Recap: The Amazing Race Australia 5, Episode 6 – “That was so much fun! / And I didn’t vomit!”

For this 6th Leg, teams head to The Great Barrier Reef by way of Townsville and Cairns. In Cairns, teams will take one of two ferries to Fitzroy Island. Jordan & Violeta learn their Sabotage is for them to wear snorkeling gear for the entire Leg. Jobelle & Rani’s Salvage is an island guide that will accompany them and can help them anytime during the Leg.

The teams will somehow be divided between the two ferries which will depart an hour and a half apart.

The first ferry arrives on Fitzroy Island and teams open the clue revealing the Detour: Restoration or Rehabilitation. In Restoration, teams will dive underwater in a scuba doo and correctly count baby coral hanging from a tree. In Rehabilitation, teams will head to the sea turtle rehab center. Here they will wash the turtles’ tank filters before preparing their meal of 30 deboned squid and five fish.

Jaskirat & Anurag, Chris & Aleisha, Holly & Dolor and Dwes & Katherine choose the turtles. Brendon & Jackson choose the corals, but Jackson feels claustrophobic in the scuba doo. The Cowboys decide to just switch Detours instead.

On the second ferry, Jobelle & Rani meet their island guide Blake who will help them for the rest of the Leg. At the rehabilitation center, Jobelle & Rani find the Detour is full so they have to just stand and wait. They decide to observe the other teams as they complete the Detour and Blake offers his advice.

When Sefa & Jessica see the turtles Detour is full, they decide to not waste time and go do the corals instead. Jessica is unsure about having to dive into the water. She says she is in panic mode. But she is able to overcome her fear.

Jordan & Violeta and Brendon & Jackson get in line behind Jobelle & Rani.

Jaskriat & Anurag finish the Detour first and can now make their way to the dock to sign-up for one of two boat trips to Green Island. Only five teams can fit on the first boat. Once on Green Island, teams will use a map to collect one bottle from five different locations. Inside each bottle will be words that teams need to unscramble into their next clue: Take Bottles to Recycling Plant.

On the first boat are Jaskirat & Anurag, Skye-Blue & Jake, Dwes & Katherine, Chris & Aleisha and Sefa & Jessica. On the second boat are Holly & Dolor, Jobelle & Rani, Brendon & Jackson and Violeta & Jordan.

In the water, Skye-Blue & Jake decide to help Jaskirat & Anurag who look to be struggling to reach a treasure chest at the bottom. They decide to continue working together to finish this task.

Sefa & Jessica decipher the message and are first to the recycling plant. They open the next clue pointing them to Sandy Crack Beach, the Pit Stop for this Leg. Skye-Blue & Jake catch up and it’s a foot race to the Mat. The siblings end up checking-in first and win a trip to Disneyland California. Sefa & Jessica have to settle for 2nd. Jaskirat & Anurag are 3rd followed by Dwes & Katherine and Chris & Aleisha as Teams 4 and 5, respectively.

It’s down to the final four teams. Jobelle & Rani are in the water to reach the underwater chest. But Rani is struggling to stay afloat. He raises his hand so he can be rescued. They decide to take a penalty believing they cannot reach the treasure chest in the water.

Brendon & Jackson check-in as Team #6.

Jordan & Violeta find all their bottles and Jordan points the others to the last bottle. Jordan & Violeta step on the Mat as Team #7. Jobelle & Rani see Beau, but they don’t have anything left in the tank. Holly & Dolor run ahead of them to check-in as Team #8.

That means Jobelle & Rani are last and eliminated. Jobelle says going on The Amazing Race was her childhood dream. And now she’s ready to go home to her grown-up dream, that is her children. Rani says he is proud of her. Beau says Jobelle has one helluva dad.

Episode Thoughts

There must have been another missing task this Leg because just a Detour and the bottle hunting? Another kind of meh Leg.

I’ll be honest. I’m feeling a little bit of Amazing Race burnout right now. Six episodes in two weeks just feels really overwhelming. It’s very strange. It’s different from The Amazing Race Philippines because 20-minute chunks five or six days a week felt much more palatable. Also, since not every episode was uploaded by a kind Filipino TV pirate every day, there were many days where I’d get an unintended break from the show.

With TARAu5’s Legs being somewhat dry, I think it kind of heightens the idea of episodes feeling much longer than they actually are. The COVID quirks of this season also throw things a little off kilter

Anyway… let’s get on with the Leg. First with the Sabotage, these things are essentially going to be the same as Speed Bumps. Some are good and difficult. Some are lame and nonsensical. Having to wear snorkeling gear all Leg may be a hassle, but I don’t think it is as time consuming as not speaking with your partner all Leg. The Salvage, meanwhile, was pretty good considering teams were Racing on an otherwise isolated island. But having a guide certainly doesn’t help when you are essentially going to remain in the back of the pack thanks to getting defaulted onto the later ferry. Twice!

I’m not a fan of the mid-Leg ferry. Again, something like that just stifles competition in the middle of a Leg. It’s different if ferries depart regularly. Having to SIGN-UP for a ferry in the middle of a Leg and before the final task of the Leg just automatically endangers the trailing teams. The Leg is pretty much over by this point in the Leg.

The beginning of the Leg also highlighted what Network 10’s TARAu has had trouble with. And that’s establishing teams’ placements in the Race. How did the two ferries to Fitzroy Island get decided? How did Skye-Blue & Jake fall to the second ferry? It’s very strange. It wasn’t based on their finish last Leg. So knowing how teams ended up on which ferry, especially considering that ferry helped to decide the eventual outcome of the Leg, should be an important detail to explain.

As for the tasks themselves, the Detour was pretty good. Both tasks had their challenges. But the coral side of the Detour was the far quicker task. Teams who are claustrophobic and perhaps afraid of water probably wouldn’t get through it. But it was probably the better decision, no matter what. Whether it was as an initial choice or deciding to switch over instead of waiting in line and ensuring your spot in the back.

The turtles side of the Detour could’ve been a good Road Block though. And then have some other task opposite the scuba doo.

The Finding Nemo bottle task was okay. But it was such a processional task. And knowing that there were two groups, it really wasn’t much of an exciting task to watch. It’s the kind of task to help fill out a Leg. But not right before the Pit Stop.

Overall, beautiful locations of course. But another meh Leg and meh episode.

My Subjective Team Rankings

?

So sad to see Jobelle & Rani go. But after this Leg, it probably was time. I wish they had been able to keep going. I’m sad to see they had to quit another task. But obviously they both looked like they had no more gas left in the tank at this point. It was heartbreaking seeing them barely able to walk to the Mat. And even more when Holly & Dolor passed them. I’ll always root for them though. First because I love seeing fellow Filipinos on a major television production like The Amazing Race. But even more because for most of the Race, they were a fun team. One of the most likeable parent-child teams I’ve seen. And definitely a heartwarming inspiration to watch most of the time.

Sefa & Jessica finally get the spotlight again and it was a wonderful moment. Jessica overcoming her fear was amazing. And them being able to power through that task really was great to watch. I’m very much rooting for them to go all the way.

Holly & Dolor stay high on my list just for their entertainment value. Sometimes Dolor can be so ridiculously absurd. Lol But it’s funny, especially considering how confident they can be. Again, they help offer some balance to the Race. Dwes & Katherine were quiet this Leg, but they managed to get themselves higher up the ranks somehow. They’re stepping up each Leg and it’s good to see.

Can’t fault Brendon & Jackson for switching Detours if they really couldn’t handle the scuba doo. But seeing them be vulnerable definitely helps fill out their characters a little more. That’s what I’m hoping for with Jaskirat & Anurag. They were back to their top contender ways. And as fun as they were in the early Legs, they’ve felt too much like Racebots the last two Legs. And that’s not always fun to watch. They’re Racing very well. But as a viewer, it’s not the most exciting.

A great Leg for Skye-Blue & Jake. It’s nice to see different teams take the Leg wins now. They can do well if they keep this momentum. But with TARAu’s Leg design, I’m not sure that will be easy. Chris & Aleisha and Jordan & Violeta are both alright teams. Simple Legs for them. Even when the dancing exes had the Sabotage and were in the back all day.

Ashleigh & Amanda only popped up eating lunch on a boat. Not much to rank there.

Episode Quotes

Sef: “That was so much fun!”
Jessica: “And I didn’t vomit!”