pasdetrois

House flippers put in their own money all of the time, in that they buy the property and then invest in renovations and staging in prep for a sale. Homeowners usually spend money to prep a property prior to a sale. So to me this is the same construct, expressed differently. Lots of small houses with only one bathroom that apparently sell rapidly. Quite unusual these days. It seems these houses are for first-time buyers who plan to move to something bigger later. I wonder if there are weird restrictions on adding another bath, because with some of those views that's what I'd do. I'm not surprised at the fast sales. In my neighborhood houses often sell the same day they are listed, with bidding wars. It's all about location, which in my case is metro and schools. The sisters may waive their Realtor fees in exchange for splitting the profit.

Poor little John Deer. It was good to see the vets' tender hearts as they euthanized him. He truly was helpless. And then I chuckled at Chase trying not to get hugged too much - on camera. The boys seem sweet and well-mannered. I always laugh at the cows on these vet shows because they are incredibly curious. When one is in distress or being treated, there is usually a bunch of other curious cow faces jammed into the corner of the camera frame. I held my breath as the roper and his horse rushed pell mell through that field full of equipment. Did they give the calf a local before they jabbed it with a scalpel? Loving some of the TV home design shows, I am curious about the family's home. I assumed they lived someplace with acreage, but it appears they live in a kind of converted car barn or other commercial space in town. Cool. I could have done without the landscaping footage. More animals please.

I agree that Gage is all about the money. I've said this from the beginning of their relationship.

Sergio said that female samurai fought alongside men. Which may be true, but I saw a commercial last night - Mulan? - for a movie that features a female samurai who faced death because being samurai was forbidden to women. Just an interesting TV coincidence.

Agreed. And we know Stephanie's house was very expensive, because she told us! 😄 Probably all of our viewpoints are skewed by our own definitions of "wealth."

Me too. And I think this is the reason Nina seems to despise him. Although I'm not sure if she was privy to his repeated talking-heads stating that his looks were original and "never done before." On a side note, I just glanced at Sebastian's latest collection, which features pleats, corsets and woven leather. All done before (Fortuny, Westwood, Bottega Veneta) but Sebastian did not claim to originate them. That said, I think Nina's time is done. She doesn't really offer any specific helpful suggestions, just sniping.

I love Sebastian's use of elegant colors and fabrics combined with subtle details - the quilting and pleats and woven leather, all carefully integrated.

I think many housewives posture as being wealthy, but in actuality are not, or are simply well-to-do. The recession hurt lots of businesses, people borrowed too much when credit was easy and cheap...that kind of thing is always in the back of my mind. I never believe what they are selling.

Rumors are that Bravo is now paying by the episode, and greatly reducing the money that some of the housewives have received. Bravo may have also eliminated some of the perks. Still, of all the franchises, I think the Dallas and Atlanta housewives are the most desperate for the money. I think that only a few of them are wealthy enough to do without the show's income (Bethanny, Lisa V.) Does anyone know what Dallas' ratings were for the most recent season?

Jenna is a wannabe-Kate.

Weirdly, and in retrospect, I don't think any of the PR contestants are true designers, with the exception of Geoffrey and Dayoung. I think Sergio is a great tailor with a conservative, elegant viewpoint. He makes beautiful dresses for rich women. But so do tens of thousands of other designers. (Note: many rich women don't give a fig for liberal political posturing.) Victoria has an extremely narrow, sexy viewpoint marketed toward young women. And she can sew. But I feel her aesthetic is very limited. And not notable. Nancy kept pushing out huge garments and the same trousers all season, so again a narrow focus that's probably not marketable. Despite his nervous disposition and lack of confidence, with time and a mentorship Geoffrey may have the most capacity for growth. He could be the dark horse. Having said the above, I feel PR is still nothing more than a gimmicky entertainment show. Remember the first season? It was fabulous and a true designer competition. I've been watching Netflix's design show and I feel the designers are much more talented. I suspect Heidi's and Tim's new show will be a mess.

Bugs me every time they do it. Laughed when they said three hours from DC to VA Beach. Not with real world traffic, I think Clay's hair was two different colors in the episode, Would they have left Davis alone as they were being overrun?

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the women support the Democratic candidates.

Plus I assume they get money for being on the show. I thought the green-kitchen was ugly, and "eclectic" read as "jumbled" to me. I figured out that the sisters kind of yell and over-enunciate when they talk, and that's what bothers me. Still, I like that they know their business and are not bimbo TV props.

Even though the slow pace and his shambling around and staring off into the distance could be very boring, he does it so well and always stays in that character. I'm gonna be on the lookout for his future work. I also struggled with a child that age wandering off with a masked stranger in this day and age. Perhaps he's from a small community where kids are more trusting and naive? Recently in my community a man with a white van tried to entice two young middle-schoolers as they walked home from school, and they both ran away while screaming like hell. All that training kicked in, thank goodness.

The incessant smoking took me out of the episode. I believe Law is a heavy smoker in real life, but actors who don't smoke look fake doing it on camera. I was very moved by the scene where Pius comforted the child, and the conversation around it. And I'm not religious. I wonder whose palazzo that is. One thing I don't like is the lack of light in many of the scenes. Years ago "Vogue" ran a feature on Malcovich, in which he swanned about his estate striking very affected poses in beautiful luxe caftans. I idly wondered if he was wearing one of his own in this episode.

I'm taken with Home Town, and it's affecting my perspective on this show. There's so much care taken with Ben's and Erin's work, vs. the more routine (and more common) flip market. The sisters' reno and design work seems very predictable and simply follows trends for their market (shiplap, ugh). It works for them, but it's boring.

I see that Adam is still a legend in his own mind. "Can we stop sailing?" He's playing Jenna, throwing out non-stop, insincere compliments. She's too desperate to realize it. I don't mind the infant on board, other than the possibility of it getting dangerously ill without a nearby ER. I think yacht crews confuse their own value with that of their wealthy clients. Working in a luxury environment doesn't negate the fact that you are in service, sweating over a grill and cleaning toilets. Paget will jump the nearest available bones in a heartbeat. He and his wife are THAT couple who ruin every occasion with their whiny bickering. I may not finish out the season. At this point, I'm over all of them except the captain and two stews.

Ah, Front Royal is west of northern VA and is a kind of gateway to the Shenandoah Mountains. Famous for its caverns. Great mixture of small town and rural areas. And quite beautiful.

Do we know where Dr. Emily landed in VA? Her father-in-law wore a t-shirt that said "Bristol." Bristol, VA, is in southwestern VA, on the TN border, and is deep in Appalachia. My good friend is a pediatrician there and still occasionally gets paid in produce or eggs!

What an interesting life she had. Her obit says she was the first female leader of a US military forward operating unit.

The re-issue of old episodes and labeling them as new is annoying in the extreme. I can only record two shows at a time, and I'd much rather record truly new shows than these old episodes. I'll have to start paying attention to the listings.

I have loved this series and am disappointed it will end. But this last season hasn't captivated me as much as the others. I feel like The Guy is missing too much - he was the main reason I tuned in.

People seem stuck in the now-obsolete opinion that workers should retire in their 50s or 60s. Baby boomers have experienced multiple recessions and regional busts (i.e., the oil and telco busts) that had long-term disastrous effects on jobs (and therefore retirement funds). Some of us put kids through college and support parents. We are living longer, and living ain't free is expensive. We want to work and we need to work. (And it needs to be for professional salaries. Forget this $12 hourly stuff that companies try to foist off on senior workers.) I give Nancy tremendous respect for tackling this finicky, competitive career at her age. She's very brave, knowing the doubts and derision she would undoubtedly face. I don't know who dirtied the iron and I don't care.

Oh yes candall.