The Amazing Race 8, Finale: O Canada!

Merci beaucoup (getting into the spirit early) to Rick, my expert on all things Canadian and curling. Any errors in this recap are mine, not his.

Previously on 10 Families x 4 People Each = 40 Names to Memorize: Well, I’m not recapping all of this. That’s 11 recaps worth of information! [Editor’s Note: But you can click on the link and get our entire season’s worth of coverage in one spot!] Hey, look, Gaghans! I miss them. Just know that the order of the families eliminated were Blacks, Rogerses, Aiellos, Schroeders, Gaghans, Paolos, and Godlewskis. Just three are left:

The Bransens: Wally, Lindsay, Beth, and Lauren - Father and daughters/Kicking butt and taking names

The Linzes: Megan, Alex, Nick, and Tommy - Sister and brothers/My pick to win

The Weavers: Linda, Rolly, Rebecca, and Rachel - Mother and kids/Maybe they’ll accidentally wind up in Antarctica

One of these families will win a million dollars. Let’s hope it’s one we like. The teams are in Green Meadow Ranch, Montana (not Wyoming, as I kind of implied last week - sorry about that). There are no more eliminations left in the game, so each of these three remaining families has a chance to win. Will the Weavers continue to isolate themselves? Here’s a hint: Phil says this over shots of the three teams eating, and the Weavers are sitting at a table by themselves. The Linzes and Bransens are eating together and the Linzes start joking that the Bransens will betray them. Will these teams remain friends?

The Bransens are the first to leave at the lovely hour of 3:04 a.m. Their clue tells them that they’re on their way to Montreal. They have been given tickets, but they are free to find a faster flight. Once they arrive in Montreal, they are to find an area in a train station known as Underground City. There, they will have to look through maze-like halls for the passageway to the basement of the CDP Capital building. The Bransens decide that they’ll try to find a flight that gets in earlier. They’re very happy to be in first place. Beth says that there are no words to describe the experiences they’ve had on the race. The girls are a little worried to learn from Wally that people in Montreal speak French.

The Linzes depart, happy to be in the final three. They note that it’s not every day you get a 1 in 3 chance to win a million dollars. They vow to race as hard as they can and hope to reach the finish line first. The Linzes also decide to try to find a faster flight. The Weavers leave, stating that they don’t know how they’re still in the race. They don’t think that they were seen as a threat earlier in the race. Rolly likes being the underdog. Linda says that he’s grown up a lot, both on the race and in their normal lives. She thinks he’s handled everything very well.

The Bransens reach the airport and manage to find a direct flight from Minneapolis to Montreal that gets in ten minutes earlier than the already-booked flight. They say that ten minutes could make a big difference. The Linzes arrive at the airport but are unable to find a better flight. The Weavers note that they’re not dressed for Canada. They don’t seem to have time to find a better flight. All three teams fly to Minneapolis. When they arrive, the Bransens try to keep themselves away from the other teams so they don’t see what they’re doing. They learn that their flight is “on time, so far.” They’re confident that they’re on the earliest flight. Beth says that it’s a risk to be going off on their own, but it might be worth it.

The Linzes aren’t sure where the Bransens are. It doesn’t matter much, though, since they manage to find a flight that gets in an hour earlier than the pre-booked one. The Weavers are still having no luck getting a faster flight. They and the Linzes run around an airport in Toronto and Rolly and Alex collide. Linda barks at Alex not to touch her son. Alex tells his siblings that Rolly’s lucky he didn’t break his arm. Megan says that the Weavers are rude and obnoxious and now things are getting personal.

Alex says that he thinks Rolly might have grabbed his backpack. Linda asks an airport employee if there’s a faster way to find out about a better flight. The Weavers are escorted to an office, which doesn’t make the Linzes happy. The Weavers get on the same flight as the Linzes, not realizing that the Linzes are already on it. The two families fly to Montreal. Once they’re there, the Weavers run through the airport but the Linzes are a little calmer. They wonder if they can get a shuttle, then reread their clue, which tells them they have to travel by cab.

The Weavers are already in a cab. Rolly tells the driver to go fast and the driver replies that he won’t lose his life getting them there. The Weavers ask his name, which is Ted, and say, “Merci, Ted.” Rolly thinks the Linzes are puzzled. Linda reads the clue to Ted, who seems to be on top of things. The Linzes’ cab driver asks if they want him to go fast; of course they do. He asks if he’s going to get “big money” from them.

The Bransens are still in the air, as their plane is late. The Weavers arrive at the train station and ask Ted to wait. He promises to but tells them that they have to come back. The Linzes are excited by the possibilities the Underground City might hold. I’m thinking Morlocks, but that’s because I’m a dork. The Weavers look for CDP (though they think it’s CDC, which would be an entirely different task in an entirely different place) and finally find it.