bravofan27

Juan leaving his family to go make $16 an hour on a cruise ship is ludicrous IMO. Plus, it's a dead end job, he's not a kid anymore, AND he will have a green card. There is a community college in their town, I think he best bet is to get his AA or AS and do something in the community-- he doesn't want a labor job (don't blame him), but he could do administration, police officer, teacher, real estate, insurance, anything IT. He's got everything set up to really position him for life. Going back to the cruise ship is a horrible idea at the place he is in life now. It will never happen though. He knows going back to the cruise ship is never going to happen-- if the job was so great and he loved his life so much, he never would have moved to the US/Wyoming to begin with. He's kind of a brat-- he married a sugar momma and this is what it's like. You got to take their lifestyle or man-up (not desert ship). I was wondering why Shekina keeps her hair short and wondered if she had a thinning issue. It makes more sense now when she explained why she was wearing a wig. BUT, if her hair falls out a lot she really should go to a doctor. It could be a nutrition thing, or a thyroid issue. Or she may be using too many chemicals to straighten it. Juan and Jessica's trip looked really gloomy. But she and Juan seem to share the same party spirit and Juan seems to love hanging out with her friends (even Megin!) so I think they are fine-- he's fine. Maybe he feels like she isn't as pretty as she was when he first met her. Not sure.

I think the chefs were supposed to "mix" the ingredients of Lana's dish-- not eat the cornmeal stuff as a separate side. Take some fish, dip it in the sauce, and then the cornmeal and it tastes like fried fish. That was my takaway. But Lana was having problems with her coating from the get go. The layered crepes was a really good idea. The chefs like foods that are integrated rather than mixed. Vinny's "lasers" and the key was a little cheesy IMO. And then it all froze. He spent to much time on his lasers and key shape thing that no one thought was that cool anyway. Tom reached in and got the key and was like, "I have the key, now what?" It was sort of like that pick-up-sticks game, except the key was too easy to get. He could have had more "lasers" and chopsticks and made the judges get the key without touching the lasers (now I'm thinking Operation). Maybe a really hot soup or pho that they had to blow on until the temperature lowered and had little thermometers in them, until the temperature was whatever degrees they couldn't eat it, and the person that reached the right temp first was able to add the accompaniments. Or maybe even little heaters where each judge had to get their broth to a certain temperature before adding the meat, and then had to wait to the meat was a certain temperature before adding the hoisin or gochujang.

Massimo has a wrinkly grouchy face. I think that's why he smiles so much.

Mission Impossible was a sponsor so they had to do the challenge around a Mission Impossible. The "stunt" aspect I thought was fun-- made them be creative. I thought maybe it was an avenue into a different market as well (as chefs) but when Tarzan said he wanted sparkles on the food, I thought, never mind. Best line, from Tristen, "This is the quietest I've ever heard Massimo, and the peace is actually quite nice." LOL. I laughed at that. It was also super funny when he placed the timer on the chef's table and said, "You have 30 seconds to take the sauce, or... (suspense) it will get cold." Haha!

Tristen is definitely a standout with his confidence, skill, personality, and humility. Plus, he's adorable AND single!

Josh Cellars wine is the sponsor this year. Which is gross wine, and I'm not surprised Tom seems pissy at dinner time. LOL. Full list: Josh Cellars wine, Paramount Pictures, Pure Michigan, Rao’s Homemade, and Wayfair Stocks the Kitchen as First-Time Partners with the Award-Winning Culinary Series BMW of North America, Chipotle, Delta Air Lines, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives, Morton Salt, Saratoga® Spring Water, Talenti and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Credit Card Return for the Most Appetizing Competition Yet

And Massimo was right there before the judges even fully entered the restaurant with greetings and cocktails.

Maximo was present for the judges. It was really smart of them to have the chefs present their dishes, but I saw Maximo in the background milling about. He was tracking. There was another chef one time during restaurant wars, I think Michelle, who was FOH, that was intimidated by the judges and kept a distance. Maximo definitely did not shy away from talking to the judges, and even though he kneeled down (not sure why he did that, it was weird), he was on top of things, IMO. The chefs presenting their dishes didn't kneel down. Maybe because Maximo has young kids, he is trained to be at eye level? I'm reaching. He should have stood up-- it looked like he was trying to find a way to rest. It was nice of Bailey to give props to Paula, but IMO, she should have extended compliments to the entire team- it seemed like she was playing favorites. I felt bad for Cesar who worked his ass off as well that didn't get a nice parting comment for the judges to consider.

This was such a great episode. My heart really broke for Tristen, and to see him push through was so sweet and lovely. I think all the chefs had their hearts toward him throughout. I'm hoping he doesn't regret not going home to be with his family, though. He has immunity, so this may be the universe's way of taking care of him. Although I knew Tristen would not falter and would show up 100% for his team. Maximo in the bathroom doing the hairspray was so Maximo. He's a lot of things, but lacking personality is not one of them. I really liked how they prepared, and the usage of the word cute was cute.

The elimination challenge was to make something that “challenged our idea of what pizza could be, and that’s what we asked of you.” Yet the judges kept being weird about pizza should be and didn't refer back to the "something you keep talking about" in a way that was positive. Vinny made a very typical reuben pizza, nothing was new there. Google "rueben pizza" and you will find many recipes pretty much exactly what he made. Nothing "new to talk about" which was the challenge. He left the pickles as spears rather than dicing them, but that was a nod to his brother (okay). The judges started their meal talking about how important a good crust was. Maximo nailed this. Lana's pizza seemed unique with squash sauce, bbq oxtails, and plantain chips. Bailey's pizza dough was undercooked, so she was out of the running for winner, same with Cesar since his dough was pretty much universally disliked. Maximo's pizza looked the best to me. The clams may not have been the most inventive ingredient, but the fermented parsley paste seemed cool for a sauce. And he didn't put cheese on it. It was cool looking with the clams, and I like what he did to make the purple potatoes look like pepperoni.

Okay. Then adding anchovies and ranch seemed a little too inventive. Just knee jerk reaction to the combo. Obviously, it worked. He won.

Spike has this annoying posture where he keeps his shoulders up near his ears and his head juts out. Plus, his shoulders are always uneven. He just seems awkward. His face was cute though. I like his grey hair and personality was inviting.

Maybe Henry got overconfident because of his QF win? Who knows. Rice does get crispy on the bottom and it could have been cool if it worked. Not sure why they talked about Hawaiian pizza given no one had to make it-- maybe just trying to tie in a pizza theme somehow? It would have been cool if they had to incorporate a fruit on their pizza or something. Maximo would have been in top three if his potatoes weren't raw. Tom mentioned they "needed oil" which was his way of saying, "rookie mistake." But he did have the best crust, he nailed that technical difficulty. Vinny is growing on me. He always puts something cutesy in his dishes, like the pickle on his Reuben pizza. I like wet pizza. There was no rule it had to be hand held (Paula). My favorite pizza is the deep dish (Chicago) and then super thin and crunchy (no yeast) Detroit style. Go figure. The only pizza that looked good to me (and sounded good based on judge comments) was Lana's and Maximo's pies. Anchovy ranch is just not a flavor combo I would enjoy. And adding lamb seems a little too inventive. I do like the grapes on it though! Random, but Tom has always looked like Freddie Krueger to me. I just can't take him seriously. They have to serve 70 diners, but how many pizzas did they have to make? I was thinking they needed 70 at first. Did they make one pizza for the judge table?

I LOVE Hawaiin pizza. Pineapple and savory just is so delicious. I love the juiciness of the pineapple with cheese and ham. Yummy. I also LOVE taco pizza. If you haven't had it, it's worth a trip to Iowa! I recommended it to my then boyfriend and his family when I lived in Iowa, and they all agreed it was awesome. They franchise in other places now (and weirdly Egypt) but Iowa is where I recommend buying a pie. https://heavytable.com/the-taco-pizza-at-happy-joes/ The stained dirty dishes was a little gross. Too much of an ick factor for me, but way to promote the detergent. Uhg Geez. Every season they have a litany of new and returning sponsors to promote.

My opinion-- Juan is too good for Jessica. He is smart, great looking, speaks awesome English-- he doesn't need an older divorced mother with a bunch of kids. Granted, he did F that up by having a child with her, so he is going to have a long hard road. Juan doesn't know his baby's needs because he just got there. Jessica has raised two babies, spent time with the newborn, and has way more experience with infants. Juan will get it, he needs to give himself some time to learn. Matt reminds me of some 90s stoner-- I can't think who it is though. He just comes off as extremely dim. Does anyone remember Cody from Step by Step? The lovable loser? Kind of reminds me of him by how they talk with the long delay. I don't like Greg or his mom at all, but Joan is really being an asshole. I think she "picked" Greg, because she thought he would be easy to control (true), and she's tons smarter than him. I'm not sure they will end up together TBH. That said, Greg's mom did say to be honest, but Joan basically told her she had no life and needed to get out of the house more-- she didn't want her there. Ouch. Mahdi is so cute. Stevi has a fantastic body. He did a fantastic job with the proposal.

It was a rookie move. LOL. He's the chef from silly Canada. Jet Bent-Lee (and more age appropriate) Susur Lee are dreamboats. Dreamy. I have no idea why or what they did on the show but I will remember them. Massimo is a good guy. He's a little odd and has a loud voice and a bit awkward, but he's sweet. Katianna is gone because she put tofu under pickles.

It's interesting that they outed (producers) on Shuai's asshole comment, "Let' get rid of her shit" since they spent so much time making him look like a really nice humble guy. And in doing so, he took out Henry's food, which implied he thought it was shit. Oh my. Sloppy. Massimo wouldn't do something like that-- throw away someone's food, regardless of if they had competed already, and also, referred to someone's food as 'shit." Very telling of his character IMO. Jet Bent-Lee is extraordinarily attractive. He looks like a very tall and athletic K-boy band star. He towers over his dad and Kristen. He's sweet and well-spoken. He defers to his elders. Such a gem. I'm going to try to find him on Instagram! LOL. I hope we can someday marry. :) Paula nailed this challenge, which was nice. Tristen is also adorable, and I love his smile. Vinny is a "pick-me" guy. He just tries too hard to please others, and hasn't found an identity. I see him leaving soon, even though he is clearly (IMO) the most technically talented chef. He needs to get rid of the anxiety that leads him to be extra officious. Massimo being chose last really affected him. I felt bad. :(

Let's all just be happy this season is over and hope that next season is more fun and less toxic. It's putting everyone on edge and not that entertaining. If us viewers on a here are disagreeing about the rightness/wrongness of actions it's a reflection of what is happening on the show. Taking sides. It isn't fun to take sides. I hope the next batch of housewives come with a positive attitude and can be real friends to each other.

I heard somewhere that they get the episodes a week before they air. Not sure if that is true or not. I would assume that they all interested in how much camera time they get and how they look when they are aired. Hence the major plastic surgery. I got plastic surgery from remote work and having to look at myself on Zoom calls all the time. My face just looked weird and I didn't like it. It's natural to want to look good on camera, IMO. If I'm feeling this way from a Zoom call for work, imagine what it's like seeing yourself on the big screen in high definition. I deterred the convo.

In the very beginning of the reunion, as they are all coming in, Garcelle whispers, "Kyle is not looking at me at all. She is pissed." Does this surprise her after she spent the whole season bashing her to Sutton and in her interviews? However, Garcelle was smiling and laughing and listening to the others. Garcelle says her intention for the day was, "We can talk things through, work things out, and actually get a cast photo this year." (Last year Sutton left for the hospital). Garcelle later rolled her eyes and frowned when Andy said, "Boz is looking to get pregnant again." And she sat stank eyed the entire time Boz was talking. Garcelle did laugh and looked delighted at Kyle's comment that "Boz was an embryo up Dorit's ass." I get that Garcelle didn't like the cross-talk at Ocean Side, but why talk to Kyle about it? In any case, in the first episode of the reunion, Boz really schooled Garcelle, who had nothing to really say.

Oh, none at all. Just saying that Dorit is willing to look like an asshole, and puts herself out there. She is fulfilling her realty show obligations. I don't enjoy Dorit at all, but this season has really given her an opportunity to have camera time. And, IMO, all the women really want camera time. Kyle brings the reaction spots, Sutton brings the extreme emotionality. Boz brought some extreme fashion and directness. Ericka can confront people on her issues. Tilly and Kathy show up, but that's really their role. To be a main cast member, you have to add some drama and be interested in what's going on. I don't believe Garcelle is "better than" this show, because, first, she is on it. Second, she shadowed Sutton all season and got super invested in her relationship with her mom and Kyle. She didn't seem to try to connect to Boz or Ericka. She could have played this so differently, but I think her ego got the best of her.

Dorit was being a little ridiculous, but no one else was talking. Andy can't have a reunion with everyone refusing to speak. With Garcelle giving everyone the stink eye, and saying she was pissed and didn't want to talk, of course they didn't want to engage with her. I don't think she realized how bad she looked on the reunion once Sutton didn't back her up with the Dorit staged robbery accusation. Garcelle repeated said on the season that Sutton wanted Kyle's friendship. She could have addressed that the reunion, but she didn't. She then got mad that Sutton did the exact same thing she did all season. I don't know what she expected, but if she wants to be accountable, and claims she is accountable, she had the opportunity to express herself but she didn't. I think that's why Garcelle doesn't want to say anything. Dorit puts herself out there, but Garcelle just mutters things under her breath and for the most part is very quiet. That said, that's why Dorit is on the show, and now Garcelle isn't. People want some content.

I think when Boz pointed out she was accusing Dorit or her family (PK) of setting the robbery up she was accusing Dorit et al. of a major crime, Garcelle got a major reality check. Did Boz say that Dorit could sue her? I'm not sure the context now, but I but that scared the shit out of Garcelle.

IMO, Garcelle was not pissed because no one smiled at her. I think she was mad that no one backed her up about the Dorit armed robbery incident. She was pouting the entire rest of the reunion, and everyone just ignored her. Andy tried to bring it up, and then Garcelle said, I'm really pissed to be honest... I am not thinking of Sutton right now, I'm thinking about me." They looked a little surprised, and then it just turned right back to Sutton. No one seemed to really care. Andy brought it up again, why she was steaming, and Garcelle said, "All of it honestly. I don't get any grace from this group. I didn't get it today. I stand behind what I say, and it's not accepted. Long pause. No one smiled at me." Weird. But it's okay. It's okay.

I enjoyed how quiet Sutton was. Garcelle said almost nothing, but did a ton of reaction shots, and "Wows" and flashbacks to her "DAMNS!" , and smirking which she seems to know is akin to a reaction shot. She knows the formula and can dial it in and have her camera time to boot. For the most part, Garcelle sat there looking disapproving. I really don't care for her. She REALLY didn't like the "witches of Eastwick" comment, which I kind of loved. Kyle and Dorit shouldered most of the work, they did the most talking. I see why Andy keeps them. They have very reactive and emotional faces, which makes good TV. Sutton's "don't make me your enemy, trust me" comment did make her seem like a psycho. I sort of remember, that in the past, it was against the rules to bring up things that weren't part of the show/seen on the show. Now, it seems super normal.