radiochik

I'm also in the minority here because Michelle's was my favorite of the bunch. I also liked Sonjia's. Both needed some fixing but they weren't boring like the others. I just wish that Lifetime wouldn't show commercials for next week during the later airings of the show that SPOIL THE EPISODE I'M WATCHING. Jeez. I'm sitting here wondering who is leaving between Michelle and Fabio when the commercial clearly shows me no Fabio. I almost threw something at the tv.

Ugh. So much screaming and too many WTF moments where golden tickets were concerned. Such a letdown after the awesome Adam Lambert episode last week. I honestly didn't like Jerry Lee Lewis guy when he tried to be himself. He looked like Jerry Lee Lewis trying to sing a modern song. Maybe he's been doing the Vegas show too long and can't get out of character? Plus dude looked OLD even though they listed him as 20. (or early twenties...I can't remember.) I kinda liked the last guy but he was on the Voice? Let someone else have a chance at tv exposure. Do these shows share an audience much? I never got into the Voice past the audition rounds so I'm not a regular viewer. Idol I've been watching since the beginning.

I'm in the minority as I've never been an Adam Lambert fan. In fact, I could not stand him during his season. However, he was a great addition to the judge's panel tonite. He has a great perspective on the process and he offers constructive advice/criticism. He sees how someone would appeal to viewers of the show. And I also admit I enjoyed the reenactment of his audition. They should make room for a 4th judge during live shows and keep him on. Loved Jax. I am not a fan of the "heartstring jerking backstories" on this show - it's been known to turn me off of a contestant but her audition just blew me away. I'm getting annoyed with all the quirky singers. All the little squeaks and affectations in their voices just sounds so put on by now. There's some definite talent in most of them but it's starting to make me tune them out. If everyone is quirky, there is no longer anything original about it.

I think the point was that he was Andy Cohen's college roommate and they were cooking a college staple using ingredients supplied by college kids. I was bummed to see Dougie go. I truly hope he can win LCK and come back. I was rooting for a Gregory, Mei and Doug final 3 so maybe it can still happen. Like so many others, I thought Melissa was a goner based on the beginning with her and Mei and a lot of the talking heads w her. The editing monkeys fooled me!

The intro w the Top 24 did nothing for me. It was so processed or auto tuned or whatever that it told me nothing about anyone's actual singing ability. I hate that they let a lot of young singers through who obviously need more work and practice before trying out again next year. Like the country singer who was the youngest of 10. I was unimpressed. Her voice was thin, not strong enough and definitely not ready for Hollywood. On the other hand, I loved Emily, the 15 year old at the end. She is talented enough to go through and can learn A LOT from the whole process. I didn't hate the guy w the long red hair (from Staten Island) but I hated how they edited him. He was awkward, sure but I felt they made him look a fool. I agree w him not going to Hollywood though. He was a guy I could see fronting one of the many local bands I see at home. Plus Give A Little Bit is NOT by the Goo Goo Dolls. I know they had a hit with their version but the (much better version of the) song is by Supertramp.

My problem wasn't really what they were saying as much as how they were going about it. It all seemed a bit too much "let's gang up on Nikki" for me. Sure Nikki is privileged and a pain in the ass but it doesn't mean she doesn't have problems and doesn't deserve to have an opinion on anything. Jenna cannot stand Nikki for reasons I think are more rooted in Jenna's own issues than Nikki herself. There was one point where they were trashing Nikki but Jenna admitted that she reacts to things the same way Nikki did. (Or something like that - it's been a few hours since I watched the episode.) It almost seems that Jenna picks a target and gets others to go along with her in order to take the heat off herself and her issues. I dunno. I didn't watch the Bachelor so maybe I just don't have enough background on Nikki and how terrible she is. I just don't like the way some of the others are acting toward her. Cecily was PISSED when she was told Nikki was saying that she was disrespectful. How different is Nikki's trash talking to what Cecily and Jenna were saying behind Nikki's back? and Nikki was only saying it to one person - Cecily and Jenna were saying this to the rest of the group. and I still don't get why Nikki apologized to Cecily but Cecily didn't apologize to Nikki.

Yup. Nikki hasn't exactly been my favorite person on this show but I thought Cecily and Jenna were very "mean girl" tonite. Cecily jumped all over Nikki over the Andi conversation and then when Nikki shared privately in their room to Juan Pablo that she felt disrespected by Cecily, Jenna eavesdropped and gleefully started manipulating the situation. and boy is Cecily easily manipulated! I thought Dick was absolutely correct when he thought they were wrong and went to console / talk to Nikki. Which, in turn, pissed Cecily off - "I heard you high fived her ..." What? It's like she wants it to be everyone against Nikki. Ganging up on someone isn't going to solve anything. Especially when they are all there for therapy. I never thought I'd see a situation where Dick was the sane one in a group of reality show famewhores. Nikki decided to try and talk it out w Cecily who went in there w a major attitude. Only when Nikki took all the blame and apologize did Cecily back down and make nice. I certainly didn't think Nikki was the only one at fault. and the one manipulating the whole situation (Jenna) got away with it. That said - Juan Pablo and Nikki have no business being together. It really shouldn't be that hard, especially that early in a relationship. That whole thing w Treach and his dad was heartbreaking. His dad just doesn't get it. I wonder what we're going to find out next week. Meanwhile, previews seem to show Deena going off the rails. She probably realized that they weren't getting much screen time being the most normal ones in the house.

I have a bit of a silly question: I watched this while getting ready for work at 3 am so it didn't have my full attention. Was Richard on this episode? I was so focused on the stupid drama between Keri Ann and the hat wearing d-bag so when someone upthread mentioned Blais, I honestly did not remember seeing him. At all. (Which was refreshing over all the Blais in your face moments from last week.) Color me bummed that both DC area chefs are gone in the first 2 episodes. I like to root local before I get to know the cheftestants well enough to pick favorites and boom! Gone! But I will say that I'm already planning on heading to Fredericksburg sometime soon to check out Joy's restaurant. The online menu looks tasty! As others have said, I knew Joy was gone once she undercooked the pork. I had slight hope they would eliminate one of the Bicker Twins instead but I watch way too much reality tv and know well enough that they will milk that drama for all it's worth for as long as they can. I'm on the fence about Mei Lin. I loved her last week and then started to sour on her this week because of her attitude and the overmentioning of MVolt. He's a good chef and yes, he won Top Chef but he's not the Greatest Chef That Ever Cheffed. (I loved his season of Top Chef but preferred his brother over him both food and personality wise.) Like others have said, I'm sure the producers want her to mention MVolt as much as possible and they are totally salivating over the possibility of her making it far so they can bring him in. In fact, I'm surprised they didn't manipulate it to push Isabella lite further in the competition so he and Mei Lin could go head to head in an Isabella vs Voltaggio showdown.

I didn't get the bad feeling about Isabella-lite that the rest of you did. I didn't think he was pissed. I thought he was uncomfortable and a bit quiet. This may have to do with an interview with him I read earlier this week - I'm from the DC area so he was the local chef getting all the attention. (I was surprised to see someone from Fredericksburg on there as well since I hadn't seen any press on her. Fredericksburg is close enough to be considered DC area - a lot of people live out there and commute because of how horrible the traffic is.) Anyway, in the interview, he called Top Chef one of the more stressful experiences in his life and that he wasn't looking to become a TV star, just to get the Kapnos name out there. (Although it's not like Kapnos doesn't already have Isabella's name attached to it.) He also referenced it as an opportunity that came to him that he couldn't pass up which makes it sounds like he was recruited and didn't apply on his own. I thought his first problem was being wishy washy about what he wanted to do in the timed race. The clams came to him because he didn't assert himself. I didn't have a problem with him saying the team set him up to lose. He's right. The others were slow which put them last when it was his turn. Yes, he was the slowest on the team doing a protein that he didn't want to do in the first place but had the other 3 finished earlier, he could have been slow and still not finished last. Then, as we all know, he stupidly challenged Gregory. If no one goes home if you win, of course you try and pick a weaker chef not someone you're pissed at. When he left, I didn't see sour grapes. I saw a guy disappointed in himself. Does his association with Mike Isabella sour people on him before he even gets a chance to make an impression? Because i didn't think he was so bad. (And for the record, I HATED Isabella during his season and during the whole recipegate w Blais on All Stars. After his first go round on Top Chef, I refused to eat at Zatinya because he was associated with it. However, I've had the chance to meet him a few times through my job and he's not a bad guy. Very likable in person and super friendly. I think he's grown a lot since his season. And I've had fantastic food at his first restaurant Graffiato.) I hate early eliminations like a Sudden Death Quickfire. Yes, I was rooting for Isabella-lite cuz he's local but even if it hadn't been him going home, I feel for the ones that go first in those kind of eliminations. If someone makes the show, I'd like to see them cook in a full challenge before being eliminated, since someone had to be first. Also, add me to the people who like Richard Blais. He's been a favorite of mine since his season. But lately, he's on tv so much, I"m getting tired of seeing him and his neurotic tendencies. I thought adding him as a judge might be a good thing since he won't be competing and won't have a reason to be stressed/neurotic. But this was just Blais Overload. He's at the Quickfire, he's in the kitchen, he's at the event, he's at the table. ENOUGH. Just have him at the event/challenge and at the judges table. Someone mentioned this and I agree that Blais calling out Olive Oil Snow and Bacon Powder was very Pot Kettle Black for me. I'm still a Richard fan so hopefully they will tone down the Blais as the season goes on.

My opinion of Cecily completely changed during this episode. LIke others have said, I agree w Treach -she doesn't want to fix anything between them. She just wants to be right. She will only accept one answer: Yes, I cheated on you. And then she'll crow about knowing it all along. Whether he cheated or not, I don't see how she can ever trust him again. They should just call it a day. I do not like Nikki. But I agreed with her that whatever secret Dick had was none of their business and the speculating wasn't getting them anywhere. Cecily tried to make it all about her: I'm closer to him than the rest of you - this affects ME. Well, I'm sure she cares about him but it really doesn't affect her. I'm torn about Nikki and Juan Pablo. He's still a d-bag. And I don't think he loves her. But I was a bit bothered by Nikki saying "I don't speak Spanish. Those words mean nothing to me." Maybe she should learn some Spanish. Take an interest in his culture. English isn't his native language but he knows what it means when she says I love you to him. I'm also concerned when he says he will leave his daughter to move to LA with her. I didn't watch The Bachelor so I have no idea of his relationship with his daugher. But Nikki spends so much time saying she doesn't want to leave everyone that she knows loves her yet doesn't seem to blink an eye at the thought of him leaving his daughter. I guess I've come to the conclusion that they are both unlikable people. I wish Jenna wasn't on the show. She needs so much more help than the show can give her and I don't enjoy watching her drama. I've always been an Evel Dick fan. I don't know why but some reality stars that people love to hate I actually like. Dick and Jeffrey Sebelia from Project Runway come to mind. Maybe it's the whole tattooed rock star looking thing that makes me give them a pass (and probably explains all the dating/relationship mistakes from when I was younger!) but either way I never hated Dick. The funny thing is, even though he seems to love being a reality show villain, he seems to be the most real person there. (And I still don't know why Deena and her man are there. They seem like a normal couple who maybe need a bit of counseling to decide if they are ready to take the next step. They aren't a mess like all the others.) Stephanie, on the other hand, is a piece of work. I get that she was intimate with him before the diagnosis but this issue is mostly HIS issue. She seemed more concerned with how she was going to look on tv and what others would think about HER. Meanwhile, he is just agonizing over keeping this secret. I was hoping she would just leave after saying there was no chance they would get back together if he spilled the beans. I don't believe for one minute that she suddenly had a change of heart after talking w Dr. Jenn. That secret was coming out with or without her so I guess she had to go along with it to save face? (Although having read what others were saying on here about Dick being engaged to another girl during BB13 and questioning his and Steph's relationship, I'm not quite sure what to think.)

Producer set up or not, Tripp must not be the starving artist Kerry's mom thinks he is if he is whisking her away on a plane spontaneously to his lake house. Or he at least comes from money. Plus didn't he say he was finishing up a commissioned piece of artwork when Kerry called him after her other date? I predict next episode Kerry's mom will have a turnaround on him (especially if she was watching this episode.) I thought it was quite dickish of Joey to invite his date to Brian's birthday party in the middle of the date that obviously wasn't going so well for Brian. While it made for a deliciously awkward moment, Joey should have waited til he was alone with his date to ask that. But Joey is a.self centered and b. quite eager to move way fast with the men he goes out with. I dunno why Tabisum was so pissed at her date. If she keeps picking men because "they're hot", that's what she is going to get, a guy who wants to get in her pants. In his defense, she DID age 7 years overnight. Heh.

I liked Brian before last night's episode but now see him for the tool he really is. I cannot stand people who act so proud that they don't know anything about current pop culture. Like that makes him a better person because he doesn't know the music on the Top 40 stations? I liked the fact that she called him out on his BS. I've never liked Kerry. Her voice annoys me and her over reliance on her parents was a bit much. It was so obvious in her bday party episode that her mom DID NOT like Tripp. But now her mom isn't speaking to her? Ugh. Why are some people so quick to write off artists and the like as "not good enough" for their little girl? He obviously makes a living. But because it isn't a prestigious job that makes a ton of money, they dismiss him. Then Kerry admits to her aunt that she doesn't like his hair. If I were Tripp, I'd run. She's going to try and change him eventually and the first step will be coming at him with scissors. And Mommy will always turn her nose up at him. Ericka and her best friend (I forget her name) are the only likable people remaining on this show.

Evel Dick was on Big Brother. I believe he did another stint on the show with his daughter Danielle too. Treach and his girlfriend worry me. He has no kindness towards her but he was right when he said she doesn't like to discuss things. I feel bad for their kids because didn't he say they fight in front of the kids? I like the Jersey Shore couple the best. They seem the most "normal"out of this group.

I started watching the show in a "what the heck is this?" way but now it's on my list of things to DVR each week. Does anyone know how long it's going to run? I really really really did not like Lee. At all. He came across as such a shallow a-hole. I wanted Ericka to stay away but I have to admit, he kinda won me over during their date on this last episode. He seemed softer with her and I think he may really like her. I was team Francesco last week when Lee first asked her out but I may be coming over to Team Lee. I also like Ericka's best friend - when she went to meet Lee and said, "Why am I here?" Nice, direct and full of awesome. I'm still not sure I like the idea of Lee "making" Ericka go on a date with him after she turned him down but it was definitely ballsy. The fact that he remembered her favorite view of the city was sweet too.