Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 5, Episode 2 – “I’m channeling my inner monkey.”


Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 5, Episode 2 – You’ve Got to Leave My Hose Alone Dude!

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The 2nd Leg begins on Canada’s “favorite summertime adventure” as teams fly to Fort McMurray, Alberta which was ravaged by a (still smoldering) wildfire last year. Teams also learn that there are THREE! Express Passes up for grabs this Leg. They also have $90 on their BMO CashBack MasterCards.

Arriving in Fort Mac, teams find their next clue inside brand new 2017 Chevy Silverados. They must drive themselves to Wild Play Park at Vista Ridge.

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The next clue reveals a Road Block: Who’s a triple threat? For this Road Block, teams must search for three separate clues on the ropes course.

BUT! Also hidden on the course are the three Express Passes. Teams can take as many as they want, but they can only use one themselves so they will have to give any extra ones to other teams before the end of the 3rd Leg.

Kenneth gets on the ropes course first with Karen right behind him. Andrea and Shabbir are next on the course. Courtney and Paul try to catch up. Kenneth finds the first Express Pass, then the 2nd and finally the 3rd. Korey and Riya get on the course next.

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Andrea has all three clues already and she and Ebonie leave. They open the clues revealing the Detour: Pump It or Pull It. In Pump It, this Leg’s 150 Challenge, teams must take part in a fire prevention exercise by pumping enough water to put out a controlled fire. In Pull It, teams must shoot down 15 clay targets with a shotgun at Fort McMurray Fish and Game Club’s trap shooting range. This is a Limited Stations Detour, five slots on each.

Andrea & Ebonie choose Pump It for the sexy firefighters. Megan & Courtney are in 2nd and also choose Pump It. At the location, both teams decide to work together.

Meanwhile, Adam & Andrea are lost, having gotten left behind earlier.

At the Road Block, Kenneth and Karen decide to help each other and point out where the clues are. Both teams also choose Pump It.

None of the teams at Pump It really know how to work the pump until Andrea & Ebonie figure it out, making it easier for Kenneth & Ryan especially who are right behind them.

Adam & Andrea finally arrive at the Road Block and Andrea decides to do it. She is able to finish before Riya and Korey.

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Back at the Detour, Megan & Courtney and Andrea & Ebonie finish and must now head to Phoenix Heli-Flight. Zed & Shabbir choose Pump It, but since all stations have been used, they are forced to do Pull It, as do the rest of the teams.

At Phoenix Heli-Flight, teams must figure out how much fuel is needed for different variables to keep a helicopter up and stable. Teams will use an example to help figure out a helicopter’s center of gravity.

Andrea & Ebonie are not sure how to even begin. But Megan is a biomedical engineer, so she knows what’s up. They get it on their first attempt and can now hop onto a helicopter that’ll take them to MacDonald Island Park. One there, they will make their way on foot to the Miskanaw Golf Club and find the Pit Stop at the 16th Hole.

On the helicopter ride, teams are shown the areas the wildfire ravaged.

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Megan & Courtney step on the Mat as Team #1 and win a trip to Auckland, New Zealand. Andrea & Ebonie are Team #2. Sam & Paul pass Kenneth & Ryan at the heliport and they step on the Mat as Team #3.

Zed & Shabbir and Karen & Bert arrive at the task. Karen is able to solve the formula next. Kenneth & Ryan decide to offer Karen & Bert the Express Pass in exchange for the answer. Karen & Bert take them up on the offer.

Zed & Shabbir are having trouble with the calculating, so they team up with Adam & Andrea. They decide to just try any numbers. Zed & Shabbir get it first and tell Adam & Andrea. Korey & Ivana arrive and elementary school teacher Ivana is confident she can handle this.

Karen & Bert and Kenneth & Ryan step on the Mat as Teams #4 and 5. Zed & Shabbir and Adam & Andrea finish 6th and 7th.

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Dan & Riya arrive at the heliport and it’s a battle for last place. It’s Korey & Ivana that get the correct answer first. They hurry into the helicopter, but Dan & Riya get their own correct answer just a minute later.

It’s a footrace to the Mat, but it is Korey & Ivana who are safe as Team #8. Dan & Riya are last and eliminated.

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Episode Thoughts

This was a pretty solid episode. The highlight definitely though was the episode basically being a very nice tribute to the firefighters as well as the people of the area and their efforts to rebuild after the devastating wildfire.

This is the kind of hometown Leg that TAR Canada should be doing more of if they are intent on maintaining a predominately-Canadian route instead of the usual contrived “Canada First!” Leg using horrible, uninspired tasks. This episode and Leg showed off a nice Canadian spirit and pride without it all being shoved down your throat. Very refreshing.

The Road Block is very typical TAR. Heck, TARPHDME’s done that task several times lol But that added Express Pass twist was pretty sketchy. Especially when only Kenneth found them all. It might have been more interesting had teams only been allowed to take one. It would provide the extra bit of drama and tension if teams were to have already found all three clues, yet stayed to search for the Express Pass and then later be in danger of elimination because they wasted time. But we didn’t get that and instead we got the more typical scenario of Express Pass granting.

I absolutely hate teams outright sharing answers, but this is a different situation since an Express Pass is in play. Not bad a decision by Karen & Bert.

The trap shooting side of the Detour, again, was very typical TAR. But the firefighting side of the Detour was awesome. It could’ve even been a great mandatory Route Marker/Active Route Info task. Straightforward, but still tricky and physically challenging. Even a few tweaks could’ve made the task that much more hard and thus a good drama-provoking task. But it was great as it was.

And finally a legitimate Race to the Mat instead of the usual TAR Canada faux-Pit Stop footrace! Though it would’ve been more exciting had Korey & Ivana still been at the Mat when Dan & Riya checked in. Was it just a Canadian thing to not have another team there when another is being eliminated? Too mean? I don’t remember if that’s happened in the past on TAR Canada.

Anyway, this was a pretty solid Leg and episode. I enjoyed it.

My Subjective Team Rankings

Megan & Courtney left a great first impression with their fun introduction, but they kind of disappeared the rest of the first Leg. This week, however, they definitely came roaring to the forefront. A great Leg for them. They were fun, but also Raced very, very well. I think they have what it takes to go all the way.

For Zed & Shabbir, they definitely feel like that typical TAR fun & crazy parent with their straightman sidekick child. Shabbir’s gotten some fun one-liners these first two episodes. I’m definitely rooting for them to do well and keep that great parent-child dynamic on the Race.

I have some hope for Korey & Ivana, Ivana especially, to deliver both as Racers and personality-wise. They seem like a team that could provide some fireworks. Ivana particularly feels like she could be very competitive and cutthroat in the future if they go far. I’d love to see that.

Adam & Andrea were able to recover nicely from getting themselves lost. They’re doing okay and right now are an underdog team. But there’s potential.

If it weren’t for their horrible first impression, Andrea & Ebonie would likely be right at the top of my list. They’ve been Racing so well otherwise, as evidenced by this great Leg from them. It’s just a shame they quit right at the beginning. But if they keep this up, they could easily redeem themselves.

Karen & Bert made a good decision giving the answer to get the Express Pass. Other teams have certainly done more for the same. So it was a pretty nice bargain for them. They’re still running as an underdog team right now, but the Express Pass could definitely help them out bigtime in the future.

Sam & Paul were practically invisible this Leg. But I guess they had to make room for the other teams stepping forward this episode.

While I’m not sad about Dan & Riya being eliminated if only for my irrational fear of them becoming a Canadian TAR22-Joey & Meghan, they actually also weren’t that bad. They were pretty harmless and sometimes funny. But they really just messed up at the Road Block after having fallen behind with poor directions. They seemed to do great at the Detour (Dan, at least) and they actually figured out the calculation themselves. That deserves much kudos.

Finally, Kenneth & Ryan. Definitely not too much of a fan. They aren’t completely offensive with the shtick. But it’s certainly gotten old fast. And them getting all the Express Passes and almost winning another Leg does not help warm them up to me.

Episode Quotes

Ebonie: “We are definitely never using the “P” word ever again.”

Andrea: “I’m channeling my inner monkey.”

Andrea: “A savage thing.”

Shabbir: “Once again, my son is scaring me.”

Dan: “I’m a little bit of a sniper.”

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