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Previously on the Amazing Race, our remaining nine teams froze up and took a little "chill" pill in the first task. Then fell head over heels for each other on the climbing wall to get the next tip. Donna tried to speed her team up. Zack got over his fear. The strippers came in first place. And Kaleb tried to prove that he still has an energetic bone in his body despite being in his early forties. His plan sort of worked, but in the end, him and his son, Mac, showed up in last place and were cut from the competition. Only eight teams are left. Will any of them be able to handle what we have to throw at them today? It's time for another installment of... the Amazing Race.

***

"Welcome back to Van Tan in the mountains," Toner introduces. Once again, he has the camera situated away from the club to avoid any confrontation with the FCC. "Our first team to depart will be the strippers."

Pepper gets his jeans zipped back up as he steps up to the clue box. "Thank again for the fun day, Janet!" he calls over his shoulder before getting the first clue of the day. "Sweet! We're going to the Yukon!"

The Yukon territory covers the northwest part of Canada with its cold climate; perfect for dog-sledding, hiking, and even ice fishing. The Aurora Borealis happens to brighten up the night sky with a beautiful greenish light that all tourists enjoy seeing. Team must fly to Old Crow Airport to find their next tip.

For the first four teams, they have the advantage of getting to leave first. As for the last four teams, they're going to have to hustle to keep up with the others. "The Yukon is one of the coldest regions of the world," Echo points out. "Why does Toner insist on sticking us to these crazy-weathered locations?"

"I'm not sure," Majira says. "I'm honestly surprised we're still in the race at all considering the fact Toner doesn't like us."

"Why wouldn't he like us? What's there to not like?"

He shrugs. "Maybe it's because we're more famous than he ever will be." Echo couldn't disagree with that, knowing how sadistic Toner can get as a host.

Behind them, Nick looks at the rearview mirror. In full view are those annoying cabbies (one of whom is clearly yelling at the driver). The sly fox snickers and sits back. "What's so funny, slick?" Judy asks.

He sighs. "Ah, nothing. It's just funny to see those behind us freak out over every little thing." Hopefully they'll get stuck on a second flight, he thinks.

"You know it's not very nice to laugh at other people's failures, right?"

"It's the cab drivers that are behind us. Look for yourself." They both turn around to see Vito & Donna snarling in the backseat. The bunny hated to admit it, but it was a pretty funny sight. "See? I told ya. Now all we have to do is keep outranking them and we get to keep seeing that all the time. Or, even better, get to see them being eliminated soon."

Both hostile racers are fidgeting in their seat as they see the officers ahead of them, mocking them. She managed to avoid the dreaded number (for those just tuning in; it's 4), but they dropped down to seventh place. "Will you please hurry!" Donna snarls at the driver. "This is a RACE, you need to be going as fast as you can?"

The coyote driving the taxi looks at them confused. "Uh... Je ne parle pas anglais," he says. "Je suis francais."

The words jumble around Donna's mind, making her slightly confused. "This Dip doesn't even speak English?!"

"I've got this one," Vito says. He leans forward in his seat so he's close enough for the driver to hear. "Nous allons l'aéroport. Rouler plus vite ou bien je vais vous présenter un MONDE DE DOULEUR!!!" The diver's ears twitch and his foot goes down on the accelerator.

"What did you just say?" Donna asks, slightly impressed yet a little spooked out from whatever it is her partner just threatened.

Vito sits back, folding his arms. "I think it is best if I did not tell you," he says

And in the very back of the line are the engagers. They mostly stay silent, probably because there's tension around them (not between each other, but between the other teams). "How many times are we going to start out in last place?" Ren asks. "And how many more times is Toner going to keep messing with the game."

Cal shrugs. "It's his show; he can pretty much do whatever he wants." Except yesterday when the dog claimed his boss made him have yesterday's end point at a strip club. "Besides, we have allies, right?"

"Yes. But a big question is are they still loyal to us?"

It's a question that they've thought about for most of the 14-hour flight, which all eight teams managed to catch. By the time they've landed, it's past 9:30pm and sky is still bright since the city experiences Midnight Sun in the summer. The gorgeous Northern Lights, lightens up the sky with its emerald green shade.

As the teams exit the plane, they are given coats, scarves and hats as the freezing cold penetrates them even through their fur. The tip box lies just next to the runway, which the haters get to first. "It's another Roadblock," Josee reads. "'Hook, Line, and Sinkers'?"

For this Roadblock, whichever teammate didn't climb up the wall in Vancouver must toss a fishing line into the river. But pay close attention because they are looking for a fish branded with the Amazing Race logo on it. Conveniently (and carefully) attached to one of the fins of each branded fish is the next tip. To make things a little more interesting, one of those tips has another U-Turn ticket, which will cause another team to repeat the first challenge.

Transportation is limited in the middle of Nowhere, Yukon; so the teams set out on foot towards the river. Across the street on the east side are eight fishing poles and a small can of worms, the only supplies for the task. The haters, cab drivers, and stripers are in a tight race for first.

"Step aside, last time I checked, it's my turn at this," Donna says as she grabs one of the poles. Pepper and Ryan follow. The officers, YouTubers, marines, and engagers arrive next with the friends with benefits in last place.

"You have done this before, right?" Toby asks.

Felix sticks the hook through one of the worms and tosses the line on the water. "No," he confesses. "But how hard can it be? You just stand here and wait for results."

It becomes quiet all of a sudden, all eight of the players wait for something to stir within the river, but nothing happens. Yet every single of them can feel the pressure of coming in last, something they cannot afford since this task is getting a little slow. What doesn't help is the possible U-Turn that is somewhere in here.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Zack sneaks over to Ren, whose partner is only a few people away from Chris. "Hey," the brightly colored fox whispers. "How'd you guys do yesterday?"

"We came in eighth," Ren answers in the same hushed tone. He has no idea why they have to whisper, considering the other teams are typically spaced out with a few feet in between. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can," Zack says. "What's on your mind?"

"Have you ever noticed that your partner is..." How should I put this? Ren thinks. "... a complete jerk." The orange fox tilts his head and narrows his eyes, as if trying to search him for an explanation. So he gives one. "I mean, I've noticed that Chris isn't exactly nice to you. Has he been like that the whole race?"

Zack looks over at his partner. The wolf/husky concentrating completely on the fishing task. "Well, I... uh..." He doesn't know what to say. If he admits it, then Chris will likely kill him or at least hurt him. At the same time, if he doesn't, then it will probably continue. And he doesn't want that. "... yes. Yes, ok, I admit it; Chris has been a jerk to me this entire race and I don't know why."

Ren wraps an arm around him. "Why do you think I'm here?" he asks. "Because Cal made me do this. But I can also see that you need some help breaking away from Chris." Zack smiles and his tail sways.

Meanwhile, Josee paces around behind Ryan, which is almost driving him nuts considering she stomps her feet when she paces, but it's better than hearing her quarrel with him. "Is there any way to make these fishes catch your line already?" she asks.

Ryan rolls his eyes. Here we go again. "I have no idea," he says. We're supposed to have this little thing called patience when it comes to fishing." And he should know, his grandpa took him out all the time, when he was a cub, to the local lake. "Besides, we're in second place. It's not that bad."

Josee decides to take a different approach to the situation. Since Ryan can hardly be affected by words, she tries using physical touch. Keeping her voice calm, she strides up behind him and caresses his shoulders, knowing that's his weak spot. "But think about how nice it'd be if we got first place," she purrs in his ear. Ryan knows what she's trying to do, she's played this card before. It makes her happy though (and that's better than angry), so he lets her keep it up.

A few people over, Donna watches them and she makes a disgusted face when she sees Josee crawling all over Ryan. Something tugs at the end of her line. Vito notices it right away. "Hey, hey! Donna!"

"Huh?" She looks at the end of her line. The vixen springs into action, reeling it in as fast as she can. Out of the water comes a fish (salmon, it appears) with a clue at its tailfin. Donna snatches it and throws the fish back. "Looks like we have One-Way on our hands: 'Make your way to the Rampart House where everything there is as quiet as a mouse'."

After teams manage to snag one of the fish, they must jet ski twenty miles along the river until they reach and old shack along the international border. It also serves as today's checkpoint. The last team to arrive could be sent home.

The cab drivers gloat as they take first place. "So long, losers!" Donna exclaims. Her and Vito run along the shore until they see eight jet skis floating along the riverbank. She sees a U-Turn station and feels a small sense of pride, knowing that nothing can make them repeat the task now. They head off along the river, but a couple of the other teams are starting to catch up.

Majira snaps awake when he feels something tug on the other end of his line. He reels it in fast. "You might want to hurry!" Echo calls out. "The haters are right behind you!" The fox looks over and sees Ryan pulling a fish out of the river. Why is Echo doing this task? Majira thinks. She's better at this outdoor stuff than I am. Idaho proved that.

When his own fish is in sight, the YouTubers notice right away the the tip is thicker than it usually is. Majira gets his paws on it and sees a second ticket attached to the clue. "We've got the U-Turn!"

Once Josee & Ryan pass them, they start to run after them. It's a smart idea to boomerang the haters since they'll most likely come in last. Echo sifts through the photos and finds one of her and Majira and one of the haters. She hands her partner the ticket and clue as they close in on the U-Turn station. As they pass Josee & Ryan, the fennec leaps out and slaps both photos on the station in their respective places. She hops onto the jet ski behind Majira and they ride off, splashing the haters with the backsplash.

Josee growls at them as they leave, but Ryan tugs on her arm. "Come on, if we hurry now, we might still be able to take third," he urges. It kills the tigress to have to turn around in the race. Yet she picks up Ryan and runs them back over to where they were fishing.

Nick sits next to Judy as he waits for her to catch something. He already feels a little upset because the cab drivers are already gone, but even a little dread because last place is still up for grabs and he doesn't want to take it. "You know, those cabbies are already done," he points out.

"Yes, I am aware," Judy says calmly. She keeps a blank expression, keeping her eyes on the river in case something pops out. Her ears perk when she hears the griping of Josee return. "I thought the haters already completed the Roadblock."

"We've been U-Turned!" Josee calls over her shoulder. "And don't you dare say a word about it, rabbit!"

Judy widens her eyes and is about to say something when Ryan cuts in. "Don't be mad!" he says. "She's just a little peeved because the YouTubers found the ticket and sent us back! That and because since I was the one who did it last, she was to do the Roadblock now!" Hearing this makes the tiger ball up her fists and growl again.

Cinnamon & Pepper sit down together as the latter of the two holds the fishing rod. "I'm thinking about changing the color of my fur," the grey fox says. Cinnamon gives him a questioning look and asks why with his paws. "Because... I don't know, I feel like changing something up a little bit. Nothing wrong with that is there?"

"No," Cinnamons ASLs. "What color are you going to change it to?"

"I was thinking maybe light blue or green. You know; something that pops out more than just plain old grey. What would you change yours to if you could?"

The brown fox looks upwards, contemplating it. He does enjoy his chocolate brown fur, but he also thinks about doing something a little more interesting. Maybe some white with red and green for the holidays once it comes around or red and yellow for Autumn. Something seasonal, he tells himself.

He's about to tell Pepper when the end of his line is tugged under the water. Cinnamon points this out. "Oh! Thanks, man!" Pepper gets on his two feet, in case the sea creature wants to put up a fight, and starts reeling it in.

At the opposite end of the beach, Chris keeps a sharp eyes on the water for any disturbances on the surface. Half of his mind, though, is on Zack. Why can't I just tell him how I feel? Why am I so rude to him? If I tell him now, he's going to reject me for all the hate that I've displayed through this race.

The way he's been acting was cruel and he knows it. He can't help it; the way Zack acts is so childish and annoying. At the same time, he finds it adorable and he just wants to wrap him in his arms and hold him close. I have to try to be a better person towards him, he thinks to himself.

Out of nowhere, he feels something touch his shoulder and he yelps. "Hey, Chris, I think something's tugging your line," Zack points out.

"Zack! Don't scare me like that!" he shouts. "I know what I'm doing now would you stay out of it before we get penalized!" The fox drops his ears and tail and turns the other way, trudging away from him.

The hybrid mentally slaps himself. What's wrong with me?

Looking out towards the river, he sees that Zack was right: the end of his fishing line is pulled under. Chris reels it in fast. Over on his left, Cal has the next clue in one paw and a trout in the other. Before he can eat it though, Ren makes him throw it back in the river. This is enough to motivate him to go faster. Seconds later, a fish pops out of the water on the marine's line and he reels it in.

"Let's go!" he calls out. Him and the fox start running to the skis while they still can. They catch up to Ren & Cal and even pass them. Zack hops in the driver's seat, making Chris tense up again. "What are you doing?"

The fox looks back to him. All he can see is the hybrid yelling at him and controlling him all season. Time to start saying enough is enough. "I'm driving!" Zack barks.

This takes Chris aback for a moment. Zack has never yelled back at him before. What's gotten into him? He's about to say something but their allies pass them again, rendering him impatient. "Fine, drive us then." He hops behind Zack and holds onto him as the vulpine starts riding them down the river. For a second, Chris enjoys the feeling of his crush in his arms, somewhat forgetting that they're in a competition.

***

The first jet ski makes it to the border with the Rampart House only a couple thousand feet away. The YouTubers hops off and start running towards the old house. Just when they think they're safe, they hear sounds of another team behind them. Vito & Donna run up behind them, victory faces on and everything.

At the checkpoint, Toner stands wearing a cameo coat and a ushanka that matches it. He watches as both of the teams fight back and forth for the lead. The host can see the determination in all of their eyes. Even though he's supposed to remain unbiased, he's rooting for one of them to outrank the other. And his wish comes true.

"First place..." He holds up the paws of the winners. "... YouTubers." Echo & Majira hug each other tight, squealing for joy. It's been too long since they won and here they are, in the middle of nowhere, celebrating. As they head inside the house to look around, the bitter cab drivers slowed to a walk. "You are completely aware that second place is not a bad thing, right?" Toner asks.

"Here's what I think of placing second to those camera-loving freaks," Donna growls. She digs her claws out and dishes a few clean scratches across Toner's stomach, shedding his coat to pieces before Vito pulls her away.

"My jacket!" Toner exclaims. "This cost a fortune, lady!" But the drivers were already out of earshot (either that or they were ignoring him). He turns back to the camera and takes his coat off, leaving him in his usual jean vest and white t-shirt. "Um... let's continues with the race, shall we?"

Cal & Ren- 3rd place

Chris & Zack- 4th place

Cinnamon & Pepper- 5th place

Toby & Felix- 6th place

With only two players left at the fishing task, Josee and Judy are trying their best to snag a fish, but they still seem to have a little trouble. Every time the tigress gets something on her line, it turns out to be a tin can or some other kinda of junk (Ryan sits back and laughs at this every time). Judy's line though, doesn't move no matter how long she's there.

"All the other fish couldn't have swam away already, could they?" the bunny asks.

Nick shrugs, somehow staying cool about being in last. "It's open waters, carrots. There's nothing restricting the fish into just this part of the river." He hears Josee shout victoriously and sees she has a catfish (laugh at the irony later) with the tip in paw. "Ok, now we're doomed."

Just then, something tugs at the end of Judy's line. THe second she sees it, she pulls and reels the line in, revealing a salmon with the next clue attached. "It's not over yet, slick," she says. "Let's go before the haters leave!"

The officers hustle to get out of last place. The haters have taken on of their ski just as Judy & Nick hop on the last one and start to catch up. Because of their lighter weight, they manage to catch up slowly as they ride down the river. Josee & Ryan try to block them off, but they always find a way to loop around them so they can catch up.

After a while of this (going back and forth), the last two teams come up on the Rampart House. Toner stands back up, coffee in paw (it's late at night, he needs the energy). He watches as the officers hops of their ski before Ryan stops theirs. The haters get off, catching up to the little furs sprinting towards the carpet.

Right after Josee thinks she has them right where she wants them, she trips on a root sticking out of the ground and tumbles to the ground, making Ryan stop to help her up. By then, it was too late.

"Officers, you're in seventh place," Toner announces. Nick & Judy hi5 and step off the carpet. Last, but very least, the other team gets on. "Haters, I'm sorry to say, but you're the last team to arrive." Josee balls up her fists. Toner holds his paws out in defense. "Relax, Mamma Tig, it's not an elimination round. You guys are perfectly safe." The tigress loosens up a little, with Ryan escorting her away from Toner.

"At least it could have been worse," Ryan points out.

"Worse?" Josee repeats. If she has any nice feelings towards Ryan back at the river, it's long gone by now. "If you had just ran faster than those brats we would've won! In fact, had you just gotten a fish faster, we wouldn't have had to go allllllllll the way back to do it AGAIN!"

While they bicker, Toner appears on screen to close off the show. "Well, while those two argue some more, I'm obliged to say this: Eight teams are still left in the hunt for one million dollars. Who will fall into last next? Find out on the next chapter of... the Amazing Race."