HurricaneVal

Whoa. If that's true, then there really is a zero tolerance policy this season. If this is true, then does it leave room for new blood in the house? Maybe that's the ploy, go with zero tolerance, knowing there will be several douchebros who will inevitibly go over the line, and then.....FRANKIE!!!!

I.....can't believe CBS actually removed him. Is that really true? Are we being punked? I mean, good for them if it is true, but based on the BB production we know and hate so well, Luke would be given about three more chances to dig his own racist grave--including some sensitivity training by someone (probably Cirie) they could use clips from on the broadcast show--before catching a penalty nom for the potential for removal. As far as I can recall, the only times hamsters have been removed from the BB house have been because of violence, or threats of violence.

That word must obviously be a part of Luke's regular vocabulary if he just casually drops it while in conversation with very new acquaintances. It has been six days, which is a very long time in the BB house, but nothing anyone has said here, and nothing I've seen in the broadcast episodes indicates to me that Luke is really bonding with the group to where he should feel comfortable enough to be jokey or edgy or ironic about language like that. Thank you for posting the screencaps of the reactions, that one look of "'da hell?!?" on Hisam's face is absolutely priceless. Does Luke know what show he's really on? Or does he think he's on some sort of "holding set" to be brought into Temptation Island or some other dating show as a mid-season replacement hunk? He's just literally not trying, from hardly pretending to hang on during the first comp, to now racist talk on the show that has made headlines (OK, entertainment news headlines) over hamster's racism.

Absolutely no surprise there. Never change, BB, never change.....

I think production has overcompensated for having screwed up casting the last several years of bringing in "personalities" who turned out to be racist trash people, to now going for boring and safe. Buck up, people. It is early days yet--plenty of time for for the polite to wear off and inner awful beings to shine through! Maybe there will be twists! More stunt-casting! Is someone a twin? Expect the unexpected!

Anyone know what Chicken George is doing now? Hardy? Anyone?

'Ya know, Frankie irritated me in his own season--hey, did you know his sister is Ariana Grande? But when the whole house turned against him and was kind of bullying him, I found some sympathy and kind of rooted for him. I'm always going to be a fan of the underdog. I can't help it. When he dropped the "Frankie" schtick, he actually seemed to be a decent person. Unfortunately, Frankie has now made a huge brand out of the "Frankie schtick" and appears to be incapable of being a normal person. His performance in the skit at the top of the show in the premiere informs me that not only is the Frankie schtick still going strong, he's gone a little extra these days as well. So there is no way I'm going be OK with Frankie back in the house. However, with that said, and with love, I say to you now.....I'd rather have Frankie than fucking Paul back in the house.

I wonder if perhaps the mechanism that was supposed to be pulling on their legs was actually broken. Or.....since this is Big Brother, land of failing to think things through....perhaps some attorney or doctor or something reviewed the comp at the last minute and was like "You're gonna what?!? Strap their ankles and wrench on their legs? Has this device been designed, or vetted, by a orthopedic doctor, chiropractor, doctor of physiology, or licensed physical therapist? No? Hoo-boy, do you know how many ways you could damage and permanently disable people by doing this? Oh my stars, the lawsuits! No. Non. Nein. Nyet. 86 it, you idiots!" But it was too late. The elaborate set had been built. The Chenbot's lines had already been programmed into her. So they told the hamsters to lay there and pretend they're holding on for dear life while they think of something to do. Some intern frantically searched the app store for a free dice rolling app to upload onto their phone, so we had to wait for that. Then they kept throwing fives and sixes and had to re-roll, watching a 30 second ad each time, until they came up with Cory's number. That's why we had to wait so fricking long, watching that obviously lame comp, and why Cory looked so surprised. He wasn't struggling to hang on, he hadn't suddenly let go, his number just came up in the world's worst Yahtzee game. (Incompetent Big Brother production themed fanfic is the lowest hanging fruit in all the fanfic universe.)

Now that you mention it, even if I like this cast or not (my money, based on 24 prior seasons of experience is NOT), watching Cirie manipulate everyone into a circular firing squad would be a lovely way to spend the remainder of this season. I am hereby on "Team Circular Firing Squad" or "Team 2πr." Sadly, what this means is that Cirie will get screwed by a "twist" and she'll be gone before she can even set up the first 90 degrees of arc.

Hi @Ineeda Vino! The more the merrier, we're a snarky bunch, and it looks like you'll fit right in.

I really dislike beards. I very much, really, really, very, very, much despise those long wispy ZZ-Top style beards. Red's is especially egregious. It would take literally everything in my power not to just grab it and cut it off. But seriously, there are often comps with props and moving pieces, and that beard will be a hazard waiting to happen. I wonder if BB'll make him wear a beard hammock, or make him braid it and clip it out of the way for comps. Like how if you are wearing a long scarf, the rope tow operator will make you tuck it into your jacket so it doesn't strangle you if it gets caught in the mechanism. Edited to add: Donnie had a pretty big beard, but not like Red's. I didn't worry about Donnie's getting caught in props like I worry about Red's. With Donnie's, I worried about things like....food...or loogies....getting caught in it.

That's how she's gonna sucker them in! Then....*SPLAT*

Well crap. So Cirie wasn't just there to drop off her baby's jammies and she's actually in the game? That's....not OK. Not with her son there. I'd be OK with casting a Survivor alum into Big Brother, there's been enough cross-pollinization coming the other way so why not? But putting a mother/son pairing in is really not OK. Jared was going to start with a deficit anyways, if his famous reality mom became common knowledge. Having her in the game with him? Oooof. Poor kid. Cirie seems to be leaning into her brand, and perhaps listening too much to her own publicity. I wonder what we'll end up seeing here: a fierce mama defending her cub, and she spends her time in the game shoring up her son's game, or will we see Cirie plant her Empress* of Reality Shows crown squarely on her head and play hard for her brand, and Jared will be collateral damage as the Empress takes no prisoners. * We all know Sandra is the Queen.

Sigh. My least favorite part about Big Brother are the comps. I know that's what a lot of people live for, but a lot of people inexplicably like liverwurst, so....whatever. Since I don't care for comps, I fast forwarded through nearly the entirety of the premiere, though I did endure the painfully slow and boring entry into the house because I kept thinking something might happen. Spoiler alert: It didn't. Hello, Cirie. I like you, I really do, but I hope you're only here because your baby boy forgot his jammies and you'll be on your way after you've tucked him into bed. Go away, Frankie.

Helloooooo feedsters! Let me thank you up front for doing what you do for the rest of us. I appreciate you more than you know.

I like Fabio, but but...yeah. He just seemed to be getting worse and worse this season rather than improving. I think the judges got into his head, and then Christian gave him a little spin, and....yeah. Fabio has been told by the judges several times that he keeps hiding the best parts of his design. Even I could see when he lifted that shirt flap during judging that it really improved the garment. I'm sorry to see him go, but it was time. It was more Korto's time than Fabio's, but after her big tearful speech during judging about discrimination, and the Tulsa Massacre, and how diverse PR has become since season one, there was no way she was going to be auf'd that episode, sad little limp macrame lace doily bralet notwithstanding. At some point, the judges are going to have to do more than just giggle slap Laurence for the double birds she keeps flipping the judges by not following the brief and just doing what she wants. And can I just say how thankful I am we didn't get a bleeding infected nipple meaningful motherhood symbology design from Anna?

Just finished up my binge-watch. Double sigh that this was cancelled, I utterly loved it. Yeah, it was uneven, but the characters were great. The final episode was terrific from start to finish. "Aruba, Jamaica, oooooh, I wanna take 'ya...."

Oh man, I'm disappointed it was cancelled, but not surprised. Actually, I just figured out there was a second season so I'm three episodes in now. Malkovich as always is the best, and I actually like Steve Carell in this--he's always better in "smart" comedies than in slapstick dumb comedies. Just every once in a while, he gets a little "Gru" warble in his voice, and it just takes me right out of the moment, since the Despicable Me movies are particular favorites of mine. Jimmy Yang is one of my favorite comedic actors, so I hope he'll leverage this show to something really good after the strike. "Oh! I forgot I was a general!" So did I, Brad, so did I.

Sigh. I knew I was going to miss the end of this season's BB due to a long camping trip coming up starting right after Labor Day. I didn't mind missing the end of the season, usually those are dead boring as the alpha Bro and Ho alliance have to start eating their own, and the only thing that keeps me going is the snarky discussion going on in these forums. But now I'm going to miss the chewy center of the show....when there's still that glimmer of hope that the Freaks and Geeks can get it together and get an underdog's alliance going. Sigh. I'll try to keep up by reading the forums, but it won't be the same, since my favorite game is to read about stuff on the live forums, then spot how the editing twists and spins it to fit a narrative....until they can't anymore because the hamster is too awful to protect, then they lean into going the other way. Oh well. I shall persevere. On another note.... Does the show really need Julie Chen? I mean, our snarky discussion does, since finding flaws in the Chenbot's programming is a spectator sport here, but really...is she required? Just put the hamsters into the habitat, let 'em out one by one, then towards the end set up a habittrail to the jury house and call it good. I actually think it would be interesting to have the evicted houseguest walk out to an empty stage, sit on a stool, and watch clippings from their time in the house while we get their reactions. Add in a booming BB voice coming from above "Houseguest, do you remember when <other houseguest> said he had your back?" then roll footage that shows the betrayal. Or have the BB boom out "Houseguest....this is what you showed to America!" and roll footage of Houseguest being a total ass while online comments regarding his behavior scroll across the screen. Huh. I actually think that would be better than having Julie there asking "and how do you feel about that?" as a soft-peddling ersatz therapist.

OMG. You totally nailed it! I've been trying to puzzle this out for weeks, and *BOOM* there it is!

I think Cade was getting there. In a few shots, his face looked like skin stretched over bone. He must have fallen into some sort of hunger psychosis which made him get more and more obsessed with shooting a bear. Which.....I think is a dicey prospect with professionally made arrows, let alone his homemade arrows. To be fair, Cade is obviously a good bowman, he did shoot that tiny squirrel with one of his homemade arrows--which he found again after shooting it. He did learn at least one lesson while out there. So he had fishing line and hooks, yet not once did they show him fishing? Either that's production going with the "mighty hunter man ego takes down another dumbass" edit for a storyline, or he just flat out didn't fish. Some people don't like fish--my gawd, who could refuse those tasty plump lake trout?--but hunger can be a great motivator. Or not. Sam from Season One hated fish, and he subsisted on eating mice he caught from the dead fall traps he set up right around his rock and tarp shelter. Sam was the king of the low energy "hunker down, hunger down" strategy since he nearly won. Other contestants have reluctantly fished and reluctantly eaten what they caught. That's survival. I did laugh when the editing seemed to zoom in on a mat of light colored moss and other bits of edible stuff I know I've seen other contestants foraging and eating. They didn't show it, but I turned to Mr. HV and said: "I bet the idiot puts the squirrel on a spit and roasts it. Make BBQ with FIRE, *grunt*grunt* like MAN!" Something like that should be stewed until the meat falls off the bones. Then you don't lose any fats or calories that drip into the fire or go up in smoke. You can squeeze alllll the nutrition and calories out, and feel fuller because you also have broth. Buh-bye, Cade. This was a short time coming. When Alan started catching those fish though? Mr. HV and I were fist pumping, and also screaming "They're biting! Keep fishing!" and then he did. We were very pleased. Then we said "Now, go clean and smoke them." We'll see if that's what he does. I certainly hope he doesn't put them in a puddle to "keep" overnight, like the other guy did. That's just serving up sushi on a platter to raccoons and otters.

That's who I was trying to remember! I was all "We've seen this before! Be bored, Nina....be bored!" Hester should have been auf'd for that. It did not fulfill the brief. It did not fulfill the definition of a garment either. I actually liked the playing card dress. I thought it was pretty, completely fulfilled the brief, and was tricky to put together to make the graphic pattern. Sourcing materials at FAO Schwartz was an easy pitch. *YAWN* Designers who really used unconventional materials like the boomerangs, playing cards, and yes, Hester's key chains should have been given a higher level of difficulty bonus points than just making fabric by ripping fabric-y things apart to use as.....fabric. Even though I did like the tent dress.

I suspect that Lee did some internal accounting and realized he wasn't going to be able to stick it out for the win, so why not get out now before he totally destroys his body--and therefore his business--by continuing to stay in and failing further down the line. Lee is a bush pilot, right? If he can't pass the FAA physical because he's compromised his body by starving himself in this competition leading to long term damage, he's lost his business. Or at least a significant part of his business if he's one of a few pilots. He made the right decision, sorry to say. I hope he does well, and can leverage the "As seen on season 10 of Alone!" claim to drum up more business. Mikey still talking about his family is concerning, but I liked his little TED talk about autism, and for people to learn about it and be a little tolerant for kids and adults with it. I like that he's thinking about his kid as an adult, and how that might go. Yeah, he's talking about family, which is usually a harbinger of a DOR, but I think his talking about his special needs son is giving him motivation to use this show as a platform of education. I liked how he admitted he was ignorant before educating himself on autism, there was a hint of an apology there, like he might have been less tolerant of the neurodivergent in the past, and is sorrowful about that today. I still think Cade is manufacturing a story to get more screentime to build a postseason business or elevate appearance fees. At least he's not doing it by being purposefully whacky. I do believe his arrows really are lost, but I think he's elected to make his own arrows because it is a better story than "I lost my arrows, looked around, and found them, whew!" His narration did say he looked for a week for the arrows, but the editors didn't elect to show any proof of that, so we're left to wonder how hard he really looked. I think he's also a victim of the "ultra hunter man" mentality. In the "before" shot while he still had the arrows, the arrow, not quiver exactly, but arrow cartridge storage thingy, the arrow shafts, arrow heads, and fletching were all dun or camo colors. Absolutely nothing that would stand out, so losing his whole kit can be chalked up to his eschewing of safety, high-vis, equipment in favor of stealth. Obviously he didn't think that through, he was going to lose his arrows no matter what after he shot them and missed. Mr. HV mentioned that maybe that wasn't his choice, and he had to accept whatever gear the producers gave him. Except in nearly the next scene, there's Ann, with very visible, nearly neon fletching on her arrows. I was very impressed with....Alan was it?....who not only freed the pine marten from his snare, but took all his snares down in the area. Now, I know that letting the one go from the trap was required because of the hunting regs, but taking the rest down probably wasn't required. So that was a good thing, and his stated reason was since he knew that was a pine marten area, he didn't want to catch more only to have to release them. But I also have to think he knew that if he did keep catching them, their screams while they were held in the snare would likely provide warning to any other animals he might trap there and get to keep. He made the right decision for many reasons. Short of being mildly annoyed with Cade, I'm really OK with everyone so far. Nobody is getting on my last nerve. I even smiled at Cade's obvious enthusiasm after his home made arrow found its mark, so he's not irredeemable in my eyes. I am liking this season so far. It does seem like the fishing window was rather narrow this time. Mr. HV and I are always shouting at the screen for everyone to fish-fish-fish while the fish are there, gather-gather-gather while the berries etc. are there, and smoke-smoke-smoke and dry-dry-dry the excess, because there will soon come a day when the fish and berries are not there. Put up a good, temporary shelter while all that fishing and gathering is getting done, then mull over the plans for the permanent shelter and strategies for getting other food while all that fishing, gathering, smoking, and drying are happening. We do this screen shouting, by the way, seated in our La-Z-Boys in our lovely heated home while eating bowls of ice cream, or other lovely and tasty food.

Austin taking a drama filled walk down the runway because he was skinny enough to fit into the design sewed for a model was indeed epic! But I loved the Post Office challenge because it was taking the designers out of their high fashion exotic drama schtick and making them do something practical with practical limitations and a limited set of materials and colors to work with, with an application to something that is familiar and relatable to the viewers. I mean, I mentally put my postman in every garment that went down the runway and either rolled my eyes, or turned my head to the side and said, "Huh..." I liked that it made the designers be creative and true to their esthetic but working from an even playing field. Challenges like that are my favorites, mixing design with practicality and relatability.

I suspect Christian feels he needs to be very cautious with his workroom critiques and coaching. As a successful designer himself, with a string point of view, he has to be careful not to offer suggestions that turn the garments into Siriano-esque pieces. That's not going to help the designers show themselves in their designs. He is really good, however, at helping them with time and skills management. Like turning Nora away from the silks she'd have a hard time working with, or reminding the designers of just how much they have left to do with only a little time yet, and to think about what to edit. Tim, who was not a designer, was good at giving design advice, but the last seasons he kind of just swanned around telling them to "make it work." I love Tim Gunn, but you could see he was bored with it all towards the end there.