Kaiju Ballet

I don’t eat carne!carne!carne! but even I wanted to weep at how the meat was desecrated. I admired Mr. Carne!Carne! Carne!’s restraint at what was served to him, and I felt so sorry for the restaurant owner who had provided the cow(s) only to be presented with these...tragedies. I did like how she was honored at Mr. Carne!Carne!Carne!’s observation that it had been a happy cow. I also agree that it was a wonderful prize, to someone who also would appreciate "the Eff" out of it! Poor Eric with his little dots of liquified offal. As he said, he didn’t choose the dish, the dish chose him. The only other thing he could have made was something with cow brains, although maybe there’s a real health concern with preparing them in the time given? I didn’t know who Lena was before, but I liked her and her very respectful words to the chefs (at least what was shown.) Will definitely be checking out Master of None! Brian has been shown talking about his butcher skillz being why he wasn’t good at pastry or other important Top Chef skillz. He’s been really middling, which is why his RW win came as a big surprise. This wasn’t his first time on the “bottom three” and it won’t be his last. This was not a good episode for Sara. I’m glad Justin won the QF and was also top 3 at the end. He’s had his misfires, but he seems to learn from them. Unlike Brandon, buh-bye!

Oh, Brother! I would have been happy if either won, but I did give the edge to Brother when he was at such a disadvantage with the chefs reluctant to help him and; he was unfamiliar with their skill sets yet still was able to effectively use them to get his dishes done. What was the "advantage" that the winning team got? And hooray for Eric. He's my fave to win. I was so happy to see the chefs crowd around him with congratulations in the stew room. "Not Today" indeed!

I had a different ST reference. I thought she was serving up some Romulan Realness! Padma really *was* banging hot in that episode. It was the first time I wanted her outfit, including those glasses. I agree with the poster about not quite knowing who everyone is yet, which takes away some of the fun of watching Restaurant Wars. Not to mention too many chefs and dishes to keep track of. The chron appears and vanishes too quickly, and I'm about as willing to keep rewinding as I am to hear someone going over the menu in minute detail, boring me to tears. (She did handle Padma's question about that at Judge's Table well, I'll give her that, but she's not someone I'm rooting for.) I also liked the comment that past Top Chef guest who's not Nina made about whenever the Harbison cheese being used as a peace offering from her partner. It's the second (?) or third time Harbison cheese has been referenced, which makes me curious about it. Anyone here have experience with it? Did Kristen Kish lose Restaurant Wars as FOH, only to battle it back into the competition in LCK (and ultimately win)?

I totally see what you’re saying, and I appreciate your sharing that perspective. I didn’t see the power imbalance before, or at least I did but from the flip side of it, if that makes sense. For me personally, I appreciate that someone who presents as a male and claims to be a redneck with its attendant (negative) associations, uses their considerable social clout on a national platform to freely demonstrate acceptance of different races and physical affection towards other cis-gendered males. Again, it’s a personal thing, but I’m more sensitized to racism and homophobia so I automatically applaud behaviors that I think should be modeled – unless I find out differently, of course. Earlier this season, Blake did the whole “I kissed Adam Levine!” schtick so I linked the behavior to that – as in already treating Chris and Kirk as peers like Adam Levine. It never once crossed my mind that there was an implied penalty if they didn’t reciprocate or allow the kisses to happen. So, I get it now, but I hope there’s a middle ground where we can accommodate for sensitivity to #metoo, and where POCs, especially queer POCs, can feel more accepted by people who look and sound like Blake.

I was stunned about the results, although if someone other than Kirk Jay were to win, I’m happy it was Chevel. I have a soft spot for that scratchy vinyl-era female country sound. I wouldn’t say I was into country otherwise, but Kirk may just possibly be my first country album purchase when he releases one. It heartened me to see all the “behind the scenes” of him being embraced by established country artists, and the rapport that he has with Blake. I also felt the voting was hampered because it seems the format changed this season and I’m not invested enough to look up the rules. Agree about Sarah Grace outshining the other two. I completely forgot who Abby was, and if Reagan was any good my enjoyment was snuffed with the camera cutting away to Adam’s sour expression, or his Resting Adam Face ™ I liked Jennifer this season, and the little snippet featuring her. Kelly does have personality for days!!! Does she have a special like Gwen Stefani’s holiday special? Because she should (and I am still cringing at the recent “Feliz Navidad” abomination) Halsey has a great husky voice, and I appreciated her singing while dancing. But that 1990s gymwear costuming, tho! As we’re learning in the current season of Survivor, grey yoga pants are hiddy on HDTV. Probably IRL too. In terms of styling, I liked what they did with Kirk Jay this season, with his tailored outfits. I wonder how much of that was him, a la Chloe Kohanski, and how much was Blake (also the coach of Chloe Kohanski) And totally agree with Blake’s brilliance in repackaging Chris K. Chris K’s performances are as comfortable as well-worn denim jeans, and about as exciting. I freely admit to being weird, I think Blake kissing on him is kind of cute (and clever marketing ploy, because it makes Chris K seem even more like a garden gnome. Those things are also inexplicably popular.) Chevel really did seem like she came from another era, yet showing her flipping out of a hammock gave her the fun, country girl next door vibe. So yeah, an extension of Kelly. They tried to do that with Kennedy, but it only deepened the contrast with her polished performances imo. I got a creepy pageant vibe from that, like a bot manufactured by stage parents (not helped by the constant reminders that she’s The! Youngest! Contestant!) It might be a genre thing, it might also be that both teen girls referred to their coaches as big sisters, and Jennifer is less likely to be shown falling out of a hammock than Kelly is. Brynn’s song was poppy enough, wasn’t a fan of the vocal “hiccups” effect, and agree that it’ll be interesting to see what happens when she gets more experience and loosens up while performing. I liked the Target ad, and I'm happy that the Voice gave these singers the experience of shooting and performing on video. This season they didn't do the video for original song (or did they?), which I didn't miss as a viewer, but I like it as part of the finalist experience.

I agree. When he's singing, he makes me feel that raw connection, that he really feels and believes everything he's singing. But he doesn't rely on his body (as based on his attempt to incorporate some dance, it doesn't come naturally to him) so yeah, he does need some help performing and just being in the spotlight. When he's not singing, he looks really uncomfortable and speaks in a flat tone, like he's wary of anything positive being said. That type of guardedness is really a contrast to how Blake comes off, and other people representing country on the show (Hi, Kelly!) I don't really listen to country, but when they had Trace Adkins as a mentor, I remember being surprised that he seemed really dour, but it worked as his overall persona. With more interactions with the public and other people in the industry, I hope Kirk will feel comfortable enough to let the side of him that clearly loves his momma and tap into heartbreak and longing show other than in his voice. I have a feeling that even if Kennedy doesn't win, she's probably follow in Jennifer Hudson's footsteps as a "non-winner" and pick up All The Awards. I did hope that McKenzie would get that spot, though.

Aww, hope the package elves got paid extra for working round the clock this week. Damage control indeed. I sat through the first half of the show waiting for them to say something, ANYTHING. And when Adam said his thing about it all being good with DeAndre, I thought of that gif of Kathy Bates from AHS going “LIES!” If what Adam said was true and not a delusion fed to him by the producers, he should have said it at the beginning of the show. I half expected the audience to boo when Carson announced his name. Or maybe they did and I didn’t hear it because I was booing really loudly. All the bot comments about Kennedy must have been picked up by some intern. Cue the package with her in tears, lost in the songs that she sings. Nice try. I was also cynical AF when Carson announced the community service with Adam and his team of one. Was it planned and they kept all the other contestants home that day? Or was it a last minute thing, when they couldn’t get puppies, kittens and Sarah McLachlan first? When Reagan sang with Kennedy, the difference in level of experience and even raw talent was immediately apparent (and didn’t do Reagan any favors) That was also the blandest version of “Happy” I could imagine. MaKenzie was amazeballs and deserved all four coaches standing. I liked Chevel in her duet and solo. I wished MaKenzie got the pimp spot even though I’m Team Kirk Jay. (Agree that he wasn’t as great as I expected, but I think the song choice wasn’t as perfect as Blake claimed.) And yeah, I voted for everyone except Reagan. I was at the point of not wanting to blame her for her coach’s dick move, until I found out what she had posted. Hoping that Team Adam is decimated tomorrow night, and "it's all good."

I really don't like Crystal 2.0 -- the character so far and the actress. It's absolutely inexplicable that she and Blake are together, and she makes Nicolette Sheridan seem almost Shakespearean.She just seems like she's inserted in from another show altogether, not quite gelling with the cast that's there -- kind of like guest non-actor hosts on SNL in skits with the ensemble. It's kind of hard to explain, she doesn't play off of the other actors convincingly, and even her hand gestures seem like something that would have been reined in if she had gone to basic acting classes. I'm also voting that each season reboots a new Crystal! Even though I fast forward through most of Culhane's blackmail storyline, I do like the platinum-haired woman. She's kind of how I had hoped Alexis would be -- an older, more experienced and calculating version of Fallon. Has Fallon even been shown to have any role models? Sammy Jo continues to slay, and I like the randomness of Manny the Manny. They even make Kirby not bug (as much) and I'm hoping for a Steven 2.0 The bond between Fallon and Steven was always really sweet whenever it was shown. I also miss Liam, and that raw longing for Fallon which Culhane used to have.

I loved this! I didn't know it was a true story until the end. Here's the true story (you're right, not really at Christmas): https://heavy.com/entertainment/2018/12/once-upon-a-christmas-miracle-true-story-meet-heather-krueger-chris-dempsey/ I loved it too, even though I didn't catch that it was based on a true story until the end. I rewound to catch a glimpse of the real couple dancing in the background of the fundraiser. Some of the most unbelievable elements were based on fact, which added to my enjoyment of it. Re: A Shoe Addict's Christmas -- enjoyable movie, despite the terrible title. Luke McFarlane is great with CCB, and kudos to a storyline that wrapped everything up at the end. A special shoutout to whomever did the costuming -- the clothing that CCB wore was fantastic. I'm geeky enough to like Jean Smart (Legion) and Kristaan Bruin (Orphan Black) in visible roles. Re: Mingle All the Way -- This might be the first Jen Lilly film I like (I'd like to have the time back from watching that hot mess Yes I Do ). I thought it was a tighter script (the cute meet worked, especially how it kept getting referenced and came full circle) and the premise also was a clever twist on what we've seen before from Hallmark. The male lead was new to me, and I thought he was great. Re: The Godwink Christmas - Hooray, it's Kimberly Sustad! Since The 9 Lives of Christmas is one of my Hallmark faves, I was thrilled to see her return to a leading role. She was totally believable as someone who genuinely loved antiques and was able to share her knowledge without seeming patronizing. I'm normally not a big fan of Paul Campbell as a lead, but here they had amazing chemistry. I'm geologically challenged, so I had to do a lot of handwaving about the distance from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket or whichever airport she was flying home to St. Louis from. I also missed hearing that she did buy the antique shop. The little girl in the youth center was adorable. Re: Christmas at the Palace - Whoever said upthread that it was a mashup between all their ice skating movies and A Crown for Christmas is absolutely right, except this Frankensteined mish-mash was a total waste of Meredith Patterson and the gorgeous setting. The inane script had the King be "too busy" to spend time with his daughter, but free enough of whatever sovereigns do so he can make presents for his staff, wander everywhere without a bodyguard or retinue, and offer to stand in as a featured ice skater when the actual professionals he hired bailed at the eleventh hour. (And as professional skaters they were unaware of a large ice rink in their backyard? Really?) I also agree that it's annoying AF when professional obligations get jettisoned because they're suddenly inconvenient to the plot. I'm looking at you, Emily Osment, in Christmas Wonderland. I get it, in Hallmarkland having a successful career in a major city like New York means your soul is being stifled along with any chance for true love -- which only exists in small, quaint towns with people who know they belong there. I also didn't warm to Emily Osment or Ryan Rottman, but I liked Kelly Hu enough to feel for her as the boss of an indispensable employee who leaves her in the lurch so she can make a school dance. Re: Road to Christmas worked for me. Jessy Schram was great, and had amazing chemistry with Chad Michael Murray (whose voice is really yummy) If that was actually Jessy singing at the end, she should sing more often. I loved the very strong implication that happy gay couples exist in Hallmarkland, and bringing in diversity with the adopted brothers. Speaking of diversity, Hallmark heard the pleas and delivered with more lead roles this year. I just wish that A Majestic Christmas was a better film than the dreck that was served. Still, it gets points for giving us an atypical career for the female lead -- architect -- and another Orphan Black alum as her dad.

Hooray, Top Chef is back! I’m thrilled that it’s based in Kentucky, and continuing with its trend of being part travelogue/culinary adventure. I’m also not a fan of The Cocky Guy, and thought perhaps his chatter during Fettucine Chef’s struggle to make her EC dish might have been a contributing factor to her being placed on bottom. Did I hear right and there are two chefs that will be featuring Vietnamese cuisine or at least influences? I liked the chef quickly amending his goal to being the second best chef to come out of Elizabeth, NJ when he heard that Tom C. was from there! I do call BS on saving the chef who played it safe (and was on the bottom for the Quickfire too) over someone who did try to “swing for the fences” but ended up with a soggy biscuit.

The editors sure played up the jealousy angle w/r/t Gabby. When Emily first showed up, there were multiple shots of Gabby’s reactions, and Kara rubbing her back, as if in consolation. Plus the subtitled “True Love, true love.” I don’t think it was necessarily romantic jealousy, but it was definitely jealousy. Her confessional sounded more like she was trying to rationalize her feelings about Christian to herself – her realization that that she wasn’t as special to him as the heightened intimacy of being in Survivor Mode may have lured her into believing/needing to believe. It’s super interesting that Davie doesn’t see Nick as a shield. I don’t blame Nick for having the reaction he did to Christian’s betrayal. It was a terrible miscalculation on Christian’s part to discount that, and the little bit of the talk we were shown between them seemed as if Christian wasn’t really letting Nick express himself. Are they really not talking about what a challenge beast Kara is? I did get a bit teary when Nick talked about how his father sold his blood in order to provide milk for four kids.

Here's what DeAndre Nico said on Instagram after the elimination, according to https://hollywoodlife.com/2018/12/05/deandre-nico-eliminated-the-voice-adam-levine-instant-save/ Class act all the way!!!

Yes, the closeup on a weeping 13 year old girl was so blatantly manipulative. And the cutaways to Adam shaking his head during DeAndre's performance. It will serve Adam right if Reagan goes home next week and his team is completely gone.

"I have a special relationship with Reagan?" Such a dick move, especially if Adam was responsible for the terrible song choice and arrangement for DeAndre yesterday. Future Voice contestants with more than Adam's chair turns, remember not to choose Adam.

Like some of the other posters above, I'm far from being a country fan. But both Kirk and Chevel really stand out for me. Kirk makes me believe everything he's singing, helped by the fact that it's not slick or polished at all (hear that, Kennedy?) And Chevel has that classic cowgirl sound from a bygone era. ITA about Sarah Grace. I immediately thought of a previous contestant on Adam's team who sang it in the Blinds and completely owned it. She never had a performance that lived up to it again, though. Last night was the first time I watched the show in its entirety since the first week of the season. The "package" and the interstitials where contestants mug and awkwardly dance or lunge at the camera did not do Tyke any favors. I'm rooting for Kirk Jay to take it all. I am so glad that he's with Blake.

I had that theory too, since one of the marks resembled a bruise from a cuff. But that scene was super scary, and very well done. My thought too when Cookie called was, OMG I hope they get help in time and not the implications of calling the cops on a POC in a domestic violence case. Between that twist (that it's Franklin) and Jamal being engaged to someone who's positive, I am really appreciative of where Empire is making some noise. That being said, is Tiana now Bella's main caregiver? It just struck me as weird that Hakeem was all grateful that Tiana asked him to watch her for the weekend. Are the Lyons so publicly broke that there's no fear of Bella being kidnapped? I mean, it's not like it's happened before/sarcasm. True confession time -- I have been playing "One More Minute" on repeat. And I loved how Lucious included Andre in talking about how proud he is of his sons.

Me too--this was a double tearjerker week! I liked the clergyperson who married them, and hope they work her in as a recurring character, especially for Connor. His character's shown a lot of growth over the seasons, and even just this season alone. It would be great to give him at least one ally or confidant who isn't a parent to him/K5, in-law, or literal partner-in-crime.

Did Bonnie confront Nate about how Annalise was back to drinking because of his father's case? I think her helping Nate with covering up his attack on Miller was ultimately to help Annalise, and not to help Nate. I agree that in the fight she had with Miller she was triggered by his use of the term "your issues" and then she proceeded to lambast him for badmouthing "the most important person" to her: Annalise. It held together for me that Bonnie would do her go-to murder move: smothering. It was super tragic when Nate came across the ring, and my first thought was whether he was going to blab about this too to Bonnie and destroy her all over again. I was so scared that there was sexual tension between Gabriel and Annelise in the church confrontation, when they were just about a foot away from each other and I think he either grabbed her or blocked her in some way. That was probably more squicky for me than the violence of Miller's beatdown. Gabriel's wad of hundreds in his apartment has been shown in this episode and the first time that Frank went through his apartment. So someone influential and/or with huge financial resources is involved too, at least in funding Gabriel in his not-yet-revealed agenda. I really like Oliver's mother, and the actress who plays her. I may have reached for a Kleenex in the exchange of vows, especially Jack Falahee's trembling hands as they exchanged rings (with Christopher sort of being the ring bearer) and yes, maybe another Kleenex when Oliver was singing his "big gesture" Speaking of, could anyone make out the visual of Oliver's father on the phone? His being in the Middle East and that joke about his being a spy makes me think there will be a story there, possibly next season's Big Bad. And yeah, I miss Tegan.

Aargh. The Voice this year has been frustrating with what's available to watch if you don't have access to your DVR, so I've been behind. Maybe other viewers are too, which contributes to the lower number of posts this season? They’re starting the narrative that Kennedy is mega-talented but too slick or not emotional enough. Sure, she’s 13 but the resume she spouted off is longer than that of people twice her age coming onto this show. Then again, it was a blowout — a 4 chair turn against a steal, and a steal singing a much quieter, less crowd-pleasing song at that. Did they mention that Colton was hearing-impaired before? I’d be surprised if he does go far, but agree that he was a consummate professional. Good that Blake pointed out that he was the only one with the vocal power to be paired with Kirk Jay. I’m glad they showed Jennifer’s hand hover over the button once and pull back before she actually did go in for the save. That helped bring the emotion of the moment through for me as a viewer. And Kirk Jay. I’ve loved him from the blinds, and this performance stoked that love even more. I felt every bit of what he was singing, and I’m really praying that Blake does right by him with song choices moving forward. Steve Memmolo may look like Ben Affleck, which is distracting because he makes really goofy faces when he sings. It’s especially unfortunate when it’s a love song. I thought he was oddly underdressed for a performance, until he got up to hug his coach Adam, and realized they were dressed almost the same. Still, it was not really surprising that he won the knockout, since Delaney sounded (to me) like she was flat at times. I wasn't impressed by either (hence my fixation on the goofy faces) That was adorable at the end, with Blake kissing Chris and saying “Turn the camera off.” I’m easily entertained.

There were some really great setups throughout this episode, where I was silently praying, “please please stick the landing!” For the most part it did, although I wish there was a way to do it without the Dylan McDermott-looking Bad Liar with Good Instincts medic dramatically explode. In the brief moments he worked with the Doctor, he displayed more Companion chemistry than the trio we're given. The episode also seemed to change tones throughout, before finally settling into a (for me) satisfying conclusion. The beginning, when it looks like they’re trapped somewhere and the Doctor is showing the effects of having her innards compromised resembled some of the episodes here the Doctor or Amy has to run through white space looking for a way out. Then the subplots with the General and some weird references to the Pting being “Chalice level” or somesuch made it sound like they were trapped inside a RPG video game. The Doctor (and everyone else)’s innards being scrambled seems to magically resolve itself despite their leaving treatment against advisement. Finally it’s sorted out who the threat really is, plus the threat of being remotely exploded and the episode comes together. I didn’t mind the male pregnancy plot, although there were times when the cast and crew must have struggled to keep from laughing out loud. The actor seemed to have a blast! It was definitely there to give Ryan character growth. Even though it is heavy handed, I appreciate the arc they’re building for Ryan’s relationship with his dad and with Graham. Here’s another vote for Graham emerging as a surprise gem. Ryan is mainly interesting to me because of Graham. I have hopes for Yaz to similarly get her character growth, her family is way more interesting than they’ve allowed her to be so far, but I did like the fact that she was off dealing with the action scenes, while Graham and Ryan were the doulas. I loved the sibling stuff, and the character of the General as a legendary badass. It was telegraphed that she would die doing her Pacific Rim thing, but the way it was done and why was cool nevertheless. They could have done more with the android sex slave character — wouldn’t he be even more fearful of the Pting? I thought for sure he was going to be a casualty of a creature that ate inorganic matter. Having been a sucker for Adipose merchandising (sigh), I look forward to seeing what they come up with for the Pting. I’m really enjoying this Doctor, and while this episode wasn’t a keeper, it certainly helped erase some of the sour taste of last week’s episode.

I love Pray Tell/Behold. I'm also glad his helping the witches came about because of his confrontation with Henry James. What happened with Henry James was telegraphed the minute they showed him stopping at a gas station in the middle of the night. I'm hoping that the AHS convention of deaths not being final holds up, since he was the only one of the warlocks who was skeptical from the beginning. And even his being burnt to a crisp isn't necessarily the end -- Balenciaga!!!! Agree with the Stevie Nicks scene being wayyyy too long. BD Wong at the piano was too cartoony for me (although I agree its great to see him enjoying playing with Stevie Nicks!) -- didn't make sense given the antagonism that was supposed to exist between the genders. Other than that, I love Misty Day!!! I'm also a fan on Behold being paired up with Madison. He'll keep her on point. Good observation on the dead deer being brought back as a fawn! That's a variation of Misty Day's ability, isn't it? Gluten detector--giggle snort!

I loved Kirk Jay's audition. I played the clip several times, and I too, look forward to seeing what he'll be tackling next. It was a really astute description of him as Ceelo Green and Blake Shelton's country baby--that might make for some interesting song choices. (A country cover of "Crazy"? I remember the 4 coaches singing it many seasons ago....) I appreciated Jennifer giving him the opportunity to express why he chose that song. She was so gracious in conceding once he said he was "country until the day I die"--I am really enjoying her this season. The little bit between Adam and Blake was charming, making it seem like everyone (except Kelly) wanted the best for this kid, and the best would be working with Blake regardless of the outcome on the Voice itself. Natalie Brady was awesome too, but I've had my heart broken too many times by rooting for the female rock powerhouses. Kirk Jay's was the first clip I watched tonight, which is the only reason why the others didn't impress me as much as they would have if I had seen them in show order.

I definitely got the same feeling--in the island of misfit toys, she was the one that fit in the least. Based on the comments that people have been saying about her nose ring, and even the way she was selected by the Goliaths in the first challenge, it looks like her default has been to embrace her difference in a way that is at its best memorable, and at worst, confrontational. Or as another poster stated eloquently, to make the person she's interacting with uncomfortable. In the premiere, when we were being prodded into rooting for the Davids, I felt myself wanting to like her based on how she set herself apart looks-wise and spunky attitude (in what we were shown). What we saw in this episode came off as a bit tone-deaf to fitting in (when the first part of Survivor is all about building alliances and being seen as an integral member of the team) with her "real talk" about how disadvantaged the Davids were. And if she is claiming all the credit for the first David win, that can't help team spirit. I'm not saying that she should tone down her individuality, but that I don't think her sexual identity, body type, hair color, nosering, etc. are the reasons for her being seen as the weakest link. She seems least likely to have the type of personality that her tribemates want to be around in a middle of a cyclone, hunger, physically taxing challenges and scrambling for alliances, the same that Natalie isn't being targeted because of her age, gender, ethnicity on the Goliaths. Another thumbs up for the brilliant insight of the attorney on Natalie's 24 year marriage. He was scrambling when he tried to relate to her racially, and when even that didn't seem to work, he knew there was no getting through to her. I'm Team Gabby. I think she was legit scared, and did all the right moves to get on the right side of the numbers. Whether she correctly read that she being targeted or not, she took action to stay in the game. Even if we as viewers knew that she wasn't in any real danger at least for this vote, she was instrumental in bringing in Christian and his awkwardly named alliance and possibly keeping her name from being tossed around for a few more tribals. In my shallower moments, I also think she's incredibly beautiful and has the air of not realizing how strong she truly is. That makes her a lot more interesting to watch over the course of a game, to see if and how she evolves. That tribal and blindside was a thing of beauty. Who was the first person to suggest Jess? These people are really playing!!!

I was charmed by Rachel (the yodeler), but I don’t see her going far, a la Natalie the fiddler who was also a Blake Shelton –“You’re what country needs (now)! You’re cannon fodder (later!)!”—pick. I usually like Blake’s sales pitches, but that might have been helped by Kelly’s hyper prattling, which made it hard to take her seriously as a coach. (It's not just you, @seacliffsal!) I have to admit to smiling at a lot of the goodnatured banter between the coaches last night, but only if it didn’t come at the expense of the person onstage performing or just standing there awkwardly. Kelly did a lot of hollering, which made me fear for her vocal cords, on top of pulling attention away from the contestants. I also felt a bit squicky about her fawning over the 15 year old. The others may also have commented on his looks, but there was something uncomfortable about her… enthusiasm? Or maybe her overcaffeinated demeanor has just worn me out. She did something similar with the Batfleck Wedding Singer, although arguably if he had a more standout performance there would have been more to say about him. And there might have been a slight advantage in having Brynn Cartelli gladhand contestants right before they were called to the stage --thinking of the one who surprisingly changed her expected pick from Blake to Kelly. Was that Chevelle? She should have been asked to come back. And why wasn't Dude Who Picked the Wrong Song asked to come back? I was surprised by Adam’s comments about how special the 15 year old guy’s singing was. Did anybody else hear whatever magical quality it’s said to have? Did Adam say something similar about the other young, long-haired dude (from Hawaii) that he was the only one to turn a chair for? Jennifer has really calmed down since her previous seasons when she was the one bringing Extra. She gave some useful notes. And her going to duet twice already at the blinds was touching—even if these singers don’t make it far, they now have one of the most amazing experiences a young artist could hope for. (Although I’m not sure if a singer would take it as a compliment that her outfit is “JHud style” or whatever Jennifer deemed it, unless we get another drag performer-contestant.) Also not a fan of highlighting more of the stuff that used to end on the cutting room floor in the intro packages—bloopers and discomfort with tummy visuals while seated. There might have been more examples, but those are the ones I didn’t ff through fast enough last night.

I loved how they showed footage from tWitch's tryout! I never dreamed when I saw it air originally that I would enjoy him so much now as a judge and surprise performer. Not only do I hope that SYTYCD gets renewed, but that tWitch is made a permanent judge. ITA about Slavik's hair. Whenever it's slicked back for a routine, he looks really handsome and it adds to the connection with his partner. Hats off to Luther Brown. Does anyone know the name of the move that Hannahlei did in the middle of Bump? It looked a little like running in place (apologies, I don't have the dance vocab). She seemed to have the most demanding performances, it was hard to believe she was only in three non-group routines. Based on what they showed tonight alone she was the most deserving winner AFAIC. It also seemed really genuine the way the other dancers celebrated her win, that type of camaraderie will make for an even more exceptional tour.