I was SO glad to see Nate and Jen eliminated. When Nate said "I don't know much about Taiwan, but I like Thai food" I decided that not knowing the difference between Taiwan and Thailand was another good reason they should not make the finals of a race around the world.

Ron and Chris did really well in Asia. She seemed to speak both Japanese and Mandarin which is impressive.

Aspiring Amazing Racers may want to check this out - it sounds fun! There are races scheduled all across the country. Anybody want to come to LA and do it with us? :D

The Great Urban Race

The Great Urban Race is a one-of-a-kind urban adventure. Teams of two solve clues and complete challenges while navigating through the city and using public transit.
It's a scavenger hunt, road race, and wandering party - all rolled into one heck of a fun day!

All this, and a $10,000 Grand Prize at the Championships in Las Vegas!

Helen, I noticed tonight on the Fox reality channel that they are showing episodes from a past season so maybe eventually this season will end up on that channel!

I think I am going to root for the grandpa and his grandson tonight, I like the fact that someone older is in the final three! It seems like young people win the race so often, it would be nice to see a senior win it!

Well, I liked all three final pairs, but I'm very happy with the outcome. Didn't see Nate and Jen (the squabbling couple) there, but guess they were. Betting they weren't particularly enthusiastic or supportive.

As far as I was concerned they were all winners last night. For the first time in the history of the Amazing Race I liked all three final pairs. The fact that they all spoke well of their remaining competition and they all enjoyed the experience of being able to do the entire race made for a really nice finale. Not a lot of drama other than the team that left their supplies behind and poor Christina having difficulty getting started up the glacier, but that's ok with me. Having personally been in a helicopter over the glaciers in Alaska I know how awesome that experience was for them.

Kathy, I agree with you 100%. While I was rooting for a senior to win, I liked all three couples so I am happy with the outcome.

I liked all three teams too. The final was a good combination of challenges - physical, mental, and disgusting! I don't think I would have been able to gut the fish, though it went pretty quickly once they got in there. It was nice to see the two older men in the final.

Dena

Does anyone know if any team other than the winning one gets any prize money? I know the #1 finisher in most of the segments gets something, but I was wonderful about the finals and any $$$.

Judith, I found this info on how much the second place team wins:

Q: Do second place winners on “The Amazing Race” receive any type of prize? —Sonja, Massachusetts

A: They do, as do cast members on CBS’ other reality show, “Survivor.” How much they receive is a bit of a mystery. We asked CBS, and a spokesperson said the network does not confirm prize amounts, comparing them to one’s salary.

On “The Amazing Race,” as with other competition shows, contestants are paid on a sliding scale based upon how they place in the competition. (These dollar amounts don’t include things the show pays for, such as the vacation the losers get sent on.)

As TARflies Times excellent TAR FAQ notes, Aaron from “The Amazing Race 6” reported on Television Without Pity that teams receive the following payments, which of course they have to split with each other:

Winner, $1,000,000
Runner-up, $25,000
3rd $10,000
4th $7,000
5th $6,000
6th $5,000
7th $4,000
8th $3,500
9th $3,000
10th $2,500
11th $1,500

This isn’t necessarily unchanging; there may have been different prizes for the family edition, for example. And Aaron said that Rob and Amber received $500,000 just to appear on the show’s seventh season.

On “Survivor,” contestants receive considerably more. The winner gets $1 million, and of course, he or she doesn't have to share with a team. The runner-up gets $100,000, which is why Jeff Probst often tells the runners-up that they made a $900,000 mistake. The person who comes in third receives $85,000, as “Survivor Guatemala” third-place contestant Rafe has confirmed in several interviews since last week’s finale.

The first person voted off receives $2,500, although on the all-star edition, Tina reportedly received 10 times that, $25,000, for coming in last place; presumably, the other returning cast members were also given larger prizes (first prize was still a million dollars, though). There were also multiple reports that for coming in eighth on the first season, Jenna received $27,500. And we learned from Richard Hatch’s tax woes that, for appearing on the reunion, contestants each receive $10,000.

Wikipedia’s (anyone-can-edit, read-with-caution) page on Survivor breaks down the other prizes as follows, and while all of their numbers jibe with the ones we know for sure, the others aren’t as heavily confirmed.

Winner, $1,000,000
Runner-up, $100,000
3rd, $85,000
4th, $70,000
5th, $55,000
6th, $45,000
7th, $35,000
8th, $27,500
9th, $20,000
10th, $15,000
11th, $10,000
12th, $7,500
13th, $5,500
14th, $4,500
15th, $3,500
16th, $2,500 —A.D.

We returned late last night (Monday) from a long weekend in Vegas, and the FIRST thing we did was fire up the TIVO to watch the final episode. Ditto the comments about the BEST trio of finalists ever.

Speaking of the cash, I would love to hear about past winners in a "where are they now" article.

Our son, Oz, wants to apply as soon as he hits 21 in 2009 -- Team Ozro -- Ozro Luke Davis, III and IV!

In the end, looks like another Emmy for Phil and crew.

Luke

Luke, I was curious too, so I searched it and came up with this Wiki article starting with season 1 contestants. Scroll down to the bottom for the other seasons.
Wiki Amazing Race contestants

Thanks, Karen .... interesting how we "get to know" these folks as they travel the globe.

The "documentary" I would like to see filmed is "The Making of TAR" ... I've read articles about the crew, number of cameras, etc., but I would love to "see" how the show is shot and edited. I also wonder if they have ever considered posting an on-screen clock throughout the race, other than just at the start of each day (although that would diminish the phenomenal editing that creates tension and suspense).

Luke