While I was making my way through every Amazing Race, I've heard of the Australian version and how season 2 was not only the best of its particular version, but also (potentially) of the franchise as a whole. In between seasons 3 and 4 of American TAR (I watched them on Hulu), I watched the first season of Amazing Race Australia and really enjoyed it (I also watched Australia vs. New Zealand, but that was a decade ago)!

When I made it to season 5 of the American version, I planned to watch that first, and then Australia 2 to get a better feel of how they stand, side by side. And I can say that both seasons are worth the hype, in terms of tasks, characters, and iconic moments.

But there's also the question of which one is better.

Locations:

TAR5: Uruguay - Argentina - Russia - Egypt - Tanzania - United Arab Emirates* - India* - New Zealand - Philippines* - Canada* - USA

TARAu2: Philippines* - India* - United Arab Emirates* - Turkey - France - Cuba - Canada* - China - Australia

*: Both versions shared these countries!

First of all, kudos to Australia for visiting Cuba; I thought it was quite fun to see what the country was like and it was worth the risk (TARAu 1 also visited Israel!). And I loved to see Vancouver through another pair of eyes; it's three hours north from where I am, but I'm never sure of its culture. Good job channel 7.

But that doesn't really compare to TAR5's route -- stretching the whole globe, it hits a bunch of new places which, in some cases, gets rarely touched again. I loved seeing Russia and Egypt (especially considering the political climate both countries are in today), and seeing the contestants explore parts of those countries.

Tasks:

For some reason, TARAu 2's tasks were more memorable for me--or at least more creative.

Going back to both Philippines legs, though they took place at different times of the season, they had several different tasks when the contestants got there:

TAR5: Decorate a jeepney, Plow/Foul (which lead to the "My ox is broken!" moment), going up an ascender before getting a clue and rappelling, kayaking towards the Pit Stop (final 4)

TARAu2: eating balut, Jig/Pig (which led to Sarah's thong getting exposed), building a raft to take them to the Pit Stop. (all 11 teams)

I don't know, but is it just me, or Channel 7 do a better job on these tasks? And that was just the beginning. (the stairwell roadblock in India, making a souffle in Paris, and solving a puzzle in Vancouver are among the standouts for me)

That said, TAR5 had good challenges of their own! The caviar roadblock was

Characters/Story Arcs:

Both seasons are quite strong in that by the time you get to the final six, there's something fleshed out about them, and they all have a story to tell. I felt like following each of their arcs, and hoping they would win out. I have one exception for a team that didn't stand out for me in both seasons; but while in season 5 it was a matter of the other five teams being better, whereas in TARAu2 I didn't like this team, and the other five were quite good.

We got a lot of rivalries in both seasons; in season 5, we have Colin and Christie vs. Charla and Mirna, Chip and Kim vs the twins...in TARAu 2, it's Paul and Steve vs the world (with a few exceptions, like Lucy and Emilia). Strangely enough, Chip/Kim vs the twins stood out to me more in season 5, in it was an on again, off again thing, though how Colin and Mirna deal with airports makes it more competitive.

Paul and Steve have an interesting presence and managed to butt heads with a few of their competitors, but their rivalry with Hadas and Inbal Michelle and Jo stood out in how tense it was. From the twins calling Paul and Steve their "good friends" (sarcastically) to trying to beat each other in everything to Jo venting at Paul in Brisbane, it's simultaneously funny and interesting to see how their dynamics worked out.

And of course, the underdog stories. I clicked with the Bowling Moms quite early; I love their enthusiasm for the game and wanted to see how they would grow together. Lucy and Emilia were interesting, as they never managed to become a powerful team, but they still held firm and went far as they possibly could (Emilia thinking of her mother on the gondola was a standout moment for me)

Winners:

Both Chip and Kim and Shane and Andrew weren't the obvious choice to win the race--both were middle-aged and were prone to making silly mistakes at times and occasionally found themselves in trouble. They epitomized slow and steady wins the race, and in a way, good over evil.

Chip and Kim were the more successful team of the two, having won three legs before the final one (two because of Chip's iron stomach!). I was endeared to them in the beginning, partially because of their personalities and how they worked together. What stood out to me was how they wanted to trigger Colin's anger to throw him off his game and benefit from it. I thought that worked like a glove, though it might also be because of the fog, haha.

Shane and Andrew started slow, and it was only when they were in Cuba did they start improving on their leg performances. As a character arc, that's great, but for some reason I didn't connect with them in comparison to the other teams. That said, they did have some sweet moments, from riding the bull to get an advantage to handing kangaroo keychains to the kids. Plus they had their alliance with Michelle and Jo.

Personal enjoyment:

For season 5, the characters hooked me in and I couldn't let myself go from them. It was a pretty epic journey, seeing how the contestants dealt with a diverse globe and its challenges throughout. For some reason, I thought it was more strategic than with TARAu2, with the contestants duking it out for an advantage of some sort. But it's still an epic season, with some of the most iconic teams to run the race.

With TARAu2, I felt like I knew the contestants more, and they had their own idiosyncrasies. Although the route wasn't as broad, the season more than made up for it in the various challenges, surprises ("driving to Australia" had me in the first half, not going to lie), and just colorful nature all along. By the time we crowned our winners, I didn't want to say goodbye to any of it.