The Amazing Race Australia is back once again, and this year, the show is (finally) going global, after the COVID pandemic forced the first seasons to be produced within Australia.
Chatting to The Latch over the phone, host Beau Ryan called the season “quite unbelievable”, adding that this is “what everyone’s wanted to do” since the show kicked off.
“It’s literally amazing, to get it filmed — especially in the climate we had — it’s honestly unbelievable.”
With “breathtaking” new filming locations, which included cities and villages across Northern Africa, Central and South America and Europe, Ryan was enthused about the latest season and what’s in store for viewers.
“I mean, the last three years you couldn’t even walk down to the café; this season, we go to cafés in Morocco in the first episode!” he exclaimed.
Noting there were “a lot of obstacles” to overcome while filming the season, Ryan said that there were a lot of protocols in place to keep everyone safe while they were filming.
“We had a COVID team, we had testing twice a day, three times a day sometimes for two or three months, so a lot went into the safety of the show and thank God we did, because we finished it,” he said.
With a record-number of teams “of two sets of 10 racing at the same time” this year, Ryan said that there’s something for everyone this season.
“I encourage Australians to watch the show,” he said. “People relate to people that they can see a little bit of themselves in, whether it’s their background, their colour, their religion, their beliefs, their age, gender, or their situation — it might be parents, young parents, it might be an older couple, it might be sisters. We represent everyone fairly.”
Related: All the Teams Who Didn’t Reach the Finish Line on ‘The Amazing Race Australia’ 2022
Related: Salvages, Sabotages and Pit Stops — Here is Your Official Guide to Understanding ‘The Amazing Race’
As for his favourite teams? It’s “always the gritty teams, teams that are prepared to do whatever it takes” to win.
“You can usually tell at the starting line who’s ready to go,” he said. “You can see it in their eyes.”
When it comes to what makes for a perfect Amazing Race team, Ryan said there are a few rules to follow to make it to the end.
“Obviously a lot of people want to travel with someone they love, and yes, you need a good relationship with them, but my opinion — and this is just my personal opinion — have someone with opposite strengths,” Ryan shared. “If you really wanna win it, opposites do attract!”
“You might not both be good at heights, or you might not both be good at swimming or diving, you might not both be good at eating but if you find someone with similar interests to you, that you get along with, but have opposite strengths, then you’ll have such a huge advantage.”
Still, “you’ve gotta get on well, and you’ve gotta be able to sleep in the same bed,” he added. “Just because you grew up together doesn’t mean you’re gonna perform well under pressure.”
Secondly, Ryan said that a good bet was to have someone on the team “who has a ‘win at all costs’ attitude, someone who’s quite ruthless”.
He explained: “You’ve gotta be ruthless in your decisions sometimes, you’ve gotta make tough calls and turn around teams you don’t like”.
Next, Ryan said that progressing in the game is all about building alliances.
“Teams usually don’t do this until the end,” he said. “Make friends over there! I mean, obviously, you’re all competing against each other, but teams that work well together usually go all the way.”
Finally, Ryan said the teams who “stay in the middle of the pack” early on in the season are often the ones who do well in the end.
“Teams that win early obviously have a target on their back, but if you can stay in the middle of the pack — I mean, it’s not my advice to come middle of the pack, but if you can stay there-abouts or near the front, you sort of subtly fly under the radar,” he said. “Usually the teams right at the back put pressure on themselves, but I find the teams that run mid-pack — and we’ll see a few of them unfold — are usually the dark horses that are silent killers.”
The Amazing Race Australia airs at 7.30pm on Sunday — Tuesdays, only on 10 and 10 Play on demand.
Want more The Amazing Race Australia? Read all our content here, and check out the stories below:
- All the Teams Who Didn’t Reach the Finish Line on ‘The Amazing Race Australia’ 2022
- Are You Ready to Race Around the World With ‘The Amazing Race Australia’?
- Salvages, Sabotages and Pit Stops — Here is Your Official Guide to Understanding ‘The Amazing Race’
- Your Guide to Watching ‘The Amazing Race Australia’ So You Don’t Miss a Single Episode
- Grab Your Passports, Because ‘The Amazing Race’ Australia Is Going Global
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