The new season of TAR Australia has two big twists:
The winning team of a non-elimination leg, gain two massive advantages: 1. They do not have to compete in the next leg. Instead, they receive a First Class Pass and are rewarded with some kind of luxury experience while the other teams continue to race. 2. They will return to the Pit Stop for the arrivals of the final two teams and choose to Salvage one and Sabotage the other. Salvage: A bonus or advantage of some kind given to one team. For example, the team may receive a personal driver for the next leg, they may get extra money, or they may be allowed to know what the Roadblock challenge is, before they choose who attempts it. Sabotage: A disadvantage or setback given to one team. For example, the team may need to complete the leg with one of the team members blindfolded or tied together, they may lose all their money, or they may even have to do it barefoot.
T-Junction: A huge challenge day, only once in the Race, where all racers are split into two massive super-teams. The super-teams will be chosen by the first racers to reach the T-Junction board at the head of the episode. They will pick their super-team and the remaining teams form the second group. The teams will move through the entire race day in these two groups. Whichever group checks in second at the Pit Stop, will choose to eliminate a team from their group themselves.
I don't like either of these and hope they don't come to the American version.
Finally caught up on the episodes shown to date. They haven't had the T-Junction yet, but the Salvage/Sabotage has been used 3 times:
Salvages One was getting to move to first at a challenge held where teams were separated by 5 mins, despite when they arrived(changing a truck tyre) Onegave them a tour guide who knew the local area Onwas a driver, so the teams didn't need to rely on taxis.
Sabotages One person in the team couldn't speak for the entire leg. One was the team had to wear a snorkel and mask for the entire leg. The third involved both team members having to carry a stuffed kangaroo the entire leg, including during challenges.
It's not too bad, but it would be fine without it.
There's other things they are doing that I'm not a huge fan of such as: Having a challenge where all teams hang from a bar above the ocean, whoever stays on the longest started that leg first, rather than the finishing order of the previous leg. The team eliminated first comes back due to another team pulling out at the start of the second leg. I can live with this one though, I understand why they did it, but once you are out, you are out. When they got down to 9 teams they introduced a new team at that point. Worse than that, based on the preview they are introducing ANOTHER team in the next episode when there's 8 teams left.
I doubt anyone is watching, or planning to, but spoiler tags just in case.
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~ Ringworm ~ Congrats to azuarc - Guru champion - GotD