Heathrowe

Austin & Dee are both beautiful people who look pretty together. I’m not sure about heart eyes as much as like meeting like. Not much Emily could do this episode without a vote but now she really does know that Austin & Drew & Dee & Julie are tighter than she is. I hope she makes a big move next episode even if it sends her to the jury. Bruce getting the redemption edit and the backstory so…I dislike him a little less but I am still so angry they can’t flush his idol/he’s still there. Not sure who beyond Dee/Austin/Julie would vote for Drew if he makes it to the end. And I assume 2 would be with him?

It was a fun episode but I can’t say I like the forward momentum of it. -Emily outed herself to the “women’s alliance” too soon. She’s my favorite, I hope she can make it onward but unless Dee & Mama J protect her in addition to Austin & Drew - I think she’s very vulnerable. Especially if she keeps sitting out challenges. -Bruce. Ugh. I’m so mad that last week they didn’t even flush the idol that EVERYONE knows he has - and then winning immunity. Ugh. Call me Katurah but I want him gone ASAP. -Jake…I hope he blames Bruce for not sharing his idol. If he wanted to take out Austin with rocks I don’t see him being allowed into that alliance, even if they saved his bacon this week. -Dee/Mama J I think they are still moving as two TOO much. As a 50 something lady, I was really hoping for Mama holding on to that rope. That said, I still don’t know her real name! Were Dee & Mama J in on the Kellie blindside? I saw Drew float it but did they agree to split the votes? -Drew/Austin also playing in tandem too much but I guess it’s working. -Katurah’s a bit of a lone wolf. I like her! She loathes Bruce and so do I! Plus I think she’s kind of funny. I truly, truly hope she is able to stay in the game longer than Bruce. Oh also - yes to worrying about Jake’s health and I will ratchet it up a notch and say that making him eat the chocolate cake with his hands as a timer ran out made me VERY uncomfortable since he has discussed having disordered eating in his past. I don’t know, it just seemed kind of cruel and out of touch. Maybe I’m projecting but that is probably the kind of behavior he has worked hard to stop. I’m still thinking about it.

I am enjoying this season but the other reason the early double elimination is a bummer is because we spent the whole beginning of the season with Lulu taking up 75% of the storytelling. I just figured out who Dee & Kellie are this episode. I do not know the older blonde woman’s name. No time to get attached to anyone BUT Kale & Emily. I dislike Bruce but it’s good to have someone to root against. Keeps me awake.

Dee reminds of a girl in high school who used to kick soccer balls at my face during gym so…I don’t like her. Emily was very quiet this episode. You could see her thinking - anyone but me!! I loved her and Kaleb as a team but I do think it’s important to play your own game. Will be interesting to see who she is able to connect with next week. I like Austin. I like Jake. Kellie was not on my radar until this episode but she impressed me last night. I don’t think Jakes plan would have worked, I don’t think Austin is scared, and I don’t blame Katurah for being put off by the late in the game secret sharing. She was feeling used. And when it fell through she’d have a big target on her because we see that Dee is an emotional player. I really enjoy the show, it’s my guilty pleasure. Generally I’d say more is more but two tribals is too much. I was bored when the second one started and even though I liked Kaleb - I didn’t care over much by the time they voted. I did like Sifu abd was sad to see him go. Bruce, yuck. Flush that idol and send him packing.

Ugh. I wish they had at least made Bruce paranoid enough to flush his idol.

I thought the other women in J’s alliance were annoyed that J was bent on getting Sifu out. Sifu was also part of their alliance, he’s helping them win challenges and I think it seemed like if she could flip on Sifu so easily, why not one of them next? I think pushing the Sifu vote, and it failing, collapsed her alliance with the women, and turned Sifu against her.

I like that Austin’s so bitter about the sandwich. Not-Boston-Rob guy is really growing on me. I’m very attached to Kaleb and Emily. Emily’s so interesting since she bugged me so much episode 1 but now I feel like she’s my eyes into the show. I was very upset when J said Emily and everyone seemed like they would go with it. The unanimous votes tonight for a merging tribe were pretty impressive. I was glad Drew didn’t turn on Emily. I don’t think I like any of the other women players, other than Emily. Maybe Katurah. My final three would be Emily, Kaleb, and Austin. I like Sifu but he seems a little all over the place. I would agree with Kaleb that Bruce is playing an old-school game. You need to be the leader no one notices leading in this game, and he’s all listen to me! Drew is holding himself back from taking charge but I suspect everyone knows it. His relationships seem very selective. The rest of the women don’t seem to have a clear agenda. They don’t seem strong together - and I guess now they are one less.

I like that Austin’s so bitter about the sandwich. Not-Boston-Rob guy is really growing on me. I’m very attached to Kaleb and Emily. Emily’s so interesting since she bugged me so much episode 1 but now I feel like she’s my eyes into the show. I was very upset when J said Emily and everyone seemed like they would go with it. The unanimous votes tonight for a merging tribe were pretty impressive. I was glad Drew didn’t turn on Emily. I don’t think I like any of the other women players, other than Emily. Maybe Katurah. My final three would be Emily, Kaleb, and Austin. I like Sifu but he seems a little all over the place. I would agree with Kaleb that Bruce is playing an old-school game. You need to be the leader no one notices leading in this game, and he’s all listen to me! Drew is holding himself back from taking charge but I suspect everyone knows it. His relationships seem very selective. The rest of the women don’t seem to have a clear agenda. They don’t seem strong together - and I guess now they are one less.

I liked YamYam, but I didn't think he could win. I was wrong! I can't believe NO ONE voted for Carolyn? WTF. I always enjoy Survivor but this was a little snoozy, especially after Franny was eliminated? I was rooting for her, I guess. The challenges are all the same. Obstacle course, puzzle. Stand on something for a long time. I would love to see them have challenges like build a raft and row out to get something. That's sort of like a puzzle and a course. I don't know - I would need lots more ideas but I'd like to see more challenges in different locations that don't end up with a puzzle.

Yes and also - someone mentioned he was the only one who had a language barrier to deal with. I noticed it when he told her to use Coriander and she was like - what's that? Because we say cilantro in the US. I think the language thing has been very under-rated this series, I worked for a German company for years and even listening to them speak English with a heavy German accent exhausted me! I can't imagine how my colleagues felt speaking in another language for hours or days if we were together. (I tried to learn German and failed.) Anyway - it's tiring in the brain, and I think it definitely led to some challenge misunderstandings for Begona and Victoire, I think. So hats off to all the international chefs, and I guess Buddha is technically not American....I wish the final 3 were a little more international!

This has been such a great season. It is going to be hard to go back to chefs of varying degrees of talent next season, after everyone on this show starting at the top. And I have also liked every single chef, and been sad to see them PYKAG. Dubious decision on production's part to continue filming in the pouring rain. That looked super unpleasant. Sara's soup looked delicious. I was worried it wouldn't be enough but her little meat jam/pear thing made it special and interesting. Buddha...too soon for another wellington, as far as I am concerned. He is very talented, but just doesn't do it for me. He seems to be the frontrunner to win. Gabri - the thing is, his food seems to be delicious. He makes the food I want to eat! Sometimes Sara, too, but really always Gabri. And I do like his talking heads. I think he's very creative and without being able to taste his food, he sounds like a sauce genius. His videochat with his mom made me tear up. He does have time issues and seems to over extend himself. I thought Sara's comment that maybe it was GOOD that some things were left off his plate was very astute. But maybe the mushroom cookie would have pushed him more mushroom forward. Ali - I knew he was handsome but for some reason, he was VERY handsome this episode. I tend to agree with the guest judge though, that the mushroom steak was just not very interesting in the end. But that said, I don't think Buddha's mushroom en croute was very interesting either. Anyway, he is lovely and I guess he'll be back as someone's sous.

I was glad Caroline made it through. I was worried YamYam/JamJam was going to betray her. I know it happens, but it just doesn't sit right. I'm not sure he can win, to be honest. I think he has gotten himself into a position with Caroline where, if he betrays her, it's not going to look good to the jury. And if she brings him to the final 3, he will look like a goat. I actually like YamYam a lot - but I don't see him winning. Fan favorite maybe. Carson could win, but he should make some kind of big move to prove he is more than a puzzle guy. If he took out Caroline, would it be negatively perceived? She saved him with her idol. I'm starting to like Heidi more, and I suppose Lauren is next though I feel like she has gotten a strong edit as a single mom. Maybe she'll keep winning immunity. Caroline is crazy like a fox and the editors clearly love her. I enjoy watching her on my tv but I don't think I could live with her on an island. If I were on the jury, I'd vote for her because my perception is she kept TIKA together. Maybe that's not valid.

That's a lot of wellingtons to eat. I also really like Gabri and it was nice to see him paired with Buddha. I was worried the edit was going to be Buddha condescending and running everything, but they did seem to work nicely together. Gabri just seems to be ambitious and I think he has time management issues so if anything goes wrong....it really goes wrong. Buddha is so analytical, I think he reined in Gabri's wilder tendencies in a successful way. It does look like Buddha will win and he does seem like an excellent chef - I just don't like fussy food. So his dishes don't wow me all that much. I was sad about Amar and Sarah! Amar particularly for his food, Sarah more for her personality (I am converted from her US season when I was not a fan.) - I like Sarah's talking heads. Just a great bunch of chefs this season, will be hard to top? Will be hard to go back to people making fancy toasts after this. (I liked the fancy toast lady, but...food wise this a big upgrade!)

We're arguing about it, so it must be ambiguous to some of us, at least? I thought there was a chance whatever they were doing would work. But that said-I do wish it had been a longer episode, I wish they had eased us into Firefly Hospital and given us a little more of everything before the shooting started. I just binged the whole series, loved it. This last episode was too brutal for me, but the whole series was well done. I now get all the Pedro Pascal hype. (It's deserved!) He is really wonderful in this role.

I would have thought Charbel was 40. I couldn't believe it when he said he was only 25! Anyway - his food generally does look delicious, and I thought this was a tough competition - all of the dishes looked good so they were looking for tiny details to pick apart. I am not sure if I would have thought to go "lamb-free" if I were on that team, but I do think it's a shame that the orange and the prickly pear didn't really much attention. You know if Gabri had that prickly pear he'd have made it shine. I am disappointed that Gabri's been singled out several times for good dishes but keeps not actually winning. His food is what I want to eat most of the time. I don't think he will win but i hope he sticks around. Also he made me laugh when he said "You are going to give the Mexican the avocado? Big mistake!!" The whole thing with Tom and the peppers - I think it's tough because people are competing so they get intense - and then they must realize out of the moment how stupid it is/regret that. But it's already on film! I think Sarah seems like she watched her season and realized she didn't like what was put on film. I would have to re-watch her season but I remember thinking she was really negative. Now she seems kind, funny, and laid-back. I am just loving this season, though. All of the chef's are pretty lovable, and the food looks amazing. I would much rather watch people at the top of their game put out great food than watch people flounder and fail.

I don't think Kane was the biggest threat but he was incredibly stupid a few episodes when Carson told him the vote was going against Brandon and he went right to him and told him and named Carson as part of the conversation. So I'm not sure he established himself as trustworthy. He didn't seem to really connect with anyone organically and then tried to get into the "big guy" alliance and thought he was set. So in the end, not smart enough to be Carson's person, and not big enough to be a big guy. I do love Frannie - and Carolyn - and Carson. And YamYam. Or JamJam. Whatever his name is, he makes me laugh. I didn't take his thing about everyone who voted for him going down - I took that as a joke. And I don't think he feels safe at all, I think he's fun to watch.

Right? Up the puzzle budget, please. I love YamYam and find him funny, so I am happy he was spared this week. I did not like Josh. I know it's just editing but it looked like he stepped off the boat and was like "VOTE OFF YAMYAM!" - he didn't seem to waste any time before weaseling around. And then he came back to YamYam and lied to him about voting for Kane. (I am pretty sure Josh voted for YamYam, right?) I would like to see Franny shake off Matt because she seems smart and funny and I also think he's holding her back/making her a target. Kane actually should go home, being being such an idiot as to repeat what Carson told him right back to the source? Why would he do that? If I were Carson, he'd be dead to me going forward. I also think Carolyn presents kind of crazy. She is fun to watch on my tv but I'm not sure how close I would want to get on a small island. That said - it's very interesting to watch her being ignored when we know she is right! And maybe the editing played up her being ignored because in the end - Josh WAS voted out. Now that they've hit the merge, they can start picking off the big strong guys, right? The remaining players seem to tilt strongly toward nerd so I'm thinking big guys go down next...

I don't think it's about Steve being entitled to the girl. It's about if those two still have chemistry and still "feel it" when they are together. And on my end - when Steve took off his shirt and jumped in the water I also wanted to go after him so...I do think they have good chemistry together and still have a bond. They've both grown and become kick-a$$ people. That said - I agree that Barb was a big part of Nancy jumping in, but a newbie like Munson wouldn't understand. Misunderstandings are what tv love stories are made of, right? This episode and the one prior were both fantastic. I hit a mid-season lull where I was not feeling it but I loved both of these and cannot wait for the new ones to start.

They kept showing the scene through one of the abandoned car windows and I thought that meant someone was watching them, but no one popped out so I guess not? I guess that was just camera work. I did not like this episode at all. At all. I hate the Hopper Russia stuff. Murray and Joyce and Yuri are very frustrating. I hate all of the lab/Eleven stuff, though I understand it's important to the show. I still hate it. California desert - hate it. The farther they get from Hawkins the more disjointed everything feels. I suppose this is about the halfway point in the season, and so every plot point is out there and it will all come together in the end but right now, for me, it's just too much stuff taking me away from Hawkins and the heart of the show. All of the horror - is very scary - but it also reminds me of old RL Stine books somehow? The clock, particularly. I'm sure that's a device that has been used over and over again by horror writers but does anyone remember a Goosebumps or Fear Street with a clock on the cover?

I think Will's bowl cut is supposed to tip to him being in a state of arrested development and not ready to grow up but...coupled with his post-puberty deep voice, it is just awful. I would love to see him with some cool layers/feathered hair. He looks Amish. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, lol.) And that said - my husband and I started watching the show because Will looks so much like my husband did in elementary school - bowl cut and all.

Re: Steve. For anyone who was a Dawson's Creek fan...Pacey was supposed to be Dawson's horny sidekick and Josh Jackson basically made the writers love him and ended being elevated to leading man status. It seems like an organic thing that happens and makes shows better sometimes...I'm in the same camp as those upthread who can't believe how much they like Steve now, after hating him S1. But I think that's also a big 80's trope - the villain turning hero. So I guess it fits. This episode was pretty incredible but so scary/gory that the show is turning a bit like Game of Thrones for me. I will watch because I am very into the story and the characters, but I have to zone out/put a pillow over my face/go get a snack for half the scenes because I can't watch that much of Hopper being tortured or peoples limbs/eyes popping all over the place. I get that it is some people's favorite thing, but not mine! That said - the end when Max was running towards the light was so, so incredible. Are there Stranger Things graphic novels (there must be) because so many scenes this season have been just perfect for that format? And agree - Sadie Sink has been incredible this season. In the same vein as Steve...I'm finding Murray very fun and appealing this season? He is kind of charming outside of his bunker. I loved his sweater look on the plane. Previously I found him kind of creepy but he and Joyce are a good team. As mentioned above, I can't watch Hopper be tortured anymore. I love him. He's one of my favorite characters. I'm not sure where the Russia storyline goes from here which is interesting for me, because I'm pretty good at story and it takes a lot to surprise me but I am not sure where this is going.

Will have to respectfully disagree there....I was in high school 1984-1987 and my roller skating outfit was THE BEST. It was tiny polyester striped sky blue and white shorts with a white tank top and a short sky blue satin baseball-style jacket with the stretchy cuffs and bands. Add a sparkly forehead band to my big hair and I was ready to roll. That jacket was my favorite thing in the world for a very long time. I was like Xanadu but in NJ... Anyway - the outfits that are not working for me are El's because I thought last season she went to the mall and got some sass? And now she is dressing like a sister-wife. That said, my heart breaks for El. I'd call the bullying enhanced for tv but not really unbelievable. Did people join in with the awful group mentality to bully the odd girl? Yes, absolutely. Did people all just stand back and watch people get bullied or beat up? Yes, absolutely. Did bad stuff happen at the roller rink - yes. I was not happy to see El bash the girl in the face with the skate. I get it, but I hate it. What are we supposed to think? When she raised her hand last episode in the school courtyard, what would have happened if she had her powers? El has been through so much - to let someone like Angela break her seems off to me. Dustin was amazing this episode. And Steve, thanks for being Steve because I adore him. I wish he and Nancy were endgame and could work together again. I just don't get her and Jonathan. Oh, and I think Eddie Munson is pretty great.

Oh, Damarr. Sad to see him go but this challenge and the last he seemed a little wiped out. Someone mentioned that he does a thing where he looks down and up and now I can't unsee it. He does that and clasps his hands in front and it's such a humble posture - like a little boy. It makes me want to hug him and tell him to straighten up and be confident. That is the mom in me. Buddha stumbled. Agree with everyone's thoughts that he is technically proficient. I had him pegged as the winner but am not so sure now. Evelyn's food this week was the caliber of what she should have made Eric Ripert last week. I'm glad she pulled it together. Sara's food is the food I most want to eat, to be honest, but I like that local, hipster food scene that she seems to represent. Anyway, I thought this was Buddha's to lose but now I am not so sure and that might just be good, tricky editing on the producers part to keep me interested? And lastly - Evelyn has the sweetest face. She could be a character in a children's book.

Aw. I love Nick, am sad to see him go but...wow, he fell apart in the kitchen on this one. And so did his fish cake...in a way, I'm glad he made such egregious errors - it was just a bad, bad day for him and his elimination made sense. But man, he seems like such a warm and wonderful person - I would love to eat at his restaurant and I think that is one of the best outcomes of TC. I felt like Evelyn didn't get the Daniel Boulud part of the challenge. That his being a judge added a certain expectation of showiness. She seemed really happy with her dishes, so I kind of hated seeing her face when she was on the bottom. This is an extraordinarily sweet cast of final chefts. I love Damarr. I could ship Damarr and Dawn, to be honest? Do they have spouses? I love Damarr's shy vibe. His food is a little up and down for me, some of it has looked delicious and some of it has looked sludge-y. I understood the judges objections to his main course fish. I have watched Sara in LCK and I became a fan. She is funny - and CLEVER in her cooking - I appreciate that humor. I don't think they should let chefs back into the competition this late. I think when they let Ashleigh back in, that should have been it. But I am not in charge. I was glad that she won, because if she nudged Nick out by a hair I think it would have made for unpleasant watching. The fishing trip did have a big element of fishing with your dad. That was cute. In closing, I love tacos but...it's Top Chef, not Top Taco. The same way scallops get overused during a season, I feel like we have seen enough tacos here. I am sure some helpful soul will pipe up with the taco count and lmk that there haven't been that many tacos? I think also - I'm not impressed with tacos because they are always the go to on Chopped! When in doubt, make a taco.

I am of the mind that Mike is like-able, and seems liked by most members of the jury. I think the only one he really "betrayed" so far is Hai - who I think might actually respect that play more than Mike continuing to be his creature. Full-disclosure in that I do not know Mike, but I live in NJ, lived in Hoboken for a while (where he is a fireman) and he is such a TYPE. Chicago Redshirt - we wouldn't say you're my favorite ever here, we'd say "I LOVE YOU, MAN!" or you're dead to me. But you are right on - there's nothing in between. But because I am also from NJ and the exact same way...that makes him more likable to me. However, I do understand that the jury is not made up of fellow NJ dwellers and people from NJ offend the rest of the country all the time. Question up thread was who would vote for Mike, but I guess I just don't see a bunch of people who would vote against him. I actually think Mike, MaryAnn, and Lindsay have done a great job of playing the game without making enemies. Jonathan's starving crankiness has undermined his provider/challenge beast points. Agree with the point someone made upthread - if they try to blindside Maryann next week and she uses her idol and sticks around she DESERVES the win. ;0