Lura

It wasn't too long ago that Giada was tapped for a hair ad. Next, I suppose we'll see Ree, Alex and Paige in hair commercials. The voiceover will probably rave about Ree's hair being the color of an Oklahoma sunset

Mmecorday, I wish I'd been clever enough to write that post. It's the most succinct description of Ree's show I think I've read. Brava!

I thought Paige's hair color looked awful on her, but even worse were her dark (black?) eyebrows. I noticed that her hair had been rather nicely trimmed in the front, giving her at least an impression of being styled, so I thought the bleach job had probably been done in a salon somewhere, especially since she has so much hair. The last time I saw pics of Alex on her mom's website, she, too, was a blonde. She was posing with her Hispanic boyfriend who was visiting the ranch (again). Looks like Alex is in a serious relationship. I think Ree's Tex-Mex cooking helped to lure him. *rolling eyes* Two things about Paige stood out to me in this episode. One was that she handles and throws a football better than her football-playing brother, Bryce. The other was how Paige walks exactly like a man. Sign of the Times: You know it's a new show when Ree wears new tops. Hye's hair looked horrible. It made her large head look even larger. I actually think she'd look nice in a bob but she seems happy wearing short hair. I didn't find the recipes appealing, but all was not lost. It reminded me of how much I love bok choy, and I put it on my grocery list -- the only reason I'm glad I watched!

I don't think Ree thinks! If she does, I'd say that's a pretty good description of the ticker tape that runs through her mind. I might tack whipped cream onto your list because I think she's as obsessed with it as her boys are. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that when the cameras aren't rolling, she sinks her entire face into whipped cream just like her boys do. In fact, that's probably where they got the idea.

Look who's here! Hi, Hye!

Mandolia, I neglected to thank you for your good wishes with the blood test. Sorry! It was just a routine test that our doctor requires of all of his patients. Thank you for writing about your village get-together. I'm off to read it right now! :)

Mandolia, I'm intrigued by the idea of a village lunch. As far as I know, we have nothing like that in the U.S. Would you tell us a little bit more about it? Does the entire village attend? If you don't want to stray off topic, you could put your reply in the "Small Talk" thread. Also, if this is a bother, I won't be offended. I thought that yesterday's show with Ree making yet more kiddie delights, was ridiculous. Her version of a "binto" box (her pronunciation) for Paigie was OK, but the towers of sliced apples smeared with peanut butter for Todd was another head scratcher. I wonder how many of us will make that one for breakfast, especially when we have guests! There was nothing wrong with the ingredients, but I think the tower would have been a mess to eat. Ree sure enjoys playing in her kitchen and proudly showing off her clever (?) creations. I think that other show hosts would be too embarrassed to put something like that on their shows. We can count on Ree to provide the idiot "recipes."

Well, ladies, I do see the Jock-Chuck connection and have even thought about "Dallas" myself. However, good though it is, I'm a Chuck lover and think he's far more interesting than Jock ever was. It could be my prejudice due to my love of Chuck, but compared to him, Jock seemed one-dimensional. He seemed to me to always be the same -- gruff and grouchy and barking at JR. Chuck, on the other hand, seems to enjoy being the boss, but he has his soft side and a warm sense of humor. I'll take Chuck any day over stuffy, demanding Jock. (Of course, my memory of Jock has probably faded over time and left me dim about his teddy bear moments). The, too, Jock was fictionalized, and Chuck is the real deal, which makes a big difference. I loved the PW episode in which Chuck and Ladd drove around the ranch in a truck, and Chuck reminisced about the old days. Much of the conversation was "educational," but some of it was filled with laughter between the two. I can't imagine Jock and JR "connecting" like that over the old oil fields. I think that Ree, with her sky high ego, sees herself as the only person alive who can please Chuck, which always makes me wish I could pound her down a peg or two! Her unabashed flirting with Chuck is nauseating. I always thought that Nan was such a good sport about smiling her way through it. (I miss Nan more than I thought I would.)

Due to having to fast for blood tests today, I haven't eaten since last night, and it is currently 3 p.m. my time. Although I'm generally a light eater, I could easily go for Eggs Benedict with breakfast potatoes right now! The difference to me is whether the meal is breakfast or brunch. For breakfast, soon after waking, I would never serve Eggs Benedict AND potatoes. However, for brunch (a combination of breakfast and lunch), I can see serving both along with other dishes such as fruit or juice. Even though Ree is a master of overkill, she may know that Chuck loves potatoes with breakfast, or maybe that's the custom in Oklahoma when feeding cowboys. In any case, it was definitely a heavy, unbalanced meal without fruit or sliced tomatoes or something acidic and vitamin rich, IMHO.

Automne, I'm so glad you're back. I love your descriptions as well as your knowledge.

Thanks, Charlize and Kahola. doTERRA doesn't sound like my cup of tea.

Sorry to show my ignorance, but what is doTERRA? I'm almost as confused as I was about "Edie Sedgwick Beale". *snort* According to Nancy in comments she made, the FN did away with her show. I've wondered whether she asked for too much money, but that's merely a question in my mind with no basis in fact. BTW, calling Girl Meets Farm a "cheap substitute" was not meant as any personal reflection on Molly. I like her enthusiasm and personality but haven't been motivated to try her recipes. I was reflecting on what I imagined Nancy might have been paid and what I imagine Molly is paid, although I have no idea. I also guessed that it cost more to produce Nancy's show than it does Molly's, which takes place largely in her kitchen. We all know how the FN likes to save money.

I did everything I could think of to keep "Farmhouse Rules" on the air. I wrote to the FN and to Nancy. I tried to get others to write, without success. I've been cooking since the Dark Ages, and I still learned more from Nancy. She knew her stuff and did her best to make it interesting. There were no cattle or wild horses on her farm, but occasionally she'd talk about growing up on a farm when it pertained to the recipe she was making. I felt that we lost a genuine cook and baker with years of experience when Nancy's show left the airwaves. I'd love to see "Farmhouse Rules" return to the lineup, but I fear that the time to lobby for it has passed. In its place, we're given "Girl Meets Farm," (or whatever it's called), a cheap substitute at best. It's sad.

The Ree-runs are beginning to tell the real story -- or at least the side story -- of why Ree has a show: to advertise her other ventures free of charge and actually get paid for the shows! We've had to sit through yet another opening of the Merc, plus another show featuring the Merc, plus one or two shows featuring the Boarding House and all of its pleased clientele. There is no doubt whatsoever that when Ree majored in marketing, she learned her lessons well. She deftly uses one success to feature other endeavors, all the while filming absolutely nauseating, fawning fans screaming and lining up for autographs. The scene showing Ree beaming through a local television interview was particularly irksome to me. Yes, it IS enough to make one sick. Ree is about as dumb as a fox. She may act sly, but she knows exactly what she's doing: appealing to the lowest rung on the IQ ladder, all of whom swallow her baloney like it was prime tenderloin. One woman drove all the way from California to meet Ree at the Merc. Good Lord, woman! What on earth is between your ears? Nothing but air. The problem is that Ree is essentially reaping millions from some people who have next to nothing, but they'll somehow find the money to travel to Pawtuska or buy her latest book. Does Ree care? Heavens, no. Keep 'em coming! Meanwhile, don't miss her next shows. They're sure to feature Ree's new pizza place.

I've always thought that men liked the chase, the thrill of the hunt, and anyone who made herself available all the time wasn't interesting. I have to wonder whether Ladd had lots of advice from Chuck and Nan. Ree has talked about "winning him over" when she's talked about Chuck. I've wondered whether Ladd was putting Ree to a test, seeing how content Ree would be with nothing to do but hang around the ranch. If she could take that "boredom," plus doing much of the cooking, maybe she was marriage material. Just one of many theories.

What did Ladd see in Ree to make him want to marry her? The guy is rich, good looking, university educated, loving, and seems like a good person. Was it her cooking? She cooked for him at the ranch every weekend the entire time they dated and took along movies for them to watch. Essentially, she dated him, not the other way around. He even broke up with a girlfriend in order to date Ree. She claims she got pregnant on their honeymoon, so if you believe her, there was no Alex Marie in the oven. What was it about her that made him fall in love with her? I've wondered ever since the show began.

Mandolia, welcome to the Pioneer Woman Forum of Misery! It's great having your perspective from England, which seems to match the general feelings on this board. Make yourself at home. Incidentally, no apologies necessary for your post. We've seen much longer ones. :) I must have been desperate to re-watch "The Merc" episode. There again, Ree finds a way to advertise by working the Merc in with her chili. The woman is shameless. Speaking of shameless, if I had been half of that couple who ordered one of everything in the deli, I sure wouldn't have wanted my face appearing on television!

How many times did Ree assure us and ree-assure us that chicken fried steak was practically the filet mignon and lobster tail of the prairie? The family loved it, the kids loved it, it was Ladd's favorite meal -- and then she got started on the gravy. The gravy "makes it." It was only cube steak, for heaven's sake! You can tell that Ree majored in marketing in college. She describes her food as if it rivaled Julia Child's. I get really tired of her hard sell. I also don't trust her judgment since she proclaims about everything being so fantastic. The other day, she opened the oven door to take out the rolls she was warming, and she let out with a loud "OH!!!" I thought someone had put a snake in the oven to scare her, but she was only exclaiming about how beautiful the rolls looked! Will someone please give that woman a tranquillizer before I need one?!

I think the article said that this was the woman's thesis for her Master's degree. I couldn't believe that any university would accept that topic for a thesis. It listed her three female advisors. After writing the thesis, the student usually has to go through an oral exam by members of the faculty about the subject, and I wondered also how much more she could say about Ree! Also, how did her thesis have anything to do with her future line of work? The thesis didn't do James Madison U. any favors as far as being a scholarly institution, IMHO. Poor James Madison was probably twisting in his grave.

What an absolutely senseless ending!!! Manny dropped FIRST??? He had so much personality and good cooking ability. Dropped flat. Mean! Then, to make a tie between Chris and Jess was too much for me. Since when is Jess anywhere near as talented as Chris? She walks, talks and dresses like a runway model and bares her teeth as frequently as Giada does. Chris, on the other hand, is everybody's next-door neighbor. Not a pretense in sight. If it had to be a tie, I wish it had been Manny and Chris. Send Jess back to her "noveling."

I wish that someone from a highly respected magazine or newspaper would interview people in Pawtuska on how they feel about Ree. If the people would rather not give their names, that would be fine with me. In fact, people might be more forthcoming if they didn't fear retribution from the Drummonds. I would like to know whether it's merely Ree's television audience (or a large portion of them) who have these negative feelings about her and whether the negativity is pervasive within Pawtuska as well.

I've gone from someone who was "eh" about Gesine and her show to becoming a real fan of hers. I think she turned the corner for me when she began cooking. At first, it seemed like she was baking so many tricky things that I would never attempt, but as soon as her baking also incorporated cooking, I looked at her with new eyes. Gesine seems to be the epitome of a woman with a dream who kept working at it until she made it come true. She got her bakery, her baking school, and her television show by working hard and never losing sight of the end results. I admire her for her "stick-to-it-ive-ness" and truly enjoy watching her. In my mind, there are two FN hosts who are born teachers: Anne Burrell and Gesine Prado.

I'm half-heartedly rooting for New England because I lived there and love it. The blond-haired "guy" gave me the creeps. He actually seemed like a nice person, but his looks were a turn-off. "Thighs and Buns" -- eeew! I don't think I'd buy from that truck if they were serving my favorite lobster. The name gives me the creeps, like they were offering sex with their food! Is it my imagination, or is this show looking for the oddest, creepiest contestants it can find? It's like they've purposely populated this show with oddballs and people who need showers and a makeover. C'mon, FN. Don't tell me that every truck food person looks like these people. Aren't there a number of clean cut, young men and women, who are looking for a spot on your shows, including this one? Who do they think is their audience for this? The weirdos of America? Tyler stands out like a sore thumb because he's the only person in sight who looks normal!

Jess just isn't my idea of a show host. She's more like a model for every variety of upscale apparel. She should be voted "best dressed" and leave it at that. That southern gal with the blonde hair who shimmied in the show's preview provided real pleasure when she left. Bobby was just beginning to get interested in her, and I was afraid she'd get a free pass (from Bobby AND from elimination). She was too stuck on herself to be believed. I thought that Patak (sp?) was the best of the women until Ree "Thompson" decided that P. was a member of Al Quiada and outchatted her into elimination. P. really deserved to be brought back, I thought. With Christian eliminated, I think the title will go to Manny. I just wish the FN would give the winner a real chance by awarding him with at least a short version of his own show. Bragging rights are not enough for someone who has slaved for weeks cooking and entertaining viewers with their blood, sweat and tears. I think that viewers are abandoning this show partly because there is no payoff any longer.

I have liked Chris all along, not because of what he wears, but because of his seeming natural. He is what he is, and I find him entertaining. I wish he were still in the running. I could take or leave Jess, but probably leave her. Her food choices, while maybe tasty, don't interest me, and therefore, I wouldn't watch a show with her. That leaves Manny. Manny is an imp, but I think he's real. He's not always funny and isn't afraid to show his emotions. I liked Charlize Cat's idea of a show featuring firehouse chefs. Many of them are outstanding cooks. I'll be very surprised if anyone but Manny wins this season. But what will the winner have to show for it? A certificate? An autographed picture of Giada?