Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 4, Episode 8 – “I am so hot, I’m going to throw up.”


Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 4, Episode 8 – “I Just Wanna Win”

Teams will now be flying to Havana, Cuba via Toronto armed with $450 on their BMO Cashback MasterCard.

Once in Havana, teams must head to the Castillo Real de la Fuerza and find a replica of the most famous Canadian ship in history, the Bluenose.

The clue they find there reveals the Detour: Sugar or Shake.
In Sugar, teams must head to the Havana Club Rum Museum and press sugarcane until they have extracted 15 liters of juice. They must then deliver four trays of drinks to Park Humboldt.
In Shake, teams must learn and perform Casino Salsa in Park Humboldt.

Jillian & Emmett and Steph & Kristen choose Sugar while everyone else chooses Shake.

Jillian & Emmett get a big lead and leave to deliver the drinks. With their press jammed, Steph finds a machete to chop the sugarcane off. Instead, she chops her finger off. While the crew puts salt in her wound, literally, Kristen heads to the other press to finish the task.

Jillian & Emmett deliver their drinks as Rita & Yvette try the salsa for the first time. And they pass. They can now make their way to Camara Oscura. Here, teams must take part in a unique tour where they must spot a flag at the Hotel Ambos Mundos. Their next clue will be waiting at Suite 511, Ernest Hemingway’s old room.

Rita & Yvette head off on foot as Jillian & Emmett arrive to get the presentation. Steph & Kristen are close behind, but must wait. And while waiting, they look out over Havana and spot the flag on their own.

Joel & Ashley finish the Detour on their 2nd attempt, leaving Frankie & Amy in last.

At Hemingway’s old room, Rita & Yvette find the Face Off.

In this Face Off, teams must make their way to Mi Cayito in Playas Del Este and beat another team at beach volleyball by scoring 15 points.

The first teams to face off are Steph & Kristen and Jillian & Emmett. And Jillian & Emmett easily win with Steph’s busted finger being a hindrance. They can now make their way to Pedrito’s Max Brakes.

Steph & Kristen and Rita & Yvette are next. Steph & Kristen win a close match. Rita & Yvette now take on Frankie & Amy and it’s Rita & Yvette with the 15-5 win.

Across town, Jillian & Emmett arrive at the Road Block: Who’s ready to seal the deal?

For this Road Block, teams must use the rubber of an old tire to create three engine gaskets.

Emmett decides to do it and finishes one good gasket. Steph & Kristen arrive and Steph reluctantly decides to do the Road Block.

Back at the Face Off, Joel has given him and Ashley a huge lead until Frankie & Amy target “weak link” Ashley. It’s now 14-13, but Joel gets the match point. Frankie & Amy have to wait out a penalty and they decide to go into the water to pass the time.

Over at the Road Block, Rita starts the Road Block as Emmett easily finishes his last two gaskets. He and Jillian can now make their way to the Pit Stop, La Divina Pastora at El Morro.

Jillian & Emmett are officially team #1 and win a trip to Cancun.

Mechanic Joel is able to speed through the Road Block and he and Ashley head to the Pit Stop as Team #2.

Frankie decides to do the Road Block while Rita is struggling to figure out the task. Steph finally figures out the task and she and Kristen step on the Mat as Team #3.

It’s down to the last two teams. And with Rita frustrated, Frankie is able to pass her. She and Amy head to the Pit Stop to officially check in as Team #4.

That means Rita & Yvette are last. But this is a Non-Elimination Leg. And they still have a chance to Race in beautiful Canada.

Episode Thoughts

Finally! Another international Leg. But it’s the only one left. Definitely a waste to only have one Leg in Cuba. There’s definitely at least two great Legs in Cuba. And because of that, I see this Leg different than I might have if there were two.

The Route Markers were pretty solid. Not the most difficult, but good to add to make a fuller Leg.

The Face Off was alright and definitely not as horrible as last year’s debacle. At least this was a Non-Elimination Leg. But in general, if a Leg were an elimination Leg, the Face Off/Double Battle/Duel Duel should be at the start of the Leg to allow teams to still have a chance.

The Detour was a nice snapshot of Cuba. It would’ve been nice to see more of the city though.

But the Road Block. In a two Leg Cuba visit, this would’ve been a nice task to connect to the classic cars. But since this was the ONLY Leg, I think they wasted an opportunity to feature more of Havana. This was like TAR28’s Armenia oil change Road Block. Like, it’s likely the only time TAR will ever visit Armenia and they do a task they could literally stage anywhere else in the world. Same here in Cuba. Definitely a waste.

Overall, it was an alright Leg. But again, TAR Canada’s hesitance with international Legs, even with an apparently smaller budget, is really starting to be a drag on the series.

My Subjective Team Rankings

It might be my full enjoyment of TAR China 3, but I’m starting to develop a sort of apathy to these TAR Canada teams and the season overall. =(

Joel & Ashley are still one of my picks for the season. Ashley had been the main source of entertainment since the beginning, but Joel’s stepped it up lately including in actual racing skills as well. And that’s awesome.

Rita & Yvette have had some nice potential both as racers and as chaacters. But they’ve really been shortchanged by the editors. This episode was the most they’ve gotten and that’s mainly because they were leading at the start an were about to get saved by a Non-Elimination. I’m not sure if they’re being prepped for an exit soon or an underdog final 3 appearance.

Frankie & Amy, on the other hand, have gotten the screentime, but have somehow started to be less fun than they have been. I’m not really sure why. Jillian & Emmett are in a similar vein. And their “rivalry” with Steph & Kristen is very boring. Which is unfortunate.

Episode Quotes

Joel: “We’re First Nations, we gotta come in first. We can’t come in third. We’re not ‘Third Nations’.”

Kristen: “I want to beat them so bad, it hurts.”

Frankie: “I am so hot I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Share your thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top