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It's the same production company that makes both the UK & US versions, so I think that's why they film our edition in England as well--they already have a whole team in place there. And the reason for the name change is due to a copyright issue, per this article from PBS. Apparently Pillsbury has the rights to the term "Bake Off" in the States, which is why both the British & American versions are branded differently when they air here.

Hi! As surreal as it is to see Jason on TV, it's even weirder to see myself in our apartment--and our cats are TV stars! Obviously a bummer not to make it to the end, but he was so thrilled just to get to bake in the tent & be a part of it all. One thing that didn't make the episode (but WAS featured in the commercials, so I think it must be OK to mention) is that Jason got a handshake from Paul Hollywood for his rugelach, which you can see in this photo.

That's my husband! Where do you know him from, @ams1001? He made the hot toddy eclairs again for the group we had over to watch the show, and I had them when he was testing recipes before filming--can confirm that they were DELICIOUS (of course, I'm a little biased...). He's working on a website to post recipes, but I will give a shameless plug to his Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/bakesbyjason/, where he posts most of what he makes.

They still haven't updated the cast page, but there is a video up advertising the new season: https://abc.go.com/shows/the-great-american-baking-show/video/most-recent/VDKA6476988

Loving the podcast with Tara and Kevin, though I have to disagree on the MVP. Ben Platt was good, but the reveal of Jack in full makeup, serving Alyssa Edwards realness, had me rolling on the floor. I wouldn't be surprised if Sean Hayes was intentionally channeling her Joan Crawford look.

Seriously! It's a very strong final four, I agree, but what a waste of time, not least because we didn't get to see ANY of the work the queens did putting together their looks. So much time was spent on rambling speeches, and there was no winner, no elimination--they could have skipped this episode entirely if all four queens would be in the finale.

Apologies for being this nitpicky person, but I feel compelled to point out that Drag Race doing the Snatch Game with nine queens left is not an anomaly. I double-checked the Drag Race wiki, and Seasons 2-5 all had nine queens competing, Season 6 brought it up to ten, and it's only in Seasons 7 & 8 that it was done with eight. All this to say, I don't suspect there were any shenanigans in the timing, especially given what a popular challenge it is. I think Rupaul & co. wanted to do it early in the season so that we'd get to see as many queens' impersonations as possible. Source: http://logosrupaulsdragrace.wikia.com/wiki/Snatch_Game

Bringing back Naysha was such an underwhelming move. I was hoping it might be a new queen, an alternate who could have been waiting in the wings (like the much-rumored-to-be-on-this-season Skarlet Starlet). Naysha just strikes me as total filler, an exception in this season that's exceptionally well cast. As deserved as the previous week's double elimination was, I'd have been more interested to see more cosplay looks from Dax than several more weeks of a pretty pageant queen.

Totally agree with placing Bob at the top of the rankings, and I have to think she's at least somewhat helped by the fact that she's already in the RPDR inner circle. She played Jackie O in Jinkx Monsoon & Peaches Christ's Return to Grey Gardens show, and she was really funny at Bianca Del Rio's birthday roast.

Bianca made me laugh with practically everything she said last season. I particularly liked the closing of her standup routine: "I will show you versatility when Santino wins a sewing competition and Visage wears a fucking turtleneck. Ain't gonna happen!" And the line that's most fun to use in everyday life, Shangela to Stacy Layne Matthews: "Eat that chicken, you bitch."

I'm finding it difficult to pick a stand-out from this cast, but I'm going with Reed.

Oh, she shared some thoughts about them last summer on The Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roITQbmaj4k Frankie is so full of it, it's a wonder he doesn't just burst. I don't believe for a second that he was upset or remorseful about nominating Zack. Which is fine! But I can't stand his being so phony in the Diary Room.

17

4

Because it must be told:

Yeah, it's been a long time since I watched The Real World, though I can't quite bring myself to quit The Challenge.

I don't generally hold to any notions of destiny & karma, but boy, it sure seems that SOME kind of fate didn't want Frank anywhere near this Challenge. I don't actively wish him ill, but I won't miss him even a little bit. That elimination round was clearly brutal for the participants, but dull as anything to watch. If a competition comes down to moving inch by inch, over the course of more than an hour, I think it's flawed by design. And while I'm not a huge Cara Maria fan, I'm on board with anybody who's anti-Johnny Bananas; and I never really knew who Nia was, so no huge loss there.

Adore's queen looked worse and worse every time I saw her on screen. Between the dress and the wig and the jacket, everything seemed like it was just plopped on. Thank you! I kept shouting "Stand up straight!" at the TV. She looked completely neckless and hunched.

A boob has never been fluffed so solemnly.

Yeah, Theresa's always come across as generally whiny and unduly impressed with herself. Her moderate competence in basketball is the first positive quality I can recall her ever demonstrating.

It makes me legitimately sad that Johnny Moseley has been tasked with hosting this nonsense. Dude was commentating on the Olympics just a couple months ago, and now he has to spend his time chatting with these nitwits, without even having the "honor" of being the actual host of the Challenge.

Damnit, Frank! Fate keeps telling you to fuck off and go home, can you not take the hint? Also, Cohutta is still adorable. And Preston wins the Audience Surrogate Award for his irritation over the Nany/Camila fight.

Oh, the thing with Jodi was that she and Julie were both nominated for the Inferno, and they disagreed on which Bad Ass they wanted to throw in. So, since the Good Guys knew the Bad Asses would be announcing their pick first, they agreed to work around the rules and have whoever the Bad Asses voted in (it turned out to be Jodi) announce their choice, and let them decide on the spot. Jodi picked Veronica, but I think she mealy-mouthed it in such a way that made it clear that it wasn't the group consensus, so the Bad Ass team flipped out on her. It was harsh, considering the whole Good Guys team was in on the plan, but I also think the plan was to pretend that it had been a team decision either way, so she kind of biffed that -- if I remember correctly, which I kind of hope I don't, because I could clearly be devoting that brain space to more important matters.

Gauntlet 2 was when Aneesa busted out, "I don't need a Gauntlet, bitch, I will cut you with words!", right? That's pretty much all I remember from the season.

Ananayel, I'm amazed at how few of the queens I actively like at this point. I couldn't stand Trinity at the start, but damned if that redemption arc didn't work! Unlike Leganja and Gia, she seemed to actually get something out of the criticism she received.