Bella

Nah, you can talk about it here since it was in the previews and we don't have a spoilers, speculation, or media thread like some forums do.

Interesting, Chip. I agree that holidays, vacations, and house stuff (I moved last year) make it hard to maintain a decent weight. I was one of those skinny people who could eat whatever she wanted without gaining, etc., etc., etc., hate me, hate me, hate me. And then I turned 40 and gained about 40 pounds. Now I yo-yo about 15 pounds each year, with the worst time being fall and winter, which is when we take our vacation and do the holiday visiting. The 15 pounds matter to me because of clothing fit and because I feel better at the low end of the range. I have to cut out sugar completely. That, exercise, and writing down what I eat are my 3 successful strategies. Since Valentine's Day weekend, I've been off sugar except for 4 specific days when I had a lot of work stress and lived on baked goods. I lost 8 pounds, gained 1 back, and will probably gain another this weekend because of restaurant meals with out-of-town guests. But I think I can make my goal by July. I sure hope so! This has really humbled me, and I am now in awe of people who lose large amounts of weight. The BL methods seem unhealthy, but my stance on the show is that if the contestants keep off half the weight they've lost, they're still a lot better off than they were.

I noticed the name change a couple of days ago. Curtis Stone is one of those people who seems to be more TV personality (I hate myself for writing those two words) than chef. I don't quite get the appeal. I really don't mind Gail that much, but again, there's this whole category of food and fashion people who wouldn't seem to have time for their ostensible day jobs because they're in front of the camera so much. Maybe it leads to good promotions for talented underlings, or at least an attractive addition to the resume.

I'm so glad to read all the Carrie-hate (or disdain, at least). I never "got" her, and I certainly had plenty of my own moments when I disliked her. In addition to her self-centeredness with Natasha, the whole relationship with Aidan was a wreck, and I didn't understand why the writers ever thought anyone would buy it as credible. Setting aside the fact that Carrie was annoying on a good day, they were fundamentally incompatible. And of course there she is as usual, taking, taking, taking, and not understanding why anyone wouldn't love her forever and - gasp! - move on. But don't get me started.

Oh, gawd! Tiana has seemed a tad ribby before, but this is awful. I've always thought that "plus-sized" models should dominate the swimsuit and lingerie sectors of the fashion world. They have the curves without the ribs.

It's not a bazillion threads, it's nine. That's the way it's going to be here. You can move further discussion that does not relate to this episode into the "Little Couple: Big Discussion" thread.

More spoilers from Reality Steve! This time, photos and details from Nick's HTD. http://realitysteve.com/2014/04/17/pictures-from-andis-hometown-date-yesterday/

That is a great idea, Mz Anthrope. Maybe she could have done something with lights, too.

I finally caught up on this show last night, and I'm still not finding it as interesting as I'd hoped it would be, though this episode was much better than last week's. The women's lack of experience with the mechanical elements was a bit distressing. I suspect that Melissa and Lex will be eliminated quickly. I knew Ivonne was doomed the moment she selected a small head. That was something else that the men seemed to grasp better - you don't want something so big that the puppeteer is overwhelmed, but there needs to be internal space for both the mechanics and the puppeteer's hand. The designer also needs enough space to install and manipulate the mechanics during construction. Ivonne's was never going to work.

Do we need a spoiler thread for this show? Feel free to create threads if you think we need them. I was not happy with the elimination, but one of the problems with this show's format is the teams and the possibility for strategic eliminations. Sitting in the winning mentor's chair, I'd have done the same thing for the same reasons. Since Sharon is 24, I'm not sure she's going to be able to have much of a modeling career to begin with - beyond what she's already done - so it would have been a pointless win. And I do think Naomi wants a credible model to come out of a show that has her stamp on it.

Oh, wow. I'm going to have to watch all of those. Definitely spot on.

Oh, come on, MarkySnark, you know there's more to it than that - commercials take up at least 7 minutes. I decided not to record that episode.

I haven't even seen anything about filming, and Jillian is doing her occasional whine about no longer wanting to do the show. Since I was wondering, too, I poked around online and found this: http://www.thebiggestlosercasting.com/ , which indicates that they are casting families of 4 or more. Oh, dear. These can be any configuration of family members - the sister-in-law, siblings, etc. They are also looking for individuals and former athletes. The site says nothing about when the show airs, but fall would be likely, don't you think? Applications are due May 2, and it must take a while to compose a decent cast. That's all I could find.

And now, our "good buddy" Reality Steve http://realitysteve.com/2014/04/16/the-bachelorette-andi-spoilers-final-four/ tells us who gets the home-town dates. The lucky gents are: Josh Murray Marcus Grodd Chris Soules Nick Viall May Andi find someone who makes her happy and leave us with at least one good choice to serve as lead in the next season of The Bachelor.

I grew up Catholic and recall the priest washing the feet of some altar boys as part of Mass in the lead-up to Easter. So yes, it's done. Dominoes were not part of any service I ever attended, however. Maybe it's unique to the Duggars' religion.

I find each of them endearing in his own way, and certainly talented. The main thing I want is for Rashaad to get a good job in the industry. He's talented, he's extremely generous in helping his competitors, and I think he could go far with some hands-on mentoring in a more realistic time frame than what is allowed by the challenges. Tyler is so enthusiastic and can back up his imaginative designs with ability. I love seeing his creatures each week. And George ... he surprises me sometimes. He's not as consistent as the other two, but when he's good, he's excellent. May they all go on to have brilliant careers. I do think that this was not truly judged as a 2-part challenge. Otherwise, Rashaad would have gotten more credit with the judges for his vampire.

This points to one of the ironies of shows like this, Top Chef, etc. - there are those who move on and have good careers and/or sink or swim on their own merits, and we rarely if ever hear of them again. Then there are the ones who can't step away from the show. Maybe PR was Mondo's first validation as a designer and he clings to that. But PR should be a step in a process that he's taking, and he seems to be stuck there instead.

We are trying to keep this place friendly and cordial with lively discussion (i.e., "party"), and I'm not seeing it here in this thread. There's no need to come to a consensus, but some of the disagreements here have taken on an air of disdain if not hostility. If you have a strongly held opinion, state it as coming from you, not as directed at someone else who disagrees with you. In other words, "I think/feel/etc." without the implied "and you're wrong/foolish/etc." that's in this thread. Thanks.

I'm not quite as anti-vegetable as you are, ElectricBoogaloo, but I'm definitely nowhere near being a vegetarian. And I agree, Bourdain, for all his good traits, really does carry on to great excess about this. I'm wondering if it might go back to when he was a chef. Otherwise, why does he care so much? It takes away from an otherwise good show.

Cool idea - and thanks for starting the thread.

Thanks, Suz. I wish the Duggars would take advantage of the available services and not take chances with this little girl. It's sad that they don't.

Okay, true confessions time: I've watched a few episodes, but I don't have everyone's back story. So can someone please fill me in on the baby, Josie? There have been allusions to her "problems." Are these specific diagnoses, is she known to have a disability, or what? Many thanks!

Someone in another thread talked about losing 25 pounds. I yo-yo 15 pounds on and off, and while I remain in the "normal" BMI range, I have clothing fit issues at the top of my range and I feel better at the lower end. I have been using the Lose It! app to record all of my meals, and it really helps. I've dropped 8 pounds so far this year, and I think the key for me is the mere act of writing down what I eat. Also, you can "buy" additional calories by exercising, which gives me another incentive to get moving.

That would make me very happy, Lantern, because that would mean none of the other remaining teams win. And you make a valid point - they're good racers.

Or alphabetically. Or by height (which would be mostly but not strictly gender-based). Or by eye color. Just something different!