Jason and Amy won last week and are pretty much my favourites to win, not the team I'd want to win, but my pick. I'd like to see Leo and Jamal win, despite their sometimes idiotic antics and inability to read clues clearly. But Jason and Amy are my second favs. Overall nice folks; I wonder if he'll propose at the end. As for the rest, don't care, although weirdly, I'd like Tim and Marie to win before Travis and Nicole. I liked the Docs in the beginning but then they started putting in bits about their self-righteous attitude. I'm guessing that attitude was there all along, just that the producers started to put it in. And I'm the kind of the guy that prefers people to be honest about how they play the game, like the Exes, instead of the hypocrisy of the Docs.
The Daters leave at 1:25 am for Tokyo, Japan where they have to find the Gotokuji Temple filled with ceramic cat statues. So while they wait for Travis and Nicole, they look for flights, doing all the work while the Docs get the benefit. Tim and Marie leave an hour later, thinking they are the strongest team but since they get lost all the time, I don't think so. The Docs leave a minute later and they discuss how things come easy for Travis and how he's not patient when Nicole doesn't get things fast enough. Which means he's a bit of a jerk, who now looks like Urkel.
The Afghanimals are last, giggling like a bunch of silly Afghani boys and with a Speed Bump ahead. That could slow them down, and believe the other teams will gang up on them to get them eliminated. Which is quite true since that's what the Exes and the Docs plan to do. Nicole seems to be trying to run things but not sure what Tim and Marie think. Marie's really not the take orders kind of gal.
So everybody's seems to be on the same flight although Leo and Jamal are doing research. And they find a flight that might come in earlier but with an extra connection. So while the teams are hanging out in the Bangkok(?) airport, the boys are trying to book through Hong Kong and Singapore? I'm not sure, I missed it and then got a call. It's my birthday so I've been getting a lot of calls.
So the boys get an earlier flight, arriving 15 minutes earlier while all the other teams are thinking it's all a ruse to get them worried. Nope. And it's a prime example of not running your own race, letting someone else on another team dictate what you do. Should never allow that to happen, especially in the final legs. So the boys do get there earlier, grab and taxi. The other teams arrive five minutes later although there are only two cabs and three teams. Marie researched where they were going, got the address. And since she said the other teams were ready to leave them behind, she's not sharing. Ha. Told ya someone wasn't playing along. So the Docs and Exes leave but the taxis says they have to wait for the third. More funny stuff. And again, run your own race. Don't rely on others.
So the boys arrive, see the cats and get the clue. A Detour: Knock it Down or Call it Up. In Knock, team must become a human bowling ball and in Call, they have to make a phone call in the giant fish tank. I love the weirdness when they go to Japan. The boys pick Knock it Down while Travis and Nicole are annoyed that someone not doing what they expect has changed their plan. The other teams arrive at the same time. Everyone except the Docs pick Knock it Down. Interesting how Travis picked the task seemingly without consulting with Nicole. And they are all stuck with bad cabs; three in a row. And they don't want to separate so these teams are having their Detour chosen for them.
Not sure if this is an actual gamshow but it looks fun. Leo's a bit distracted by the outfits but they get dressed very quickly. And they must tube down a slide and get a strike to pass. I think Gord would be great at this cause he's frickin' tall so he could reach out and knock the pins pretty good. I'm a decent bowler but with real balls and pins. Jamal's first and misses. Leo as well. The other teams arrive at the park but it's not the Detour Jason and Amy, and Tim and Marie wanted. But the Daters go for it anyway. And since only two teams can do it at once, then they and the Docs pretend it's not around so as to fool Tim and Marie. But the Exes get directions to the Media Centre so they can do their own thing. Good plan to be on their own but now they're behind.
When the other teams see the phone booths filled with water and fish, they are surprised. Phil says these phone booths are art installations (cool public art, man.) And one teammate much climb in the water, make a call and then tell the other teammate what they heard. When they get it right, they move on. Back to the bowling alley, the boys are still working on it, and finally figure out that they should go right down the middle. And it works. So the boys have to find the fountain in Shinjuku Chuo Koen. Apparantly, Jamal knows where it is so they head off but before they do, they fold their clothes back into the pile in order to fool the other teams into thinking no one's arrived yet. Smart.
Nice to see the speedos, although Amy's fit better than Travis's. Although she didn't take a big enough breath. And when she gets it and climbs out, she falls. She's okay but probably embarrassed. Almost crushed the camera operater. Regardless, she's got it. and their off to the fountain. So do the Docs. Easy task, although it probably took time to change, dry off, etc. The bowling seemed to take longer and that could hurt the Exes, especially with the changing and dealing with the host. They also see the Afghanimals' clothes so assume they missed their flight or something.
Tim pushes Marie too hard and almost flips her. Probably some residual hard feelings for her breaking his heart, and to continue to use and abuse him. They miss a couple of times and then Marie decides that it's best to push the larger Tim hard and have him wave about and hit as many pins as possible. It works. They're done pretty fast and go look for the fountain.
The boys get to the fountain and find their Speed Bump. They have to do an actual zookeeper drill and capture a couple of dudes in a rhino outfit. Wow, that's a real drill? Not really realistic if you ask me, although I've only seen rhinos in zoos. They look meaner and faster than two dudes in a suit. They start working just as the Docs arrived, shocked to see the boys ahead of them. And it's a Roadblock, which is to build a robot copy, made out of a bunch of plastic or paper tubes. Totally Gord task, man cause he's an artist and he's tall. But the girls decide to work together.
Leo and Jamal work on their Speed Bump, having a bit of fun climbing on top and then move on to catch up with the other teams. Leo then starts the task on the robot, cause he's a puzzle guy, Jamal says. He's working alone while it seems Amy's working on Nicole's. Wasn't sure which on they were doing first. Wonder if the Docs will hang around, if they get their's done first. Then Marie arrives and starts the task. All four teams working together, first one done will probably win the leg, while last one done will be out. Fun.
But Marie hasn't read the clue, again, or can't figure where the model is. She asks Nicole and Amy. Nicole says no. As she should. Unfortunately, she asks Leo and he tells her. As he shouldn't. Jason and Travis play the macho thing and figured they'd be done and gone. Yeah right. They probably would have broke it. Marie seems to be moving fast, Jason's getting frustrated and yells at Amy, and Nicole is getting bossy. Seems like anybody could finish first.
Leo thinks it's him, but nope. The girls think they have their's done, but also nope. Marie's robot starts to fall apart. Leo tries again but wrong. Same for the girls. So Nicole says they should get hers done first correctly and then work on Amy's. Let's see how that works out. But no. And it's Marie done first. And good for her cause she did it all on her own, starting after everyone else. Even Jamal is impressed. So they move on. They must find the Roaming Vending Machine among the insanity of the same busy crossing they always hit while in Tokyo. Still, only in Japan would you have a task like this.
Meanwhile, Travis starts calling his wife weak, talking her down. What a dick. No matter what you do, you never talk about your wife in that way, especially on TV when there are cameras and mics all around. He's gonna pay for that. Even if they won, he's gonna pay for that, and rightly so. Again, they get it wrong. So Amy decides to look at the model to see what's wrong. Duh. Should have done that before then. So she gets bossy. And the start taking it all apart. Leo's wrong again. So he goes to the model.
Amy gets it right. And stays behind to help. Which frustrates Jason cause he wants to find the vending machine. Which Tim and Marie find very quickly, get their clue telling them to race on foot to the pitstop at Konno Hachimangu Shrine. As Phil says, the last team will, not may but will be eliminated.
Back at the robots, Leo is wrong again. And Amy leaves the Docs. Jason isn't pleased because it was 10 minutes they could have used. It's nice to be nice but not this late in the game. Tim and Marie arrive at the pitstop and are Team #1. They ran a good leg and win a trip to Aruba. The Daters arrive at the intersection and find the machine. They are on their way to another second place while the Afghanimals and the Docs are still working on the robot. Jamal's being supportive of his cousin while Travis is hassling his wife, saying the only person he can rely on is himself. Where's Brett when you need him? And she gets it. Which frustrates Leo. And Travis is still on his wife in the cab, complaining, making her cry. Where's the Christian charity and goodness you kept talking about? But Leo finally gets it and they head out. Not sure how long after but at least Jamal is kind and supportive. Jason and Amy are Team #2 and headed into the final.
The Docs find the machine, well, Nicole finds the machine. And not long after so do the boys. So they are both looking for the shrine, asking folks. It's a race, and it doesn't seem that close. It's the Docs as Team #3. Sorry to see the Afghanimals go. Although I hear they get another chance in the All Star Season 24.
In the final leg, Tim and Marie leave at 6:08 am, heading to their final destination, Juneau, Alaska. When they get there, the must go to the harbour, take a marked boat to Grizzly Bar, some glacier it seems, and get the next clue. And then we see that Tim is a bit of an idiot because he signed a contract stating that any thing they win, she gets 60 and he gets 40. Good god, how much abuse can this guy take and still hang around. SHE'S USING YOU, TIM!
Jason and Amy leave at 6:10, only two minutes behind and they are now the team I'm rooting for. They can be too nice, especially when it comes to the Docs but hopefully they'll realize it's every team for themselves and do their own thing. And it seems that Amy's helping of Nicole was some strategizing (or maybe she's rationalizing). Cause now they don't have their help, the Docs just might fall back. If she's been playing that game the whole time, she's one of the best players around. But I think she's just nice.
The Docs leave at 6:22 and I'm expecting everyone will be on the same flight. And they do. And they all run out with no free cabs in sight. The Daters get the hired cab to call one. But the Docs find one in the distance and grab it. The Daters' cab arrives but Marie tries to get it but no. The Exes are left behind at the airport. The Docs grab the first boat just ahead of the Daters. Amy falls but gets up quickly. Tim and Marie must have gotten a cab pretty fast cause they are right behind. The boats race done the bay, the river, whatever it is. Looks like a hoot.
The Docs arrive first, head for the clue box and you can see helicopters as well. Always with the helicopters in Alaska. And it's a Roadblock. They must make a supply drop. While flying at 60 mph, 150 feet above the ground, they have to drop a bag a flour on a target. Easier than it looks. Nicole takes it so Travis can bitch about her. And it's an all girl task as Marie and Amy also jump aboard the planes. And yes, Travis is on his wife, telling her it was redemption time. Yes, time for you to redeem yourself Travis because of the crappy way you've treated and talked about your wife.
Nicole is first and misses but barely. Travis looks pissed. Amy misses by a mile, while Marie just barely misses. On the second run, Nicole misses, Amy nails it, almost a bullseye. Now teams have to get on the helicopters to a glacier (missed the name) and then go on an Ice Expedition. They have to pick a guide, hike and climb a bit, then find the clue in the ice. Once they chip it out, they're done. Marie misses her drop. On the third run and fourth, Nicole and Marie miss.
And the Daters arrive at the glacier. Jason rappels down a wide crevasse, crosses an ice ladder, then makes his way up the other side. Amy's a bit slower, but should be all right. Back at the air drop, the girls are on their 12 try and misses. Marie gets it though, leaving Travis behind, PO'd. Nicole's onto her 15th, her 16th with no end in sight. Meanwhile, Jason's being supportive, helping Amy figure out the ice ladder walk and then the climb. She gets done just as the other helicopter with the Exes, lands. Tim starts his rappel while the Daters go to the ice tunnel. Jason's pumped about it and understandably so. That would be the coolest.
Finally, on her 21st attempt, Nicole is done. Travis says nothing on the ride. Only gives her a look of disappointment. Man, I hate to be one of his kids. In the ice tunnel, Jason is supporting his girlfriend and the shot looks great. Never been in such a thing. The Docs arrive just as the Marie is trying to climb but she's having a bit of trouble. Even so, she gets done. And the Daters are at the wall. And it's not as easy as it looks. Though Jason digs fast enough, not all the clues in the ice are real ones. So they hit a bunch of fakes just as the Exes hit the ice tunnel and Travis is on the ladder.
Jason keeps digging until after a long bit, enough time for the Exes to get through the tunnel and arrive, they find the correct clue. Teams must now hike down to the shore and paddle a tandem kayak to the marked island for their next clue. Looks like the producers are going all out on the physical stuff to tire the teams out on the last leg. And it's taking its tool on Nicole. She gets down, gets across but slips going up, losing one of her ice picks. Gonna be hard to get up. She stumbles again. But pulls herself up, with one pick. And finally, Travis seems to realize that his wife is tougher than he's given her credit for.
By this time, Tim and Marie are done and heading to the kayaks. Just as the Daters head out into the lake and the Docs get through the tunnel. It's not really a race at the moment but maybe there's a memory task at the end. But when they get to the island clue box, they get to take another helicopter flight, back to Juneau and make their way to Blueberry Hills Trailhead. Since they probably paid for the day for the helicopters, might as well use them. So back to Juneau.
The Docs are at the ice wall and get some fake clues. The Exes arrive at the island and jump on the helicopter. So the Daters get to Juneau, ask the cabbie if he speaks English (come on it's Alaska, not North Korea) and go to the park. More ice digging and finally the Docs get their clue. The Exes arrive in Juneau and jump in a cab. Some nice quick editing going on, making the game seem fast and exciting. So when the Daters arrive at the clue box, they must build a wall of totem poles by spelling out the name of the currency from each of the countries they visited. Tough, cause there were no real clues about this. Hopefully they remember. Or better yet, they have some still left with them.
Jason and Amy start building. Amy says she wrote a ton of notes but nothing on the currency. Tim and Marie arrive and are stunned for a moment. The Docs are on their helicopter. The other two teams are struggling, although Tim and Marie seem to be in better control. Although Marie crushes Tim's thumb. Let's see what the Docs do. They arrive and get started. But they are a bit slow, working out a system. Might work but there's not much time.
More moving, move shifting and finally, Jason and Amy get it done. They get back to their cab to head to the End of North Douglas Hwy for the final mat. Not long after, the Exes get done, while Travis complains about his wife not helping. He keeps on her about the last four roadblocks. No wonder she doesn't want to help him.
Back at the end, the editing looks like the Daters and the Exes arrive really close but in the end it's Jason and Amy winning. Good for them. And there seems to be enough time to talk so Tim and Marie weren't that close. No proposal. But Tim and Marie arrive in second place, with Tim carrying her bag, but only getting 40% of her proceeds. In the end, she gives his props. Time for him to say goodbye, though. He'll never move on unless he does. In third, are the Docs. I liked them in the beginning but he slowly became a dick, picking on his wife, not supporting her. I feel sorry for their kids and how they saw their dad act this way on TV. Although they've probably seen it and experienced it firsthand themselves. And he claims to be a good Christian.
Anyway, good for Jason and Amy. A decent season. Not as good as Season one of Amazing Race Canada but a good season. I heard there was a quick preview of Season 24 but I didn't see it. Did anyone else? Anyway, it's a few months till then so I won't be blogging much about anything new until the teams are announced. So thanks for tuning in, for this season and Season 1 of Amazing Race Canada. I'm always stunned at the number of people who read our blog. We do it just for fun and glad people pay attention to it. See you around and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.