Hpmec

Why is Tommy still there? It's as though everyone decided he's in charge and can't be touched. The women had the perfect opportunity to form a gang of four and blindside his ass. With Dan gone shortly thereafter, they'd be sitting pretty. Just stupid play. Dan apparently has a slow learning curve regarding harassment. Glad he's history.

I assume the contestant screening process includes some degree of health to ascertain weather or not a player would be able to survive the rigors of the game. Shouldn't mental health factor in? Noura is either a very convincing actress or a seriously ill individual. I cannot fathom how she made the contestant cut, and it is very uncomfortable watching her unhinged ramblings. And Karishma is most definitely a useless pain in the ass, but that quality would make her the goatiest of goats. Stupid move. And the producers, who no doubt paid big bucks to lure Rob and Sandra back, wasted their money by giving them so little to do they've become non-entities. Just a lot of stupidity in the air ths season.

Not sorry to see Aaron and Missy booted. Both were too arrogant and smug for their own good. Krishma is useless, being kept around at this point only for her value as a goat. I enjoy Rob and Sandra's reactions, brief as they are, at Tribal Council. Whoever green lighted the Idols theme must be very disappointed in how it's playing out. Most of the time, Rob and Sandra must be twiddling their thumbs. Surely production could have better utilized them as mentors. They're turning into afterthoughts.

Amy deserves some happiness after all the crap she went through with Matt. I had my doubts about Chris's motives at first, but after three years, I guess they're in a good place and planning for the future. Hope all the kids are supportive and on board, and hope Caryn is green with envy.

I remember when Jen and Bill were consulting a fertility specialist in Los Angeles. The doctor they saw was the son of my daughter's pediatrician from years ago. I think they would have liked to have a biological child, but since it wasn't in the cards, they are happy, fortunate, and blessed to have created a family with Will and Zoey. I like that they incorporate their children's cultural backgrounds into their lives, and I give Jen a lot of credit, especially, for overcoming significant challenges and obstacles to live the life she's living today.

I second the comment that the children are too old to be playing with food. That was gross, and they ought to know better. The producers prod them to be precocious, but that was definitely over the top.

None of the adults were wearing life jackets. Bill was speeding. Zoey was scared. Jen was sort of hanging on to Will with one hand. The children were given an opportunity to steer. The boat was configured with everyone crammed into a small space up front. The whole thing looked dangerous and the adults' judgment was highly questionable. I'm surprised the footage wasn't scrapped. It was not the little couple's finest moment.

I haven't been watching, so tonight was my first exposure to the Hannah shitshow. The naked or almost naked bungee jumping on a one on one with a bunch of other guys still in the running made me squeamish. It was too intimate. Just, no. And is she trying to outblob Blob? Show some restraint, girl! Luke is into her, but he's looking for a virginal type mom will approve of. That's not Hannah. Doesn't matter who she chooses in the end. It won't last.

The newly hatched subplot of Gordon under arrest for financial shenanigans seems very out of the blue and contrived, serving no purpose other than to allow Renata to shamelessly emote. Laura Dern is entertaining, but come on..... I'm on board with the theory that the Jane confession to Ziggy scene was cut short because really, how do you tell a young child he's the product of a rape? I think David E. Kelley must have really struggled with it and decided to leave it be. The scene could have been shot with the focus on Jane's face without the child actor present, so I'll stick with the aforementioned scenario. I love Meryl Streep. She always inhabits her characters so thoroughly that she gives them little mannerisms like fiddling with the necklace that other actors would never think of. She's chewing up the scenery and she's certainly earned the right. She keeps on working at almost 70 not only because of her acting chops but because she hasn't altered her face and is growing older gracefully. Nicole Kidman's character needs a new therapist. Dating so soon after Perry's demise and while she's coping with the twins and the mother-in-law is very poor advice. Reese Witherspoon's younger daughter is written as the archetypal Hollywood brat -- the smartmouth witty beyond her years kid. She's annoying as hell. And who in hell gives a second grader her own smartphone anyway? David E. Kelley lives in a bubble. Oh, and I had my only child at 40 and was at least a decade older than most of the other moms, so for me these actresses having grade school kids seems normal, but that's just me.....

Cassie can always hold out hope that Colton will dump her and thus put her back in the runnng for a B'ette gig, which is all she wanted from the get go. Didn't she pack up and leave before Colton came looking for her? Editing was so sloppy the crew clearly didn't give a shit. Hannah B is typical pageant girl stupid. Why can't this franchise go back to casting leads who aren't rejects from previous seasons? It's become all too predictable and boring.

How many more booted players need to arrive at Extinction Island before they participate in some sort of challenge to cull the hurd? Bad idea from the get-go. Those booted off, particulaly this early, are eager to extend their 15 minutes. Ponderosa has already become a ghost town.

Regarding Cassie's substitute teaching job, there's nothng wrong with it at all and I didn't intend to imply that there was. Heck, I've been a sub for years. The fact remains subs are poorly paid and are positioned at the very bottom of the education totem pole. Cassie could have proudly called herself an educator, though, and it woudn't have been nearly the exaggeration that attempting to pass herself off as a speech pathologist is when she's apparently only had some experience along the way as an assistant to a speech pathologist. She strikes me as a young woman who hasn't yet figured out what she wants to do with her life and for now is making reality tv her occupation.

I enjoyed when Cassie told Colton her dad had come by that afternoon and instead of the WTF? reaction one would reasonably expect (after all, Portugal is not a quick drive down the 405), it barely registered. Fleiss was all over that and Colton's familiar enough with the franchise to know that was totally producer driven to advance a storyline. I haven't been watching this season but have a couple of observations after viewing tonight's shitshow. First, it is difficult to believe anyone so inarticulate is a speech pathologist. So I did a little internet research and determined that most recently Cassie has been working as a substitute teacher under what is known in California as an emergency credential. To the person upthread who commented on Cassie's good job, I speak from experience when I say that substitute teaching is a low paid, no benefits, part-time gig. To her credit, if she's being truthful, she's currently enrolled in an out of state grad school. Maybe she got into this on a lark and never expected to get this far. Or, as others suspect, she wanted the B'ette job and Colton was screwing up her chances. Second, if I was planning on dumping a virgin I knew was hot for me, I would not show up wearing a silver, off the shoulder, up to my ass mini dress. Poor Colton. Her dress said "Fuck me." Her mouth said something along the lines of "Like, I'm like so confused. Like, you know, I'm not there. I don't know where I am, but it's like not here." Did anyone notice that as Colton headed for the fence, the camera cut away for a second before the actual jump? I would not put it past Fleiss to have used a body double for the shot just to be on the safe side. Couldn't risk an injury to the lead, or worse yet, humiliation if Colton fumbled and didn't make it over. This show has become so scripted, it's just laughable.

The new champ is a ringer for Texas politician Beto O'Rourke. I knew he'd get JLaw since popular culture seems to be his thing. Surprised the other two came up empty on that one.

I agree. There is plenty in the current political world, for example, that is ridiculous, offensive and all too real. And I know there are members of religious groups who display their ignorance by being intolerant toward others. The episode of the show in question, however, had a supposedly Catholic couple loudly spewing anti-semitic crap, including vulgar stereotypes, in a public place in front of a daughter's Jewish boyfriend they were meeting for the first time. I can easily imagine that after being introduced to a boyfriend of a different religious background, conservative Catholic parents might air their misgivings behind closed doors at home. But to portray Catholics as overt and loud anti-semites is, IMO, a bit much, even for this show.

Becca learned nothing from the fiasco with Arie. She went with a shallow goofy bro, the kind of guy whose idea of fun is to snap a towel at other guys' asses in the locker room and who has already proven that he cuts his losses and flees when faced with serious relationship issues. I predict they will soon split and join the ranks of contestants in this franchise who have called it quits shortly ATFR. The business about moving to California was hilarious. I remember Trista Sutter embarrassing herself years ago in an interview when she spoke about seeking "opportunities" in Hollywood. A gig on this show is not going to lead to anything but a firm spot on the z-list. 15 minutes are officially up for Becca and Garrett. Time to go away.

Apparently the powers that be at HGTV think we can't get enough of Christina, and they've decided she deserves her own show. The series will focus on her life at the beach where she'll be making over her newly purchased home. Watching paint dry would probably be more interesting than watching a wealthy young newly divorced mother of two from the OC tool around in a luxury car, shop, walk the beach with her "hot" (her description) new British reality tv guy boyfriend, and make predictable boring design choices for her own outrageously expensive new digs. I think Real Housewives of OC might be a better fit.

Remember in the early seasons, Harrison would give the contestants an out by telling them that if they couldn't see themselves potentially married to the B or B-ette, they could bail then and there? As I recall, a few took him up on it and ducked out, saving themselves from further participation in a potential trainwreck. Too bad that wasn't an option for Becca early on since she was presented with the most poorly vetted bunch of creeps, famewhores, producer plants, and just plain undesirables ever assembled at the mansion. After she was unceremoniously dumped, you'd think Fleiss & Co..would have made some sort of attempt to find a few somewhat sincere decent guys for her. No such luck. Apparently good marriage material has zero interest in appearing on this show nowadays. It's past its prime and rapidly approaching its expiration date. The time has come to put the B/ B-ette franchise out of its misery.

Ryan Fenster seems like he belongs in a parody of a Jeopardy game. For someone who is an average player, he gets by (in this go round at least) on luck. He is not Tournament of Champs material.

I recall a few years ago Michelle agreed to a modest makeover that temporarily brought her hairstyle out of the 80's. Boob hated it. She immediately went back to her ugly mullet. Michelle doesn't have the liberty of deciding how she'll wear her hair or how she'll dress. It's whatever Boob ultimately approves of -- and he has terrible taste.

Hold the presses! The Dillard family photos/videos posted on their own site and on the Pickles and Hairspray Facebook page reveal that an actual meal was served at the reception-- hard to see exactly what was on the plate, but it was a sit down meal! That had to have been Lauren's family's idea/contribution. No way would Boob spring for real food at one of his offspring's weddings. Good for the Swansons! I'm impressed!

The candy may well have been left over from some previous Duggar wedding. They buy in bulk, so it may also have been sitting in the back of a cupboard unopened for months or years. Who knows. I have never been to a wedding where hundreds of people showed up and were fed only sugar. It's just bizarre. I have been to a couple of weddings where food was limited to hor d'oeuvres, finger sandwiches, and cake -- which was fine. No one went away hungry or on a sugar high. I just find it incredibly rude to invite hundreds of people and refuse to provide even the simpliest meal. I hope some Duggar down the line puts his or her foot down, insists on inviting close friends and family only, and sets out something resembling real food.

Josiah's failed first courtship definitely gave him the opportunity to compare Marjorie with Lauren. However, I think there's a downside. After one broken courtship, he must have been under intense pressure not to have a second. There had to be a wedding this time come hell or high water. In the honeymoon video, he looks relieved. Lauren, on the other hand, looks like she'd rather be anyplace else. In the world most of us inhabit, people date, usually multiple men or women, before settling down with one or with no one. And settling down doesn't necessarily mean marriage. Cohabitation is common and people are marrying later in general. Girls Lauren's age are usually in college or entering the world of work, while her lot in life is to breed and look adoringly at her husband who possesses all the power in the relationship. Judging by that video, just a week into a lifetime commitment, she's already feeling the weight of fundie marriage expectations bearing down on her in a way that's hard to watch.

Back to the honeymoon video. Lauren looks like she has come to the realization that her life from here on out will be focused on being joyfully available even though sex is painful, awkward, and embarrassing. And the idea of pushing out babies until her body gives out must be a sobering thought given that she's still a teenager and has no other options. I'd be bravely trying to hold back the tears, too.

I thought the guy looked a bit too "mature" for the 22-year-old who, at school, is surrounded by "bro" types. Judging by how she was dressed and her general appearance, there's no way she's anywhere near the point in her life where she's ready to settle down - and with a stranger, no less. The guy was thinking with his little head in picking her, and he probably has as much interest in a longterm thing as she does -- which is none.