deliver 12 bottles of milk and 4 dozen eggs up Heart Attack Hill. Are you kidding me? That's what trucks are for. I'm pretty sure that Wayne and I would choose to Tell A Tale, not necessarily the right one, but a tale nevertheless.
Jody & Cory however choose to Wag A Tail and gather up their faithful companion and produce and proceed uphill . . . one pain inducing step at a time. Okay, its not really that bad but there's a reason it's called Heart Attack Hill. It's probably about a 40° angle from the looks of it, and that's a lot of hill.
I'm starting to get a little concerned about Jet & Dave and their 4 day old cabbie. I can't understand why they wouldn't have found a replacement as soon as possible. I'm sure she was a wonderful woman but the last thing you need in a race is a driver that hasn't a clue where you're going. I think I saw a bead of sweat on Jet's brow as Vanessa & Celina went sailing on past them, but at least it gave their cabbie someone to follow. Both teams arrived at the fishermen to hear their tale about the "wee babe born from the fishies mouth" but the boys have no problem racing past the girls to get to their audience first. Which wouldn't have been so bad had they remembered the story.
TeamTims, knowing their abilities lie elsewhere than memorization, decide to Wag A Tail but choose a less than cooperative dog. As they're getting their produce together Tim Sr. decides to grab a few extra eggs "just in case" and as Jody & Cory head to their last delivery they probably wish they had too. One cracked egg forces them to head back down to restock a replacement egg for the their last delivery. Just to be safe Cory grabs some extra milk. Having to go back down definitely put a kink in their lead as TeamTims, having switched off who was leading the dog, are almost finished as they brothers back up.
Meanwhile, Jet & Dave still can't get the story quite right, but they're certainly having a lot of fun trying. The girls are not having anywhere near as much fun as they also manage to reword the tale, but they're getting closer.
Having overtaken Jody & Cory on deliveries TeamTims complete the Detour first and receive their next clue to O'Brien's Music Store where they find . . . the $50 Street Busker Roadblock. This roadblock must be completed by Tim Sr., Jody, Dave and Celina in order to balance out the number of single tasks per team. At least I think that's why they had to do it. It's a fairly simple task really; enter the music store, grab what you think you'll need to entertain a crowd, and then hit the streets and start busking to raise $50. I could do that, but so could Wayne and I'd hate to take all the glory. Besides he once told me he used to be a clown. I can believe that.
Tim Sr is out on the street corner chanting "watch the Winnipeger juggling on the corner of St John's." Jody realizes he's not much of a juggler, can't dance (obviously, according to him), and can't sing . . . but what Jody can do is tell a story and so he tells the story of how he lost his legs in Afganistan back in 2007, pulling on those heart strings and drawing in the bucks. He's not being overly dramatic or anything just telling it like it is and the people listen. He even managed to get a $20 bill from one person.
Jet & Dave finally figure out what they're doing wrong and retell the fisherman's tale with all the theatrics it deserves and they're off to busking glory. Vanessa & Celina start losing it and interrupting each other during the story and have to start again without arguing with each other. These girls are not storytellers but they get the job done and head off in last place.
Once Dave gathers his props he's out on the street singing "row, row, row your boat" while tapping a big stick out of rhythm and I swear Jet is going to kill him with a hula hoop. What the heck was Dave thinking? These guys have been so entertaining all along and now he gets a chance to perform and this is it? Jet looks less than impressed.
Speaking of hula hoops, Celina in her bright pink t-shirt, grabs a hula hoop and a streamer to entertain the crowds as she shakes her money maker (according to Dave, not me). Dave starts freaking out a little watching her raking in the cash so he trys a new tactic while Jet dances with a violinist. Or was it a fiddle player? Whatever, Jet's still having fun.
It's a sad statement on society that even though she arrived last to the task, Celina shaking her booty managed to gather funds faster than Jody telling his story. In fact, she was so fast that Vanessa & Celina were the first to get the next clue leading them to the ninth Pit Stop of the race. Jody's last $4 came from a woman who believed in paying it forward, even though she was trying to buy food for herself at the time. Well, at least that restores some of my faith in society. Not much, but some.
Both teams are now off to Cape Spear, the easternmost point of Canada and the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The girls once again show their navigational abilities are at their peak as they run off in the wrong direction, what a surprise, and allow Jody & Cory to be the first team to the mat for the third time in a row . . . matching Jet & Dave's earlier feat. This put the sisters in second place. Who'd a guessed that?