Amazing Race Australia – five to four

On Mon: Five teams remain, as they make their way through Malawi and get closer to the winning prize of $250,000. If you can shell peanuts, mould bricks, or sew shirts, then this is your leg of the race

On Tues: Would you rather spend the day doing laundry by hand, or sorting through different species of fish? And what if that decision could cost you $250,000.

Hmmm, I think I would rather sort fish. How about you gice?



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96 Comments

  1. I’m tempted to watch this episode. Previous comments have said contestants should have learned to drive a manual shift and learned how to read a compass. Shelling peanuts is not hard, unless you have to do a number of kg in a limited time, because your hands would get sore. Moulding bricks is presumably pouring brick material into moulds; again, that doesn’t seem too difficult. But sewing? That isn’t something you just sit down and do, even if the finished shirt doesn’t have to look tailor-made. Who would think to learn how to sew before joining TAR?

    Tuesday, gamesmanship would suggest choosing the more disgusting chore, so I would pick hand washing laundry. I’d rather sort fish. Imagine how gross it would be to wash a bunch of people’s knickers by hand. Or handkerchiefs. Or sheets. Ick.

    • LOL. As we were watching, I said to DS “who wouldn’t learn a basic skill like operating a sewing machine before going on the race?”. Just shows we are all different – I have taught all my kids to thread a machine and sew a straight seam, as an essential life skill.

      • πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ Fijane. I think I am the only one amongst my siblings that got into seeing and making my own clothes.

          • You have to see it to sew it, Daisy. I was taught to sew as well when I was a kid; the machine control was operated by knee. I made plenty of bell-bottom pants and mini skirts. My skirt’s finished length was 17″. Nowadays my ass would be hanging out wearing something that length.

            Sewing struck me as something not many of the contestants would know.

      • They werw lucky it was a foot operated sewing machine. In school, I learnt how to sew with a hand crank sewing machine.

  2. I’m not all that bothered because it was a non-elimination leg (who would they be trying to get rid of? Every team left is pretty darn likeable. And mostly, they’re pretty competent. Except the nurses). With the final leg to air, not tomorrow night, but next week’s Tuesday? We were due for another non-elimination leg.

    What I am bothered by is that, yet again, the U-turn is followed by a non-elimination, meaning the U-turn is just there to contrive drama between the teams.

    Once again, the boys come in first place. I’m sure, someone on the internet has the statistics on first place finishes, but this must be setting some kind of record. That’s 8 from 9 legs, they’ve come in first (okay, 7 from 9, but they were off by a second for one of them).

    Jasmin’s irritation that they didn’t U-turn the boys seemed false. Even if the Indigenous Couple had U-turned the Footy Boys … well, the Newlyweds still would’ve gotten 3 out of 5 votes.

    The Newlyweds, meanwhile, were justifiably upset over being U-turned … but they kept saying, “oh, friendship is more important than strategy”, and I wanted someone to remind them, “Guys? You are a strong, physically-powerful team who are working really well together, which makes you incredibly dangerous opponents.” That was a pretty good reason to U-turn them.

    Still in Africa tomorrow night, so hopefully next week, they cross the Atlantic to the Americas and then return to Australia for the finale.

    • I think Jasmin’s view was real, because she tried to suggest that to Jerome at the time, but they decided otherwise. But, yes, it made no actual difference to the outcome. I don’t think I have seen an alliance last this long before. Unfortunately, all the other teams viewed the flannels as having been in alliance with Sid and Ash, but you are right, they are mighty threats in their own right and possibly should have expected some votes. In some ways, they might have just wanted THEIR greatest rivals disadvantaged.

  3. That episode made the Newlyweds underdogs for a day, which increased their likeability. The footy boys must be playing a good social game for no one to u turn them except the NW.
    Von, yes you can’t predict everything but you should at least learn to make a shirt before going on the show. Just joking. I have seen it once before on a US series. They were in India I think.

  4. To answer your question Juz – LAUNDRY! Malawi is one of the African countries I have been to so it was really fun to see it again. I was driving my family mad by saying stuff like “those tables are for drying fish – I have never in my life smelt anything as truly disgusting as the STINK of trays and trays of fish being sun-dried. Truly foul”. So I am pre-disposed to think it will be stinky, even if they are sorting fresh fish. . . It smells exactly like you imagine zillions of fish laid out in the sun to dry would smell – but WORSE. Just saying. LAUNDRY all the way for me, LOL.

    Lake Malawi was one of the few bilharzia free water courses when I was travelling, so it was wonderful to have a swim safely after months of camping and wearing shoes everywhere. I thought it has since become a problem there, but presumably TAR are all over this – they wouldn’t want contestants to have a gross parastitic infection!

    I get that anything can happen on this show, but it is truly hard to see the boys not winning – they seem to have an incredible knack of making up time and powering ahead. I can’t really comment on the game not having seen previous versions, but Uturn without consequence other than to make people feel bad? Why? I am not sure the extent to which a social game impacts this – but the boys seem genuinely nice and helpful so I can see why the other teams don’t want to sabotage them. Is there one final leg that decides it all – sorry for dumb question – but I assuming you have to win the last one to actually win?

    • First team across the finish line wins the whole show, so yeah. In the final episode, they’re not racing for the pit stop, they’re heading towards the finish line.

      I don’t see the nurses making it much further (because they’re lovely guys, but they continue to be hopeless), and I think the physicality of the Race might put the Tiny Siblings out of their depth (pun not intended). Which would make the final three the Footy Boys, the Indigenous Couple, and the Newlyweds.

      Which would be three very strong teams, but I’d still lean towards the Footy Boys as the winners.

      • Next week’s promo clued us one strong team put. So that can:t be the Tony tots or the Nurses. How are those nurses still there? If it was a proper TAR, they would be lost in outer Mongolia, with a compass.

      • I don’t hate anyone, lol. But the nurses seem pretty incompetent. I just adore the teeny siblings trying so hard. Are there prizes for podium finishers or just first?

        • I have been to fish drying areas in Malaysia, and near fish sauce factories in Vietnam. I won’t even go in wet markets (fish and meat). I would choose laundry.

        • They should have a challenge for teeny tiny people, like climbing through the war tunnels in Vietnam, or hiding in Gnomesville.

      • I’m not keen on laundry, but hey – I have smelt the sun-dried fish and my allegiance is still to sweaty socks. Maybe it’s fresh fish sorting, which would be fine. . . However, Lake Malawi is famous for drying fish and I suspect dried would be much harder to sort so might be the reason for the challenge. Either way. . . not good.

        I will not gross you out (this is a lie) by describing how to remove a parasitic worm from a foot by rolling it around two pencils. Luckily it wasn’t my foot and so it was strangely satisfying to see. But I was very focussed on leaving footwear ON at all times after witnessing this.

  5. Well, at least we get confirmation that the teams leave at the same time (just two minutes apart), which we’ve suspected all season long.

  6. What a false promo to say it will be a shock to see a contender get eliminated. They were never a contender. The boys won’t again but didn’t get and reward.

    I have a feeling the boys will not win and I will be gutted. Won’t almost every leg but lose the last one. I really hope I wrong.

    • I hope you are wrong too, Littlepetal. As much as I like the Newlyweds, it would be annoying to see anyone else but the footy boys win, after them winning almost every leg.

      • I started to think that too LP. I like the other teams, but I think they totally deserve the win! Their attitude is great also.

    • It will make a joke of the show of someone else wins now.

      The Footy Boys need to enter the US TAR to see how they go in the big time.

  7. Was it just me or was Beau very shouty, tonight? It’s like he’s hosting play school. He’s personable enough (although the hugging thing is a big weird), but he needs to stop talking like he’s addressing four-year-olds.

    So, the nurses finally run out of luck? Honestly, it’s amazing that they made it to leg 10. So I think they should be pretty proud of themselves, although I agree with Littlepetal, they were never really in this.

    As for the Footy Boys, that’s 9 out of 10 legs, they’ve come in first. It would be some kind of record, but I’m not sure it really counts, because there’s no air-port shenanigans, the teams spent two episodes in every country, and the times always reset (which means a strong team never has to deal with suddenly falling behind).

    I was a little saddened at the preview. So we’re not doing a lap of Earth, they’re going to bounce from Africa back to Thailand and then to Australia. So we’ve spent the entire Race on 2 continents? I don’t want to use the word “disappointing”, but I definitely feel a little underwhelmed. Like, they obviously did this without the budget to really do it properly … and it kind of shows.

    • Yes, same here. Really annoyed they aren’t going to Europe. My favourite continent. Much prefer Europe to Asia & Africa. Why are they going to Asia AGAIN? They already went there.

      • Yeah, it’s another season where they don’t do a full lap, instead, they’re just doing a circle of the Indian Ocean.

    • The opening promos implied that the locations were going to be limited, plus spending two legs in each place. I love the Africa legs as well as Europe, but the best seasons involve places on every continent. At least Mongolia felt like a different type of Asia than Thailand will.

      • No, I absolutely agree with you about Mongolia. Those two legs were the highlight of this series.

        But I still feel like they could’ve stopped in Europe or America. Two continents just isn’t a global Race.

    • Wind – I ALWAYS find Beau very shouty. I find him to have all the charm of a poorly laundered sun-dried fish, to use a show analogy!
      I would particularly dislike having to get around him for a hug.

  8. The little team annoyed me tonight. They got massive help the Footy Boys, but at the finishing post said, “We would have won if it weren’t for the penalty”.
    Well if you want to play the “if only game”, you might have come last had they not helped you.
    It was a little thing, but it annoyed me.

    • Me too, Daisy. At this point, I think it was time for the footy boys to pull back on the help. It is nice to a point (and helps your social game) but there comes a time to say no more, and it is usually before final five. Also, they gave two clues (3 types, and one type is orange) when one would have been fine.

      • Apparently the Footy Boys get U-turned next episode, and the promo seems to indicate that they’re not too happy about it.

        I hope they survive it. When the U-turn is used as a one-hit kill on a team, it’s why I don’t like it.

        • If that happens, all of Australia won’t like it. It will put people off watching future shows. Would the show be that stupid? (I am assuming they have some control who wins).

  9. I googled the “most wins” record on TAR and it said. Those Footy players are fit, but are doing well in a variety of challenges. Their strategy of playing social nearly cost them first place.
    After all that bumbling, I will miss the nurses. They did very well on the quiz. Luck or knowledge?

  10. That was pretty random. You think you’ve come in first only to have a penalty according to how many questions you got wrong in a quiz. It wasn’t very fair for some teams as they weren’t around when some things happened so how could they know then answer?

    • They knew at the quiz that their answers would affect the finish. I really liked this “twist” although telling the viewer the test scores meant that most of the result could be worked out after they had arrived.

      Had a good laugh at Tom convincing Femi (or Nick?) that Tyler’s famous footy-playing and coaching Dad was a renowned cobbler!

      It was a very intense day with lots of challenges (not much travel, though).
      And to answer the original question, LAUNDRY, by a very long margin, not just because I hate fish but also because I would have judged it to be the most straightforward challenge.

      There is no team left now that I wouldn’t mind winning. Jerome and Jasmin are still my favourites but I have to admit they have been outplayed by the two boy teams. Tom and Tyler are pretty amazing at the game. Sometimes that is because the opposition is just hopeless but that is not the case at all here. And I don’t see it as just luck either.

      • Did the others realize the nurses were cute, but dense therefore going to be gullible. So far everyone has been pretty good sports this year. Even the shows “villains” were pretty beige as villains go.
        I too like the switcheroo on at check in based on the quiz results, but yes, hold back on letting viewers know the scores until the end.

        The reason I want the footy players to win is simply that it makes the entire race pointless it only comes down to the last leg. But if footy don’t win, I like the NWs for their sense of humour. Also they have gotten through without allies.

  11. Maybe Wingsong or others who watched all the previous Amazing Race, do they do U Turn in the second last leg? I know it didnt happen in the previous Aussie seasons.

    To me it is very unfair to have a U Turn in the second last leg as they all almost start the leg at the same time.

    The last 2 legs should be based on abilities and not luck.

    • I try to never miss a season, but they haven’t been broadcasting the US versions for a few years, so I can’t recall. I agree Littlepetal. It’s too much this late.

      • Daisy, they are currently on Sat afternoons on 7two (I think) in double episodes. Funny to watch concurrently with our season. The one being shown now is the season with the head-to-head competitions at the pitstops, which the teams hated and the viewers weren’t keen on either, so it hasn’t happened since.

    • I haven’t watched as many seasons as Windsong, but I can’t remember a season with more than two u-turns in the whole thing. Sometimes they are singles, sometimes doubles, but I feel that this Aus seasons has had too many u-turns and too many non-elimination rounds.

      One thing they haven’t done is the “continue racing” twist – where they arrive at a pitstop only to be presented with a new envelope, and the statement “you are still racing”. I really like that one, but it only happens rarely. It really shakes the teams up, and is a way of giving the last team a second chance instead of using a non-elimination.

  12. I am laughing at them eating the century egg. I can understand they think it is foul. Just like me couldn’t stomach blue cheese.

    I do love century eggs

    • πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚. Littlepetal. Like an Englishman eats pickled eels and a Scotsman eats haggis.
      I can’t see the problem some people have with durien and I don’t mind blue cheese in some amounts on a cracker, especially balanced with a nice concentrated fig conserve.

  13. The trick to eating food with strong flavored is to hold your breath. You can’t taste anything without smell

    • I know about this because this is one of the reasons why the elderly start to lose weight. There sense of smell goes so they stop eating.
      But one of the other problems with the century egg is the texture, more than the smell. I can’t bear slimy.

  14. Well, I am left with a sour taste now. I don’t want any of the remaining teams to win. I think it is because I thought they were better than that, unlike teams such as Sid/Ash. If they had done this, it would have been in character for them.

  15. I was honestly, genuinely willing to forgive this season for it’s mis-steps, because it was the first season, and they were on a budget, and it’s heart was in the right place …

    … until tonight. Swinging in a blind U-turn, purely just to randomly sabotage the team who had won every single leg (except one) up to this point? It stinks. What I like is that, every single response of Facebook mirrored this sentiment.

    I like the Tiny Siblings, I like the Newlyweds and I like the Indigenous Couple … but I couldn’t give two fucks who wins this thing.

    Also. The Newlyweds win one leg, and receive a massive holiday prize. The Footy Boys win almost every single leg, and take-out a couple of grand?

    Like Brussell said? I’m out.

  16. I don’t recall previous Years having voted U-Turns. Contestants always have to reach the U-turn post and put up a photo of who to turn, thus eliminating the possibility of being u-turned if you get to the post first.

    • I can recall it happening once, but it didn’t happen often.

      And certainly, it didn’t happen in the second last leg, purely to screw over the most successful team to keep them out of the finale. It’s a production stunt for some contrived drama, and to give the other three teams an even shot in the final leg.

      I hate it. I hate this.

      We had a watered-down, cheap version of the Race. The teams got chaperoned between countries, there was little international travel, the starting times were all the same … so that allowed the Footy Boys to pull ahead. The Race favoured the dominant teams and never really tested them. Which the producers must’ve realised, so rather than risk a predictable finale, they pulled this crap instead?

      Predictable would’ve been the better option, because I’m just mad. I feel like I wasted the last 6 weeks, this has just left a terrible taste in my mouth.

      • The boys only got $1000 for coming first in the first leg. Influencers got $2000 and the newlyweds got a holiday to NT.

        • The problem is, everyone’s having a go at the boys for being upset over their elimination, when they *should* be having a go at the crappy production stunt that caused it.

          They should be annoyed at this. If I was them, I would be too.

          • I’m annoyed for them too. I feel they were given a ridiculous handicap purely to get them out. I don’t know other Amazing Races and I didn’t unreservedly love it, but I might have given it a go another time, but this was so mean.

          • I had such high hopes for this season. It’s so disappointing, ultimately.

            Even the past Australian seasons were better than this. Season 2 and 3 (3 was the Aus vs NZ gimmick) featured great casts who actually did manage a full loop of planet Earth. The worst aspect was that there were a few too many needle-in-a-haystack challenges in the first season (which they cut down by series 2).

            I’m just really disappointed how this turned out. Australian reality TV producers are out of control, in terms of contriving cheap stunts for the sake of drama. The format is compelling enough, we don’t need this extra bullshit on top. It just makes me mad.

  17. Previous U Turns, you still have 2 more tasks to do and they are not simple tasks. Today Roadblock was not that difficult. Thus not much chance for the boys to catch up

  18. Sorry, gice – the thread I had set for tonight did not publish. There should be a fresh post tomorrow for the finale.

  19. The WORST TAR EVER. Not watching the end. Off to spew on the TAR FB page. With the rest of Australia.

    It’s not fair, nor is it TAR for there to be voted U-Turns.

    • I find the U-turn obnoxious at the best of times, but this? A blind vote (which has not been used often, and there’s a good reason for that), in the second-last episode, that’s there purely so the teams can gang-up on the successful team and get rid of them before the finale? Every part of that screams, “obnoxious production stunt”.

      I’m amazed that people aren’t *more* upset. If this happened in an actual final leg, *then*, would they understand what a cheap stunt it is? If the boys were upset about losing, they should’ve been. They weren’t felled by a tough challenge, or Race fatigue, or the stresses of international travel. They were taken out by a contrived production stunt, to get rid of the predictable winners and make it more exciting tomorrow night, or something.

      Even if it’d had been a normal U-turn (where you can U-turn someone behind you), I honestly don’t think people would be this upset about it. The way this was done, in the second-last episode to boot? Outrageous.

      • Sounds like this stunt was more of a “You turd”

        No watching any encore tomorrow for me. I’ll watch some paint dry after Dr.Phil til Judge Judy arrives.

        (How bad are the hideous promos for MKR?. Since when were Sausage King Dan & Staph ” Australia’s Most Loved Contestants”? Unwatchable)

        • You’re not going to miss much. I think I’ll be watching “Batwoman” tomorrow night instead. That’s the great thing about Foxtel, I actually can tell the Australian channels to shove it somewhere uncomfortable.

          As for the MKR previews, Manu with a beard is really throwing me. Half of the returning teams, I barely like, and the other half, I don’t even know who they are.

          Plus, did you notice how some of the teams are, “memorable jerks we paired together because they’ll make for great TV”? That, alone, is a flashing red light.

  20. Although my gripe is at TAR Aust, that NT girl’s whiny voice started really getting on my nerves in the last few episodes.

    Why didn’t TAR Aust just give the nurses a syringe and let them Uturn all the other teams with a lethal dose. It wouldn’t be far off what happened tonight.

    Next time there is an AFL season perhaps the runner ups can all get to vote a team out.

    Those boys tonight didn’t even have enough catch-up space as the following tasks were easy no-brainers.

  21. I don’t think this is the last we have seen of Tom and Tyler on Channel 10. My first thought after their elimination was “Oh, they’ve been offered a gig on Channel 10”

  22. I’m sorry you had to witness that, Brussel Sprout, it being your first time, and us telling you what a great show it was.

    • Thanks Daisy – I gamely stuck with it as I could definitely see glimmers of why it could be a great show. But last night did it for me! However, I can see a lot of interest in the format and I will seek out some of the American ones to catch up on. Parts of it I really liked – the scenery mainly. But the manipulation was too blatant and Beau didn’t exactly make me love him, lol!

      • Good idea. Old US versions won’t have dated. I have even seen bits of TAR Asia when on holidays and that was okay.

      • Any of the first 5 seasons of the American version would work (seasons 6 and 8 were kind of terrible, and 7 was the Rob and Amber from Survivor show). I think they’re all available for purchase on Amazon, and I’m sure there’d be download or streaming links available somewhere.

  23. The TAR producers probably intended the previous week’s voted U-turn would eliminate Tom and Tyler, and when it didn’t happen, they called it a non elimination leg.

    I blame producers not the goat coat-tailers, but it’s also sad to see that we have become a modern day society of “but it’s a race”, so integrity has no place here. I think shows like Survivor have encouraged a culture where honour and decency have no place in games.

  24. Someone on FB suggested that Tom and Tyler couldn’t win because they were the wrong demographic. Is that really what we have come to?

    • What?? that is ridiculous. I hate those kind of right wing conspiracy theorists (the kind of people who lie and say their kids were told that Christmas was banned at daycare). . . . but why would the producers manipulate them out of the win?
      They played fair and were helpful to others. I absolutely don’t blame them for being cranky.

    • I absolutely hate that it’s come to that sort of nonsense, but I hate that the show engineered a situation, with a contrived stunt, that led people to believe it.

      They were punished because they were successful Racers, and giving the other teams a cheap shot at knifing them is going to make for a more suspenseful finale. That’s it. It wasn’t the demographic, it was that the show was done cheaply, which means the dominant teams could be even more dominant (they won every leg, but one!), and when the producers realised this, they had to contrive an opportunity to get rid of them.

      That is what I think happened.

      Besides, if it was really about demographics, the Muslim team, the Greek millennials and the farm sisters wouldn’t have been the first few teams eliminated.

  25. Twelve hours later, and I have calmed a little – but not much. I thought people might attack the boys for calling out the lying at the pitstop or being a little slow with the gold statue, so I am glad to see that public opinion is focussing more on the failure of the show.

    After consideration, my biggest ire is reserved for the very stupid voting-style u-turn. There were too many u-turns in the series, but if they had been normal ones it would have been bearable. Voting ones (and giving plenty of notice, so the teams could collaborate) totally derailed the purpose of them, which is for back of the pack teams to try to knock someone behind them down. There are all sorts of tactics involved and considerations to be thought through, and then consequences to wear later. Last night was just a no-brainer ploy, with no tactic required or consequence.

    As the boys said, if only Viv/Joey and Jasmin/Jerome had said something different at the airport, they (and the viewers) would not have had the sense of betrayal. All they had to say was “we need to think on it” or “we aren’t sure yet” or “we think we might have to make a decision that is best for our own game..”. In other words, instead of promising undying loyalty to the alliance, just refuse to make a promise or prevaricate. Then everyone would have known that all the bets were off.

    Considering our dislike here for contestants who use their kids as reasons for going on competition shows, it was quite funny to see Tyler’s very obvious reaction to Jasmin’s spouting that they were doing it all for their little boy.

    Much as I love TAR, for all the reasons mentioned by others above, this season has failed in several areas and big improvements will be needed next year. Let’s hope the producers listen. And get more money to do it properly.

    Ironic that it turns out that Beau was not the biggest problem at all. In fact, in the end I enjoyed his more relaxed and humorous style.

  26. Maybe all the producers were thinking is to create controversy so the following day media will talk about It! It’s all for the SM.

    I really hope tonight the rating is low. I won’t be watching. Not interested. They got their diversity finalists. I still think the newlyweds will win.

    • Honestly, I’d rather watch Batwoman tonight because they’re leading in to the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, which is starting next week. And last night TAR left such an awful taste in my mouth that, like you, I just don’t care anymore. When the game is manipulated too much, by producer interference, then it’s not a game anymore, it’s who the producers want to win, and I don’t see any point to watching or investing in the show.

      • I really, really don’t care and certainly won’t watch it. I can catch up on the winner news later, but how they got there leaves me cold.

  27. I am liking πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ all of the comments, if not the show. Well rounded perspectives. Windsong, yes. I think that many of the tasks seemed to easy so it might have come down to running. That false tooth one was a sinch.

    At the end of it all, it comes down to what’s going to entertain viewers. There is controversy to get people talking about the show, but even that has a tipping point. I think they tipped that last night.
    I suspect now, that the Uturn vote in the previous leg was intended, by the producers, for Tom and Tyler, but when the Married Boys got eliminated, they conveniently called it a non elimination; which didn’t even make sense. As has been said here, why have a non elimination after a U-turn?
    Anyhow, Australia will decide…or will they? Will producers be arrogant enough to ignore the protests on their official FB pagAs for me, I will be watching Love on the Spectrum instead.

  28. We have too many options now on tv and streaming to put up with this manipulative crap. How stupid do these people think we are.
    I’m going for a secondary boycott and ScoMo can take me to court.
    I am permanently, and forever, out as of this second.

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