Time for a Crocodile Dundee moment on The Amazing Race Australia


The Amazing Race Australia is back for another week of fun – and frustration – but, let’s face it, there’s nothing much else on in terms of reality TV.

Yes, the MAFS juggernaut rolls on but it ain’t what it used to be, and after you have picked the next Cam and Jules and the beauty influencers in the making it all gets a bit same same.

You could turn on Netflix or check out the excellent selections on SBS On Demand or ABC iView. But sometimes you need a show that you can watch without really watching. The Amazing Race fits the bill. TAR is perfect for when you want to watch while chopping veg, or flop on the couch for phone feed scrolling.

And, according to this TAR tweet, someone kills a crocodile then makes a camel cry. Or, perhaps, meets someone dressed up as Crocodile Dundee. How many times will we hear “that’s not a knife”?

Sunday: In an epic challenge of brains versus brawn, a detour divides the teams. They are faced with a challenge that tests their physical, mental and tactical skills in order to receive their next clue.

Monday: The teams must complete a painstakingly meticulous task in order to receive their next clue in the race.

Tuesday: The teams are faced with completing a puzzling game of cat-and-mouse. They must follow the map that will unlock the key towards the next pit stop of the race.



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33 Comments

  1. So, the teams had back to Queensland (really? They couldn’t have performed those challenges while they were in Queensland the first time) and it’s a pre-determined non-elimination leg. I’m starting to forget whether anyone was ever eliminated from this show.

    Anyway. I’m way more excited at the preview for tomorrow night’s episode. They’re on the Sunshine Coast!

    I spotted the teams navigating through the Glass House Mountains national park (I’ve walked those trails myself!), I think there was a challenge at picking ginger (because the Ginger Factory in Yandina is one of the world’s leading suppliers of ginger. There’s an entire ginger-themed theme park, up there) … and the preview of the cuckoo clocks? Up in the mountains (about half an hour drive inland) is this little village called Montville. It’s a very quaint, European-themed mountain-top village, and there’s a German clock shop, up there, that has thousands of cuckoo clocks, lining the entire shop. It is the coolest place to be.

    I’m actually really excited now, heh.

    • I need a lengthy recap from a local’s perspective, please, WS. It’s like when MChef comes to Adelaide and I freeze frame the TV, trying to spot which road they are on, or which market stall they are visiting

    • I did not know we were famous for growing ginger. Do we have a Big Ginger?
      My mother loved ginger. We grew up on the stuff.

      • No, it was actually a really interesting story. Apparently Germany was a huge supplier of the world’s ginger, until a couple of world wars happened. Therefore, the Ginger Factory in Yandina has been the supplier of the world’s ginger ever since.

        No “Big Ginger”, no. But it’s a cool theme park. There’s a tour through the factory, there’s the boat ride for the kids, there’s a train (that travels around the grounds. That one’s a given. You can’t go to the Ginger Factory and not ride the train. It’s a Sunshine Coast rule), and there’s a restaurant and plenty of cute little shops with a lot of really great things to eat. There’s also a lovely rainforest walk.

        It sounds kinda hokey, but it’s a really cool place. I’ve been a couple of times, and it’s always a thoroughly-enjoyable way to spend a morning.

  2. Right, fellow TV watchers! Welcome to the beautiful Sunshine Coast!

    The teams flew into the Sunshine Coast airport. There weren’t many flights coming and going from the airport, for the majority of 2020, so the airport would’ve been grateful for the business.

    Interestingly, the clue that they received at the airport was, “Welcome to the Glasshouse Mountains!” The Glasshouse mountains are, at least, an hour’s drive south of the airport. But never mind.

    Fun fact. Everyone tends to assume that Captain Cook named the Glasshouse mountains after greenhouses, which confuses everybody on the Sunshine Coast because the Glasshouse mountains look *nothing* like actual glass houses … but, actually, the mountains reminded Captain Cook of the factories that produced glass, in his native Yorkshire. These buildings (where glass is made and sold) were known as “glass houses”, and that’s why he named the moutain range after them.

    The Bruce Highway (which is the highway that the teams could see) connects the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane, 100 kilometres south. Interestingly enough, the mountain that the teams had to climb — Wild Horse Mountain — is the only mountain on the coast-side of the highway. All the other Glasshouse Mountains are on the inland-side of the highway. This was probably for both convenience *and* safety, since all the information Beau gave was correct. Climbers and hikers do get lost and stuck, all the time, and often require helicopter rescue. It’s actually a really nice park. I’ve never climbed any of the peaks, but there’s lots of trails that wind around the base of all the peaks, and it’s a lovely place to explore.

    The Glasshouse Mountains are a very big part of the Indigenous mythology on the Sunshine Coast. They’re a family of giants, and they fled inland to escape the rising water. The second-largest mountain, Tibrogargan, told his son Coonowrin to help their mother (and Tibrogargan’s wife) Beerwah, but because Beerwah was the largest mountain, Coonowrin left her to fend for herself. What he didn’t realise was that she was pregnant (which is why she was so large), and Tibrogargan was so upset by this that he cracked his club over the Coonowrin’s head (which is why the top of the mountain is shaped the way it is). Tibrogargan is quite famous for having a human-shaped face on the side of the mountain (seriously, it really does. You can see the eyes, nose and mouth, with the pointed mountain-top as his forehead. I’m not making any of that up) and he is forever looking away from his son, over the whole thing.

    As a quick aside, I loved how one of the cowboys did the challenge requiring “a ginger ninja”, while protesting, “I’m not a ginger, I’m strawberry blond!”

    Off to Montville for the Detour! Both the clock shop and the candy shop are located on the main street on Montville, just a short distance from one another. The candy shop features 43 flavours of milkshake (and, yes, some of them are quite delicious). The main street of Montville is built along the top of a mountain, with a deep valley (and the most gorgeous views) on either side. Montville is one of those places where, every second shop is a bakery or gourmet chocolate store or cafe. It’s a beautiful place, and well worth visiting for the day, if you’re ever up this way.

    The German clock shop is a pretty amazing place to visit. There are hundreds of cuckoo clocks (as well as a room of gigantic, beautiful grandfather clocks), and the footage isn’t even doing it justice. When the clocks start chiming all at once, it can be pretty amazing.

    The Pit Stop is at Maleny Botanical Gardens and Bird World sanctuary!

    Maleny is the next town south from Montville. Maleny itself isn’t difficult to find (there would’ve been a lot of sign posts), but the Bird World is actually quite tricky to find. It’s hidden away on the side of the mountain, and if you’re not paying attention, you could easily drive right past it without spotting it.

    I was there with some friends, about a month ago. I’m friends with Daisy on FB, and Daisy will be able to tell you that my current profile photo is me, with a macaw, on my shoulder. The sanctuary has these four gigantic cages, and all the birds in there are quite friendly, so you can take a guided tour through the cages, one-after-the-other, and the largest cage has the macaws. I’m quite tall, so I stepped into the cage and, literally, a second later, a macaw just landed on my shoulder. It was very cool.

    The gazebo, where this leg’s Pit Stop is located, is just beside the entry-building and cafe, so it’s normally full of tables and chairs for diners to enjoy scones and jam (which my friends and I did, when we visited). I imagine, if the weather hadn’t turned awful, the Pit Stop would’ve been in one of the gardens on the grounds (and they’re all gorgeous).

    Interestingly, at the Pit Stop, Beau is telling the teams, “Welcome to the Glasshouse Mountains!” given viewers the impression that the Glasshouse Mountains are a small area that encircles the entire Sunshine Coast. That’s not quite true. The actual Glasshouse Mountains are, again, about a hour’s drive south of Montville and Maleny. Nobody who lives here would consider the hinterland to be part of the Glasshouse Mountains. Beau should be welcoming people to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, but, alas, I guess “Glasshouse Mountains” just has a nicer ring to it.

    • Thank you WS, I want to get to Qld and visit the Sunny hinterland now.
      I was confused as I was sure Glasshouse mountains were not on SC. Thanks for clarifying that.

    • Thank you, WS. It’s about 20 years since I was in that neck of the woods but I remember those towns being great fun to poke around.

    • I was so excited they went to Maleny, home of family and the best landscape suppliers on the Sunny coast hinterland!

  3. In terms of gameplay … oh, boo. It’s yet another non-elimination leg, with the cowboys receiving a First Class Pass enabling them to skip next episode.

    I noticed that the siblings identified that the four front-leading teams are all in a loose alliance. The cheerleaders, the cowboys, the super-sikhs, and the siblings. Interestingly, they don’t count the Power Couple (because they’re hopeless. At, like, everything), or the two Stowaway teams (which I tend to agree with, because I don’t want either of those to win).

    But it gives us a hint at some unseen team dynamics. Apparently the siblings don’t like the Wolfman and the Princess (Skye-Blue telling us that she doesn’t trust them as far as she could throw them). Have we seen them clashing, on-camera, at all?

  4. And tomorrow night, we’re in Brisbane! I recognised the park where the teams were getting their first clue, in the preview clip. Brisbane has tonnes of TAR-friendly locations and challenges, so it’ll be interesting to see what the teams end up doing (although, naturally, the climb the Story Bridge to reach the pit stop).

  5. Geeezus, poor spoilt princess…. teams form an alliance and everyone’s ‘working against’ them. Certainly teams aren’t supporting them, but eye on the prize is everyones game, not eye on prize for princess. Idiot.
    The passive aggro between this couple is toxic AF.

  6. I came in at the end here, just for a quick look see.
    Did I just hear that guy, Dolor(?) throw Holly under the bus? What a doofus. I am imagining that, if she has any self-respect, that that relationship is on its last legs.

  7. So, the next episode begins and the teams leave from Rick’s Garage, to head to Brisbane.

    Rick’s Garage is a really cool American diner-themed restaurant and bar. I’ve had lunch there (they have a pretty epic burger menu) in the outdoor garden. It’s a cool place, it’s on just about every single, “things to do on the Sunshine Coast” list. It’s located in Palmwoods, which is a tiny village. The centre of town is a train station and two streets. But it’s a lovely place to stop and have a nice walk. Interestingly enough, Palmwoods is a fair distance from Maleny. So when the teams were told to “travel on foot to Rick’s Garage”, it means they must have been driven to Palmwoods to begin the leg.

    I’m also laughing at how the traffic getting into Brisbane has vexed so many teams. And the streets in Brisbane are so straight-forward and easy to navigate, too … that was definitely sarcasm.

  8. I will add, though, that I really liked how the program showcased the Sunshine Coast.

    Normally when travel shows come to the Sunshine Coast, they’ll focus on the coastline. And, don’t get me wrong, it’s worth focussing on. When the American TAR came to the Sunshine Coast in season 4? The Fast Forward was located at King’s Beach (which is the main beach in my hometown), there was a challenge at Underwater World (which is a big aquarium beside the Mooloolaba Wharf), and the Pit Stop was at the Mooloolaba Yacht Club.

    The only non-beach location that ever gets a mention is Australia Zoo, out in Beerwah (which is the Glasshouse Mountains, essentially).

    But I really liked that the show spent their time in the hinterland. They explored the Glasshouse Mountains, picked ginger at a ginger farm and then spent the afternoon doing challenges up in the mountains at Montville and Maleny.

    As a coast local, I really appreciated that.

    • There was a fairly blatant promotion of the sponsor, Bundaberg in the challenge but as Bundaberg drinks are our top choice of beverage, I don’t mind. Any promotion of local tourism is fine with them, atm.

      We had a bit of a (gentle) laugh at the poor owner, who is in the ads, who couldn’t manage to get “here is your next clue” out correctly.

  9. As a quick aside, I love that, en route to the Subway sandwich challenge, even Dolor (the handsome but thoroughly-useless Nigerian prince) was trying to convince his girlfriend to do the challenge because, “I don’t know anything!”

    At least the man had the self awareness to pay attention to the lessons that being on the Race is teaching him.

    • I now think he got a bit of biased editing at the start, and that he isn’t as bad as painted. They have eased up on him for the last several legs, and I agree that it is likely that a few failures at challenges has humbled both of them a little. The race as a whole seems to be having a good effect on them.

      On the other hand, I am seeing some negatives in other teams, in particular Skye-Blue has shown a bit of not-so-niceness. The “alliance” thing wouldn’t have worried me if we hadn’t seen how terrible it was in the last US version. Hopefully, it will break down early, and teams will be brave enough to realise that they are better to have Hollly/Dolor in the final leg than some others.

      • Sky’s issue with the Princess and the Wolfman seems like it came out of nowhere. Like I asked, upthread, have we seen them clashing on-camera, like, at all? But suddenly she doesn’t like them at all.

        I’d say there’s some things that are happening off-camera that we haven’t been privy too.

        • I read in a magazine about behind the scenes when they got to the pit stop at the end of the leg their food would be missing. They are vegans so had special dishes made up.

  10. Thus, we say goodbye to the Bodybuilders. They seemed like nice guys, but I just hate the concept of the Stowaways, so I’m not sorry to see them going.

    Next week, the teams are headed to Tasmania! Oh, and Beau gets naked. Beau did a nude calendar (“The Gods of Football”) when he was just starting with the Tigers, about 10 years ago, so this is really nothing new, actually. Yes, I own a copy. What?

  11. The teams head to Tasmania! The Cowboys almost get taken out by a house of cards (literally), Beau gets naked displaying the Fast Forward (seen it all before, Beau), Sky and her brother actually take the Fast Forward (which also requires some nudity), and the useless Nigerian prince and his slightly-less-useful girlfriend finally, finally get eliminated.

    Mostly because the Nigerian prince spends most of the episode throwing an almighty tantrum because he refuses to do the “lick some chocolate” challenge because of his weak stomach.

    It’s a miracle those two blunderers lasted as long as they did. I doubt they’ll be missed.

    Remaining teams … the Wolfman and the Princess. The cowboys. Sky and her hot brother. The Super Sikhs. The football girl stowaways, and the cheerleaders.

    At this point, I think any of them can take the win. They’re all pretty strong teams.

    • I listened to the Power Couple talking about being sooo clever but unprepared for this show. Did I mis-hear or misunderstand?

      • Probably. Every season, that’s one team who’s happy to tell the audience, at length, about how awesome they are, but reality says something different.

        • Aaaah. Don’t get me started on H & M.
          They have the right to blow up all familial relationships for money, and bleat all the way to the bank about how hard done they are, just as I have the right to not watch or read absolutely anything about them and yet still judge them to be bottom feeding parasites.
          What drives me really crazy is how this is being packaged as NEWS. I’m driving in the car and it’s headlines, I turn on the tv and it’s headlines. I scroll down my social feed and it’s every second item.
          I am sure that I have ranted about this before: gossip is not News.
          Not. News. Fftt.

          • Honestly, I’m kind of annoyed that tonight’s episode of TAR is getting pre-empted by the Harry and Meghan interview. I just don’t care about these people.

            And, to be honest, my opinion about Meghan is that, a person can be both a victim of forces conspiring against her, *and* an attention-seeking greedy toxic jerk, both at the same time. That’s where I’ve settled on her, I think.

          • Oh yes, preach it, Bobi and WS.
            And don’t forget to find a minor comment about race, to blow up into a personal attack.

  12. Wow, poor Chris & Aleisha sabotaged AGAIN? This is getting boring. Pick another team for fuck’s sake. Liked her comment to the cowboys that they had them wrapped around their fingers. There should NOT be any more sabotage/advantages & non-elimination legs this far in the game. Really hope this is the last. Makes me want to root for them to win. Hate seeing teams ganging up on one team.

    • I’m super-interested as to why none of the teams like them. I mean, yeah, the princess is a bit whiny sometimes, but I can’t remember anything they’ve done to receive this dislike from everybody else.

      • I was happy that they got the sabotage this time, as they had hobbled the farmers in the intersection. Coming on the show with food issues is as idiotic a decision has coming on as a non-swimmer, or paralysed by heights. Everyone knows that these challenges will always happen, so you can’t do it, then don’t apply.

        It seem to me that Skye is the one leading the exclusion of Chris and Aleisha. I haven’t hear anyone else say or do anything against them. When the foursome alliance was first mentioned, it seemed almost that they were just forgotten as an original team, whereas Holly and Dolor had been deliberately excluded. It may have been just that whoever started the alliance stuff thought that it could only be realistically a few teams, and that some of the “originals” would have to be left out. We don’t know who formed the alliance, but from what we have seen it seems that Skye and Jake are the most invested in it.

  13. I’ve been stuffed around by Channel 10 this week. I record the encores the next day to watch, as watching live nearly always get interrupted or I’m not home. Sunday’s episode – didn’t realise the show wasn’t on until the recording showed some other thing. Monday’s ep – also not encored at the normal time (??). Tues ep – the encore was of The Cube! Anyway, thank goodness for catch-up, but still more effort than a recording.

    Holly and Dolor – oh my. Right after defending them above, thinking that they had improved, we get the choc licking scene. The thing that got me there was Holly’s attitude. Dolor was just being a princess, as usual, but why couldn’t Holly just suck it up and go on with the task. She wasted so much time arguing with him and then getting upset. Surely she knows by now that he is entitled.

    Did anyone notice that at the dam, they all parked in the carpark, but when the first three teams left, their cars were parked on the road verge? No idea what that signifies at all. There was another editing error I noticed in that ep, but I have forgotten it now. The other thing, of course, was the running through the hospital, allegedly in the “pitch black” but with every team you could see the camera lights illuminating their way, shining on their backs as they walked.

    I am also noticing how often Jake and Skye use the other teams, either a deliberate “let’s follow them” or watching them to get clues. Maybe they all do it, but they are the only team to verbalise it. When they were lost on the way to the dam, they pondered pulling over and waiting for another car to follow. The dam challenge was a killer, no skill at all just pure luck (or lack of).

    The promo for the next episode, I think makes it clear that Chris & Aleisha are safe, as we see her with a “really, we aren’t last?” face. We are getting to the point where there aren’t many unlikeable teams that I would be happy to see go. The Sikhs, farmers and the afl girls are my favs, I don’t mind C & A and Ashleigh & Amanda, so probably I would like to see J & S-B go next.

    I still hate the intruder idea, but MJ and Chelsea have won me over with their sheer talent for the game. Not just physically (where they had an advantage, of course) but just general smarts, like splitting the raspberry puree task so that one of them remained clean to keep the boxes clean. If only they had been started with everyone else, I would say that they are one of the best ever Aus teams.

    Once again, I will say that the challenges have improved from the beginning, although I don’t think it is wise to have an intersection directly before the pit stop – it bunches the mat order into pairs.

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