I think a five-country route could have definitely worked, had they not picked THESE five countries. I know there's a huge market in Brazil and Argentina for them to cater to, and I support the decision to go back to Chile, after it only got one leg the first time, but imagine if they'd kept the Chile legs and done a central American country, a Caribbean country, one of the smaller countries on top of Brazil, and Paraguay instead.
Edit: Still, at least we didn't have to put up with Mexico again. Lovely country, but... I'm glad they gave it a rest, and I hope they also give Argentina in particular a rest next season. Seven legs in three seasons is about five too many, even on a reduced-scale route.