Uncle Benzene

"Winston!!! Stop having sex in the sink!" "Okay."

No Chef Andi?!? BOOOOOOO!!!!!

Just a hunch based on my own personal interpretation of that exchange, but it seemed pretty jokey to me. Both Andy's question and Dave's "correction." I suspect that the whole thing was some kind of "in joke" with Emile. Wouldn't surprise me if Emile's rooming with Dave might have been by far the closest interaction he's ever (knowingly) had with an LGBTQ person, and it might have led to some initial (innocuous) culture-based awkwardness on Emile's part. Emile may have fumbled a little bit at first, perhaps using some less-than-ideal terminology or asking a weird question or two (for example "So do I refer to you as 'gay' or 'homosexual' or what?") which Dave no doubt took with grace and good humor. I would imagine that Dave and others turned it into a running gag, and Andy and Dave took the opportunity to give Emile a little shit about it, just for fun. Seems like most of it was probably edited out for time, but that's how I took it anyway. Just a hunch, YMMV.

So... um... how you doin'? Heh. --- Three things: Fuck Rocky. Fuck Eddie. Fuck Rocky & Eddie. Also, fuck Rocky. Always and forever. --- I absolutely love the apparent fact that Captain Lee is not only the biggest breakout star of this here show, but is also a bona fide sex symbol. You go on with your bad self, cap'n! I also love that nobody's got the heart to tell him that his "Lee-isms" are all old and hackneyed and not really funny. It's just that they're coming from Lee, and that is what makes it at least mildly amusing. He's like your uncle who thinks he's "hip" and/or "with it" while using phrase like "the bomb" and such. It's cute. Old Man Cute. The man sure as hell speaks truth to reality tee vee show power though. And I don't think I'll ever get tired of the look on his face they keep showing in the clips when he witnessed the Rocky/Eddie flirting in the galley. High comedy! To me, Lee and Kate were the clear "winners" of the reunion. I mean, it's not like everyone wasn't constantly rolling their eyes pretty much every time Rocky spoke, but Kate's Bitch Face was at the top of its game, and Lee's wasn't too far off pace. Andy should have given both of them little "No Fucks To Give" flags to wave whenever Rocky was braying on about something or other. The Kate/Ben discussion just confirmed what I already knew, they bicker because it's fun and they love it. They'll never admit it, and that's probably a good thing for them, but I'm convinced that deep down they're borderline in love with each other. They're like freakin' Jerry and Elaine. So damn cute. Dave! I still can't understand why he doesn't get about three times as much screen time as he does. He is the best. I have to agree with others that, as much as I was looking forward to Below Deck II: Mediterranean Boogaloo, that preview poured a good bit of cold water on my enthusiasm. I know I'll watch it though, and I'm pretty sure I'll be all in after a couple episodes. Fingers crossed. Pros: Ben! Cons: No Kate, and especially no Lee. This new captain's gonna piss me off, I'm sure of it. Loving the stews' accents though, so there's that.

I agree with what Yours Truly said, but to add to that and boil it down a little... I don't think it's complicated. People (myself included) just don't like Rocky. She "pushes all the buttons" for an apparent majority of viewers, while Eddie and Kate (and whoever else) just don't. Pretty simple, really. Viewers are under no obligation to be "fair" or "objective" when it comes to judging tee vee shows and the people who are in them. And people who are generally liked, and/or display redeeming qualities, are naturally going to be judged less harshly than those who aren't and don't. Evidently, Kate and Eddie (again, for an apparent majority) are the former while Rocky is the latter. I don't think it's anything more than the standard, everpresent variance in mileage.

And now for something completely different... (Please bear with me here, because I know it's stupid.) So... hello Olivia Newton-John! Here's the thing about that, I was 8 years old in 1980 and therefore I'm quite familiar with ONJ, as she was absolutely owning the Top 40 charts at the time. Must have heard "Magic" about a thousand times back then, but probably only once or twice over the last 35(!!!!!!) years. And so this show starts playing it, and immediately I'm all "Whoa, I know that song. But I'll be damned if I can put my finger on it." And for about the next 10 seconds, right up until ONJ started singing, I had convinced myself that it was some obscure deep-track song by.... Talking Heads. Oh my. And now I cannot get that song out of my head, only it's David Byrne style. And I've gotta say, I'm loving it. Try it. Can you hear it? Because it's kinda fucking awesome. Similarly, I was also momentarily bugged in a "How in the hell do I know this song???" kinda way when the folks were singing that "Wade in the Water" hymn on the bus. Then it hit me. It was because of this: Good lord. The 1980s: Continually vexing those of us who were there until the day we die. (Or Depart, whichever comes first.) --- I love this show. Only slightly less so when there's no Nora. Which has been the case for far too long now. For fuck's sake, Lindelof. Gimme the Nora!

Honey Baked™ ham on buttermilk biscuits: Thanksgiving Breakfast of Champions!

Yep. Now that's what I call a holiday food tradition. Please feel free to collapse on the couch right next to me, because I feel your pain.

To Whom It May Concern at The Kitchen: Please quit with the fuckin' crafts already. Thanks.

I agree that this, more than anything, is the "smoking gun" with regard to the whole thing being for the sake of the show. Scissors don't pick locks. Not even locks on doorknobs inside a house. Those usually just require that you stick a pointy object in there and push back the little lever, but a full size scissor blade isn't pointy enough to do the job. so, 1. It wouldn't have worked, 2. Trying would have damaged the knob (which I assume in and of itself would have been a fireable offense on a $20MM yacht) and 3. Production would never have allowed it to happen if it were "real" if only because surely it would have opened them up to all manner of potential litigation. And clearly Production was there and witnessed the whole thing. It defies all logic that it WASN'T all orchestrated for the sake of the show. We weren't shown Eddie actually jimmying the lock. It was only suggested that the door was locked in the first place. Where'd the scissors come from? Scissors don't actually jimmy open door locks. Nobody stopped him, even though multiple people were clearly watching it all happen. The only fallout was a stern talking-to from Lee (followed not long after by a big ol' hug.) Rocky's (lack of) reaction... does anybody actually believe that Rocky (or anyone else) wouldn't have immediately gone full-on apeshit if someone actually went all B&E into their living quarters? I mean, it's pretty obvious to me that at the very least that particular incident was nothing more than a dramatization. And I agree with HumblePi that it's likely the entire "thing" Rocky/Eddie "had the whole time!" was nothing more than a storyline. Acting! Brrrrriliant! After all, we were never, not even once, actually shown anything we've been told happened between them. Not even a single actual kiss, for crying out loud. All we've seen is suds in the washer, and all we've heard are stupid "sex-like sounds" followed by repeated "confessions" from the so-called participants. All of which are about as convincing as tales of a UFO encounter. You'd think that if any of it were actually "real" the consequences would have been a hell of a lot more serious than... well... basically none. For anyone. Nah, it was all for show.

Personally, I reject the premise that anyone (Kate, Ben, or the show itself) has ever suggested any kind of "great romance." They enjoy playing with each other, they have genuine affection for each other, and every now and then they hook up. And that's about it. They're friends with occasional benefits, and I've never seen any indication on the show that it was ever anything other than that. Kate has said as much on the show, "...like cheesecake, just can't have it every day" and Ben has always seemed very casual about it as well. They just have their fun when the inspiration strikes and the opportunity presents itself. Unless we're talking about that whole conversation between them in this episode, which actually took me by surprise precisely because I'd never seen any indication that the situation was even remotely "serious" enough to warrant such a speech from Ben. And judging by Kate's reaction, I don't think she had either. She looked like she was wondering where all that was coming from as well, and she seemed to be trying to politely acknowledge it but to also shut it down with a quickness. Kind of a "That's sweet, thank you. So, we all good?" I think the whole thing might have just been a case of getting a little overly-emotional since they were all going their separate ways. Didn't seem to last very long.

God help me, I love this show. (Was that out loud?) Can't wait for the reunion, can't wait for Below Deck II: Mediterranean Boogaloo, etc. etc. etc. Kate's "Oh, is that all? Meh. So, we going out or what?" reaction to Rocky's 47th confession that she and Eddie "had a thing this whole time" was one of the most amusing things I've seen on tee vee in a long, long time. And then she followed it up by totally shutting Rocky right the fuck down before what I'm sure Rocky thought would be some grand farewell speechifying, and I laughed my ass off once again. Then Ben tells her she deserves a great guy and Kate is all "I know." Kate is the fucking best. Don't let the porthole hit you in your pretty cheeks, Rocky. Here's hoping the reunion is the last time you ever show up on my tee vee screen. Emile can go right ahead and GTFO as well. Both of them were just exhausting to watch by the end. And both had that Sam-esque constant smirk on their faces (which to me, in all three cases, always struck me as less of a smirk and more that self-conscious reflexive thing some people have when they know they're on camera and are 'performing', and they're trying and failing to 'remain in character' rather than breaking into laughter.) Rocky's sulking in the galley just nailed it home for me that she was cast to be Kat 2, and she nailed it. Drunk, horny, batshit insane, and never EVER lacking for something to complain about, even when she got exactly what she had been wanting (Rocky with being in the galley, Kat with switching rooms from Adrienne to Ben in season 1.) Ben needling her for sport was amusing. What... the fuck... is up with Captain Lee's off-duty sartorial stylings??? Dude, for crying out loud, just stick to the captain's uniform. Good for Connie. Kudos to everyone (which was pretty much everyone, right?) who called the fakeout and that Connie was going to get a well-deserved reward of some sort when Lee called her to the wheelhouse. I was thinking she might get a full-blown promotion a la Eddie at the end of season 1. Still, I think there's a real good chance that by the time we see her in the season 4 premier, she might very well be the new Bosun. It might have been a bit petty, but I did get a chuckle out of her twisting the knife a little bit by sarcastically offering to hire Emile. Harsh, Connie. Harsh, and hilarious. Dave was criminally underused (in terms of screen-time) in season 1, and he was again after he returned in season 3. It's a shame, because he's awesome. Ben is just fantastic. The very definition of the amusing asshole with a heart of gold. In that way, he and Captain Lee are two peas in a pod. And I don't for a second believe that Ben and Kate will leave each other alone when they're inevitably back for season 4. No way in hell. They can't help it. They're like cheesecake... just can't have it every day is all. Sue me, but I still like Eddie, and I hope he's back. He's right, it was a terrible season for him. And a lot of it was his own doing. I don't excuse it, I don't condone it, but I "forgive him." (Not that he needs my forgiveness.) And I've got a hunch that nobody on that boat outside of Rocky and Emile held it against him for more than a couple hours max. He fucked up royally, sure, but in my opinion the guy had built up such a karma surplus before all this, that it's all good. He was an ass, and I think he eventually became as aware of it as anybody. And maybe I'm a sucker, but I doubt he'll be inclined to repeat the mistake(s), let alone the whole thing being a case of "true colors" or anything like that. I'm betting everybody but Rocky & Emile loves him again by the reunion. My guess is that everybody's back for season 4 except Rocky, Emile, and maybe Eddie (by his own choice.) I think Ben & Dave enjoyed the hell out of being back and will find the time to do it again for a full season. But here's the thing about that... with Lee in the wheelhouse, Connie and Dave on deck, Ben in the galley, and Kate & Amy kicking ass inside, they're sooooooo close to having an incredibly competent, functional, kickass crew from top to bottom, that you just know that the 2 or 3 n00bs next season are gonna be doozies! Can't wait!

Ew. The person writing those posts on that web site has actually kicked the "trying way too hard" factor several notches up from Rocky herself. Shouldn't have clicked. Need a shower now.

On a more pleasant (and by that, I mean "non-Rocky") note, I re-watched last night with a friend, and it brought back to mind something I wanted to mention yesterday, but forgot to... Personally, I find both Kate and Ben a hoot individually. I enjoy Kate's dry sarcasm, and Ben is just plain fun. But I absolutely ADORE them "together." I don't mean as a couple, just when they're in the same room and playing off each other. They're just so playful together, all the time, and even (maybe especially) when they're disagreeing on something and frustratedly bickering with each other, it's just so obvious that they're enjoying the hell out of it. Kate often carries around kind of a dead-eyed gaze (part of the Bitchy Resting Face, and I don't hold that against her, I actually find it amusing in its own way) but her face just lights up whenever Ben is around. I don't think she can help it. Even when she was giving Ben the score re: Rocky and she seemed genuinely and rightly pissed off that Ben would defend Rocky even though he hadn't been around long enough to have the slightest fucking clue what they've been putting up with from her, it was still just worlds different from her usual Active Bitchy Face. You could almost see the twinkle in her eye and a smile just below the surface. Anyway, I don't "ship" and I couldn't care less if or when they end up fucking (again) or whatever, but I do find their playfulness and genuine affection for each other (maybe despite themselves) to be one of the more pleasant aspects of the show on a week-to-week basis. It's amusing what those two do to each other.

Because they ordered the half-assed Denny's breakfast to begin with. This has been a thing on Below Deck since season 1, the chefs (or Ben, at least, because I'm not sure whether or not Leon ever even bothered to wake up and actually go to work for breakfast service) have made more than one comment about how breakfast is their least favorite meal because it's all to-order and therefore it's "beneath" a real chef because it the special snowflake culinary artiste is basically functioning as a short-order cook. "Might as well be slinging hash at a Waffle House" or whatever. Unless the guests specifically say something to the effect of "Surprise me and wow me!" it's basically "gimme two over-easy, a short stack, and a shitload of bacon" or whatever. Which I get, especially since most of the time they're hung over and barely awake, and it's not exactly the right time to be getting their minds blown with uni and black truffles and whatnot. All I'm saying is that if Ben served them a half-assed Denny's breakfast, it's because that's what they asked for. I'm quite sure that otherwise Ben would have served them what he eventually served them in the first place. But what I'm pretty sure actually happened (and YMMV, of course) is that they ordered a low-brow Waffle House breakfast, Ben gave it to them, and it wasn't quite as low-brow Waffle House as they're used to, so they complained. And so Ben sent them a high-brow yacht breakfast and since they didn't know any better, they of course said "Oooooooh. Much better!" Which I'm sure it was. But that doesn't make it Ben's fault that they ordered Waffle House to begin with.

Try dropping an oyster in there! Delicious! Oysters and grenadine are like peanut butter and jelly, don't ya know. Just be sure to have someone you hate ready to blame in the event it bursts into flames. (Always good advice.) I don't think he fucked up breakfast. Just because the guests complained doesn't mean the eggs and sausage weren't perfect. It just means they complained. Sure, "the customer is always right" especially on a yacht, but that doesn't mean they're actually right. I mean, these people probably think a sausage and egg biscuit from McDonald's is the height of breakfast indulgence. So, you know, grain of salt and all. Note that they felt perfectly comfortable complaining about eggs and sausage, but (as is the case with many/most of these charter guests) as soon as the plates came out with the lobster and whatever other high-falutin' ingredients, they defaulted to "Well, it's 'rich food' and we're on a yacht, so it MUST BE GREAT!" --- My line of the night goes to Emile: "I don't want to get involved in this love triangle between Eddie and Rocky." I mean, I know that in his head he was including Eddie's girlfriend in that, but it still made me laugh out loud. Oh Emile, you sweet simpleton. I bet you kicked ass in 6th grade geometry. The other "Holy shit, did that actually happen?" moment was when drunk primary actually raised his voice and proclaimed to his invitees that "I have more money than all of you combined!" Yowza. Dude. Doooooood. No wonder you've gotta pay for it. --- I strongly suspect that every last detail of the whole Eddie/Rocky saga is total fiction. It's all for the show.

Word.

Heh. Doubt it. He'd probably have proposed.

Oy vey. Ore-Ida, no doubt. This guy. I swear, this fuckin' guy. How much you wanna bet the oven was smoky because he just stuck the frozen "fries" in there without even going to the trouble of preheating? Hell, he probably took them right out of the freezer, sprayed them down with (way too much) Pam cooking spray, and stuck them in a cold oven with burners blazing at 500+ during preheat. Nice job, "chef."

From the preview... Rocky (re: Eddie): "If you're not into me, fine, but show me some respect." Emile: "Ummmmmm...."

Jeff Wayne -- The Eve of War: From Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds (1978): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Wayne%27s_Musical_Version_of_The_War_of_the_Worlds My dad and I must have listened to it 100+ times back in the day. He probably still has the cassette. Heh. It's pretty awesome.

To me, he was pretty clearly just trying to get across that "We're not rich from birth, we're not trust fund babies. We know what it's like to work hard for what you have. And so you can believe me when I say we truly appreciate how hard you guys (Captain & Crew) worked to make this awesome for us, and how hard you work for all your charter guests (except maybe Leon.)" I thought it was genuine, and pretty damn sweet actually. It probably meant at least as much as the $15 Large. Lee sure seemed to think so.

Happy Thanksgiving, PRgal (and all of you brothers and sisters to the north!) I absolutely LOVE turkey. So much so that I usually do a full-blown "second Thanksgiving" sometime in late spring, complete with full bird and all the sides. And frozen leftovers tend to be available pretty much year-round in my house for a once-a-month indulgence. I'll usually roast the spring bird deep fry the fall bird. I've never been able to decide which method I like better, so I alternate. I also tend to alternate between my mom's cornbread dressing, and a recipe for "Texas cornbread pudding" that I found on the web years ago. Sadly, I forget the source. I memorized the recipe immediately after tasting it the first time. Here's my guilty confession: I also absolutely LOVE old-school semi-ho green bean casserole. I'm talking canned beans, Campbell's cream of mushroom and canned fried onions. Sure, I've made it from scratch with fresh ingredients and herbage and all that fancy stuff. It's good. But if I'm not trying to impress anybody, give me the recipe right off the can of soup and quit judging me! (Heh.) Although I also like something my mom used to do... add some chopped artichoke hearts and lots of freshly-grated real parmigiano reggiano. Mmmmmm.

I could listen to Liv all day.

I agree. I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong. They do some pretty neat "exclusive"/unique flavors sometimes. But at least here in my neck of the woods (North Carolina) it's super-duper expensive. Damn near Ben & Jerry's expensive. And while it's good, it's not worth those prices when there's perfectly good ice cream right next to it on the shelf for half the price. The only time I even consider buying it these days is when there's an interesting new (or returning limited-issue) flavor. I'm willing to spend that kind of $ on Ben & Jerry's, but Blue Bell just isn't on that level.