This season was amazing in so many ways. I can bring up the wonderful route involving 10 countries, the memory task which was really difficult, the photo finish on the 1st leg, the amazingly competitive cast, etc. However, the one thing I really dislike about this season is its U-turn in Leg 6. Generally speaking, the U-turns before the detour and not after any task is the worst. I'm okay with the head-to-head, the partner swap, the pure ARI leg, the EP missing this season. However, I'm not okay with the placement of the U-turns in some legs recently.
My target is Leg 6. The leg started with a U-turn, and teams were brought to that destination by cab, not through self-driving. I can go back to the point wherein teams are responsible for their own standings when it comes to self-driving, but since it's not, the race to the U-turn is only dependent on the cabs, and only on the cabs since the U-turn is the very first obstacle they encountered in the leg. With how it was placed and how it was used, just because Trevor & Chris's cab was the last to get to the U-turn, they were eliminated. It wasn't their fault at all, so it's my least favorite elimination this season. Their performance that leg was probably the best as well among the 6 legs they raced, and yet they were eliminated because a U-turn was placed at the start of the leg and their cab got them there last. Part of them being behind was the outcome of their self-driving from last leg, but most of the cause boiled down to U-turn placement and slowest cab.
You know what else is ugly and unfair? The Leg 3 U-turn in TAR29. Again, it was all a cab race, and it was at the start of the leg. Seth & Olive were a strong team and proved to be a threat during Leg 1, but just because their cab wasn't as fast as some others', they got U-turned, which eventually led to their elimination. It's really unfair when the U-turn is placed at the start of the leg and all it boiled down to was a cab race.
Some U-turns before the detour can work though. For this season, the U-turn in Zimbabwe was fine. Teams started the leg at different times, which was dependent on both swapped teams checking in at the end of the previous leg. This was based on the teams' efforts and not purely cab-based. They may have taken cabs going to the U-turn, but there was still a significant time gap when they left for the second half of Zimbabwe at different times, unlike leaving from the airport. I think it was fair that Lucas & Brittany and Alex & Conor got to the U-turn early, because their combined performances from the previous leg made them start the leg earlier than the other teams. Additionally, what I like about this U-turn is that it's a surprise U-turn. Teams don't discuss ahead of time to plot a specific team or 2 out, like how Vanck & Ashton were eliminated, or how Mona & Beth and Joey & Meghan were discriminated by the rest of the teams. I think TAR should bring back the surprise U-turn from time to time.
Another good example of a U-turn before the detour is the U-turn in Greece during TAR29. Yeah, it's at the start of the leg, but what set this apart from a bad U-turn at the start of the leg is the self-driving aspect. Teams have to drive from the airport to that U-turn. Therefore, they are responsible for their own standings upon reaching the U-turn. Becca & Floyd had navigation issues that put them behind, which was why they arrived at the U-turn later than other teams did. Same for Mike & Liz. The U-turn in Greece was fine mainly because there was self-driving before they can get there, not just a random cab race that will determine their U-turn arrival order.
To conclude, U-turns should never be placed before the detour at the start of the leg when teams travel from the airport to the U-turn location by cab. It's the ugliest game design in recent seasons.
I hope that was constructive and reasonable enough to be a disappointment. I also hope TAR improves the U-turn placements for future seasons.