- Australia v New Zealand. Ten teams comprising of two people from either Australia or New Zealand compete in this race around the world. The first team to finish receives A$250,000. Representing Australia are dating bodybuilders Sally and Tyson, intensive care nurses Daniel and Ryan, mother and son Elizabeth and Todd, pageant models Inga and Tiharna and newlyweds Ashleigh and Jarrod, and representing New Zealand are siblings Emily and Jono, fitness mothers Carla and Hereni, foster parents Cat and Jesse, best mates John and Murray and feisty friends Aston and Christie.
- Ten teams of two meet for the very first time in Australia's magical and majestic Red Centre, and some of them have more in common than they know. For the first time in The Amazing Race history, the teams will be competing for their country, with five teams from Australia competing against five teams from New Zealand in a race around the world. 4WDs bring the teams to the spiritual centre of Australia. 90,000 kilometres of travel spread over ten countries lies ahead of all of them.
Representing Australia are dating bodybuilders Sally & Tyson, intensive care nurses Daniel & Ryan, mother and son Elizabeth & Todd, pageant models Inga & Tiharna and newlyweds Ashleigh & Jarrod, and representing New Zealand are siblings Emily & Jono, fitness mothers Carla & Hereni, foster parents Cat & Jesse, best mates John & Murray and feisty friends Aston & Christie.
The teams come from all walks of life, but share a common goal - to win the life-changing prize of $250,000. The destination of the 4WDs is near Uluru, the traditional meeting place for the local Aboriginal tribes, and the setting for the start of the race. It's a part of the world that abounds with stories of great survival, courage and determination, the very qualities that the teams will need in order to win the race.
Host Grant Bowler welcomes the teams to the first ever Amazing Race: Australia vs New Zealand, and tells them that it will be a race like no other - not only will they be racing for their personal pride, but this year, the pride of their country is also at stake, and how they choose to play the contest, including whether their fellow countrymen are their friends or their enemies, is up to them to decide. One thing hasn't changed - the prize money is $250,000, which one winning team will receive. There are ten legs in the race, and in each leg, teams will receive clues that will ultimately lead them to a Pit Stop. If they are the last team to check in, they could be eliminated from the race, however the winning teams in each leg will be rewarded like never before. Grant then tells the teams that the first clue is on their backpacks, and when he gives the word, the race will be on. Grant asks the teams if they are ready, and when they answer yes, he puts an arm up and the ten teams get ready to start running as soon as it drops, but then Grant reminds the teams that he told them it would be a race like no other, then adds that that all starts now, and they have to follow him.
Emily & Jono tell us how they had no idea what was about to happen at that point, while Ashleigh & Jarrod think that coming up against New Zealand is a great way to show them who is the boss - the little brother can remain the little brother, while the big dog will remain the big dog. Carla & Hereni observe that the Australian teams looked physically stronger - they feel that they are the brawn to their own brains. John & Murray would love to get one over the Australians, as they have not forgotten the underarm bowling incident that took place in a one-day cricket final between the two nations in 1981. Cat & Jesse use another sporting analogy, comparing Australia vs New Zealand to packing down a scrum between the Wallabies and All-Blacks, and Jesse knows who wins those.
Grant leads the ten teams to an area with a puddle of mud in the middle, then tells the teams that the battle begins now with a simple, age-old tradition and the purest form of contest - a tug-of-war. He sends the ten teams to opposite sides of the puddle marked by a flag denoting the team's country, so that they become two teams of 10 people. Jono is a bit worried about what is about to happen, and Emily's heart is pounding. Sally & Tyson think that they are pretty strong, while Daniel & Ryan set their strategy around one person - Tyson. Elizabeth wonders if she really needs to pull, while John & Murray observe that physically, the Australian teams looked fitter than the New Zealand ones, but the New Zealand teams develop their own strategy - rather than pull on the rope, they will sit and drain the Australians out. When Cat looks at Tyson, she has no idea that The Hulk was coming on The Amazing Race.
Grant tells the teams that the rules are simple - the first team to pull the flag of the opposing team across their own marker line will be the winners, and will be given a head start in the race, while the other team will suffer a time penalty. He asks the teams if they are ready, then tells them to take the strain. When the strained rope is positioned in the middle of the puddle, Grant says to the teams "Guys, the world awaits. Race hard, race safe, good luck - GO!"
The Australians begin to pull the rope, while John & Murray tell the other New Zealand teams not to pull but to sit, with the idea being to wear the Australian teams down. After a little while, the New Zealand teams begin to pull, a move that Jesse later describes as being like a well-oiled All-Blacks scrum, and the rope gradually pulls the Australian teams toward the mud, causing Elizabeth to fall backwards into it. Soon after, New Zealand claim victory in the contest, with Tyson suggesting later their their weight advantage got them across the line. Grant sends the five New Zealand teams to their backpacks, where their first clue is waiting for them. He tells the Australians that they have incurred a time penalty, then produces a sand timer and turns it over. The race to the backpacks is like a blur to Jesse. When the New Zealand teams open up their clues, they find out that they have to fly to Christchurch, New Zealand, where they have to travel by taxi to the Cardboard Cathedral, which was erected after the devastating Christchurch earthquake in 2011 which claimed 185 lives. The cathedral represents a major milestone in the city's recovery, and when the teams arrive there, they have to select one of three departure times for the following day. The first three teams will receive an 8:00am departure, the next three teams will depart at 8:15am, and the last four teams will have an 8:30am departure. There are two Virgin Australia flights that will leave one hour apart, with limited availability on the first flight, and the teams have $125 for this leg of the race. For Carla & Hereni, it is the best start possible - first they win the tug-of-war, then they are going to their home country. Emily & Jono also recognise the huge home court advantage it represents.
As the Australians serve out the time penalty, Inga & Tiharna are still in disbelief, being unable to believe that the Australians lost. Grant tells them that they have to wait for the sand in the timer to run out before they can follow New Zealand on the race, as they see the New Zealand teams depart for the airport. Ashleigh & Jarrod wonder how long they are going to have to wait until the sand pours, and see giving the five New Zealand teams a head start as a bad start. Sally & Tyson try to talk up to the other Australian teams, telling them that they are going to have to pull together to catch the Kiwis.
As the five New Zealand teams drive to the airport, we get to know them a little more. Carla & Hereni have the motto "Kia kaha", a Maori phrase that means "be strong", and they hope to use it a lot in the race. The mothers are proud of their Maori heritage, and see themselves as fit, feisty and strong. They do something for which they have invented the word "acroplanking", where they hold one another's bodyweight. Whatever the task may be, they are never going to give up. Their life is not over just because they have children - they see 40 as the new 20.
Emily & Jono are brother and sister, but they are also best friends, and they have a really great relationship, being able to complete each other's sentences. Sometimes, Emily feels like standing up to her older brother and telling him that she knows what they are doing. A lot of people ask Jono how he has such a great relationship with his sister, to which his reply is "Have you met my sister? She's awesome".
Best friends John & Murray call themselves "Raspberry and Coke", as they see themselves as being like the respective drinks. John sees Murray as his second-best mate, while John is Murray's best mate, and Murray is working on being John's best. They are prepared to do things to win the race at any cost.
Jesse might look tough and rough with his tattoos and piercing, but he describes himself as a "cryaholic". He and his wife have three children of their own, but they see that as not enough, so they have become foster parents to around eight other children, which keeps them on their toes. They don't see themselves as the fittest team, as "team brains" or "team bikini", but they are probably "team live life loud".
Aston & Christie have a great friendship like sisters, though that means that they can get on each other's nerves pretty easily. They regard themselves as a little bit volatile, like a perfect storm or crazy ladies. Aston is into auras, spending a lot of time in meditation.
The last grains of sand fall in the timer, and Grant tells the Australians that their time penalty is over. They run for their backpacks, 10 minutes behind the New Zealand teams, open up their clues sending them to Christchurch and set off for the airport. Elizabeth & Todd aim to be the first Australian team to the airport in case there is a sixth place on the first flight. As the Australian teams drive to the airport, we find out a little more about them. Elizabeth is a university lecturer, and as Todd reminds us, it has been a while since she ran. Todd sees doing the race with his mother as setting the biggest challenge that he possibly could, like winning from an outside barrier. They will give it everything that they have got in order to win the race. Elizabeth sees her strengths as old age and treachery.
Daniel & Ryan are intensive care nurses. One of them has been in the job for six years, the other for eleven. They genuinely have to care because they are there on someone's worst day ever. Their nursing background gives them an ability to charm, and Ryan hopes to utilise their charisma in the race. Daniel reveals that Ryan is bringing a hairdryer, and thinks of Ryan's hair as being like a finely sculpted contemporary art piece. When they get down to it, a competitive streak will come out of them both because they love a challenge.
In their married life, Ashleigh & Jarrod play out their traditional roles, with Ashleigh trying to do a lot of the woman's work like ironing and cleaning, while Jarrod is the man of the house, who has grown up doing things one way while women do it another. To all of Ashleigh's mates, Jarrod is one of the most patriotic of Aussies, and he wants an Australian team to win the race.
Inga & Tiharna refer to themselves as the "three B's - the brainy, busty brunettes". The pageant models first met at a blondes vs brunettes competition, which the brunettes won. They might be models, but Inga is also a Certified Practising Accountant, and Tiharna works in the stockbroking industry. They have been training hard, are prepared to take anything that is thrown at them, and they are hoping that will give them a little bit of an edge. They also hope to use their assets to their advantage.
Sally has nicknamed Tyson "Puppy" because he gives her unconditional love, like puppies do. They are both bodybuilding competitors who have been in a couple of international events, and they know what it takes to put 100% into what they are doing. Some other people might look at them and think that they are just silly bodybuilders, but Sally is also a vetinary surgeon and Tyson is a personal trainer. Tyson can look a little bit aggressive on the outside, but Sally sees him as a big gentle giant.
John & Murray are the first New Zealand team to arrive at Ayers Rock Airport, focussed on getting the first flight to Christchurch. Although they want to crush the Australians, they have their own objectives as "Team Raspberry & Coke", and want to crush everyone, even the New Zealand teams. There is a mad scramble as the four other teams join them. As everyone else heads inside, Aston & Christie double check to make sure they have their car keys. John & Murray are the first team to make the 12:35 flight, followed by Emily & Jono. Elizabeth & Todd are the first Australian team to reach the airport, to the surprise of Ashleigh & Jarrod. One of the New Zealand teams gives their countrymen the heads up about the Australians' arrival. Carla & Hereni and Cat & Jesse also make the 12:35 flight, but when Aston & Christie make it to the counter, they are told that the flight is full, so they have to share the second flight, which departs at 1:35, with the five Australian teams. They see it as an opportunity to keep their friends close and their enemies closer. The first flight, with New Zealand teams John & Murray, Cat & Jesse, Carla & Hereni and Emily & Jono, departs Uluru for Christchurch via Sydney, and is scheduled to arrive at midnight.
Sally & Tyson, who normally eat six meals a day in order to keep their metabolism going, snack on a banana and some yoghurt at the airport, as their biggest worry is when and what they are going to eat, while Daniel & Ryan have a chat with Aston & Christie. The second flight with New Zealand team Aston & Christie and Australian teams Elizabeth & Todd, Sally & Tyson, Inga & Tiharna, Daniel & Ryan and Ashleigh & Jarrod leaves. It is due to arrive in Christchurch at 1am, an hour later than the first four teams. Aston & Christie continue flirting with Daniel & Ryan, which Jarrod later thought was a bit lame, although Ashleigh was happy that they were on their flight because they represented their best chance of beating a Kiwi team, with Jarrod thinking of them as being like a security blanket.
The first flight lands in Christchurch at 12:40am and the four New Zealand teams on it sprint out of the airport to catch taxis to take them to the Cardboard Cathedral. Emily & Jono see themselves as having a home ground advantage, while Cat suggests that Jesse should negotiate a deal with their taxi driver. On the drive, they express the view that John & Murray are nice boys, but they have their head in the game.
Emily & Jono arrive at the Cardboard Cathedral, make their way inside and claim the first spot in the 8:00am departure the following morning, followed by John & Murray. Carla & Hereni take the last spot in the 8:00am departure, leaving Cat & Jesse with the first spot in the 8:15am departure. Carla & Hereni then go around the back of the cathedral and see an area in which there are 185 chairs, one for every person killed in the 2011 earthquake, and are soon joined there by Emily & Jono. The moment hit home for Jono, whose family doctor was among the people who perished. They take time out of the chaos of the race to stop and pay their respects. Jesse mentions that all of New Zealand felt every bit of the earthquake - not as much as the people of Christchurch did, but all of New Zealand was together in it.
The second flight arrives at 1:32am, and the six teams make their way to the taxi stand, with Ashleigh noting as she and Jarrod ride in their taxi that there was a lot of pushing and shoving on the way out. Daniel & Ryan's taxi passes that of Sally & Tyson, but the driver of the bodybuilders' taxi knows of a short cut. Aston & Christie are the last of the six teams out of the airport because they were the only team to check in luggage, but they hope that things can get better from there.
The shortcut pays off as Sally & Tyson are the first team from the second group to arrive at the Cardboard Cathedral, ahead of Daniel & Ryan, but although the bodybuilders go inside the cathedral, they don't take one of the time cards, allowing Daniel & Ryan and Elizabeth & Todd to claim the last two places in the 8:15am departure. Outside the cathedral, Sally mentions to Tyson that she saw some times hanging in the church.
Aston & Christie's situation isn't helped when their taxi driver drops them off at the original Christchurch Cathedral. They find a map that shows them how far they need to go to make it to the Cardboard Cathedral. They start walking along the road that goes there, but when they see a taxi arrive, they flag it down and get it to take them there. Sally gets Tyson to read their clue out as Ashleigh & Jarrod and Inga & Tiharna arrive, and the bodybuilders realise their mistake and run back inside the cathedral, but not before the newlyweds and pageant models take the first two spots in the 8:30am departure. After Sally & Tyson take the second last card, Sally realises that if they had grabbed a card as soon as they had arrived, they would have been leaving at 8:15am - the 15 minutes they had lost could have been the difference between staying in the race or being eliminated. Tyson tells her that anything she sees, she should ask a question straight away - they have to relax and not get too flustered. Aston & Christie are the last to arrive at the Cardboard Cathedral and get the final spot in the 8:30am departure.
At 8:00am the following morning, the first group, consisting of Emily & Jono, John & Murray and Carla & Hereni, receive their next clue. They now have to drive themselves 150 kilometres south to Rangitata Rafts, travelling through the stunning mountain scenery that formed the backdrop for the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Once they are there, they have to navigate through some Grade 5 whitewater rapids and retrieve one half of a unique ring in order to receive their next clue. As John guides Emily to drive south towards Geraldine, Carla & Hereni, knowing that Murray is from Christchurch, decide to follow him and John rather than stop to ask for directions. The mothers say that they might look nice, but they are terribly competitive.
The second group of Cat & Jesse, Daniel & Ryan and Elizabeth & Todd receive their clue at 8:15am and set off. The Australian teams allow Cat & Jesse, the only New Zealand team in their group, to lead them out of Christchurch. Elizabeth doesn't see it so much as strategy as more like survival, and reveals that she is capable of playing a few jokes on the other teams, like telling Carla & Hereni that she was one of the first women who went into space. When the mothers ask Elizabeth how long it took to get to the moon, she replies that it was about four days, and when she is asked what it is like up there, her answer is, "it's a bit dark".
The final group, with Ashleigh & Jarrod, Inga & Tiharna, Sally & Tyson and Aston & Christie receive their clue at 8:30am. Inga & Tiharna make a break ahead of the other three teams, while Aston tells Christie that this is her opportunity, through her GPS, for the "noon-day sun girl" to shine. Ashleigh & Jarrod get no help in their attempt to get directions from a local road worker. Meanwhile, when Inga & Tiharna pull into a service station to ask for directions, Aston & Christie try to stop the cashier from helping the Australians out, pushing ahead of the pageant models to get the last map, leading them to compare the feisty friends to leaches. Aston & Christie overtake Inga & Tiharna as they continue driving while Sally & Tyson find themselves lost, pull into another service station and get them to print out a Google map with directions to Rangitata Rafts. It allows Tyson to relax during his driving, knowing that he is on the right track.
John & Murray are the first team to arrive at Rangitata Rafts, and they park towards the back of the park to give them a good chance of being the first team to leave without being blocked by later teams. Carla & Hereni are hot on their heels, and Emily & Jono are not much further behind. On the raft, John & Murray decide to each look on one side in their search for a half-ring. Carla & Hereni have the best friends in their sights when they set off, so they decide to see where they get off in order to look for the half-rings. John & Murray get concerned when Carla & Hereni get their boat's guide to stop while they get off to have a look for the half-rings, making the best friends think they had gone straight past it, but the mothers' search proves fruitless, so they get back on their raft. Further down, John & Murray see a sandy area on one of the banks on the river with ten half-rings on them, so they grab one of them, return to their raft and continue. They see that Carla & Hereni are about 100 metres behind them when they set off again. Carla & Hereni see that their ring has half of a saying, but they didn't know what the rest of the phrase was.
John & Murray make it to the end of the rafting course with their half-ring and receive the next clue. They now have to drive themselves 21 kilometres west to Rata Peak Station and search for their next clue. Carla & Hereni get this clue as Emily & Jono find a half-ring. Meanwhile, Aston & Christie catch up to the second group despite giving them a 15 minute head start, and the four teams arrive at Rangitata Rafts within seconds of each other. Daniel & Ryan win the race to get their clothes changed and set off in their raft, but then they realise that Elizabeth & Todd probably let them go first so that they could see where the intensive care nurses find the half-ring.
At Rata Peak Station, John & Murray find a marked letterbox and open it to find that their next clue is a Road Block, a task that only one person from each team can perform. The person who performs the task must use a tractor to navigate their way through a slalom course and collect some hay bales, then reverse back through the course and stack a total of four bales in the marked area. Once the hay has been successfully delivered, the person then has to search through a flock of sheep to find the second half of their unique ring. No two rings are the same, so they have to look for the one ring that is an exact match. Once they find it, when the two halves of the ring are joined, they will reveal where the first Pit Stop is located.
Murray, who grew up on a raspberry farm, and Carla perform the task for their respective teams. Murray decides to grab one bale, put it on the ground, then grab a second bail, put it on top of the first and transport both bales back through the course to cut down the number of times he needs to drive through it all up. Carla's small size compared to the big tractor makes it hard for her to see out of either the front or back of it.
Cat & Jesse and Aston & Christie prepare for their rafting trips, while Inga & Tiharna and Ashleigh & Jarrod are the next to arrive at the rafting course. Sally & Tyson arrive in Geraldine and find that their directions from Google Maps lead them to the Rangitata Rafts ticket office in the town, but they can't see any other teams or any markers there. They head to the visitor centre and find that the rafts themselves are about a half an hour drive from the town. Emily & Jono reach the Road Block clue, and Emily decides to perform the task. Murray brings back his first two bales, and Carla delivers her first bale, before Emily enters the course.
Daniel & Ryan and Elizabeth & Todd continue their way down the rafting course and find their half-rings, while Inga & Tharna start on the course with Aston & Christie in their sights. Ashleigh & Jarrod are the next to start, and they soon catch up to and pass the pageant models and the feisty friends, who only had a single paddle going. One of them says to the other that she can guarantee that Ashleigh & Jarrod will wear themselves out. The brother and sister have so much fun, but they have even more when they catch up to Cat & Jesse. Ashleigh suggests later that Jarrod looks bad passing teams that he thinks are genuinely lovely.
On the tractor slalom course, Murray has some momentary trouble with his tractor, while Carla delivers her second bale, and Emily her first, to their marked areas. Jono starts to panic when Emily drives through the course with her tractor's forks digging the ground, which she doesn't realise until she makes it back to the bundle of hay bales. Carla and Emily deliver their next hay bales, but Murray recovers and brings back his final two bales to complete the first part of the task. He then jumps into the sheep pen to find the other half of his ring, taking a tippy-toe approach initially before charging. Carla delivers her final bale and heads into the pen to tackle the sheep. Murray charges down one sheep, but its half-ring turns out not to be a match for the half he has.
Back on the river, Ashleigh & Jarrod and Cat & Jesse find their half-rings. Ashleigh & Jarrod receive the clue sending them to Rata Peak Station, and are stoked to move from eighth to sixth while on the rafting course. Jarrod has trouble with his seatbelt until Ashleigh tells him to let it go. Inga & Tiharna continue in pursuit of Aston & Christie until their raft flips and sends them into the freezing water. Tiharna starts to drift away from the raft and out of sight of Inga, but she eventually grabs Tiharna's hand, and after their guide pulls himself back onto the raft, he helps the pageant models to climb back in. They find where the half-rings are sticking out and jump out of the raft to grab one.
Sally & Tyson finally arrive at Rangitata Rafts, thinking that they are last, but that there is always hope, so they are not going to give up. They decide to row really hard to try to make up some of their lost ground. Inga & Tharna complete the course and receive the clue to Rata Peak Station, but as they set off, their half-ring remains in the raft. Meanwhile, Emily delivers her last hay bale, and after tackling several sheep, Murray finds the one with the matching half-ring. He fits the two halves together, and the clue written on it tells him and John to continue west to the Pit Stop in the Southern Alps. These rugged mountain ranges provided the location of the fortress city of Edoras in The Lord of the Rings movies, and amongst the scenery is the first Pit Stop of the race. As they try to figure out from the sun which direction they need to go, Carla steps into the sheep pen looking forward to wrestling a sheep, but she soon finds a half-ring that falls off without her needing to wrestle a sheep, which turns out to match the one she has.
John & Murray leave the sheep pen as Emily & Jono make their way toward it, and they arrive at the pen just as Carla & Hereni leave it. Emily finds that the sheep are fast and not stupid. Ashleigh & Jarrod, Cat & Jesse and Aston & Christie are the next three teams to find the Road Block clue at Rata Peak Station. Carla & Hereni drive off, estimating that they are about three or four minutes behind John & Murray, while Jesse, Aston and Jarrod make their way through the tractor slalom course, with Jarrod knocking one of the bales over when he reaches the end of the course. John & Murray and Carla & Hereni both find the marked area where they have to park their cars, but it is the best mates who are the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop and meet Grant. They are proud of winning the first leg in New Zealand. Grant then tells them that as the winners of the first leg of the race, they will receive two Virgin Australia business class return flights to Los Angeles, and they also receive an Express Pass, which allows them to skip any task of their choosing and immediately receive their next clue, however, they have not one Express Pass but two, giving them the opportunity to give one away, which is a very powerful tool, but one that the best mates see later as putting a target on their backs. They have to give away one of the Express Passes by the end of the third leg, and use their own Express Pass by the end of the fifth leg. Carla & Hereni arrive at the mat in second, and Emily & Jono check in third.
At the tractor slalom course, Daniel has delivered three hay bales, but has some trouble when he digs the forks into the ground at one point, and comes close to rolling the tractor at another point, while Aston brings her first hay bale into the marked area, and tries to grab three bales at once, only for two of them to fall off. It wasn't the most graceful job that Aston had done, but it was fast and effective, with her second bale soon delivered back to the marked area. Todd delivers his fourth bale and wants to keep going despite Elizabeth's and the farmer's frantic attempts to get him to stop. Daniel also completes the course, while the farmer catches up to Todd and tells him that he only needed the four bales, a misunderstanding that he later blames on Elizabeth misreading the clue.
Sally & Tyson have fun rafting through the rapids, and find their half-ring, while Inga & Tiharna make it to the Road Block, but after Tiharna reads the part of the task that mentions searching the plot for the matching piece of their ring, Inga asks her if she has the ring, and Tiharna then remembers that she gave it to the guide, so the pageant models have to drive back to Rangitata Rafts in order to get it. As they do so, Sally & Tyson are the last team to complete the river rafting task and receive the clue sending them to Rata Peak Station. At the Road Block, Aston and Jesse have each delivered three hay bales, while Jarrod has one. When Aston delivers her final bale, Christie later uses an Australian phrase by saying that she smashed it. Jesse delivers his final bale, but Christie realises that she injured her calf, and is able to walk but not run. Aston tells her to push through it, but Christie complains that it's not about pushing through as she has torn something. Aston tries piggybacking Christie, but it only lasts for four metres, with the getting on being enough to hurt.
Daniel finds the sheep pen as Ryan sees Elizabeth & Todd arriving. Daniel finds the other half of his ring, and it only takes Todd about 35 seconds to do the same. On their way back to retrieve their half-ring, Inga feels sick with the stress and anxiety and makes Tiharna stop the car. When she recovers, Tiharna asks her if she wants to drive, and they swap places in their vehicle. Jarrod's slow progress in the tractor slalom frustrates Ashleigh as it undoes the good work they did on the rafting, with the two teams that had been behind them delivering all their bales, while Jarrod only has two in his marked area. He delivers his third bale as Jesse gets ready to wrangle a sheep. The teams are able to recognise the correct second halves of their rings by looking at the matching colours on them, but Jesse has a problem in this area - he is colour blind.
As Sally & Tyson bring their half-ring with them, they see Inga & Tiharna going the other way. Tiharna instantly realises that they have lost the 40 minute advantage that they had over the bodybuilders and they are last, while Tyson isn't sure what problem the pageant models have had, with Sally thinking that they may have gone back to do another challenge. Aston loses a shoe in the middle of a mud patch on her way to the sheep pen as Jarrod finally delivers his last hay bale. Aston tries feeding grass to the sheep and sending out telepathic vibes, but she succeeds by walking up to a sheep and grabbing it to retrieve the other half of their ring. Meanwhile, Daniel & Ryan and Elizabeth & Todd are the first two Australian teams to arrive, coming in fourth and fifth. Jesse tries asking Cat for any tips as Ashleigh & Jarrod pass Aston & Christie on their way to the pen. Ashleigh falls over in the mud, and gives the clue and water bottle to Jarrod before using the gate to keep her steady as she walks through. Jarrod gains one of the lost places back when he beats Jesse in grabbing the other half of his team's ring.
Sally & Tyson arrive at the Rata Peak Station and receive the Road Block clue. Tyson decides to do the task, while Inga & Tiharna make it back to Rangitata Rafts and retrieve their half-ring from their raft's guide. Ashleigh & Jarrod, Aston & Christie and Cat & Jesse are the sixth, seventh and eighth teams to reach the Pit Stop. Sally & Tyson don't see any other teams at the tractor slalom, and the returning Inga & Tiharna catch sight of the bodybuilder's car when they make their way to the course. Tyson and Tiharna are on the tractor slalom course together, but Tyson takes the same approach that Murray had previously used, grabbing two bales while Tiharna takes only one. Sally says afterwards that she is falling in love with him all over again. Tyson completes his second trip with two more bales, giving him enough to move on to the sheep pen. As he starts chasing the sheep, Sally tries walking across the gate to avoid falling into the mud. One of the sheep, seeing Tyson coming, drops over and rolls on the ground, allowing Tyson to take the other half of his ring.
Tiharna delivers her final hay bale, and Sally gets Tyson to carry her back through the mud as Inga & Tiharna make their way to the sheep pen. Tyson gives Tiharna the tip of trying to corner the sheep. Tyson has to go back across the paddock to get his shoes as Tiharna still tries to catch the sheep, but seeing Sally & Tyson's car still parked gives them some hope. Tiharna stares down the sheep that has the other half of their ring, but Sally & Tyson leave for the Pit Stop with an advantage they think is about five minutes. Tiharna finally grabs the half-ring from the sheep carrying it, and she and Inga put the two halves together and read the clue sending them to the Pit Stop.
Sally & Tyson arrive and prepare for a footrace to the Pit Stop, but they are the ninth team to check in there, safely in the race by the skin of their teeth. Inga & Tiharna are the last team to arrive, and Grant gives them the bad news that they have been eliminated from the race. Afterwards, Inga says that if they hadn't left the half-ring behind, they would still have been in the race - that was the one mistake that cost them the whole game. Tiharna is proud that her friendship with Inga is stronger than ever. The experience of the race is something that they are going to share together forever, and that is a bond that they feel nobody else has.
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