Best Thing About Fall

Fall draws less argument than the other three seasons, and the reason is probably that almost nothing in it lasts. Peak colour runs about a fortnight. The rut, the murmurations, the salmon run and the first frost are shorter than that.

Everything here had to be something autumn makes rather than something autumn excuses. Blankets, soup and a hot drink held in both hands are available in June and get claimed by whichever season is cold enough to justify them, so none of them are in the bracket.

That rule throws out a surprising amount of what people say first when asked. It also leaves the list heavier on weather, animals and food than most seasonal arguments end up being, since those are the parts of autumn that genuinely have a season.

Thirty-four survive it. They go head to head until one is left, and the pairings are random, so a strong entry can go out in the first round against another strong entry.

The sensory entries should travel further than the calendar ones. Wet leaves and low afternoon light are the kind of thing people pick without being able to justify it, while Halloween and football arrive with a fanbase and a lot of confidence, which is not the same as winning a coin flip against fog.