Sunday, December 6, 2009

Y'KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING TO CALL A SHOW "THE AMAZING RACE," HOW ABOUT MAKING THE TEAMS TRAVEL ON FOOT UP AND DOWN THE VEGAS STRIP RATHER THAN TAKE TAXIS EVERYWHERE? And what was with all the hidden service entrances? Yes, our Race is over, and we had one great challenge tonight -- the Cirque challenge, a tremendous test of athletics and reasoning under pressure -- as well as a deceptively tough one: "what's in Monaco?" But as much as I admired the chip-counting task on a strategic and working-accurately-under-pressure level, it was impossible for viewers to determine what teams were completing it properly as it happened, and so as far as overall narrative cohesiveness is concerned I'm still not entirely sure why the team that won, won.

What I appreciated about this season of the Race, overall, was that its challenges were more tourist-based than stunt-based, tasks that reasonably approximated things anyone could do in visiting these places. No, these teams weren't quite as compelling as those in the past, and I missed all the airport-fu -- there was nothing like Season 5's ending which was determined by two teams failing to remember that checking your luggage through to the final destination means you can't change your flights midway. But, still, it's a damn fine show. Party at Wayne's house!

Fienberg talks about what I didn't: the awesomeness of the interactions with the embalmed Wayne Newton.

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