So I'm quite happy that I get to be positive about Episode 3 of TARC. I'm not going to all gushy but all and all, this was a really good episode, fun to watch and I laughed out loud a couple of times. And the main reason why this episode was good, one of the best since Season 4, was the tasks. They were mostly hard, not entirely original cause that's hard to do after 30 seasons of the US race, five Canadian, five Asian and four Australian (not to mention all the other foreign language ones) but they still had their own twists that made good TV. And when the tasks are good, then we get to see more personality from the teams. I may not be a fan of the hero theme but these teams have potential and the best way to bring out that potential is to challenge them in different ways. Also, the editing pulled away from the hero theme, except at the end, and let the racers just be racers.
So teams leave the Yukon and head to Salt Spring Island. Still only one province and one territory so far but it's early. At Salt Spring, both teams have to eat an entire blueberry pie. And I must say that I love a good eating challenging, especially one that involves something that we'd normally like to eat, not some kind of bug or unusual food. Teams chow down in their own way and it was good to see Joseph and Akash really go at the pie. Nancy as well. She's a tough competitor and I like a tough competitor. Surprisingly, some of the teams you'd think would really do well with this, the Coaches, and Martina and Phil (Martina did express a love of baking early in the season), struggle. Although Martina's struggles, laughing and enjoying every moment as she dry heaved and barfed, was fantastic TV. She is one of the great TAR characters out there and I hope she stays in for awhile. TARC needs a lot more characters like her. She's real, her responses seem genuine and she's having a great time. Phil is also a great straight man. Adam and Courtney are also fun, with a bit of a kiss after she pukes. That's love.
As expected, some teams used their Express Passes to bypass the pie and that's the weakness of this episode. The race made a big deal about the Triple Express Pass for Episode 2, like they did last year, but again, like last year, all three are gone by the first half of this episode. The storyline's over before it even started. That's what you get when you try to force a story line like Triple Express Passes. I really hope this is the last time we see these things cause they really don't add much.
Anyway, after a quick trip to a forest to find clues behind fairy doors, teams all get on a ferry to Vancouver Island and find a Raceway near Duncan. Roadblock where teams get to race a Corvette around a track in less than three minutes. But the kicker is they can't exceed 80 klicks, which would be tough with such a powerful car. The urge to floor that machine around the track would be hard to resist. Most teams figure it out except for Courtney, who has to go to the back of the line and finds herself and Adam in last place, heading to the next task. She's not happy with herself.
Next task is another Roadblock that the other teammate has to do. Learn a one handed knot, do it in 15 seconds while a raptor sits on your hand. Another difficult task cause you only get to watch the demo, no one talks you through it. Seems like there was some little twist that was difficult to see. Again, teams struggle, especially those who claim to know knots more than others. I'm looking at you Navy, and Melissa. Heck, Melissa falls prey to the classic "I'll keep doing it wrong over and over again hoping something will change." However, the one who struggle the most is Akash, who unfortunately wastes time to talk to Joseph. I'm sure he needed some morale support but he could have spent that time working on the knot.
So as it turns out, he's last done the task and they are last to the mat. Eliminated. Not overly surprising because they struggled with directions and other things in previous legs, barely surviving. They were not one of the strong teams in this race. In first are Mounties Taylor and Courtney who just beat last week's winner Todd and Anna. See a good leg is even better with a race to the mat for first place.
Next week, teams go international to Jakarta, another visit to Southeast Asia for TARC. Hopefully the goodness will continue so I can continue to write positive reviews/recaps. Also, watch for Gord and I to do a video recap this week. Couldn't do it last week cause he was working and I was in Calgary celebrating my mom's 85th birthday along with my kid's 14th. Great party, great BBQ.