Totally agreed, Kevin. TARA isn't doing near as good as TAR.
To my opinion, the most annoying things for me are the product placements and repeated tasks.
Yes, product placements are important to keep running the show, but shouldn't it be done fewer?
Overdoing something never ended good, and I think overadvertising would annoy a good amount of people too.
And what wrong with the tasks? It has the same pattern over season that is repeated again and again.
For instance, why should TARA does bungee jumping AGAIN?
Or searching clues on the beach?
Or scoring goals/keeping goals made in soccer?
I think, the tasks should still be unique, memorable, but still representing the face of the host country, but latter seasons lack that.
And about Allan Wu as a host.
I think it's hard to make a unique-and-memorable appearance as a host to another version of TAR.
Allan and Phil surely are 2 different persons, they would have their own characteristics.
I'm sure that if Allan actually is copying Phil's way of hosting, some of us would disagree again.
So I think Allan Wu is doing a "just enough" job (but please just keep the exaggerating "pauses" to a minimum.)
Oh, and the penalties. I think TARA is over-giving penalties.
5 minutes penalty on each goal made by locals? Okay, it is acceptable.
But 4 hours penalty for failing RoadBlock (Season 4 Leg 2)? And not even a second try? What the?!
I thought 4 hours penalty should be given if a team QUIT/CHOOSE NOT TO FINISH the Roadblock, not when they just fail to finish on first try???
I still can't get over that event. To me it's unacceptable twist of rule.
*************************************************************************************************
But despite all the flaws, I have to say that Joab is true.
TARA is the closest way that we Asian can actually feel the TAR experience.
So please, please bring back more seasons of TARA, but improve them A LOT, producers.
Just, make the best of the Race to give memorable experience to the Racers and us watchers,
not just "in sake of making an Asian version of a popular US show"... It just won't work that way.
Thank you, and no offense to all TARA crews. It's just some inputs from a TAR fan.