pasdetrois

I wonder if the reason they are dragging out one pageant into multiple episodes is to cut production costs. The location work is expensive vs. the editing. They can go on location to shoot a pageant and use the footage for multiple episodes.

I missed a couple episodes but saw the latest one. So glad I did because: red-haired mom doing her own "tearfully murmur silent prayers while lifting praise hands up to heaven." You know, the thing that adult beauty queens do when they win. I'm not sure I agree that Cambrie is much better than the other idiots. She's very camera-conscious and knows how to control and shape her own behavior when the cameras are pointed at her. Even then we see some eye-rolling and snide asides.

Despite his healthy ego, I suspect Ben lacks confidence. (Says the woman who has to gird herself for battle when cooking for more than four people.)

Agreed. The extensive diet restrictions, the 12-course dinner, the toys...all probably producer-driven. However, I think Sierra's cluelessness is all her own. When she was smashing oranges onto the juicer, I was reminded of a great scene in the movie In & Out. Shalom Harlow played a beautiful, dim model who tried to use an old-fashioned dial telephone. She jabbed her finger over and over against the dial, hoping for push buttons. I wonder what happened with Sierra's juice business - did it ever really get off the ground, or was it an idea only? Bless her heart. I'm glad Trevor is gone. He was loathsome but I also felt bad that production served him up on a platter to be ridiculed. I think he expected (in his delusional way) to be a breakout star and instead he was blindsided. At least two of the guests are those get-rich-quick yahoos. http://www.johnchow.com/ http://www.shoemoney.com Captain Lee is a gem.

Random thoughts: I was surprised at how messy some parts of the house were. I was very surprised that the Ramseys broke their own window and then didn't bother to repair it over a long period of time. Plus, the window frame appeared to be rotting. Very out of character for house-proud folks. I wonder if there was family dysfunction hidden behind the polished facade. I agree that there isn't enough evidence to easily convict anyone, but the Ramseys' behavior screams "guilty" to me. When I watched their news statements in real-time, they seemed very rehearsed and also entitled. ETA: how is CBS getting away with stating that Burke committed the act? Surely the legal department was all over this broadcast, but I was surprised at the overt statements by the investigation team.

Kim Dickens showed more emotions as a chef obsessing about entrees in Treme than she does fighting for her existence in FtWD. This was a stultifying, boring episode. I FFed through most of it.

Didn't we see Janet melt her wedding rings in season 1? I feel as if Brian may have wandered more than the one-time Thai massage for her to end a long marriage that she loved being in. As men age, some of them want a nurse and caretaker and she's probably enjoying her freedom. Perhaps they remain married for financial reasons. Aren't she and PF property developers? Would love to see more of that. I'm bored silly by the fertility stuff, especially since it appears to be a faked storyline. I do love Jackie's flirty little day dresses. I swear she already looks pregnant to me in some scenes - the loose top at the doc's office, and a tiny tummy bulge in the jewelry-shopping dress. Lydia has probably gotten away with looking pretty and being stupid and evasive, but this ruthless gang is fencing her in about her discrepancies. Gina is such a hardboiled realist that it makes me laugh when we see her basking in her celebrity glow. I think her one weakness may be when people flatter her about her celebrity.

Gage, a classic stoic reserved midwesterner, seems way more bonded with the baby than hotheaded Jeff does. Maybe Jeff is creating and using all the house chaos to avoid dealing with the reality of his life changing. How could someone so experienced as Jeff not realize that his property would require so much work? Does he ever NOT trash customers on national TV? I think only if you are a passive, non-assertive customer. Zoila seems relieved to be free from being Jeff's 24/7 hostage. Maybe she didn't leave sooner because she needed him to give her permission - that is, to commit to her financially in semi-retirement. I can see him holding the money over her head to keep her in his home. I'm so sick of Jenny shoving her baby drama into every conversation. She managed to insert her fertility issues throughout the Chino surrogacy visit. She needs a lot of attention about it. Loved seeing the kitty and the architect. I betcha the new architect is insisting that the original architect finish the job because he knows what a nightmare it would be to step in the middle of that mess.

Was candidate Amy always such a poor dancer? Loved seeing the skilled choreographer work with the team, and that she is making a living doing what she loves. Kelli loves the makeovers; she comes alive, relaxes, and has fun. I've always thought the most important thing to her is beauty. However, god help you if you talk back or are assertive or too confident - this post made me laugh. Poor Kelsey is on the Kelli Target List. And I'm dying for a stylist to take Kelli by the hand and find her some stunning, tailored-but-still-sexy clothing. That knit gray dress looked horrible when she sat down. Marshall reminds me of Chaz Dean.

I have a family member who looks "normal." His oxygen was compromised during his birth, and he has mild physical weaknesses (such as balance) and severe learning disabilities. He also has anxiety. All his life it's been a dance of whether to reveal his special needs, such as to teachers and employers, or not, which is his choice in social situations. These things are not always obvious. The little girl in the pageant appeared to have some slight physical limitations, such as balance when she was doing her pageant walk. I don't think her parents owe an explanation to anyone other than what they arranged with the pageant director. I do think they couldn't resist blaring out the special needs stuff because their emotions got the better of them, and they were determined to go toe-to-toe with the other parents. Unfortunately this little girl's privacy was invaded by everyone in the end.

I'm curious about Jeff's staff's employee status. Are they W-2s or 1099s (independent contractors)? If they are W-2s, are they fulltime so that their income includes benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, 401k, etc.? Do they really work a mandatory 48 hour week? I especially wonder if Zoila has been a W-2 all this time, with Jeff paying her Social Security and a retirement plan. In the fake therapy session (I think the therapy sessions are Jeff's attempt to craft a sympathetic persona and do damage control), he offered to pay her in retirement, as if this topic had never arisen before. And I hope Gage is being compensated adequately and properly, despite the domestic arrangement. I've been self-employed for decades, working out of my home. The IRS rules are very specific about using a home office, and about clients not being able to dictate where and when I execute the work; same deal for the 1099 consultants I use. Regarding those daily lunches, the IRS says you can deduct 50% of the cost in some cases. All of which to say I suspect that only Gage and Zoila are W-2s. I assume Jenny has her own contracts, and the other designers may be independent contractors or part-time W-2s.

I am completely distracted by Kate's hair. It's always been in bad shape, but somehow it has gotten worse. There was one shot from behind where it looked like a choppy, striped, tangled rat's nest. How is that cheap unkempt look acceptable for 5 star service? She needs to cut it off and start over. I think Trevor is extremely insecure and immature. I suspect the casting folks spot these people from a mile away and then production manipulates them and the situation for maximum effect. He so desperately wants to be the boss that watching him makes me uncomfortable. But at the same time he's commented on Sierra's breasts at least twice, and that makes me want to smack him. I guess Kelly's military training is kicking in. He's handling being the boss very well. Nico may be a bit of a hot-head. The guests made absolutely no impression on me. It's because they were online the whole time. My friend owns a neighborhood hair salon and she lamented last week that it's gone from being the local gathering spot, with customers, the mail man, etc. chatting with each other, to almost completely silent. Everybody's nose is in their devices.

Alex refers to PF as a child refugee in this week's recap, and I think I recall PF alluding to it in her first season. Or maybe it's mentioned in her book.

Do luxury buyers get a better deal on their purchases in Dubai? I'm with some of the other posters - now that I've read exposes about how some of the workers are treated in Dubai, you couldn't pay me to visit there.

When Gina yelled at Pettifleur, she did what many of us have wanted to do over the years to various obnoxious people. I don't like gangups, so I kind of felt a teeny bit sorry for PF when she had the little meltdown. (I think laying down was her attempt to stop the cameras from taping her.) But PF is so extremely narcissistic and stubborn that someone had to confront her in a very forceful way. All the social and etiquette rules tell you not to do it, but in my life I've found that extreme confrontations are the only thing that get through in these cases. (Or not. PF appears in her THs not to have learned a thing.) Beneath her scatterbrained and soft-hearted exterior, Gamble is exceedingly crafty and possibly quite smart. I think the tears were acting for the camera and to keep her storyline going. Gina saw right through it and shut it down. I adore Chyka's fashion, and her business success, but she probably has skeletons like everyone else, and she doesn't merit protection by production while everyone else is put through the wringer. I'm glad they all called out Lydia, whom I loathe for her racism, arrogance and willful stupidity, but I suspect Chyka might get a little bit of a messy edit in the future. She alluded to "family" gossip; maybe it's about her spoiled kids flunking out of school or something. Or maybe it is about Bruce. If he's on the down low then that could threaten their business, especially in the Middle East. Perhaps these "royal weddings" are the bulk of their income. She said she goes to Dubai 10 - 12 times a year. Janet just bugs me. She has a way with words, but she comes across as stealthy. When they kept showing Jackie at the cultural center, I wondered if she was having pregnancy nausea. She didn't look hungry, she looked nauseated. I'd forgotten that PF was in a refugee camp. Those places can literally drive someone crazy. Most of the severely narcissistic people I've known have been abused. In some cases it's been overt spoiling by their parents.

Kelli just can't help herself. She had to make those clumsy digs at several of the trainees. And she was quite harsh about the one who fell. As if it doesn't happen on those slippery gym floors. That's how I tore my ACL.

My new slogan: "I'm a quiet achiever."

I fell out in laughter twice last night. I guffawed when Bethenny was doing her Sarah Bernhardt schtick, sobbing and staggering around her empty apartment WHILE AN INTERN RECORDED IT, and when it was revealed that Sonja only slept with HER LOVER FIVE TIMES IN 10 YEARS. Talk about the mother lode of unintentional comedy gold. I'm glad Jules got a chance to say her piece, but she needs to avoid using her situation for sympathy or to shut down her critics. A simple STFU will suffice. I hope Bethenny isn't fooled into thinking Andy "likes" her. He's using her for ratings, just like he uses all the outrageous housewives. I don't think he cares for many women at all, at least not those who debase themselves by behaving badly on reality TV. ETA: has it occurred to Bethenny that, even as she has lambasted her mother, Bethenny is turning into her mother? I don't know how much of Bethenny's obnoxious behavior Brynn is exposed to, but if it's a lot, then we have a Petri dish for generation 3. And, Luann's being stubborn. She's been ganged up on by the other housewives, who aren't trying to "help" her, they're trying to humiliate her, and she refuses to back down for that reason. She may end the engagement later.

I'm astounded at how nasty all of these women are. Ganging up and intentional cruelty - and bragging about it - not for me. I couldn't even finish the episode. My former cameraman (news) used to say that ignorance + insecurity + camera = cretins. He was right. I'm out.

And we have the apparently sweet British stew, and Nico said that he was raised by a single mother and a lot of sisters. Clearly Trevor is our Bryon.

Now they're trying to spin Faye's problems with gambling, as if she's just a cute little ol' granny having fun., when in fact her antics have made the news (wasn't it cheating in a casino?). Given their massive IRS debt and bankruptcy, did they really get a yogurt franchise in their name, or does someone else own that store? Franchises are expensive and you usually have to go to the brand's franchise school. It will be interesting to see how much longer they stick around. I don't think Todd can get any credit for business purposes, and I suspect this show, plus the commercials they have made, are their entire revenue source. And the dumb, heavily scripted THs and antics are very lame.

I don't buy the Kate lesbian romance for one second. She's doing it for camera time or to annoy Ben. Trevor is so out of his depth that I almost feel sorry for him. His efforts to compensate for his insecurities are painful to watch. Speaking of insecurities, Kelly's slobbering about the "hot" guests seems like a pretense as well. Plus, he's supposed to be a manager now, not a clueless newbie.

Sissie Spacek's daughter, Skyler Fisk, was listed in the credits. I think she played the bride who had the special dance with daddy. I love seeing the Mexican interior, and I like the hotel location because of cool stuff you can do with all the doors and balconies. Do you suppose than when the ZA hit, and people began to need sustenance while cowering in their rooms, that there were those who refused to touch the expensive mini bar? I watched this episode after watching the movie The Dark Horse, starring Cliff Curtis. He's a much better actor than I knew.

I noticed that too. I think Selyse's mother is maybe on meds. The physical signs are there. And she clearly struggles to be on time and get everything together. (This isn't snark - just an observation.) The other pageant moms are gonna chew her up; she's in way over her head. (This IS snark.) So disappointed in this new format. I was in a hotel on a business trip, my sleep thrown off by a time change, and the old T&T was airing early one morning. They showed Makenzie and Eden Wood's deranged mother and other assorted golden oldies. So I was all primed for the new season.

Bethenny and Carole are jealous of Jules because she is beautiful, has lustrous long natural hair, and is too skinny. As only moderately attractive women who are obsessed with being thin , they are very competitive with Jules and cannot tolerate that she is skinnier and more beautiful than they are. It's a competitive mind-set that some anorexics have. Only Bethenny and Carole tried to spin it as concern. I just read Tama Janowitz's latest memoir. She mentions meeting Lee Radziwill and how terribly thin Lee was. Tama riffed on what it must feel like to deprive oneself of good food and nutrients over many years. I wonder about the health consequences - brittle bones in old age. One of my ballet-world friends who starved herself her entire life tripped and slammed into a countertop, and her hip and thigh shattered. It was impossible to do a regular repair with pins and rods because her bones are crumbly - they had to use a concrete-like filler. Her surgeon said her lifelong diet contributed to the state of her bones. Carole was also very, very quick to correct Andy about Luann's status as a countess. Carole is very competitive in the third-rate aristocracy world.