robroy
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Posts posted by robroy
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Craig was all manners of passive aggressive the last two eps. Anything other than unending adulation is somehow tearing him down, discussing anything about him is gossip, asking him questions is childish and the overall condescension is just annoying. He is completely the guy who just treats someone like a dick until they bail or relent to his brand of pissy superiority.
FWIW- 200k in Mt Pleasant is Vienna sausage money. That's basically a multifamily unit that's either older or further out. So expecting loads of charm, higher level finishes and a great layout was really not reasonable. When he dropped the gem about not wanting it in his portfolio I had to laugh at his pretentious ass. The goal of an investment/rental property is to either have cash flow or break even and have an increase in value while you own it. Collecting properties for some grand splash in Architectural Digest is not how it works.
I'm late to this show in general but I now completely understand why Shep, Thomas and crew don't have patience for Craig. And I'll bet you $100 he never functions as an actual lawyer. He wants to show up to grand announcements and proclamations but chasing business, tracking billable hours and working instead of chasing your social dreams do not seem to be his gig.
I'm not saying they are grand people but I think Thomas and Landon are probably a good match. They are both near the top end of what will be available to the other.
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Its rather ironic that everyone loved Carole for condescending to less favored housewives but are pissed that she acts like that to people in general. It reminds me of how people are now losing their love for Bethenney- they never had a problem with name calling and aggression as long as it was against someone they personally also disliked. But when she turns fire on someone they do its supposedly shocking?
And equally perplexing about Carole- she wants to shame Melania for marrying a rich blowhard and making money from modeling/body shots but she herself had entre onto this show and was able to sell her book because she had married into a family associated with the Kennedys- and JFK Jr specifically. I can only imagine her meltdown if Melania started posting butt pics and tagging them 'ass by God.' Or putting her friends up to mentioning that Melania had supposedly dated Clooney as a badge of merit.
Its not like Carole is a middle aged person of dubious success who partner with a younger, minimally successful model and throws haymakers on social media- or is she:
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I'm not the biggest Carole fan but the real reason for the disinvite was not Ramona being a Trumpster. On WWHL Ramona said Bethenney was actually a cohost and didn't want Ro there. Which would explain the SG product placement and Beth's assistant helping with setup.
I have to wonder what happens to Carole when Beth leaves. She has become to buddy/buddy with her at the expense of interacting with the others.
I have friends who swore Obama was the damnation of the country and working from within to bring it down. I expect them to put up with those disgusted with Trump the way we put up with their conspiracy theories and turning a blind eye to any level of civility/decorum. So far I think Carole and Dorinda have been disappointed but not veered into the level of finger pointing angst Carole's twitter persona would imply. She and our President could both stand to back away from social media.
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9 hours ago, LIMOM said:
The new house?
how much do you think that small house is worth?
I think the house is probably worth 150 but the lot might be worth 500-700 if there is the glimpse of marsh that it seems to have in some shots.. Without that view it would still be atleast a 400k lot. That area is really hitting an upward swing in value at the moment and some folks actually prefer it to downtown since Mt Pleasant is more liveable in many ways. That area in particular is near downtown, Sullivans Island and the end of 526. It also has plenty of retail, restaurants, bars, etc. If you google 'homes for sale Old Village Mt Pleasant' you get a quick idea of what is selling over there. In my neighborhood it would be around 380-440k but I am across the opposite River from downtown.
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Because I follow the housewife RE porn a little much-
The kitchen originally had a Sub Zero (or similar) at the end. Carole or the architect switched that out for refrigeration drawers under the counter. It opened up counter space and made the kitchen look much larger even if she lost refrigerator capacity. Drawer to the right of the sink a single dishwasher drawer. She has almost double height ceilings and they bought the unit as a shell. So the kitchen is short because she stacked that closet mini-office above like a loft but closed in. Bedroom and bathroom on the main floor. They supposedly sold one of JFK's rocking chairs to fund the endeavor.
I'm not crazy about how her living room is arranged but love the foyer wall treatment.
Adam is looking for a live-work arrangement not a live in job. Live-work is the buzz word for apartments/townhomes/lofts that have professional space paired to the living area. In his situation it will be tricky because a commercial kitchen has a shit ton of regulations/code requirements. Probably second only to medical or industrial buildings. If someone has skills there are some Adam modeling shots floating around out there. I don't know if he earned and actual living as a model or just did a couple of gigs but that was one of his prior jobs. Supposedly his family owns either a grocery store or grocery distribution center.
I actually liked carole the last two episodes and she annoyed me since the minute she was on the show. Its been an odd ride this season. She has admitted she has no where near the money that celebrity net worth site lists and that her agent convinced her to do Housewives by pointing out she has bills to pay. I think she and Luann are the ones most careful with their actual money regardless of the other Howives ability to earn more.
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11 minutes ago, RedHawk said:
Agreed, and Naomie is getting a Bravo check now as well, so why would her parents be supporting them both financially? (Maybe they pay for her education and her car and insurance, but not other expenses now that she's "working".) She and Craig at an age where they'd likely be much happier to be independent of parental control by paying their own way.
The trick is- if they are living in the Old Village Mt Pleasant as I suspect- they can't afford those houses after you take taxes and lifestyle choices out the Bravo earnings.
Which reminded me about someone asking about where Thomas/Landon ate in this ep. It is the restaurant at bridge on Harbor View road on James Island. I recognized on of the houses backing up to it from Dills Bluff. I think they snuck that camera shot of the Ravenel Bridge in for filler because the front of the restaurant faces the road/the harbor/downtown and they were seated at the back/side towards James Island.
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I have to 100% agree with Corter on dealing with addicts. I had a long term close friend nearly brought down 3 marriages, hurt many relatives and frayed multiple friendships with their addiction. And it took 2 separate rehabs (the first was a forced one that failed spectacularly) and the threat of losing their children to get in order. It was a painful learning lesson for several of us. And the truth is not a damned one of us were of any help. We were not trained nor had we personally overcome addictions. You have to want to be sober, commit to a process and follow through. Its not like removing a wart- the addict has to buy into their treatment and then apply themselves to maintaining on a daily basis. I can't truly blame Thomas because he is pretty much an addict himself and one person cannot answer for someone else's sobriety beyond not giving them drugs or enabling. The last thing one addict needs is to become enmeshed with a second.
And from that scene at lunch- part of me wonders if Kathryn's real problem isn't that drugs are medicating or masking some form of mental illness. I have a friend (although not as close as the person above) who recently has gone off the deep end on us. Our friend who is in recovery (that's what they call rehab and the continued process of staying sober) reached out to an interventionist. He assessed the overall situation and said this was going to be a very difficult case because he thinks the second friend was suffering from a mental illness as the root problem. The friend in recovery is very leery because even 3 years in there is still the basic disposition to redevelop addiction. And to be honest- Kathryn is better without Thomas because they obviously say/do things that are huge triggers for the other.
As much as Thomas is a douche, he is a reasonably sober douche. And he has taken the basic steps to be a primary parent to those children. Kathryn is too wrapped up in her own head to achieve either of those.
And while I'm glad for Craig that he passed the bar- that change in ownership at CSOL doesn't have a single thing to do with him not completing his thesis. I have a good friend who works for that school and they had classes/admitted students/held graduations/had SC Bar prep classes through the entire fiasco. He really is a bit of a dilatant. I'm glad be loves a hobby and has a charitable side but if he & Naomi are going to work out he needs to develop some discipline and she needs to learn to roll with the punches a bit more. I also think there is no reason for him to drive a 50-80k Porsche (not sure if that is the larger or smaller SUV.) That payment alone would have gotten him into rental property ownership 2 years ago.
And on the car front- whoever mentioned a lot of old Jeeps drew a chuckle out of me. I actually have the same model as Kathryn but one of the higher trim levels and recognized Shep's as the oldest of the lot. In Shep's case it kinda fits his profile- spend your $ on housing, activities and vacations, not a vehicle to impress people you do not know.
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I think its funny as hell that both Beth and Ramona treat everyone like crap but are incensed when someone returns the favor. The preview of Beth saying Ro is an ass for telling Luann there are bets placed on her marriage is mind blowing. And Ro being upset Beth didn't show when she has skipped plenty of people's events in a tiff. But on another level I think she also realized it meant she wasn't the end of season wrap up since they wouldn't have shots of all the ladies at her event. That said- I think they both need a good children of alcoholics support group to reprogram and sadly seem lonely on some level.
On WWHL Ramona said it was a complete surprise and she literally almost didn't show. She also said Carole told her the real reason for the disinvite was that Beth was a cohost & did not want to deal with Ramona.
I have to say- 2 Beth scenes per ep is about the best serving size for my tastes.
On the various social media accounts and photos floating around- I think Carole, Beth, Luann and Dorinda all were team Clinton and attended events. I would not be surprised if Ro went either way and Sonja probably voted Trump to further her international luxury lifestyle brand...
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I think the Lu vs Sonja sexual hijinks is more a matter of perspective. Luanne seems to be in full control of her sexuality. I believe she enjoys both sex and strong men. Sonja's sexuality strikes me as rather sad, almost desperate. And $10 says Lu throws on some perfume and scrambles eggs in the morning. I just imagine Sonja slothing in bed as she regales you with tired stories of the other 350 guys who provided validation. Which is probably still preferable to Ramona who has always wanted to be seen a sexy but just comes across as sad.
FWIW- I think the behavior itself was similar but I think Beths was more uncalled for. Dorinda's was just stupid in the sense that she wanted to show Sonja she could spread dirt on her if she chose. It's not a good look on either woman. The main difference is Dorinda gifted us with 'how am I doing/ Not well, bitch.'
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19 hours ago, Major Bigtime said:
A sad thought, these people are probably being nice to Whitney only so they continue to get a paycheck for this show.
I have to agree on that. To a lesser degree I also think this is why everyone remains so differential to TRav even when he shows his arse.
Whitney's mom and TRav are essential to the show in that they provide the only personalities types and settings that really say 'Charleston.' Or more specifically the only personalities/settings that speak to what people want to view in Charleston. If they were filming in the various stack a shack (shep), suburban (Cam/Craig) or generic 30s-ish houses (Austen/Chel) I don't think people would really be as interested. I think Southern Charm is similar to RHONY in that respect. If we see a standard issue midrise apt in NY we are all disappointed even though that would be on the higher end of what most of us could swing.
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I was under the impression Tinsley was a roommate- as in paying rent for her stay. And you have to love that after being shown the accommodations, Luann scoped the joint out and claimed the top floor.
I think Beth is on the show because she needs the attention. The woman cannot function without attention, a sense of victimhood and some sidekick to tell her how horrible and wrong everyone else is. Sadly- Carole is the new Alex and Ramona the new Jill. But Ro was right- everything about B plays out in the exact same fashion, cycle after cycle.
I'm still not sure what to make of Sonja or Dorinda. But I will say this episode has had the best conversation and least pissing matched of any in a good long while.
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29 minutes ago, Ki-in said:
ETA: I thought it was interesting that Candace Bushnell was listed as Luann's friend and not Carole's who seems to idolize (and parrot) Carrie.
You know- for all everyone's bit**ing about LU, I can completely see her being great fodder of a SATC or Bushnell character. She is a woman who actually seems to enjoy both sex and life. Which is ironic since the others put so much stock in being young, sexy or hip.
What I have to wonder about with Carole is if she was so plugged in why no acknowledgement that things were neck and neck in Fl and Ohio was out of reach. You'd think she would be hitting some issues or the Cmey letter or something. Even funnier since Dorinda has an in with the Clintons. And speaking of that- JOhn Oliver and Dorinda were the WWHL quests last night. Oliver basically said Clinton needs to recede from the spotlight and Dorinda questioned hime with something along the lines of 'she loses and now that's the end?' His response was YES. It was a funny eye into both HRC supporters and real housewives who just want to keep repeating the same arguments over and again. And I say that as someone who did vote for her in the general and obviously knows their way around the RH franchises.
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FWIW- Romona's daughter was also asked to leave her original HS. And if people want to see the lives of rich/connected/'cool' prep school kids they are going to have to accept that those kids are likely doing some form of drugs, partying with the cool people and generally partying. Even at the vaunted top notch colleges you will see that crowd as a bigger party and sports set than other kids.
Its like when Victoria had a Sweet 16 at a club and Avery had one at a hall that was completely decorated to look like a club down to those platform beds for seating.
For reference Sonja's picked up a DUI, Carole smokes pot, Tinsley's been arrested, Beth flubbed her way through a couple of schools, Ramona was sneaking out of the house to party in her 50s and half these broads have gone after taken men. Victoria really isn't out of the norm for the women on this franchise much less a typical prep school kid. That said she needs to be more intelligent about it...
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6 hours ago, BloggerAloud said:
Maybe Carole let her couch go to hell because she's like, "I have a sort of Kennedy relationship so if it anybody is going to go Grey Gardens it's going to be ME and NOT Sonja Morgan."
Actually- Grey Gardens is from Jackie O's original family- Bouvier (sp). So Carole has much more of a connection to them than she does the Kennedys.
But for all Sonja's quirkiness I do not see how she benefits in the end. She has now pissed off enough people that she is having to chase down possible chances to film and rent houses she pretends are owned by a 'dear friend' or other such malarkey.
I will say- at one point or another I liked everyone last night. Even Bethenney- she was a raging hypocrite about Ramona being rude or not supportive when she has issues when B goes for the kill when anytime anyone ever has a struggle. But her talking heads and Carole meet up where just the correct amount of B. She really would function better as a 'friend of' who pops up to point out the insanity. Although I wouldn't be opposed to a couple of the broads letting her no she is no better/more important than anyone else.
I though Carole was actually pretty even keel at the dinner party & I enjoyed some of her quirks. That sofa is a complete psychological tell though- the poor woman really has not been able to move on or make any decisions as basic as whether to get rid of it or reupholster. I imagine the cols of reupholstering is probably too much for her to validate.
And I know I'm among the few who like Lu but you have to admit she always has the best decorated and most inviting homes. And they always seem appropriate to style location. I wish that addition didn't block the original 2nd floor from behind but it was appropriately scaled and the interior really suited the house. I am actually impressed that she has stuck with a farmtable in the kitchen instead of throwing in the ubiquitous island. Let's see if she can rework Tom's penthouse into something more pleasing.
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43 minutes ago, Mrs peel said:
B dated another Jason prior to meeting her (second?) husband Jason.
Remember that tone dinner where Jill ham handedly kept pressing Jason if Bethenny was going to get a ring and Bethenney threatened to stab her in the eye with a fork? Can't remember if it was a live threat or talking head. Boy- that should have told me all I needed to know about those two.
I never thought Lu treated B badly. She actually tsk, tsked Kelly multiple times about how she treated Beth. And gawd knows Beth has said worse stuff about all of them- except Carole.
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I have witnessed both TRav and Kathrynn (sp) in real life. The poor woman looks worse on this show than what I saw. Not that she gave a great impression off camera. He actually looks better. I do not know them personally but know people who have known him and have personally witnessed full blown public meltdowns by him twice in the last year or two. And that was by completely random, luck of the draw crossing his path. His business should be able to run itself. When he had Ravenel Development I actually worked on two projects for them. He had some sharp people working there who could keep the ball moving. I have no reason to believe he would not have the ability to hire similarly skilled people for his construction firm. I think fame and attention are either part or one of his vices/addictions.
The running joke with his Citadel classmates is that they named the (Ravenel) Bridge for Arthur and the lines for Thomas. Apparently he was a raging snob and total jackass even back then. Which is shocking to hear because most Citadel people are blindingly loyal.
Kathryn made her own bed by failing a drug test. In SC if you are in a custody hearing and fail the drug test everything else goes out the window. Any borderline lawyer in this state will tell you that- including the ones at that diploma mill Craig attended.
2 hours ago, MissMel said:So why are his panties in a bunch?
Judging by the skin we saw when greased himself into his jeans to go out, I'm doubting he wears panties...
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Heather got it going and coming her final season. I'm not her biggest fan but she really did get the bum edit to make way for Beth. And after she left she had to sue the person she brought on for additional capital or management because they barred filming in business/offices. So basically the outside the office activities got cut when Beth/others didn't show and nothing from he office was available. I tend to believe that accusation because the minute the show did not benefit her business she was gone. Luan is definitely not Bethenney or Khandi- but she has been able to crank out a product or line every year for some form of sales and has also done personal appearances. So in that realm she's actually made the show worthwhile from a financial standpoint. And scenes like her and Dorinda boating around the harbor in quasi 70s glory actually feed the type of products she tends to peddle. Ramona's lines have dried up but at one point she was second only to Beth in getting merchandise out the door. Poor Carole hasn't sold squat other than a spike in What Remains when she first joined. And Sonja is a mess.
Bethenney is really successful but it was never a $100 million deal with Beam in the sense of the 100m being solid. It was like an NFL contract with a lot of production/sales incentives. She also had to pay her lawyers/managers their share and was sued by her former partner for his take as well. I don't like the harpie anymore but you have to admit her popcorn is pretty tasty and she has enough products to keep turning a dime. But not probably not even Paul Newman $. I think she is on the show because she (like Ramona) has an absolute need for attention. She's been on 4 reality shows and a talk show- and did 3 gigs after already having enough $ to do as she pleases. I think she is more desperate to appear successful or happy than she is to be successful or happy.
Then again if her and Ramona go implant to implant to establish superiority I could deal. We really need a good Dynasty style catfight out of those two.
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On 7/24/2016 at 5:01 PM, stewedsquash said:
I think the ladies are more flabbergasted than jealous. Luann and Tom remind me of Amal and George. Nobody thought George would ever give anyone a ring. And yet, there he is, building a life with Amal as a married couple. I wonder if the women from his past reacted like the women on RHNY? I think it is terrific that Luann is able to make these decisions quickly and go for it.
You know that is a good point. I wonder if a certain set of (fairly similar) woman thought Tom would always be the back up plan, good time, go to date when they were in a dry spell. The fact he was he legally paired probably added a degree of fondness to their recollections in contrast to dating a separated/divorced/widowed guy. I know everyone likes to slut shame Luann but I would bet dollars to donuts that she is a superior lover to those other shrill harpies.
I know Ramona all but admitted once that she was afraid Lu would make a play for her man.
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On 7/23/2016 at 11:18 AM, ElDosEquis said:
The jealousy that the women are showing towards Lulu is them 'protecting' the group dynamic.
They are afraid that Lu's marriage is going to affect the group dynamic and/or they won't be any more Countess to come out and play with.
They are just scared - they aren't about to share her with anyone.
I think this is fairly accurate. I also think if Luann marries it means she has an upper hand. And the fact that 2 other wives made a stab at the same man, another is dating a 28 year old salad arranger and the biggest harpy is dating a still married man only highlights that perception.
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I don't think Luann actually lied about her marriage. I think they had an open marriage on some level. I remember some society reporter saying he had met Luan and one of the others separate from the show and saying she had European sensibilities or the like. It sounded pretentious on first read but looking back I think that was polite speak for she was fine with what happened in and outside the marriage remaining inside and outside the marriage. If Luann really thought her marriage was in trouble I think she would have probably tried to siphon more assets into the US so she could make claim to them.
Beth and Ramona have always been the most skilled at claiming one thing, doing another, general misdirection and being just crazy enough for people to be scarred of calling out their sh**. With Ramona I think it comes with the territory of being an addict or child of an addict. They have very definite controlling tendencies and can flip on you. Ramona has always had that edge to her. I also think Ramona took divorce much harder than Lu and has lost a lot more face. If what others claim about her forgoing cash for properties is true she also lost a big chunk of money to save face. While Lu did the opposite. And I think Ramona will be much pickier- and unrealistic- about who to hitch her wagon to because Mario was always the more alpha/attractive of the house husbands. I doubt she likes relinquishing that status.
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Gymnastics
in Sports
The odd thing about this scenario is that if Biles and Hernandez where truly hitting on bars there is a possibility they could outscore Douglas with international judges. But if Douglas was truly lax in the build up to the games the month with Marta controlling training could really clean up a couple of things that were questionable. I'm also not sure about Henrnadez 2/Biles 3 in bars lineup if Hernandez can clean get everything a little tighter as well. Kocian can do beam if Douglas is missing there like she was at trials but at this moment I'm not sure which is truly the better bet. I do like that this team seems to let everyone rest an event. But it will feel odd to have the weakest vault lineup since 2004 in team finals.
And if the team as a whole is bonding that will be a nice contrast to some other recent teams that just remained a group of (sometimes clashing) individuals.
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I have been asked if I am related to both a major director and the founder of the largest architecture firm in my state multiple times. And all I can think is 'why would I be stuck here if I were?' I bet ole Tom feels the same.
Back on topic- I think the woman look nice this year. In previous years they have all looked painfully over processed, out of date and rather thirsty... But I still hope to hell someone calls Beth out on her constant shrillness and lack of 'realness.' If Housewives franchises have taught me one thing it is that whoever declares themselves a truthbomb or is most emphatic about keeping it real is probably the biggest liar you will meet.
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FWIW- I think Luann's ex husbands $ brought more recognition than his title. Sure he used the title but he lead a pretty exciting and successful life beyond that. It reminds me of how every single person at a university or hospital tends to have their title used time and again. Almost professional courtesy.
I think the Mr/Mrs issue is another matter. And as someone who has had to interact with people who I am supposed to manage in time you learn that you often have to introduce some level of formality. I actually even introduce folks who are subordinate as Mr/Mrs/Ms to others and leave it to them to informalize the introduction if they choose. I deal with a three (out of 6) of the VPs for my workplace at least every other week and am on a first name basis. But if I introduce them to someone else is by whole name and title.
I think part of the kerfluffle is that Lu used to address her husband as 'The Count.' Beth and Alex called that out as pretentious but the real reason she did that was because the producers asked her. Her husband's name was also Alex and when they did any confessions/conversations it was confusing to have two people going by the same name.
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Gymnastics
in Sports
To address a couple of comments- Aly beat out Gabby and Jordyn to qualify AA in London.
I think who goes AA is a bit of a mess because Gabby should be top 3 bars but only the 4th best AA. Kocian is definitely performing bars for a shot at EF so that means we either give the 3 best AAers a shot for AA final or put Gabby up since she is going to be in the team final bars lineup regardless. And I wouldn't want Abby on beam or FX (where she is probably weakest on the team) in team finals. But Kocian is the weak link on Vt and not much better than Gabby on FX. If we went by who was useful on each event Kocian would sit out VT, Aly sit out bars, Gabby or Kocian sit out beam and FX. Which means Biles + Henrandez would be defacto AA. But it would not be out of character for Marta to leave an AAer in on an event she will allow someone else to perform in team finals. Maloney bars in 00 and Aly on bars at last year's worlds spring to mind. I think she also held Tidd of vault in 01 for the AAers.
As always outside of the top two AA and someone who is a mile ahead of the rest of the team on a necessary event (Hatch 04, Maroney 12, Kocian on bars this year) making that team was all about complimentary pieces and not overall placement. If we went back to 6-5-4 finals things might have worked out differently since you need more across the board depth and have a little more margin for error with a dropped score.
S08.E05: Ben and Robin & Kevin
in Hoarders [V]
I saw this episode last night and have to admit- the reactions those broads had gives me life. I think we underestimate just how 'vanilla' some people are and just how in denial certain families can be about one another's orientations or proclivities. They did seem like a nice family in the end and I imagine trying to please a 'nice' family while being who you are is much more difficult than simply cutting ties from assholes.
Upon further thought- I think most of you are correct. There should have been a professional lead who simply state 'these appear to be personal items, go clean in in area X while I discuss them with Kevin. But there is a part of my dead, cold soul that wishes they had cataloged his shit item b item for the reaction shots. Anal beads, we found anal beads... and flavored lube... I truly think minds were being blown in that scene.