The Amazing Race Australia 3


The Amazing Race Australia 3 is the third season of the Australian reality television game show The Amazing Race Australia, the Australian version of The Amazing Race. Officially titled The Amazing Race Australia v New Zealand, featuring ten teams of two in a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world to win the grand prize of A$250,000.
The show premiered on Australia's Seven Network on 4 August 2014 after The X-Factor, and on New Zealand's TV2 on 5 August 2014 after My Kitchen Rules 5.
The last episode concluded with Australian Intensive Care Nurses Daniel Little and Ryan Thomas winning the Race.

Production

Development and Filming

On August 14, 2012, the Seven Network announced the show was looking for contestants for its third series. Despite calling for contestant applications, the show was absent in the Seven Network's 2013 upfronts and was replaced by an unsuccessful revival of the Australian version of The Mole.
The series was renewed again on 22 October 2013. It was also announced that Seven's in-house production company, Seven Productions, would produce the series. ActiveTV, the production company involved in the show's first two production, would no longer be involved.
Filming began in March 2014 at Uluru in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The Race travelled across six continents and ten countries covering over, marking the first time that one of the international versions of The Amazing Race traveled to all six inhabited continents. This racecourse was the longest among the non-American versions and third longest overall behind the courses from The Amazing Race 5 and The Amazing Race 9.
Replacing Marked for Elimination, the Speed Bump was introduced during this third series. It required the team that finished last in a non-elimination leg to perform an additional task at some point during the next leg. The Salvage Pass returned; however, it was awarded to the team that arrived first in the sixth leg rather than the first.

Casting

Applications for the third edition originally opened during the second season, despite the show not being officially renewed by Seven Network. When the show was officially renewed for 2014, applications opened again, including to citizens of New Zealand. Applicants who applied previously were given a chance to update their application. This second round of applications ended on 22 December 2013.

Notable Contestants

Jesse O'Brien was previously a contestant on the first season of New Zealand Idol. He withdrew from the season to attend to the birth of his daughter. He then returned for the second season, where he placed fourth. He participated with his wife, Cat O'Brien.
Elizabeth Grant, a well-known Australian anthropologist and academic, participated with her son, Todd. She was injured during Leg 2 and was subsequently eliminated.
During Leg 6, Tyson Smith proposed to Sally Yamamoto on their fourth anniversary. The couple finished in second place.

Marketing

, John West Tuna and Virgin Australia were the sponsors for this series.

Results

  1. ^ John & Murray were subject to various placement changes on the second leg of the Race:
  2. *They departed the Pit Start in Christchurch 5th as they overslept and missed their departure time one hour late.
  3. *They used their Express Pass to bypass the Roadblock on Leg 2. Neither of them was shown choosing to perform the Roadblock, so it is not counted towards their Roadblock count.
  4. *They initially arrived at the Pit Stop 1st, but had not paid their tuk-tuk driver. They were required to settle the bill before being allowed to check in. Emily & Jono checked in while they went back, dropping them to 2nd.
  5. Daniel & Ryan received a 30-minute time credit at the start of Leg 3 for doing the best in the step counter task in Leg 2, thus departing at the Pit Start first.
  6. ^ Carla & Hereni used their Express Pass to bypass the Roadblock in Leg 4. Before using the Express Pass, Carla elected to perform the Roadblock; this is reflected in the total Roadblock count.
  7. At the Leg 6 Pit Stop, Tyson proposed to Sally, who accepted. Their relationship title was changed from "Dating" to "Engaged". The "Bodybuilders" caption remained the same.
  8. John & Murray came last but had the opportunity to be saved with Daniel & Ryan's Salvage Pass - they chose not to save John & Murray, resulting in their elimination.

    Prizes

Prizes were awarded throughout the Race, generally to the team placing first in each leg but also for special tasks that took place throughout the Race. Most prizes were sponsored by Virgin Australia and their affiliated products.
;Notes
  1. The Express Pass could be used on the Race to skip any one task of the team's choosing until the fifth leg of the Race. The winning team kept one for themselves but had to relinquish the second to another team before the end of the third leg of the Race.
  2. The Salvage Pass has the power to give the holder an hour time-credit or to save the last placing team from elimination.

    Episode titles

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "I Gotta Have Two Legs to Run the Race!" – Christie
  2. "She's Got One Hell of a Body on Her and She Just Used It" – Jarrod
  3. "Proper Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance" – Christie
  4. "We Have A Lot of Experience with Poo" – Carla
  5. "Right Now I Don't Care If He Pees in His Pants" – Sally
  6. "I'm Not Going to Come Last, I'm Just Going to Die on The Amazing Race" – Daniel
  7. "There's A Lot of Bones In This, I Really Don't Wanna Die" – Cat
  8. "I Can't Feel My Nadz!" – Jessie
  9. "Dude, We Don't Want To Go To Your House" – Ryan
  10. "At Least We Did Better Than the Bloody Kiwis" – Jarrod

    Race summary

Leg 1 (Australia → New Zealand)

Airdate: 4 August 2014 ; 5 August 2014
At the Starting Line, the ten teams began the Race with a Nation vs. Nation task and were divided into two groups of five teams based on their nationality to compete in a "Trans-Tasman tug of war". The first nation to pull their opponents' flag past a marker would be given a 10-minute head-start to the airport.
The first Roadblock of the Race required one racer to navigate a tractor through a slalom course and move four hay bales into a marked area. Then, they had to go to a sheep paddock and find the sheep with the exact match of the other half of their ring from the rafting challenge.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: 11 August 2014 ; 12 August 2014
In this Roadblock, one team member had to count the monks wearing red and yellow prayer beads. Once all monks were counted, team members collected an offering to present to two other monks inside the temple. The racer had to pick one of the two monks to give their answer, but one of the monks would lie even if the racer had the right answer. Once the truth-telling monk was given the correct answer, he would give them their next clue.
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Shrimp and Shoot. In Shrimp, teams had to collect of shrimp from fish traps in Tonlé Sap. Once teams had enough shrimp, a fisherman would give them their next clue. In Shoot, teams had to travel to the floating village of Chong Khneas and find the local pool hall, where they had to level out a pool table and then sink five balls, while competing against a local player, to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: 18 August 2014 ; 19 August 2014
The Detour was a choice between Climb Up and Drill Down. For both Detour options, teams had to travel by long-tail boat to Phra Nang Beach. In Climb Up, teams had to scale a sheer rock face to retrieve a Race flag. Once both team members obtained a flag, they could exchange their flags for their next clue. In Drill Down, teams had to first build a hand drill and then use it to extract enough coconut juice from a pile of coconuts to fill a container to a marked line to receive their next clue.
In this Roadblock, teams had to travel to a marked area of the sea, where one team member had dive down to the seafloor to retrieve a golden clam with a pearl that contained their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 25 August 2014 ; 26 August 2014
In this Roadblock, one team member had to cut up a pile of offal and, following an example, prepare the correct quantity to feed to a pride of lions and receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Pipe and Poo. For both Detour options, teams had to travel to a local village by donkey cart. In Pipe, teams had to use a traditional bush method to make fire. Once teams had built enough fire to allow the village chief to light his pipe, they would receive their next clue. In Poo, each team member had to participate in a local game called bokdrool, which required them to spit elephant dung pellets away and across a line. Once each member spit two pellets across the line, teams received their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 25 August 2014 ; 2 September 2014
In this Roadblock, one team member had to decipher a message communicated by the ship commander from the top of the battleship in flag semaphore and written in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. Once the message was deciphered, teams received their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Cossack and Coat Rack. In Cossack, teams had to learn the traditional Cossack dance. Once the instructor was satisfied with teams' effort, they received their next clue. In Coat Rack, teams had to search through a pile of over three hundred tags to find the one that was missing. They had to then search the coats in the coat room for the missing tag. Once teams handed the correct missing tag to the attendant, she would hand them their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: 1 September 2014 ; 9 September 2014
In the second Nation vs. Nation task of the Race, teams from each country had to team up, select three matryoshka dolls, and search among hundreds of other nesting dolls in five separate houses to find the four smaller pieces that belonged to each of the dolls they chose. Once the three teams had collected all twelve pieces, they all would receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Boil and Build. In Boil, teams had to fill a Russian outdoor bathing kettle with water until it reached the marked line and also had to use wood and paper scraps to light a fire underneath it. Once the kettle was full and the fire was alight, teams had to submerge themselves in the icy water before receiving their next clue. In Build, teams had to stack all of the firewood provided, following a traditional method, within a marked area. Once their stack was complete, teams receive their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, teams travelled to the North Hope Sled Dog Center, where one team member had to ride a dog sled of Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes around a slalom course through the forest to receive their next clue.

Leg 7 (Russia → Portugal)

Airdate: 8 September 2014 ; 16 September 2014
The Detour was a choice between Wet and Dry. In Wet, teams made their way to a section of the Lisbon streets celebrating the Agitagueda Art Festival, where thousands of umbrellas were hung above the streets, and had to count all of the yellow umbrellas. When teams wrote the correct answer on a chalkboard and presented it to a judge at a café on Rua da Regueira, they would receive their next clue. In Dry, teams had to find a group of women on the streets with had a laundry basket that had the laundry lady's name attached. Teams then had to search among the clotheslines above the nearby streets for the article of clothing with a name tag listing their laundry lady to receive their next clue.
In this Roadblock, one team member had to pick up a large fish, of mussels, and of octopus and carry them across town to Restaurante A Económica. Once they delivered their seafood, they would then be served a traditional Portuguese fish stew, cataplana, which they had to eat to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: 15 September 2014 ; 23 September 2014
In the only Fast Forward of the Race, teams had to travel to the Dominican Monastery, where they were instructed to collect three prayer cards from three different local churches, deliver them to Muški Frizerski Salon, and would discover that they had to get a tonsure haircut for men or a nun haircut for women. The first team to do so would win the Fast Forward award.
For their Speed Bump, Ashleigh & Jarrod had to properly knot a necktie on each other, a bow tie and a four-in-hand, in order to continue racing.
In the leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to abseil face-first down the side of Fort Bokar to receive their next clue.
The leg's second Roadblock required the team member who sat out the first Roadblock to climb up Fort Saint John using an ascender to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 15 September 2014 ; 30 September 2014
For this Roadblock, one team member had to navigate a sulky, a horse-drawn carriage, to a polo field, where they had to properly dress and saddle a polo horse for competition to the satisfaction of a local polo player to receive their next clue.
The Detour, which paid tribute to Argentina's cultural heritage, was a choice of Tango and Tribute. In Tango, teams had to search through Carlos Gardel's biography, Tangos Que Cantó Gardel, for a card directing them to Pasaje de la Defensa, where both team members had to learn to perform a complex tango routine. Once they could dance to the satisfaction of a judge, teams would receive their next clue. In Tribute, teams had to search page 197 of Diego Maradona's biography, Cebollita Maradona, to find his home stadium La Bombonera, where a football player instructed them in Spanish, "Find in the book, the hospital where Diego Maradona was born. Come back with the answer." Once teams found the answer in their book, Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Evita, the football player then handed them a picture of Eva Perón directing them to the site of her grave, La Recoleta Cemetery, where they would find their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: 25 September 2014 ; 7 October 2014
In the final Roadblock of the Race, one team member had to find the nine items worn or held by the Pit Stop greeters from a vast array of items and place the items in the correct order teams encountered them along the Race atop barrels to receive their final clue. The correct order of items was:
;Additional tasks
;Additional notes

Australian Ratings

All ratings data in Australia are taken from the five major metropolitan centres. Data from regional areas is not accounted for. Due to poor programming from Channel 7 there is no set time-slot, but the start time for the show was around 8:40 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. Times are taken from Electronic Programming Guides which still may not be accurate as to the real start time. Despite the lower ratings compared to the previous series, the show rated well in time shift, often being among the highest viewership gainers for the night.

New Zealand Ratings