PamelaMaeSnap

Thank you guys SO MUCH ... I have been watching these piecemeal and had not seen the follow-ups ... this makes so much sense now. I'll have to do some more homework but wonder if indeed Chay had already been to some degree making the transition, either in lifestyle or hormones even when it started. She just had very soft, delicate features. I apologize for having missed this in earlier posts ... was it actually mentioned in the ORIGINAL Chay episode (the only one I saw because I'm just hitting record on whatever TLC is showing now and I don't think they're doing a full rewind) and I missed it? Or was it never addressed until the follow-up? I hope being able to embrace her true self brings her peace and happiness and helps give her strength through the rest of her journey.

Okay, then ... I was almost ashamed to ask this ... but you've given me a little courage ... was I the only one who was shocked, five or 10 minutes into the first Chay episode, to discover Chay was a he, not a she? And does THAT make me a bad person?

No, just that I think I am a very bad person for laughing my ass off when Steven Assanti fell off the golf cart because I think he's such a douchebag. That is already set to record this week ...

BINGO! So, two thoughts here ... 1) I SO SO SO wish they had had an initial "choosing the models" episode (or if they did, I missed it) ... It would be so interesting to me to see how they narrowed down the field from all the submissions. 2) I'm trying to figure this out, but in the "model/mom house" is the rooming set-up two pairs of girls/moms in two of the rooms and just Mikayla and her mom alone in the third? It seemed like the rooms we saw had two sets of bunk beds and with five sets of moms/daughters that seems sort of unfair, but we didn't see either the usual AMTM banshee rush for the beds or perhaps a lottery or drawing to see who got to be roommate-free ... of course, if they DO add a sixth pair then that will answer the question.

I confess I always feel sort of weird just blithely coming into threads like this and commenting on what I just saw as if it had aired for the first time this week ... but I somehow stumbled onto this show not too long ago and, being unemployed and with too much time on my hands and fascinated by this kind of shit-show, I've been watching a LOT of the episodes on TLC ... but they do not seem to be in any particular order! I just recognized this because ... I AM A VERY BAD PERSON. When he fell off the golf cart I laughed my ass off! Seeing the show is in Season 5 (or 6?) I know there have probably been some other awful unbearable people featured (for me, most of them are just kinda boring) but he was SO AWFUL. I liked his dad. I liked his brother (who reminds me SO much of a longtime friend of ours, not based on weight but just looks). But then last night I watched the episode with Chad and I absolutely adored him and his family ... the first time I've had that positive a reaction to a "patient." Plus he lives quite close to me (unless he and Ayesha and the kids moved permanently to Houston ... haven't seen the "follow up" on him yet). Am I a bad person that I've set the DTV to record Half Ton Family?

Isn't this the asshole half of the Assanti brothers? (Sorry, I realize this is probably addressed later in this thread but I may be wrong ... if not, there was an identical scene).

I can't remember how long ago I'd first gone to the Mood site and they were all sold out of those adorable Swatch T-shirts (Got Treats? with him wearing a little crown) but on a whim I just checked and they are back! in! stock! so despite being unemployed, I ordered one because it will make me smile.

Ditto here ... it's been 34 years and I still feel that way. Just re-read an awesome book, "The Returned," by Jason Mott (in was miniserialized a few years ago but the book is better) and the author said the whole concept of the book came after his mother had died and about how it would be to be able to spend just a few minutes with your loved one again. ETA: Sorry I didn't combine this with my previous post ... techno-idiot, now I don't know how! EXACTLY what my husband said! I hope not as well but it seemed like there were SO many easter eggs to previous episodes and seasons it could well be the end of the run :( Plus, just the title of the episode ... "Black Museum" ... coupled with the easter eggs and hats tipped to so many previous episodes makes me think the "Black Museum" is just that ... the museum for all the series' episodes, culminating in this.

That magazine/cover graphic had it nailed right down to Daniel Kaluuya's big sad eyes! Also, I'm sure there were even more but along with the lollipop, he also had the broken tablet from Arkangel that she used to crack over her mother's head ... Also loved SEVERAL references to "San Junipero," starting with the hospital in the first story being Saint Juniper ... Again, props to the musical supervisor ... using "Always Something There to Remind Me" to open and then to close when Nish has the "souvenir" hanging on her mirror!

I had set this up to record the series but was so bored a half hour in I just canceled it. And it takes a lot to bore me. But damn the Snowden's two kids are SO cuuuuuuute!!!

My bad! I thought I'd done the quote post thing right but my brain continues to resemble a chunk of Jarlsberg these days. Also ... Can't help but thinking that if Brother had made that dish on Food Network Star rather than Top Chef he could have been among the top placers if it was indeed that spicy ... putting his own really interesting multi-ethnic heritage twist on a German dish. I kept thinking he was Eurasian or maybe from the South Pacific mixed with Latino ... but on the other hand Little Snappy pointed out that he looks EXACTLY like a cousin of ours (and now we can't unsee that because it's so true) so I'll throw a little nice Jewish boy in there too. That teaser about his parents makes me wish they'd just do a feature on him, period.

So glad I found some others who may share my new guilty pleasure LOL! I'm of a "certain age" (like, I'd qualify for America's Next Really Old Model or modeling for a retirement home catalogue) where I so clearly remember the awesome fresh faces on covers of magazines like Glamour and Mademoiselle when they were young and pretty and glowing and for me the moment i saw Mikayla I just adored her ... I can SO see her being a timeless star ... PLUS she's really likable and so is her mom ... frankly, they so outshine every other pair that I can only think they're giving us false hope that she is the obvious frontrunner. I'd buy products she posed for ... I just hope (and it looks promising from next week's teasers) that they let her pose with her adorable 'fro. Totally agree on Lilyan being the designated bitch. Odd thing I noticed is that she's the only blonde, yet based on teasers (which I have to assume are not spoilers since they were on the air) they're dying her hair darker (maybe reddish? Can't tell). I thought I saw roots anyway so maybe she's not really blonde to start with. I hate myself for liking this show so far. Guilty enough pleasure to be candy but not enough that I am ashamed. Also? IMHO Gigi and Bella are two of the most stunning young women around.

Hubby and I were joking about this as well. Since I can't cook to save my ass, I could make my grandmother's famous "roast chicken that is so dry she apparently roasted it for eleventy million hours" and hubby would serve up his grandmother's mile-high plate of flanken. Or else we'd just present a platter of turkey sandwiches from the (long-gone) Madison Avenue Deli (me) or pastrami from Wolfie's (him). That said? Hubby is the world's best cook (well, maybe not WORLD's best but definitely the best one I know) and grew up in the kitchens of several top NY restaurants (his stepdad owned several) and he makes amaaaaaazing chicken matzoh ball soup from scratch. But, yeah, it would take too long to fit the bill. I love playing "what would YOU cook for this challenge?" with him when we watch. Me, unless the challenge is "which can of Progresso soup would you heat up on the stove," I am ineligible. ETA: Personally I think hubby would be a great contestant on something like Master Chef ... obvs not Top Chef since he's not professional ... because he aces both risotto and perfectly seared scallops, which seem to be the downfall of many a contestant. But he has no interest in going that route. I might qualify for World's Worst Cook but that's about it.

So much for my theory of Fatima for the win. And so much for my staying unspoiled (though they generally do a pretty good job of not revealing too much) ... but Carrie? Blerg.

Absolutely. My theory (Ann Elk) is that after the whole veterans in LCK thing they wanted a veteran there, but for whatever reason they also wanted Claudette ... I'm gonna guess there was some behind-the-scenes negotiating with Lee Ann to promise that she could come back in a future season ... I'm not sure how old she is (it's probably easily findable online) but if she was 27 in Season 1 and is having her first baby, I'm pretty sure that makes hers a higher-risk pregnancy and you combine that with the pressure of the situation, the altitude, etc., and there is no way in the world she should be on this season otherwise. So we got the sympathy edit, people will root for her and at least recognize her when she comes back (again), and they don't have to schedule another double-elimination down the road (which they would have had to do if they'd brought two people back into the competition). Chris is one of my favorites so I'm glad he got immunity. I still want to try his lemonade fried chicken from a few weeks ago. I've stayed unspoiled and not even sure how far out spoilers are available but for me this episode sealed my strong belief that Fatima will be the winner and I'm fine with that ... I think she is hilarious (Tom may be the decider of LCKs, but I think Padma wields a ton of power overall and she makes no secret of Fatima being her TCO). Am guessing with immunity they wouldn't bother because it would take away some of the suspense but they made it pretty clear, as they have when this has happened before, that he was just damned lucky to have immunity.

Who is Charlie? Or do you mean Chris? Not being facetious, I just find it hard to remember everyone LOL ... Also, I could not believe they moved Lee Ann on from LCK (or that she WANTED TO) given her pregnancy ... the point she's at, first child, and if she was 27 during S1 she has to be considered a slightly higher-risk pregnancy (I can't remember the medical term for older first-time mom) ... I thought they'd say "it's a tie but we want to give Lee Ann a chance when she's at full health so we're moving Claudette ahead and Lee Ann can come back for a future season." Hopefully if she has to withdraw she does so with a promise she can come back for a future season when she's ready. And I don't mean to sound like I'm pregnancy-ist. I went through a rough pregnancy my first and only time and can't imagine in a million years being able to compete at full strength in something like this (not to mention my tastebuds were completely fakakakata).

Thanks so much! I was definitely saddened by his departure (especially because I just cannot stand Claudette ... I like every other single cheftestant to one degree or another except her).

So, should I assume that Kwame is done and they're just waiting for a second PYKAG to go up against Tu for LCK Part Deux? (I'm a little overdue ... or overdeux ... having been out of town until yesterday so JUST watched last week's episode.) Well, either way, I am looking forward to trying Kwame's new place (I'm a D.C. person). Maybe I'll get hubby to take me there for Valentine's Day dinner (which generally falls somewhere within the month of February since he works almost every night LOL).

Sorry guys ... I know this is from two years ago ... but after having watched S1 at the time it aired (and even then having already read the novel years earlier, as I'm a huge fan of Tom Perrotta), I am binge-rewatching S1 and watching S2 and then S3 for the first time ... due to some medical issues, I have short-term memory problems so I'm necrobumping stuff and I apologize for that ... a tiny bit surprised I'm unearthing these for first time since airing since I would have thought maybe some others were rewatching or watching for the first time with release of S3 ... Anyway, had not seen any of S2 and just watched this episode today and was definitely wondering whether a) He really has this power (or truly believes he does) and he and his mom have decided it's time to share it with the world or b) she can't pay her bills and they need to come up with a good scam, or c) when she says "what do they really need" or "what can we give them that they don't have" or however it's phrased and they come up with "hope", they think this is the best way to provide that, be it a scam or real. The argument you mention about why he didn't hug Jill makes me think maybe indeed it's real ... I'd been leaning towards scam but that seems too obvious. And of course this entire S2 (and S3) is uncharted territory for me having not been novelized ... Also, if anyone is reading this and has not read the original novel, it's REALLY outstanding and just different enough from the TV series to maybe help explain some of the unexplained, and if not would make an interesting thread to discuss the differences (perhaps that already exists in the S1 folder, but more likely I'm thinking it MAY have existed back when it first aired in the TWOP days ... I'm betting, though again my memory is poor, that I probably posted on it quite a bit back then).

LOVED that, especially since they'd mentioned in S1 during all the famous "poofs" something like "and the entire cast of 'Perfect Strangers'!

Watch S2. Laugh-out-loud funny.

So, to revive this (sorry) I watched S1 and then ... well, due to medical memory retention issues remembered ALMOST NOTHING about the series after that ... with S3 coming up and HBO GO showing S2 (which I never watched) and Mr. Snappy watching S2 now to be ready for S3, I am completely re-watching S1, then watching S2 for the first time and THEN S3. So reading this thread is really helpful and I suspect I'll chime in with a marathon post about the whole season soon ...

So very very this. TC, one of my favorite shows, went down a few notches in my book just for giving him air time. WTF were they thinking?

I was going to post before reading this that I have a friend who uses the term "Gotcha Day" and I'd never heard it before or since (LOVE it) ... is this an oft-used term among the kids who have been adopted? (Or AM ... is that you? I DO know we're both "fans" of 90DF!)

He's not a food blogger ... he's a "YouTube personality" or, to put it more accurately, a YouTube LACK of personality who basically attracts millions of teenage viewers by being a complete douchebag (as is his even less talented younger brother Jake) ... I gotta say, his presence on this episode made my respect for Top Chef drop a few degrees. It was a real WTF moment when he came on ... and clearly had pretty much nothing of value to add to the proceedings or judging. During the sudden death elimination quickfire, was it just me (and Mr. Snappy) or was Chris never shown in that round? We thought we saw the reconstructed/deconstructed Denver omelets of everyone but Chris, and then he popped back up for the next team challenge. Or did we both just miss it? As soon as we knew who the two bottom teams were, I called it that they were setting it up that they could pick either team as the worst but that Rogelio was CLEARLY the guy they wanted to PYKAG, and they'd just work around that ... when Tom said something about how bad the salad was I knew he was toast. (PS Just made reservations for dinner at Craft next month. I may be just a little bit excited).