Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 5, Episode 3 – “We’re not artsy-fartsy people.”


Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 5, Episode 3 – “It’s Like Ducks in the Forest”
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Armed with $250 on their BMO Cashback MasterCards, teams must fly to Castlegar, BC and find their next clue in an all-new, all-electric 2017 Chevy Bolt EV.

At the airport, Sam & Paul try to get the last Express Pass from Kenneth & Ryan, but they say they have a plan they’ll b executing. That plan is actually to interrupt Megan & Courtney’s Burger King lunch to give them the Express Pass, complimenting how smart they are in the hopes they’ll get some help in the future.

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Upon arrival in Castlegar, teams must drive themselves to Zuckerberg Island. Also, the Bolt is equipped with Regen-on-Demand which helps the driver conserve energy used by the vehicle. The team whose vehicle uses the least amount of energy on this Leg will win $5000.

At Zuckerberg Island, teams open the next clue. Teams must identify the differences between 9 Woods-outfitted campsites to receive the next clue.

All the teams are at the campsite at the same time. Andrea, a graphic designer, draws the example campsite to help her and her brother as well as fellow Montrealers Andrea & Ebonie who they team up with. And it works out for them as they finish first.

Teams must now drive themselves to Oso Negro Roastery in Nelson.

Zed & Shabbir and Korey & Ivana decide to work together and are next to complete the task.

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But Zed & Shabbir are the first to arrive at the roastery where they must pick up two custom coffee orders and deliver them on foot to local businesses in Nelson.

Back at the island, Megan & Courtney are next to finish and Kenneth & Ryan immediately ask them for help. Sam & Paul are next and that leaves Karen & Bert in last.

As the teams all arrive at the roaster, Zed & Shabbir have delivered all their coffee. But Karen & Bert, not wanting to be eliminated with an Express Pass in their pockets, decide to use it now to get themselves from last to first.

They open the next clue revealing the Road Block: Who wants to hang with Bob?

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For this Road Block, teams will swing off the Big Orange Bridge aka “BOB”. Once landing in the water, teams must swim to the buoy to grab their next clue and then swim to shore.

Bert decides to do the Road Block, followed by Zed. After the Road Block, teams learn about the Detour: Strike It or Throw It.
In Strike It, teams shape metal rods into two decorative hooks.
In Throw It, teams will throw balls of clay and mold them into two cups.

Karen & Bert choose Strike It while Zed & Shabbir choose Throw It.

Sam, Ryan, both Andreas and Megan do the Road Block. Sam & Paul and Kenneth & Ryan join Karen & Bert at Strike It. Andrea & Ebonie, Adam & Andrea and Megan & Courtney choose Throw It.

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Megan & Courtney refuse to use their Express Pass, but the pottery looks too difficult. So they decide to switch over to the metalworks.

Korey & Ivana, meanwhile, have dropped to last place after getting lost on the way to BOB. Ivana hurries through the Road Block and they choose Throw It and try to catch up.

Zed is able to do both cups and he and Shabbir can now head to the Pit Stop at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park.

Korey & Ivana manage to catch up to the rest of the teams at the ceramics class. They remain calm, enjoy the romantic atmosphere… and are out of there in no time! Both their cups get the thumbs up before either Andrea team that arrived before them.

Andrea does both cups for her team and she and Adam are next to leave.

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Meanwhile, Zed & Shabbir step on the Mat and officially check in as Team #1 and win a trip to… Chicago. Korey & Ivana are Team #2. Adam & Andrea take 3rd.

Over at the ironworks class, Megan & Courtney decide to cut their losses and go back to the pottery. That gives Andrea & Ebonie hope.

Karen & Bert, however, finally finish and head to the Pit Stop. Sam & Paul are right behind them and actually manage to pass them to officially check in as Team #4. Despite thinking they are in first, Karen & Bert have to settle for 5th.

Megan & Courtney and Andrea & Ebonie are neck and neck with their last cup while Kenneth & Ryan are struggling. They decide to use their Express Pass.

Megan & Courtney finish their cup first, but they are slowed down when they have to find their fanny pack. Andrea & Ebonie finish and it’s a three-way Race to the Mat.

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Kenneth & Ryan step on the Mat as Team #6 and Andrea & Ebonie are 7th. Megan & Courtney hear the happy screams as they run to the Mat and they know they are last. Jon breaks the bad news to them that they are indeed eliminated. With their unsused Express Pass.

Later, Jon calls the other teams back to the Mat to announce that Kenneth & Ryan have won the $5000 from Chevy.

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Episode Thoughts

OMGWTF, this is the 150th Anniversary special season of The Amazing Race Canada and they go to China?! What is this nonsense?!

Just kidding. lol Excited for next week’s international(!) Leg.

But back to this Leg and episode, I thought it was great. I enjoyed it the most of the three so far. Nice tasks, good competition and a legitimately exciting Race to the Mat from all teams. It was also a well-designed Leg, though I’d have made it a Non-Elimination. What if Megan & Courtney won the energy efficient task?

Anyway, starting off with the campsite task. It was a nice combination of attention to detail and some physical since teams could conceivably run back and forth across the whole island several times. It was a sponsor task, but still very challenging and a good Active Route Info task.

The coffee task was simple and straightforward and a very typical TAR delivery task. Heck, it was a finale task for TAR Canada. lol But the best aspect of it was the running and walking across town. It’s always great to challenge the teams with lots of “on foot” tasks.

The Road Block was another TAR staple, but combined with the rest of the tasks, it was well-placed. No line to get on the bridge, it avoided being a first come, first served task. And even so, it was pretty quick to do.

The Detour was also very straightforward, but as we saw it was good enough to challenge the teams and shuffle the placements. Both were also detail-oriented and tedious tasks that teams needed to calm down and focus to do. And after all the exhausting running and walking earlier in the Leg, having these two Detour tasks were great contrasts.

Also, the ironworks teacher was savage. So awesome! Lol

Overall, I very much enjoyed this well-designed Leg and relatively exciting episode! TAR Canada 5 is stepping it up!

My Subjective Team Rankings

I think my two favorite teams so far are tied at the top. Both Zed & Shabbir and Korey & Ivana have been fun and delivered in different ways. It’s always great to see a fun, unannoying and non-sanctimonious parent-child team do well on the Race. Zed & Shabbir had a good Leg and if they keep it up, they can go all the way. With Korey & Ivana, I’ve really liked them. So I was worried seeing them seemingly so sad during all their confessionals. And then them killing it at the Detour and their smiles, that was awesome. They’re laid back, but not push overs so that’s great and I’m looking forward to seeing them do well the rest of the Race. (Hopefully!)

Very sad about Megan & Courtney. Just one misstep can cause you the Race. And it did for them here. I don’t think it was a bad decision not to use the Express Pass. Their hesitation with being able to do the pottery was really what did them in. Too bad as I thought they could be a very fun team.

Andrea & Ebonie are continuing to redeem themselves. They had an okay Leg, but are going through every task well. Adam & Andrea also had an okay Leg as well. Sam & Paul had another quiet Leg. Karen & Bert were probably too quick to use their Express Pass here.

Kenneth & Ryan‘s shtick was still grating, but their decision to use the Express Pass with a very obvious threat of elimination was sound. Still, they were continuing to play up to the camera and it was not enjoyable at all.

Episode Quotes

Andrea: “Four heads are better than two.”

Bert: “I do music, but not heavy metal.”

Megan: “We’re not artsy-fartsy people.”

Ivana: “I feel so beautiful.”

Korey: “This is more romantic than I thought. Just like listening to music. Or… ducks in the forest.”

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