The Amazing Race Canada Preview of Episode 6 'Check the Canons'

Quebec City (see note)

Well, Bonjour Quebec! I absolutely adore Quebec and Quebec City, so I have really been looking forward to this episode.

The episode title, 'Check the Canons' is taken from a prank that Jet and Dave pull on the other teams. You can watch the clip from 'Inside the Race' HERE - it's at the very end. Basically, you see Jet and Dave at an overnight stop in Quebec. They are bored. So, to drum up a little excitement, they write out a clue in a box of sand. They try to translate the phrase 'check the canons' into French...'regarde dans les_______'. (I couldn't understand what they said).  They even make some sort of rudimentary map with some stones. Here's their conversation:

"Brett and Holly might not fall for this, but when the girls get here, they'll be running around like ding dongs. In the morning...back to being competitive. No harm done."

I don't know about the 'no harm done' part. Maybe the others don't understand it's just a prank or they take it personally. Or maybe they all get a good laugh. We'll just have to wait and see, but there must be more to the story or they wouldn't have used the phrase for the episode title.

Entrance to Levis Fort No. 1 (see note)

So it looks like the guys get to Quebec City ahead of the other teams. I would guess they built up enough of a lead in Regina to catch an earlier flight, and/or their challenge didn't start until morning. What the clip doesn't tell you is where they are. It's Levis Fort No. 1 National Historic Site, across the St. Lawrence from Quebec City. Military re-enactments are performed here, so there is always a possibility the teams must do a challenge before leaving. The fort was built in 1865, after the American Civil War because those Yanks made us very nervous back then, and we needed a way to defend Quebec City and the Citadelle. Wolfe and the English invaders learned during the Seven Years War that if they could do it, then any old army could sneak up that cliff. But enough of the history lesson. Let's get on with this, shall we?

In the morning the teams set out from the fort, and must make their way to the ferry to get back to Quebec City. Everyone hunts down cabs to the ferry, except Jody and Cory who decide to run to the nearest bus stop. Jody has to put on the metal spring prosthesis because they are best for running. Language is a problem for everyone except Holly and Brett of course, and it looks like at some point, Vanessa and Celina get themselves lost even when someone else is doing the driving. These girls can't catch a break. It might help if they bought a new map that isn't ripped to shreds.

Here are some of the challenges, in no particular order:

Roadblock: One team member must make crepes. There is a multitude of fillings, so I suspect the challenge involves memorizing menu options and duplicating them. Vanessa gets flustered over this and at one point picks up the filled crepes with her hands and plops it down on a plate.  I hope presentation isn't a consideration for the judges.

Place Royale (see notes)

Detour: One part of the Detour involves ice carving in Place Royale in the lower town. From pictures I've seen, the blocks have an outline of a house traced on them, so they probably have to just carve out that shape. The preview shows Vanessa and Celina hacking away at a block of ice, getting flustered and wondering why they switched from the other task. The Tims are there at the same time, which means yes, they probably would have been better off staying with the other challenge.  I believe this other challenge involves lacrosse on the Plains of Abraham. Jet and Dave do this one, and they have fun with it - comparing it to Quidditch and themselves to Harry Potter.

Perhaps another Roadblock or some sort of extra route marker challenge - they must translate phrases printed on cards. Dave is seen sitting at a table at Place de l-Universite-du-Quebec (if that's spelled wrong, then forgive my French, ha ha ha), across from the Le Soleil Newspaper building. He's scribbling out something on paper, looking like a fifth grader who's bent over covering his work during a test. He's not looking happy. This may be a separate challenge that has nothing to do with anything else. Or, based on a few of the words that I can see, they may have to translate a clue directing them to the Detour. Sorry. I may be Canadian, I may love Quebec, but I must admit I failed French miserably. I think I got the words 'window', 'wood stove', 'apron' (or flue), 'monk' and 'racket'. That was with an on-line dictionary.

The preview for this episode makes a big deal about Vanessa and Celina being in trouble this week and perhaps getting eliminated. Don't worry about the girls. Five teams went to Quebec and five teams left Quebec. They are not eliminated. This is either a non-elimination episode or a double leg 'continue racing' week. If it's a non-elimination week, I wouldn't want to be the team in last place and have to face a Speed Bump task on the next leg. Good luck with that. It's Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Notes:
Photo of Quebec City http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quebec_city-Vieux-Qu%C3%A9bec.jpg Wikimedia C. Finot
Photo of Levis Fort No. 1 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_No_1,_L%C3%A9vis_02.jpg Wikimedia B. Gagnon.
Photo of Place Royale  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qu%C3%A9bec_-_Place_royale_1.jpg Wikimedia C. Finot