| The Amazing Race Australia 2, Episode 4
The Leg
  
Sticky & Sam are the first team to depart the Pit Stop, but Grant informs us that before heading off on the leg, teams must vote for who they want to receive a U-Turn this leg. It’s no surprise, most teams vote for Paul & Steve.
Teams take a train back to Delhi and rush to the airport. All teams except for Paul & Steve, Lucy & Emilia and Ross & Tarryn get tickets on the first flight on Emirates that gets into their next destination city, Dubai, at 6:10am. The last three teams have to fly via Mumbai to get them into Dubai at 8:15am.
  
The first flight arrives and the teams head to the carpark to find their next clue waiting on the windshield of a row of Hondas. They open up the clue to find the Detour.
For this Detour, teams will drive themselves to the Al Faqa Desert.
In Camel Dash, teams must ride a camel through a marked course, collecting four flags to exchange for their next clue.
In Dune Bash, teams ride a dune buggy along a 10km course.
  
Joseph & Grace are in first and they choose the dune buggy, but Grace accidentally knocks the gear into neutral and they get bogged down. Meanwhile, Michelle & Jo give the camels a whirl, but the camel doesn’t want to cooperate so they switch.
A new dune buggy arrives for Joseph & Grace and they head to the finish line while Kym & Donna speed through the course. Michelle & Jo on the other hand make a mistake and sink into the sand. Sticky & Sam come driving by and they ask for help, but they tell them good luck and head off… only to get bogged down a couple of meters away.
  
As the last three teams finally arrive in Dubai, Shane & Andrew decide to switch from camels to dune buggy. James & Sarah finish the Detour while Sticky & Sam get bogged a second time.
After completing the Detour, teams must check-in at the U-Turn board before heading back to Dubai and making their way to the Wild Wadi Water Park. There, they must ride a boogie board at the Wild Wadi Surf Machine, going at full blast, to grab a clue at the bottom of the waves.
  
Joseph & Grace stay out in front, but Kym & Donna get a flat tire. They change the tire, but are already frustrated. Joseph & Grace get to the Water Park and grab the next clue telling teams to head to the Meydan Racecourse where they must pick a winning horse before a race. If they don’t pick a winning horse, they must wait for the next race to pick again. If teams still don’t pick a winning horse after the last race, they will have to carry their partner 200 meters across the finish line to get the next clue.
Joseph & Grace’s horses lose the first race and they now must wait for the next one. That allows Michelle & Jo to catch up. After putting on their hair extensions for the races, they join Joseph & Grace… in losing the 2nd race as well.
Back in the desert, Paul & Steve see their faces on the U-Turn and begin the camel side of the Detour while Lucy & Emila slowly drive their dune buggy into sand pits.
  
James & Sarah arrive at the Racecourse and they too join Michelle & Jo and Joseph & Grace in picking the wrong horse.
Elsewhere in Dubai, Kym & Donna’s frustration comes to a head. Kym pulls over the car and they complain about having no money (having spent it all on their tuk tuk in India?) and no maps and not knowing where to go.
At the Racecourse, Sticky & Sam and Andrew & Steve arrive. Sticky & Sam, Joseph & Grace and James & Sarah choose Horse #8 and it wins. They get the next clue telling teams to head to the Pit Stop at the Helipad on top of the Four Points Sheraton. While Joseph & Grace’s car battery has drained thanks to leaving the lights on, James & Sarah and Sticky & Sam drive to the Pit Stop.
  
James & Sarah manage to get to the hotel first and step on the Mat to officially claim their win and a trip to New Zealand. Sticky & Sam have to settle for 2nd while Joseph & Grace, after getting help from a man with jumper cables, finish 3rd.
Michelle & Jo leave the cops behind at the Racecourse after picking the winning horse. Shane & Andrew lose in the last race of the day, so they have to piggyback the other across the finish line. Michelle & Jo and Shane & Andrew finish 4th and 5th respectively.
Meanwhile, Lucy & Emilia get detained by the police after driving into the royal palace. They are led to the station, but are released. At the Racetrack, Ross carries Tarryn and Paul carries Steve across the finish line, but it’s Paul & Steve that finish 6th (much to their shock) while Ross & Tarryn finish 7th (also to their shock).
  
Lucy & Emilia have fun on the Racetrack and head to the Pit Stop to finish 8th. Kym & Donna, however, are having no fun at all and are now sleeping by the side of the road when Grant comes out to eliminate them.
Episode Thoughts
A very full episode even without a Road Block. Finally, some movement within the team placements. The Detour was simple, but as always, anytime animals are on The Amazing Race, you’re sure of a good time.
The task at the Water Park is the kind of extra task that helps keep teams on their toes, and especially considering the teams getting lost (and apparently adverse to asking locals for directions) in Dubai, having more Route Markers helps stir up the competition. The task at the Racetrack was pretty random though. I sort of did not get the point, other than showing off (even more) how rich Dubai is.
It was really strange seeing so many teams not wanting to ask people for directions though, especially Kym & Donna ultimately giving up because they had no money to buy a map. Huh? I find it impossible for teams not to go into a hotel or gas station or like Shane & Andrew, ask a cop for directions. Very odd.
And finally, the U-Turn voting. It is definitely an interesting concept. It is my first time seeing it play out even though I’ve heard of TAR Israel’s implementation of it for their second season. It didn’t really ass that much drama since it was expected that Paul & Steve would be targeted. I’d be very interested to see how it would play out on TARUS. I certainly wouldn’t want to see it every leg though.
But overall a great leg, probably the most exciting one yet this season. |
