Knuckles

I have to agree with Princelina.I think Joe threw that folklore challenge. He just wasn't moving at top speed. And it did pay off...he was with the others left behind and it gave him a chance to schmooze. I love a challenge beast...and Joe is I think the best. In a real survivor situation, Joe is the guy I would expect to actually make it alive. I try to remember he is also doing the most around camp..fishing, and odd chores...which is usually overlooked by the recipients. Notably the selfless Tasha, who felt it was selfish of Joe to recognize that sitting out the IC would get him booted out in the blink of an eye. Saving himself to stay in the game, and not making it easy for Tasha to be one step closer to a million bucks...yeah, that was seriously selfish of Joe. Tasha's little speech was poorly timed...her social game has unraveled, she seems to have lost her chops. That said, Spencer is the guy who may finally put Jeremy in the crosshairs. And I repeat a question from several weeks ago...does Kimmi have a game? I often forget that she is even still there. OK, I stand corrected, so Joe said it sucked at the folklore challenge. Thanks, princelina. Honest guy, that Joe.

TAR has always been a favorite show, but 20 minutes of Justin playing to the camera is not entertaining, it is tedious. I just wait with the sound muted, until some of the other racers show up. And no, they went after Logan and Chris for personal reasons...for implying the green team were stirring things up back in an earlier leg. The U-Turn was payback. Fair enough, since it is part of the game, but there was no altruism involved. The cheerleaders are the team I am rooting for, but I seriously cringed when Tiffany's balloon net was ripped as she was riding the bike on the bridge...given what has happened to some western women in India, it was fortunate for her that a camera crew was there. You could see how quickly that could have gotten out of control. Not at all cool. This is not a great season for TAR, at least for me. The gap between the racers has taken all the tension out of the race. Which is unfortunate.

" I did like that this was one time where Joe wasn't passive and spoke up immediately to defend his decision..." Agreed. And Tasha would have done the same if she had as big a target painted on her back as Joe wears on his. Also liked Joe's answer that being the #1 target ...."sucked, but that's the game". And it is. With Stephen out, is Tasha the next target? Or will Jeremy finally be in everyone's sights?

Awesome. Just awesome. Advantage played and lose anyways. I am so glad Stephen is gone, his 33% chance of a blind side remark at TC signaled his fate. Why did he split his vote? Enquiring minds would like to know...especially since he is the self-described expert on the game. As for Jeremy, as the poster noted above, he pieced his Harry Potter-like immunity cloak, and showed his game. And now his main guy is gone. It was an amazing look on his face when Stephen picked Tasha first...not so smart on Stephen's part, though it's moot now. Great gamesmanship from Spencer, and good going Wentworth...still a player, still in the game. And my guy Joe survives...it made my night.

Thanks for reminding me when Romber was on TAR...I hated them both and gave up watching, but was tickled when they lost. Forget the greens, I mute their time on screen, I am watching the other teams and the scenery. The camera work is great on this show. I do wonder what producer thought that Logan and Chris would make good TV...did they interview these two?? It's like having the neighbors from hell on TV.

"Okay, I know it's just me, but I hope that Joe wins every immunity challenge." It's not just you. Love Joe, love the attitude, love the hair too. I'm amused by Stephen's obsession with Joe and just hope it causes him to screw himself. With props to Abi for an amazing effort at the IC, I admit to loving watching Joe concentrate. Abi, as a woman, had the advantage there, but Joe still managed a win. If Joe can continue to win ICs, I will be thrilled for him.

Things change. I thought the Texans were smug and overbearing the first two races, but surprisingly I have been rooting for them. They are gracious, supportive of each other and generally just cool guys. I will miss them. The green team continues to bore and annoy...I turn off the sound when they are on, I hate his cackling voice. I am glad that Diana is his partner...I think she deserves this guy. The cheerleaders are ok, they are working hard, and disappointed to lose the Texans...I would be too. The reporters are dumb as a box of rocks, and I have no enthusiasm for them. The paps kill me...have they ever said a kind word to one another? Diana and James Earl for the win..and yeah, give them a hidden immunity idol. And man, I miss the dancers...they would have added so much to this season...the green team have sucked all the oxygen out of the race.

I'm assuming that Kimmi will stick with Jeremy til she is voted out...as will Keith. And Jeremy has 2 idols and Stephen a known advantage, though it's utility is unknown to the rest. And Abi, Ciera and Kelley stick together. That leaves Joe, Tasha and Spencer. Wonder if Stephen has made obvious to the group or to Joe his desire to boot Joe? Tasha might be up grabs, as she is an also-ran in the Jeremy-Stephen bromance, and Joe needs the three women to protect himself. Spencer might be smart to go buds with Joe as well, at least for a while. If Joe wins the next IC, I'm guessing Tasha or Kimmi might be next on the chopping block. Or maybe just Tasha, she has looked pretty gob-smacked in the last two Tribal Councils.

Damn, Abi looked great...I am not a fan of hers, but she deserves props for that effort. I am rooting for Joe, and glad he won..if he hadn't, he was gone. He is still target number one, and Jeremy is still not on anyone's radar. How is this possible? If Stephen is such a master of the game, a bigger move for him would have been to blindside the trusting Jeremy...how can he be so obsessed with Joe and not see Jeremy as a threat? Glad Wentworth is still here...I like her game. Tasha got props for working from the bottom, and Kelley deserves kudos as well. I'm enjoying watching Tasha now...she looked more than just wet and miserable at TC, I am trying to figure out her next move. And does Kimmi even have a game? Keith is just rolling along, not in anyone's crosshairs. Love this season. I would be happy with any number of survivors winning, but I would be extra happy if Stephen was vote out before he could deploy his super special advantage...shouldn't that put a major target on his back??

If being a victim is your modus op. and you can make it work, fine, then own it. Ashley uses her imagined victimhood as emotional blackmail...she is a terribly sensitive child, deeply creative, who is abused by jealous, mean spirited women who fail to acknowledge her talent and tender soul. And she is an emotional child...she does not respond as an adult, she withdraws, she sulks, she bursts into endless tears, she points her fingers at her imagined tormentors. At no point does she acknowledge that she failed to actively participate in the paintball design mess...she simply faded. As she sent one disastrous effort after another down the runway and was not aufed, it was clear she was the designated winner. So, now the triumphant, smug Ashley...the uber victim for the win. Except a rigged game is never fun to watch, and if the producers thought this was some heart-warming drama, they be fools.

Loved the Texans this episode...against all odds. Even frustrated with the taxi situation, they were a team...no bickering or blaming going on. And, despite being discouraged, they kept plugging away. Their gentlemenly behavior to the cheerleaders was such a pleasant surprise...kudos to both Justin and Tanner. I agree with Bryce, that is the mark of real winners. So very glad they will be back...I am now rooting for them. As for Justin and Diana...they annoy and they bore. Could TAR just run a small newsfeed on the bottom of the screen saying they are still the frontrunners, and concentrate on the other 4 teams. I no longer wish to look at their faces, hear their voices, or endure their attitude.

Breezy, agreed on Swapnil. He's a fairly shrewd player, and apparently has a successful business in India...no need for bad PR...be gracious and let it go...he's smart enough not to indulge himself in reciting any grievances. Perfect damage control. But declaring that Ashley deserved the win was too freaking much...that verged on the obsequious. Not surprised the room emptied when Candice started...she would wear on your nerves. And Ashley was still as smug as ever, playing the professional victim. IF she had a clue, she'd have been low-key and gracious, not that either is in her wheelhouse. I am guessing that this was filmed soon after the Fashion Week shows...the avalanche of reaction to her win is nowhere evident.

I rewatched this yesterday, just to enjoy the comedy. Team Texas baffled by third grade arithmetic, doctors who see 9 and decide it's as good as a 1, newscasters who have no clue about, well, anything related to international news... I agree with the poster above who called the doctors dunderheads, and would add, that Rick's certainty about Rotterdam being Amsterdam, in the face of competing evidence, would keep me far away from him. The newscasters must just read anything that is put in front of them...no insight, no retention. And the Texans, have gone from being hyper-competitive to just cruising--I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up out of the race before even the paps. Glad mom and son made the mat, they may not have mad skillz, but they are determined. And hooray for the cheerleaders... with the dancers and the track stars gone, they are really showing how to work together and move on up. Justin is an uber jerk, but Diana is no prize herself. I don't mind them being ahead now, I have great hopes that Asia will scramble them, and produce an epic meltdown.

I was amazed to find out from a teacher friend that they don't teach cursive writing in schools anymore...I guess subtraction and geography have also been eliminated. Rotterdam is very modern..it was bombed by the Germans in WW2...Amsterdam was overrun but physically untouched...history, even fairly recent history, no longer taught either, I guess. But as the poster above noted, how can the news team not know The Hague...home of the International Court...unless they only do local news. This stuff never makes Americans looks good...but maybe European or Asian teams would be equally befuddled in America.

"Like it or not, there are many fat young women out there. Let's give 'em something to wear." Sure, the Aging Mother of the Bride collection should be good enough for them. After all, they may be young, but they're "fat". No need for decent construction, or even sewing...just hot glue those flowers all over that hem. See thru lace with matching granny panties...that will up their confidence. Uneven hems, broken or wonky zippers...hey, who will notice. A see-thru poncho that could double as a shower curtain...good enough. Edmond, how I wish you or clever Candice had done a plus size, sexy dress, just as a back-up, in the event you smelled a fix. Then, asked for a plus size model yourself...to demonstrate your range. Would have blown holes in the producer's game, and sent old Sniffles back to mama.

Re Kelly Osbourne's "buzz"..girlfriend is a judge on PR junior, and needs to protect the job and paycheck, forget any honest appraisal of Ashley's efforts. And I thank the posters above who explained why Swapnil was aufed...anything he made for fashion week would have blown She Who Cries off the catwalk. And did. Just that we viewers would not be able to see it and compare their work. It was clear that Swapnil was being given a bad edit...that morose crew member deliberately sabotaged him, and Gunn's obscene attack on him, were ugly enough. If PR were running an honest competition, then make plus size design a challenge for all the designers. Edmond would have rocked that...his sexy black dresses, long and short could be reworked into nuanced, sophisticated designs for larger women. Even the judges had to concede that Edmond really understands how to flatter women's bodies. In a straight up battle with Ashley, I bet Candice and Kelly would have done well. They sand-bagged Candice...I don't like her and don't like her work, but they let her roll all season, and then shredded her and her work at the last moment. No fair, and not pretty. Kelly won four challenges, constantly improving and refining her designs, could sew and construct her garments, and has a gift for fabric innovation. In any honest competition, she should have bagged this one. It wasn't the designers who were bad this season...the judges were the worst. Dishonest and running a rigged game.

Just for fun, I went back and looked at Lee Ann's collection...her wave theme...then Christian's and Laura Bennett's finale. I tried to imagine Ashley's efforts compared to theirs...epic fail. The poster who called it the Mamie Eisenhower collection nailed it...but even Mamie would not be caught dead in that see-thru poncho and that massive skirt with glued on flowers...give Mrs. E more credit than that. What woman, of whatever size, would want to be seen in that? Clarkson as a judge was embarrassing...she looked befuddled. Producers gave her a chance to hawk her own collection, while she had zero of interest to say about the clothes. Nina with a flower basket on her head, Zac wearing the shorts with the floating crotch, Heidi in the lace and granny panties concoction...now that's a runway show I would like to see. Come on judges, let's be inclusive.

For the record, I loathe Ashley, I loathe her self-pitying persona, I loathe her smugness. Sure, design shorts with a floating crotch, send a quilted skirt down the runway with an uneven hem, matched with badly fitted crop-top with a misplaced, wonky zipper. Stick fruit baskets on your model's heads...to underline your Mexican theme. Eggplant lace with matching granny panties...who wouldn't want to wear that?? Luckily there were only 10 "looks"...any more and my eyeballs would be bleeding. Political correctness has now trumped fashion. This was a major, major failure for the show. Kelly should have won this hands down...she had a clear point of view, she can fit and design, and her vision will find a market. Edmond's black dresses, both short and long, were some of the best I have seen on PR...and he was so far ahead of Ashely and Candace, that I felt the contest was really between he and Kelly. Both Kelly and Edmond were robbed, big time.

What the hell??? So Bucket O' Tears is the win? This is for the judges...a chance to pat themselves on the back for being "inclusive". Uneven hems, badly fitting crop tops, shorts with a floating crotch...yeah, I want to see Nina Garcia wear anything from this sad collection. Kelly should have won...and Edmond can beautifully style a dress. Kelly was robbed, big time.

This is totally off the mark, but I rematched the finale last night, and I was struck by how supportive the families of Edmond, Kelly and Ashley were...and how cold and blustery the family moment of Candice. Her mom looked apologetic and somewhat miserable, Tim himself uncomfortable...was this an effort to give Candice a more sympathetic edit? It seemed calculated to me...one of those reality show tropes that really misfire. Would have preferred to see Candice as a stand-alone woman who pulled herself along thru a difficult childhood/adolescence. Assuming that that is the truth. Candice strikes me as less authentic than a carefully presented construct. Kelly though seemed to have the support of everybody who knows her...family, coworkers et. al. So she really is a good egg.

"I think Ashley is in love with the IDEA of plus size designing but hasn't got the skills to accomplish same." That's it in a nutshell. And the judges are in love with the IDEA of a plus size designer, but Ashley is not the one they seek. Just on basic construction skills she fails...hems are uneven, zippers are badly placed, the fit is off...where is her eye? Her fabric choices are terrible...as has been noted by almost every poster. Her flower headdresses are a distraction from the clothes...deliberately so. When the clothes themselves fail, she hopes an accessory will carry the idea. I am on the lanky side myself, but larger women should not be encouraged to hide themselves, their clothes can suggest they are voluptuous, and very attractive, with beautiful fabrics and sophisticated cuts. A designer needs to employ a lot of skill, as high-end clothes demand, plus size or not. Ashley doesn't have the chops. I wish they had found a better designer to explore the idea...but maybe their were few entrants to pick from. It does suggest to me that a really skilled designer could use PR to find a corporate home...say Target, for example...where well-designed pieces in good if not the very best fabrics, would be available to larger women. Skip the sad polyesters, the cheap lace and busy prints...and showcase it, don't hide in some off-corner. At the right price point, a lot of American women would be much happier.

Nice episode. I can't believe I rooted for the cheerleaders, but good for them. Writing the French out phonetically was a very smart move, and they do know how to sell it. Even the French rappers liked them. I bet Justin and Diane would have been fine busting a crab...what was the problem with not finding the restaurant? Grab a cab...the place has been famous for a hundred years. A southern accent attempting French is very tough...props to Diane for trying, but after 5 or 6 goes, it is hard to concentrate and find any confidence. Logan and Chris...the couple that deserve each other, though neither was as obnoxious as last week. I was stunned that none of the racers knew the French motto...I thought that was pretty basic high school stuff. And the woman standing next to Phil was dressed as Marianne, the symbol of France and the revolution, though traditionally her breasts are exposed. I guess that would have really spiked some of the racers Fitbit heart rate.

Also, thanks to Ms. Blue Jay for the snap of Candice's mini collection...it just looks sad. My best advice for her would have been No Leather! Alternately, use black sparingly, if at all. What would she have done with cashmere, wool or silk charmeuse? What if she had selected a strong color palette or a subtle, heathered one? I know they hammered the designers to "be yourself" but Candice has limited herself so severely...yet she does have the skills to do much more. Even the three looks above, in different fabrics and colors, minus the McQueen accessories, could have been killer. Well, the bustiers not so much, but still she could do so much more.

I wish Kelly all the best. She is one of the rare reality show contestants who doesn't need a good edit...she just is engaging and enormously likable. I admit I loved her red carpet jumpsuit and the way she worked the material...and I hope she shows work that is better than the mini collection. I find it impossible not to root for her to succeed. I feel much the same way about Edmond. He is talented, has a great work ethic, and many of his designs thru the weeks have been great...I especially remember his beautiful paper wedding dress. He is also a gentleman. In a high-pressure environment, he has choked occasionally, but only to his detriment, he has not snarked or interfered with other designers work. I would be happy if he won as well. I think it interesting, that as irritated as I am with the changes to this show, few for the better, I still find it easy to become invested. The fun of watching people with imagination and skill still hooks me. Fewer goofy challenges, and more work time to complete the challenges would be great. And I do wish the judges would then focus on execution...fit, and sewing...at least as much as on the idea.

Rhetorical, thanks for posting the collections.