needschocolate

I guess they are updating the children's classic "The Emperor's New Clothes" and calling it "The Duchess's New Eyeliner." No one wants to tell her she looks like a raccoon. It think Fergie has aged nicely and I like that she doesn't go for the over-botoxed look that so many middle aged celebrities are going for, but the amount of eyeliner she had on was ridiculous.

Last night, Jon talks about his dying father, and how they have only recently become close. He has also mentioned his girlfriend's inability to biologically have children. And he discussed his love of wine and all the nuances of tasting wine. I finally put it all together and realized - Jon is auditioning for Chopped (and probably hoping for an episode where every basket contains a bottle of wine).

A request to whomever is in charge of what goes on the main Previously TV page or to whomever chooses the titles for the recaps (Trip Payne?) - please do not post titles like "Two Men Out" that are somewhat spoilers - at some point(s) Missy was a possibility of being voted out. If I hadn't already seen the episodes, knowing that it was guys who were gone would have made watching the shows even more boring than they were. Other that the title (being posted on the main page), the recap was great, as usual. There isn't much "alone" time on the island to strategize with your alliance mates, or at least there shouldn't be. so Jon should have taken the opportunity to talk to Jac when he could. But I find her behavior afterward to be ridiculous - I think it is so important to our game to discuss things with you that I am not going to talk to you anymore. Then she gets a huffy that Jon is talking to Missy and not her, but in the next scene Jon approaches Jac and she still refuses to talk to him - refuses to talk to him because she is mad that he talked to someone else? Aargh!

On the flip side - if you don't align with someone by the first tribal, you increase your chances of getting voted off - no one has an interest in keeping you there. It makes you an easy target. Even if you align before the first tribal but waited until everyone else has aligned themselves with someone, you automatically become the low person on your alliance. As long as you are not in the minority alliance, you have a chance to increase your ranking. I am not sure that waiting to align is less risky than forming an alliance right away.

I wonder if this means that they can no longer book a flight, then put themselves on a stand-by list for a better flight.

I thought the challenge instructions were a bit confusing - We want you to make a yule loge that isn't a yule loge but we still want it to look like a log or at least part of a tree. Their only real options were to use different ingredients/flavors or to stand it upright and call it a stump. I think it would have been better if they said - We want you to make a traditional looking yule log but surprise us with a new take on the flavors. I would have liked to see how good they would be at decorating a yule log too (and I would have given them more time to do it). Erin made the most realistic looking tree part, even though hers wasn't rolled. I wonder if she could have turned a rolled cake on its end and made it into a stump or if it would have not been structurally sound. There is a lot of filling in a traditional yule log, perhaps it would have been too soft to stay upright. Tara made a layed stump too, although it wasn't originally planned to be a stump, and she won, so apparently the weren't too concerned with it being rolled. I was surprised that David was out - I thought he would make it to the end for sure. I understand the judges comments about doing one log and one ballerina and doing them better. However, I paused the show at one point and left the room. When I came back in and looked at the tv, I had paused it right as they showed his logs and were about to fade into the next scene (so it was a tiny bit blurry) and his dessert looked beautiful.

So the COS's ranting and raving proved to Elizabeth that he was innocent, because if he were guilty he would have tried to hide info instead. On the other hand, if he were innocent, why would he rant and rave, and try to intimidate the SOS, so much? I can see going to her and asking what was up with her investigation but to behave to extremely, made him seem a bit guilty to me. Then again, I have never been a CIA operative. If Elizabeth is such an astute observer and so great at reading people, why didn't she notice that Stevie was lying about the boy? Stevie kept looking over at the her sister on the stairs. Preferably off screen Blake encouraged him to come out of the closet, he didn't encourage him to come out of the closet on a diplomatic trip to Venezuela. It really wasn't the place for it, this trip wasn't about the Venezuelan government's treatment of gay people. Presumably, they explained to the ball player why they wanted him there, he should have known not to do anything to rock the diplomatic boat. I don't think Blake could have predicted that he would make his announcement right then. The curls were also better - more controlled, less frizzy

I would believe that the show manipulates the tasks to favor certain teams if one of the Wallendas was on this season and they did the rope walking between buildings roadblock. The surfing was not a roadblock or even a detour, it was a fast forward, no gaurantee that a team would do a fast forward. Bethany and Adam actually took a big risk knowing that another team(s) may have a 40 minute headstart. Besides, it seems to me that, if the producers were going to change tasks based on who was competing, they would change tasks to prevent someone from having too much of an advantage. People are less likely to watch if they think the show is rigged, as evidenced by some of the reactions posted here. The producers aren't trying to get certain people to win, they are trying to get a bunch of people to watch.

My guess is that, in real life, Keith is surrounded by people that pay no attention to him, to the point that he can turn to someone and say, out loud, "stick with the plan" or "we have to get this guy standing next to me into the other room because his surprise party starts in 5 minutes." Further proof of my theory - no one in real life has paid enough attention to Keith to tell him that spitting all the time is gross and he should stop. I can't blame Keith for not trusting Reed. This is a game won by figuring out who you can trust and who you can't. Reed admitted he was going to try to get Jon to think he was with Jon, why should Keith think that Reed wasn't really trying to get Keith to think he was with Keith when he was really with Jon? All Keith could be sure of is that Reed was lying to someone - him or Jon. However, you never say anything along the lines of "Stick with the plan" at tribal unless you are talking to someone who everyone knows is part of your alliance. Keith was dumb for saying this no matter what Reed's real plan is. If Reed is really planning to vote for Jon, Keith has now ruined the plan by causing Jon to play his idol (or causing someone else to tell Jon to play his idol). If Reed is lying and is really planning to vote for Keith/Wes, then telling him to "stick with the plan" is not going to make him suddenly vote for Jon instead. So, if Reed's talking made Keith think Reed was not voting for Jon, then Reed should have stayed silent and played his idol. Which might be why Reed said what he said - he wanted Keith to be nervous enough to play his idol.

I say stay away from any task that sounds like it might be pleasurable - don't do the massage, don't feast on local delicacies, don't get a manicure, don't soak in the hot springs...

Tea Leoni's hair distracts me. Sometimes it looks like her hair is not all the same length, and not in a good "nice-layering" way. The top of her head has plenty of hair, but the hair hanging around her neck and shoulders is so thin that you can see through it. Then, in the next scene, her hair is full all the way to her shoulders. For example, in the scene right before she walks into the room with the Iraqis, her hair is in clumps (for lack of a better word) and you can see through large spaces, then she walks through the doorway into the room with the Iraqis, and her hair is full and wavy, and not see-through. It is like she is either wearing wigs part of the time or her stylist is very inconsistent. Stevie's behavior reminded me of this Mark Twain quote: "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” I have known plenty of people that were as obnoxious/clueless/self-righteous as Stevie at her age. I found them annoying then, and I find her annoying now, but I don't think her behavior is all that unusual for a 20 year old. This annoyed me too. I have no experience with pot laced gum, but I found that scenario to be ridiculous. I get it that the writers wanted to have an excuse for Matt spilling the beans (he works for the Secretary of State, he should be able to keep a secret - unless he is somehow "not in his right mind"). I can't imagine that chewing one piece of gum would get him that high, especially considering that he wasn't even still chewing it in the next scene, though he was pretty "giddy" by then. It would have made more sense for Matt to take a bottle of alcohol out of his desk drawer and they both get drunk - not that that would have made much sense either, but it would have made more sense than the pot gum (heck, them getting wasted gargling mouthwash or sniffing the glue in post-it notes would have made more sense than what they went with). I think they wanted the viewers to think this was so romantic - fighting for the girl you love. But why would any guy fight another guy for a girl that cheated on him (you may have gotten rid of that guy, but she will likely cheat with another later on). Then again, I am often amazed at how, when a significant other cheats, the betrayed party points their anger at the one they cheated with, rather on the one that was supposed to be their partner (for example, I have known more than one woman whose husband cheated on her and she had more hatred for the other woman, rather than her husband). Why should Win punch Matt, Matt didn't cheat on him, Daisy cheated on him (not advocating he should hit Daisy, but she does bug me, so I might be okay with that). Her mother became Secretary of State because the previous SOS died in a plane crash, so Stevie's mom was the top news story for a day or two. I can see a lot of "Your last name is McCord? Are you related to that lady that just became Secretary of State or something?" and even some "Psst, see that girl over there? Her mom is like some big executive in the government." But I can't see the attention lasting more than a week or two. And the following year they will create Nobel Prize in Theology, just for him. I would add that there is nothing in her personality that makes her worthy of fighting for. She isn't witty or charming or the-most-thoughtful-person-on-the-planet (as far as we've seen) . I don't know that he sees in her. And, IMO, she is not gorgeous enough to make men swoon or behave irrationally, so I can't buy a romance based on superficiality (wow, no spell check alert on that one - must be a real word!).. I think both of them fall in to the category of "not a head turner" they don't look so good that people stare, and they don't look so awful that people stare. They are average.

Well, there are a few things she enjoyed - She seemed to really enjoy how much pain the scientists were in during the massage. She enjoys making fun of one of the scientist's limps. She enjoyed lying to the scientists. She also seems to really enjoy complaining and feeling sorry for herself. I realized as I typed this and was trying to think of times Brooke was "happy" that her happy moments involve something bad happening to the scientists. I think Brooke maybe quite insecure and feels threatened by the intelligence of the scientists and is looking for anything that will prove to herself that she is better than them (For those interested, I received my degree in Psychology from the University of Television, and was able to take all of my classes from my comfy seat on the couch).

I can understand why the plan was to U-turn the two teams that went for the FF - one of them is very likely to be in last place, and since they are such strong teams, you want to make sure they stay in last place. Plus, there is always a chance that both teams gave up on the FF and both are now at the back of the pack. I was surprised that the scientists u-turned surfers first - the original plan was to target the cyclists and you don't want to piss off the people in your "alliance" if you don't have to. I do not understand why the wrestlers didn't u-turn the cyclists. I think it was because they figured if the scientists u-turned the surfers, then that somehow meant that the cyclists won the fast forward. But the wrestlers don't seem very bright, so I guess I am not surprised. I am surprised that the dentists didn't u-turn the cyclists. I wish that the cyclists would have beat the scientists to the mat, just so the dentists and, especially, the wrestlers would realize that their not using the u-turn kept a strong team in the race, and got a team they could probably beat out. I think Brooke was only so stoic and smiling at the massage because the scientists were in so much pain - to prove she was tougher than them and because she enjoyed their misery. Seems to me that she started complaining once the scientists left, Based on her past performances on the race, I think she would have been much more vocal about how much she hated it and how unfair it was , if she wasn't trying to prove that she was better than the scientists.

I wonder rather hear "and then you untie a set of puzzle pieces" than hear Jeff say "and So-and-so wins again!" Watching someone do a puzzle may not be as exciting as a physical race (although there have been some fairly exciting puzzle finishes and who can forget the laughs generated by Tina and Co. during the first BvW when they kept thinking they solved the puzzle and hadn't), but the challenges have been less predictable since they started adding more puzzles. Ozzie and Colby would probably not have went on their immunity runs if there had been puzzles as part of the challenges. Besides, I like puzzles, I just wish they would film it in a way that would let viewers try to solve it at home (film from above at a wider angle?). However, I don't want just puzzles, I want some part of the challenge to be physical.

Well, my knowledge about legal stuff is as bad as I thought it was - everyone is discussing whether a guilty plea can be over-turned or expunged, and I was thinking that the next episode would open with the scene of Cary saying "guilty" then the camera pans back and we see that Cary is in the men's room, alone, looking into a mirror, and he hasn't officially plead guilty.

The Honey Boo Boo family (don't judge, I just watched one or two episodes out of curiosity) calls the female outer genitalia a "biscuit." As much as i would like to believe that Probst and Burnett would feed a bunch of kids, I can't make myself believe they would feed a bunch of kids and not show us. There were 4 people at the reward, three of them have been been rewarded because of someone else making a sacrifice - Jon and Jaclyn went on the reward last week because Jeremy and Natalie gave up their spots, and Missy went this week because Reed gave up his spot. Perhaps the producers thought that this theme of giving would rub off on the people that have benefited and they would give up some of their reward for the kids. I think Jon and Keith would stay immuned - they would re-vote but no one could vote for Jon or Keith - or for Reed, who would still have immunity. This would have been very interesting, I have no idea who they would have voted for.

IMO, this show is the best acted, worst written show on TV, perhaps ever on TV. Apparently the Kings are still trying to turn this show into a comedy - the note, the judge's mishaps in the bathroom, the judge singing Sweet Caroline (really, what purpose did having the judge get concert tickets have to do with the storyline? - it didn't even give us any insight into his character) - and, IMO, they still aren't successful at the comedy writing. The actors on this show do an incredible job of acting out the horrible drama storylines, but only the ones playing Eli and his daughter are good enough to turn any of the horrible comedy writing into anything humorous. My husband has a very good ability to overlook idiocy on tv shows and just roll with it. I am the one who is says "but that wouldn't happen" or "that makes no sense" and he just says "it's just a TV show, don't think about it so much." I try not so say everything I'm thinking out loud, so I don't ruin the TV show for him. That note plot was so ridiculous, that he was the one who said "Alicia would never write a note like that." I was hoping that Cary would agree to testify against Bishop, then, after all the paperwork was signed, Kalinda would shoot Bishop and this miserably storyline would be over. It is like the writers recently discovered this auditory problem and really wanted to write it into a story. Hmm, perhaps the reason why they had Alicia run for office, despite that it makes no sense since she just started her own firm, is so that she would have a reason not to represent Cary and, therefore, she wouldn't be forced to be int he same room as Kalinda.

I was really hoping that one of the Kitchen Safe Guys would look at Kevin and say, "You're dead to me." Just like a few years ago when no cholesterol was a big thing. Things that never had cholesterol, like peanut butter, had "Cholesterol Free" labels. There are many people with celiac disease for whom gluten is a major problem and there are many people with gluten sensitivity who feel better if they avoid gluten, but gluten is not an issue for most people. I have long held the belief that there wouldn't be so many people that go along with the "gluten-free = healthy" idea if "gluten" had a better sounding name - it sounds like a harmful chemical or like something disgusting. This may be because the only other place they have heard anything similar is in Mon-Sodium-Glutamate - which has been subjected to a "MSG-free = healthy" campaign for decades, even though only a small percentage of the poplulation has a reaction to it. Gluten isn't something you could buy on a store shelf, so people have no experience with it - they don't all seem to realize that they have been eating gluten all their lives. Conversely, many people are so allergic to peanuts that they could die if they eat them, and lots of people have a less severe peanut allergy and need to avoid them, but people haven't jumped on a "peanut free = healthy" bandwagon. Products only state when they contain peanuts, they don't boast that they are "peanut-free."

I knew you weren't taking credit for anything, I was just giving you credit - I hope it didn't come off as sarcastic. Your coincidence theory is probably correct, but I prefer to think that someone involved with the show has been reading this forum and had a revelation when they saw your post (or someone else's post, but "Kromm" sounds kind of similar to "Someone" - if you mumble when you say it) The kids seemed to have fewer lines this episode, arm candy husband didn't add anything new to his list of amazing past life experiences, and the two staffers still argued but they didn't argue about whether they were in a relationship - all of which adds to my theory that they have been reading this forum.

This show has brought to my attention another one of my flaws (like my difficulty in remembering names) - All middle-aged white men look alike to me. I can't seem to tell the difference between POTUS and the former SOS and I spend the first part of the scene looking for clues as to which one he is (oh, kissing Frasier's ex-wife, must be the old SOS). I am pretty sure that when they have a flashback with the guy that died int he car "accident" I am going to be asking my viewing mate "is that the president? the old secretary of state?" The only one I can immediately recognize is the Chief of Staff, only because his appearance is so different from the others - bald, short, and sometimes has a skeleton looking face (when the shadows are right, his eyes look "sunken"). My husband, his parents, his sister and his sister's husband, all keep their shoes on all the time - including inside the house. I was considered the odd one. They are the only people I know who do this. My kids all go shoeless indoors, so at least the quirk wasn't passed on to future generations (in my branch of the family tree anyway - my neice and nephew both keep their shoes on). The soles of my husband's feet are as soft as a baby's bottom, and I have to have a bunch of throw rugs (that I can stick in the washer) on top of my carpet, or I would have to wash my carpets all the time. I have finally convinced him to switch to hardwood floors - He is a great guy, but I have never been able to understand why a guy that always wears shoes would care what type of flooring we have. I will have to check closed captioning, but I think she said, "You know, Kromm recently reminded me that I'm fourth in line for the Presidency, so you don't get to come into my office and push me around!" Her daughter seemed thrilled at being part of the plan, so I didn't mind it. The kids, at least the younger two, are more interested in what is going on in the world than any kids I have ever known (not saying it is unrealistic - given the jobs of their parents, it makes sense), so it seems reasonable that she would want to be part of it, instead of doing the typical tv teenager thing of whining "why do you always have to go? You're never there for me!" This show is starting to get good. Really good.

I watch an episode, then. a week or so later, I forget about it. This is why I don't like season long storylines. So, I am probably forgetting something from an earlier episode, but I will ask my question anyway - --- The bodies that were buried in the desert had blood on them from of the victim who had had gender re-assignment surgery. How long did they keep her hostage? Just to use her blood on other victims? Why not take a bunch of her blood then kill her? If the blood they put on the desert victims was fresh, wouldn't the CSIs know that - there has to be someway to test the age of blood splatter.

I chuckled a little when Padma thanked the pilgrim ancestors for honoring the show with their presence. I realize she was just being polite, but if Pilgrim were an ethniticity, they would be about one-twentythousandth Pilgrim - it doesn't make them royalty. These people had a great, great ... (insert 10-14 more greats)...grandparent come across on the Mayflower. I think it is the diners that should be honored - getting to be on tv and eat food cooked by the, supposedly, top chefs in the country. (yeah, she also thanked the Wampanoag for honoring the show with their presence, but that is a little different as they may actually be someone of great importance to the tribe).

I don't condone going through someone else's bag, and I don't condone lying either. However, both are, apparently, allowed in this game. I was thinking that it was odd that people would make a fuss over going through someone's bag, but little fuss is made if someone lies (and I am one of those people - I didn't like Reed looking in the bag but I don't get bothered by people lying or backstabbing). Then I realized that lying is like bluffing in poker, but looking through someone's bag is like looking at someone else's cards in poker. Poker players don't get mad if someone bluffs, it is expected, but they would get mad if someone looked at their cards - that would be cheating. Still, it is odd that this is where I draw the line - it is okay to lie and backstab, but not okay to look in a bag that would normally be expected to just contain clothes, no valuables. I would have preferred it if the other players would have voted him out "so that he could talk to his family about his grandmother's passing." It would have been among the greatest examples of Karma - up there with Drew being voted out when the only reason his tribe went to TC was because he threw the challenge.

I wish the couples would all be broken up. While having people voting in pairs changes the ways to strategize, which should put a new spin on the gmae, it doesn't seem to make things more interesting. But I don't see the couples breaking up. There are 3 couples left in the game, how do you convince a couple that it is a good idea to break up a couple. I don't think voting out Keith/Wes will be a problem, because they are in the minority, but Missy/Baylor and J/J are destined to make it to the end. I suppose Alec would be dumb enough to go to one of the couples and say "Hey, no one else has the balls to say this, but we should break up all the couples." My only hope is that Natalie and Reed join the farters and burpers. I think Jaclyn was busy getting a pedicure (how can you expect people to kiss your feet if they aren't properly groomed?) while Jon watched Survivor. She doesn't seem to understand the game. Apparently, Jaclyn assumed Natalie would do the same thing everyone else does when Jaclyn waves her hand in the air - bow to her. The bowing would make Natalie lose her balance and fall off the log.

I would like to think that if one of the TWOP posters was writing this, it would be better written.