30 Helens

I wonder what Lucas Partridge thinks about all these tournaments. For those who don't remember (I certainly didn't, I had to look him up), he was the reigning champ at the end of season 39. When regular play resumes, he will have waited nearly a year between games.

Please don't put this out there. Blaze does not need a baby sister or brother. (You know Sonny never misses.) Carly needs to brush up on her Moll Training skills. Her best student just failed the final exam.

I was even more tickled by Ben thinking he needed to confirm his comment was just a joke. He's so nice. My disappointment in Yogesh winning was eclipsed only by the realization that he will be back. AGAIN. Haven't we suffered enough??

Mulcahey, upon entering the writers' room: "You're planning WHAT long drawn-out story for Hatman? No. Let's wrap this up with a single scene and move on." My hero. Apparently Joss thought Dex was working as Sonny's gummi bear delivery driver.

Interesting comment today from Yogesh, during the interview segment. I don't remember his exact words, but it seemed to hint at some anxiety/ depression he suffered after his last time playing-- presumably because of a backlash to his anti-Jeopardy statements. He thanked some fellow contestants who had helped him through it, including Juveria and Troy. I'm not excusing Yogesh for anything he said, and in my opinion he deserved every bit of the backlash. But based on the softer-edged Yogesh we've been seeing in this tournament, maybe he really did take it to heart and learned from it. I hope so. I'm willing to give anyone a second chance, if they make a genuine effort. That said, I'm still skeptical. Tigers may change some of their stripes, but they rarely become housecats. And it certainly doesn't mean I'm ready for a Yogesh win. Come on, Troy! (Or Ben!) (But mostly Troy!)

This isn't really a new idea. I went to an unattended Amazon store in an airport a couple of years ago that operated like this. You scan your credit card to gain entry, walk in, pick up your stuff, and leave. Whatever you take is charged to your card. There was some kind of surveillance equipment to track your movements and monitor what you took. A little creepy, but convenient. So it can be done, but it takes technology. And if it were that profitable, I'm sure Amazon would have those all over the place. (I've never seen another.) They certainly have the ability to crush an upstart like this one, if they want to.

Hey, at least I’m consistent! (0/5, if there’s any doubt)

I knew Quiche Florentine had spinach in it, but I didn’t know it was called Florentine because of the spinach. I always assumed it was named for the city. I kind of had a FJ win today, but it was a team solve with the husband so doesn’t count. Maybe a half score? Not that Ben needs anyone to hand him a win, but this is the second time he has benefited from bad wagering. First by Yogesh, who was focused on Troy, and now by Troy, who was betting to beat Yogesh. They need to start remembering Ben is there, or he will quietly take the whole thing.

Physician, heal thyself. Great, more games I won't be able to play. At least there are several players I like. And Sam can reclaim "bring it"!

How is everyone not as entertained by Crazy Eyes Bhanu as I am? Q, Tiff and Kenzie: "He was the worst person to pick for the adventure! He's going to spill everything!" ...cut to challenge site... Bhanu: "Let me spill everything!" Bhanu's paranoid ramblings: "Do they like me? How do I know if they like me? I think they're trying to trick me! I JUST WANT TO WIN HEARTS!" And what could top the bug-eyed, expressively pantomimed "Kenzie's a mermaid! With a BIIIG dragon tail!" Simply hilarious. (Later, when Bhanu was trying to convince Tiffany that Kenzie was sketchy, I shouted at the screen: "Tell her about the mermaid! DO THE DRAGON TAIL!" I may or may not have been pantomiming.) Q wants Bhanu to be Philip to his Boston Rob. No. Q, you're no Boston Rob. And Bhanu makes Philip look like a paragon of emotional stability. But Q was right about one thing, wackadoos do win Survivor, or at least get runner up. Tony and his spy shack? Coach? Philip? I rest my case.

Apologies. I misremembered. But whatever he was beating himself up for at the end of yesterday's show, he certainly made up for it today! Yowza. Definitely this. The only way they actually get to 7 games is if everyone wins two, then the 7th day is the tiebreaker. Ken should have said "first person to win three games wins the tournament" and just left it at that. Or added, "The maximum number of games to be played will be seven." Saying "best of seven" and letting the audience figure it out was unnecessarily confusing. I do feel like Yogesh is making an effort to be personable, he's just so bad at it. He's made a few light comments that have almost landed (for example, I do think the overlord comment directed at Troy was lighthearted) but others, like that "random name" joke could not hide his underlying sense of superiority. ("Obviously I know this, but I'll pretend for a second to be a dumb person.") He just needs to give up the fake cheer because it's not fooling anybody. As for the "bring it", Yogesh may not actually know the context because he probably thinks it's beneath him to watch episodes he is not in. But like someone else mentioned recently, I am so tired of people using that expression. When someone first did it several months ago, it was a nice tribute. They even mentioned Sam. Then others starting doing it, to the point where it's no longer an homage, it's appropriation. I have been struggling throughout this tournament to get a single FJ, with no success. This is how it went today: Ken: "Final Jeopardy category is Books of the Bible." Me: <groan> "Bible?? Ok. I guess... Leviticus." commercial Ken: (reads clue) Me: "I don't know, Judges? No, that's in the clue... I have no idea." answers are revealed Me: "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME."

This show may be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen, so of course I’ll watch it to the bitter end. I really liked Claudia at first, but then she got into Rob’s inner circle and started acting like Queen Bee of the popular crowd. I didn’t like her mean girl tactics toward Kim, who is doing nothing other than playing a game and not falling under Rob’s spell, for which I commend her. I was glad to see Claudia and her inflated ego walk away. I love Boston Rob, always have. ( @Thalia, if you only watch one of his Survivor seasons, make it the All Stars one where he met “Am-buh”—he’s at his peak there, with athletic prowess, charm, and cheeky manipulation powers on full tilt.) But I will never understand how he continues to get people to bow down to him and do his bidding, even though they know (or should know) what he’s doing. It’s really something. And the fact that Kim is able to not only resist it, but push back, makes me like her all the more. I also started appreciating Stephanie (I think that was her name, the one who didn’t go along with the group plan) for her refusal to play by the Robfather’s rules. As for Howie Mandel, this is pure speculation on my part, but if he’s not revealed to be the Banker on the yacht at the end of the season, I’ll eat one of Boston Rob’s t-shirts. You know, the ones he’s refusing to wear. (Seriously, dude, cover up. You’re not in Marquesas any more.)

Fun game. I’m not happy to watch Yogesh for potentially seven games, but having a villain in the mix does tend to ramp up the drama. I enjoyed Yogesh in the first part of the game when he was quiet, less so when he started coming on strong. Phew! for wagering that allowed Ben to take the win. Troy looked very disappointed in himself, probably because he didn’t wager enough to put it away with the 2nd DD. But he was very impressive today. I’m still looking at him to take it all. (Although I’d settle for Ben.)

Aw, I missed the hugs conversation. I've never been much of a hugger myself, they tend to make me feel trapped rather than comforted. But I am happy to hug anyone who would feel better from it. Hippie vehicle = VW minivan. Minivan = microbus. Either should be acceptable, IMO. Yay, Troy! I was rooting for him. I think either he or Ben has a good chance of vanquishing Yogesh. Which I want to see because of principles, but also so I can laugh at the tantrum Yogesh will almost certainly throw. I thought I was going to finally break my donut cycle with "pragmatism". But no, the answer was a word I've never even heard before. I think I've come to realize that TOC is a spectator sport. I'm not cut out to play it, but I can still enjoy and appreciate it. (And admire those who do well, unless they're named Yogesh. ;) )

Of course they can be. That wasn't the point of that very excellent post, or of what Peppermint said. I encourage you to read it again, because it's speaking to a larger point of how people react to those who are different from them. Targeting Peppermint because she's actually acting sketchy is one thing, targeting Peppermint because of some preconceived bias (conscious or not) is quite another. And it's not ok. And it's something people need to open their eyes to if it's ever going to change, whether you're talking about game shows or society at large, where it really matters. I really don't think Alan cared who won. He was there for the fun (probably), the paycheck (definitely), and the amazing wardrobe (hope he got to keep some!).

Apparently you’ve never watched me play. 😆

That is correct. 😉 Not to worry, it seems I’m working on that badge for myself.

I was surprised Andy Cohen was hosting this, as he's probably being sued by at least a couple of the contestants. I would have much preferred Alan as reunion host. ("How did you feel about your muuuhhdahhhr?") I can't fault MJ or Phaedra for still being in their feelings. I assume this was taped right after the finale episode, so MJ had maybe 24 hours to process her betrayal. And say what you want, she was betrayed. It's a game, and they had a right to throw her aside and keep more money for themselves, but they could at least own their choice. It was the gleeful celebration with zero regard for MJ's broken heart at the final vote that kept me from cheering CT and Trishelle's win. One day later and I hadn't forgiven them, so I wouldn't expect MJ to, either. It's not about right or wrong or gameplay, it's just human decency. I actually believed Dan's explanation for his gameplay. I don't think he was pouting or acting out against Phaedra, I really think he believed that was his only option for survival. He was playing an emotionally detached* game without loyalty, and his moves reflected that. (*Except for the move against Bergie, that was nothing but emotion and not coincidentally his fatal error.) His moves just happened to suck and his game was for shit. I don't fault Phaedra for being pissed, any more than I fault MJ. But at least Dan owned his game, whereas CT and Trishelle continue to hide behind a fabricated cloak of MJ's sketchiness while pretending they were loyal. I wish Janelle had been chosen as a traitor instead of Dan. She would have been so much more entertaining, and I'm sure she would have played a much better game. Of course Peter is dating Miss Golden Globes. It just follows.

I hated this ending. I had no problem with CT or Trishelle voting out MJ if they really suspected her, but I don't think that was the reason. I think they just wanted a bigger share of the prize. Would it have killed them to express just a twinge of regret for voting out someone who was loyal to them? Apparently, because they showed nothing but glee. And I had nothing but contempt for them. Aside from Janelle, Dan, Sandra, Kate and Parvati, I knew nothing about any of these people prior to the season. I ended up liking Phaedra and losing a bit of respect for Dan. But at the end, I really despised CT and Trishelle. Their behavior at the final council left a very bad taste in my mouth. Despite my misgivings about Kate's worthiness as a latecomer to the game, I wish she had won. At least she was fun. And seemed to have a conscience.

Oops! No, it wasn't you, it was @Clanstarling who was echoing my thoughts: As for "fire" and "mind blown" emojis, I understood them to mean: fire= excellent point, you are awesome, couldn't have said it better, etc. mind blown= wow, I had no idea, I never would have thought of that, etc. I don't know what an angry face would signify other than something negative. And I never had the opportunity to vote on it because I didn't get the invitation. Even though I check my notifications every day. So, maybe the voting process wasn't all-inclusive?

When Emily made that all-in DD (just because everyone else did, apparently), my heart sank. Too risky in such a high stakes anti-Yogesh game. But she gave him a bracelet, so I guess she's ok with devil deal-making. The worst part about this Yogesh win is we'll have to see him two more times, whether or not he takes the championship. Which means two more times of watching him throttle that poor, undeserving buzzer. Absolutely. Since Seinfeld, it's the only way I can pronounce it. Just like I can't say genre ("jawwwn-hcreehh") without evoking the ghost of Alex Trebek.

As someone else (Shapeshifter?) already remarked, it’s so strange that the site is restyled with a new emphasis on on positivity and inclusion, and one of the first visible changes is… an anger emoji? I can’t quite wrap my head around that. I’m still waiting for an eyeroll emoji. I think that would be so much more useful. I don’t love the new Thank You, either, but at least it makes more sense than the previous one. I might have voted for a picture of a stack of cash, as that is historically the best thank you gesture.

TOCs are always difficult for me, but this year’s seems especially hard. Long stretches of silence here in the Helens household, and by FJ we’re just stuffing our faces with donuts. I was rooting for Jared tonight. Shame about that DD, but good on him for going for it. I also would have very pleased with an Ike win, and after a shaky start he nearly pulled it off! If nothing else, he represented the “dumb” celebrities well. I don’t know what it is about Ben, he seems like a nice guy but I just can’t work up any enthusiasm for him. I may have to change that, though, if He Who Shall Not be Named makes the finals.

And when Jeff does things like withhold flint, it makes them even weaker. Unfair. It’s almost like the show wants to ensure it has one sad sack tribe for the narrative. Yep. And if the editing followed the timeline, when Q gave her that idol, he wasn’t sure if they were voting for Jess or Kenzie. What was he planning to do if she played the idol, learned it was fake, then stayed? Laugh about what a scamp he is and expect her forgiveness? (Although he probably would have gotten it. Jess was far too nice for the room.)