Amazing Race Canada 9 -- Starts July 4, 2023

[Yeah_Baby]

I don't think my remaining team is long for this race.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

I don't think my remaining team is long for this race.

I have Deven and Amanda as well, they definitely haven’t been great but they have decent “get it together” potential.

[Jimmy Stang]

This is going to sound terrible, but I am finding some of the contestants to be more “simple” than usual this season. Maybe it is exaggerated by slow-talking “we’re Canadian, eh” accents and whatnot, but quite a few of them seem quite… dim.

[getbak]

"There are no washrooms at this challenge. That's okay because I actually planned on pissing my pants."


This week, the teams travel to Whistler. Gracie & Lily show us that they're not the weaklings we all expected them to be and win the leg (pretty easily, it looked like). Justin has a meltdown at the bungee jump and it continues at the table setting -- but it's a non-elimination, so they get to stay in the race.

1. Gracie & Lily (trip to Oslo)
2. Ty & Kat
3. Derek & Jaspal
4. Tyler & Kayleen
5. Shayla & Joel
6. Deven & Amanda
7. Ben & Anwar
8. Jermaine & Justin (6 hour penalty - non-elimination)
9. Allie & Eddie
10. Gail & Gisele

• Fuzz: Ty & Kat / Gracie & Lily
• EldrickOnIce: Ben & Anwar / Jermaine & Justin
• surferguy: Tyler & Kayleen / Allie & Eddie
• Yeah_Baby: Gail & Gisele / Deven & Amanda
• GirlySports: Derek & Jaspal / Shayla & Joel
• getbak: Shayla & Joel / Ty & Kat
• OutOfTheCube: Deven & Amanda / Derek & Jaspal
• WhiteTiger: Allie & Eddie / Tyler & Kayleen
• Superflyer: Jermaine & Justin / Gail & Gisele
• Amethyst: Gracie & Lily / Ben & Anwar

Next week, the teams travel to Victoria and do something that will tie-in with The Haunted Mansion movie that opens next week (mmm, corporate synergy).

[WhiteTiger]

The top 4 is shaking out nicely, and looking pretty good.

I'm disappointed that this is a non-elimination leg. After taking a double penalty and giving up like that, Jermaine and Justin deserved to go home.

[GirlySports]

Teams just don't seem to be prepared this season. There is certainly a separation. Most seasons, even the champions have early scares (either 2nd last or non-eliminations), not this year.

I wonder if it's more inviting teams instead of teams applying. Or there's one superfan who rope their partner in. It's something.

[Fuzz]

I think they just need to do a better job screening out the, uhm, lower IQ participants.

[OutOfTheCube]

Just kinda seems like they cast for diversity first and actual ability second. “Gay black drag queens?? They’re in!”

[Amethyst]

I wasn't thrilled to get Gracie and Lily. Their intro video was annoying, but I like them a lot better on the race.

Disappointed it was a non-elimination.

Glad Ben and Anwar didn't waste their express pass. They may need it!

[getbak]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Just kinda seems like they cast for diversity first and actual ability second. “Gay black drag queens?? They’re in!”

That's nothing new and goes back to the first season of the original over 20 years ago. The show has never been about pitting the most athletic and talented teams against each other. It's always been about finding a mix of teams who each check off certain characteristics.

I don't think this year's lineup is any worse than previous ones. Remember the season with the ballet dancer who was ready to take a penalty after about 5 minutes on every task? He was the worst.


The first few episodes are always about culling the weak teams. What makes it interesting is it's not always easy to predict who the weak teams will be. We all expected Gracie & Lily to be the weakest this year, now three episodes in, they're looking like one of the favourites to be in the final three.

[Amethyst]

The one that has surprised me the most so far is Eddie and Allie. I didn't expect them to win, but I thought they would be a solid team and make it quite far.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

The one that has surprised me the most so far is Eddie and Allie. I didn't expect them to win, but I thought they would be a solid team and make it quite far.

Some pretty bad luck / choices for them on picking who does what -- Eddie obviously has very poor memorization and recall abilities and they had him in that spot for challenges two legs in a row and it sank them.

In this last leg you can really tell which teams are Amazing Race strategists and which are not -- the detour was a very obviously lopsided choice, piecing together a single word puzzle from the bottom of a couple shallow pools, vs. running around two acres of forest trying to memorize and match-up twenty different words from other languages. It was obvious the water one was much easier and faster, yet we saw the three teams that have been struggling with challenges so far pick the forest and predictably were fighting for last.

[csnarpy]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Some pretty bad luck / choices for them on picking who does what -- Eddie obviously has very poor memorization and recall abilities and they had him in that spot for challenges two legs in a row and it sank them.

In this last leg you can really tell which teams are Amazing Race strategists and which are not -- the detour was a very obviously lopsided choice, piecing together a single word puzzle from the bottom of a couple shallow pools, vs. running around two acres of forest trying to memorize and match-up twenty different words from other languages. It was obvious the water one was much easier and faster, yet we saw the three teams that have been struggling with challenges so far pick the forest and predictably were fighting for last.

And yet TY & Kat still came second. They are the powerhouse imo.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by getbak

That's nothing new and goes back to the first season of the original over 20 years ago. The show has never been about pitting the most athletic and talented teams against each other. It's always been about finding a mix of teams who each check off certain characteristics.

I don't think this year's lineup is any worse than previous ones. Remember the season with the ballet dancer who was ready to take a penalty after about 5 minutes on every task? He was the worst.


The first few episodes are always about culling the weak teams. What makes it interesting is it's not always easy to predict who the weak teams will be. We all expected Gracie & Lily to be the weakest this year, now three episodes in, they're looking like one of the favourites to be in the final three.

Woaa! Easy there! All?

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Y'all drastically underestimated the awesomeness of Gracie and Lily. My Dark Horse team. Go go go!

I was still amazed they slid to the bottom both rounds.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by csnarpy

And yet TY & Kat still came second. They are the powerhouse imo.

Yup. The top three from this leg definitely looks like the teams who have a chance at this point. I should've picked Jaspal and Derek over Ben and Anwar, but they also seemed annoying in their video and I didn't want two teams that I didn't like.

Although Gracie and Lily have really grown on me since the show began.

The drag queen who keeps quitting is easily my most annoying racer now.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Just kinda seems like they cast for diversity first and actual ability second. “Gay black drag queens?? They’re in!”

for what it's worth, they were both on Canada's Drag Race and have a non-insignificant following. Sort of like Beverley last year, or even Jully Black.

Is a desire for diversity party of it? Sure, probably. But it's not like they're randos off the street in certain circles. To straight male Canada, sure they're randos. But they're in the greater family of the massive Drag Race franchise which isn't nothing.

[EldrickOnIce]

The Queens will be better. They had been OK to this point. They didn't get where they are, which are pretty successful people, by giving up easily. They won't last toolong, but you won't see them do that again.

[getbak]

"Can someone without a manicure come do this one?"

This week, the teams race to Victoria. Derpal finally climbs to the top of the ladder and Shayla & Joel finish last in a close one (or at least the editing made it seem close) and are going home.

Jermaine & Justin ran a solid leg after taking the double penalty last leg.

1. Derek & Jaspal (trip to Nassau)
2. Gracie & Lily
3. Tyler & Kayleen
4. Ty & Kat
5. Jermaine & Justin
6. Ben & Anwar
7. Deven & Amanda
8. Shayla & Joel
9. Allie & Eddie
10. Gail & Gisele

• Fuzz: Ty & Kat / Gracie & Lily
• EldrickOnIce: Ben & Anwar / Jermaine & Justin
• surferguy: Tyler & Kayleen / Allie & Eddie
• Yeah_Baby: Gail & Gisele / Deven & Amanda
• GirlySports: Derek & Jaspal / Shayla & Joel
• getbak: Shayla & Joel / Ty & Kat
• OutOfTheCube: Deven & Amanda / Derek & Jaspal
• WhiteTiger: Allie & Eddie / Tyler & Kayleen
• Superflyer: Jermaine & Justin / Gail & Gisele
• Amethyst: Gracie & Lily / Ben & Anwar

Next week, the teams continue racing on Vancouver Island.

[WhiteTiger]

Decent race this time around. The top 4 are pretty good and fun to watch. At least Jermaine & Justin redeemed themselves this leg, but if you do a double penalty, that SHOULD put you out of the game. I'd still rather see a non-elimination leg go to a team that fought for it, but just couldn't quite do it that day.

Gotta give Derpal credit on that haunted mansion challenge, though. "Find 10 random items from this 2 minute trailer you saw on an itty bitty phone screen in this massive house. GO! What are the items? Could be anything from the trailer! GOGO!" Pretty clever to hit the answer board THEN go nosing through the house.

[EldrickOnIce]

Meh. They Queens are fun to watch too.
Yeah, they should be gone - but aren't. Such is the race.
Gracie and Lily continue to impress