pasdetrois

I wonder if one reason for the rushed format is because of the limits on how much time kids can be in production each day, and how much time they have to be tutored or in school (even if home-schooled).

What'cha wanna bet June encourages Sugar Bear to move back in? After all, she's now without a steady source of income, and he receives a paycheck. What's interesting is that depending on her and her children's assets, she won't automatically qualify for government benefits again. They'd have to spend it down before being under the asset thresholds for Medicaid and food stamps. I hope McDaniels' behavior means a violation and they throw him back in the slammer.

I've always perceived June as someone who believes she's clever enough to game the system. It worked for her for a while. (I saw how she treated Alana on Toddlers & Tiaras, and she was caught falsifying facts about her government benefits). What astounds me is her and McDaniels' stupidity in openly parading about, in some cases with minors in tow. She's a well-known reality TV "star." I think she just could not resist thinking that she had caught herself a "hot" man, and she could not resist swanning about in public. Her own hubris finally caught up with her. Her kids will probably support her lies, because that's what young children do when their parents mistreat them. So one cannot believe any of their protestations about June's innocence.

I agree there's way more to this story. I believe TLC is trying to protect its own ass by cancelling the show. I'm not sure if TLC has done anything to be liable, but I think they want to put tremendous distance between themselves and this sordid situation. They want to control the PR spin. I cannot remember whether children's protection from financial exploitation is dictated per-state, especially for reality TV. I hope TLC's contracts require that minors' earnings be deposited into a trust account in the control of someone other than family.

The question for me is whether Sugar Bear knew all of this and did nothing because he wanted to continue with the TV show. I think June used him all these years and he passively followed her lead. I suspect the story of Sugar Bear trolling dating sites was a plot hatched by June to justify her dumping him and pursuing romance with the pervert. But did he go along with it? I don't think Sugar Bear is very bright. Nothing wrong with that (I have a distant family member with significant learning disabilities who is a lot like SB) but he may not have the best judgment. He has committed his own crimes. And I don't know if he knows how to run a single-father household. Maybe Alana is better off with Anna or the grandmother... Poor Alana. Her options are to be separated from two parents she loves, and be devastated and angry with lasting trauma (and we all know how that usually turns out), or to be exposed to perverts via her mother's astoundingly poor judgment and lack of maternal instincts.

Now there are photos of June and the child molester, hand in hand, shopping for a house together. The photo caption says she's paying. Clearly she is trying to buy this pervert's attention, and clearly he is using her for access to money and probably to children. I assume he is legally constrained from being near children. Just exactly how did June think the two of them were going to have a life together? Was she planning to foist Alana off on Sugar Bear?

I watched the first four episodes last night. I haven't seen Broadchurch yet but probably shall. So I'm not spoilered at all. I find the acting quite amateurish. Each character seems shoehorned into the scenes, with little connection between the actors. They just parachute in, roll out their lines, and move on. It's just very clumsy acting to me. The story pacing seems off as well, and I'm not engaged at all. Episode four was a bit better than the pilot, showing some improvement but not much. Anna's cop, supposedly in line for the top job, lurches about all peeved at the new boss. She's overly emotional in almost every professional scene, then is cool as a cucumber at home. I feel like I'm watching Skyler White all over again. Also, I'm distracted by her bad wig. I'm also distracted by David T.'s apparent red dye job, which seems to have been applied over his naturally dark auburn hair. And the perfect, never-changing scruff, which looks bizarre for an American cop. I've seen two black people, a cop and the teenage boyfriend. The show has one of them entangled in some kind of murky drug story. The teenage daughter is beyond annoying. It's really hard to get moody-teenager right, as so many young actors overdo it and cannot pull it off. The actor who plays Anna's young son is doing a pretty good job. The grieving mom's acting is OK sometimes, but I cringe each time she yells at her poor mother. The grieving dad is practically somnambulent; he has such dead eyes. I thought his secret midnight affair was going to be with a man. Thus the stubborn secrecy. Does every reporter ever have to be an annoying female?

I normally try not to criticize people for their physical appearance. But I'm so upset at what I believe is happening here that I'm going to have to. June is a physically repellent, uneducated piece of trash who at best exploits her children for money. At worst, I believe she seeks out these low-life criminals because no one else will have her. (Sugar Bear is the exception.) She will cravenly do anything for attention from these men, knowing that they are child molesters, violent, thieves, etc. She does not care about her children; she only plays a loving mother on TV. I'm glad that TLC cancelled the gravy train. However, who will be watching out for these children?

Can the US government prevent Teresa from leaving the country until her debt is resolved? And I won't be surprised if the Guidices try to make money off their children. For example, If Gia gets a slot on some TV show. I don't know if all of a minor's earnings has to be protected, but I can see the Guidices thinking they can get away with exploiting their girls for cash. I bet they are trying to work with agents right now.

Wow, if this is true, then the show clearly misrepresented the facts in more than the usual way of TV shows. Interesting that all the mothers went along with this. And shame on Kim and her family for participating. So, were the pageants we saw legit? I always thought it was odd that Kim and her family were allowed to be in the wings, and that her girls placed so highly almost every time. It seemed almost completely scripted to me. I wonder if the show was cancelled because someone screamed FRAUD and threatened to sue? I can see Kim as a motivational speaker, but I bet it doesn't pay very well - very limited audience for what she's selling, especially in this economy. ETA: the exterior of the Pageant Place location looked like the exterior of a failed bank. Who knows where they shot the interior locations... Kim's submission for LinkedIn states she is the owner of the Pageant Place and Beloved Beauty. She must have just created it, because she shows zero connections. The write-up she submitted states the following: "Kim Gravel is the Southeast’s premier pageant and beauty coach with an extensive background in both fields. In 1991, at the age of 19, Kim became one of the youngest Miss Georgia in the state pageant’s history. She went on to represent her home state in the infamous Miss America pageant and as a result was asked to serve as US Goodwill Ambassador to Japan. She has taken her expertise and experience in the pageantry world and uses it now to coach and train the elite pageant contestants of this generation. Kim has worked for Revlon and Christian Dior as make-up artist; served as National Cosmetology Association spokesperson; and served as a make-up artist and stylist to over 100 fashion shows and photo shoots. In 2009, she launched her own boutique cosmetic line, Beloved Beauty. She has logged thousands of hours as a host of award-winning talk shows "Friends & Neighbors" and "Atlanta Live". Her comfortable style and solid reputation have made her one of the most sought after interviewers in Atlanta for publicists, authors, actors and public figures. Combining her expertise skills of communication and leadership, Kim is also a certified Life Coach. Kim works with people in large groups as well as on an individual basis. Her compassionate yet straight forward "Dr. Phil-esqe" style keeps her in high demand as a Life Coach, mentor and advisor. As lead singer and songwriter of recording group Beloved, Kim entertains and sings to thousands across the country every year, including hosting the sold-out Beloved women's conference annually in Atlanta. Kim has been managing people and projects for many years in the corporate world in the area of cosmetics, property management and construction. Even with all her business endeavors, she still finds time to raise her two boys, Beau and Blanton with husband Travis. Specialties:Pageants, Beauty, TV Host"

Vanessa Simmons is the daughter or "Reverend" Simmons, a successful pioneer in the hip-hop industry. They appeared together in the Simmons family reality TV show, during which she launched a shoe line with her sister. Her uncle is Russell Simmons. I believe the families are extremely wealthy (one never knows with this economy, celebrity spending habits, etc.).

I suspect Thomas is an entitled, mean drunk. I remember the scene outside a restaurant where he seemed enraged and physically threatened Whitney over a disagreement.

I didn't mind Sean's win, but I question whether we'll ever hear from him again, even if he moves to NYC or LA. The finale dress was beautiful, but his model raced off without waiting for him to join her in the last walk. Amanda is savvy, with connections, and may have been able to springboard off of the win to advance her brand. Is she pregnant? She was wearing a particularly unflattering outfit during the finale. Bless her heart if she participated in production while in the early stages of pregnancy. Heidi's dress was gorgeous. They kept cutting over to the Threads host, Vanessa Simmons, during the runway. Give it a rest Bravo. Tim nearly lost it when dealing with Char. She was completely in over her head. She was unable to articulate her strategy and vision at any time. I think Kini knew he had lost. He had a faint glimmer of hope before the runway show, but you could see in his face that he knew he didn't win. ETA: several years ago I noticed a shot of Tim's left hand shaking badly - it was like a tremor. I wonder if he is seriously ill, or if he is desperate to hold on to his position with the PR franchise. Or maybe both. Because his demeanor has changed. Also, in the old days I think production would have done a better job of making sure the contestants tied in the Rome connection. They went to the trouble of developing a big inspired-by-Italy story - probably to justify Best Western's big push to advertise its global expansion - then abruptly dropped it. Poor Sean doggedly continued with his Caesar story, probably hoping it would win Brownie points. But it seemed to come from nowhere.

This was horrible. Maybe if they had a decent host, it would have been more peppy. Watching Vanessa Simmons (is that her name) is like watching paint dry. I wonder if her wealthy family is behind the show somehow, 'cause she sure didn't get the role based on charisma and talent. An embarrassing fail.

The fact that this tired show is still handing people sledgehammers so they can stomp around and whine about their childhoods is laughable. The cast seemed to be zombie-walking through the motions. Jenna is extremely competitive with women. She resents Nikki's youth and charmed background. Guess what, Jenna, some people haven't "suffered" as much as you; get over it. At this point in her drug-addled life, Jenna is a sucking black hole of need and demand. My working theory on JP is that he is 1) gay and 2) a sociopath. ETA: I'm not denying that Jenna has suffered; I think she's suffered a lot. But she's learned to use her suffering to make money (sell books, appear on this show) and probably to justify her substance abuse (in her own mind and to addiction therapists). At this time she does not appear to be pursuing enlightenment and sobriety.

My elderly family member had a heart attack followed by a quadruple bypass; he was home three days after all that. My elderly neighbor had a knee replacement and she was home THE NEXT DAY. Something off about Tori's extended hospital stay.

Just discovered this show and I adore it. You all have pretty much covered all the greatest hits. But no one's mentioned the quick knowing looks the gay guys gave each other when Chrisley appeared on the screen.

I was distracted by Logan's blindingly white teeth. Logan: talk..talk..big smile...bright white flash! It's bizarre the way production forced everyone to be lovey-dovey at the end (Kate, Kat, the primary guest). It was completely fake and didn't seem to serve any production/ratings purpose. Kelly's MO is kind of a weaker version of Ted Bundy's MO, only without the murder part: limp along as the poor hurt victim, reel in the doting female, have sex with her, then abruptly tire of her and dump her. I'm pretty sure Kelly thrives on it. Kat's just too annoying to be love-to-hate. I'd like them to get rid of her. And Kelly. I'm on the fence about Kate. I would love to watch her actually perform some of that stellar, world-class service she keeps sniffing about.

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Kini had been stroked and encouraged during all of the competition, and Tim praised him at the home visit, so of course he was profoundly shocked at the critique. He's a sweetheart and a great seamstress, but the heavy dark denim has been so wrong all along. I don't mind fringe, but it's weird to see it on every.single.garment. Amanda's clothes are just too heavy. I don't even think Char is a good stylist. There's nothing about her look that I don't see on the streets of DC every day. I do love her hair though. As others have said, the shorts outfit and black and white dress could be found in any department store. I do think the mini-runway was produced just to red herring the viewers. I doubt Char will win. Maybe Tim's fawning over her is his effort to resurrect his reputation after his godawful behavior on the PR mentor show. ETA: do the decoy designers have more time than the final four to produce the decoy collections? Because there is way more design in some of the decoy collections.

As I understand it, the "traders" were seminar participants who lucked into an invitation to appear on the show to beef up the story. I see these ads every once in a while, where someone who claims to have made lots of money from trading offers to teach you his secrets at a workshop or seminar. You pay him to attend and that's the "secret" of his success. I'm assuming the hot girlfriend was also rented for the show. I doubt they are a real couple. The only real part of the thing is that the primary is a colossal jackass. I suppose the captain suffers other crass jerks in real life - not everyone who charters yachts is elegant and dignified - but I think this jerk set a low standard. What the hell is wrong with Ben? He veers from wry coolness to manic diva. Maybe he and Kate and some of the others know this is not real life, they are frustrated with the rigors of production, and they feel the petulant behavior and temper tantrums don't matter to their real lives.

I can't stand Khandi for the reasons cited above. I'm a jaded reality TV watcher, because so many participants trot out the drama and seek out that camera, but I had a few little sobs along with Jealous. To see a human being listed as just a number - no name - for eternity is heartbreaking. I love it when Gates steps away from his dignified professorial demeanor and slips into his wry joking tone. He would be so much fun to dine with.

I'm horrified they convinced Hannah and her mother to reveal the eating disorder on national TV. Shame on the mother for allowing it. Hannah is too young to be exposed this way. For all her patter about wanting to empower girls, I think Kim (and production) are using these girls for ratings. Very Dance Moms.

Does production pay more if you spill your deep secrets on national TV? Dick and Jenna must be real hard up for money. Trauma-for-cash. If you can work up tears you get extra. ETA: I think Jenna was high when she was sitting slumped on her bed, drooping over her journal and barely able to form words. Interesting that Dick posited that she's in detox while there.

I forgot about Bruce's bit, which came off to me like a late-night infomercial. Very out of place and odd. And a bit manic, to boot. Why in the world would production travel to Boston, where he was when his bit was shot, just for that? It added absolutely nothing to the reunion. Of course they could have hired a local production crew to save money, but still...