Recap: The Amazing Race Australia 7 (Celebrity Edition), Episode 9 – “If you give up now, you will lose.”

Teams travel to Siem Riep to begin the 9th Leg of the Race. The first clue, containing $104, tells teams to make their way to the Royal Independence Gardens on foot.

The waiting clue reveals the Detour: Start the Giggles or Stop the Wobbles. Phare Circus was begun by refugees after the fall of the Khmer Rouge to provide a place for young people from all backgrounds to share their talents and skills. In Start the Giggles, teams will learn and then perform a slapstick comedy routine involving gymnastic flips and circus tricks. In Stop the Wobbles, teams must stand and balance on a cylinder with their bare feet for one minute.

Emma & Hayley and Darren & Tristan choose the giggles while Alli & Angie and Harry & Barry choose the wobbles. Jana & Cor, meanwhile, have gotten lost.

Emma & Hayley and Darren & Tristan arrive at the circus at the same time and seem to quickly get the hang of the routine. On the other side of the Detour, however, Angie is struggling as surgeries on her left foot prevent her from properly using her toes to grip the cylinder while she’s also been nursing some back pain throughout the Race. She and Alli decide to switch to the giggles Detour instead. But when they see the cartwheels and flips, Angie says she cannot do it. So they switch back to the cylinders.

Alli & Angie realize they have some time to make up as Jana & Cor have finally arrived at this Detour as well.

Emma & Hayley and Darren & Tristan both fail their first attempts. But Emma & Hayley’s second performance get them a happy face and the next clue.

Emma & Hayley meet one of the performers of the circus who is deaf. He congratulates them on a wonderful performance and the sisters are so touched as they have grown up with deaf friends and work with sign language every day while working at their charity Emma Memma. They hope to help raise more awareness to the importance of sign language.

Back at the cylinders, Harry & Teddy are able to find their balance and become the second team to finish the Detour. Darren & Tristan, meanwhile, get the thumbs up after their second slapstick attempt. Jana & Cor manage to balance well, leaving Alli & Angie in last. Angie draws strength from her grandmother’s wedding ring and that gives her what she needs to balance for the minute.

After the Detour, teams must travel by foot down the river to find a bicycle and pile of brooms. Teams must load and secure the whole pile correctly and deliver to Phalla Furniture Shop.

Darren & Tristan arrive at the bicycle after Emma & Hayley and Teddy & Betty, but are the first to get their brooms secured and they pedal off to the store. Emma & Hayley are right behind them.

After the brooms, teams must head to Chong Srok Lotus Pond where they must wade through the water to pick 50 lotus stems. They will take them to the workshop where they will craft their own silk. Teams must make a six-metre long thread of smooth lotus silk by cracking open the stems, drawing out the fibres and rolling them together.

Harry & Teddy are next to deliver the brooms, but they also encounter their Speed Bump. They have to help with more orders by returning to collect 40 more brooms, each, and delivering them here to the shop by hand.

Harry & Teddy cannot believe it. They complain to a TARAu producer about it. But the producer says this is a competition. If they stop tantruming, they will be able to get through this extra task. Teddy says “Stop fucking us, we’ll stop tantruming.” Harry tells him to calm down and asks the producer to put herself in their shoes. She says if she was in their shoes right now, she’d lose the race with the way they’re acting.

The producer asks them if they want to keep racing or not. They decide that they’re not happy. (“Don’t fuck me and then ask me to smile about it.” ) But they will not quit on their charity.

Back at the bikes, Angie decides to try and conserve her energy by getting on. But she falls over and Alli is worried about her mum’s back.

Jana & Cor arrive at the furniture shop, but some of their brooms are hanging out the bottom and they cannot see it. Alli & Angie come up behind them and get the thumbs up, now moving into 3rd. Jana finally bends down and sees the brooms so she and Cor quickly pull them up and get the next clue.

Meanwhile at the more peaceful lotus farm, the two leading teams get started. But it is not too easy to navigate the muddy lotus fields. Alli & Angie and Jana & Cor catch up and they get started as well.

As the four teams head back with their baskets of lotus flowers, Harry & Teddy arrive. They make jokes to cheer themselves up. And they manage to catch up to the other teams at the silk rolling.

All the teams are here now. Emma & Hayley’s first attempt gets the thumbs down. Darren & Tristan go for a check, but they also have bumps and they have to go back and fix them. Alli & Angie go for the check, but their thread breaks.

Emma & Hayley go back for their second check and they get the thumbs up. They get the next clue pointing them to a traditional place of peace, Chamkar House in Sangkat, the Pit Stop for this Leg.

As Emma & Hayley shuffle to the Mat, Beau tells the Pit Stop Greeter that he is contractually obliged not to pick a favorite. But he does have one. The sisters step on the Mat to claim another Leg win.

Back at the silk, Jana & Cor begin arguing again. Harry tells them to stop and just support each other. Jana says she would never speak to her mother the way Cor is speaking to her today. Alli supports Harry’s message to just relax, remember they are doing this for charity and to just love everyone.

Jana & Cor are able to calm down a bit. But Harry & Teddy somehow manage to pass the other three teams when they get their silk approved on their first attempt. Darren & Tristan are next to get the thumbs up. They finish as Teams 2 and 3, respectively.

It’s now down to the last two teams. Alli & Angie get their thread approved next and hurry over to the Pit Stop. Jana & Cor try to catch up. But it is the daughter and mum who step on the Mat as Team #4.

That means Jana & Cor are last and eliminated.

Episode Thoughts

I am going to declare with absolutely no authority to support me that this was the best Leg and episode of The Amazing Race Australia since 2014 when Grant Bowler was still the host, Kiwis were allowed to Race and Channel Seven still had the rights to the local franchise.

Simply put, this was the best Leg and episode of the Network 10 Era. Great tasks. Great drama. Great teams. It just had everything you could want in an Amazing Race Leg.

And let me take this opportunity to call out TARUS once again. Let’s recap the tasks and Route Markers of this Leg:
-Pit Start
-Walk to Royal Independence Gardens
-Make your way to Phare Circus
-Detour
-Tuk-tuk to broom Route Marker
-(Cut) Make a broom
-Find bicycles and brooms
-Secure and then Deliver brooms on bicycle
-Make your way to lotus farm
-Lotus picking
-Silk making
-Walk to Pit Stop

When TARAu can do all of that, yet TAR35 can barely have three full tasks and Route markers in one leg, it’s inexplicable!

Anyway! So I initially thought there might have been another deleted task at the gardens or before that since it seemed weird how the teams’ placements changed just from walking over. But when I saw that there was a deleted broom making task later on, I guessed maybe not. Unless the show cut TWO tasks out of the final episode. Then that makes this Leg and episode even more impressive!

First up, the Detour was pretty good. I think both probably were equally challenging. Not the hardest tasks, but not the easiest either. And I think perfect for the start of the Leg. Certainly offered up some exciting moments with Alli & Angie. And a wonderful nod to history as well with Beau introducing the circus.

Next, when I was writing up my recap, I was reading the post-Detour clue on screen and that’s when I saw that the clue reminded teams to bring the broom they made to also deliver to the store.

“Don’t forget the broom you just made!”
And Cor was holding a broom when they found the bikes.

I think the broom making is a good extra task. If a TAR goes to the Philippines, making a walis tingting or walis tambo should definitely be a task for teams. And considering this full Leg, having that extra task helps to exhaust the teams even more. It certainly seemed to fuel Harry & Teddy’s frustrations later.

The broom bikes were a refreshing take on the iconic Vietnamese basket bikes. Certainly not as hilarious and difficult as those baskets. But still a great task to have here. Maybe when TARPHDME recycles this task, have even more brooms on the bikes hehe.

Having teams need to navigate the busy streets of urban Southeast Asia will always provide good excitement.

Harry & Teddy’s Speed Bump was also good. They might have hated it, but it was quite fair. And they proved it can be overcome as well.

The lotus picking was great. Always good to experience daily life of the local peoples. But the lotus silk was amazing! What a fascinating process. I too had no idea lotus could produce silk. Though I’m sure people have no idea you could get silk and thread from pineapples either! (Hello Filipino fabrics!)

The silk was a perfect final task for the Leg, especially with all the teams there. And I think having all the teams there at the same time after a Leg of lots of shuffling proves how well designed this Leg really was.

The jog to the Mat was the perfect way to end the Leg and the day. And it really just capped off what should be an excellent example of what a modern day TAR Leg should look like.

Absolutely amazing. I loved this Leg and episode. I can’t say enough how impressed and shocked I am at how great this season has been.

Team Thoughts

Again, I am also continually impressed by these teams. They really are taking this Race seriously. Like I said, they could easily afford donating the TARAu prize money out of their own pockets to their charities. But doing well with their charities inspiring them to win the Race is really amazing. And I would have never guessed this to be the case when the celebrity casting was first announced.

I mean, Harry & “Barry” whining and tantruming to the producer is the only diva moment we’ve seen so far this Race, yeah? I mean, I don’t remember any other on-screen complaints like that. But it was hilarious, even if frustrating. Hilarious because their diva attitude is such a contrast to their appearance. Or not, I’m not sure lol But frustrating also because they’ve proven they are more than just simply reality dating show influencer-types. They’ve been Racing well and have been competitive, especially with their sincerity toward their charity. So it was sad to see them complain. Not just be upset, but accuse the producer of fucking them over. It really was too much. Especially when they more than overcame the Speed Bump later.

I thought Jana & Cor could go all the way. Even with their arguments and fighting, I thought it would be a great storyline for them to go all the way and share some emotional moment of realization together. One of understanding and growing up. But I think they had that little here. And again, even with their arguing, you know they love each other. And their relationship in real life isn’t as hectic and tense as they were on the Race. I really feel that.

Alli & Angie had an amazing Leg as well. Angie fighting through any pain she might have been feeling is so awesome. Really inspirational. And again, considering these celebs could just easily quit and go home with their talent fee and head back to their pampered lives, but are pushing forward and taking this Race seriously is so great. I can’t even describe it. I am rooting for the daughter and mum the most. Though I have grown to like all these teams.

Emma & Hayley and Darren & Tristan, however, seem like the frontrunners now. The sisters have emerged as top contenders. (And apparently Beau’s favorite? Lol) And Darren & Tristan recognize that. Seeing them fight for the Finish Line should be exciting as I think they are evenly matched. The sisters aren’t just good for Wiggles-type tasks. They can hang with the uncle and nephew with anything.

And Alli & Angie and Harry & Teddy have proven they can as well. Should be an exciting Final Four and final three episodes!

Episode Quotes

Cor: “You’re, like, pushing me in weird ways.”

Producer; “If you give up now, you will lose.”

Beau: “Do I look like a Khmer man?”
Pit Stop Greeter: “I don’t know how to lie.”
Beau: “Neither do I.”

Harry: “This is tough for everyone, but just love each other.”

Jana: “Look how thick the boys are!”