Recap: The Amazing Race Australia 4, Episode 7 – “Excuse me sir, can you please move your elephant off the road?”


Teams begin the 7th Leg of the Race learning they will be flying to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Tom & Tyler wake up late and end up being the last team to depart. But all teams are on the same flights via Beijing and Addis Ababa anyway.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

Outside the Victoria Falls Airport, teams get the traditional welcome before they have to make their way across the Victoria Bridge to cross the border on foot into Zambia. Teams will then hop into a taxi to the Batoka Sky Aerodrome.

Here, teams will find the Road Block: Who does things to the letter? For this Road Block, teams will take an ultralight plane above Victoria Falls. They will need to spot six letters which they will unscramble once back on land into their next destination: Mukuni.

Ash heads up into the sky. Jasmin & Jerome, Viv & Joey and Tom & Tyler talk about wanting to help each other. But Viv & Joey aren’t so keen on helping Tom & Tyler who always get ahead no matter what.

When Ash get back down, she and Sid get a map and immediately figure out where to go next.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

Jerome gets back to the ground and decides to give Viv & Joey the letters, upsetting Jasmin. Viv & Joey decide to keep the letters to themselves. When Rod gets back down, he realizes he has missed a letter and doesn’t want to have to go back up for another flight.

When Tyler gets back down, he decides to give Rod the sixth letter. Joey thinks that is very interesting.

As teams drive to Mukuni, they are not too sure of the exact location. Sid & Ash and Jasmin & Jerome stop at the Mukuni Safari, but there’s nothing there. Sid tells Jasmin & Jerome there’s a Mukuni Village up ahead and proposes they work together to get there. Jasmin & Jerome think that’s a complete joke, but don’t directly say that to Sid.

Tom & Tyler, who don’t stop at the safari, arrive at Mukuni Village first and they find an Intersection. For this task, teams must learn how to play a marimba.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

Sid & Ash and Jasmin & Jerome arrive. Sid asks if Jasmin & Jerome want to team up, but they decide to partner with Tom & Tyler instead. That pisses Sid off since he thought Jasmin & Jerome agreed to work together earlier.

Tim & Rod arrive and they quickly partner up with Sid & Ash.

Tom & Tyler and Jasmin & Jerome get the next clue and it is a Detour: Cultivate or Separate. In Cultivate, teams must use two oxen to create eight straight furrows. In Separate, teams must use thatch to construct a dividing fence for a newlywed couple.

Tom & Tyler and Tim & Rod choose the oxen, Jasmin & Jerome and Sid & Ash choose the fencing. Local kids lead the teams to where they need to go.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

Viv & Joey have to wait for Femi & Nick who are completely lost.

Tim & Rod are able to finish the Detour first and head back to the car and get a message from their mothers.

Teams must now head to the Livingstone Island Launch Site where they must hop on one of two tourist boats on the Zambeze River to Livingstone Island where they must search for their next clue.

Tom & Tyler finish as Viv & Joey and Femi & Nick both choose the oxen.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

With Tim & Rod getting lost, Tom & Tyler again move into 1st. They find the next clue above the falls which tells them to make their way to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park where they must walk to the Elephant Cafe for the Pit Stop or risk getting trampled to death.

Tim & Rod are able to get on the same boat back with Tom & Tyler and it is now a two-way Race to the Pit Stop. They walk through the elephants and Tom & Tyler claim another win. Tim & Rod have to settle for 2nd.

Back at the Detour, both Viv & Joey and Femi & Nick finish their furrows and leave. Jasmin & Jerome finish next and are emotional when they see their family on the video. Sid & Ash are right behind them.

At the boat launch, Sid and Ash’s frustration comes to a head when they begin arguing about little things. While they wait for their boat, they talk things out a little bit.

Viv & Joey are able to step on the Mat to finish as Team #3.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

When Sid & Ash are on their way to the top of the falls, Femi & Nick and Jasmin & Jerome are on the way back. Femi & Nick are able to find their way to the Pit Stop to check in as Team #4. But Jasmin & Jerome have gone the completely wrong way.

That gives Sid & Ash an opportunity, but they are still being testy with each other. They perk up, however, when they see Jasmin & Jerome are right behind them.

Jerome tries to overtake, but Sid blocks the road to prevent him from doing so.

Both teams get to the parking lot, but Jasmin & Jerome are able to get out of the car first and begin walking. Sid is upset that they have fallen behind.

Beau checks Jasmin & Jerome in as Team #5.

The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap The Amazing Race Australia Season 4 Episode 7 Recap

Sid & Ash get to the Mat. Beau gives them the good news that this is a Non-Elimination Leg.

Episode Thoughts

So I definitely expected this to be a Non-Elimination Leg. We’re due for one at this point in the Race. And the Leg design pretty much screamed Non-Elimination as well. Still, it was a fun episode.

The traditional welcome at the airport should’ve been at a different location I think. But I guess since they just arrived, it’s a good spot for a welcome, isn’t it?

The Road Block was okay. It’s a typical fly and look for letters task. What was different here was that teams didn’t have to confirm the letters with someone before leaving. They just had to go. So as we saw with Femi & Nick, it is possible teams could just leave the aerodrome and not know where to go. And like the other teams, they could go to a location, but it be completely different, though same name. That definitely added a bit of extra challenge to the task.

The Intersection was a basic task that just helped to fill out the Leg. But it also provided a bit of drama as we saw with Jasmin & Jerome and Sid & Ash. Plus Viv & Joey having to wait for Femi & Nick who everyone apparently knows is bad with directions.

The Detour was a good pair. The plowing was different from the usual muddy task since teams needed to control their oxen in a straight line. And you definitely can’t predict how the animals will respond to you. But the fence building was a typical task and maybe a little more time consuming though. This actually would’ve been a good spot for a U-Turn. Especially since it was a Non-Elimination Leg anyway.

The boat ride to the top of the falls was definitely to help fill out the Leg as well and pretty much completed this travel pron of a Leg.

Overall, I think that was the main point of this Leg. Just really to soak in the beauty of Zimbabwe and Zambia. But the episode itself was actually filled with the most competition and inter-team tension we’ve seen all season. And it wasn’t just all Sid & Ash either. So it’s definitely great to see the competition really heating up.

My Subjective Team Rankings

The Amazing Race Australia 4 Tom Tyler The Amazing Race Australia 4 Sid Ash The Amazing Race Australia 4 Jasmin Jerome The Amazing Race Australia 4 Viv Joey The Amazing Race Australia 4 Tim Rod The Amazing Race Australia 4 Femi Nick

It’s hard not to be wowed by Tom & Tyler. There have been teams who just somehow always get themselves in front no matter how far they fall behind. But these Footy Bros are something else! The other teams definitely mess up and give Tom & Tyler opportunities to pass them. But I think Tom & Tyler also have the Race skills to just really get through tasks quickly. That’s definitely a dangerous combination. Having the skills AND the good luck. We’ll see if it holds up. But I wouldn’t bet against them just yet.

Sid & Ash are definitely entertaining. I feel like their rivalry with Jasmin & Jerome was pretty one-sided before this episode. Jasmin & Jerome definitely took the trickery in Leg 1 very personal while Sid & Ash just treats everyone as their competition and never friends. So it was actually pretty refreshing to see the events in this Leg. Now we’ve got a real rivalry! Especially after Sid & Ash proved last Leg that they have what it takes to Race well and win if they just focused. I feel like both teams are similar in their Racing style. Just very competitive. I would love to see the rivalry go all the way to the end.

Viv & Joey have really slid under the radar after such a fast start. But perhaps that’s a positive for them moving forward. They’re not seen as a threat anymore. But they’re not completely out of their element yet. They can still climb back up the ranks.

Other than Rod’s simple mistake at the Road Block, this might have been Tim & Rod‘s best Leg yet. They’re stepping it up little by little every Leg. And now with less teams, it’s their time to shine and I think they’re definitely moving in the right direction.

Femi & Nick are very interesting. Their navigation challenges popped up again this Leg. But when it mattered, they were able to get to the Pit Stop mistake-free. If one were to bet on the next team out, the nurses would be a safe bet. But maybe this is the start of their turnaround.

It’s really anyone’s Race at this point. (Unless it’s Tom & Tyler’s Race and everyone’s Racing for 2nd only. We’ll see!)

Episode Quotes

Beau: “God damn it’s loud! But geez, it’s beautiful!”

Jasmin: “Excuse me sir, can you please move your elephant off the road?”

Rod: “Gay boys aren’t good at doing anything straight.”

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