One of the most exciting twists implemented on The Amazing Race has been the U-Turn, so it's surprising the twist has yet to return. Viewers were first introduced to the U-turn during The Amazing Race season 12. The U-Turn was created as a response to criticism of the previous twist, the Yield, which forced teams to wait a pre-determined amount of time before they could continue on the race. The U-Turn appears on certain legs of The Amazing Race to allow one team to force another to perform both sides of a detour, slowing them down and potentially eliminating them from the race.
The twist underwent a few changes, such as the blind U-Turn, in which Amazing Race teams could U-Turn without the others knowing, and the double U-Turn, which allowed two teams to use a U-Turn in a single leg. Reddit user tmarengo created a thread asking what happened to the U-Turn and reminisced on the fan-favorite twist. They said the "U-Turns added dramatic tension between the teams and I'm lowkey missing it." Others agree that the U-Turn provided exciting drama on The Amazing Race while also adding unpredictability to the episodes. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a U-Turned team avoid elimination and even beat the team that U-Turned them, which occurred on The Amazing Race season 18 when Flight Time and Big Easy beat Jaime and Cara to the pit stop after being U-Turned by them earlier in the leg.
The Amazing Race's U-Turn Kept The Race Exciting & Suspenseful
Others believe its absence on The Amazing Race 34 is due to it being overpowering and a COVID-19 liability. A Reddit user in the thread claims, "U-Turns were nearly always a death sentence," while another user replied, "According to Phil it’s because with coronavirus they are trying to not have the contestants be on the leg longer than what is essential." These two arguments provided some insight as to why the U-Turn has disappeared from The Amazing Race in recent seasons.
While the U-Turn creates suspense and drama, it also makes it an impossible challenge for teams on the receiving end. COVID-19 hasn't helped, as time spent on the course is limited in case of exposure. Some fans offered solutions, as one Reddit user replied, "Yields and Intersections are more fair than U-turns," while another stated in the thread, "they should have face offs instead of U-turns."
As The Amazing Race season 34 continues to air, it is becoming more apparent that the U-Turn will not be returning after being absent on The Amazing Race season 33 as well. Fans are wondering what happened to the U-Turn and if it will make a return in the future. While the U-Turn may never come back, The Amazing Race needs to continue to reinvent itself with its twists in order to keep the show fresh and exciting.
The Amazing Race airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on CBS.
Source: tmarengo/Reddit