It's the same thing in my country. After NFL football (or golf, or whatever), CBS insists on showing 60 Minutes in its entirety, screwing up the entire schedule for the night. I'm just glad The Amazing Race is moving to Fridays this month.
It looks like we have the return of the Strategy Room from season 8, the only place in the BBAU house where you can talk strategy. I wonder if they'll try creating 4-person alliances this year, like a smaller version of The Detonators.
I have a feeling I will be tuning out and avoiding these "party nights" because I don't want to see everyone making out in the spa or crying in the dressing room. I realize this is part of the full BBAU experience, but let's just have a family dinner and be done with it. Although this could be the new family dinner, for all we know.....
I can't wait for the next Power Play (although it's going to hurt the Prize Fund), and I really can't wait for the first shopping task!