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I'm glad Fabio won too. I had no idea why Duff would spend so much money on the first challenge. Considering he said he watches the show all the time, you would think he would know better.

I was really surprised at how amazing Jack Frost was. Usually, a larger sculpture of a person doesn't turn out so well. That was very well done. On a side note, the male judge is very annoying. He needs to go away.

I liked Susan and thought she could be very funny in her comments. It's too bad she was eliminated. Steve can go any time. So far none of the other contestants really bother me.

Mabinogia, very well said.

An excuse by Ashley to whine and then shut down. She has no "right"to be picked first whether for winning two challenges or because of her weight or likeability or whatever. The women and men made choices, rightly or wrongly. The women's team could have gone on to be the winners and the conversation could have been how the men picked or behaved badly. The thing is, once you are on a team, then do your best. If the team doesn't work well, then at least you will probably be safe. After being picked last, Ashley choices in design and behavior were her own.

The paintball challenge wasn't clearly defined yet when they picked teams, although one could assume what they were going to have to do. I still think that there was a deeper reason for Candace to not pick her first, esp. since she worked with her on the previous challenge. I just can:t fault Heidi and Tim.

I really liked the winning team"s design. They definitely redeemed themselves after the Vegas/Elvis disaster.

I am going to say I never bought into the mean girl thing. I strongly suspect that there was a reason that Ashley was picked last that had nothing to do with her weight. If she was a fantastic designer that was easy to get along with then everyone would be jumping at the chance to have her on the winning team. The fact that she was picked last actually told me a lot about her real personality. The reunion show did nothing to disprove my feeling that Ashley was not an easy person to work with. Her weight just seems a convenient excuse.

I personnel belief Ashley was exposed as a fraud during the real woman challenge. She had no idea how to design for a normal size woman. I know that she was tired but I find that a lousy excuse. Everyone has been in a position of being tired and uncomfortable with their surroundings. Getting to a comfort zone usually rejuvenates a person. Ashley should have been shouting for joy but she still couldn't come up with a decent outfit. I think that was when I was truely done with her.

I think all past contestants that were told outfits were ill fitting, the colors were bad or something added pounds should barge into the judges offices and demand to have another shot. Any future contestants who hear the same thing should say something like, "you never told Ashley that' or something to that effect. Ashley"s win pretty much invalidates all judging, past and present.

So Kelly Osbourne said Ashley's collection had buzz and gave people joy? I am not buying it. These are New Yorkers who mostly know their fashion. I doubt many looked at that collection and thought how good it was. It sounds like she is making excuses. I guess I am just extremely ticked off that the powers that be thinks their audience is so stupid we wouldn't realize the fix was in. I am not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I will buy into this one.

Watching this, all I could imagine was Stacey and Clinton from What Not to Wear throwing everything into the garbage. They would have had a field day.

First, Ashley herself would never wear any of those horrible outfits. Second, I honestly think that the skinny judges thought plus sized women would want to wear some of that garbage. They should have had a heavier judge on who could give some honest feedback on true style for plus sizes. Third, why do we always hear about outfits adding weight to the skinny models but Ashley wasn't called out on it? That poor thing in the long skirt had about a hundred pounds added to her frame. That god awful outfit alone should have gotten her kicked out of contention. I have been disappointed before but never have I felt so truely disgusted!

I was watching an episode today with a New York couple moving to Arizona. She was supposed to be the artistic one and he the sensible accountant. Still, everything in the houses that were original, different, and interesting, she hated and he liked. I wasn't getting any artisic vibe from her at all and it was really annoying. They had a chance to go in a different direction in one episode and it pretty much came down to same old.

I was pleasantly surprised by the reality star episode even though I only knew a couple of the chefs. They all seemed rather likeable. I esp. liked how they were helping each other in the second round. I just overall enjoyed it.

I guess I am in the minority because I loved Dimitry's collection, but that streamlined minimilistic look has always been my favorite. I didn't mind Sonjia's and would have been ok with her winning. Helen's, not so much.

I am old school and would have no problems with giving something to the second place contestant. It would be nice to spread just a little of that prize around.

I am just going to say it - I never minded Blais as a judge and would have no problem with him coming back. I am going to be awfully lonely at the table.

I guessed that Mei would win after her "women winning" speech last week. I am not trying to open up a whole new discussion on it, I just guessed that the powers that be put it in the episode for a reason, so her win was kind of written on the wall. That being said, good job Mei and Gregory. I hope to see more of both of them in future shows.

I'm kind of meh on Helen, although I do like her better now than on her season. However, I did feel for her at the end. I myself have thought how bad it is to shred someone else's design, even a losing one. So I'm going to give Helen some leeway here. The dress she came up with was cute. I actually liked Michelle's gown, but couldn't stand her last minute look. Talk about cheap, Halloweenish looking. I am not sorry Michelle is gone. Usually I like Dimitry's dresses, but I didn't like his gown, at least the bottom. There was some weird movement around the model's ankels. Still, I am glad he is through to the finals

I am a woman and I really wanted Mei to shut up about winning for women. I don't want to hear it - just cook the best dish and you will earn my respect no matter what sex you are. It was too bad about Doug, but since I am not big on LCK, I am glad that it is down to two chefs that were not eliminated. That being said, I really didn't want any of them eliminated because I think they are all very strong chefs and I like each of them. I was kind of hoping that there would be a "twist" and each one would go to the final. Gregory is my favorite, though, and I would like him to win.

I have to agree with most of the judging this week. Everything was pretty dull. I liked Sonja's and Dimitry's the most. The winner's was ok, but I think she won by default as the judges seemed meh on all of them. Maybe having another day would have helped. It really was too bad as I think given more time, they all could have turned out some interesting creations. The writing was on the wall for Fabio's exit.

Although Bradley wasn't my favorite contestant, it was refreshing to see someone without a sob story and had confidence in his abilities. Sob stories aside, I hate when a chef goes on and on about "proving" themselves to their family. That is my own personal number one gripe. Some of these people are head chefs, restaurant owners, and/or have won major awards. I get that it truely can be an issue, but most of the time, the whole thing comes off as a bit forced, like they really didn't have a sob story so proving themselves is second best. That being said, I did like this redemption episode. The cooking seemed above the norm with many dishes sounding really good. Since they had already played out their stories in their first episodes, there was no need to dwell too much on them this time, except for follow-ups. I liked the contestants and would have been fine with any of them winning.

I actually liked most of the outfits in this challenge, excluding Michelle's. The print was ugly and I can't imagine any woman wanting to wear either outfit. Those puffy sleeves were awful! All I could think of was clowns as both models walked down the runway. How that woman has managed to skate by week after week is beyond me. I loved Sonia's gray outfit. The neckline of the yellow dress - not so much. Jay seems nice, but his departure has been a long time coming.

That makes sense. Although I think the climbing rope and fireman pole sound much more fun!