dewelar

I believe at least a couple of the judges commented that Mei's was undercooked.

Yes, love The Cardigans. Loved their Sabbath covers :) . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ70oQVos5Q

Only in this country -- they were pretty big in their native UK. I actually preferred their follow-up single, which was also a top 30 song in the US. (Can't figure out how to insert the link as an image like the previous post...)

Well, yeah, and "A baseball game can't end in a goddamn tie!" 😁 It'd still be better than this abomination.

I'd rather they just declare a tie after, say, 12 innings. This is just gimmickry for the sake of gimmickry.

It sounds like a Meat Loaf record because everything Jim Steinman produced pretty much sounded like that. (Also, it's Bonnie Tyler.)

This reminds me of one of my best Christmas memories. My mom also had a copy when I was a kid, but it got broken at some point, and she could never find another copy. Years later, when I was in high school in the mid-80s I worked at K-Mart across the street from a record store that I would go into almost every lunch hour (when I wasn't in the arcade next door). One day I was in there and happened across a copy, so I bought it and hid it in my dresser for weeks, then snuck it under the tree on Christmas Eve with a "from Santa" tag. Her reaction was just the best :D .

Also that he won the advantage in the preheat, so it was his choice to make that particular dessert -- a double shot of playing it too safe.

Yes, five episodes in now and Peter has grown on me a bit since the first episode, but Jordan hasn't really. Also, is it me, or does it feel like the show is focused more on the judges and presenters and less on the bakers than it has in past seasons? Again, five episodes in, and I don't really find myself connecting with any of the bakers the way I did with, say, season 2's Trev or last season's Pera.

I too will miss Mel and Claire, and Maggie Beer was a delight. Matt was...fine. What's up with all the shifting casts in this franchise? The Great Kiwi Bake Off just swapped out three of their four regulars as well.

Well, they certainly brought different energy. Peter Gordon felt stuffy, and Jordan Rondel gave off a very self-important vibe. They reminded me of the stereotypical view of art critics, right down to their sartorial choices. I will remind myself that this is just one episode, and my view is being colored by being a big fan of Sue and Dean (they were my favorite judging pair of all the iterations of this that I watch -- i.e. British/Australian/Canadian/Kiwi), but so far not a fan.

Other than, of course, the cast member who died while the show was still airing.

If there were foul balls and swings and misses, it was not a 21-pitch game -- a perfect game, sure, but foul balls and swings and misses still count as pitches. If there were two foul balls, that would mean at least 23 pitches for the 21 outs (which would still be one hell of a performance, at any level).

I think you mean "maroons" ;-D (h/t Bugs Bunny)

I still remember last season when I noted that Justin Warner was (I think literally) always the one presenting the underdog's dish. I forgot to track that this season :) . As far as the randomizer bit...I'm willing to grant that Guy probably asks everyone which items they don't want to get, and they only show it when it actually comes up. I wouldn't be surprised if it was otherwise, though -- although I don't think it would take away from the show if that was the case since, unlike my example above, it doesn't affect the judging, which is really the main thing that keeps things at least somewhat honest.

Second the "Cold Cold Heart" exhaustion. I swear every single shop and restaurant has it on their PA. I'd rather hear the Elton originals (well, "Rocket Man" and "Kiss the Bride" anyway -- I can do without "Sacrifice".)

Colliding with fielders intentionally has been illegal since at least the early 20th century, but colliding with the catcher specifically wasn't outlawed in the major leagues until very recently -- 2014, I believe. Not sure about the AAGPBL, though.

Indeed. Seeing that clip repeatedly almost made me decide not to watch the season at all, but I decided to give it a chance. Now I wish I'd trusted my instincts. Like others have indicated, I will be waiting until he's been eliminated to start watching again.

Mrs. Dew and I are typically fans of a capella music (her more than me), and have a similar reaction to both groups, especially when it comes to their respective holiday music. I think it might be because Pentatonix sounds too technically polished, where SNC sound more like they're enjoying themselves on their recordings. I remember a few years ago when we saw Pentatonix on The Sing-Off that we were really looking forward to their album, and subsequently being quite underwhelmed. Sadly, nothing seems to have changed.

Yes.

I see the show continues to feed my conspiracy theory 😄 , as Simon again presented the dishes by all three higher-ranked chefs. Oh, and all three won or tied their rounds as well.

Right, but if they have clues to who the higher seed is in a round, that can affect their decision, even if it's only subconsciously. I'm not saying that is necessarily the case, but it was notable to me that the same person presented the higher-ranked chef's dish each time (unless I missed something).

I'm enjoying this show once again, and I've noticed a couple of things. First, there are fewer "upsets" this season than there were last. Second -- and this may be related -- it seems that when they're describing the dishes, Simon is always the one describing the dish of the higher-ranked chef and Justin the lower. Maybe the judging isn't so blind?

It doesn't help if you mishear "Eminence Front" as "Imminence Front" either 😄 .

He also knows that she hasn't been in the bottom two. (At least, I don't remember her to have been). Don't they all see the standings on the naughty/nice board?