Vanderboom

I know, right?! Apparently, there was some issue with the publisher that made her stop the series?

LOL Paul Irving was irritating, but at least he got into fights at school and eventually became interested in soccer. Walter's only personality trait, it seems, was Beautiful Poetic Soul Too Good For This Sinful World. He was more a Victorian archetype than an actual character. Shirley joins Dora Keith in LMM's collection of neglected yet important characters.

I hope TPTB take a cue from this season and realize that you can have a competitive and exciting Race with likeable people. In the beginning, I was leery of Kim and Penn because "Internet Personality" can mean a lot of negative things. I'm glad I was proven wrong, and I really liked this season overall.

I find it hard to believe that Rosie O'Donnell thought that referring to Priyanka Chopra as "the Chopra wife" was a good way to apologize to her.

I meant that Natalie should have put off the conversation for later if she wants to work on things with Shayne. I agree that she shouldn't, especially since she feels fear and anxiety around him. No amount of "you're my Best Friend" declarations can make up for his assholery.

I know, right?! They said they had a big argument and "said some things," but saying those things is indicative of Major Relationship Issues. Shayne seems to think that his words don't matter and acts accordingly, which is why he gets pissed when Natalie actually listens to what he says and takes it seriously, beginning with "I hope it's you, Shaina." He also gets mad when she keep trying to make sure that what he says is what he means, claiming that he has to prove himself over and over. That said, I think Natalie should have given Shayne some space after the ceremony. The shock, embarrassment, and hurt were still fresh at that point. She should have just told him that she was sorry for hurting his feelings, still wants to work things out and that she will call him in a few days.

For me, these are both extremes and the goal is to find a balance. You can find a woman attractive or sexually appealing without reducing her to her sexuality. Likewise, it's fine for someone to not be attracted to a woman without acting like she's totally sexless or undesirable. Shake didn't make the best first impression on Deepti in the pods, but she continued to get to know him and they connected on all the things they had in common, including a dating history that was mostly or exclusively White people. I think Shake should communicate a willingness to at least try. He and Deepti talk about everything, it seems. Why not talk about likes/dislikes in bed and give it a shot since it's so important? Speaking of poor first impressions, I never thought I'd be saying that Shayne gave good advice, but here we are.

Beverly Jenkins' Blessings series is definitely comfort reading; I'm so sad that she's ending it soon. I love that some of the characters are modern-day descendants of her historical romance characters! For me, the books have the right mix of drama, humor, adventure, and sweetness, but I wonder how some of the later books come across to someone who hasn't read the other books in the series.

Same here. I had just forgiven her for the off-camera obnoxious plane shenanigans, thinking that she might have been nervous and unsure and unwise about boundaries. Now she strikes me as one of those people who consider themselves an "alpha" and acting out is her way of marking her territory and establishing dominance. I'm pretty sure Mark wishes that, too!

I wish these people could communicate like actual adults, but then again sensible people do not make good television.

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out who Shayne reminded me of, and you're both right. I also think he looks like Moose from the Archie comics.

Every time I'm ready to quit Ramona, she reels me back in with her absurdities. Cynthia has always struck me as someone who's stuck in middle school mode (remember the Friendship Contract?). Yes, Kenya isn't being very supportive, but why does Cynthia need so much support? Join the party and kiki with Kenya later as she tells you what all she's learned about the other Housewives on the trip.

Funny enough, the opening lyrics are O.P.P. How can I explain it? 😊 True. It's like Whoopi says "Listen," then shows that she doesn't. The thing is (another of her favorite lines) she really does have some interesting things to say. Her life and career have given her incredible experiences, so she's had plenty opportunities to learn different things. Whoopi gets in trouble when she acts as if she is the only one worth listening to and that she was appointed from on high to be the Supreme Sage of All Things. I have always thought this. The Academy is notorious for doing that kind of thing.

Unpopular Anne of Green Gables opinion: Walter Blythe is my least favorite of the Blythe children. He had all of Anne's ethereal imagination but none of her more down-to-earth qualities, such as a sense of humor.

Yeah. I'm not sure Aretha Franklin is "street dance" music . . .

Yes! The infamous Disc Golf gang with their menacing pointing! @rlc is right that Alyssa's horribleness makes Chris look a lot better by comparison. Then again, all he had to do to look better was act like a reasonable adult from Planet Earth. This entire cast looks better compared to Alyssa. Freaking Olajuwan is at his most likeable when calling out Alyssa's nonsense. However, he needs to stop "testing" Katina; he's not her life coach. I think the testing is acting as a blind because he's not used to interacting with women in mature and committed ways.

I felt so bad for Natalie; her entire demeanor changed when Shayne called her "Shaina." I hated that his primary move was to get defensive and blamey. He didn't seem to understand that he needed to be more straightforward that Natalie was one of his two favorites instead of giving her the impression that she was The One.

At least Alyssa has made Lindsey look better, so there's that. I even kind of hope Lindsey and Olajuwan become friends based on their disdain for Alyssa. Alyssa should have just auditioned for Love Island or something if she just wanted to be on TV and stay in a resort.

I know Whitney can't help the way her voice sounds, but her attempts at interrogating Meredith and Mary lose their power because she just sounds like a whining child: Why weren't you in the vaaaaaan? Mary, Meredith neeeeeeeeds you! 🙄

While Marge and Melissa have legitimate reasons to be mad at Jennifer, their Mean Girls routine just looked ridiculous, especially when they walked past her just to make fun of her nose. They smelled weakness and pounced. Jennifer was a jerk, but she doesn't owe them a rundown of her husband's infidelity, and she did apologize. If the apology wasn't good enough, just tell her that and keep your distance, ladies. But then again, if they were capable of acting like reasonable people, they wouldn't be Housewives. Jen's nose job is unfortunate, though. Her nose reminds me of Arthur Christmas. As for Luis, Teresa should be cautious about him, but not because of the weird video. He seemed embarrassed by the video, so who could blame him for trying to avoid the topic? He doesn't owe you a press conference, Marge. Normally, I like Marge, but I didn't like her behavior this episode.

Alyssa's doing that power-grab thing where she keeps Chris off balance in an attempt to control him. Every time that Chris comes close to asserting himself, Alyssa starts moving the goalposts. Now her refusal to get to know him is "confidential"?

On a show that continually refuses to acknowledge Red Flags, it's . . . quite the contrast that Alyssa flees at the threat of occasional condescension and Frisbee golf. I wonder if she heard something that was edited out? Because if it's just that she doesn't find Chris attractive, then why not go with the usual "not my type" excuse? Alyssa certainly doesn't care about hurting Chris's feelings, so why not be straightforward?

This article includes some of them: https://toofab.com/2022/01/19/rhoslc-jennie-nguyen-facebook/

In case you missed the first half of this episode: Jen: screams Jennie: defensive yelling Jen: screams Meredith: yells Whitney: (whines) why weren't you on the van, Meredith/Mary? (repeat ad nauseam) Jen: screams Lisa: self-centered blather Meredith: yells, leaves, then returns (repeat as necessary) Mary: dismissive weirdness Meredith: over-enunciated defensiveness Jen: attempts to act like a normal person and fails Lisa: random-ass accusation couched as a recap of bus convo Meredith: *explodes* Yet, with all this, the most annoying thing to me was seeing Meredith calling Brooks for comfort. Jennie gets grief for her daughter, but the girl is nine. Kids can be extra and attention-seeking; I was like that at that age. I grew out of it. Brooks is 22 and seems over-invested in Meredith's career as a Housewife. He should be able to love his mom without becoming her peer and confidant. Where are his non-Meredith interests and friends?

Who wore it best?