Eolivet

I'm trying to remember the last time an obvious Alpha male threat was skewered this much by the edit. Brent went from The Second Coming of Cody to Mr. Not-Quite-As-Pectacular in a few days. Amazing.

Brent freaking out about two guys (oh noes) being evicted, and insisting two "girls" had to be evicted next. At least Cody Califiore 1.0 never said the quiet part out loud.

So, the brothers who bragged they beat Tyler (of S1 winner Tyler and Amy) in a Lego competition, the brothers who whined for the first few weeks about how they hadn't won a challenge ... and they're not the Arrogant Brothers? Qwhite interesting.

That was a bizarre challenge. I actually thought for sure Victoria would be gone since she's basically Purple Victoria (shout-out to oldschool Survivor fans). And all that much ado about how Josie doesn't taste her food for ... nothing? And what did their visit to the Principal's Office have to do with the challenge? It seemed like he'd be eliminating the one who didn't incorporate his advice, but that didn't come up either. Strange episode.

Didn't she say she was a "small town girl from Kalamazoo, Michigan," which last I checked, had 76,000 people? If I didn't know she was full of it before, I knew then.

Dear god no. The last thing we need after BB22 is Cody Califiore Part 2: The Califioring. Hoping at least the women are wise to his ways.

Travis used so many surfer idioms in his last confessional (and maybe a "your boy") that I think he, in fact, may the rarest of all reality show breeds: just a regular dumb surfer. I'm shocked Derek X. won the Veto. On Big Brother, all the Vetoes where it seems like the Alpha males wouldn't do well, the Alpha males inevitably do well. This required strategy and planning, and wasn't even a physical task, and I'm still somehow in shock. And Alyssa was second! Let's keep this trend up. I also cannot believe someone actually used the Veto. Last season, they may as well have renamed it. "Congratulations, you just won the 'IhavedecidednottousethePowerofVeto!'"

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize we were watching the incredible hero journey of the "I beat Tyler" brothers. From the "golly gosh darn we haven't won yet" confessionals to the not at all suspiciously timed offering of the golden brick to their triumph to their dramatic ascension from almost-first to actually winning, it's just so good to see young white men succeeding on reality TV, because that never ever happens.

I don't like the Wildcard Competition, as it gives the Alpha males a second chance to save themselves other than the Veto. Expect the expected. What bugged me about Frenchie this episode is that while "nominate Meatheads" seemed like a strategic move, "I hate showmances" seemed like a personal one. On average, I would say "meatheads" have been much more successful at Big Brother than showmances. I get he was mad that he couldn't put up Christian, but I would've rather he'd gone back on his word to Travis, et al. That could've been a justifiable game move versus "I don't like your girlfriend."

"Not just a regular dumb surfer" is such a played out reality TV archetype that I'm waiting for the contestant who is, in fact, just a regular dumb surfer. Travis is nothing but a variation on a theme. I'm obsessed with Claire's sundress. It was pretty and looked comfortable and I wish I knew where she bought it. Great premiere. Like others, I'm cautiously optimistic for this season. I'm also hopeful that we can return to actual "my alliance doesn't like your alliance" game play versus the BB16-and-onward "I'll gaslight you into thinking you're in my alliance and then turn around and tell you it's your fault you got evicted." Kaycee can keep that going on The Challenge, but I don't ever want to see it on Big Brother (ahem, Nicole) again.

I remain dumbfounded that the fact Janine played Survivor with David wasn't seen as a massive conflict of interest on Celebrity Apprentice. Didn't she send him home there, too ("godmother" and all that)? Curious that the other advisor "wasn't feeling well" so David could confide in Janine, and shortly thereafter, everyone turned on David. But this is nothing compared to the backstabbing fun of Australian Survivor! So psyched for next season.

Sam is interesting. Despite his (likely solicited) "I'll show those girls how to cook!" confessionals when he was transferred to the red team, I'm gaining respect for him. He admitted he doesn't know meat temperatures, unlike Payton's "it's so easy to cook a noodles dish" boasting. Sam seems to have shown willingness to at least try to improve. Anybody who screws up garnish and a noodles dish two weeks in a row deserves to go home. I do think Sam will outlast at least a couple more on the red team. Not sure if one of them will be Brynn.

I think Payton was half "doesn't know the menu" and half "used to mediocre being good enough." I'm guessing he was allowed to skate more on the blue team where there were so many legitimate disaster cooks or he received more help. While Morgana was the right choice to go, they're clearly using the boys as tools to get rid of the cannon fodder on the red team. The red team was unstoppable, but break them up, and it seems evident there were a few people carrying the rest.

The casting on this is absolutely perfect. Aniston and Carell have that wholesome Americana vibe (likely through their previously famous characters) and I feel like I'm getting a peek into an alternate universe where Katie Couric was still there when Lauer's treachery was exposed. Not to mention Crudup's entertainment-turned-news guy plays like a thinly veiled Jeff Zucker, so I'm just full of mid-2000s nostalgia. I found the writing a bit ponderous, and some of the dialogue was just weird, but I agree the interview with Witherspoon's character was outstanding. The cursing can get distracting, and often seems like it's put in to seem "edgy" rather than illuminating character development. But the casting is so good, and the characters are compelling, so I'm in (a little late! But hey, maybe the Friends reunion will bring more viewers here).

What exactly did Boston do not to deserve a mini-golf franchise? I found myself laughing at Double Dutch Courage, now on FIRE, because of how ridiculous it is to set windmills on fire, but I was absolutely grossed out by the "water" at Hole Number Two. Really, they have to make the contestants look like they're covered in human waste?

I'm distracted by how much that one team looks like Cochran from Survivor. Both of them. The smug brothers so shocked to be in the bottom cannot go fast enough for me.

I wondered if Lime sold more because of their "taste the truck" option for $125, which they actually showed at least one person ordering. I kept thinking that would be a good option to feed a large group. I'm a fairly new viewer, but it was interesting they didn't actually sell in Napa, and went back to San Francisco. I guess if it was during the pandemic last summer, there probably weren't that many tourists, and maybe they didn't want a repeat of Alaska's customer-free locales. It was 92 degrees there? Not exactly "the coldest winter I ever spent ..."

Looks like Survivor: Brains vs Brawn (so hopefully shades of Cagayan and not Kaoh Rong). And they filmed closer to home, which makes sense. I never understood why they went to another island. https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/australian-survivor/the-first-look-at-survivor-brains-v-brawn-has-finally-landed/news-story/ad9efb1f6b29e33ec9a9495ca566cf50 I found this while trying to find the Celebrity Apprentice ep where David presumably gets booted, so I can prepare myself.

That team thinks their you-know-what don't stink, and getting away with not adhering to the parameters of the assignment because of their ~technical skill is just reinforcing their massive egos (like bragging they beat Tyler of Tyler-and-Amy in some Lego contest last week). I can only hope they're in for a shock boot.

Steve's dish looked delicious, but how did he not get dinged for basically playing strategy when he sent someone up there who he clearly knew didn't have one of the worst dishes? It was a New York strip? Unless it was cooked to shoe leather or rawwwwww, Ramsay is never going to classify steak as a "worst" dish. Steve basically said he was playing politics with the choice. Hope it doesn't come back to bite him, he seems talented. Bri seemed to know exactly who the worst three dishes were. The joys of chronic anxiety: the overwhelming desire to please people means you can identify shoddy work from a mile away.

I don't think 21-24 is millennial, if you want to get technical. They're Gen Z, I'm guessing. I thought millennial ended in 95-96.

Me, too. The first thing I said was, "kids are too small to get up on the toilet, that's why you have the potty." I don't know too many kids who want to have their feet dangling half a foot off the ground while they're just learning to do their business. Using this would involve putting a step stool or something they could put their feet on while they sat, so they wouldn't be afraid they would fall off. The reason the daughter felt comfortable enough to use the toilet when her mom was sitting there was likely because her mom was there, not because she had something supporting her back. What a weird solution in search of a problem.

And Janine from David's original season is an adviser, right? This is perfect to tide me over until Australian Survivor comes back.

FYI, Vevmo reports Challenge 37 has resumed filming.

I thought the puzzles showcased works from female artists from around the globe. I never heard the woman say they were famous works of art. And I wouldn't want a puzzle version of Van Gogh's sunflowers, but a more niche, avant garde-type piece might look better as a puzzle. While I agree puzzles made out of pictures are obviously not new, I thought the point of these was to employ (or showcase) female artists. So, less of "famous works of art" and more "variations on businesses with a charity aspect/conscience." Much like Grace & Lace never claimed to have invented socks.