Episode 1: On Nebula The Layover aftershow podcast On YouTube Episode spoilers It's rare you see so much tension around actually making a flight once the challenge is completed. Glad Sam and...
Episode spoilers
It's rare you see so much tension around actually making a flight once the challenge is completed. Glad Sam and Michelle were able to make it on board!
Episode spoiler I was kinda hoping they would miss the flight, just for the lulz and additional tension. :P Plus, TBH, I don't think their snowman deserved to win. p.s. @Fal, instead of splitting...
Episode spoiler
Glad Sam and Michelle were able to make it on board!
I was kinda hoping they would miss the flight, just for the lulz and additional tension. :P
Plus, TBH, I don't think their snowman deserved to win.
p.s. @Fal, instead of splitting the Jet Lag comments between this topic and the first episode that you posted, should we maybe try to keep the commentary contained here from now on since this one already has multiple comments and episodes listed already?
Oh for sure, I must’ve missed this post when I created that one. It’s shaping up to be an interesting season! I’m excited to see how the new format plays out.
Oh for sure, I must’ve missed this post when I created that one.
It’s shaping up to be an interesting season! I’m excited to see how the new format plays out.
🍪𝐈𝐭'𝐬 TIME 2️ enter🍕 🌮𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖🍟 Ben: I hope that having your ass be so cold is really good for you Spoiler Damn that cliffhanger ending! Damn it to heck! :P
🍪𝐈𝐭'𝐬 TIME 2️ enter🍕
🌮𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖🍟
Ben: I hope that having your ass be so cold is really good for you
Episode 3: On Nebula The Layover aftershow podcast On YouTube (thanks /u/cfabbro!) Episode spoilers As a Seattleite, it was neat to see my home town getting nearly a whole Jet Lag episode in the...
As a Seattleite, it was neat to see my home town getting nearly a whole Jet Lag episode in the spotlight!
Archie McPhee is a place I've walked past many times, but never visited. I'll definitely be fixing that next time I'm in Wallingford!
I was amused to see Ben and Adam hit the Goodwill Outlet - it's infamous around here, for exactly the reasons Adam discovered. Everything there is priced by weight, so there are good deals to be had, and the people who specialize in reselling thrift store items know that too. If you ever wanted the Black Friday experience year-round, the Goodwill Outlet is the place to get it! Mary's Place was also the perfect choice for a charity to receive the sweaters and ties once Ben and Adam were done with them.
I can't wait to see if Ben and Adam attempt the drunk mile inside SeaTac next episode - it's certainly big enough for it, and there's no shortage of places that sell alcohol there. It wouldn't even be in the top ten weirdest things I've seen in that airport, either!
I love that Julie the gate agent is on the YouTube comments! Great episode. It's not always clear to me what the strategy of either team is at any given moment, since we see plans for their...
I love that Julie the gate agent is on the YouTube comments!
Great episode. It's not always clear to me what the strategy of either team is at any given moment, since we see plans for their existing hand of tickets but then they replace tickets that would be required for accomplishing those plans (on the off chance something better will show up?) but fun to watch regardless.
I hope trains will actually end up being used at some point.
🌮𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖🍟 VS ♈ 𝒵𝑜𝒹𝒾𝒶𝒸 𝒵𝑜𝓃𝑒 ♐ I love how enthusiastic and energetic Michelle is. It's such a nice contrast to how laid back Sam is. And the fact that in prep for the show she memorized all the...
🌮𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖🍟 VS ♈ 𝒵𝑜𝒹𝒾𝒶𝒸 𝒵𝑜𝓃𝑒 ♐
I love how enthusiastic and energetic Michelle is. It's such a nice contrast to how laid back Sam is. And the fact that in prep for the show she memorized all the flop cards for each day, and spreadsheet-ized many of the challenge fulfilling locations is hilarious... and a massive advantage.
Spoiler
Although it almost backfired since she knew the opening times for the Rock Climbing place in Seattle, so thought they didn't need to rush to complete the Rock Climbing challenge in Boise... but had Adam and Ben managed to ride the mechanical bull at that bar & grill they found, which she didn't know about, they probably would have beaten Michelle and Sam to getting that card.
Damn that second cliffhanger ending! I'm looking forwards to seeing drunk Ben again though. However, I suspect Michelle can run a mile a lot faster than he can, so Ben might be doing it for naught. :P
And yeah, 100% agree. I hope there are at least a few days with no airplane tickets so the traveling gets a bit more interesting than just going from airport to airport.
p.s. Thanks for telling me about the gate agent's comments... I wouldn't have seen them otherwise.
Episode 4: On Nebula The Layover aftershow podcast On YouTube Episode spoilers I called it - Adam did the drunk mile in the airport! He mentioned on the podcast that an airport turned out to be an...
I called it - Adam did the drunk mile in the airport! He mentioned on the podcast that an airport turned out to be an unexpectedly good place for that challenge - there's a lot of long, straight segments, running to a gate isn't unusual or even particularly remarkable, and alcohol vendors are plentiful.
When I saw that Adam and Ben were flying Frontier, I had a feeling they might end up with issues. Sure enough, they got massively delayed.
I also think Sam using his steal so early was a massive misplay, even without the flight being sold out - it would have made a bunch more sense to wait for the next day, where it would have guaranteed that they could claim the best ticket for the day, even if they lost the challenge.
LOL, yeah, he was great. Buying them shots just to hear their story is a class move. And if he did show up again later, that would definitely enter into the annals of Jet Lag history... much like...
LOL, yeah, he was great. Buying them shots just to hear their story is a class move. And if he did show up again later, that would definitely enter into the annals of Jet Lag history... much like the Alaskan Gate Agent showing up in the comments last episode. :P
Episode spoilers How wrong I was in my previous episode comment (cc: @Fal). I didn't expect Adam to be the one to get drunk, and run the mile. So no drunk Ben. :( And drunk Adam isn't nearly as...
Episode spoilers
How wrong I was in my previous episode comment (cc: @Fal). I didn't expect Adam to be the one to get drunk, and run the mile. So no drunk Ben. :( And drunk Adam isn't nearly as funny, IMO.
I feel bad for Michelle having run the drunk mile for naught. But drunk Michelle was hilarious though. Her explaining sex to the parrot, and getting excited about being able to eat the leftover bread from the next challenge = 🤣
@blueshiftlabs, yeah, I feel like that was a bit of a blunder using the steal so early too... especially since the flight Sam was so obsessed about was already sold out. Rookie mistake on his part to not thoroughly check that first. After all these seasons he should know better by now. Having the 1000 mile flight ticket to a neighboring state isn't a bad thing though. I'm pretty sure it's one of the best cards in the game, and they will probably still easily be able to make use of it... so long as Ben and Adam don't steal it back, that is. :P
p.s. I've never flown Frontier before, is it known for delays like that or something?
Episode 5: On Nebula The Layover aftershow podcast On YouTube: releases Jan 17 Episode spoilers I can't believe Sam and Michelle pulled off the trip into Montrose! That was a super risky play, not...
Episode spoilers
I can't believe Sam and Michelle pulled off the trip into Montrose! That was a super risky play, not just because of steals, but because they had basically zero chance of competing for any good cards. Somehow, though, it worked out for them.
As much as the direct flight to Milwaukee was a good long haul in distance for Adam and Ben, I feel like it wasn't the right move. Having to go so far north added a ton of extra distance to their trip, so I'm not sure how much it gained them. Chicago is a good transit hub, though, so hopefully it works out for them.
Episode is up on YouTube! Spoilers If Sam and Michelle can't find a way into that park (or find a different spot in Dallas), I really think Ben and Adam have this one. I am curious if there will...
Episode is up on YouTube!
Spoilers
If Sam and Michelle can't find a way into that park (or find a different spot in Dallas), I really think Ben and Adam have this one. I am curious if there will be any steals in the next flop as well.
Spoilers Speaking of finding a different spot... I'm surprised they didn't look for a restaurant that Elvis ate at in Dallas, since he was known for his love of food. E.g. It took me ten seconds...
Spoilers
Speaking of finding a different spot... I'm surprised they didn't look for a restaurant that Elvis ate at in Dallas, since he was known for his love of food. E.g. It took me ten seconds to find this photo by googling "Dallas Elvis eating": https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/5533572324
For those that are interested, this picture was taken at Norma's Cafe in Oak Cliff
1123 W. Davis Dallas, Texas 75208. They have hardly changed since then, and they still offer one of the best bowls of chili you'll ever eat. The King knew what he was doing :)
And the restaurants is still there, and only a few minutes drive west of where they were when the Elvis card popped up: https://www.normascafe.com/locations/
Spoilers Well, they might still have time to make it to somewhere else before the day ends, we'll have to see next episode. Given the wording of the card, though, it might be difficult for them to...
Spoilers
Well, they might still have time to make it to somewhere else before the day ends, we'll have to see next episode. Given the wording of the card, though, it might be difficult for them to find the exact spot he was in? Don't know how exact they need to be, but finding say, the exact booth he was in might be difficult for a food place.
Spoilers Yeah, they still have time, and might switch tactics. But as Adam said, they only have an hour before the end of the day, so they don't actually have that much time left. More difficult...
Spoilers
Yeah, they still have time, and might switch tactics. But as Adam said, they only have an hour before the end of the day, so they don't actually have that much time left.
it might be difficult for them to find the exact spot he was in?
More difficult than finding the exact spot in a now empty field where the stage once was inside a concert venue that was torn down? :P I imagine the diner is still pretty proud of Elvis having eaten there, so the employees likely know exactly what booth he was in.
Spoilers That's a good point, I hadn't even considered how they were going to go about it in an empty field. It'll definitely be pretty down to the wire, and Ben and Adam are probably screwed if...
Spoilers
More difficult than finding the exact spot in a now empty field where the stage once was inside a concert venue that was torn down? :P I imagine the diner is still pretty proud of Elvis having eaten there, so the employees likely know exactly what booth he was in.
That's a good point, I hadn't even considered how they were going to go about it in an empty field. It'll definitely be pretty down to the wire, and Ben and Adam are probably screwed if they get that steal.
Spoilers Ben & Adam losing the 1000 mile flight west ticket would definitely throw a huge wrench in their plans, but Sam & Michelle still have a long way to the east (not west) to go from Dallas,...
Spoilers
Ben & Adam losing the 1000 mile flight west ticket would definitely throw a huge wrench in their plans, but Sam & Michelle still have a long way to the east (not west) to go from Dallas, so I don't think it'll be game ending. Whereas if Ben & Adam keep the 1000 mile flight west ticket it's definitely game over, since they're planning on using it to go from Charlotte directly to Key West (the finish line) using it. So TBH, I kinda hope the steal happens just so the game drags out a bit longer, and then ending gets more interesting rather than being a forgone conclusion. :P
Episode 6 (series finale): On Nebula The Layover aftershow podcast On YouTube: releases Jan 24 Episode spoilers Congratulations, Sam and Michelle! A well-played season all around, with a...
Congratulations, Sam and Michelle! A well-played season all around, with a high-risk, high-reward strategy.
We finally got to see a sleeper train! In hindsight, though, having to start their day in a small town like Coopersville probably cost Ben and Adam more time than they gained by being further west, especially because they would have had their choice of flights out of Chicago. I appreciate the game's attempt to make America's train network part of the game, but even with the massive handicap of being able to take trains through rest periods, I still don't think that they were ever the right play this game. And, as Ben and Adam found out, Amtrak also has an alarming tendency to be late, so relying on it in time-critical situations is risky.
Atlanta to Key West with the neighboring state card was huge! Even if Ben and Adam had managed to literally high-roll their variable distance flight, I don't think they could have beaten Sam and Michelle. At best, they could have booked on the exact same flight, which would have turned the trip to Southernmost Point into a foot race (which I now kinda want to see at some point!)
And, last of all, the announcement of Season 9 - Switzerland looks like it's going to be an amazing place for a game, and it'll be interesting to see how hide and seek works as a format. We'll see in a few months!
The most surprising thing to me was that they were both in the Atlanta airport at the same time on the last day. Big points to them for designing an interesting and balanced game.
The most surprising thing to me was that they were both in the Atlanta airport at the same time on the last day. Big points to them for designing an interesting and balanced game.
Yeees! This was well designed! The steal mechanic was a pretty good catch up mechanic! (Though I wonderered what would happen if a very long flight prevented the steal from being executed....
Yeees! This was well designed! The steal mechanic was a pretty good catch up mechanic! (Though I wonderered what would happen if a very long flight prevented the steal from being executed. Shouldn't they have automated the whole thing?) The race felt very close most of the time and was fun to watch. This one goes into my list of well designed Jet Lags alongside New Zealand and Europe tag.
I was also rooting for the winning team (changes randomly every season) so that was satisfying.
This was a great final episode, and a great season. My only minor gripe is I wish there weren't so many plane ticket cards, so they had to use more varied modes of transport. But planes are...
This was a great final episode, and a great season. My only minor gripe is I wish there weren't so many plane ticket cards, so they had to use more varied modes of transport. But planes are fastest, and the show isn't meant to take weeks or months, so I get why they did it. It's also kind of a shame they have a new guest every season because I think Michelle really fit in well, and I'd definitely like to see compete on the show again.
Spoiler
Looks like our debate about the Elvis location was not necessary, @Fal. :P
You were right about the 1000 mile ticket. It did end up costing Ben & Adam the the game. In retrospect, I kinda wished that flights directly to Key West were banned though. That seemed way too powerful given where the ending location was. And I think the final episode would have been way more interesting if they all had had to find some other means of transport there from another city in Florida.
Spoiler I thought the same as soon as they found where the stage actually was lol. I agree that the overuse of flights was kind of annoying, but I imagine it's hard to justify using trains at any...
Spoiler
Looks like our debate about the Elvis location was not necessary, @Fal. :P
I thought the same as soon as they found where the stage actually was lol. I agree that the overuse of flights was kind of annoying, but I imagine it's hard to justify using trains at any point except as overnight travel opportunities. Maybe they could have resolved this by either having less planes or making them much shorter distance?
As for Michelle being a good fit, maybe we'll see a bonus season in the vein of Taskmaster's Champion of Champions, with all the guests coming back (scheduling nightmare that that would be).
This was the first season I've watched and it's a genuinely fun game. The fact that everyone was super competitive but still good sports made it a lot more enjoyable than most reality TV...
This was the first season I've watched and it's a genuinely fun game. The fact that everyone was super competitive but still good sports made it a lot more enjoyable than most reality TV competitions I've seen and the prize was fitting for this great endeavor. It was also pretty nice to see how cool people were with some randos showing up, needing to do random things.
The biggest critique I'd have is with the over reliance on flights, especially with some really powerful ones at the start and end. There's the obvious limitation of production also being competitors and they definitely had time commitments (especially with Michelle being a guest) but maybe a bit more time exploring Alaska and Florida more would showcased the scale of the race.
Excited to catch up on other seasons and I hope they keep pushing the idea of these large scale travel games. Part of me wishes these projects would get some sort of network/streaming deal but after seeing what endless seasons have done to most game shows, I'm sure the fun and ideas would probably just be milked to death.
Wendover/Jet Lag is one of the original group of creators that founded Nebula, an independent streaming service, so they have their own streaming deal where you can get the episodes a week...
Wendover/Jet Lag is one of the original group of creators that founded Nebula, an independent streaming service, so they have their own streaming deal where you can get the episodes a week earlier, plus a bunch of other high-quality content.
As someone from Switzerland, I am incredibly excited by the next season. I was a bit disappointed at how little it featured in the past European seasons but this more than makes up for it. I...
As someone from Switzerland, I am incredibly excited by the next season. I was a bit disappointed at how little it featured in the past European seasons but this more than makes up for it. I wonder if their game is going to be fun enough to replicate it with friends...
Nebula is very much worth it, in my opinion. It fills the same niche in relation to YouTube that Tildes fills to Reddit - a smaller community, founded by veterans of a larger one, with a heavy...
Nebula is very much worth it, in my opinion. It fills the same niche in relation to YouTube that Tildes fills to Reddit - a smaller community, founded by veterans of a larger one, with a heavy emphasis on long-form content, educational discussions, and deliberately not taking VC money to avoid chasing the sort of low-effort engagement and enshittification that plagues YouTube/Reddit. If you're on here, you'd probably find Nebula to be worth a few bucks a month.
Episode 1:
Episode spoilers
It's rare you see so much tension around actually making a flight once the challenge is completed. Glad Sam and Michelle were able to make it on board!Episode spoiler
I was kinda hoping they would miss the flight, just for the lulz and additional tension. :P
Plus, TBH, I don't think their snowman deserved to win.
p.s. @Fal, instead of splitting the Jet Lag comments between this topic and the first episode that you posted, should we maybe try to keep the commentary contained here from now on since this one already has multiple comments and episodes listed already?
Oh for sure, I must’ve missed this post when I created that one.
It’s shaping up to be an interesting season! I’m excited to see how the new format plays out.
Episode 2:
YouTube video is up!
THE SNACK ZONE RETURNS
🍪𝐈𝐭'𝐬 TIME 2️ enter🍕
🌮𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖🍟
Ben: I hope that having your ass be so cold is really good for you
Spoiler
Damn that cliffhanger ending! Damn it to heck! :P
Episode 3:
Episode spoilers
As a Seattleite, it was neat to see my home town getting nearly a whole Jet Lag episode in the spotlight!
Archie McPhee is a place I've walked past many times, but never visited. I'll definitely be fixing that next time I'm in Wallingford!
I was amused to see Ben and Adam hit the Goodwill Outlet - it's infamous around here, for exactly the reasons Adam discovered. Everything there is priced by weight, so there are good deals to be had, and the people who specialize in reselling thrift store items know that too. If you ever wanted the Black Friday experience year-round, the Goodwill Outlet is the place to get it! Mary's Place was also the perfect choice for a charity to receive the sweaters and ties once Ben and Adam were done with them.
I can't wait to see if Ben and Adam attempt the drunk mile inside SeaTac next episode - it's certainly big enough for it, and there's no shortage of places that sell alcohol there. It wouldn't even be in the top ten weirdest things I've seen in that airport, either!
Episode 3 is on YouTube now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iCx-7xW5T8
I love that Julie the gate agent is on the YouTube comments!
Great episode. It's not always clear to me what the strategy of either team is at any given moment, since we see plans for their existing hand of tickets but then they replace tickets that would be required for accomplishing those plans (on the off chance something better will show up?) but fun to watch regardless.
I hope trains will actually end up being used at some point.
🌮𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖🍟 VS ♈ 𝒵𝑜𝒹𝒾𝒶𝒸 𝒵𝑜𝓃𝑒 ♐
I love how enthusiastic and energetic Michelle is. It's such a nice contrast to how laid back Sam is. And the fact that in prep for the show she memorized all the flop cards for each day, and spreadsheet-ized many of the challenge fulfilling locations is hilarious... and a massive advantage.
Spoiler
Although it almost backfired since she knew the opening times for the Rock Climbing place in Seattle, so thought they didn't need to rush to complete the Rock Climbing challenge in Boise... but had Adam and Ben managed to ride the mechanical bull at that bar & grill they found, which she didn't know about, they probably would have beaten Michelle and Sam to getting that card.
Damn that second cliffhanger ending! I'm looking forwards to seeing drunk Ben again though. However, I suspect Michelle can run a mile a lot faster than he can, so Ben might be doing it for naught. :P
And yeah, 100% agree. I hope there are at least a few days with no airplane tickets so the traveling gets a bit more interesting than just going from airport to airport.
p.s. Thanks for telling me about the gate agent's comments... I wouldn't have seen them otherwise.
Episode 4:
Episode spoilers
I called it - Adam did the drunk mile in the airport! He mentioned on the podcast that an airport turned out to be an unexpectedly good place for that challenge - there's a lot of long, straight segments, running to a gate isn't unusual or even particularly remarkable, and alcohol vendors are plentiful.
When I saw that Adam and Ben were flying Frontier, I had a feeling they might end up with issues. Sure enough, they got massively delayed.
I also think Sam using his steal so early was a massive misplay, even without the flight being sold out - it would have made a bunch more sense to wait for the next day, where it would have guaranteed that they could claim the best ticket for the day, even if they lost the challenge.
Episode spoilers
My new favorite Jet Lag character is "guy at airport bar". It's wildly improbable, but I somehow want him to show up in Key West.LOL, yeah, he was great. Buying them shots just to hear their story is a class move. And if he did show up again later, that would definitely enter into the annals of Jet Lag history... much like the Alaskan Gate Agent showing up in the comments last episode. :P
Episode spoilers
How wrong I was in my previous episode comment (cc: @Fal). I didn't expect Adam to be the one to get drunk, and run the mile. So no drunk Ben. :( And drunk Adam isn't nearly as funny, IMO.
I feel bad for Michelle having run the drunk mile for naught. But drunk Michelle was hilarious though. Her explaining sex to the parrot, and getting excited about being able to eat the leftover bread from the next challenge = 🤣
@blueshiftlabs, yeah, I feel like that was a bit of a blunder using the steal so early too... especially since the flight Sam was so obsessed about was already sold out. Rookie mistake on his part to not thoroughly check that first. After all these seasons he should know better by now. Having the 1000 mile flight ticket to a neighboring state isn't a bad thing though. I'm pretty sure it's one of the best cards in the game, and they will probably still easily be able to make use of it... so long as Ben and Adam don't steal it back, that is. :P
p.s. I've never flown Frontier before, is it known for delays like that or something?
Episode spoilers
In the episode they mentioned there was a "no steal back" rule, so they're safe on that front.
Ah, okay. I totally forgot about that rule. Thanks for the reminder!
This episode is now available on YouTube.
Episode 5:
Episode spoilers
I can't believe Sam and Michelle pulled off the trip into Montrose! That was a super risky play, not just because of steals, but because they had basically zero chance of competing for any good cards. Somehow, though, it worked out for them.As much as the direct flight to Milwaukee was a good long haul in distance for Adam and Ben, I feel like it wasn't the right move. Having to go so far north added a ton of extra distance to their trip, so I'm not sure how much it gained them. Chicago is a good transit hub, though, so hopefully it works out for them.
And once again, we end on a cliffhanger!
Ep 5 - We Raced From USA's Northernmost to Southernmost Town
Episode is up on YouTube!
Spoilers
If Sam and Michelle can't find a way into that park (or find a different spot in Dallas), I really think Ben and Adam have this one. I am curious if there will be any steals in the next flop as well.
Spoilers
Speaking of finding a different spot... I'm surprised they didn't look for a restaurant that Elvis ate at in Dallas, since he was known for his love of food. E.g. It took me ten seconds to find this photo by googling "Dallas Elvis eating":
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/5533572324
And the restaurants is still there, and only a few minutes drive west of where they were when the Elvis card popped up: https://www.normascafe.com/locations/
Spoilers
Well, they might still have time to make it to somewhere else before the day ends, we'll have to see next episode. Given the wording of the card, though, it might be difficult for them to find the exact spot he was in? Don't know how exact they need to be, but finding say, the exact booth he was in might be difficult for a food place.
Spoilers
Yeah, they still have time, and might switch tactics. But as Adam said, they only have an hour before the end of the day, so they don't actually have that much time left.
More difficult than finding the exact spot in a now empty field where the stage once was inside a concert venue that was torn down? :P I imagine the diner is still pretty proud of Elvis having eaten there, so the employees likely know exactly what booth he was in.
Spoilers
That's a good point, I hadn't even considered how they were going to go about it in an empty field. It'll definitely be pretty down to the wire, and Ben and Adam are probably screwed if they get that steal.
Spoilers
Ben & Adam losing the 1000 mile flight west ticket would definitely throw a huge wrench in their plans, but Sam & Michelle still have a long way to the east (not west) to go from Dallas, so I don't think it'll be game ending. Whereas if Ben & Adam keep the 1000 mile flight west ticket it's definitely game over, since they're planning on using it to go from Charlotte directly to Key West (the finish line) using it. So TBH, I kinda hope the steal happens just so the game drags out a bit longer, and then ending gets more interesting rather than being a forgone conclusion. :P
Episode 6 (series finale):
Episode spoilers
Congratulations, Sam and Michelle! A well-played season all around, with a high-risk, high-reward strategy.
We finally got to see a sleeper train! In hindsight, though, having to start their day in a small town like Coopersville probably cost Ben and Adam more time than they gained by being further west, especially because they would have had their choice of flights out of Chicago. I appreciate the game's attempt to make America's train network part of the game, but even with the massive handicap of being able to take trains through rest periods, I still don't think that they were ever the right play this game. And, as Ben and Adam found out, Amtrak also has an alarming tendency to be late, so relying on it in time-critical situations is risky.
Atlanta to Key West with the neighboring state card was huge! Even if Ben and Adam had managed to literally high-roll their variable distance flight, I don't think they could have beaten Sam and Michelle. At best, they could have booked on the exact same flight, which would have turned the trip to Southernmost Point into a foot race (which I now kinda want to see at some point!)
And, last of all, the announcement of Season 9 - Switzerland looks like it's going to be an amazing place for a game, and it'll be interesting to see how hide and seek works as a format. We'll see in a few months!
The most surprising thing to me was that they were both in the Atlanta airport at the same time on the last day. Big points to them for designing an interesting and balanced game.
Yeees! This was well designed! The steal mechanic was a pretty good catch up mechanic! (Though I wonderered what would happen if a very long flight prevented the steal from being executed. Shouldn't they have automated the whole thing?) The race felt very close most of the time and was fun to watch. This one goes into my list of well designed Jet Lags alongside New Zealand and Europe tag.
I was also rooting for the winning team (changes randomly every season) so that was satisfying.
This was a great final episode, and a great season. My only minor gripe is I wish there weren't so many plane ticket cards, so they had to use more varied modes of transport. But planes are fastest, and the show isn't meant to take weeks or months, so I get why they did it. It's also kind of a shame they have a new guest every season because I think Michelle really fit in well, and I'd definitely like to see compete on the show again.
Spoiler
Looks like our debate about the Elvis location was not necessary, @Fal. :P
You were right about the 1000 mile ticket. It did end up costing Ben & Adam the the game. In retrospect, I kinda wished that flights directly to Key West were banned though. That seemed way too powerful given where the ending location was. And I think the final episode would have been way more interesting if they all had had to find some other means of transport there from another city in Florida.
Spoiler
I thought the same as soon as they found where the stage actually was lol. I agree that the overuse of flights was kind of annoying, but I imagine it's hard to justify using trains at any point except as overnight travel opportunities. Maybe they could have resolved this by either having less planes or making them much shorter distance?
As for Michelle being a good fit, maybe we'll see a bonus season in the vein of Taskmaster's Champion of Champions, with all the guests coming back (scheduling nightmare that that would be).
Jet Lag: Champion of Champions would be awesome! But yeah, probably a scheduling nightmare... and costly.
This was the first season I've watched and it's a genuinely fun game. The fact that everyone was super competitive but still good sports made it a lot more enjoyable than most reality TV competitions I've seen and the prize was fitting for this great endeavor. It was also pretty nice to see how cool people were with some randos showing up, needing to do random things.
The biggest critique I'd have is with the over reliance on flights, especially with some really powerful ones at the start and end. There's the obvious limitation of production also being competitors and they definitely had time commitments (especially with Michelle being a guest) but maybe a bit more time exploring Alaska and Florida more would showcased the scale of the race.
Excited to catch up on other seasons and I hope they keep pushing the idea of these large scale travel games. Part of me wishes these projects would get some sort of network/streaming deal but after seeing what endless seasons have done to most game shows, I'm sure the fun and ideas would probably just be milked to death.
Wendover/Jet Lag is one of the original group of creators that founded Nebula, an independent streaming service, so they have their own streaming deal where you can get the episodes a week earlier, plus a bunch of other high-quality content.
Episode is up on YouTube:
Finale - We Raced From USA's Northernmost to Southernmost Town
Hmm, never heard of it before but this concept seems quite neat. Maybe I'll finally sign up to Nebula.
You're in for a treat, given that Seasons 1-7 are up on YouTube. I highly recommend S3: Tag Across Europe as a starting point.
S3 was my starting point and I agree. Also highly recommend Crime Spree on Nebula, which is the technically the first season of Jet Lag.
Nebula is very much worth it, in my opinion. It fills the same niche in relation to YouTube that Tildes fills to Reddit - a smaller community, founded by veterans of a larger one, with a heavy emphasis on long-form content, educational discussions, and deliberately not taking VC money to avoid chasing the sort of low-effort engagement and enshittification that plagues YouTube/Reddit. If you're on here, you'd probably find Nebula to be worth a few bucks a month.