Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 7, Episode 6 – “When you get defensive, it’s because it’s true.”

Recap: The Amazing Race Canada 7, Episode 6 – I’m a Little Muskrat on a Mission

The 6th Leg of the Race has teams flying to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. But first at the airport, Dave & Irina decide to have a house Race meeting with the other teams about the events of last Leg.

Dave & Irina do not appreciate being ganged up against by all the other teams. Trish denies it, but Anthony admits the teams decided to work together at the clams to eliminate them. (But that obviously fell apart quite fast when teams decided to give up and make themselves quitters.)

Trish then decides to bring up how Dave copied her answer at the Road Block and then erased it. Dave has no problem admitting it. The other teams feign shock and Trish and Irina start arguing over what is “fair.” Aarthy jumps in and says while she loves Dave & Irina, they are “playing victim.”

Irina tells Aarthy that “Six on one is not okay honey, okay?!” Aarthy is offended by Irina’s words and Irina mocks Aarthy’s reaction. They go at it while the others enjoy the show.

Thinesh tries to get Aarthy to calm down. Irina apologizes and says it’s nothing personal. She asks if they can hug it out and they do.

Flying from Nanaimo to Saskatoon via Calgary, teams will then make their way to the “Brightest Light in Canada” which is the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan for their next clue.

That clue points teams to Nutrien Cory Potash Mine. Here, teams will suit up and head 1km below the surface where they will hang a plastic ventilation curtain for the miners.

Anthony & James, Lauren & Joanne, Dave & Irina and Trish & Amy are first at the mines and get to work. Aarthy & Thinesh and Sarah & Sam are in last.

Anthony & James are first to get the thumbs up and must now head to the local Shell station for a clue from home. Their loved ones will tell teams to make their way to Campetre County Vacation Ranch.

After Lauren & Joanne, Sarah & Sam are able to jump into 3rd place. Dave & Irina and Trish & Amy are next, leaving Aarthy & Thinesh as the sole team in last.

Over at the Ranch, teams find the Detour: Dance in the Square or Walk in Circles. In Dance in the Square, teams will head to the Howling Coyote Saloon where one team member must memorize 19 steps to a square dance and call them out while the other team member will learn the routine to perform with the dancers. In Walk in Circles, teams must find four types of maize, er, corn in a maze.

Anthony & James, Lauren & Joanne and Sarah & Sam choose the maze. Dave & Irina decide to dance, but they feel it is too hard so they switch. Trish & Amy give the dance a try while Aarthy & Thinesh head into the maze.

Anthony & James maintain their lead as they must now head to Victoria Park where they must play lacrosse. One team member will pass the ball to their teammate who must then hit two targets.

Anthony & James get it on their first attempt and can now make their way on foot to the Pit Stop at the Remai Modern Art Museum. They officially check in as Team #1 and win a trip to Costa Rica as well as a year’s worth of gas from Shell.

Sarah & Sam are Team #2 and Dave & Irina are Team #3. Lauren & Joanne take 4th.

Aarthy & Thinesh finish the maze, leaving Trish & Amy at the dance. Trish is initially frustrated she can’t memorize the steps to call out. But they eventually get the thumbs up.

They are both at the lacrosse, but Aarthy & Thinesh hit the targets and can now head to the Mat to claim 5th. That means Trish & Amy are last, but they are saved once again by a Non-Elimination.

Episode Thoughts

An interesting Leg. I must admit, the stench of last week’s episode still lingered in the air for me while watching this episode. But it’s certainly a relief no teams threatened to quit this Leg. I’d like to think teams got a good talking to during the Pit Stop. Lol At least, I would’ve given teams a good talking to if I were in charge.

Anyway, this was really a Route Marker-heavy linear Leg. A lot of Point A to Point B type Racing that can certainly get tedious when the other tasks of the Leg aren’t the most exciting. The show is lucky they had the team meeting at the airport to help fill out the Leg, to be honest.

So first about that whole situation. If teams had not made flimsy pact to work together to oust Dave & Irina, then it would be a whole different story. But the fact is three teams not named Dave & Irina quit last week. And yes, you can toss in the shortcut Anthony & James and Aarthy & Thinesh took at the Road Block which one can make a good argument for a penalty for.

So unlike Aarthy saying Dave & Irina were playing the victim, it was actually the other teams themselves making Dave & Irina the victim. When Dave and Irina look more reasonable and level headed than the other teams during that team meeting, you know there’s definitely something wrong with the other teams. Because let’s be clear, Dave & Irina aren’t being bullied or getting ganged up on by the other teams.

But at the same time, it’s easy to be upset with Dave & Irina for playing so loosely with the Race so as to quit twice while still remaining cocky. They can be as cocky as they want, but when you can’t back that up with some solid, amazing Racing, then you’ll just look like a clown instead.

That being said, none of the teams on this season are anywhere near as unlikeable and gross as certain teams from seasons 2 and 3. That’s for sure. But when almost all of the teams have done things that played fast and loose with the rules and integrity of the Race, any argument over which team is playing more fair than the other is just nonsense and irrelevant. Almost all of these teams need to do some incredible Racing to redeem themselves for a win. So hopefully that includes refraining from throwing stones at each other when they could very well deserve some incoming as well.

Anyway… for the Leg itself. The first actual task at the mines was very interesting. It’s a great, unique location and a simple, straightforward task that gives teams a once in a lifetime experience.

The next actual task was the Detour. I’m honestly not sure if this Detour was balanced or not. I guess it could take a long time to get through the maze. But it still certainly looked much easier and quicker than having to memorize and learn the dance. Especially when the square dancing task played more like a Double Road Block instead, it could certainly take up quite a long time for a team member to choose incorrectly and take a long time memorizing or have two left feet on the dance floor.

The lacrosse was also simple and straightforward and teams didn’t seem to have much trouble with it anyway.

Overall, it was a vast improvement over last week’s episode (which isn’t saying much). But it did come across as a little bland and processional, both the Leg and the episode.

My Subjective Team Rankings

So, I still have Sarah & Sam at the top. They had another great Leg and they are definitely proving themselves.

But shockingly enough, I have Dave & Irina up at #2. Why? The Dave & Irina in this Leg is like the total opposite of the Dave & Irina in Legs 5 and 6. Instead, this is the enjoyable Dave & Irina. The team that is hilariously cocky, but still solid Racers. The team that includes Dave relishing being the “villain” who enjoys pigs and Irina being the fierce princess who enjoy cats. They were absolutely hilarious and fun this week. They reminded me of why I liked them a lot in the early Legs. And also how they can actually Race well if they weren’t quitters.

Aarthy & Thinesh are still one of my favorites. But Aarthy jumping into the fray and involving herself was both good and bad. Good because it’s good entertainment of course. But bad because she really didn’t have to say anything. Though I do wonder if other teams spoke as well, but they were edited out. Anyway, I hope they do use the Express Pass next week and perhaps help them escape out of last place.

Trish & Amy had a pretty rough Leg this week. Being saved by another Non-Elimination was fine and couldn’t have happened to a nicer team. But this Leg showed that they are quite vulnerable. I know they have what it takes to pull themselves out of last. But I do think there’s some cracks in the once solid Race foundation.

Anthony & James got off to a quick start and benefited a lot from the linear Leg, maintaining their lead. They’ve been a consistent team. Lauren & Joanne didn’t succumb to the hometown curse. But they definitely have a chance to get themselves into a good position to get to the end.

Episode Quotes

Irina: “When you get defensive, it’s because it’s true.”

Irina: “I hate the outfits. They’re very not figure flattering.”

Irina: “Our system is: Dave does all the work and I give him the small tools. And complain. That’s our system in life.”