Where would be a good spot for ninth leg of The Amazing Race Australia? Alice Springs to mind. With the dad jokes out of the way, let’s get on with the recap.
In the last leg, The Footy Mates had the power to dish out a Salvage and Sabotage. The Salvage was awarded to The Kimberley Cousins who scored their own driver for the duration of the leg, while The Super Sikhs, who got handed the Sabotage, were forced to carry a large stuffed kangaroo for the leg.
At the Roadblock, teams woke early to see the sun rise over Alice Springs from two hot air balloons. There was no time for Instagram selfies, as teams were tasked with throwing bean bags at a target on the ground. But, when strong winds blew the balloons off course, they were forced to make an emergency landing and switch the challenge to an Intersection.
The teams in each of the two hot air balloons had to work together to fold and pack their balloon… without a YouTube tutorial on how to pack away a 400kilogram balloon. Luckily, Violeta’s father just happened to be a professional hot air balloon operator, which saw her lead her team, to victory.
Then it was off to Todd River, where teams channelled their inner Captain Sparrow in a re-creation of the Henley on Todd Regatta, the only dry river regatta in the world. Teams had to run around a course holding a heavy boat frame, while being sprayed with water cannons.
The Detour saw teams choose between Build or Bath. In build, they had to make a skatepark element. In bath, they had to wash and dry a camel.
Once teams built and bathed, they headed to the Pit Stop: back to The Ghan station.
The Gold Coast Girls arrived first and while our bickering Power Couple, Holly and Dolor, arrived last, they were saved by a pre-determined non-elimination leg, and live to fight (literally!) another day.
Turns out, the Pit Stop was a Virtual Pit Stop, and the Race continues on The Ghan. Locked in their cabins with a series of clues to help them escape, find out Sunday what happens next.
