In June of 2017, our family spent a month living in Madrid, Spain. We have spent extended time in other Spanish speaking countries in the past and decided to try Espana that summer. During the week, we stayed in our little suburb and did ordinary everyday things like going to the local gym, venturing into downtown Madrid to tour famous sites, and taking our daughter to her gymnastics training with a local team. Each weekend, we would pick a different destination to check out. We stayed in Spain almost every weekend, but on one particular weekend, we decided to check out Morocco – our first ever visit to the continent of Africa.
This adventure started at the airport in Madrid while waiting for our flight to Marrakech, Morocco. Cabana John, aka my hubby, was talking with some guys at the gate who mentioned that they were going to Marrakech to “film a little show.” It wasn’t until we boarded the flight that we saw Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, and George Foreman sitting in first class and knew instantly what “little show” they were filming. We were big fans of the show Better Late Than Never and were very excited to have them on our flight!
Better Late Than Never was a reality show on NBC from 2016-2018 that followed four superstars on a journey across Asia. Jeff Dye, a young comedian, tagged along with them on their adventure – sometimes being helpful and sometimes leading them astray. The show reminded me of The Amazing Race, without the competition to win a million dollars, but with just as much ridiculous comedy and cultural struggles
Everything about our trip to Morocco was remarkable, and it really started as soon as we boarded the flight and were able to talk to these stars. The flow of loading onto the plane was slowed, so we ended up standing in first class while people were looking for their seats in the back… our ultimate destination. I’m a big fan of Henry Winkler, even more so after meeting him that day. He has a great reputation for being a nice guy, and he lived up to it on that flight. As we stood there, he asked our names and acted genuinely interested in who we were and where we were from. Our kids were 13 and 14 at that time, so they definitely enjoyed having brief conversations with these stars.
Backing up a bit, their film crew really missed a filming opportunity at the airport. The Madrid baggage handlers were a comedy show of their own. From the airport window, we watched suitcases fall off the luggage trucks as they were speeding around the tarmac. Not just one or two bags, but LOTS of them fell off. Sometimes, they stopped the truck to pick them up, and sometimes, they didn’t notice and just kept driving. In hindsight, that would not have been a shock in Marrakech but was definitely a surprise in Madrid!
Once we landed in Morocco, we went to baggage claim along with the TV stars. We went up to each one of them to ask if our kids could take a photo with them. George Foreman was the friendliest and welcomed multiple photos. Henry Winkler and Terry Bradshaw were also super friendly. Jeff Dyewas very nice with the photos as well. William Shatner was there in the baggage claim area, and let’s just say we did not get a photo of the kids with him. He had a look on his face that he wished he were beamed to a different destination and directly turned us down when we asked about the kids taking a photo with him. This would be understandable in a busier location, but the Marrakech airport only had our small flight picking up luggage. There were not that many people there! The other stars were so friendly which more than made up for their co-star’s sour mood.
All in all, that day remains a great memory for our family and is the kind of thing that just might happen wherever you are in the world! Explore and stuff happens! You just never know….