ElectricBoogaloo

S8 promo! Premiere date is August 12:

Promo: Original air date: 5/26/21

Maggie: Any updates? Gary: Yesterday, Soph brought up going to the police. Or not going actually. She said after having a cathartic time in France, she just wants to put what happened behind her and focus on the future. Maggie: And what did you say? Gary: I said, "I support that. And I support you, Sophie." And then I said - check this out - nothing else. Maggie: I know that was incredibly difficult for you. Maggie: I've been thinking about adjectives. Sophie: Ooh, are they splashy, unfathomable, and high-falutin'? Gina: [My mom]'s doing that thing where she reduces the person she's talking about to the lowest moral act they've ever done. Rome: It has nothing to do with the story. "You remember my friend Eileen? She stole a cutting board from Bed Bath & Beyond? Oh, yeah, she's doing a juice cleanse!" Gary: Hey, before we go, why don't you run upstairs and grab Danny's Dungeons & Dragons stuff? Theo's never played, which means we can totally elf him up. Darcy: Hi, Maggie. Starting a garage band? Maggie: It's never too late to pursue your dreams. Sophie: If you're trying to earn some money busking, you should know the living room doesn't get much foot traffic. Maggie: Actually, I am trying to write a new theme song for my podcast because Danny told me mine sucks. Actually, what he said was it would be fine for an ASMR podcast because it makes his skin crawl. Sophie: Ouch. Maggie: Yeah. I feel like he's meaner since his voice changed. Gary: Everybody loves Steven. Darcy: What does that mean? Gary: Nothing. Alright. He's been coming up a lot lately. Where you guys at? Darcy: Where are we at? We're at a place where we're raising a kid together. Gary: Uh huh. Is that it? Darcy: Wait. Okay. So your ex-girlfriend can pop by whenever she wants like the wacky neighbor on a '70s sitcom and you're the one who's jealous? Susan: Your marriage may be ending but your relationship is not over. You're still going to be Theo's parents and you're still going to have to work together. Shelly: This is so much fun. Regina, we should add this to our own family recipes. Gina: Yeah, we should. It would be this and milk over flakes of corn. Shelly: We have recipes. My famous lasagne. Gina: The one from the box of noodles? That you accidentally put salsa in instead of tomato sauce that one time? Katherine: Remember when we took you to see Susan and we talked about how you deserve to be happy? I realized that I hadn't done a good job of showing you how to do that. Well, your dad and I have tried to be happy together for a long time. But we realized that we might be happier not being married.

I don't put any of the blame for what happened on Liam. The fault lies squarely with the adults in this situation. I loathe when parents and adults act like children who are physically present in the same house/apartment are rendered completely incapable of hearing human voices if they are more than 12" away from said adults. It's not Liam's fault that he heard what Gary and Darcy were discussing at a regular volume. Ugh, Gina's mom is such a pill. She was getting pissy because Regina already had plans for the afternoon. Just because you have nothing to do doesn't mean you should expect other people to have wide open schedules so you can hang out. My parents have a similar attitude about calling/texting me. They contact me in the middle of the day and then freak out or get annoyed when I don't respond right away. YOU KNOW I HAVE A JOB. YOU KNOW THAT'S WHERE I AM. YOU KNOW I GET TERRIBLE RECEPTION AT WORK. And of course 99% of the time that they text or call me in the middle of the day, it is completely non-urgent, yet they act like I'm being totally rude because I didn't reply 30 second later. Your adult children have schedules that don't revolve around you, so please don't get upset when they have work stuff that they need to do. Regina wasn't just hanging out getting day drunk (not that there's anything wrong with that either). She was learning recipes for her restaurant (which is in danger of closing). But apparently her mom couldn't suggest seeing Gina afterward or tomorrow or this weekend or any other day or time. Instead she decided to just show up at the restaurant and ambush her about a new career selling closets. GAWD. But I really appreciated that Florence tried so hard to keep the peace. What really annoyed me about Shelly's whole "I can't do anything right" whining was that she claimed she just wanted Regina to love herself and be safe. If she loves being a chef, then let her be a chef instead of telling her to start selling closets. I was so glad that Gina stood up to her mom and told her to just be supportive instead of asking her to give up her dream job. What if Florence was young and/or white? Would Shelly still feel threatened and jealous that Gina was spending time with her and getting recipes from her? Oh, Tyrell. I get wanting to be involved in something you're passionate about, but you can't be totally myopic. Do you want to flunk out of high school? I know it can be hard to comprehend when you're 16 and you want to do what you want to do, but making a living at almost anything is difficult if you don't have a high school diploma. So I guess Sophie is going to play detective so she can prove that Layla Gregory died by suicide due to their music teacher being a creepy abuser.

Instagram accounts: Ed Gibson Jade Juan Marie Meghan Ryan Host: Michael Urie Judges: Martha Stewart Fernando Wong Chris Lambton

Meet the contestants! Edwin (Ed) “Cowboy” Pequignot Age: 30 Location: Kent, CT Occupation: Horticulturist Ed Pequignot grew up on a family farm in Kent, Connecticut. After an injury cost him his baseball scholarship, he returned home and studied under a traditional English topiary master, who inspired him to launch a high-end garden business of his own. Ed says he earned the nickname “Cowboy” for his trademark western style, a nod to his grandfather who was a farmer and helped raise him. Ed, who is a member of Master Gardeners Association, Master Gardeners Guild of America and Europe, has had his work featured on the cover of Architectural Digest. Now two years sober, Ed says he wants to win this competition to prove to himself, his wife and his 6-year-old daughter that he’s moved on to a big, bright future. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Jade Rojas Age: 44 Location: Brooklyn, NY Occupation: Designer/Topiary Artist/Horticulturist Jade Rojas is the founder and owner of a floral and botanical design company based in Brooklyn, New York. Born and raised in Kew Gardens, Queens, Jade, who grew up in a multi-generational Puerto Rican family, says idyllic summer picnics at the Statue of Liberty and afternoons running through the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her grandparents as a child inspire her design skills and topiary artistry. She started her career as a freelance florist, working for many of New York’s top event companies. Through her work she aims to compel others to cherish our natural world. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Juan Villanueva Age: 43 Location: New York, NY Occupation: Florist/Topiarist/Gardener Juan Villanueva is from a small ranch town in Texas where he learned to garden by watching his grandmother and helping his mother, a florist. Juan says he chose a career in topiary over the Air Force Academy and has never looked back. After leaving art school in Chicago, he moved to New York with his wife to fulfill his dreams of becoming a floral designer. He now owns his own events and gardening services company and claims to be “New York’s Best Kept Secret” in the topiary world. Juan is an expert in floral design, winning best in show at the Fleurs de Villes competition in New York where he created a dress made of fresh flowers inspired by Cyndi Lauper. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Marie Danielle Vil-Young Age: 45 Location: Franklin Park, NJ Occupation: Wedding and Event Planner/Floral Designer Marie Danielle Vil-Young defied her family’s expectations in 2008 when she quit her job as a scientist to open her own events business and follow her true passion for event planning and design. Her work has been featured by Forbes, NBC and CBS, and she was named one of the top event planners in the world by Harper’s Bazaar. She approaches her topiary design as both a science and an art, striving for a high-end European feel inspired by her travels and upbringing in Haiti. Marie hopes her hard work will inspire her daughter to be a strong, successful woman. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Meghan Petricka Age: 36 Location: Eden Prairie, MN Occupation: Topiary Designer/Botanical Mosaic Artist Born the youngest of seven children in rural Minnesota, topiary designer Meghan Petricka says she is passionate, strong-willed and in it to win it. Meghan studied graphic design and typography in college and credits her grandmother for inspiring her love of plants and gardening. She was born deaf in one ear, but considers it a superpower, as it made her a stronger visual artist. Meghan and her husband are a topiary-welding duo and aim to be the Chip and Joanna Gaines of the plant world. Their work has been on display at various theme parks, resorts, hotels, restaurants and museums worldwide. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Mike “Gibby Siz” Gibson Age: 34 Location: Youngstown, OH Occupation: Topiary Expert Mike Gibson, who started trimming bushes at age seven floral and topiary artist dad, believes topiary design is in his blood. He credits the craft with keeping him focused and productive in his rough neighborhood and was later mentored by Pearl Fryar, the legendary topiary artist. His friends call him “Gibby Scissorhands,” because he is ambidextrous, and known to cut hedges with lightning speed. Mike, who is a new dad, is the owner of a topiary design company. He says he loves to spend his free time working with neighborhood kids, beautifying and “greening” their local parks with topiary. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Ryan Zoeller Age: 40 Location: New York, NY Occupation: Creative Director/Designer Ryan Zoeller says he has been design-obsessed since he began saving his allowance money at age 11 to buy Wallpaper magazine. Ryan obtained his BFA in interior design from the Massachusetts College of Art while simultaneously serving in the Army Reserves. A self-described visionary force within the special events industry, Ryan creates lush and stylish environments for distinguished clientele, including celebrities, US presidents, royalty and sports figures. In his current role as creative director of a luxury events company, Ryan uses his vast knowledge of floral and botanicals to create curated moments for all company productions. When not overseeing the most complex of event installations, Ryan enjoys his favorite pastimes of collecting everything nautical, being a foodie and watching James Bond films.

After watching The Big Flower Fight and Full Bloom, I wasn't sure what to expect from Clipped. What I found really interesting was how different the contestants' backgrounds were. Meghan was a cartographer! Marie used to be a scientist specializing in DNA cloning! I also like all the little pop up factoids we have been getting on the screen about the plants, tools, and techniques that the contestants are using. A hog finger can help you attach burlap, metal, or wood to a welded frame! I really liked that the topiary challenge was very open ended so that the contestants all had the opportunity to be creative and show their own style. I have never made a topiary so I had no idea if the four hour time limit was reasonable, so when one of the contestants said that this was something they would normally spend 2-3 days on, I was trying to figure out if she was a really slow worker or if the show was trying to screw them royally by only giving them a fraction of the time they actually need. Unfortunately, some of them left a lot to be desired. Juan's sea turtle could have been a bit cleaner in the shape, which would have made his design more obvious. From certain angles, it just looked like a shaggy, unkempt bush. I liked how he added the turtle's flippers though. Although everyone was in love with Ed's three layer topiary, I didn't like it. There was a small space between the top few layers, but there was a huge space between before the bottom layer. That made it seem more like a pruning mistake. I was also a little baffled by how many people said his shapes were so clean and precise because I could definitely see big chunks where the shapes were not symmetric. I could tell that Gibson's topiary had some sort of design but it didn't really read as a queen chess piece to me. I liked the flow of it though. Ryan's anchor was not very well proportioned/even. The little bar going across the top of the anchor was thicker and longer on the left side. The right side was very short and noticeably thinner. The bottom part of the anchor that curves up at the bottom was also crooked but in the opposite way. The right side was longer and fuller while the left side was much shorter. I liked that he made a rope out of other plants, but the way he draped it onto the anchor didn't look right at all. Marie's martini was not recognizable as a martini at all. I think her major mistake was not working with the existing shape of the yew tree, which, like a Christmas tree, is full at the bottom and narrow at the top. That is the exact opposite of a martini glass shape. The olive at the top looked more like a musical note. The shape of the martini glass was not sharp or even triangular. It just looked like a blob with a smaller blob on top. Meghan's fish was even worse. Even though she had said earlier that she was making a fish, when the judges got to her topiary, I had no idea what it was. It looked like a bush that needed some TLC. It looked really terrible. Jade's cat was also not recognizable as a cat. The only thing that made it slightly better than Meghan's was that I could tell someone had done some work on it, but I still couldn't tell what the hell it was supposed to be. The carousel challenge was a great idea. I liked that it still gave the contestants a lot of room to be creative. I was trying to figure out why Gibson and Jade were taking so long to weld their frames. At the end of the first five hours, they were the only two who were still in the fabrication tent. Everyone else had already started putting plants into their frames. And then the first thing Gibson did the next day was cut the feet off and weld some more! I liked that for the main challenge, they were given ten hours but it was broken up into five hour blocks on two different days. I always worry about contestants on competitive reality shows being sleep deprived, especially when they have long challenges like this (I get especially freaked out on Lego Masters when they are given 15 hour challenges - the most recent finale had a 28 hour challenge!). One things that these contestants do not lack is confidence. So many of them were falling all over themselves to pat themselves on the back, describing themselves as geniuses and giving themselves compliments that they claim were given to them by other people. Even though I am 99% sure that having the contestants move their structures from the tent to the carousel was the producers hoping that there would be some kind of disaster, I'm mostly okay with it because it does simulate what would happen in real life since they would have to transport their pieces from their workspace to the event space. I was glad to see that there were extra people to help with moving them though. There seemed to be a lot more glue gunning than I expected. Although I liked the color that Marie's crown of flowers added to her bronco, the crown looked too big to me. It looked more like a hat because it was so huge. The tail of her bronco needed more length because that was a really stumpy tail. My main issue was the shape/pose of her bronco which seemed off and unrealistic. Ha, I had to laugh when she pointed out that Ed was giving her shit for using too many flowers but that he ended up using more flowers than she did. Ed's horse had some anatomy issues too. It looked like the body was too long and the front legs were too short, which ended up giving his horse a t-rex look. His horse also had a HUGE ass. I laughed when Martha said she has a "chunky" horse. Using sunflowers as the eyes looked like something a kid would do. Although I was fine with him using flowers to show the mouth, using snapdragons made it look messy. It would have looked better if he had used something more compact that he could make into a solid line. I really liked all the blue that Juan used on his seahorse but I felt the shape (particularly the outline) needed to be cleaner. I could tell it was supposed to be something specific, but if I'd just seen this at an event, I would not have guessed that it was supposed to be a seahorse. The frame had a good shape so I think the issue was the plants he hchose. Ryan's pegasus would have looked better as a plain horse. Those tiny little purple wings looked too small to let this horse fly. The wheels on the back legs were weird and unnecessary. Not only were the front legs very thin for the heft of the body, but the way the forelegs were curled up seemed anatomically impossible. Jade's horse had no neck. She had the flowers piled up way too high on the back of the horse. The chest was sticking out too much. The head looked too small for the body. I ended up liking Meghan's stag way more than I thought I would. One of the big things in her favor was that she got the shape/anatomy/proportion correct. I liked the manzanita antlers and the flowers. Gibson's horse looked more like a pinata due to the stumpy front legs and the short neck. I liked the different colored roses he used for the saddle but I didn't like that they weren't in straight lines. I was surprised that Marie ended up winning this week. I would have given the win to Meghan. Neither of them did well in the quick clip challenge but I thought that Meghan had the best carousel animal. Bon voyage, Jade!

Town and Country: The New Series Clipped Explores the Cutthroat World of...Topiary?

The cancellation was announced just last week. There's more discussion about it in the media thread.

Promo: Original air date: 5/26/21

There's a new show on Discovery+ called Clipped! (the exclamation point is part of the name, not just me being enthusiastic). It's a topiary competition and Martha Stewart is one of the judges. I haven't watched it yet so I'm not sure if this will lean more towards GBBO vs Top Chef in terms of how gentle or competitive it. I created an episode thread for it here if you want to watch.

There's a new show on Discovery+ called Clipped! (the exclamation point is part of the name, not just me being enthusiastic). It's a topiary competition and Martha Stewart is one of the judges. I haven't watched it yet so I'm not sure if this will lean more towards GBBO vs Top Chef in terms of how gentle or competitive it. I created an episode thread for it here if you want to watch.

I checked the time at the end of the episode and can confirm that it was indeed only 40 minutes long. I agree. Although there were a few moments of conversations that I thought were good, it felt like what actually happened in this episode only needed about 15 minutes and it got padded out like crazy because they wanted to keep this entire episode to only June escaping. At least Moira got some moments to shine.

S1.E1: Getting to Know Yew Original air date: 5/12/21

There's a new show on Discovery+ called Clipped! (the exclamation point is part of the name, not just me being enthusiastic). It's a topiary competition and Martha Stewart is one of the judges. I haven't watched it yet so I'm not sure if this will lean more towards GBBO vs Top Chef in terms of how gentle or competitive it. I created an episode thread for it here if you want to watch.

Airs on Discovery+ Promo:

June: Just so you know, I'm never moving again. Ever. Luke: Deal. I'll put it in the vows. June: What if I end up disappointing you? Luke: You're not going to disappoint me. June: You don't know that. Everyone has a line, you know, something that's unforgivable. What if I'm not who you think I am? Luke: Then I'll just love whoever you turn out to be.

Even though the actors had clearly gotten MUCH older than their characters by the time that the Rent movie was filmed, I was glad that most of the OBC cast was in the movie. I think the fact that they were all in it made their ages seem less outlandish since as a group they all looked around the same age. But Ben Platt next to Kaitlyn Dever just highlighted how much he does not look like a high school student (which is kind of funny since Kaitlyn is 24, only three years younger than Ben).

Randall said that Kevin et al took a private jet. I was imagining the potential fight that Toby had with him about that after he made it clear that he didn't like Kevin ordering sushi or offering to buy their new baby that fancy crib. In Kevin's defense, I am nowhere near a millionaire but I have been able to find some cheap tickets on charter planes. A few years ago, I was trying to find a flight to Las Vegas. Normally there are tons of flights but the weekend that I was planning to go it looked like everything was booked. I ended up finding tickets on a private jet that were cheaper than a flight on Southwest. I didn't rent out the entire plane, but it was still considered a private jet (and yes, they had some nice snacks!). I just googled flights from LA to PA and first class/business tickets on American Airlines range in price from $1100 to $3156 depending on the time of day, the number of stopovers, etc.. Since Kevin, Toby, Miguel, and Nicky all flew out, I can see Kevin deciding that it was worth it to spend the money to get a private jet instead of spending $5K-$15K to fly commercial. Yes, those types of drink and paint parties come with an instructor to help guide you through the process. Even so, my naked Joe still would have been a stick figure. I have absolutely no artistic ability at all! Chocolate popcorn is delicious! I've never bothered trying melting M&Ms in hot popcorn though. I just buy the zebra stripe by Popcornopolis at CostCo because I'm lazy.

S4.E1: Soul Food Original air date: 5/23/21 Can y'all take that outside?

SEASON FINALE! Promo: Original air date: 5/25/21

Unpopular opinion: Raisnets are gross. I like chocolate and I like raisins, but I do not like them together. Ahhh, now the story is that all of Madison's friends are on the East Coast. Hasn't she lived in LA for years? Oh, Kevin. Whenever someone asks "How does anyone ever really know who they're supposed to marry?" If you are asking that question, then you don't want to marry the person you're currently dating. If you really wanted to marry her, you wouldn't be asking someone else that question. My mom's two younger sisters got engaged within months of each other. One sister called and said, "OMG, Joe proposed! We're getting married! I'm so excited!" The other sister called and said, "John proposed. What should I say?" I was only in middle school at the time but even I knew that the one questioning what she should do should not get married to that guy if that was her reaction. I've never understood the urge to contact an ex when you or they are about to get married. You had your chance. If you had regrets, you should have stated them before now. But of course, half of those "I'm/you're getting married!" calls have all the subtext of "LAST CHANCE TO CHANGE YOUR MIND!" which again, I don't get. You broke up for a reason. You began relationships with other people. Why are you suddenly desperate to reconnect just before the wedding? Awww, Miguel. I remember when I was in college, this girl I knew loved asking couples how they met. She wanted to hear the romantic meet-cute stories. But not everyone has one of those stories. That doesn't make their relationship any less romantic or less than ideal. Not everyone is going to have a romcom written in the stars kind of story. They can still have a happy, loving relationship. I'm glad that Miguel got past his doubts and realized that his relationship with Rebecca is different but still good. He didn't say anything about payment. The entire conversation when he arrived: Kate: Hi, come in. Uh, oh, wait - just to make sure, you're- Joe: Vaxxed and waxed for your pleasure. Kate: Sure. Okay. Well, come on in. Joe: Madison? Madison: Joe. Rebecca: What's happening? Beth: If I was a betting woman, I'd say our girl Madison has a little history with the stripper. Kate: He's not a stripper. He's a model. He's from a place called Picasso and Prosecco. So he's going to make us drinks and then take off his clothes off and then we get to paint him. I'm sorry. How do you two know each other? Madison: We dated. Beth: Oh. Joe: Really good to see you, and, um, congratulations. Madison: Thanks. Joe: So, uh, where should we set up? And did you want to paint me in boxer briefs or full nude? Rebecca: The latter. Usually when you work for places like this, you are a contracted employee so you only get paid for the gigs you do. If he had left, he wouldn't get paid anything (not even the time he spent driving to and from Madison's house, which could be 1-2 hours in LA depending on traffic). Plus he'd then have to tell the company that he left because he was kind of a rude jerk to someone in the past and that's why she didn't want him at her bachelorette party. It's about 400 miles. It's a 6 hour drive without traffic (meaning if you drive in the middle of the night, but if you hit morning or evening rush hour traffic, it can take a lot longer). But there are plenty of flights between SFO and LAX all day on multiple airlines. The flight is about 90 minutes. Even pre-pandemic, there were a lot of companies in SF (including non-tech) that let people work remotely or have very flexible schedules. One of the guys who took of the network/server stuff at Mr. EB's company (which is located in SF) lives in the Donner Lake/Truckee area which is about a three hour drive during non-rush hour traffic. He negotiated working remotely for half the week several years ago so that he didn't have a hellish commute five days a week. When my sister lived in San Diego, she got offered a job at UC Merced (400 miles away). She did something similar for the two years that she worked there. She and her boyfriend at the time managed to deal with the long distance and are now married. Yes, I went back and checked. He tapped the delete button and then his phone kicked him back to his contacts list. Probably the same reason that Kevin is obsessed with acting (and was obsessed with football) or the reason that Kate is obsessed with music - they love doing it and it's a huge part of who they are. That's why those drink and paint workshops are usually something scenic (think palm trees at the beach) or something graphic (shapes, not nudes) - it's much easier for people who aren't super artistic to recreate paintings like that than human bodies. If I'd been at that bachelorette party, Joe would have been a stick figure.

Kate:I can't believe I'm going to the cabin with a bunch of couples. Rebecca: You're not going with just couples. You'll have me. Kate: Oh, "Her mother said, before Kate smothered herself to death with a throw pillow." Randall: You're going to love the cabin. It's mad romantic. Beth: You know I dig it when you wear your L.L.Bean. Beth: I got to admit, I am very into lumberjack Randall. Randall: It's fisherman Randall. Kevin got everybody fly-fishing gear for the bachelor party. Beth: What else you guys have on the agenda this weekend, hmm? Gonna order up some strippers to the cabin? Put the "oh" back in Poconos? Randall: Nicky and Kevin are sober. Toby isn't exactly rowdy. And Miguel's idea of fun is a crossword and a strong herbal tea. So we'll probably be putting the "ay" in Earl Grey. Rebecca: You look like Ponch. Nicky: You got any room in your bag for my jigsaw puzzle? Randall: How was the private jet? Kevin: Uh, well, Toby passed out so Miguel, of course, spent the whole time searching for wifi so he could get a hold of mom and Uncle Nicky took down an impressive amount of melon balls. Randall: Sounds about right. Madison: Kate, I told you I just wanted a chill girl's day, and this is already feeling very Eyes Wide Shut. Kate: I'm not gonna do anything that's gonna land us in, like, family therapy. Just take us right to the cusp. Joe: Where should we set up? And did you want to paint me in boxer briefs or full nude? Rebecca: The latter. Beth: Wow, Mr. Pearson was ridiculously handsome. Even with the mustache. Rebecca: Ugh. I can't get the right color for his nipples. Beth: Why don't you try a little orange? Kate: Madison, is this too weird? Cause I can send him home. Like, I have plenty of other activities that we can do. Madison: No, it's fine. Honestly, I decided the best revenge against a guy that ghosted me is painting him naked days before I marry one of People's Most Beautiful. Beth: You're damn right it is. Rebecca: Wait. What does ghosted mean? Madison: It's when you go out with someone and then they end things by not returning your calls or your texts - just disappearing, like a ghost. Rebecca: What? That's horrible. You are horrible, Joe. Joe: I know. Miguel: Good news! Rebecca's fine. She's just painting a naked man with the rest of the wives. Beth: Your brother had, like, a spiritual experience watching Jerry Maguire. Miguel: I've always liked Renée Zellweger. When I first saw her, I said, "You know, that's a woman that's going places. She's extremely talented. She has a beautiful mouth." Randall: Miguel, that is an extremely weird thing to say, man. Rebecca: You do know you're the most impressive person I know? No, no, I mean it. I'm serious. The mom you are. The career woman you are. The wife you are to a man who is kind of a full-time job in his own right. Randall: Nicky found some dry firewood. He's got a nice fire going on outside. I think it's some kind of caveman-esque peace offering. Randall: Our boy here's got a classic case of cold feet. I think he needs a good talking-to. Kevin: No, I'm fine. Randall: You are not fine, sir. You are a mess. As for the rest of you, you're not on top of your game either. Miguel, you have been obsessing over our mother since you got here. Tobias, you are missing that usual je ne sais quoi that makes you so appealing. And, Nicky - well, you're always odd. Nicky: This is the lamest bachelor party I've ever been to, and I've never even been to one. Toby: I'm, like, the world's greatest rom-com fan. Like, there's literally never been a Hollywood ending that I have not loved. And usually, I hate it when people try to poke holes in the romantic ending. But after watching [Jerry Maguire], I could only think one thing. They're never gonna make it. Nothing has changed. All he did was deliver an incredible line to some divorce support group. Jerry is going to work too hard. Dorothy's going to resent him for that. And that little kid is going to get the short end of the stick cause they'll never stop fighting, and soon he's gonna be mad and sad instead of adorable and precocious. And I could just see their whole little family in this boat, and the boat is just filled with holes. Miguel: When your mother and I started seeing each other, I remember thinking a lot about that expression "written in the stars." I'd always loved that expression. The idea that the universe had big plans for two strangers before they've even crossed paths. I remember thinking that's how it was for your mom and dad. Written in the stars. I knew it wasn't like that for me and her. It was strange, the way we came together. I knew that. And I was filled with doubt on our wedding day. For many days after. But then the years went by. And I realized - it's okay. That, yes, there are some love stories that are written in the stars. There are other love stories. They're written together. Two people the universe had no plans for writing their story in the stars together. That's pretty fantastic, too.

Mel Brooks won 3/4 (GOT) for The Producers, but two different productions (1967 movie and 2001 Broadway production). Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice won 3/4 (GOT) for Evita but again two different productions (1980 Broadway and 1996 movie adaptation). I hate to be one of those pedantic nitpickers, but there are some EGOT award category wins where I'm like ehhhh, I don't think that should really count towards an EGOT even though technically you DID win an award. Ben's Emmy is one of those. I don't think that winning an award for singing a 4 minute song is comparable to most other Emmy categories (and this category only existed for four years so take that as you will). Some people dismiss any daytime Emmys, but I think it depends on the category.

I have mixed feelings about Dan as a jewelry designer. He really leans into the same elements which became more apparent when they showed all of his pieces from this season together. It's usually either geometric shapes with sharp angles or curved pieces put together. On the one hand, I guess that makes his brand very specific so his pieces all go together and his collection is pretty cohesive (the pearl drop earrings he made could be worn as a set with the engagement ring he made last week or the maang tikka he made this week). On the other hand, I felt like even though they were pretty and well made, they weren't very unique and I wanted to see him do something different. His maang tikka looked a little too much like generic costume jewelry rather than a maang tikka. I didn't like the pearl earrings that Tamara made this week. I was trying to figure out specifically what I didn't like but as I started looking at the different elements, I realize that I didn't like ANY of it. I didn't like the wrapped wire at the top of the earrings, I didn't like the shapes of the pearls, I didn't like the holes drilled through the pearls, I didn't like the gold pieces with the sapphires on them. I thought her maang tikka was way too simple in general, let alone for a lavish wedding. I didn't like the prong setting she used on the mother of pearl in the center either. While the pearl earrings that Hugo created weren't my style, I could see why the judges liked it. It was technically well made and he had a lot of different elements. His maang tikka was by far my favorite. The design was very light, clean, and feminine. A big thank you to Katherine for doing her best to pronounce maang tikka correctly.