meowmommy

Wedding photographer should have allowed them to use her name and her company's name, because everything about her case advertised their professionalism. I think people would want to use her company after seeing the pictures and hearing how the junior photographer went the extra mile for the whiny, entitled plaintiff.

Happy to see Max. He's come a long way from being Virgil's bumbling little helper. Dar's "Presidents don't get chances, they get tested," felt scarily ripped from reality. Unlike the plotline with the female PE, which will always feel disjointed given the current state of the nation. Why would Quinn be drawn to that Alex Jones-ish program?

Did defendant #2, in his zeal to protect his stepdaughter's virgin ears from dog knows what, forget the part where the proceedings are broadcast on national television?

Ugh, I wouldn't have cared if those little girls were the second coming of Julia Child; if they had talked to me like that, I would have put them both in time out since drowning children is, alas, currently illegal. And just once I would like Anne not to pile all the food on top of each other. Honestly, not everyone wants to eat their food that way and if a chef constantly did that, I would be so annoyed.

I can understand that TPTB at HGTV would encourage Joanna to go outside her comfort zone, since most people think she can't do anything but big clocks and shiplap, but as a client, I don't understand why you would consult a designer whose specialty is known to be so far outside your esthetic, unless your primary goal is a) to be on TV, or b) to be able to sell your house as a Joanna Gaines-designed home. I didn't think Joanna had it in her to step away from the barn doors and white cabinets. She did a good job, for the most part. I'm always annoyed by "I have to sacrifice and be away from my kids all night so I can stage this house" with items that get removed as soon as the cameras leave. It's a tired trope. JOC, given that the client doesn't necessarily keep the staged items, who pays for the labor involved in staging, or in this case, renting all those items that wouldn't have come from Magnolia? Is that part of the reno budget or does the network pick that up?

I know this isn't about Chopped, but just watched the latest BBF ep with the Volt brothers as judges. Bobby said that Michael beat Bryan "in a big cooking competition." Really, FN, would it hurt that much to say Top Chef? Back to Chopped, I really wondered about the CG veteran who said she went into the CG to find out why her father did it. That's some strange backstory, but of course everyone on Chopped must have a backstory. Can't be about cooking. I was rooting for the veteran who really did have a dramatic backstory but who refused to play it for points, but he didn't win.

Not for a second did I ever consider blaming the cheftestants. It's all on FN. They're petrified of TC, for some reason.

I don't know, but when he was on this show, he seemed very uncomfortable with that kind of attention. That Photoshopped picture of shirtless Bobby made me very uncomfortable. Plus it reminded me of those awful pictures of shirtless Putin.

I probably missed it, but did they say it was the VA? Or could it have been his regular check from whatever cover the CIA uses?

There were several moments during this episode that I really thought had the potential to be part of an interesting show. I like it when they do actual instruction and the participants are actually working to try to achieve something. But no, as usual the producers had to go with wacky hijinks, low comedy sound effects and general shittiness. I can't remember any of their names but I sympathized with the guy who tried to reproduce what he'd learned the week before, only to be rudely told that wasn't an option. No, have them pull something out of their asses and be surprised that it looks and tastes like shit.

$46K for water in four years???? That's almost $1000 a month. My water bill is $15 a month. Is this Perrier coming through the taps?

I refuse to accept Mini-Mood without Mini-Swatch. On what world can you say you're designing for someone who doesn't give a shit about how she looks and not expect to be aufed? And the assumption that if you're older, that's your take...feh. At least half these outfits would have gotten the wearer booted at the door of their employer, and told to go home and change into something appropriate for work.

Unless you live behind a moat or carpet bomb the neighborhood, how on earth do you prevent chipmunks from coming in your yard? And if the solution is to kill all the ones who cross your property line, for me, at least, a yard full of dead chipmunks would be infinitely more horrifying than a yard full of live chipmunks. Substitute "I'm afraid of cats" or "I'm afraid of dogs" and imagine this same case. Eek.

Fixed.

My unemployment just ran out last week and I have no options. No legal ones, anyway. This case made me mad. And finally MM policed herself--she's very quick to jump on someone who doesn't call her Judge or Your Honor, yet she frequently calls litigants sweetheart and other less-than-adult names. Today she caught herself chastising the defendant and realized that she herself had called him babycakes. Is it me or does MM's hair get a shade lighter with each episode?

Chefs like Angry! Dale, Carla Hall, Antonia Lofaso, and of course, Richard Blais, have found fame and fortune in the Food Network world, yet probably none of them would be there but for the exposure they got on Top Chef. You are so right that FN cringes from the mere mention of TC.

You just know the guy couldn't wait to cash his 9/11 "survivor" chip, even though it apparently had nothing to do with this fence. Sometimes good fences really do make good neighbors, because these people needed to stay the hell away from each other.

He's probably younger than I am but looks older than I am, especially with the hair ten shades darker than the beard, and I wouldn't date him. Now, I did think the defendant was cute...

I actually do think that food critics should not be judging the show, because it's not a straight-up cooking competition. They throw in gimmicks and tricks and time elements that would not be part of the experience of stepping into a restaurant and ordering a meal and expecting a certain level of quality. My issue is with Padma's arrogance and rudeness toward the cheftestants when she apparently possesses none of the experience or the skills required of successful TC competitors. I am happy to agree to disagree...

I might have missed it because I only watch now with a side eye until they do the reveal, but was the wood hood built as its own unit or was it simply decorative and covering a metal hood? Because of course hoods were not originally meant as fashion statements, but as a way to protect the house in case the range shoots up fire. A wood hood would just feed the fire. I have also learned to FF past everything involving either family--the Gaineses and the clients. Because I don't care about them.

Julia Child was cooking into her 80s. Jacques Pepin is in his 80s and is still cooking. It's not about age. I call foul on whoever it was who was wiping their plate before presenting. That's not something a novice cook would think to do.

She writes and sells cookbooks and describes herself on her own website as a food expert. If she's not a chef, and therefore lacks the skills needed to perform a Top Chef challenge, then she has no business being rude and condescending to those who are. If she is a chef, then she had better be able to back up her rudeness and condescension by having the skills to master any Top Chef challenge. I also thought it was a loser edit. And I thought Jim was gay, but not in a way where I had any conscious thoughts about it prior to seeing the footage of his wife.

The PR brand definitely did NOT improve by its move to Lifetime. And I can only imagine the horror that Food Network would impart to the TC franchise. They are so overwhelmed by TC they can't even admit anyone on their network has ever heard of it, much less competed on it. From what I've heard about what they do to the beauty plate to make it beautiful, I don't think anyone would want to eat anything on it.

The thread is titled 'WCIA Special' but it's the opener for season 10. patty1h, everything you just said, x 1000. Anyone can pretend not to be able to cook and then miraculously improve. And I'm always shaking my head at FN's decision each season to frame this as slapstick comedy instead of either a straight competition or an instructional show. And Anne, I hate your entire team, too.

I dunno; she sets a very high haughty and obnoxious bar week after week, year after year. Seriously, just once I'd like to see her attempt even one of the challenges for which she is so quick to express her disdain at a less than perfect performance. I like it too. And it's nice to see the eliminated cheftestants as part of the cheering section, just enjoying the experience. And Tom always seems to have something positive to say about both dishes, along the lines of they're both great but this one is just a hair better.