Darian

I hope CJ takes some of his winnings and buys some self-awareness. He's obnoxious and, as usual, completely convinced he's a terrific guy. I remember that from his first appearances on Top Chef. It takes a lot for me to actively root against a fellow cancer survivor, but he managed it a few episodes in all those years ago. He's worse now. Blech.

I wanted the teacups from the opening! Then I hoped they got to keep theirs, but since they were in teams, that wouldn't work (I saw them in the workroom so who knows). But what a fun way to reveal their character. So much fun! And I get the feeling he would act exactly the same if there were no cameras around. I get that feeling from most of the competitors, actually. Besides how positive they all are, and how they help each other, there is precious little (if any) playing to to the cameras. It's refreshing.

I've been vaguely aware that there was such an online show, and though I figured I'd like it, I never thought to watch. But my DVR recorded the after hours (someone was smart enough to title it as a regular Chopped show, with he after hours designation in the episode description). What a hoot! Even Aaron Sanchez came across a likable. I'm going to see what older episodes are online, though I prefer it on DVR).

When Brooke was on Top Chef, I remember her talking about the two restaurants she and her husband owned. I'm pretty sure they even showed her shuttling between the two. Top Chef aired in 2012, and according to this bio: Love Shirley and Brooke. It's still the familiar faces bringing me to the show, since the format isn't as interesting.

You nailed Aviva's motivation, imo. She praised the other women only to tear down Carole. Ugh, Aviva is the worst.

Amanda really didn't like that. I wonder if that factored into the outcome, even a tiny bit, even subconsciously on the part of the judges. Probably not. Either way, I found Dante arrogant and was glad he did not win, but felt for him as he seemed gutted, and would have been happier if he and the other kids had gotten bigger consolation prizes (Sequoia was thrilled, though, which was nice to see). They can all be proud of their performances. Those baskets were hard.

Exactly how I feel. Now I'll be likely to avoid watching anything he appears on. He was terrible last night. I've always liked Marcel, so I was glad to see him represent himself well. I didn't love the show, but will stick with it since I like so many of the chefs competing.

Please don't read this as a defense of Aviva. I find her revolting. And I agree that she probably exaggerates her medical issues and uses them, real and imagined, in various ways. But if they were flat polyps, this time she's probably telling the truth.

I could only stand to watch the first two episodes of the show and was never interested in eating at Wahlburgers, though I go to the Shipyard a few times a year--I'd heard the food wasn't great, though from what I can tell reviews have gotten better. But last weekend, my husband and I were at the Shipyard and decided to have lunch there. It was really good, better than I'd expected. I got a burger, my husband got a fish sandwich, and we shared sweet potato tots. We weren't hungry enough to try the shakes or other sides, but they looked and smelled great. If the food weren't enough to bring us back, and it was, the service would have been. Just top notch. We'll go back.

I worked for a few years in an ER and chose to stay on nights because of the camaraderie and craziness, so I was hoping this would be watchable. I figured I'd have to suspend disbelief and not worry too much about the technical errors, but I after fifteen minutes of the pilot, I deleted the show.

I agree that Ramona is jealous of Kristen. When they were at the dinner party, before the others arrived, Ramona told Mario where to sit, and it was something about being able to see Kristen because he likes looking at pretty women, and Mario kind of laughed in agreement. I think I got that right. Kristen unwittingly, by existing, is winding Ramona up. Throwing anything should get Ramona booted, let alone an oar. I've always found her to be vile, but she gets worse and worse. I like that Heather goes where she wants and has a great house in a gorgeous location where she can have a relaxed. So what if "no one goes to the Berkshires." Great reason to go. Heck, I have a neurological issue that makes me not able to sweat or regulate my body temperate, so no A/C can be dangerous. But short of risking hospitalization, I can work around it when I need to. Any sympathy I would have had for Ramona was washed away in the constant torrent of complaints about every single thing. Too bad it wasn't Heather, Kristen, Lu Ann, and Carole. They would have had a blast. But then, this is their job, so at least they get paid.

Ha! I love this place. Thanks for that.

Thank you, Lisin, for the podcast info and drmka9 for the book recommendation. This past episode, I was so enjoying Brian Henson's stories about the sunscreen and Big Bird that I paused to see if he had written a book. I'll definitely read the Jim Henson biography. I like this show, but I also would love a different type of show that allowed Henson to interact with artists working on projects.