The Amazing Race Canada Recap of Episode 3: Hoodoos and Hoodonts OR Jet and Dave vs.'Anderson Cooper' and 'Mr. Mustache'

Tough challenges this week. I mean tough. The kind we are used to in The Amazing Race. But you know what they say don't you? If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Alberta, that is.

The teams start off from the Vancouver Convention Centre with the following start order and times:

Holly and Brett, 3:57 a.m.
Hal and Joanne 4:12 a.m.
Jody and Cory 4:51 a.m.
Darren and Kristen 4:58
Vanessa and Celina 5:23 a.m.
Tim and Tim 5:44 a.m.
Jet and Dave 5:45 a.m. "Nice guys finish last"

The first clue instructs them to fly to Calgary, Alberta, but they must first stop at the Internet Cafe to book their flight. Holly & Brett, Hal & Joanne, Jody & Cory, and Darren & Kristen book the 7:00 a.m. flight. The other 3 teams book the 8:00 a.m. flight. When Vanessa and Celina check-in at the airport, they switch their tickets to the 7 a.m. flight. Hey! Looks like the girls are learning a few tricks from the older teams. Way to go! Then we see something kind of pointless. Holly and Brett go to the Hudson News stand, gather up all the Calgary and Alberta maps and tuck them away where none of the other teams could find them. Lame. Fact of the matter is, this isn't the only news stand at Vancouver airport. And where was the sales clerk? It just seems like a sign of stress when a team tries to sabotage the others like this. In fact, it's not a good sign at all. Jody and Cory notice the lack of any maps they need, "I bet somebody bought all the maps...sneaky pricks".

On the flight, Darren and Kristen decide to give the second Express Pass to Vanessa and Celina, and not to Holly and Brett as was their agreement. Oh oh. Were they right to do this? You bet. Why the frick would you give it to a strong team...a team that likes to sabotage and play dirty? Give it to a weaker team. Guess they'll just have some explaining to do with the Docs later. 

The Route Marker is in downtown Calgary at a bull sculpture in Fifth Avenue Place. This isn't just any bull. It's 'Outlaw', a famous bull in these parts. Apparently Outlaw disposed of a record number of cowboys, 57 to be exact, before it was finally broken.  Can't help but think of Jamie and Pierre last week when they said "You don't get off the bull halfway through the ride". Sob. Kind of ironic. Yeah I miss them. They would have done so well on this leg. Anyway, the clue instructs them to go to Ranchman's Cookhouse and Dancehall. Now, with a name like that, wouldn't you suspect what the Roadblock was? Yep. Line dancing.

Line dancing separated the men from the boys, so to speak. Brought out the best in some teams, the worst in others, and frustrated everyone. It all came down to how everyone handled the frustration. Here's a breakdown of the teams' experiences:

Hal and Joanne: Joanne did the dancing, and nailed it after only 3 attempts. Hal couldn't stop gushing over how good Joanne looked. They left in first place.
Jody and Cory: Jody did this one, "I can handle that, even with carbon-fibre feet. No way I'm getting those (cowboy) boots on". He got it on his 6th attempt. But they were there 3 hours. When the judge approved his dance, everybody cheered.
Holly and Brett: Holly danced, got very frustrated. It took her 8 tries before she could get the next clue from the judge.
Darren and Kristen: Darren nailed it after 3 attempts. But it still looked kind of awkward. Almost as awkward as Kristen pulling Brett aside to explain about the Express pass. Brett gave her a crappy lecture on the integrity of doctors, in such a way to seem like they are sooo much better than everyone else. Naturally, this only made Kristen want to damage his head severely. Can't blame her, considering the fact that Brett wasn't exactly showing integrity when he hid those maps back in Vancouver.
Vanessa and Celina: Vanessa danced. She got a bit frustrated and asked "Why can't it be hip-hop?" Umm, maybe because cowboys in these parts wouldn't even know what you're talking about. She got it after 3 attempts.
Tim and Tim: It was Tim Sr. who took this one. Perhaps a bad choice, it took him 9 attempts. They left in last place, but never gave up.
Jet and Dave: Dave danced because he is a two-time National Champion...in cheerleading. He explains that his role is chucking girls. "I throw them, and I catch them". Dave responds with, "That'll come in handy". Dave got it on his 3rd try, but not after a few comments about the judge. "Anderson Cooper is so hard core". Yeah, the judge did look like him. When Dave won the clue, there was much rejoicing. Dave twirled a girl. Jet twirled a girl. Dave twirled Jet. Dave twirled Anderson Cooper.

One thing is for sure. None of those teams could get that country song out of their heads for several days. Even Vanessa was singing along. The clue 'Anderson Cooper' gave the teams directed them out to the Hoodoos in the Badlands. The next challenge is a Detour called Lump by Lump OR Bone by Bone. Very self-explanatory. Lump by Lump was filling a coal car at the Atlas Coal Mines National Historic site. The judge here is in period costume and sports a lovely curled mustache. Bone by Bone is at the Royal Tyrrell Museum and involves building a dinosaur model to the satisfaction of the judge, who is a 'real-life' Paleontologist. Wow a real Paleontologist at a real Paleontological museum. Imagine that. And just as I suspected, the only team to take on the dino challenge was Holly and Brett, who believed that parts are parts. After all, ribs are ribs and vertebrae are vertebrae, right? HAH!

Hal and Joanne fill the cart in no time flat, but not before Joanne takes note of what a great workout it was. "No wonder coal miners were in such great shape". Well, yeah, if you don't take into account all the coal dust they inhaled, bad diets and having to worry about the threat of cave-ins. Once again, Jet and Dave give us some comedic relief. Of course they filled the bins easily, but couldn't understand why the judge wouldn't approve of their work. Seems they forgot about moving the little tag over to a hook at the side of the car. "In Ontario, they would have welcomed this with open arms. But he didn't like it. No dice. You want some more coal? We'll give you some more coal. Here it is. I'll pour it all on...He thinks we're going to go do dinosaurs. Well, Mr. Mustache, ...we...are tough. We'll fill another one, for fun." Gosh, who doesn't love these guys? They finally figure out the problem and move the little tag thing. They let Vanessa and Celina know about the tag. The girls, meanwhile are having a hard time, start picking up big chunks and carry them, and consider using the Express Pass. They ask the judge several times if it was good enough...even when the car was no where near full. Maybe they were hoping Mr. Mustache would cut two wee girls a break. Hah! Jody & Cory, Darren & Kristen and the Tims (who are at this point tied for last with the Docs) also do the coal challenge.

Meanwhile, Holly and Brett are getting frustrated with the bones. Lets face the facts. They should have been able to do this with ease. Parts are parts. They may be a bit different, but the Docs should have been able to notice those differences and laid out those bones. It wasn't like it was a T-rex. They didn't have to use a crane to lift a 6-foot head. It was about the size of a dog - just like Dino in the Flintstones. But the Paleontologist denied their first attempt and the Docs had to go take a second look at the model. I think it was just anxiety that did them in. That and Brett constantly telling Holly to relax, when it was Brett who was all jittery. Yeah, that really helps. She just spent a couple of hours trying to learn a line dance while you were vowing revenge on Kristen. You don't calm down a person by telling them to calm down!!! Jeez.

It's a race to the Pitstop at Horse Thief Canyon between the Tims and the Docs, but the Tims get lost. Holy crap. Monty is waiting at the mat in his best neo-western garb, looking smashing I might add, alongside a cowboy with his horse, of course. Here's the final standings:

1st: Hal and Joanne. These guys are so impressive. Not only do they handle the stress, but Hal even finds time to tell Joanne how good she looks. Love it. Will anything take them down, or will they just run out of steam?
2nd: Kristen and Darren. Another team that is consistently near the top. For now.
3rd: Jet and Dave. From last to third. Not bad. I love their humour, ...I just think they dawdle a bit too much. But their learning curve is improving.
4th: Vanessa and Celina. Another team who is learning the ropes. They lucked into the Express Pass - lets just hope they don't push their luck, and try a few dirty plays of their own.
5th: Jody and Cory. Very impressive. Talk about bravery! Bravery is completing a line dance with carbon-fibre feet and no ankles. Not to mention Cory, who was brave enough to let his bro do it.
6th: Holly and Brett. I think frustration, and thinking about revenge on the Hippies, did these two in on this leg. Brett needs to learn a lesson from Hal and tell his wife how good she looks all sweaty in cowboy boots.
7th: Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. They just need to think things through before they jump into things. The non-elimination saved them. They must complete a Speed Bump on the next leg. Oh but don't worry - these two are going to be fine. They won't be the next team to be eliminated.

Check back later in the week, I will post a preview for Episode 4, and maybe... a clue as to where that final finish line is. Maybe I will make a game of it.

The Amazing Race Canada Preview of Episode 3 "Hoodoos and Hoodonts"

Here's what you're going to see when Amazing Race Canada visits Alberta.

Holly and Brett buy out all the maps for Calgary and Alberta (at the Hudson News Store) at Vancouver airport, in an attempt to sabotage the other teams. Jody and Cory notice the lack of Alberta maps, "I bet someone bought all the Calgary maps...the pricks." Why did Holly and Brett do this? It would be a big bite out of the allowance for this leg. Keep reading to find out why I think they did this.

There is a Route Marker at Fifth Avenue Place in front of the bull sculpture at the Stock Exchange Building. Holly and Brett may be up to more shenanigans here, "steering" other teams to the wrong place.

The Roadblock at Ranchman's Cookhouse and Dancehall. Looks like one member from each team must learn a line dance. We get glimpses of Joanne, Holly, Jody, Vanessa, and Darren, wearing cowboy hats, boots and shirts, learning the steps by watching the real dancers. There are also shots of Tim Sr. and Dave, but not sure if they were the ones in their teams doing the dancing. Everyone has a bit of trouble...they find out it's not as easy as it looks. Too bad the cowboys were eliminated in the last leg...they would have rocked this.

If they don't stop here, I'm going to be disappointed. (see note 1)

The teams then head to Drumheller. I am kind of hoping that the world's biggest T-rex sculpture is a Route Marker. Didn't Jon Montgomery say there would be a lot of roadside attractions? If not, I will be disappointed. Do you know you can climb up inside that thing - there's an observation platform in it's mouth. The Detour is out in the Badlands, outside of Drumheller. Hence the "hoodoo" (tower-shaped rock formations) reference in the title. The Detour is a choice between "Lump by Lump" OR "Bone by Bone". For Bone by Bone, teams must build an entire dinosaur skeleton. Sorry, I don't know the exact location of this challenge. But, being doctors, I imagine Holly and Brett took this one. Yes, I know dino bones aren't human bones, but parts are parts, and they would feel more comfortable with this then schlepping coal around. Lump by Lump is at the Atlas Coal Mines National Historic Site, and teams must fill a coal car. We get another taste of Jet and Dave and their comic relief. Apparently the judge, in period costume and sporting a typical curly mustache, tells the guys it's not good enough. They then refer to him as Mr. Mustache. "He thinks we're going to do dinosaurs. Well, Mr. Mustache,...we are tough. We'll fill another one, just for fun."

The Tims fill wheelbarrows, then lift them up and dump them into the coal car. Vanessa and Celina are there at the same time as Jet and Dave. The girls eventually give up on the shovel and try to carry coal in their arms. They weren't the only ones - Jody and Cory start carrying LARGE blocks of coal, presumably to fill the car quicker. Guess they take the "lump by lump" seriously. Either Vanessa or Celina say, "should we use the Express Pass?" Aha! Soooo...there it is. The dinosaur in the room. It looks like Kristen and Darren gave the girls that second pass. If you remember, Kristen & Darren, Holly & Brett, Vanessa & Celina and Hal & Joanne made that little pact on that first night in Kelowna - that if any of them came in first, they would give the 2nd pass to the team among them who came in second. It was Holly and Brett who came in second. Apparently the Hippies didn't want to give the pass to such a strong team as the Doctors, so they gave it to the girls, whom they must see as less of a threat. This must have pissed Holly and Brett off big time, and I kind of think this is the reason for all the dirty play.

This should be a non-elimination leg, but remember, whoever comes in last will have to perform a Speed Bump challenge at some point in the next leg...and the next leg goes to Yellowknife, NWT.

***this post may be updated with new information before the air-date.

Notes:
1. World's biggest T-rex, Drumheller, Alberta.  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drumheller_t-rex.JPG 

The Amazing Race Canada Recap of Episode 2: "Se Hou Leng" OR Hal and Joanne's Evil Laugh

All things considered, I wasn't all that impressed with this leg in Vancouver. It wasn't the teams. They are great. It was just the locales they chose to film. There are better places to showcase how beautiful Vancouver is than a freight terminal. They spent way too much time in Chinatown, leaving me with the feeling that I don't ever want to visit that area. They could have gone to Gastown. Or Granville Island. But no.

The teams set off from Quail's Gate Winery in Kelowna beginning with first place Kristen and Darren at 5 a.m. with a clue that read "make your way to Vancouver". They had a $200 allowance on an Interac card to spend on this leg.

Hal and Joanne, doing their evil laugh. Excellent.

Kristen & Darren, Holly & Brett, Jet & Dave make the 7 a.m. flight. Hal & Joanne and Vanessa & Celina miss the flight, but Hal manages to convince the agent to put them on standby before the girls. He says, "Just as long as we can get on before 'them'". Way to go HAL! Lo and behold, Hal and Joanne are paged and get on the first flight with the others. The girls look dumbfounded. We are treated to an "evil mastermind laugh" from Hal and Joanne. Excellent. Who would have thought? And why did we never see this on Body Break? Maybe Canada wasn't ready to see this side of Hal and Joanne in the '90s. The next flight at 8:20 carries Jody & Cory, the Tims, and Vanessa & Celina.

Meanwhile, Jamie and Pierre are the last to depart the winery at 7 a.m. - they are already 2 hours behind Kristen and Darren. They stop to withdraw cash which makes them miss the 8:20 flight, and are forced to wait until the next one at 10:55. This pretty much seals their doom.

The Route Marker is in the Maple Leaf Lounge at Vancouver Airport. Holly and Brett did not waist time while on the plane - they used the complimentary Air Canada EnRoute magazine to plan the fastest escape from the airport. They have to be the first people ever to actually use that thing to plan anything, yet I don't know why the others didn't think to do the same.

Anyway, the clue tells them to make their way to the Richmond Oval, the site of the Vancouver Olympics speed-skating events. They have to take the Skytrain Canada Line to get there. For some reason, Kristen and Darren believe that getting out at the stop before everyone else would be a wise thing to do. They have to hoof it to the Oval, and end up getting lost. Now keep in mind they are supposed to be world travelers. So I'll just say they are letting the stress of the race get to them. Big time. More conflict between the Tims and Vanessa & Celina develops, as the Tims wave from inside the skytrain to the girls who are left on the platform. The girls seem to be the number one team to diss.

The Roadblock at the Oval was a speed-skating challenge. Of course it was. However, this wasn't the Olympic sized track...it was only a hockey rink. One member from each team had to do 2 laps in under a minute and a half to get their next clue. Holly and Brett are the first to arrive. Apparently neither of them have ever skated before. What? Brett falls. A lot. Everyone gets the job done: Brett, Jet, Hal, Kristen, Tim Jr, Vanessa, Cory and eventually Jamie.

The clue awarded here tells them to go to the Millennium Gate in Chinatown. Holly and Brett get info at the front desk at the Oval, and they have a cab called for them. Jet and Dave try asking Holly and Brett's cabbie to call for another cab, but the Docs tell their cabbie not to do it. Are the Docs playing dirty? Hey, this is Amazing Race. Get over it. Yet I feel a bit sorry for Dave standing in the middle of the street looking so forlorn. Awkward. Kristen and Darren's cabbie lets them out somewhere other than the Millennium Gate. So they are lost. Again. I don't know, but wouldn't you give the driver specific instructions, and then confirm your location with him ...before you paid the guy and got out? Perhaps something like..."no, we need you to bring us to the the Millennium Gate?" or even "Hey, is this Chinatown?" Instead, the cabbie said to them something like, "It's over there, a couple of blocks." What the hell? No Millennium Gate, no money. Simple.

Millennium Gate: How can the cabbie not find this? (see source 1 below)

The clue at the Millennium Gate is for the first Detour of the series. A Detour, for all you noobs out there, is a choice between two tasks that both team members must complete. This one is "Draw It" or "Drink It". Here's a brief description:

For Draw It, teams had to drink a cup of tea at the Ten Ren Tea Co., memorize the Chinese astrological symbol under the cup, then go to the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Gardens to get an expert to verify their redrawing of the symbol. Okay.

For Dance It, the teams had to go to the Chinese Cultural Centre and get a list of 4 shops (written in Chinese). At each shop was a portion of a traditional Dragon costume. They had to bring this back to the Centre and then perform a Dragon Dance after learning the steps. Egads. Too much.

Tell me, which would you do? Wouldn't you rather memorize one symbol, than translate 4 lines of writing and carry around Chinese costume parts? Besides, the lady who had to verify the drawing was a real character. Stern face. No talking. And if they didn't redraw it right, she tore it up slowly and with real condemnation. Hilarious.

Holly and Brett: Draw It. No problem.
Hal and Joanne: Draw It. No problem.
Jet and Dave: Dance It. They have serious problems finding the costume parts and lose a lot of time. "Let's just go back to the airport and go home". They eventually switch to Draw It. Nerves more than frayed, they bring it to the little lady who they call "Madam Judge". It's a nail bitter. The guys are honestly scared shitless, but their drawing is accepted. There is much rejoicing.
Kristen and Darren: Dance It. No problem.
Vanessa and Celina: Draw It. When they hand their first attempt to the lady, she tore them both up so methodically I think I could feel the paper tearing. Yikes. They have to go back, drink more tea and draw a new pair of symbols. The second time, it's approved.
Tim and Tim: Dance It. Like Jet and Dave, they realize this was a bad choice and switch to Draw It. No problem.
Jody and Cory: Draw It. No problem.
Jamie and Pierre: Draw It. Pierre's drawing is not approved by the expert. They switch to Dance It, and get the job done. Pierre plants a big one on the dance judge and everybody hugs.

The clue gained from completing the Detour sent them to DP World at 377 East Waterfront Road. Sounds easy enough, right? Well not for Kristen and Darren who manage to give the cabbie the wrong address or something. They get lost. Again. Somewhere in downtown, Darren comes to the realization that DP World, a shipping terminal, should be on the waterfront. Once again, why didn't they ask the cabbie something like, "Hey, where are we? Is this 377 East Waterfront Road?"

At DP World, the teams have to check in, don protective gear and board a shuttle to a tower. They must then climb 250 ft. to a viewing platform, and use binoculars to find the Pit Stop for this leg. Holly gets light-headed, dizzy, scared or whatever. Hal and Joanne have no problem, and prove once again that all those years of Body-Breaking have really paid off. There is no way in hell that I would be able to do that. Nope. Jody and Cory are third to the tower. Jody explains that as a sniper, he was in his element using the binoculars to locate targets. Yikes. There is judging for position between Kristen & Darren and Vanessa & Celina. The girls pass the hippies on the shuttle, but Kristen and Darren locate the Pit Stop first. Jet & Dave locate the flags just ahead of the Tims. Jamie and Pierre locate it no problem, but they pretty much know they're in last place.

Here's the results for the Pit Stop finish:

Holly and Brett. First place. They win 2 round trip tickets to anywhere in Asia. This team can keep their cool, but their sneaky tactics will make them a target.
Hal and Joanne. Second Place. Just like Holly and Brett, but older. Which is way more impressive. But we need to see more of that evil laugh.
Jody and Cory. Third. Moving up in the standings from a 7th place finish in Kelowna. 
Kristen and Darren. Fourth. These two get stressed out way too easy, and they stop thinking about what they are doing. They need to start asking questions like, "Where are we?". Preferably before getting out of the cab or train.
Vanessa and Celina. Fifth. They started out way too mouthy in the first leg, and pissed off several teams. In this leg, they found out that turn-about is fair play. Or you could just call it Karma.
Tim and Tim. Sixth. They need to stop the drama with Vanessa and Celina. Hey, it's done guys. Start concentrating on the job at hand.
Jet and Dave. Seventh. What the hell is going on, guys? Chill. You got to stop being so nervous. Nerves lead to stress. Stress leads to bad decisions. Bad decisions lead to being dumb-asses. And not in a fun way.
Jamie and Pierre. Eighth. Eliminated. The departure time and stopping for cash withdrawal pretty much sealed your fate. It certainly wasn't ability. I guess it's time to ride off into the sunset...but we will miss the cowboy hats. 

Notes:
1 Millennium Gate photo:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Millennium_Gate,_Vancouver%27s_Chinatown_National_Historic_Site_of_Canada,_WLM2012.jpg   

The Amazing Race Canada: Preview of Episode 2 "Se Hou Leng"

According to the preview at the end of Episode 1, the teams will get "caught up in the urban jungle" and then get "lost in translation". Here is a brief preview of Episode 2:

• The teams land in Vancouver and must make their way to the Richmond Oval, the speed-skating venue from the 2010 Olympic games. They jump on the Skytrain's Canada Line. Apparently this experience leaves a few teams dumbfounded. By the looks of it, Darren and Kristen get out 2 stops early and have to hoof it. Keep in mind that these two live in British Columbia and are self-professed "world travelers". Go figure.
• There is a Roadblock at the Richmond Oval involving...yep, speed-skating. We briefly hear Brett say that he's never skated before. What? Wait. What? He applied to be on Amazing Race Canada, and he's never skated before. I am seriously starting to wonder about these two. First Holly is afraid of butterflies, and now Brett has never been on skates.
• The first detour of the series takes place in Chinatown, and it looks like teams have to choose between performing a Chinese Dragon dance or translate a Chinese ink character (perhaps look for the symbols displayed somewhere). 
• Darren and Kristen get lost again. Go figure,...again. Jet and Dave also experience a few problems - they are seen looking into a doorway/window and contemplate "going back to the airport".
• There is a brief glimpse of Darren using binoculars to find something. I don't know what that is, but I suspect that they have to look for something in Gastown or the Pit Stop, which is on the green roof of the Vancouver Convention Centre.

What to watch for:

Darren and Kristen were awarded double Express Passes for winning the first leg of the race. One for themselves and one to give to a team of their choice, if they care to share. They made an alliance with Holly & Brett, Hal & Joanne, and Vanessa & Celina that first night in Kelowna. If one of them wins the first leg, they will give the other pass to whichever team came in second among them. The second place team was Holly and Brett. So will Darren and Kristen honour that agreement and hand over that pass? And will Darren and Kristen use the pass to catch up to the other teams? Hmmn, interesting. CTV's media announcement for this week for Canada AM says they will interview the latest team to be eliminated on Tuesday.

My prediction for elimination....don't read any further if you don't want to know the next TWO Teams that will be eliminated.

Actually I am not 100% positive who goes home tonight. However I do know that the next two teams to be eliminated are Darren & Kristen and Jamie & Pierre. My intuition tells me it's Darren and Kristen because I don't think they opt to use that Express Pass.

The Amazing Race Canada RECAP of Episode 1

Ogopogo or butterflies. Which is scarier? You decide.

Holy crap, was that one fast moving episode or what? I had to watch it a second time just to get everything down. It was pretty crazy for me. Trying to take notes while watching it was pretty much impossible. Paper was flying and I had to keep asking my husband stuff like "What was that?" His reply was usually something like "I don't know". Great. Thanks for the help. On top of that, I was trying to live tweet one liners under the Twitter name @montysbeer. Got a couple in. Next week I think I will just try to watch and tweet, then leave the notes for a second viewing.

"THIS....is Niagara Falls, Ontario. One of the most beautiful places in the world". Oh I think a little shiver just went up my spine, Monty. Then, blah, blah, blah, Horseshoe Falls and useless facts about water volume. I agree though. It truly is one of the most beautiful places around...I've spent some of the best moments in my life there. And it really made for a great start line. Cut to the whirlpool jet boats and the team introductions. Nothing new there. Monty explains the rules, the grand prize and that the winner of the first leg will also get 2 Express Passes. These  allow the holders to skip a challenge. They must be used before the 7th leg, and the winner must give the second pass to any other team, if they choose to that is, before the third leg.

Monty yells "GO!". The first Route Marker is at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory. Nine plexiglass containers hold TWO clues (one for each team member). The containers' inhabitants range in danger from pretty butterflies to snakes, rats and scorpions, oh my. The higher the danger, the better flight they will get on. The clue at the Route Marker outside specifically says they must both take a clue from inside the box. Apparently Holly doesn't like butterflies. Perhaps it's all that fluttering. Eeeek. She probably doesn't like bunnies, kittens or puppies either. This makes me wonder what murals she has on her Paediatrician office walls. 

Butterflies from first Route Marker. Way scarier than rats or scorpions.

Meanwhile, Jet and Dave realize they just made their first mistake by getting the envelopes from the buttterfly container..."We screwed up. Probably if we'd reached into a den of lions, we'd have got a better flight". Love these guys already. I must have blinked and missed the plexiglass container of lions. Of course, the inevitable happens - two teams, Tim & Tim, and Treena & Tennille DON'T retrieve both envelopes. This despite the twins reading that portion of the clue out loud and looking back at the container and seeing that there are two clues. Will wonders never cease?

The teams must make their way to Kelowna, British Columbia and find a "yellow bus" (aka the Interac Flash bus from the commercial) under the Blue Bear near city hall. They all meet up at Pearson and are able to introduce themselves to each other for the first time. Jet and Dave are completely star-struck over Hal and Joanne. Jet says his cousin has "been you" (Hal, or maybe he means Joanne, I'm not sure) for Halloween year after year. He also says "I would probably be...malnourished,...hippy,...closer to Darren [they show a shot of Darren], had I not had their (BodyBreak) guidance for last 25 years". I think this may be the start of a beautiful friendship. Or at least a temporary alliance. Hal seems a bit weird with Jet's gushing, and Joanne believes their fame is a target on their back.

Kristen & Darren, Hal & Joanne, Vanessa & Celina, and Holly & Brett are on the first flight to Vancouver. The rest are on the next flight, 90 minutes later. This pretty much places their standing for the rest of the race. The Route Marker at the Blue Bear directs them to the Waterfront Sports Kiosk on Lake Okanagan. Here they must take a number to get a jet ski. It's night, the Kiosk is closed, and they spend the night in houseboats. The four teams who were on the first flight make a pact that if one of them finish first and get the Express Pass, they will give the 2nd pass to the team who finishes 2nd among them. Kristen wholeheartedly agrees. I'm getting the distinct impression we need to remember this for next week. They rarely show conversations like this outside of the race. Just wondering if this pact is going to get broken.

Obviously the cute Ogopogo. Who's be afraid of this?

The next day, they get their jet skis, a rudimentary map with an "X marks the spot" and a Roadblock clue: "Who's not afraid of the deep?" The "X" is a dive platform where one team member must put on a diving helmet, be lowered by a dive cage and search for their next clue at a sunken Ogopogo statue.   Everyone that is, except for Treena & Tennille and Jamie & Pierre who don't understand the clue and just start traversing Lake Okanagan looking for Ogopogo. They even stop and ask a cottage-owner. Meanwhile, friction develops between Vanessa and Tim Jr. Vanessa panics underwater: "My air is going crazy". Yeah Vanessa, the air is crazy. Crazy air. I hate when that happens. This allows Tim Jr to slip past her and get the clue, leaving an over-acting Vanessa to contemplate giving up the challenge. Oh well. I guess that's what happens when you decide to showcase your acting abilities in the middle of a Roadblock.

This clue sends them to a second roadblock at the Bellevue Trestle in Myra Canyon. Teams must climb over the side of the trestle, down a ladder, walk out to the end of a 12 inch wide platform/beam, retrieve a clue then "jump" down to the canyon floor. They are attached to some kind of safety rigging...don't worry. Of course, when it's Joanne's turn, she sits down at the end of the beam and says.....oh you know...that line they said at the end of each episode of BodyBreak. Wait. What was it? Um. Oh yeah. "Until next time, keep fit and have fun". I knew they had to work that in there somewhere. When it's Celina's turn, there's more panic attacks. She yells down to a cheering Vanessa, "You gotta stop. I need to focus". Actually, it's more of this whiny, complaining thing. then she sits down at the end of the beam and starts to do another whiny complaining thing. This wasn't pretty. Then she jumps and does the whiny, complaining thing all the way down. E gads. Let's just say this is not may favorite team.

This clue directs them to the pit stop at Quail's Gate Winery. Meanwhile, Treena, Tennille, Jamie and Pierre are still looking for Ogopogo.

Here's how the teams finish:

First: Darren and Kristen are the first to jump on the mat at the pit stop. They win the two Express Passes and a trip for two to Sydney, Australia. Jon serves them a glass of wine. Not beer. I am only forgiving him because they are at a winery and not a brewery.
Second: Holly and Brett
Third: Hal and Joanne
Fourth: Jet and Dave
Fifth: Vanessa and Celina. Tim and Tim beat them to the mat but are penalized 30 minutes for not retrieving both clues way back at the Niagara Butterfly conservatory. The girls are ecstatic and call Tim and Tim "suckers". They seem to like that phrase. Tim Jr says "Time will tell, baby" under his breath. Hmnnn. Drama.
Sixth: Tim and Tim
Seventh: Jody and Cory

Treena, Tennille, Jamie and Pierre eventually get the last roadblock done, and it's a footrace to the finish. Treena and Tennille get there first. Just when the cowboys think they're going to be eliminated, Jon announces that the girls have a 30 minute penalty.

Eighth: Jamie and Pierre
Ninth: Treena and Tennille. They are eliminated.

Love Jon Montgomery as host.
My three favorite teams are Jet and Dave; Tim and Tim; and Jody and Cory.
My least favorite team: Do you have to ask? Vanessa and Celina. And it's not just because I'm jealous they are so pretty or some crap like that.

Next week: You're not going to believe who gets eliminated. I am hoping it will be a bit slower-paced. A preview with spoilers will come later in the week.