- The six remaining teams are transported from Guamá, Cuba back to Havana during the rest period, from where they travel to Vancouver, Canada. A sleep-in could prove costly for one team. One of the race's biggest and most spectacular challenges puts some teams' limits to the test at the Road Block. One team crumbles under the pressure at the Detour.—Allister Coots
- The island nation of Cuba was once cut off from the world by Communist revolutionaries, but its doors are now open to visitors. The skyline of its capital, Havana, is dominated by the Capitol building, which was once the seat of the Cuban Congress, and is the starting point for the ninth leg of the race after the teams were transported there from Guamá during their rest period. Workmates Paul & Steve are the first team to depart at 12:08am. They open their clue and find out that they must fly to Vancouver, Canada, a coastal city ranked among the best places to live in the world, and the host city of the previous Winter Olympics in 2010. Once there, they must find some totem poles located in Stanley Park. When a chief who is there has blessed them, they will receive their next clue. The confidence levels of the workmates are pretty good, but they don't want to get ahead of themselves and brag about winning the race until it has happened. As they take a taxi to the airport, police officers Shane & Andrew are the second team to depart at 12:23am, and think that it is nice for them to be at the top for once. As they travel in a taxi, they decide to see what happens at the airport. Paul & Steve arrive at the airport and see that all of the flight decks are closed. They spot an Air Canada flight for Toronto on the departures board that leaves at 7:35am - although they are heading for Vancouver, Steve points out that Toronto is in Canada.
The next two teams to depart are cheerleading twins Michelle & Jo, at 12:35am, and dating couple James & Sarah, at 2:01am. The twins want to be the first all-girl team to win The Amazing Race Australia, and are aiming to stay in the top three before pushing forward in the final leg. Normally, James & Sarah need space away from each other when they argue, as they have been spending a lot of time doing, but they don't have that on the race, so James can only grit his teeth, while there are some days where Sarah doesn't know how they still want to speak to each other, but they do. Both teams arrive at the airport and James & Sarah find nobody home at the Air Canada office. The fifth team to depart are sisters Lucy & Emilia at 2:17am, who find themselves inspired by Emilia's mother, and hope she realises just how much she does so. Lately, she has been battling cancer, and the little fighter has been taking every day and being grateful for it, and she has taught her daughters that anything is possible if they have the right attitude, so the race for the sisters is about having the right attitude and never giving up. Brother and sister Joseph & Grace are the last team to depart at 3:22am, and although they are last, they feel that they shouldn't panic, and they are over the moon when they reach the airport and find the other teams waiting for the check-in desks to open at 6:00am in order to purchase their tickets. When they open, Paul & Steve find out that they can get a connecting flight from Toronto to Vancouver. Joseph & Grace try to jump the queue, mindful that at this late stage of the race, many teams are starting to look out for themselves because they never know what other people will do for A$250,000. All six teams make the same Air Canada flight from Havana to Vancouver via Toronto.
When the plane lands in Vancouver at 4:56pm, the teams find that there are not enough taxis out the front to take all of them to Stanley Park, with Michelle & Jo and James & Sarah the teams left behind. James & Sarah try to hail a taxi outside of the line, but the driver tells them that they have to get back to the line at the front of the airport in order to catch one. In the taxis to Stanley Park, Shane & Andrew pass Paul & Steve. When they reach the park, the First Nation people are having a ceremonial dance in front of the totem poles, which Shane thinks is like seagulls, while Andrew compares them to eagles. Shane & Andrew and Joseph & Grace receive necklaces from the chief, and after that, he gives them their next clue. They must now collect two paddles and then travel on foot to the Vancouver Rowing Club in Coal Harbour and search for their next clue. Michelle & Jo, Paul & Steve and Lucy & Emilia are the next teams to receive the blessing from the chief, leaving James & Sarah in last. Some of the teams wonder how they will be able to row in the dark, but they find that question answered when all of the teams see a sign that states that the club's hours of operation are 8:30am to 4:30pm, so Michelle & Jo decide to find a hotel to stay for the night.
Shane & Andrew are first to arrive at the Vancouver Rowing Club the next morning, but are surprised when they find that only five teams have turned up, with James & Sarah nowhere to be found. As the dating couple enter the taxi back at the hotel where the teams spent the night, James tells Sarah that he set the alarm to go off an hour and a half ago. Sarah later reveals that James says it was because she was doing her hair and makeup. James points out in the taxi that it's not the first time they have been late for whatever reason. At the rowing club, the other five teams find their next clue in some kayaks, and discover that they now have a chance to compete for the only Fast Forward of the race. Any team that wishes to try for it must travel by taxi to the Nicole Sleeth Studio, where they will find their next clue. The first team to complete the Fast Forward can skip all remaining tasks and go directly to the Pit Stop. Both Paul & Steve and Shane & Andrew decide to try for it, making it a footrace between the two teams to get a taxi. Shane & Andrew regard Paul & Steve as being like the robbers the policemen were chasing down. The other three teams open up the other clue and find out that they must now travel by kayak to the Harbour Green Park Dock on the other side of the harbour. Once they are there, they need to decipher a nautical phrase using the marine flags on a yacht . When they have the phrase correct, they will receive their next clue. A nearby row of 26 flags will provide a key that can help teams decode the message. Michelle & Jo are the first team to set off, but they are not sure which direction they need to go. Lucy has some problems with trying to get into the kayak with Emilia because she is scared of falling in, and cannot stand cold water, which she solves by getting Joseph to hold the kayak steady while she gets in. Once she is set, she tells Joseph that she owes him big time. He then returns to Grace and soon all three teams are paddling across the harbour, with Michelle refusing to let Jo paddle hard so that their kayak wouldn't rock. Meanwhile, Sarah suddenly realises that in their haste to jump into the cab, she and James forgot to pay for the hotel, leading to the couple arguing about whether they should pay for it now or later. Paul & Steve and Shane & Andrew continue searching for a taxi to take them to the Fast Forward, but none of the ones they find will let them in. Shane & Andrew see Paul & Steve head up a side street towards an area where a vacant taxi is approaching, and the workmates jump in to it, leaving the police officers heartbroken. Shane & Andrew decide to cut their losses and immediately return to the rowing club.
On the harbour, Michelle and Emilia are the first people to spot the marked yacht at the Harbour Green Park Dock, and their teams face the task of deciphering the nautical phrase on its flags. Lucy & Emilia think that there is something on the key flags themselves that provides a clue, but all that they see when they look closer at them is "Made in Sri Lanka. 100% Nylon". They aren't even sure just what a nautical phrase is. Joseph & Grace join the other two teams at the yacht as James & Sarah arrive at the rowing club and find the clue in their kayak. They are still unsure about when to pay for the hotel. When Sarah presses James to make a decision, James decides to go back and pay straight away, becoming concerned that they may not have the money to pay for two more taxi fares. Lucy & Emilia wonder if the flags have anything to do with countries, with a red, white and blue flag for France standing for the letter F, but are soon thwarted by the fact that the flags are not all countries. Michelle is the first to work out that the flags on the dock are in an order, and when she counts 26 of them, she realises that the order is from A to Z. The cheerleading twins then start to spell out the flags on the yacht from left to right. Joseph & Grace, not seeing the key flags, run about 50 metres to the Harbour Air Seaplanes terminal where they jump on a computer and use a search engine to look up "nautical flags" and find a page that lists them all. Having given up on the Fast Forward, Shane & Andrew jump into a kayak and paddle across the harbour. Paul & Steve still wonder what the art studio that they have to travel to for their Fast Forward could potentially be as their taxi arrives. They open up the clue and only need to read two words to get an idea what the task involves - "Pose nude". In order to complete the Fast Forward, the workmates must pose completely nude for a still life art class. When the students have finished their sketches, the team can get dressed and will receive the clue to the leg's Pit Stop. Paul & Steve find themselves in a hurry to strip down in case Shane & Andrew catch up and decide to get naked before them, knowing that only one team could do the Fast Forward, but unaware that the policemen had given up the chase once they lost the race to find a taxi. They find out from the instructor that they both have to pose at the same time, so they ask her if she could turn the heater up for them.
James & Sarah return to the hotel and pay for their overnight stay, finding the staff helpful in giving them a discount. While they are there, Sarah also asks them about nautical flags, and they use the computer to search and print out a page that has them. James later remarks about how one of Sarah's good strengths is the way she is able to talk to people in a way that makes them give her whatever she wants. Although Shane & Andrew reckon that they have lost half an hour, they reach the Harbour Green Park Dock and see other teams still there. They quickly notice the key flags and deduce that they are in alphabetical order. As they set to work decoding the flags on the yacht, Michelle & Jo deliver their deciphered message to the people on board - "Three sheets to the wind, splice the mainbrace, weigh anchor and set sail". They receive the next clue and find themselves at the Detour, where they have to choose between two traditional skills performed by Canadian lumberjacks - Toss or Tumble. Teams choosing Toss have to throw an axe at a log target from six metres away. If the team can land ten axes on the target, the Canadian axe-throwing champion will hand them their next clue. Teams choosing Tumble must balance themselves on a rolling log. When the team has rotated the log ten times, the Canadian log-rolling champion will hand them their next clue. The twins decide to do Tumble even though they are not sure what the log roll is.
Back at the Nicole Sleeth Studio, Paul & Steve prepare to pose naked for the upcoming class. Paul says that a lot of people have seen him naked before, but not in an artistic kind of way. The workmates are ready and remove their robes to present themselves to the six students who will draw them. Paul later feels that posing naked is something that they should not be embarrassed about, but something for them to brag about - they have the guts to stand in front of complete strangers naked while they paint them. Shane & Andrew are next to read out their deciphered phrase, but Andrew tries gaining time by completing a couple of words that he thinks the flags start to spell out, a tactic that comes undone when their answer, which includes the phrase "splice the mainsail", is rejected by the people on the yacht. Emilia finally figures out that the flags on the dock represent the letters A to Z in sequential order and the sisters begin to decipher the message. Joseph uses his printout of the nautical flags to identify each letter while Grace writes them down. James & Sarah arrive at the rowing club for the second time with little money left after paying for accommodation and three taxi rides. They jump in a kayak and start to paddle across the harbour. Andrew figures out where he went wrong with the flags, with the word he thought was "mainsail" turning out to be "mainbrace", and when he and Shane read out their revised sentence, they are handed the Detour clue and decide to try their luck with the axes, as do Joseph & Grace when they are next to deliver the correct interpretation of the flags.
James & Sarah arrive at the Harbour Green Park Dock and find Lucy & Emilia still there, which leads to different reactions from both teams, giving the dating couple hope that they are back in the game, while the sisters' reaction is more like "Oh, no" as they realise that James & Sarah are both intelligent. Although the dating couple's printout from the hotel is in black and white, they use the relative shades to try and interpret the colours, while the sisters set a cracking pace, having interpreted the first sentence, in order to try to stay ahead. As the cold weather gets to Sarah, she starts to melt down in a manner that James doesn't find helpful. Lucy & Emilia are next to complete the nautical phrase and receive the Detour clue, while James & Sarah still bicker about the task. They eventually complete deciphering the flags, but when they read out the phrase, their use of "main race" leads to them being turned down. Michelle & Jo arrive at the Detour and have to change into some lumberjack clothing before they set off for their task choice. Jo starts to freak out when they arrive at the rolling log and have the aim of their task explained to them. Michelle starts to rotate the log, but on learning that they only count rotations made after she lets go of the pole, she falls in to the freezing water the moment she lets go. Jo is next to try, but on the first rotation, she ends up right under the water, having cold water going in her ears and dripping down her back - the task proves to be harder than it looks for them. At the art studio, Steve finds the experience of posing naked alongside Paul to be exhilarating, liberating and something he thought he would never say - fun. The students complete their drawings and the instructor tells the workmates that their task is done and they can put their robes back on, to which they jokingly ask if they have to. Having won the Fast Forward, they receive the clue that directs them to the next Pit Stop. They must now travel by taxi to Vancouver's waterfront and locate Crab Park at Portside. Back in their own clothes, they see a "Fast Forward Taken" sign on the clue box, and catch a taxi for the Pit Stop, sharing their experience with their taxi driver.
Shane & Andrew change into their lumberjack clothes and head for the log targets, where it is explained to them that they have 40 shots in which to land 10 axes on the targets. They think that the 1 in 4 chance is pretty good and are familiar with targets, but their first few shots either miss or bounce off the target. Michelle & Jo keep taking turns on the rolling log. Jo has lost her fear of the water by now, but it is Michelle who makes the first complete rotation of the log. With three rotations completed by the twins, Shane is the first to land his axe on a target. His success spurs Andrew on, and the policemen soon have three axes land on their target. Michelle & Jo pass the half-way point of their task with six complete rotations, but it is Shane & Andrew who are the first to reach their goal by landing ten axes on their target. They receive the next clue and find themselves at the Road Block. One person from each team has to brave both the elements and altitude as they hitch a ride to the top of Grouse Mountain, by climbing on top of a moving cable car and retrieving three flags strung along the three kilometre route. If a team fails to grab all three flags, they have to return to the bottom of the mountain and start again. The police officers find out that they have jumped ahead of the cheerleaders when they see their taxi still there as they take their own to Grouse Mountain. Michelle & Jo complete the last two rolls of the log and receive the Road Block clue as Joseph & Grace arrive for the Detour. When Grace sees the distance to the targets, she thinks it will be easy because it isn't far, but the brother and sister soon find that it's harder than it looks. Paul & Steve find the Pit Stop at Crab Park and are checked in first by host Grant Bowler. For winning this leg of the race, they each receive A$5,000 cash from Southern Cross Travel Insurance, which they can spend after the race. Having won five legs in row, Grant says that they have to be feeling confident at this point, and Paul & Steve reply that they have always felt confident - there have been a few hurdles, but they have overcome them. Paul says afterwards that he will never get sick of hearing Grant tell them that they are the first team to arrive, and hopefully he will hear it a few more times in the run to the end.
Back at the Harbour Green Park Dock, James & Sarah finally figure out that they had missed a flag in the deciphering process, and what they had as "main race" should actually be "mainbrace", which leads to them being handed the next clue. Instead of feeling happy to complete the task, they are happy that they don't have to keep doing it. They choose Toss and find a taxi to take them to the Detour, but conscious that they are short on money, they ask the driver how long it will be to where they need to go. When he tells them that it's around 30 minutes, Sarah asks him if he can make it 10 or 15, to which he answers that he will try. After another miss from Grace at the targets, Joseph tells her that she needs to aim higher. His next shot is the first to hit the target, and Grace then surprises him with her strength by getting the next two hits. Lucy & Emilia arrive at the Detour, and think at first that the task they have chosen will be great, then they see the big log in the icy water, and Lucy reveals later that she wanted to run for the hills and find a bear to wrestle, which gives Emilia a funny visual of her sister wrestling a bear. Their balance issues are so great that on their first attempts, they find themselves in the water even before they have let go of the pole. Lucy finds herself close to tears after her whole body ends up under the water. Grace and Joseph land their final two axes and are next to head for the Road Block, while Emilia completes two rotations of the log. James & Sarah arrive at the Detour and find that the taxi fare of around C$43 is more than they have left, but their driver helps out by agreeing to stay with them. James lands the first two axes on the target as Shane & Andrew arrive at Grouse Mountain, which Andrew describes later as a magical and picturesque place, and Shane makes the climb to the top of the cable car and has the task explained to him - after he grabs the first flag from the first tower, he has to climb the ladder on the top of the car to reach the second flag before grabbing the third flag from the second tower. If they miss a flag, they have to go back down, and if any other teams arrive in the meantime, they have to take it in turns to ride the cable cars. Each team gets a maximum of three attempts to get the flags, and if they fail to get all of them in those attempts, they have to serve out a four hour penalty. Shane takes in the view as the ride begins, and sees the flags hanging off the first tower. As he approaches, he thinks he will have to stretch out in order to grab it, but he jumps and successfully gets a flag, and the pole that it was attached to. He then climbs up the ladder for the second flag.
On the rolling log, Emilia completes the ninth rotation, and then tells Lucy to try to look at the other end of the log, realising that when she has psyched herself out of a task, it gets really hard, though Emilia admires how her sister kept getting up there and trying again, considering it to be inspirational. Lucy gets the log moving before she falls off, but unfortunately, it doesn't count as a full rotation. Emilia completes the last rotation and cheers and congratulates Lucy for trying her best. Emilia reveals later that she couldnt have done it without her, while Lucy thinks Emilia is a superstar for doing all of the rolls. As they set off for the Road Block, James lands his eighth axe, then Sarah gets a successful shot in before James completes the task. Sarah decides to perform the Road Block, but she and James have to ask some locals for money after they find their taxi still waiting, and receive C$5 from a Chinese couple. Shane grabs the final flag from the second tower, and he and Andrew receive their next clue - they now have to travel by taxi to the next Pit Stop at Crab Park at Portside. Michelle & Jo arrive at Grouse Mountain, where Michelle performs the Road Block and climbs to the top of the cable car. Jo tries not to look out of the window as Michelle grabs the first flag, then climbs to the top of the ladder for the second flag. As Shane & Andrew leave the cable car, they see Joseph & Grace arrive, and Shane hopes that Grace, who isn't as tall as Joseph, wasn't doing the task considering the stretch that he, at six feet (around 1.8 metres) tall, had to make. Unaware of what Shane was thinking, Grace had already decided to perform the task. Michelle grabs the third flag and does a little victory dance on top of the cable car before she and Jo get the clue to the Pit Stop. Grace tries a few practice jumps on the ride up, but when she gets to the first tower, she jumps as far as she can and touches, but cannot grab, a flag. As they ride back down the car, Grace knows that if they have to serve a four-hour penalty, it would set them back and make them look at the possibility of elimination.
Lucy & Emilia arrive at Grouse Mountain as Joseph & Grace start their second attempt, with the sisters surprised to see Grace on top of the cable car. Again, Grace tries a few practice jumps on the way up, with Joseph encouraging her to use both hands to jump and one hand to grab, but in spite of giving it all she has, she still misses the flags, comparing it afterwards to being like an adult holding a lollypop out of reach for a child. Emilia then performs her first attempt, but it isn't until the sisters are inside the cable car having the task explained to them that it hits Emilia that she has to stand on top of the car. On her own inside the car, Lucy says that although Emilia would do any challenges involving heights, Lucy thinks her "go-go-Gadget arms" would have come in useful. Emilia felt she was nothing like Tomb Raider as she holds on to the ladder during the ascent, struggling with the height despite the beauty of the view. Lucy shares Emilia's view about being scared, like a big sister worrying about her little sister. She tells Emilia to focus on the flags, but as Emilia approaches the first tower, she doesn't realise just how high they are and tries unsuccessfully to reach out for them, but although she isn't close, she doesn't know what she did wrong. Her miss is seen by Joseph & Grace, who are in another car on the way back down the mountain. At Crab Park at Portside, Shane & Andrew arrive at the mat in second, and give themselves a cheer but express disappointment at not getting the Fast Forward, and tell Grant that they would have had a go at it whatever it was. He tells them that it involved posing naked together for a life drawing class and asks them how they would have gone with that, to which the police officers reply that it would have been right up their alley. Michelle & Jo maintain their place in the top three by checking in third.
When they arrive at Grouse Mountain, James & Sarah tell their taxi driver that they don't have the full fare of C$75.30, but pay him the C$25 that they do have. They are happy to ask some more locals for more money, but the driver tells them it is okay. As Sarah gets strapped up ready for the task, Grace is on her third and final attempt, knowing that if she doesn't get the flags this time, she and Joseph have to serve a four-hour penalty. She jumps up at the first tower and succeeds in grabbing the first flag, then climbs the ladder to collect the second flag. Emilia is next in line to start the ascent as Grace approaches the final tower. Joseph knows that if Grace can get the final flag, then they are able to leave the Road Block without a penalty, and after she grabs the flag, the brother and sister receive the clue to the Pit Stop. As Emilia approaches the first tower, she has only one thought in her mind: "Do it for Mum". She grabs the first flag, and climbs the ladder to get the second flag still thinking about her mother. Lucy tells her younger sister that she is like Superwoman, and she loves her. As Sarah takes her position on top of the next cable car and takes in the unreal view, she tells James that he is jealous and should be up there, to which James answers that he hopes she can jump up and grab the flags. Sarah has a strategy as she approaches the first tower that the further she stands toward the back of the cable car, the lower the flags would be to grab, and it pays off as she reaches out to grab the first flag without needing to jump. James reminds Sarah that the second flag she needs to get is the one on top of the ladder, and she retrieves it.
As Joseph & Grace reach the bottom and return to their taxi driver, they find out that he left his meter running. They give him the C$120 they have, and he tells them that they are still short. He asks them if they had a credit card, and when they reply that they don't, he tells them that they should have told him that before. All that the brother and sister can do now is to beg the locals for some more money. As Emilia approaches the second tower, she starts singing the Bryan Adams song "Heaven", and is called a lunatic by her bigger sister when she tells her to concentrate on the task, but Emilia feels that she has to sing Bryan Adams because she's in Canada. Despite the moment of madness, as the flags on the second tower come into sight, Emilia stops singing and starts thinking about her mother again. When she grabs the final flag, she thinks about everything her mother has gone through, and it reminds her to put her life into perspective. Afterwards, the sisters agree that it has been a fun journey. At the top, they receive the clue to the Pit Stop, and feel like they can do anything. On the next car, Sarah grabs her final flag, climbs back down inside and reveals the flags to James like a clown pulling out handkerchiefs. As they receive the clue to the Pit Stop, they wonder how they will get there without any money. The other team with money issues, Joseph & Grace, head into Starbucks Coffee and start asking the diners there for money. Although Grace hates doing it, she knows that they are desperate. They appreciate one local's offer of C$5, and are helped a little further when their taxi driver cuts them some slack by reducing his fare to C$147, with Joseph thinking afterwards that he just felt sorry for them in the end. Lucy & Emilia and James & Sarah both find taxis. James & Sarah's driver asks them if they have money, and they tell him that they do. As they both set off for Crab Park at Portside, Joseph & Grace are the fourth team to check in. James & Sarah arrive at Crab Park hoping that the fare is close to the C$4.76 that they have left, but it turns out to be C$31.10. The driver tells James & Sarah that he cannot help them because he has to pay his boss, but he can accept a Visa or MasterCard. Outside the cab, he asks them why they took the cab if they didn't have money, to which Sarah answers that they didn't think that it was far. As they still argue with their driver only metres from the Pit Stop, Lucy & Emilia arrive and head straight for the mat, where Grant tells them that they are the fifth team to check in. When Grant tells them that they are doing really well, Lucy replies that Emilia is doing really well, and she's a champion. In the car park, James & Sarah turn around and see a police car, so they approach the officer for help and tell him what it is all about. The officer gets the taxi driver to call his boss, and eventually tells James & Sarah that if they send him a case of Fosters (an Australian beer), when they get home, he will consider their account settled. The dating couple accept the offer, grab their belongings from the taxi and head to the mat, where Grant tells them that they are the last team to arrive, and as this is a pre-determined elimination leg, they are therefore out of the race. When he asks them if they are off or on, Sarah answers that she thinks she and James will know each other until they are 85, old and decrepit, and James adds his view that there is nothing that can pull them apart. When they share their thoughts afterwards, Sarah says that even though sometimes they want to kill each other, they are still good, still going and still kicking goals, to which James adds that they don't always kick goals, but they are kicking points at least.
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