Topic: TAR Australia 8 (Celebrity Edition 2) News, Media & Speculation Thread!

[BourkieBoy]

The Amazing Race AU: Celebrity Edition is pulling out the passports for a second season in 2024! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

[NumfarPTB]

Huh, so they're satisfied with the numbers.
As I said elsewhere, been very pleasantly surprised by this season so far.
This Celebrity Edition has been overall better than the bloated 2 previous seasons we've had of this version.

[BourkieBoy]

A little snippet about what we are up for this season in today's 10's Programmer's Wrap!



https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/01/programmers-wrap-2024-10.html

[Maanca]

Last season's great cast more than made up for the lame route (did we really need 6 legs in Malaysia?) This is nice to know.

Though I wonder if they'll do something to dissuade another tie in the final 3. Apparently only the US version pays prize money to 2nd and 3rd place. If Australia did that, then they won't feel guilted into sharing the charity.

[BourkieBoy]

They are about to be unleashed in the new-look Top Gear Australia but when do presenters Jonathan LaPaglia and Beau Ryan head off for their respective ‘day jobs’ on Australian Survivor and The Amazing Race Australia?

“Nothing’s official yet for Survivor,” said LaPaglia, “but typically we shoot every season around the end of July / August. As far as I know we are doing another season, but nothing’s locked in yet.”

“In terms of Amazing Race we are going with a celebrity version again, which I’m happy about,” says Beau Ryan.

“I mean, we had huge success last year off the back of the celebrity version, but I do like the fact that average Australians can compete as well.

“It’s only a matter of time before we probably go back to that format. We’ve got an incredible cast and we are going relatively soon.”

Meanwhile Top Gear Australia premieres May 17 on Paramount+.

https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/05/when-do-australian-survivor-and-amazing-race-australia-film.html

[Xoruz]

No new updates on what's going on in TAR Australia S8?

A network VP said in a podcast that the season is traveling counter clockwise. Guessing they went north.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0y29GrbO3QNXkzGRyjYfq3

Just to add to this, I think this week is Europe and next week will end in North America. Maybe they’ll finish in Canada or the US since 10 hasn’t gone to either.

[BourkieBoy]

Olympics hero Ian Thorpe was spotted in a wheelchair in Brisbane on Wednesday, in concerning scenes for his fans.

Thorpe, 41, won five Olympic gold medals during his glittering career in the pool and has become a household name since retirement.

According to 7News, Thorpe suffered a 'serious and painful' injury while shooting a reality TV show, resulting him needing to use a wheelchair to get in and out of the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, where he is doing broadcast work for the Paris trials.

'We're told Ian Thorpe is completely OK, but apparently the injury was a serious and painful one,' Seven's Chris Reason said.

Thorpe is believed to have sustained the injury while filming Celebrity Amazing Race, where he teamed up with childhood friend Christian Miranda.

The 41-year-old has been a leading voice for gay rights in sport, having come out as gay in 2014. He kept his sexuality hidden during his professional career as he did not want any 'distractions' from competition.

'I had to swim the Olympics and had to win. I did not want anything to be a distraction for me. I don't want people talking about this,' he said earlier this year.

'So every time it is alluded you may be gay, you're thinking of it as a negative thing and as a young person you make it bigger than it needs to be. So I answered no.'

Thorpe said he regretted concealing his sexuality for so long because it made the process of coming out feel much more confronting.

'I'm comfortable saying I'm a gay man. And I don't want people to feel the same way I did. You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay.'

The five-time Olympic gold medalist came out as gay during an interview with respected English television presenter Sir Michael Parkinson in July 2014.

The athlete later revealed during an episode of This Is Your Life in 2022 that he decided to speak out about his sexuality because he was finally 'comfortable'.

'I was always doing this interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. I had just come out to my family and to my very very closest friends,' Ian told host Melissa Doyle.

'I had spent some time with [Sir Michael Parkinson] before the interview and told him, "You should ask me if I'm gay because I'm going to tell you I am".'

Ian continued: 'I needed to say it. It was the first time I felt I was comfortable enough to put my self out there. It was important for me to be my authentic self.'

At the time, the athlete declared: 'I've thought about this for a long time. I'm not straight. And this is only something that very recently - in the past two weeks - I've been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that.'

The Sydney native was first asked about his sexuality at 16 years old and said he didn't know at that stage but 'was still gay at the end of the day.'

'Yes, I lied about it. I'm now comfortable saying I'm a gay man.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-13521009/Olympics-legend-spotted-wheelchair.html

[Maanca]

Interesting.

Due to NDA, we probably won't find out what happened until it airs, but it's pretty safe to assume he didn't win

[NumfarPTB]

And we have a promo
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-qqM_OyBOx/

No premiere date, though.

[BourkieBoy]

We have a premiere date! Monday September 9th! 

[Bookworm]

Spoilers Ahead!

I did some analysis of the montage they showed at the start of episode 1 (have not yet finished the episode, so there could be more confirmation of tasks that take place in Salta besides the carnival that are not referenced here), and there were pretty heavy spoilers! I tried to identify as many of the backgrounds as I could, but, to be safe, I've left out any information I'm unsure of. In assigning leg numbers, I assume locations follow the same pattern as the last few seasons, spending 3 legs in each country.

Safe to Phuket (Legs 10-12)
    * Bam Bam & Logan
    * Brooke & Adam
    * Pete & Bridget

Images grouped under Phuket include the various shots of Ko Panyi, Ko Rang, Phang Nga Bay, and teams washing Asian elephants.

Safe to Namibia (Legs 7-9)
    * Thorpie & Christian (there’s also a shot of them kayaking in what could be Phuket)
    * Billy & Oscar (at an eating task in Swakopmund in the Live Sightings Thread)

Images grouped under Namibia include teams sandboarding and climbing up sand dunes and teams interacting with Bushmen.

Safe to South Africa (Legs 4-6)
    * Havana & Steph
    * Chloe & Emily
    * Jett & Lily (Seen in Johannesburg in the Live Sightings Thread)

Images grouped under South Africa include teams on a safari excursion (lions seen), Bam Bam & Logan dancing with Zulu (?) tribesmen, and teams at a school/orphanage, including the extended Chloe/Emily speech to a little girl.

Safe to Jujuy (Leg 3) [Jujuy is not confirmed but Thorpie and Christian are shown marveling at Quebrada de Humahuaca in Jujuy Province]
    * Cyrell & Eden

"Jujuy" is how I'm referring to the rocky/deserty clips. We mostly seen Cyrell & Eden in these shots, dealing with a donkey and carrying items on their backs.

Seen in Salta (Leg 2)
    * Nat & Mel

Salta was defined as a foresty/marshy background; the main shot featured two teams running to the Pit Stop and Nat & Mel walking to what I presume is the Pit Stop. I've traced Lily's "I can't, I can't" freakout to Salta based on the background and the preview promising an eating challenge.

[Xoruz]

Behind the scenes article about filming in Namibia.

https://www.republikein.com.na/kuns-en-vermaak/australiese-amazing-race-maak-namibiese-draai2024-10-01

The popular Amazing Race television series took a Namibian twist again in May, with Amazing Race Australia shooting the first of three episodes in the country. These episodes were broadcast in Australia on Sunday and Monday. The Amazing Race franchise has more than 20 million glued to the box office worldwide.

The Namibian Film Commission's senior administrative officer for permits, Shirley Kariange confirmed that the production of the local episodes was filmed in Namibia from May 1 to 31. Sandstone Film Logistics' Paul van der Ploeg was the local facilitator, but was unable to share much about his experience due to his busy schedule and a non-disclosure agreement. He referred inquiries to film producer Lesley-Anne Mulder of Outbound Film in South Africa. Lesley-Anne has been responsible for Namibia as a destination's participation in Amazing Race for some time.

She was previously involved in the American Amazing Race in Namibia, which was produced for CBS & ABC Studio, divisions of Paramount Global and the Walt Disney Company. Also on her list is the Israeli Amazing Race in 2018, which was shot for Keshet Broadcasting in Israel, she says.

"Namibia is a very popular choice for reality shows of this nature because of its magnificent and diverse landscapes, fascinating cultures and incredible geology," says Lesley-Anne.

Mulder describes the Namibian leg of the production as "large-scale", with around 80 Australian and foreign production members flown in, while Outbound hired around 50 local film and support workers with Sandstone Logistics.

"This is one of the biggest and logistically most complicated programs on international television," says Lesley-Anne.

Filming was done at the airport in Walvis Bay, in Swakopmund, at the Spitzkoppe, in the dune belt along the coast, at Pelican Point in Walvis Bay, at the Dorob shipwrecks, and in the Namib-Naukluft Park. Furthermore, Omandumba in the Erongo was also added as a location.

"As the facilitating producer for Amazing Race Australia, my experience has been both challenging and rewarding," says Lesley-Anne. The production process involves a tremendous amount of advance scouting and careful planning.

“We have to consider extensive logistics, locations and transport coordination to ensure everything runs smoothly. One of the key aspects of our preparation is to help design the challenges or tasks that the participants must complete. This requires a good understanding of the local culture and environment, and this is where our collaboration with the Namibian team becomes invaluable. Their insight and expertise are crucial to creating authentic and engaging experiences for the participants," she says.

Lesley-Anne praises the synergy between her production team and the local Namibians. "Overall, the experience is a mix of hard work, creativity and long hours, resulting in a program that celebrates the spirit of adventure and the beauty of diverse cultures," she says.

Amazing Race involves teams of two traveling around the world in competition with other teams. However, Namibians will not be able to watch the locally shot episodes, with MultiChoice confirming that they are not scheduled on any of its DsTV channels for September or October. The Channel 10 website (10play.com.au) also cannot be streamed locally due to geological restrictions. - augetto@republikein.com.na