Bronx Babe

Yes, she's got an extensive art background as well as an academic one. But of course any suggestion that Jessea was a college professor would not have fit with the producer-driven "drama".

"New" 2016 episode: Santa Barbara to Belize. Woman wants to concentrate on her art in a long-desired tropical location. She buys an apartment conveniently situated across the street from a b&b where they "allow" her to paint outside. I looked this person up -- Jessea Gay Marie. Turns out she's been the hotel manager at Belize Bed and Breakfast for two years since June of 2014.

Florida/South Carolina (?) to London. Hubby Adam had more than a hint of a U.K. accent and I'm thinking he probably left that area for the States when he was around 10 years old or so. The backstory didn't bother to fill us in that he was born on the other side of the pond but made it seem like they were experiencing England for the first time. (or perhaps just London. Adam might have been from some other British county)

Yes, I wouldn't wear a real diamond ring while cooking or doing the dishes. I was just curious because even during Ina's Paris specials, I don't see one on her hand. And that's when she wasn't preparing meals, just buying appetizers to set up a buffet. I do feel more sympathy for Garten after recently reading an interview where she said her mother was a "strict nutritionist" who viewed food as medicine. Ina said "I was always hungry as a child". And when Ina wanted to learn to cook, the mother pushed her away from the kitchen, wanting her daughter to focus solely on more success/materialistic goals.. I don't think Ina had a particularly warm or loving childhood. It makes sense to me that Ina probably didn't want to emulate her mother's cold attitudes, so that's why we see Garten being so overly solicitous and nurturing towards Jeffrey.

I've been watching this show too closely, lol. I always see them nibbling away, sans the painted claws, during "crucial" moments.

Finally caught Paris Part Deux and have to say I was underwhelmed. Ina was heh-heh-heh-ing with abandon and doing her usual "I wonder what Jeffrey is UP to?" schtick. The least appealing thing about her show back in the Hamptons is how they get her "shopping" friends to look helpless and stupid going to market, all apparently to build Ina up into this fountain of gastronomical wisdom at their expense. I don't understand why Ina never wears a wedding ring.

Yep, she did. This family definitely needs to get their wings clipped. I've noticed that all six kids bite their nails. Lots of inner tension and stress. Kris is the worst role model for a mother I've ever seen outside of Gypsy Rose Lee's Mama Rose.

March issue of Harper's Bazaar: Kendall and Kylie are featured in The List. Momma Kris poses for "circus" photographs and gives an interview: "People who don't like us are jealous. Why should I care about some idiot in Oklahoma?"

Ina is a self-admitted Type A personality and it's apparent Jeffrey is too (he's always "working on a book" during every vacation) They're both workaholics who also came from upper middle-class families, had (or I think in Jeffrey's case, have) high-level government positions, and made the decision to remain childless. All of which equals a tremendous amount of disposable income to enjoy the good life.

"Native" New Yorkers return to look for a place in Westchester. Husband sounded like he was trying to hide a Massachusetts accent, and either the wife or her sister (at that moment I had looked down at a magazine for one second) pronounced "yard" as though they grew up in Boston.

Haddon Heights, New Jersey to Curasao -- hilariously transparent producer-driven "suspense" re: the obsessive reminders that the wife was a financial advisor, all the better to set us up for a "surprise" when, "against" her better judgement, the couple "picks" the most expensive home. "As a financial advisor, I have to watch our budget" "I need to crunch the numbers" "Let's go home and I'll crunch the numbers" "Lots of numbers to crunch" Soft-spoken hubby: "If I were one of your clients, how would you advise me?" (it was never stated what he did)

D.C. male partners last night. To give one of them "personality", we were told he enjoys taking random airplane rides to nowhere in particular just to experience the flight, and that he's terrified of zombies.

"Born and raised in Chicago" (but no discernable Midwestern accent) to Playa del Carmen -- woman "attending physician" with a most unfortunate nose wants to start a clinic in Mexico, takes her gay male best friend along to look for an apartment. He also introduces her to worm larvae tacos. I was just baffled throughout.

Boston to Tel Aviv couple looked made for each other -- they both had no chins.

The fakety-fakeness of House Hunters never ceases to amaze me. Couple moving to Wellington: he, although having "lived around the world", was supposedly "born and raised in Arizona", and yet was doing his darndest to hide an obvious New Zealand accent.

London to Australia wife compared her sweet hunky Aussie husband to a wombat. "He even smells like one".

Thanks, laredhead, re: Aarti. Usually the place the house hunters say they are "from" is just where they have been living for several years, not their city of origin. I'd love to know where Aarti grew up -- I still say she's from California, lol.

I liked Aarti too, but she had a serious case of vocal fry. Made the Kardashian women sound like Grace Kelly, lol. Did this episode say where she was originally from? I'm thinking Valley Girl, then the family moved to Chicago perhaps when she was little?

Savannah vacation home wife didn't want to live in a haunted house. She needn't have worried -- one look at her face and any ghosts would instantly de-materialize.

What happened to Michelle Bernstein's face??

Thanks, guys, for all the insights into that annoyingly weird Texas-to-Norway episode. What I never understand is why the HH'ers seem oblivious to how stupid and fake they come off on national television. And for what, $500.00? More blog exposure? It's not like they're the Kartrashians, making millions off the lowest common denominator.

Could someone make sense about the Texas family (he's a doctor) moving to Oslo, Norway? Second home, but the wife and kids are living there permanently? What? And he's working in Texas full-time, with only occasional jaunts to Oslo? Huh? They want the children to appreciate their heritage; the wife's name is Kristina with a heavy southern accent but apparently she was born in Norway? I'm totally confused. The husband certainly wasn't afraid of making himself appear like an idiot: "This house doesn't have that Norwegian feel. I don't know what that would be." And: "Oslo is so different from Texas"

The Kardashian women seem vigilant about hydration. In every scene, no matter where they are, giant glasses of iced tea, water, soda, lemonade, etc. are present. With the exception of Lord Disick, the family's kidneys must be in great shape.

Okay, did anyone think the Tennessee-to-Spain wife was originally from Tennessee? I counted 7 "quites" out of her, lol.

Boston to Alabama wife having (hopefully but shamefully producer-driven) "doubts" about the move: "I'm liberal and Jewish, don't know how I'll fit in...." This was bad enough, but then we find out she's extremely germ and bug phobic. "I have my exterminator on speed-dial".