A couple of quick thoughts on last night's TAR finale.
1. FINALLY, they went someplace I've been to; specifically, Potters' Field Park in London:
The Tower Bridge is in the background (it's NOT the London Bridge, which is several hundred yards upriver to your left, and is just a regular concrete bridge now that the original is in Arizona), the Tower of London is across the Thames just out of the left side of the picture, and just off the right side of the picture is where David Blaine hung out for 40 days in the fall of 2003 (I was there on day 3 of his stunt and didn't know what all the fuss was about until I got to the hotel that evening and saw it on the news - it was still Britain's top story at that time).
2. Once the doors of an airliner are closed and the jetway is pulled back, that flight has DEPARTED. I've never heard of the pilot saying, "Uh, never mind, hook us up again so we can let two more people on." I have to admit that it sure looks suspicious, like the producers bribed American to allow two teams on the first flight so that we wouldn't have a boat race ending, and I say that as someone who really wanted Uchenna and Joyce to win.
How do you feel about the upcoming "family format"? I can't imagine it being as fun, but maybe they'll prove me wrong. And I cringe at the thought of us seeing people treat their kids terribly.
ISTR that the children had to be at least 12, so it's not like they'll be yelling at little kids.
That being said, I'm with you in that I don't see this as being as entertaining as other Races.
Of course, I'll still watch it.