The Amazing Race Canada - I'm A Human Kite

 

Discussing Ep. 8.5 - So after a one week hiatus that the show took for some reason, it's back again. I'm curious to see if any of the three teams use their Express Passes or if they save them for the end.

And I am hoping for some developing drama between Beveron and Franella! We need some action!

Ahhhh....the good ol' days of using road maps instead of GPS or Waze. That was some real fun right there!

I'd actually like to do that. Skydiving is at the top of my list but that looks like it would be a lot of fun!

Damn it, JeM! This is the one time that you had to be aggressive! This would have been the perfect time to just unleash the beast and shove Franella into those bins of energy drinks....just to show that you mean business! 

For crying out loud....why does Kull have to sing every time they talk? Like...why? Just talk like a normal person without hitting some bizarre octave! But no, they have to sing like they're on American Idol or something! They remind me of that old episode of the Transformers where they landed on a planet where the inhabitants all sang instead of talked and it was annoying as all hell! These two belong on that planet!

Okay, the hang gliding was a complete cake walk by comparison to this biathlon challenge! So if they miss a target on the shooting range, they have to go and cross-country ski for 300 metres....every time they miss! 

That's sounds exhausting! I have a feeling CoBren might do well in this but Jesse might not. Franella might do poorly as well but Beveron might do really well. It all depends on their shot accuracy.

Okay, I stand corrected! Jesse's a two-time winter Olympian! This should be right up his alley!

Having said that though, now I'm afraid they've built him only to fail big time. We'll see.

To be fair, I'm rather clumsy on skis too so I can't really laugh at Franca for stepping on her poles!

I don't know if that tumble was really Kathy's fault as it seemed like the wind took the sail over to the side, forcing Kathy and her guide to follow with it. Not a good start for Kull though!

It's rather funny watching Cassie watch her husband knowing that she's going to have to do the Roadblock and I don't know how she's going to get that done! After all, she's good at running and memorizing things...not shooting and cross-country skiing!

BOOM!!! 

Jesse proved me wrong and I'm happy about it! JeM move on first before CoBren and that is HUGE! I'm hoping they can maintain the lead now.

Ah, no! No, no, no, no, no! If anyone thinks this is the easier detour to take, they're sadly mistaken. Any sport where the old folk dominate, that's not a sport a young person will win at easily. Especially if playing against old people who don't give a crap about you or your goals or if you're on TV. They're out to show that they still got it and will do so at your fragile, youthful expense. Believe me....I would and will be THAT guy who buries you in to the ground and does a jig over your grave because you young whipper snappers couldn't hang with me! 

Go for the pie detour! It probably looks easier said than done but you're only competing against yourself as opposed to professionals in lawn bowling who are there to crush your dreams and break your will!

That just goes to show ya....it's not all about speed and athleticism! Franca was slow and clumsy on those skis but she nailed it on the shooting range, leaving CoBren in the dust! It can turn that quickly.

I told ya, man! Don't mistake the cute, old, gentle grandma for anything other than a sadistic killer! Those old folks will tear your soul apart!

I swear...if Power Couple is somehow able to escape elimination again based on luck alone...my beliefs about the world and luck will seriously come into question. 

Damn! She did it! Hey, I'll applaud her for getting it done the right way. No shortcuts, no nothing. She went in there and made those shots! Good for her and good for them. As long as they earn their non-elimination...I can respect that.

Damn it! CoBren strike again!

Awww, man! Math?!? You gotta use math without using your phone or anything? 

I hate math!

Yes!

YES!

Finally! They finished in top spot! Now everyone knows that JeM is the real deal! They are indeed a team to watch out for! 

Step aside CoBren...there are new sheriffs in town!

"Oh, no! It's not open!"

Yes, Kull. Of course, the Amazing Race people would send you to a store that was closed the moment you arrived because that just makes a world of sense!

Isn't Beverly supposed to be this super math nerd? She should get this no problem.

I'm tellin' ya....these old folk will show no mercy...nor should they, really!

Ya know what? I'm not mad at all! They overcame a Speed Bump and Cassie killed it in that biathlon challenge and so they earned their spot. This wasn't luck, it was hard work and so kudos to Power Couple!

😲

So CeTy went and read the answers off of the other contestants boards and gave the answer without doing any of the work? 

What is the penalty for that? Clearly they're expecting one but I wonder how much that will be and if it is a good strategy.

Wow! A 2 hour penalty! I mean, that is a huge chunk of time but it seems like Kull aren't getting near the answer at all and so I do wonder if this is indeed the best strategy for CeTy in the end. 

😱

Jully looked at another team's board! And so that incurs a 2 hour penalty for them too. So CeTy win 6th place by default.

Damn!

I'm torn on this one. On the one hand, it was a risk that paid off for CeTy but they would have won anyway had Kull not inadvertently broken the rules. On the other hand, Kull's transgression was seemingly a very innocent one and I don't think they really deserved to be penalized as such. Regardless, rules are rules and Kull broke them so CeTy benefits as a result. I can tell that CeTy didn't like winning like that and rightfully so but all they can do is try and win in a legitimate way rather than the cheap way that they did.

Overall, I was very happy with this episode. It really was a sort of nail-biter in that the No. 1 spot was really being contested between JeM, CoBren, and Franella. I'm happy my team won it in this round. Power Couple surprised the hell out of me and earned my respect in this round. And I'm not going to really miss Kull and their incessant singing so I won't shed a tear that they're gone.

But having said that, it seems like the universe requires some annoying team to always be in the fray! 

So next week's episode is a bit of a treat for me as they visit the Forest City, a place I'm quite familiar with....and the seeming return of D&D, Broadway and Cali! How the hell is any of that going to work? All three teams were out because of COVID and while I'm happy that they're all healthy and safe....they missed a chunk of the competition. Are these three teams going to run separate challenges in order to catch up? 

I'll be very interested to tune in to next week's episode to find all of this out!

The Amazing Race Canada - Feel The Fear & Do It Anyway

 

Discussing Ep. 8.4 - So I think this is the episode where CoBren HAVE TO give up their Express Passes...and I hoping that JeM is at least one recipient of them. 

I hope!

And we start off with this bombshell of an announcement from Jon!

So Cali, D&D and Broadway are all out of the competition because of COVID? 

Damn! That really, really sucks! And it's just a bitter reminder that this pandemic isn't over just yet. I really hope that all three teams are healthy and especially for Broadway, considering Catherine is suffering from cancer. I hope that, should Amazing Race happen again next year, these teams are automatically enrolled in the competition. They deserve it!

I'm also hoping that these are the only casualties of COVID on this season.

But with tragedy also come opportunity. 

So Power Couple and Kull are back in it! We'll see what they do with this second chance!

"Today is the day we get an Express Pass from Brendan and Connor!"

What? Why? Was there an agreement that was not televised between these two teams? I will laugh a hearty and mighty laugh if CoBren completely shut these two out of the EP distribution.

They did NOTHING to help CoBren!

NOTHING!

Yes!

YES!!!

I knew it! I knew JeM's generosity during that wiener challenge would pay off! Good on CoBren for recognizing that and giving them an EP. But their line of 'not trusting' certain teams is curious. 

Who don't they trust?

"It would be great if Beverly and Veronica did not get that Express Pass! I think they're just a little bit too overconfident."

BAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

I love it! The two teams that stand in JeM's way are out for each other! I love it!

I'm hoping neither Franella nor Beveron get that last EP! I would have liked it if they gave it to Cali or even D&D. The only other team is CeTy. 

But by all means ladies....fight it out amongst yourselves!

What?!?

Damn it, CoBren! Frenella didn't deserve an EP either! Well, I suppose I still get to laugh at Beveron since they were so sure they were getting an EP and they didn't get one. But neither of them deserved one. I really would have hoped that CoBren gave one to CeTy. 

"They haven't shown the character that we're looking for. What can you do?" - CoBren

Oh, good grief! So we traded in Broadway, who danced and stretched every five seconds, for Kull, with Jully singing a tune every five seconds!

Why can't y'all just race? Just shut up and RACE! You don't have sing and dance every time the camera is on ya!

Yes! JeM made it to second place! At this point, it doesn't mean a whole lot but still, I'll take this small victory!

I kind of laugh at how they filmed the cowgirl lady saying "I'm sorry" as though it was some dramatic moment on the show! LOL!

I love the drama developing between these two teams! Franella is getting so annoyed with Beveron and they don't want to help them! 

"I can't buy him a ranch...he doesn't even cut the grass at home!"

😄

Cold! So damn cold! Franella left Beveron high and dry, sort of alluding to helping them and then ditching them once they completed the challenge! I will say that that might work against them in the future. Beveron have shown to be a strong team and there are things like U-turns (I think) still in play so Francella might have shot themselves in the foot by not helping Beveron.

Whatever happened to girls doin' it for themselves? Whatever happened to the Sisterhood?

😁

"Do you want any help from me or you got this?

***silence***

Okay...I'm going down to the river then!"

Ahhhh...siblings! What can you do?

😄

"That was a crazy fast time!"

When the instructor at the course praises you for your fast time, you know you nailed it! CoBren are seriously killing it in this round. They've been knocking it out of the park time and time again!

Good on CeTy for catching up! That's the crazy thing about this race is that it can turn around for anyone on any one challenge!

😲

Whoa! Kull beat Beveron? Are you kidding me? Beveron have TOTALLY dropped the ball on this leg of the race. Perhaps Franella was right about them and their overconfidence!

Yes! Top 3 at the very least. Some hometown luck sure helped though!

It always seems to be the pattern on this show, where competitors tout how they've done a particular challenge, or something like it, in their past and so they think they have an edge...but when it comes time to do the challenge, they suck at it! Like...don't say anything about how you've done it before because it just puts all that more pressure on ya to ace the challenge when you clearly can't!

Well done, CeTy! Their slow and steady approach got them a higher ranking than they've ever had! Hopefully they can make themselves into serious contenders from here on out!

Juuuuuuuussssttt made it! LOL! Though I could have done without all the grunting and "for MJ" and all that talk. Just race the damn bike, will ya?

Ya know what I was thinking right now watching Beveron struggle with this challenge? 

It would have been nice to have an Express Pass right about now! 

HA!

Damn! Jahmeek beat even CoBren's time! Not bad on his second attempt. Now it's a race to the finish line for both Beveron and Power Couple!

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! They were Top 3 since the beginning. Veronica claimed they were the team to watch out for! And here they are, almost eliminated! Indeed, their overconfidence got the better of them!

Shut the hell up! Shut...the hell...up!!! 

You've got to be kidding me! Once again, this jabroni couple is saved from elimination! 

Like....no! 

No!

Sigh!

If they come in last a 3rd time...that's it! They got more chances than most teams ever do on Amazing Race and never deserved all the second chances in the first place,  especially considering the fact they took a spot that belonged to Cali, D&D and Broadway.

In some ways, I'm glad that Beveron didn't get eliminated. I'm beginning to like their rivalry with Franella and I want to see some drama and backstabbing between the two teams. 

CoBren is definitely the team to beat in this race and I'm hoping that JeM can somehow pull ahead. With CoBren, Franella and JeM each having an EP, the race is still up in the air between all of them!

We'll see!