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Contestants rush to Amazing Race -but Seven lifts the age limit

Potential contestants for The Amazing Race Australia are unhappy that Seven has switched the advertised minimum age from 18 to 21.

When the Seven Network announced applications were open for The Amazing Race Australia, longtime fans of the show went delious in online forums and Twitter.

But now the enthusiasm has been dampened by a casting website change that has seen the minimum age of 18 years lifted to 21 years.

In less than two weeks of announcing the show, the site has had more than 100,000 people checking out its Application Guidelines.

Executive producer Trent Chapman said, “The level of interest in The Amazing Race Australia is just extraordinary. We knew the show had a huge number of fans, but we’ve been blown away by just how many of them want to compete in the race.”

Applicants are required to submit a video application of both team members, have valid passports and be available for filming for 5 weeks between September and December. Like other regional versions of the format, contestants will be racing in foreign territories.

But a week after declaring the race was open to teams 18 years of age or older, it amended the age.

A Seven spokesperson told TV Tonight, “Due to developing insurance issues overseas, the age limit for potential contestants for The Amazing Race had to be amended from 18 years old to 21 years old. Unfortunately, those under 21 years old who applied, will not be considered in this series.”

Some fans on Yahoo and Facebook are angry about the rule change:

“My friend and I were both very excited about this opportunity too, and had great ideas for our application video. She also had her passport renewed as well just for this opportunity, and as disappointed as we are, I’m sure the blow would be softened for both us, and many eager 18-20year olds around Australia if the reason for this change was explained.”

“l filled out all the forms including the essay style question at the end. My friend had to get a brand new passport for a cool 400 dollars solely for this purpose which is now gone to waste. We filmed the video and were about to edit it and also because of this we now can’t enter.”

“This makes me soooo sad. my cousin and I spent 3 days filming an audition video, and sadly, I am 20. He had also bought a passport as well for this competition.”

“Hey guys im in the same boat as you guys, I made 3 separate videos for 3 different groups along with already paying for postage bag and so forth.”

“I like most of you on this board am under the age of 21 and share your frustration with the age change, I had flights to Adelaide booked this weekend to film my application with my brother.”

Excluding a Family Edition, the youngest Racer in the US version was 20 years old.

The Amazing Race Australia is a Disney format and will be produced in conjunction with Active TV.

It will air in 2011.

20 Responses

  1. Grant Bowler would be perfect to host this! He was great on the Mole, and something like the Amazing Race needs someone low key like Grant.

    When will Channel 7 realise that their “celebrities” simply don’t work. Tom Williams, Grant Denyer, Daniel McPherson, Luke Jacobz. They ruin shows.

    And Ben Cousins? Haven’t they learnt anything from Matthew Newton??

  2. hey guys yes i was one of the slightly disappointed fans on facebook and the yahoo message boards, but all we can do now is tune into the show when it airs and support it. Hopefully it will draw high ratings to keep it going for another couple of cycles so that us eager 18-20s can finally apply! What i’m hoping to learn: good things come to those who (have to) wait :p

  3. My firend i wanted to go with me just turned 18 and im 19. she couldn’t do it even though she wanted too. i was psyched but cuz she couldnt do it i was bummed but now i don’t feel so much like im missing out. but i still think it sucks for everyone else. this should have been considered before telling people they could enter

  4. @Secret Squirrel,

    I hadn’t spent any money as of yet, I was just about to spend $208 on a passport.

    Also you obviously do not appreciate what this means to a lot of us, that money is worth for the mere Chance to get selected to race. This is what dreams do for and to people.

  5. They should of worked this out sooner … but it is pretty clear why they had to up the age.

    Speaking of The Amazing Race it would be good if Channel 7 could repeat the earlier eps when they came to Australia.

  6. Vert (and all those who rushed out and spent money on a pipe dream), if you do the maths, you’ll realise that your hopes were highly likely to be “crushed” at some point in the process. And as MandyJ says, your passport isn’t useless now that you’re not going to be on TV.

  7. Well kids, call me crazy but how about you use those passports anyway? They’re good for 10 years. Plan and save for your own amazing trip, with decent rest and no obligation to waste hours searching through ginormous piles of god knows what or to eat fish eyes. But you still can if you want, of course.

    There’s quite enough reality with teens already, I feel no desire for any more.

  8. Mmmmhmmm…. – .-

    I’m 20 and I was so excited to apply for this only for a friend to check the website and point this out.

    It was my life dream to go on The Amazing Race and now I can’t even apply for it, thanks Channel 7 for filling me with hope then taking my dreams and crushing them.

    Heres hoping for a second (or third) season in the second half of next year…

  9. Unless I am wrong, there are different rules regarding insurance in Australia and the US. Instead of Seven arranging insurance for contestants, contestants themselves should buy insurance. That way the age limit can stay at 18.

  10. Sorry but there were no guarantees you would be on the show anyway – going to get a passport just for that purpose was always going to be a risk!!

  11. they should have researched better to start off with or atleast thought about it better. just because 18 is the legal age for everything in australia that doesn’t mean that it is in other countries, and obviously despite legal ages companies can set their own ages just like these insurance ones have. first season hiccups it seems, but you’d think they would have asked the americans some questions that could have alerted them to this issue.

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