laredhead

Did Gibbs tell Phineas that he (Gibbs) had killed Phineas' mother, or did he just tell him that his mother had been shot and killed? That's a lot for a 9-year old child to process, but maybe because he was a child who has been shuffled around a lot, he had become more stoic. I liked the way they handled Ziva's exit. I with they would have had a long shot at the airport in Paris where we would see her embracing a little girl with a blurry man in the background whom we would assume was Tony. That way MW would not have had to appear in the episode, but that would have sort of put the cherry on top, so to speak.

The craquelin, which they were pronouncing in a way that almost sounded like "cracklin", they are referring to is not the same thing as a pork cracklin. A craquelin is a topping for choux pastry, and is a sweet cookie like topping. Cracklins are salty and are pork. Who knows, a cracklin topping might be really good on choux pastry and a new type of treat. Marissa probably is an excellent baker given a lot of time, and working in her own kitchen. She did not work well under pressure, and made some mistakes that she should not have made given her years of baking experience. I would have preferred to see Alex in the finale, but I was happy with outcome. Having the show on during the holidays was a special treat I looked forward to for the Christmas season. I am in the group who does not like the hosts. If they are going to remain on the series, I hope the producers tone down the silly trick and banter between them. I would happy if all they did was say "ready, set, bake" and disappear for each segment.

I hope these "new" shows aren't repackaged beach or vacation house hunting episodes that they have been doing lately.

I've also noticed that they are sneaking in what I would call HH beachside/vacation episodes or whatever they are called. I'm not a fan of those because they all seem to be the same. I realized last night that I have several episodes recorded but unwatched for about the last 3 weeks. I used to watch them on the day they aired.

I would love for someone who has competed on one of these shows to comment on how it works as far as knowing in advance what they will be required to make, etc. I've seen aritlcles about House Hunters, and other decorating shows, but nothing about cooking shows. Sarah didn't bug me until the last couple of episodes when it seemed she was auditioning for her own show in the future. Melissa said she was going to spend her winnings on a wedding. That must be some wedding she has planned.

The couple moving to Ho Chi Minh City must have been pulling in some serious money when they both worked "in the financial sector" or whatever they said. He must be a top executive for whatever company he works for to get a driver, even though he indicated it was only until he found an apartment. Being able to travel to 76 places also means their jobs gave them a lot of free time, or they are both Type A personalities who don't sit still for long. I like the apartment they chose, and the dry and wet kitchen was a new one for me. I didn't get the impression they were interested in living like the locals, just stamping their passports and chalking up another city on their life list.

I'm always puzzled when one of the contestants says he/she is trying a new cookie recipe that they have never made before. If that's true, seems to be a pretty ridiculous move on their part if they are trying to win $$$. I would never try something for the first time in a cooking contest.

There was a sign in the warehouse that said "North", and the pole was the support post holding up the upper floor. Took me a while, but I finally made the connection, when Ziva began to kick the post hoping the upper floor would fall on Sahara (Sarah) and kill her.

Florida to Coronado - it must be nice to have an extra million to add to the budget when you want to live in what she considered paradise. I guess this was a repurposed beach hunter episode since the realtor did not accompany them on the tour of the inside of the houses. I did agree with the change to the counter surfaces from ceramic tile to solid surface.

Amarante, yes, the Iceland episode is an old one and probably locked in the archives now, but there was a lot of discussion about it when it aired. I think she probably rents the property when she's not there. Maybe it's considered a "foreign investment" for tax purposes, etc. I don't know. If I remember the discussion thread, many people questioned that episode's theme of a vacation home.

DonnaMae, I was also disappointed in the houses that were supposedly available in that lake side Michigan town that was so memorable to me that I can't remember the name now. It looked like some of those were for summer rentals. The wife kept harping on wanting a pool, and not compromising on the area where she would live. Another person who wants to constantly relive their childhood. Could someone tell me exactly how many months a pool is really useful on the shores of a great lake in Michigan if it's not heated? The wife kept talking about being able to walk to the beach all the time. I live in the deep south, and that doesn't sound like something I would be doing year round. Having one bathroom, or even 1.5 bathrooms, would have been a deal breaker for me with a family of 5 and 3 of them are teenage boys. There was no yard, only a giant pool that was overlooked by all of the surrounding neighbors. The final reveal scene was noisy, and unless those are vacation rentals, I bet the neighbors were thrilled to see a family of teenagers with lots of friends in tow being the new owners heavy sarcasm there. When the husband said he and the boys had enjoyed a midnight swim, I wondered how the neighbors enjoyed the noise of that when it looked at if their bedrooms were only a few feet from the pool. Of course, if you live next to someone who has a pool, that's a chance you take if you like peace and quiet in your own yard. That's a nope for me. I liked House #3 the best, but even with 2200 sf, it was chopped up, no closets, and a bunk room that really made me think that was a vacation rental.

There were a few House Hunters Beach Off the Grid episodes on recently. One was in Australia and one was in Belize. All I could think about when they were trekking to these houses was how inconvenient it would be to have to make that trip in bad weather, and then get to the final destination, and have to board another small boat, and maybe a trek to the house after that. I guess that's not my desire to live so remotely. Some of the houses they looked at had no screens and the windows were wide open. All I could think of bugs, creepy crawlers, animals, and other things that might enter the house, especially at night. I live in south Louisiana, and we have a hard time keeping mosquitoes out even with good screens. The second couple in Belize wanted a vacation home and ended up buying 2 smaller houses side by side to accommodate friends and relatives, and I'm assuming they will also use it as a vacation rental. I couldn't tell whether the first couple in Australia was going to move to Australia, or if that was also a vacation/investment property. They have an apartment in New York, but seemed to be able to work remotely.

I was so tired of the bickering Peekskill couple by the end of the episode that I didn't care which house they bought. In fact, I really thought they would be happier breaking up. I can't imagine what is going to happen when they have a child. The brunette who says she's a clean freak with OCD is going to get worse (children are messy). I don't enjoy being around people like that who constantly argue and snipe at each other.

I thought the references by the Wellington couple to the daughter being adopted were odd too. The husband said his profession was "procurement". What is that? I wonder what company the woman works for that would allow her to go to New Zealand to work for the same company. Bet they are back in the U.S. already since it didn't seem like a permanent move. Will they bring the cat back to the U.S.? So many "important" questions - lol.

My favorite part of this episode was the last scene with Gibbs and the neighbor boy making the volcano.

I saw this article about the rapid growth in Boise, and the influx of new residents from California, and thought some of the followers of this forum would be interested in reading it. Sounds very much like what Oregon experienced years ago when people from California began moving there, and prices for housing went sky high in many parts of the state. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-10/go-back-to-california-wave-of-newcomers-fuels-backlash-in-boise

Chippings, yes, they bought house #3. In the final scene she was shown using a sledge hammer to tear out cabinets, and they showed a bathroom that looked like it had been gutted. I have no idea if she or the husband has any DIY skills as far as putting thing back together, but she certainly wasted no time in tearing it apart after that fake promise of no renovations or changes for one year. If he was concerned about the purchase price, the renovations price is going to be a sticker shock to him as well if they cannot do some of the work. She says she works a 3-day week so she has plenty of time to do the projects. I would love to see the finished product and the truth about who really performed the work. She was also pushing for a baby, and they had been married a little less than a year. Yet another HH wife with a plan and a timeline, and Katy bar the door if the husband isn't on board with it.

GaT, I don't know if your DVR has this feature, but mine can be set to end a show at its announced time, or time can be added to it up to 2 hours. I set all of my recordings to end 5 minutes after the announced time and that works, especially on HGTV and the Food Network shows. The woman who made the winter wonderland themed wreath with the large number of cookies won.

The Chicago wife was talking about having a baby soon, and I guess it will be parked in that small, windowless room. Children come with stuff - toys, high chairs, etc. and that 1400 sq foot space is going to get crowded. She mentioned wanting to be near a good "support system", and I figured she wants built in baby sitters for when she wants to be out going to to all those bars and restaurants that were so important to her. She said her parents live in the city, so I figure she will be leaving the kid when them a lot. Life changes when you have children, and all of the things that come with them. I liked the house in the suburbs more, and of the city places I would have chosen the 3rd one. The loft was a no go for me.

I just rewatched the Ada episode because I wasn't paying it full attention the first time. So, the listed price of the house was $399,000, and they said they bought it for $362,000. In one of the outdoor scenes where they were looking at the backyard, the house was in the background. There was a huge crack running diagonally up the back of the house. I paused the video because at first I thought it was a vine. No, it was a crack that had to be 10' or more. I have a feeling they got the house cheaper because of structural issues. The wife bugged me the second time even more than the first time I watched it. Since when is it cute to brag that you don't cook, you don't clean, your don't declutter, etc. I get that she has a full time job, and those things probably don't interest her. Stop bragging about not doing them, and hire someone to help with keeping the house clean. If you can't afford that, then maybe you shouldn't be buying such a huge house that will need a lot of maintenance. Wonder if the husband works from home? He sounded like he was the "adult" in the pair.

Amarante, my mouth fell open when I realized they had ordered breakfast to be delivered. It doesn't take much time to make breakfast, and you can make a healthy one with just a little planning. The other plus is that you can do it together and work in some family time, instead of sitting around waiting for the delivery. As I have gotten older, I like my own cooking better, and it's a heck of a lot less expensive than eating out all the time.

I finally finished the Arkansas episode a few minutes ago after being interrupted last night. Loved the castle house, but of course, that was not a viable option. I loved the storage room in that house. Wow - just wow, to have a room like that where you store things neatly and have them be accessible when you need then. I agree that the camper scenes were staged because their house was already finished, so I guess they were recreating their time in the camper for the show. We all know that so much of this show is fake anyway, and certainly not filmed in real time in some cases, so that didn't bother me too much. The two toilet thing did bug me. No one gets two toilets in one bathroom w/o custom designing a bathroom. I wonder what food distribution company they work for?

Peggy06, thank you for the link to the Midsomer podcast. I listened to the first one, The Killings At Badger's Drift, while I cleaned the kitchen and made bread. The people who are doing this go into great detail - the podcast was 95 minutes long! Interesting information about some of the actors and their other roles in other British productions, and some other tidbits, including details that I had forgotten about the episode. They are planning to make podcasts for each episode in chronological order. Would be a good way to while away time if you are home sick, cooking, gardening, or doing something where you can listen.

I think Pasha has emerged as one of the best choreographers, and he's savvy as to what Len likes to see. He throws in a bit of "old school" moves which makes Len happy, and I think has resulted in a good score from Len on a few dances. I also appreciate seeing the moves and steps because seeing 2 cha cha steps as opposed to a good number in what is supposed to be the cha cha is more enjoyable, at least to me. Spicer needs to go. He only staying there because people are voting for him. Someone said they wanted him to be tied for last and have the judges get rid of him. I would hope that the judges would have enough integrity at that point to eliminate him.

Pickles, yes the Florida agent has been on this show before, and I think it involved her selling a house that needed a lot of renovation to a couple who supposedly had no intention of doing major renovations. The Florida wife needs to face reality and get a life that doesn't revolve around her grown children. I thought the doctor was a "neurological surgeon", but unless he operates daily, I doubt he works 100 hours a week. I will say that the lunch Caprese salad she was making looked better than so many of the bought veggie trays or scoops of mac & cheese we so often see in these episodes. Yes, I pay attention to the food details - lol.