SophiaD

I don't think I've ever seen a program like Ilia's. That was remarkable. He completely nailed all of those quads and his artistry is coming along brilliantly. I'm just glad I was able to witness that.

I think that's for the casual viewer who may have stumbled on the show, but it definitely gets repetitive. I was glad Brooke pulled it out. Bryon being upset with her that she replaced him (on Top Chef, I think?) was really kind of silly. She didn't have anything to do with his being voted out. Also, the backseat driving from the other two Titans was endearing, but I can see how it might have been a bit annoying in the moment. Brooke handled it better than I would have. I thought the judging was off, though, in favor of the challenger. I agree with Michael that you can't say something is the best use of the ingredients that you've seen thus far and then vote it down. And Tiffany was so upset at her very low score, which I didn't think she deserved. Nice camaraderie between the Titans.

That was an enjoyable episode. Brooke wasn't the only one to be irritated by Kelvin's comments. I was like, "Dude, could you be any more condescending?" i was glad that she won and I like her, too. I'm enjoying the format. I like the three Titans, how they comment knowledgeably on how the cooking is going. I like that the stakes are somewhat high - $25,000 isn't nothing. I also like that the judges are, for the most part, seasoned professionals. Bobby also looks as if he's enjoying himself. He's earned it!

My TV listings are weird today, but this is supposedly the final episode of the season, where we finish Stage 3 and move on to Stage 4.

I haven't even seen it yet, and I already hate this format. 😞

Tonight, we take on Stages 2 and 3! Just in case you missed it, for the first time ever, it will feature SIDE-BY-SIDE RACING!

I caught the re-run on NBC earlier this evening. Again, it was nice to see a normal episode again, but, overall, the season was kind of meh. So sad for Najee and for Sean Bryan. No women got through. They're still harping on the mother thing. I am happy that Flip, RJ, Joe Moravsky, and RJ made it through, but a teen will probably win the whole thing. I'll watch the rest of the season, but if next year is identical, I'll probably have it on while I clean the house.

Tomorrow is another weird day, so here your thread for Stage 2 (and possibly 3?), which will feature yet more SIDE-BY-SIDE RACING! for the second part of Stage 1! Thanks for the corrections, friends! I must have been looking at the wrong week!

Well, that was poignant. It still had the flavor of the series that it used to be, backstories and all. And NO SIDE-BY-SIDE RACING! I do hope Flip makes it through to the finals. And it's upsetting that the (stupid) new format means that a lot of seasoned ninjas weren't there this year. I know it's unlikely they will ditch the side-by-side races, but I wish they would. I am SO over the whole "first mom" thing. Can we just let the woman do her run? Also, I'm all about being true to yourself and all, but I doubt that Bob Reese's baby cares whether he does a flip or not. A million dollars, on the other hand, would be a very nice basis for a college fund, not to mention to all of the expenses involved in having a baby and raising a child. It looks like we get another nice trip down memory lane next week, and then onto Stage 2.

Here we are at last! I understand that Stage 2 has MOAR SIDE-BY-SIDE racing, but Stage 1 may be blissfully race-free! We'll see! Whoops, that should be Episode 11, but I don't think it will let me edit the header. Sorry, y'all.

Yes, I'm with you on both. I really didn't like Viet Pham's attitude towards the Titans, nor did I care for the judge. But Brittany did a wonderful job and her food looked amazing. I did think Brooke got her in the last round. (Can you tell that I watched the marathon today?) It will be interesting to see what the next season brings. I like this format very much - the chef has the possibility to get tired, as Bobby mentioned. I wonder if that will be a factor.

I really enjoy watching the other Titans watching and commenting on the battle while it's in progress. It's also great that there's just one judge, so they can craft their offerings to appeal to that person. Bobby has strong "cooking dad" vibes in this. I wonder how difficult it is for him to just watch and offer occasional comments and advice, rather than to be cooking himself? (He is rocking his look with that blazer, though).

I stumbled across this show yesterday. I like it SO much more then LILI, mainly because there isn't a competition and one of member of the couple isn't "winning" at the other's expense. Although, I agree, that the $100,000 vanished rather quickly in the GOAT episode, I really liked the slipcovers and the tile refresh as tips for watchers who might want to do their own remodels and can't afford it. Also, the couple was just charming (and baby goats!)

My schedule tomorrow is out of control, so I thought I would post this now, just in case. I may have to stream it after the fact! (gasp)

Wow. I seriously hate this format. It's even worse this episode. People who do well deserve to go on. This race thing is nonsense.

Your thread for this evening, which will presumably focus on yet more side-by-side racing. (sigh) On a side note, I really wish they hadn't recorded next year's season this year, because that means, unless they are changing things just to change them, any major format changes are unlikely. Also, some of my favorite ninjas are out this year, and two years is a long time to wait to see them again, if they even continue to compete. On the plus side (I suppose), I get a lot more done on Monday nights, just having this on in the background.

That went about how I thought it would. I ended up having it on in the background while I multi-tasked. It's a new show now, with similar obstacles and some of the same people, but the aspects I liked are pretty much gone. It's like going back to a neighborhood and seeing all of the quirky old homes pulled down for snappy new condos. Perfectly serviceable, but lacking character. I'm also not a huge fan of the men and women having separate leaderboards. It definitely rewards agile, speedy, people, especially the teens. I was happy for the SAHD with the seriously cute kids, and for Tyler Yamauchi, who I've always liked. The young woman who hit the buzzer was incredible. It's also nice to see the safety pass again. In general, the editing has been good for these last few episodes. And it sounds from the preview as if someone is going to win a million dollars this season. I'm hoping that someone like Sean Bryan will have an incredible run, maybe even win, but my guess is that it will be one of the teens.

Your thread for this evening! Hey, did you know that it's going to feature side-by-side racing?

Happy for Flip and for Ryan Stratis. Congratulations to Caleb and Ashley Bergstrom on their marriage and to Caleb for his MegaMall run and Ashley for a solid run of her own. If they are the new ninja power couple, one benefit of the abbreviated format is that Matt and Akbar didn't go on and on about it. It doesn't feel as if we are getting enough of Zuri this season. I think in general the editing was better this evening - showing the abbreviated runs of the final two competitors just before they went head-to-head. I'm probably not going to see the TMNT movie, but I have to hand it to Akbar and Matt for being good sports about it, especially at the end.

Our final night of qualifiers!

Well, good for the teenage girl who doesn't have to clean the men's restroom anymore! So, we had three buzzers tonight and all of them were by teens. Meh. It was great to see Karsten, his adorable students, and his awesome mother. Also, great to see Barclay and her fiancée and she had a great run. But we barely saw Nick Hansen at all and we didn't see Abel Gonzalez, except when he was cheering on his protégé from the sidelines. I guess I'm just going to have to stop kvetching and realize that this is now an entirely different show and decide if it's still worth watching as it is or not. Looks as though we have one more week of qualifiers and then it's onto the semis. Again, I'm not enthused by the "ninja vs ninja" idea (although Akbar seems to love it!), but I guess I'll see how it lands.

Your thread for tonight's episode! Fingers crossed that we get more runs like Sean Bryan's last week and less of... whatever it is we're currently getting.

Can confirm, although as someone close to his age bracket, he is also extremely fine. And, somehow, that's not creepy. I was a little disappointed that the otherwise-excellent article didn't mention the difference he was making with La'an. He's even got her raving about his cooking.

Yikes, a lot of the really good ninjas went down early tonight, especially on the Domino effect. It was great to see Michelle Warnky and Jamie Rahn again. Cute babies. DAVID CAMPBELL got the WWWA treatment? Seriously? Very happy for Rachel Degutz! And a great run from Sean Bryan. That's really kind of poignant, because there used to be at least a few runs like that per night, with competitors we watched over the season, but tonight we only had him. Even Joe Moravsky fell, although he looked awesome before then. (I still hate the side-by-side races in the qualifiers, though).

Your thread for tonight's episode!