The Amazing Race Australia has come under fire for its “craziest” challenge yet, which has left fans reeling.
During Monday night’s episode (September 29), the celebrities were tasked with one of the scariest challenges the show has ever had.
In order to get their next clue, one had to charm a cobra, while another had to put their hand into the basket to retrieve it.
“It has fangs, this is real,” Beau Ryan explained, jumping back when the snake went to strike.
During the challenge, some of the contestants jumped back, and on other occasions, the cobra got loose and had to be put back in the basket.
Rightfully, they were horrified when they discovered what they needed to do.
“I’m very uncomfortable with this,” Scott O’Halloran said, confronted with the cobra.
While snake charming is a Sri Lankan tradition, viewers could not believe that the show had such a dangerous challenge.
“Maybe next time don’t involve deadly animals/reptiles in your challenges,” one fan vented.
“The snake challenge is ridiculous. Someone is seriously going to get hurt on one of these stupid reality shows,” another said in frustration.
Another fan labelled it as “extreme”, and another was astounded that it was allowed in the first place.
While some called it out for being dangerous, others said it was cruel to the snake.
Even though Beau said they had fangs, lots of fans wondered if they were removed, which is also a common practice in Sri Lanka.
“I assume so, or this task would be super dangerous,” a viewer said on social media. “Snakes are fast and unpredictable creatures.”
It’s also common for cobras to be milked for their venom.
Before the show aired, The Amazing Race Australia executive producer Sophie Mogford told Mediaweek that a lot of work went into planning the challenges.
She explained that locations were scouted months in advance, and challenges were mapped out to ensure that they were safe and appropriate.
Local teams are also involved to make sure the challenges respect cultural sensitivities.
“You have to have a passion for the project and for travel and also a sensitivity to the cultural areas that we go through, because there are lots of different beliefs that we come across and lots of different environmental areas that we need to be considerate of,” she said.
