The 9th Leg of the Race begins with teams driving 200km to Omandumba in the heart of the Erongo Mountains. The next clue awaits at the gates of the Erong Mountain Nature Sanctuary.
That clue tells teams to take part in the local game of Bokdrol Spoeg, the sport of dung spitting. They must pick up dung pellets, put them in their mouths and spit them out into a circle to receive the next clue.
Thorpie & Christian must first complete their Speed Bump which involves them filling a provided container with dung before being able to continue.
Brooke & Adam are the first team to score followed by Pete & Bridget.
Teams must now choose between Weapons or Water for the Detour. In Weapons, teams will meet a local San hunter as they walk quietly and barefoot to the hunting ground where they will learn how to use a bow and arrow to hit an animal on a target. Once each person scores a bullseye, they’ll receive the next clue. In Water, teams must use traditional tools to make a water carrier from an ostrich egg according to an example made by the San people.
Brooke & Adam choose hunting while Pete & Bridget choose water. Bam Bam & Logan decide on hunting as well.
Billy has trouble spitting into the circle, allowing Thorpie & Christian to catch up and eventually pass Billy & Oscar after completing their Speed Bump. Billy & Oscar decide to take a 40-minute time penalty at the Mat.
Thorpie & Christian join Pete & Bridget at the water carrier Detour while Billy & Christian choose the hunting.
Pete & Bridget get their carrier approved and are the first team to finish the Detour while Brooke & Adam are first at the hunting. Thorpie & Christian also get the thumbs up on their carrier. Billy & Oscar are able to hit their targets, leaving Bam Bam & Logan now in last.
They can now head to the Animal Research Station to work with the conservationists on their duties to monitor animal movements. They will watch trail cameras from the previous evening and then use a guide to identify 10 animals that visited the reserve at night.
All the teams, except Bam Bam & Logan, have arrived at the Research Station. Brooke & Adam are the first to get their 10 animals. Pete & Bridget get the thumbs up after Bam Bam & Logan arrive. Billy & Oscar are next with Thorpie & Christian close after and the brothers still trailing.
Teams can now make their way to Spitzkoppe National Park and scale the boulders of The Dome to find the next clue.
Brooke & Adam arrive at the clue which points teams to natural wonder known as The Bridge, the Pit Stop for this Leg.
Brooke & Adam step on the Mat as Team #1 with Pete & Bridget checking in as Team #2.
Billy & Oscar arrive at the Mat and Beau starts their 40-minute penalty.
Bam Bam & Logan arrive at The Dome in 4th and get to the Mat in 4th, meaning they are Team #3.
Billy & Oscar’s penalty time is over and Beau can check them in as Team #4.
Thorpie & Christian arrive at the ticket office for The Dome and it is closed. They are given a clue directing them directly to the Pit Stop. When they arrive, Beau officially eliminates them.
Episode Thoughts
A solid Leg in a stunning location. Very simple, straightforward tasks. But they very much suit the location and highlighted the wonderful culture of the people. I would’ve made this one a Non-Elimination Leg. But having them back-to-back is of course not the best thing to do.
With the first task, I certainly remember TARAu3’s great visit to Namibia which also included the dung spitting:
The Detour was perfect as it got the teams interacting closely with the San people who of course were just wonderful. Very interesting that teams had some trouble with the bow and arrow though. I would’ve expected it to be the far easier task.
The animal identification task was a good and interesting challenge. Again, something that is an everyday task here. But not something you would usually encounter.
Visiting The Dome was certainly just a way to feature and show off such a stunning location. But it would’ve been nice to maybe have one more task in the Leg.
I will assume next Leg is Non-Elimination so the Penultimate Leg will have the final elimination. It’s crazy to think there’s only one week left!
Team Thoughts
Sad to see Thorpie & Christian go. But it seems Ian would really struggle in the coming Legs. Of course, the news of him coming home in crutches was pretty big. And most people knew it was for TARAu. So I would’ve been surprised if he ended up winning considering the news. But he and Christian ran a good Race.
Now it really is anyone’s Race. Of the final four, there’s really no one team who has the edge. As we saw even Bam Bam & Logan can fall behind on one task. So it should be an interesting final three episodes!
Episode Quotes
Bam Bam: “You just better be Pumba-ing away up the mountain today, alright?”