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Update: The Amazing Race Australia

10 looks to be wrapping reality series early.

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Heads up viewers of The Amazing Race Australia…

Next week 10 screens the series from Sunday 26th – Thursday 29th.

This suggests 10 is looking to wrap the season early, following disappointing numbers.

With The Real Love Boat set for Wednesday October 5, the network is yet to confirm a TARA final for Tuesday October 4th.

I’m keen to hear feedback on why you think this season hasn’t worked -heading off around the world after 2 years of lockdowns should have been a boon.

54 Responses

  1. There are a few aspects of this season of TAR Aus that are issues for me as a viewer. The challenges look quite basic and budget, which may be necessary for cost, but they aren’t compelling viewing. This season, teams had to each paint one stair with watery paint. This would have cost production nothing and it showed. The parkour challenge was a joke. Last season, teams had to each cut a patch of grass with small scissors as a task. They spent all the money on airfares to the destinations and nothing on the challenges.

    The lack of rules around penalties shows the production doesn’t have fair systems in place or
    understand how TAR works. Beau as a host is too over the top and cartoony for my liking. It takes the seriousness away from the race and competition when he always makes jokes of things. His blunt “You’re eliminated from the race” to the last team lacks any empathy and is delivered too matter of fact.

    There is no travel element which usually added to the drama.

  3. The show now seems like a collection of challenges with hardly any travel component. All these challenges could be done anywhere – even a studio. What to me is missing from the show is the overall race component – where teams would end up on different flights, different buses, trains, etc and usually have a budget to do so. Some would be in one country while others in the next – the difference between first and last team could be more than a day and several challenges behind, whereas now it seems they all stay together. Also they now seem to be in one area, one country for multiple episodes. It is also way too many challenges between pit stops.

    My understanding is that cast and crew all fly on the same chartered plane between countries, at the moment to avoid possible covid issues so not possible to do the traveling like they used to, but that was what made the show to me – trying to get flights, tickets, etc… not just challenge after challenge after challenge…

  5. Also to add – I think it did not help that this show aired straight after another show featuring pairs running around like crazy with Backpacks on (Hunted).

    While different games, the TAR/Hunted comparison was made by many on socials when Hunted was on. I wonder what numbers TARAus would have pulled if it was pushed towards October/November, and had 10 aired … say Traitors in this slot.

  6. I am enjoying this season for what it is – it is the best of the 3 Ch10 seasons of TARAus. However, it is still a far cry from the Ch7 TARAus, which were brilliant.

    Ch10 TAR is missing that extra intensity to make compelling viewing – challenges mostly feel easy (improved from last season, but still), travel aspect of the game is non-existent (sat-navs while driving, no flight hunts), wonky penalties, editing could be tighter, staying in a country for 3 eps slows an intended fast-paced show

    Also, the airing format (3 eps a wk for 7 wks) is an overload (not TARAus specific, but that trend is catching up with the networks)

    I hope numbers on catch-up are ok & Ch10 gives it one more chance – the production team has improved & heard the fan reaction from last season (intruders and improvement on tasks). If they can tighten the loose screws, and maybe take a few pointers from some of the great editions of the show, they can make something great.

      1. I remember liking Aus/NZ season – while the weaker of the 3 Ch7 seasons (and produced by 7 over the well-traveled ActiveTV), I didn’t think it was (as you say) poor as a show.

  7. Post qthis as watching the show, a challenge involved contestants carry a bowl of fruits on their heads, Beau commented he preferred an eggplant. Was this meant to be funny or what?

      1. I think there’s not enough episodes actually, I don’t like to wait for nearly a whole week. But I agree they do seem to do too many challenges and you do t get to know the contestants enough.

  8. The big problem is the super-sizing of the show. The US versions of this and Survivor tended to be one episode a week of sixty minutes duration, tightly edited with minimal padding. Unfortunately all the reality shows here for some reason are required to be four nights a week with ninety minute episodes – and it just does not work.

    The episodes are padded beyond on all rationality, dull as anything and lacking any reason to watch. Bore your audience and you lose them – simple.

  9. Hard to say why it’s underperforming. From a production standpoint it shows they came back too early with Beau out of action in hosting duties for at least a weeks worth of shows and him “phoning it in” along with multiple teams in quarantine and getting a free ride further into the race – 5 teams out of action along with Beau in Sundays episode alone.

    Marketing wise, I felt the promo ads a little off-putting featuring an obstacle race dressed like a mummy crashing through walls and the contestant whining “oh my eyelashes”.

    Meanwhile, it’s now Tuesday and this article reminded me that I haven’t watched Sunday or Mondays episodes yet, so they are failing on making it must-watch.

  10. OMG, I am still watching episodes from last week, I am up to last Tuesday’s next!?!?
    This means there will be another 5 next week before it wraps the following week during a public holiday weekend.
    The 20 teams isn’t too much of an issue for me (although it is hard to connect to them all), but the high frequency of episodes is a struggle. I feel twice a week would have been sufficient, so I concur with other comments below.

  11. The duration of the penalties are nonsensical. Receiving a time penalty of 10 minutes for giving up on a task gives the team an unfair advantage rather than penalising them. If you give up on a task the penalty should be a minimum 1 or 2 hours.

      1. Nope. Last night a team was penalised 10 minutes for skipping a task, another team got 15 minutes for cheating in another task, meaning they both checked in before a team that had fully completed their tasks. In episode one a team was penalised 3o minutes for not completing a task, so there’s no consistency..

      3. Seriously. 10 minutes for a Detour of all things!

        Like all 10 reality TARA is extremely bloated. Bloated season and episodes, bloated cast, I mean, 20 teams, seriously? I don’t blame people for switching off. I’m not currently watching as I plan to watch on 10Play.

    2. I agree. The time penalties are all out of whack. That team that used another teams flowers basically cheated. They should have been pulled up in the spot and told to do it properly. But they’re trying to create drama and conflict by adding unfair elements.

      Amazing race viewers love the competition and seeing the cultures and scenery. If we wanted conflict and drama we can watch the block.

        1. The conflict should be “teams vs. the challenges and locations we throw at them; can they survive?”, but they’re trying to turn it into “teams vs. each other” because that’s easier than planning episodes competently, something that nearly 50 episodes in and with over two decades of international experience to draw from they’ve still managed to prove themselves incapable of doing.

    3. The time penalty that’s given to any team should be equal to the length of time it took the slowest team to complete the challenge – minus the amount of time they spent on attempting the challenge. 10 or 15 minutes penalties are not a deterrent.

  12. I haven’t watch this season of TARA and I’m glad I didn’t watch this season because i was not happy with the changes this season and also last season and i agree with everyone here that 20 teams is just too much.
    Also if TARA comes back next year the department team at 10 will need a lot of changes to this show.

    1. I don’t have an issue with him as the presenter. Though I can’t even remember what was the issue with him in I’m A Celebrity?

      I sort of agree with the broader view that there are too many teams but I guess it was a necessary precaution knowing that any number of teams could be knocked out at any one time due to covid and the show has to keep moving.

      However, while I don’t see every episode of TARA, I would watch it anytime over The Block or MKR or MAFS or Farmer or whatever other OTT reality shows are doing the rounds on Seven or Nine.

  14. Wow. So much channel 10 bashing. If it was on Nine or seven. People would love it. Also for some reason people in this country just want to watch people yelling and screaming, like the block or mafs.
    I have no issue with the show.
    People r way to picky. Just watch…..simple.

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