Thoughts on the finale:
FULL INTRO
That's it, TAR is saved!
I guess there was only 1 flight to Las Vegas, I wish they would've show us that, teams getting the the news that as soon as the flight lands is fair game and is anyones game to win...
This driver thing, is kind of creepy and I would've prefer to see them drive themself to marked spot... I guess they wanted to have the shot of the 3 teams digging at the same time... ok! What is wrong with Rachel at this point, pushing Caro or Jen at the airport first then throwing the dirt in the other teams hole, isn't against the rules to interrupt another team progress? This is why I don't like you Rachel, you don't run your own race you try to cheat to get what you want... What happened to the Rachel from Kuala Lumpur that I wanted to see more of? At least Dave&Connor and Caroline&Jennifer called her out... even though she still doesn't seem to care that she is trying to sabotage another team? What?! Run your own race Rachel you would do better...
I'm surprised Brendon&Rachel were the only ones to understand the clue, "deliver the content" of the box to David Copperfield and are the only ones prepare to do the Roadblock... At least that doesn't seem to stop Dave and Caroline to get the keys from the box, I wonder how long it took Caroline&Jennifer to open it because they seem to have the most trouble with it...
I don't quite like this challenge... luck base and teams didn't seem to have enough control over their own performance... too "staged" IMO but at least it represent the "Espectacle" that is the life of Las Vegas... and probably most viewers wer thrilled to see David Copperfield in the race...
I loved the idea of the visit to the Neon Boneyard, really cool setting, but I feel it was wasted for what was basically just a route marker... would've love a memory challenge based on Las Vegas Neon Lights... I guess the presumable change in route is to blame for the missing memory challenge... and here begins Brendon&Rachel's selfdestruction as I predicted last week... Taxi Luck is always a factor in The Amazing Race... don't be mad to the lady that is totally doing her job as it should be, just solve the problem... And Brendon is wasting so much time trying to steal Caroline&Jennifer's taxi cab... good oh him for trying but dude, get the hint, the cab driver is good at his job and is listening to the owner of the service...
So far the leg is pretty straightforward but the teams are so closed to each other that it doesn't really matter... team placement keeps changing...
And Caroline&Jennifer are the first one at The Mirage, taxi luck was against Dave&Connor at this point... Interestining challenge... and just when I thought Caroline&Jennifer got this, that they were going to leave first, Dave&Connor finish and get the answer wrong, guessed one number and get it right, that was lucky, Jennifer&Caroline get it right, first try, and they are off seconds behind Dave&Connor...
And after missing the cluebox, and running around this huge Hotel, Brendon&Rachel finally start the lightbulb challenge, this is why it doesn't even matter if you don't have an allience, you are your own enemy, you have to beat your own limitations, and they couldn'd do it, they were not paying attention to what was in front of them, to what they were doing... they lost their focus...
Both teams struggling to find Maverick Helicopters, is neck and neck, is still everyone's game, both really competitive teams going running to the cluebox, such a great feeling when you know BOTH teams really want this, and have the prize at reach, just one final push to finish... aaaaand the roadblocks tell them to find a sign for the landing zone, this could be really hard considering the amount of bright lights of Vegas, everything is shining and the sign they need to find keeps rotating with the information... this is a cool idea IMO but taking control away of the teams seems really odd to be the last challenge before the finish line...
Ok, as I said, seems really awkward to have a team member at the finish line waiting for the other one to arrive... you can feel the tension of the eliminated teams and the anxiety from Connor and Jennifer just waiting for their partners... this as a challenge doesn't fit right to be the last one but it has that last WOW moment that should be there in the finale...
and...
CONGRATULATIONS DAVE&CONNOR, WINNERS OF AMAZING RACE ALL-STARS totally deserved first place for this really competitive team, they fought really hard against a lot of great teams to be the winners of the race... I got what I wanted, a poetic victory from the Cancer Survivor team that had to quit the race on their original season after two 1st places in a row because of an injury, they came back, they race a great race, they did every challenge, they beat the odds, being a Parent/Child team, winning Leg 3, all the curses thrown at them were broken... They totally deserve to win The Amazing Race...
Caroline&Jennifer got a well earned 2nd place, yes, they were not the best team of the race, but they were competitive, they use everything on their power to be there at the finish line, looks, luck, strategy, everything to be a possible winner, totally earned 2nd place, wouldn't be mad if they were the winners... Total respect for this team
And Rachel is crying, again, this shot of her crying in the grass of the driveway is really sad, I'm glad they got outraced by the other teams... they had a chance, and they blew it... oh well... if they would've focus on what THEY were doing, and do their own thing instead of worry about what others talked about them, they probably would've done better... I guess they got overconfident at the beginning of the leg because of home field advantage, that never played in to place, especially considering what happened at The Mirage...
I think Phil wasn't expecting this, he looked really happy about Dave&Connor, and his speech felt really honest and natural, not as scripted as other seasons... that group hug was great, a happy moment to end this season, to end this cycle of the race...
Overall, this season could've been better, it was entertaining, and exciting because teams were always closed to each other, but the route didn't deliver, not enough countries, we will never know what was that mysterious 4th continent the press pictures kept talking about, a big part of the cast didn't need to comeback, and their pressence wasn't worth it... but hey could've been better but I still have fun watching.
