Grommet

"So God is Bugs Bunny?" made me laugh. That was a great segment.

The whole series was a lot of fun to watch. All the kids were talented and likable. I enjoyed the judges, too. Rebecca was so ambitious with her cake! It looked great. She really did well for the last two challenges and deserved to win.

When does Rachel sleep??

Like last week, I loved every minute. The writing is sharp and her delivery is fantastic. I am very impressed.

Awww, that was tough - Peggy is so adorable. Valerie did a nice job with her, both in the kitchen and after the elimination. Rebecca's BLT imposter was incredible. The marzipan bacon was a stroke of genius!

Rachel said, "Aw, remember John Edwards?" just as I was thinking it last night. We are simpatico!

Very belated thanks for the link to the Playboy interview. It made my day! "I mean, Ben Carson!" And the bit about Ann Coulter was just so perfect. This is why I love Rachel even when she annoys me with her roundabout telling of the first story of the night. But, that being said, I have had to mute the MSNBC coverage of New Hampshire. I'd need several of her aviator (?) cocktails to watch this, but I don't drink.

My dad was a child of the depression and wasn't so much a hoarder as a stocker-upper, a trait I got from him. My local warehouse store can sometimes be a problem with their tempting coupons - I have enough shampoo and body wash to last me a year. But I have a big storage closet in my bathroom, so it's neatly put away. And I have a decent unfinished basement where I can store cases of paper towels and tissues. I will admit, though, that I left the case of tomato soup on the dining table I rarely use, and have been just grabbing a couple of cans to take to work every week. Actually, my dad was a bit of a hoarder. After he had a stroke a few years ago, I helped clear out his office (a 3-room building on his home property) and there were decades' worth of bills, bank statements, business documents, computers and parts and accessories, desks and file cabinets. The paper alone probably took 30 huge trash bags. I've been trying to help my stepmother get organized after his death last fall, and I keep telling her she doesn't need to keep paid bills. Pay them and throw them away! I have trouble throwing away things that seem like they still have value, so I start by putting stuff on the street early on trash day and most of it gets taken before the sanitation crew comes through. I always feel such relief when I see it's been taken by someone! Thanks to all who share their stories here.

I thought this was fantastic. I laughed more than I have in a while. I always liked Sam on TDS so I'm glad she's living up to my hopes, since Colbert has been such a disappointment. I think the no-interview, weekly format will give her a great opportunity to do good, smart humor.

What an odd show! I'd never heard of it before. Edited to add: I found a couple of Life Laundry episodes on You Tube. That was my first experience with shows about hoarding, and it was really well done. Not a lot of drama but much kindness and helpfulness.

Zucchini in chocolate cake is the only way I'll eat zucchini. It makes the cake moist without having any discernible flavor of its own.

Good luck, funky-rat. That sounds like a difficult situation in the making.

I was sorry to see Alex go, but his plate was a bit of a mess. I love the name of Jane's fantasy bakery, Sprinkletastic. She has a great personality and has become my favorite.

Dick was tough to sympathize with, but he was clearly ill both mentally and physically (he seemed so gaunt). That doesn't mean Sandy's kids should let him continue to ruin their mother's life, if they can help it. Dick will hoard up whatever space he has for the rest of his life. Karen was very sad. Her hoard looked clean, at least. Even the interim shots of her home looked good, so there didn't seem to be the usual hoarder squalor going on - just way too much stuff. I wondered about the daughter having to live there, too. I'd think she'd have some other option but don't want to judge. That family certainly had a lot of pain to deal with. Daughter Tonya was so angry, it was uncomfortable to watch.

I had to avert my eyes from the Peggy scenes. She's clearly a pathologically horrible person. It's a wonder her children are as sane as they are. Her daughter was very compassionate, although I doubt she'll ever get what she wants from her mother. Peggy is damaged beyond repair, I think, as was her house. I can't imagine the cost to make that even borderline habitable again. I thought Connie was a good example of how disordered the thinking of hoarders is. You could see her total lack of comprehension when asked to get rid of stuff. All she could feel was her anxiety, no empathy for her family members. I think it will take an enormous effort on her part to change her behavior, even if she wants to. That's a tough situation for her sons, especially since their dad's judgement seems to be compromised as well.

I noticed that green top of the Zaz as well. Crazy inappropriate. I know they want to look nice for tv but it's distracting.

I used "I had plans for that rock!" in conversation the other day and nobody got it, but it made me laugh.

That challenge was crazy difficult. I couldn't have done it in twice the time. I hated the way Anne kept shouting Donna's name. It just seemed mean. I've always used an egg poacher pan but this weekend I'm going freestyle! It sounds so easy but I'm skeptical.

I agree, Yashimabet (I looked at a previous post!) seems very calm and poised. I wasn't surprised some of the girls were crying over the stupid stacking thing - that was unnecessary pressure for a bunch of kids. Just let them bake, FFS! I love Peggy but I think she should have been sent home instead of Emma. Her time management was awful (and she seemed genuinely shocked that she dithered for half an hour over her egg whites) and the end product was pretty bad. And Emma should have gotten points for saying the name of the cookie correctly! Macarons and macaroons are two totally different things, it's not just French vs. English pronunciation. I feel the same way about this show as I do about the Great British Baking Show - just let everyone compete for the whole series and pick a winner at the end. I hate seeing anyone leave.

I'm surprised no one mentioned that Dorothy was high as a kite, presumably from all the pain meds she must take. I think she'd like to start hoarding again but may be too debilitated, and her husband might be able to stop it from happening. Her daughter and granddaughters were lovely. Doris also had lovely daughters willing to help. I'm glad she finally told them she didn't blame then for being born. Having an angry mother must have been difficult for them. And that poor house!

I was very disappointed in Dr. Suzanne and Dorothy. I hope this was edited for drama and the compassion got left on the cutting room floor. Ken's family did seem to care about him and he seemed grateful. But shaming him for the sex toys was excessively exploitative, even for this show. I think the goal for the elderly couple should be safety and minimal cleanliness. Nothing is going to change their baseline behavior. And brother Ted should fuck off.

Isn't this the description of every episode? Easy job for the blurb writer at A+E!

Oh, I love this show so much. I've seen the season that's on Netflix and the last 5 episodes of what was on PBS (they don't keep all the episodes available online, the bastards) and found UK Season 1 on You Tube. I would gladly buy every episode but Itunes tells me I'm in the wrong country for that. Another reason to fulfill my fantasy of moving to England!

I don't recall that, but Sarah Palin being in the news reminds me of this exchange: Dave: so John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate- Paul: oops. That's one of my favorite tv moments of all time.

I caught the last half of last night's episode and really enjoyed it. I like Duff and Valerie as judges and the kids are adorable and awesome. I wish I could pipe frosting like that! I'll definitely be watching the rest of the series and am sorry I missed the earlier eps. I would also like to put Peggy in my pocket and take her home.