Sir RaiderDuck OMS

I've liked Declan so far, so I'm going to assume the time pressure plus having everyone shouting at him just overwhelmed his thinking during the challenge. Could Amber be any whinier if she tried? FFS, the blue team is NOT out to get you. For one thing, none of them seem like the sabotaging type; for another, Ramsay has a very low opinion of sabotage in the kitchen (in an interview this week, Christina Wilson said the one time she saw Ramsay get genuinely angry at a contestant was a season or two back when Jennifer accused him of sabotaging her dish during dinner service: Jennifer was booted off the show immediately and had to walk out through the full dining room). Ramsay also doesn't like chefs playing favorites: he was openly annoyed with the Red team when they put up Kori, and refused to even consider booting her. Amber has some skill as a chef, but as you point out, she's showing why she'd be a terrible choice to win this competition. It helped that Syann was respectful towards both Gordon and the other chefs when she left.

It was in 2011 when an Australian coworker showed me his. I think I actually said "Oh wow, they really are green." Those were all the rage about 10-15 years ago. Hey, you never know when the Vice President might suddenly call and ask your advice about....whatever it is Mike does for a living. Were I the therapist, I would demand he remove it. If Mike's not going to be taking calls during the session, there's no purpose in wearing the earpiece. If he IS going to be taking calls, I'd ask him to reschedule when he could give me and Natalie his undivided attention. Better to wring a bunch of additional session$ out of them first. Remember: money is no object when TLC is footing the bill.

Jovi's parents were awful. They judged Yara's possible pregnancy 100% in terms of how it affected them. Same thing with Jovi potentially moving. And someone needs to tell them that what Yara wears is simply not their business. Ryan is skeevy, but how does one even address something as mind-bogglingly stupid as "My psychic said you're going to leave me. Wanna tell me why?" or whatever it was? And no, Stephanie, your psychic didn't tell you names and dates. YOU told HER. It's called Cold Reading. Charlatans like Sylvia Browne, James van Praagh and John Edward made million$ with it. PS: If a healthy 27-year-old male has been with you for several days and the two of you haven't had sex when you clearly want it, it means he's not into you.

FWIW, those weren't real guitars. Real guitars take multiple hard smashes to destroy and even then, the neck usually just breaks off the body. A "guitar" that flies apart after one weak smash is a fake made of thin plastic or balsa wood or whatever. The band was awful. I love metal, but these clowns were every bad stereotype of the genre rolled up into one cringeworthy package. I'm guessing that Penn & Teller were last-minute substitutes for someone else, given that their trick (lifted directly from their book How to Play With Your Food) was something that could be done with zero preparation using items a restaurant would have plenty of. Still waiting for Marco to go home. His "Mr. Intense" act wore thin long ago.

We're seeing why Rebecca, who's attractive for her age and has a few bucks to her name, is forced to go to eastern Europe to bag a man. No American man would put up with her family's bullying unless he got off on it. And I loved how her "friend" kept hinting around and around and around the apartment issue before finally "accidentally" just coming out and saying it. It reminded me of that scene in Chasing Amy where Holden and Alyssa are at the hockey game, and Holden keeps hinting at Alyssa's sexual past more and more blatantly until she finally yells at him and storms out. The total stranger sitting next to Holden leans over and says "Dude, even I knew what you were getting at." TLC no doubt gave Mike thou$and$ of reason$ to bring her over. When he was introduced on B90, he mentioned his debts several times, and at the start of this season he said in passing that he'd paid everyone off. Guess where he got the cash?

Unfortunately, I expect we'll be seeing her on BiP...

And, unlike some streaming services I could mention (*cough* HULU *cough*), D+'s ad-free plan really is ad-free. And they've got a lot of other stuff. I'd never seen the 2012 Iron Chef Japan revival, but D+ has it in HD. She reminds me of Miss Ellie from Dallas without Barbara Bel Geddes' warmth. "Oh noes! My 45-year-old son JR and 35-year-old son Bobby might be moving away from home, just like their 40-year-old brother Gary did! Whatever will I do??? I own a Fitbit Versa 2 that tells me how many steps I've taken today, and a diamond-encrusted Bulova my wife bought me on our anniversary cruise. That's a total of two watches, one of which I wear only occasionally (and not at all since COVID pretty much killed indoor restaurant dining). Can't imagine what someone would do with 13 except sell them. The American bridal industry has done a wonderful job convincing multiple generations of people including Betty that a small, affordable wedding is an abomination that disgraces everyone involved. I cannot fathom buying a second pregnancy test for the same suspected pregnancy. Just go to a doctor or a low-cost clinic and find out for sure. Brandon's family has probably never eaten this well. Price is no object when TLC is paying. Meanwhile, I suspect Brandon didn't say a damn thing to the parents about Julia discontinuing her farm chores, probably because they never would have agreed. They might be willing to bend on sexual ethics, but not their de facto slave labor.

The funny thing about someone who would chastise you for using butter: nine times out of ten, their preferred alternative is margarine, which is demonstrably unhealthier (as it includes super-harmful trans-fatty acids). My wife and I refuse to even buy margarine. We use canola, olive or peanut oil (depending on the recipe) for cooking, and butter for putting on food.

If I were Ryan, I would have immediately asked to see Stephanie's phone. What's good for the goose...

I don't blame Julia at all. Brandon used the classic trick of asking someone to "help out" without explaining that "help out" actually meant "do everything yourself." Now, right on cue, Brandon's whining "But you said you'd be okaaaaaaaaaay with it." Judging by Brandon's language during that phone call, he'd presented Julia's proposed chores to her as "Feeding a few cute animals" instead of shoveling literal crap all day for no pay in his parents' pathetic excuse for a "farm." (PRO TIP: Real farmers don't need to work three separate 40-hour-a-week jobs to keep their farms financially afloat.) If he'd told Julia what was really awaiting her, she never would have come. IMHO, her ultimatum was appropriate. She's rightfully resentful over the bait-and-switch. Years ago, Consumer Reports advised against home pregnancy tests for this very reason: they're too inexact, it's too easy to misinterpret the results, and any doctor is going to administer their own pregnancy test to verify it. Might as well just go to the doctor in the first place; if your test is negative, you'll already be there to ask why you're having morning sickness and/or missing your period or whatever.

Yes, producers love drama. But Clare creates her own. Look at what she did during the four episodes she was on the show (I may have mixed up the exact order a bit, but it's not far off): Meets Dale and gushes over him. Nothing wrong with that. Sits down with a bunch of guys and asks who wants to take her somewhere private. Fine. After someone does so, she then leaves him, goes back to the group, and starts yelling at them for literally not fighting over her. Not fine. Gets in an argument with a self-involved asshat (Yusuf) and boots him. Meh, whatever. Gives the first impression rose to Dale. Fine. Demands Dale be taken on the first group date. Unusual but not alarming. Takes Dale on the first solo date. Uh, Clare, you're fixating on this guy a bit much. Cuddles with him on the bed until the wee hours of the morning. Possible semi-naked funtimes. The format starts to fray here. Goes on a solo date with Brandon where Chris Harrison has to eliminate the guy mid-date because Clare won't do it herself. Uh-oh. On a group date sans Dale, the other guys, frustrated at the amount of attention he's receiving, end up lightly busting on him in front of Clare. An offended Clare refuses to give anyone a rose. The train is coming off the tracks now. Cancels the cocktail party before the rose ceremony. Not unusual by itself, but not good in this context. Refuses to show up at all for the next group date. We're in uncharted territory here. The guys openly acknowledge Clare's de facto choosing Dale and start loudly wondering why they're even there. We're now flirting with a cast revolt and en masse exit, leaving Fleiss and co. to construct a season with almost no footage. Chris Harrison visits Clare and gently gives her an ultimatum: either straighten up and play this show the way it's meant to be played, or officially pick Dale and leave. She chooses the latter. Harrison browbeats Dale into proposing so Fleiss can salvage a happy ending to this trainwreck. Enter Tayshia. TL,DR: Clare may have been exploited by the show, but her issues were 99% her own doing.

Whatever will Clare do now that Dale has dumped her and she's alienated herself from Fleiss, Harrison and co? Note: this is a rhetorical question. I don't necessarily care what happens to that middle-aged trainwreck after the terrible way she treated every guy not named Dale this past season. I can't imagine them giving her the time of day after they had to scramble to extricate themselves from her dumpster fire of a show. Tayshia did a great job given the circumstances, but Fleiss & Harrison surely have no desire to repeat it.

That's Wayne Brady, who's hosted Let's Make a Deal since 2009. Before that, he was on some summer comedy improv series for a few years in the 2000s. As for the guys eliminated: one obviously didn't know how to cook (or at least GR hated his cooking), and the other was a total wallflower who GR dissed as not even being a chef. Supposedly, you can get away with it if you call your yapping pocket rat an "emotional support animal" or whatever. Is Drew the guy whose head was always tilted in the TH segments?

We noticed how Yazan didn't really deny the gay chat allegations, but instead spluttered and then started accusing Brittany of invading his privacy or whatever. Meanwhile, Shaun was literally left speechless. Other highlights: Non-explicit footage of Julia giving Brandon a handjob in his car. Angela (yes, THAT Angela) showing up via remote to upbraid Brandon for ignoring Julia's pleasure, then instructing him to give her a "68" for penance (Angela explains a 68 means "you still owe her one afterwards" -- 68 might also refer to the number of times Angela cackles during her segment). Brandon and his dad discussing the pluses and minuses of both condom use and the withdrawal method in front of a nonplussed Shaun. It reaches a climax when Brandon's dad uses the word "cum" on the air. Seriously: imagine Dr. Ruth Westheimer hosting an episode of Hee Haw. It wouldn't be much weirder than this ep. Apparently, Yazan's dad will be interviewed next week. Maybe they can bring in Angela then as well to make his head explode.

You likely won't get on Facebook using XP or Vista's default browsers (the now-defunct Internet Explorer), but you might still be able to install recent versions of Chrome or Firefox, either of which would allow FB access (this would be beyond Johnny, but Miguel or another student could easily have done it).

They were trying to sell us on Hawk having a big moral revelation, but his turning against Cobra Kai was more about Kreese marginalizing him. Other thoughts about the home invasion: The whole scene was ridiculous on multiple levels. Under California's "castle law," Sam and her friends could do pretty much anything they wanted to the Cobras, up to and including killing them, and be immune from civil and criminal liability (basically, there's a legal presumption that if someone breaks into your home, you can assume they intend "great bodily harm" against you, and therefore anything you do to them is considered self-defense). On the other hand, the Cobras are 100% liable for anything they do: if Sam and Tory beat each other up equally, Tory would go to jail and owe restitution, whilst Sam would not. Kreese himself could well go to prison if any Cobra fingers him as the organizer. Speaking of Tory: Nunchakus are considered deadly weapons, you idiot. If they hit Sam even once, you'll spend your next few birthdays in prison. Assuming your sick mom is still alive when you get out, have fun supporting her with a felony conviction on your record. When the LaRusso house was invaded by the Cobras, did nobody think to just call 911? And earlier when Robby saw Sam and Miguel kissing each other: how did he get in through the house without anyone noticing? Other thoughts: Speaking of Tory, Part 2: Assuming Kreese intimidated the asshole apartment manager into letting her stay without paying rent, why couldn't the manager call the police five minutes after Kreese left and say "The tenant in Apt. 1 won't pay, and now they're sending their friends to threaten me"? During the final fight, Martin Kove's body double was really obvious (Kove has dirty blonde hair that's graying, and the double had dark brown hair). I love the attempts to present Johnny as technologically inept, and Zabka does a great job with the character, but come on: Anyone would know a laptop needs to be plugged in. The rehab scenes with Johnny and Miguel were hilarious but ridiculous. Falling without protection (like he did many times) would result in multiple broken bones, and the whole plotline seemed to suggest that all paralysis is psychosomatic (which is not remotely true). Looks like we're getting Terry Silver in Season 4 (and I assume Mike Barnes might come along for the ride).

Julia needs to lay down some boundaries and say "Yes, I will help a little around the house and farm in exchange for my room and board, but I will NOT be shoveling shit out of stalls or climbing into pig pens. If you thought I was going to be your unpaid farmhand, it ain't happening. And I'm going to be fucking your son every night after the two of you go to sleep, so you'd better get used to it. We'll be discreet and respectful, but this separate rooms thing ain't happening either." Also, Google Maps shows Richmond as a 40-minute drive from Dinwiddie. Brandon and Julia could get a place there once she gets her green card; she'd have at least some semblance of city life and they could still frequently visit Ma and Pa Kettle. So cut the damn cord already, Brandon. I have nothing but contempt for a doctor who seriously believes in psychics and tarot cards. Are her patients remotely aware what a total loon she is? Mike is so obviously over Natalie's shit. If she disappeared tomorrow, his primary emotion would be relief. Jovi the Drunk and Yara the Ice Queen are so perfect for each other. Two horrid people off the market (at least for now).

I think it was a combination of wanting to be on TV and wanting to get better but refusing to follow through on anything that might cause him the least bit of discomfort. I think James saw Subway's Jared on TV and wanted to be him without realizing that Jared Fogle undertook a massive amount of work to reduce his weight (such as walking for multiple hours every day and eating one of those Subway subs as more or less his only food on the days he had one). And even at Jared's heaviest, he weighed a little more than 1/2 of James' weight. James and Lisa did take after Jared Fogle in one way, however: they were both terrible people. James cheated for years with a married Lisa, then let that woman's husband raise his (James') children thinking they were his own. Lisa, meanwhile, engineered James' death from obesity whilst making him into a reality TV laughingstock. None of this approaches what Jared did, of course.

Three theories on Ivan (NOTE: I claim no inside information, and this post will probably be massively outdated within a day or two, but here goes): 1) He's an atheist. However, "atheist" isn't nearly the curse word it was just a few decades ago, and it's hard to see Tayshia breaking it off over that. 2) He's a Muslim. I could see Tayshia not wanting to convert, BUT if Ivan were devout enough to want her to convert, he'd have a Muslim name. He doesn't. 3) He's Christian, but a Jehovah's Witness or other denomination frowned upon by mainstream Christianity. Any of these would explain their earlier religious discussion not being shown: ABC has no desire to be picketed or drawn into a firestorm. At the same time, this IS the conversation Tayshia and Ivan had, and they can't edit it away entirely.

Mike is so obviously in this for the TLC money that it's not even funny. Natalie wants a second chance and he's lukewarm towards her at best. Julia's figuring out that Brandon's parents are more important to him than she is. I cringed when Rebecca decided to get Zaid a used Xbox One with no idea what he liked or was into. If you're going to buy someone a gaming system, ask what they want. Tarik: Hazel's just using you as a way to get to America and a find a woman to live with. Most bisexuals date one person at a time; the fact that she's already looking past you is a big red flag. Jovi and Yara are both thoroughly unpleasant people. Neither is listening to the other or has any interest in doing so.

Supposedly, that's why Nick Viall's season ended up such a bust: they picked a cast for 29-year-old Luke Pell, then switched to 36-year-old Nick Viall at the last minute (and judging by Pell's conduct on Bachelor Winter Games, they dodged a bullet: it takes a lot to openly disgust the normally unflappable Chris Harrison) but didn't recast. So Nick ended up with half the cast almost young enough to be his daughters.

It's the equivalent of anyone who feels the need to say "I'm actually a nice guy" (or lady, or whatever). If you feel the need to say it, you probably aren't.

For someone who brags about his high emotional intelligence, Bennett was pretty damn oblivious to Tayshia's icy glare when he was mansplaining EQ to her. Dude does not remotely know how to read a room. As others have said, the "lie detector" portion was insulting, even by the low standards of reality TV polygraph segments. Without a set of proper control questions (and "What is your name?" does not qualify), the test itself is useless: the whole point is to make you lie (or at least doubt your own truthfulness) during the control questions, so they can then compare the stress response to the real questions. An example of a real control question in this situation would be "Have you ever mentally pictured someone else, even for a moment, when you've had sex with a girlfriend?" Most guys have, but will answer No, creating the stress reaction. THEN, and only then, do they ask the real question of "Have you ever physically cheated on a girlfriend?" The man who hasn't will truthfully and calmly answer No, because he knows he hasn't. Since the stress reaction from the control question was higher than the stress reaction from the real question, the examiner will indicate it's a truthful answer. It's also a ridiculously easy system to break once you know about the control questions: you simply give yourself a high stress reaction (by flexing your arm, biting your tongue, hiding a tack in your shoe and stepping on it, or whatever else) during the control questions, and you'll pass every time. This is why polygraph tests haven't been allowed in courts for decades. They're easy to beat and simply not reliable. Their only value in this day and age lies in the intimidation factor of being hooked up to a machine and grilled about one's past. (Meanwhile, Mrs. RaiderDuck also pointed out something more basic about the whole date: If you can't trust someone to be honest, why in the blue hell are you even pursuing a relationship with them?)

Mike and Natalie are not going to end well. He comes off like he's already moved on emotionally, as evidenced by his spectacularly unenthusiastic"Oh. That's wonderful, er, I guess" response when she said the visa had been approved. Brandon's parents obviously run his life and look at Julia as just another child they can control and manipulate. Sounds like his half-siblings are giving the family a wide berth, and no wonder. And her refusal to consider any kind of birth control screams "I want to get pregnant NOW so he can't send me back home." Did Rebecca actually tell her grown daughter "I want to move in with you. This means your boyfriend has to move out because MY boyfriend won't want YOUR boyfriend to see me in my nightclothes."? Do I have that correct?

And now she knows that whenever Sumit pushes back on any request, she need merely to histrionically threaten to kill herself and he'll then do whatever she wants. She reminds me of two people: one would be my ex-wife, who would threaten to leave me any time we had a disagreement. Sample dialogue: Me: "Honey, could you not yell at me in public about my snoring? It's embarrassing." Her (in a rehearsed "hurt" voice): "Oh. Well, maybe it's time to make sure you're NEVER embarrassed by me EVER AGAIN!" She was pretty surprised when I finally got up the courage to take her up on her offer and say I wanted out of the marriage. She later admitted that she'd never meant any of it. Too late. Meanwhile, my second wife and I don't have those kinds of arguments. The other person Sumit's mom reminded me of was a past My 600-lb Life participant who wanted her brother to quit his job in New Orleans and move to Houston with her to wetnurse her whilst she spent a year trying to lose weight in Dr. Now's program. When he pointed out that he would literally be abandoning his wife and kids, leaving them destitute in the process, she replied that if he didn't do this, she would die and it would be all his fault. I'd have kicked her out my home for pulling that crap, and if Sumit had any balls whatsoever, his reply to his mom's threat to commit Seppuku (New Dehli-style) should have been a poker-faced "Does this mean your jewelry will be up for grabs?"