Intuition

Yeah, I always wondered about some of her stories sounding made up. I honestly never bought that she came from a background of poverty although I thought I heard her say at one point that her mom was a single mom - Perhaps she became a child of divorce at some point. And military salaries back in that day especially and with a few mouths to feed wouldn't exactly add up to living in the lap of luxury. Not that I know too much about this but I do know the military subsidizes child care. I'm not sure how much they did back then but they do now at least on military bases and perhaps outside too. And especially back in the day when she was a kid it might have been pretty cheap to have a Mexican nanny. I just think Melissa hasn't broadcasted the details of her family life enough to make any of this seem plausible, perhaps because of the divorce. I never got the sense that she's an outright liar like Rachael Ray, who continually attributes her love of food and knowledge of cooking to her grandfather, who BTW died when she was barely 5 years old! I mean, she acted like she watched and learned how to cook from him!

I brought this over here from the "media" thread - I think Jeff is exactly what FN wanted and he is popular with fans too, so I think he has a lot of potential and a bright future ahead of him at the network, especially since doing so well on "The Kitchen". He's just not an overnight sensation. Guy really wasn't either. It took him a few years to become a mega star on the network. I hope Jeff's momentum continues and increases. Hopefully there's a light at the end of the tunnel with the constant Guy bombardment and Jeff can eventually replace him as their "go to" guy.

His mother just got out of the hospital from breast cancer and he makes a schticky post about going hunting like he's still "in character". Plus it's his first post anywhere since winning. This ass knows nothing about how to handle his public image. I still think the guy is certifiable. I hope Food Network puts him on the next stagecoach to nowhere.

This Thursday's episode was new. I think it was a mistake to start over the series after people had already gotten into it. I almost thought it had been cancelled. Now I see another new episode scheduled for next Thursday at 11:00 p.m. I liked seeing the girls get a makeover. Tamara looked very cute. What a confidence booster for her, and she needed one in a big way. It looks like Q is genuinely sorry for his awful behavior. I recently had a bad reaction from taking a hormone and turned from a Dr. Jekyl into a Mr. Hyde, so I'm willing to give him another chance. I think he's a bit of a douche anyway, though.

Back to being a sleuth again - Just for giggles I searched for Lenny's name on one of those people search sites and found out that he has had two criminal traffic arrests in 2005 and 2009 in North Carolina and I think Florida. Don't know what they were for but it sounds like it could be DWI. Man, even just from what I have found on this guy with very little effort you would think FN would have seen the red flags waving....

Living in CT, I enjoyed this episode. I know the town, it's about a half hour from where I live now. I noticed that Gordon actually respected the place and some of the people, and with good reason given the history. I loved their mother - she was a quintessential old Yankee from way back of a breed that is almost extinct by now. I also loved Babe and the neice or whoever she was. The brother and sister were just toxic together and apart from each other. I wish the inn lots of luck in spite of those two. The food did look like hospital food, LOL. There is a really big retirement community not too far from there, but when the older people say the food tastes "institutional", you know it's bad! For once the walls weren't some hideous bright green and they worked around the antiques. I am sure that's because most of that stuff was definitely not junk. For once these people were the real deal, not some posers changing up the details of their lives to create more drama. OK, maybe the friction between siblings was exaggerated. I like Ramsay better when he's genuinely respectful of the hotel and the owners. Too bad they take on so many train wrecks and wackos on this show. ETA: I also think it's cool that they got their name on that haunted listing - That's actually a big point of interest with people around these parts. An old tavern/restaurant in my town is on that list and people are always talking about how it's haunted and go there just because it's supposed to be haunted.

Well, I've enjoyed the last couple of episodes but the show is still not where it used to be. Ratings are way down but they are still producing another season.

I'm holding my breath over at Lenny's Facebook Fan page, run by an old friend and his brother. They both announced that they were going to visit Lenny over the weekend, and since then the crickets have been chirping over at the page - No new posts or updates by them when up until that point they were posting every day. Not sure what that means, if anything. I guess we'll find out!

I too thought there was some sort of substance abuse going on. When Sandy came out dressed in a suit all cleaned up I thought "detox". Otherwise how could he all of a sudden say he could pay his employees? No mention of a struggle. Like suddenly there was a bunch of cash just lying around. One of those things I feel in my bones. And Cooksdelight, I'm going to give Gordon the benefit of the doubt and not think he was insulting the audience's intelligence. Actually I thought he was insulting the owner's intelligence in making him think he was actually expecting the real Four Seasons, and we were in on it like a cruel joke. That's the way I took it.

I have a life long history with Vermont, plus ancestors that founded towns there and I do love the place but it is kinda......how shall I say this? Special. Like dude, there are under 30 Micky D's in the entire state and none in that town, that's for sure! So I totally get it that the staff put up with not being paid on a regular basis. I just don't understand how you could live like that for your entire job. I mean, a woman needs health and beauty aids, know what I mean? I don't know, my BS meter went off with that claim. Could Sandy's teeth be a little yellower? I don't think so! I know he was over his head but could he be any more of a sad sack, too? Yikes. What an odd assortment of people, more like a family than employees. Yikes. That one waitress was so loopy I'd almost recommend meds. for that. And ditto on the awful room makeovers that don't fit the flavor of the inn or its location at all and look like a design student made over their college dorm. And again with the freaking GREEN WALLS, although these were a different shade of green than the last two hotels. And what the purpose of those triangles was was completely lost on me. Much better work is done on "Restaurant Impossible" with the help of HGTV designers. You'd think Fox and Gordon would spring for better than this. Layla was adorable and I think she's a spotted English Setter if I'm not mistaken....Although I'm not 100% sure.

His personal Facebook page is still there - He just hasn't posted anything since August 10th. Save for the after-win question answering on the FN page, he hasn't posted anywhere. https://www.facebook.com/leonard.mcnab.7?fref=nf

Interesting.....On the "Chef Lenny Fan Club" Facebook page, which is run by his brother Rob and a friend, Rob posted on August 14 that Lenny would DEFINITELY be at the NY Food and Wine Festival, plus he posted a letter from someone he contacted at the festival who said he would be participating in the "Grand Tasting" on October 18th with Damaris Phillips, although she did caution the following: "Please note that while the demo schedule is published to the public, it is still subject to change, so I would check back on the website occasionally to make sure nothing has changed." Well, when he did check back on the itinerary for the event on or before the 19th, he noticed that Food Network Star and Damaris was no longer on the schedule for the tasting event, so he was telling adoring fans not to make their reservations to go there "just yet", and that he would check back with the woman and give an update when he heard from her. Then the next day when someone asked him if he had heard anything yet, he said, "Sorry no updates yet. Haven't heard back from the NYCWFF yet. But I would NOT make plans to visit just yet. There are no refunds for tickets. With or without Lenny, I'm still going to go (otherwise I would be throwing money out the window)." He hasn't posted since on this subject, although he did say he was going to visit Lenny next weekend....Hmmmmmmmm......

Well, after reading those articles posted in this thread it all makes sense now. The daughters were probably just told by show production to act like they were in charge of the place when it was really the parents' hotel. Some of the drama between them and the staff was genuine but they were not really in charge so they were probably an annoyance to the staff and possibly critical of them, but not the ones really calling all the shots. And that is one reason why the staff could talk so negatively about them and not worry so much about losing their jobs. I'm sure the parents know how the girls are and just told the staff to ignore them and not worry that any friction would have any affect on their employment there. They couldn't hide the fact that the two girls were useless so it really was a manufactured situation just for drama. I think the two girls are just regular run of the mill 20 something reality show famewhores who wanted their 5 minutes of fame. What's her name is probably up until 3:00 am posting Youtubes of herself dressed as a doll or acting like a makeup expert (they're always experts doncha know?). Slave Mommy who cooks and dotes on them is responsible for creating two narcissists. ETA: And yeah, I also owned that pink suit in 1993, except mine was white, LOL.

I really don't hate Justin but I do think he deserves to be in "diehipster.com" and his douchy-ness is undeniable. Plus after all the rumors about him over why he never got a series (only a special) I wonder if he isn't really the epitome of the trust fund baby/arrogant "kidult" that native New Yorkers (like me) dislike with a passion.

Justin Warner makes "Diehipster.com": http://diehipster.wordpress.com/ Specifically this: Dude could have blurred out the license plate!

Yes, now my memory is coming back - This story is so old now (as am I) that my memory failed me as to why she would call herself a widow when he faked his death. You're right - that's it. But who would even remember that now unless the characters made mention of it every now and then? What about new viewers? They'd be lost. They'd think she was really a widow. I realize that, but somehow that point wasn't coming across in any believable way, IMO. I think she should have at least been saying stuff like, "I don't know what it is about you/him but I'm crazy about him" to underscore the point.

Victoria is telling everyone she's a widow - Did I miss something? I thought Emmet was on the run and disappeared but not known to be dead, like they made you half expect him to turn up again one day. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hate how this show keeps jumping around all over the place with the story lines. New characters appear and disappear too often. I can't keep track anymore. Victoria's latest boyfriend - Very unattractive. Very miscast for her to hook up with in any way. And the women keep meeting men and then one day just mutually "decide" to call it off for a really far fetched reason. WTF? I used to like this show too but now I'm just confused and annoyed.

I agree but I often wonder why some of the people who do so well in the online voting before the finale ("fan favorites") don't get special consideration as well. I realize they film the show before they know who the favorites are but it seems like some of the candidates who were favorites or semi-favorites would be great on a show but fade away nonetheless. Kelsey, Jeffrey Saad, Adam Gertler and Tom Pizzica are exceptions as well as, but it hasn't happened in a few seasons. I would have thought Marti would have been given a show by now. Instead they teased the audience with her on "Star Salvation" and sent her home - again. I also think they know the voting is anything but accurate and probably go by their "focus group" opinions more than the vote. It's just that the focus groups usually can predict who the public will choose from the final three. Personally I found it hard to swallow that Reuben was so far ahead in the fan vote before the finale. Dude must have a lot of online friends and promoters in order to get that high vote unless I'm totally misjudging the audience. He was heads and tails above anyone else even after he was eliminated. If I recall correctly, they eliminated the fan vote after the JAG affair and reinstated it the year of Justin. I'll have to go check on that. After the Lenny thing, perhaps they'll eliminate it again!

That's interesting - I've never found her snotty and condescending on her cooking show, just on her various competition shows. And it seems to me like she gets worse every season, that is, more snotty and more condescending. I totally agree with you about Melissa - Finally someone who agrees with me! I also thought it was unfair that people expected to find the ingredients at those prices in high end supermarkets in expensive towns without even looking for a sale or a discount store. It's like they deliberately priced those things at the most expensive store they could find just to bash her! I used to dislike Jeff but I think his experience on "The Kitchen" is helping him become more suave and he is growing on me. I see signs of hope with him, although he can still be bufoonish at times. I agree about Justin. I think I was duped as a lot of people were that season into liking him, then we found out there was something not quite right with him or at the very least he was a hipster/poser who is too good for me, you and everyone on Food Network. I liked Aarti on her season but she wore thin what with her annoying giggle, etc. I liked her even less on that show with Melissa on "The Cooking Channel". And I really wanted to like her, too. Some of her recipes were good in her first season but she seemed to run out of them after a while. I'll never forget when Aarti was on that "Good Housekeeping" show on the Cooking Channel and she had to sit there listening to Melissa and Samantha Cassedy talking all about how they eat to be healthy and thin, her face gave her away as being irked because I think she thought her weight issue made her look like she lacked willpower and wasn't healthy enough. I felt for her to be honest. I did sorta get the vibe that Melissa must talk to her like she needs advice and counseling on how to eat right and lose weight. I'd hate that. But then again that's just my conjecture based on nothing concrete. I have read that Melissa and Aarti are friends in real life.

Speaking of Damaris, I like her too I just haven't loved her food all that much. Cooksdelight, you don't find Anne Burrell self important, snotty and condescending? I do and I don't even dislike her for it. Can someone (not necessarily you) explain for me why they say they don't like Melissa because she exhibits these qualities and yet they would like Anne Burrell, who also exhibits these same qualities? Unless they don't find Anne Burrell to be self important, snotty and condescending.....

mlp, "loud" and "attention seeking" aren't exactly words I would use to describe Melissa, but YMMV, what can I say? Are you sure we're talking about the same person? LOL

After sleeping on this issue and talking with Mr. Intuition about it (he loves Melissa and he is not one to like people who are stuck up or condescending), we came to some conclusions, and that's that women tend to be far more critical of each other than men are of anyone, male or female. Everyone criticizes Guy F. because he is such a buffoon (and now Lenny too for obvious reasons) but women often pick each other apart for much less in the scheme of things. As long as I have been online I have seen almost nothing but negative comments about all the female FN stars from Giada to Sandy to Pioneer Woman to Rachael Ray and on and on, mostly coming from women. I would be lying if I said I didn't join in on this from time to time. It took my husband to make me see it more clearly. I don't see women (myself included) lining up to pick Bobby Flay, Geoffrey Zakarian, Michael Symon or Jeff Mauro apart with quite such frequency or negativity. And in reality they have just as many if not more annoying tendencies, IMHO. Mr. Intuition theorizes that it's the old "crabs in a barrel" mentality amongst women who tend to see certain other women as threats in the social pecking order, which is a leftover from times long ago when women formed cliques and ostracized other women they saw as threats to their achievement of the best man, or the best life, etc. Yeah, I'll cop to being affected by some of that.

I think what Melissa lacks is the ability to project warmth and connect with people in group situations, which I don't think is something that can be taught. I never felt the condescending vibe at all on her 10 dollar show. I always felt she wanted to include me in on it, if that makes any sense. I never felt she was talking down to me or anything. I have since felt the condescending vibe a bit on Guy's Grocery Games, perhaps because she's being paid to be picky, I don't know. I always felt Alex G. seemed picky and condescending as a judge on Chopped, perhaps even more than Melissa as a judge. I even think Julia Child herself could come off as elitist and condescending at times, but the one thing she had was warmth and the ability to connect with the audience. These are things that seem to be easier for extroverts to do, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are any nicer or less condescending deep down. I think Anne Burrell comes off as far more snotty and condescending than Melissa, but she has that extroverted arrogance that people seem to like. Go figure. I don't know, I just think it's unfair to Melissa. I think she would tend to fade into the background at big events, not necessarily because she is aloof and condescending, but because that's what happens to introverts when there are tons of extroverts around to steal their thunder. We're no match for them. I've been used to it my entire life, and I don't exactly have a small personality and no warmth either. As to Jeff Mauro, I think he is fast closing in on Melissa and is ready to surpass her in success especially since "The Kitchen". The only reason he hasn't surpassed her yet is because hasn't been around as long but that gap is shrinking fast. I didn't like him at first but have grown to like him more since that show. It took me a while to get past the loud, sometimes overly extroverted, borderline dorky demeanor. He's a funny and decent guy despite that and I think the Kitchen is going to teach him some more finesse. Come to think of it, if Melissa were put on the Kitchen she would probably fade away into the background. Then people would probably call her stuck up because of it....*Sigh*. Meanwhile I would tend to see the extroverts who monopolize conversation and force all the attention on themselves as the ones who are full of themselves, stuck up and condescending, go figure. That said, tonight I was at a dinner at Tyler Anderson's restaurant in honor of Julia Child. We had the good fortune of sitting smack in the middle of the table near a chatty couple who kept Mr. Intuition and I happily engaged in conversation for the entire evening. I noticed the couple to our right was feeling very left out, bored, and looking at their watches. I suppose to them we looked like the loud, chatty extroverts who take over table conversation. We did try to include them in it but they just didn't click with the general topics of conversation save for one or two. Then again, we have been that couple at the end of a table with no one to talk to more times than I can count, so I suppose it just happens sometimes. Someone as extroverted as Jeff Mauro would find a way to become the center of conversation in situations like that, though. I admit I am not extroverted enough to do that.

As to Valerie's hands - I used to smoke and tan back in the day but still my skin is nowhere near as bad as that. Then again I never lived a rocker chick druggy lifestyle either. I am half Italian on my mother's side and half English/French/German on my Dad's so perhaps I inherited more of that supple Italian skin, who knows? Although I'm about as white as Valerie, so.... Valerie, Rachael Ray and I all share that half Italian/half English middle European thing and we all resemble each other quite a bit. I also liked the segment where she met the 3rd cousin as I have 3rd cousins in a little town on the Southeastern coast of Sicily that I would love to meet one day (It's on the bucket list).

My husband and I thought the same thing. We figure that back in that day they would never have thought she was the killer, but given what a strong person she seemed to be, I wouldn't have put it passed her. But you know, women in those days were also pretty victimized by men and you never know, she may have had good cause to want to be rid of him, not that I would ever in a million years condone murder as a way out of it, but thinking back to the way a woman's life was in that time and place she may have not had many other options.