stanleyk

I initially thought this, too, but then I figured maybe they were hedging their bets to ensure there were women in the finale. I didn't like the match-up only because I really like both chefs so I hated to see one lose. Unlike some of the past cheftestants that they've touted as "emperors," Stephanie is genuinely successful. Girl and the Goat still remains a difficult reservation to get, even years after it opened. The last time I was there the food was really great. I don't recall if Berstein did judge Kristen in her season, but even if this is so, it seems it happens a lot (though of course that's just my impression and I have a terrible memory). In any event, I don't think there's anything unfair about it. They've had situations where former employers were judging contestants, and that seems to me to be much more dodgy.

Actually Fade and Emily were in the top. All the judges seemed to like Fade's dress, and at least Heidi and the non-Dita guest judge liked Emily's. I mean, the scores must have been pretty terrible all around for Emily to make the top when half the judges hated her look, and for Amanda and Korina to be safe, but technically Fade and Emily were in the top. I was fine with the result. I get that people think Kini should have won because he made Sean's shirt, but as has been said in other contexts, it's Top Designer, not Top Seamstress. If Sean designed the shirt and Kini just executed it, and the judges chose that look, then I think it's valid for Sean to win. I do think Kini should have won this one because of the pieces he designed; he's been a little too conventional for me in the past challenges, but this fit the challenge and was interesting enough. I've liked Char, but she's done nothing memorable, design-wise, and I was turned off when it appeared that she not only joined in on bashing Amanda to her face, but she's also friendly with Korina, who, as we all know, is a demon-person. Based on what we've seen of their personalities so far, I'd take Fade's approval of Amanda with more weight than Char's disapproval of her. And, I can't help it, I think most of her stuff is wack, but I still really like Sandyha and would love to see her show at Fashion Week.

Yes, THIS. He didn't do anything objectively gross, but he really was kind of creepy about her. He was, like, drinking her in in a way I found just on the edge of serial killer. I think that's part of it, but the part that makes it hypocritical is that he claims to be such a great guy while straight-up acting like a dick. The best example is when he was ripping on Stefan's food during one of the mini-challenges and then he turns and is all "Oh, you're so mad! Look at you! I'm sorry, I mean, did that sound mean?" and Stefan said, "You've done this four times on national television, so stop pretending like you don't know how that's going to play." Word, Stefan. It just seems so FAKE. I don't know. It's hard to put into words, but CJ really rubs me the wrong way.

My initial thought was "Can they both lose?" But by the end I would have preferred Stefan over CJ. I agree, mlp, that Stefan actually seems like a decent person who enjoys riling people up by acting like an asshat. CJ is just the worst, on the surface and for real. And his food just looked dull and over-worked. Stefan's food might not be ground-breaking, but it looks impeccably made. My only consolation is that CJ will quickly get his ass handed to him by the other chefs in the finale.

Maybe the judges were overwhelmed by the awfulness of Mitchell's dress, but I actually couldn't stop staring at the horribly tacky shoes (nude patent platforms) he paired it with - I was just sure Nina would have some notes about his styling. I suppose there was too much else to say about his mess. To paraphrase what Alexander said, you can't really teach taste, and it was telling to me that even the shoes Mitchell chose were tacky. Definitely his time.

Agree. The way Mike and Ana handled running into Mariana at the festival (assuming it was an accident) really bothered me. Part of the amends-making process is accepting that some damage you've done can not be made better: some people will not want to accept your amends and acknowledging that is part of recovery. And part of making amends is not doing additional damage by attempting to force the other person to accept. I thought it was hugely inappropriate of both Mike and Ana to speak to Mariana about the letter in the first place, and then try to insist she go somewhere to talk after she refused. Mike has been in recovery for some time and should know better. On the lack of reality of Callie in particular bonding so quickly and feeling part of the family after only six months, I agree with other posters. I also find it somewhat unrealistic that Stef and Lena immediately felt that Jude and Callie were "their kids." I can only speak from my own experience as an adoptive parent, but I hate when media perpetuates this myth that the norm is immediate attachment. It can take months for both parents and kids to bond (also true for biological kids). Some parents and kids no doubt feel an immediate parental bond, but many people do not; it's something you may have to work at, or it may grow naturally over time. I suppose I shouldn't expect TOO much new ground to be broken (after all, this show is still pretending that Brandon and Callie are each other's penguins, despite the fact that they're children and teenage romances rarely last forever), but it's my pet peeve to see this tired trope of easy attachment played out again and again. And it's especially ridiculous here, where you have two older kids with complicated histories. (As a tip if you have friends who are adopting, one of my least favorite well-meant comments from friends was, after I met my son prior to adoption for a brief time, lots of people gushed "you must be so in love with him!" and "it must have been so hard to leave him!" I understood where the comments came from: they are trying to communicate that they don't see my love for my son as any different than love for a biological kid, and that's a nice sentiment. But it put a ton of pressure on me, and I started to worry that I didn't feel sufficiently maternal towards my son, despite having spent no time caring for him and little time with him. The fact is that it is totally normal not to feel an instant bond to a child you just met, but you see that so much in movies and tv that it perpetuates this idea.)