The competitions are flawed when some of the challenges are based off of height. No amount of effort or 'heart' can make you grow three inches taller. Don't believe me? Watch Courtney Roselle and Shantal Athill on Nuts and Bolts. There's an obvious strategy that Shantal can't use because of the height difference. Her opponent can even make major mistakes but it still doesn't make up for the difference in unchangeable traits.
This isn't even getting into the real concerns in professional sports about doping or steroids that was left unaddressed in the show, or the disadvantages to doing 3 exhausting events before attempting mount Olympus against someone who in most circumstances got to warm up without wearing themselves out.
Game shows that start unfair aren't fun, they're just frustrating and become quickly predictable