Recap: The Amazing Race Australia 8 (Celebrity Edition 2), Episode 8 – “You can do crappy, but you just can’t be the crappest.”

The day continues for the teams as they begin the 8th Leg by driving to the Skeleton Coast. Upon arrival, they must build a stall and lay out crystals for a local to sell for the day.

The final five teams arrive on the beach and start building their stalls and they are shocked that Chloe & Emily have been eliminated.

Bam Bam & Logan get their stall approved first. Pete & Bridget ask for a check, but their stall’s frame is incorrect. Brooke & Adam and Billy & Oscar get their stalls approved next. After Pete & Bridget realize their mistake, they get the thumbs up on their 3rd attempt. Thorpie & Christian are now in last.

After the crystal construction, teams must drive to Swakopmund and the main beach with only a poem to lead them to their next clue: “Where the ocean leviathan leaves its mark. Beneath broken spine lie treasures in the dark.” Teams must dig under a leviathan’s spine skeleton to find the next clue in a bottle.

Brooke & Adam are the first to find the bottle whose clue directs teams to find the Swakopmund Mole. Teams must figure out that “mole” means sea wall.

Brooke & Adam quickly find the next clue which has the Detour: Herero Style or German Feast. In Herero Style, teams must learn how to and successfully fold a traditional Herero horned headdress. In German Feast, teams must eat a plate of Schweinshaxe, pork knuckle, and Sauerkraut.

Brooke & Adam choose the headdress.

Pete & Bridget and Billy & Oscar are the next to find the bottle followed by Bam Bam & Logan. The father and son choose to eat while the married parents choose the headdress. The brothers choose to eat as well as Thorpie & Christian just arrive on the beach.

Thorpie & Christian manage to catch up at the restaurant and all teams are working on the Detour.

Pete & Bridget are the first to get their headdress approved and they can now head to the Swakopmund Jetty for the Pit Stop. Brooke and Adam switch places with Brooke finishing up the headdress and that gets them the thumbs up.

But Pete & Bridget are led to the pier by a friendly local and the officially check-in as Team #1. Brooke & Adam take 2nd.

Bam Bam & Logan struggle through the eating, but they are first of the eaters to finish. They head to the Mat as Team #3.

Thorpie & Christian are next to finish and they head to the Pit Stop. Billy & Oscar are right behind them.

And Billy & Oscar are able to reach the Mat as Team #4. That means Thorpie & Christian are last, but this is a Non-Elimination Leg.

Episode Thoughts

A short though solid Leg, but a good one to pair with the last for a “MegaLeg”-type day. Also makes sense to make this a Non-Elimination Leg as well.

Squeezing in a Road Block somewhere might have been good. But as we saw, the teams finished late. So that certainly limits the possibilities.

All the tasks were pretty straightforward. The crystal stall-building was okay. Another needle in a haystack challenge is meh, but okay for a Non-Elimination Leg.

I love me some delicious fried pork knuckle (crispy pata in Filipino!). But seeing that four-kilogram plate almost gave me a heart attack just looking at it. lol

The best task of this Leg was the Herero folding as it was a unique challenge and great cultural task as well.

Overall, I think what this Leg lacks is made up for by being what is essentially the second half of a MegaLeg. These two Legs would’ve made a good two-hour episode instead.

Team Thoughts

The final five teams are all interesting to watch. It’s a very unlikely group of teams, I think. So after this one, it will really depend on how the coming Legs are designed to see who will make it to the finale. Which is a good thing in some ways as it really leaves it open as to who can do just enough to survive. It won’t favor a perceived strong team like Bam Bam & Logan. And the other teams, who each have something that might hinder them, have a good shot at really going all the way.

Episode Quotes

Bridget: “I haven’t built a hut.”

Bam Bam: “Leviatian, where are you?”

Adam: “This race has taught us that you can do crappy, but you just can’t be the crappest. And we were crap.”