Pepper Mostly

I just love them. I saw a little video of him answering a viewer question (on the FB page for the show). The viewer wanted to know what his education was and what profession he'd had before. He graduated from college with a degree in Environmental Studies, worked as a barista before going off the grid, and says he'd like to be a writer. I wish he would write a book about his and Amelia's homesteading adventures. I would read it, I eat stuff like that up. I wouldn't DO it, but I love to see how other people operate and make the choices they do. I suppose its too much to hope for, for Colbert to write a book? He's really interesting to me, going off to the swamp to live on his own, leaving the rat race behind.

Oh Beverly. Loved her super klassy boob tattoo. That woman is just a walking ball of rage. Ugh. Loren is a hell beast. Her interaction with her mother was GOLD. In an awful, cringeworthy way, but gold nonetheless. And really? She had NO IDEA that her BFF would take her to a strip club? They've probably been planning each other's bacherlorette nights for years. All she had to say to Alexei was "I'm sorry", but of course Miss Princess couldn't manage that. It was just defensive whining and mememe. "Its my last night to have fun!" Girl, take a goddamn seat. You are not being banished to the women's quarters, never to see the light of day again after your wedding. Seriously, this woman is exhausting. If I was in a room with her and her BFF for more than 5 minutes I'm quite sure I'd be capable of mayhem. When Carolina stormed off and Fernando just sat there, I SAW the thought bubble over his head--"Wow, she's really upset. Maybe I should.....but it would be a shame to let these clams go to waste...." Kyle and Noon were utterly adorable. The scenes with his mother were absolutely painful to watch--90 Day Fiance by way of Intervention. Mama looked rough. I'm glad she didn't make the wedding. I'm sure lots of unnecessary drama was avoided. Mark is a contemptible old cad. The scene at the wedding dress shop was all kinds of wrong. He lied and told her to pick out what she wanted and he wouldn't say no. Then he said no. He's treating that poor kid like a hostage, doling out the occasional act of kindness, but also setting her up and letting her down. And the implacable, cruel look on his face when he was telling her to sign the prenup? My blood ran cold. He is a cold, unfeeling man who wants arm candy and a nurse. Yuck.

God, yes, this, a thousand times! I can see hugging an enthusiastic local who seems open to it (like the adorable girl in Holland with the tulips), but that wedding planner was clearly cringing when the cheerleader flung her sweaty body at him. We've seen this time and time again from "hot girl" teams, who dispense hugs and kisses to locals like they are handing out money. Cool it. Not everyone is tremblingly grateful for a hug from you, even if you are a Hooters girl/cheerleader/model/playboy bunny/foxy boxer. Be respectful. Justin is working my last nerve. I love a good racer and I love a character--huge Rob and Amber fan, liked the much reviled hippies. But he is obnoxious with a capital O. I agree with the above assessments that he is either trying for a show of his own or raising his profile as a performer. He is not entertaining. He is not likable. He is like being hit on the head repeatedly with a wooden spoon. He was marginally less annoying this episode, but only because he wasn't berating Diana for her poor decisions, shortcomings, or bad performance. Gah.

Called it! At least halfway--I predicted that the fertility doc would tell Ragini she had the ovaries of a 20 year old. But my prediction was also that she'd tell Ragini she was already pregnant! Oh well. And I think Christian and Maria were definitely having sex. I think Nina inspected the bed sheets the morning after the wedding night for proof that Maria was a virgin. I do not by any means think that they have a good, mutually satisfying sex life, but that Maria did her duty while Christian did his. For three minutes or less, probably. Poor Maria. She knows what's expected of her. No wonder she's always so down and sad. She's probably heard from her older cousins/sisters/friends about married life. She thought she and Christian go out, have fun, hang out with other young couples, and maybe have fun making babies. Instead, she's stuck in the basement folding Christian's shirts and helping his mother with the endless housework and flower selling. Sex is probably at best a bore and at worst actively unpleasant. I can't imagine Christian trying to please his wife in that way, when he's not interested in pleasing her in any other. If Josh is a medical resident, how does he have all this time to meet his advisor for coffee, never mind practically burn the house down in attempting to cook an egg? (men! what adorable imbeciles! oh, show. Get out of the 50's). I thought residents worked 100 hours a week and spent every spare moment sleeping? Lisa is just dreadful and every time I see that fakey pageant smile she pastes on I have to suppress the urge to run screaming from the room. She is poison.

I agree. The poor guy is just rigid with embarrassment and its clearly something that he does not want to talk about on camera. That he wants to respect their privacy by not airing their dirty laundry on TV speaks well of him. I wish production would step off.

I said the exact same thing. Jesus, woman, get a cute dress at Mod Cloth, get Devar and Hunter a new shirt and tie, and go to city hall! Then have a nice lunch with your families. I fell in love with Vlad and Svetlana immediately. I wanted to hug her big teddy bear of a dad and have a glass of wine and a snark fest with her mother. You just know she's one of us. Can we have a show about them? Loren is just so repellent to me, I can't. She's so pushy, overbearing and self centered--how can she have a relationship with anyone? Poor Alexei looks so beaten down already.

Agreed. On teens its cute. On adults, its unseemly.

Sigh. Me too. I knew Matt's was worse, and I knew he would stay. He's a more colorful character than Ysabel, and clearly not averse to stepping into the snarky/mean girl role ("my strategy is to take everything so no one else gets it"). He may have been joking, but somehow I doubt. The kids are all really cute, though. I like teens even when they're being over the top teen-ish, I find them amusing. Everything is So Dramatic! So Important! So I am looking forward to a fun season!

Thorn and Delia were adorable together. He is really very handsome under the tattoos and birds nest hair, and she is very pretty. They can live together in his little hobbit house in the woods, enjoying life on their own terms. I'm really glad there are places for these folks to live the lives they want/need to live. It was great to see Colbert's cabin coming together and I really get a bang out of the satisfaction he gets from it. Everyone works hard, but there's no rush, no clock, everything gets done when its done. Since my life seems to be owned by the clock (9 to 5, and a prisoner to public transportation, so I have to be acutely aware of the time all the time!), I really appreciate that. I could never live in the woods, and have never in my life had the slightest desire to go off the grid, but its great to see it. Everyone is calm and takes his/her time. Even though they're felling trees or hauling water or boiling down syrup for hours, its oddly restful to me!

I cosign every word! I love Jesse too. I was disposed to love him since he lives in the town next to mine (North Shore represent!). plus I'm all about multicultural families; but I completely lost my heart when he said "its a carwash. calm down"! He seems very calm and focused, and clearly really talented. Great episode tonight. Nice to see Tim finding his mentoring chops again and the kids are so cute and enthusiastic. A win so far!

King of the Gypsies is a book by Peter Maas, the guy who wrote Serpico. Another interesting book about Roma people in the US today is Hastened to the Grave, by Jack Olsen, who's a pretty well respected true crime writer. Neither one is especially complimentary to the Romani culture. Books are hard to come by, there are few about American Romani.

That mixer was probably on her gift registry. Why would a woman so inept in the kitchen have a deluxe mixer otherwise? Seriously, they invited LISA up for the dinner party? And Queen Lisa, who knows from class, puts all the dinner guests on the spot by asking "what do you (low class, oafish) Yankees really think of Southerners?" So awkward! Made worse by Josh's glowering. Meghan's poor workmates! I thought Josh was a resident--how does he have so much free time? I thought medical residents worked ridiculously long hours and spent the rest of their time sleeping? I'm guessing that the cliffhanger with Ragini and Veeral is that the doctor is going to tell Ragini that she has the ovaries of a 20 year old. And that she is already pregnant! Any takers? Christian doesn't work! I bet Michael doesn't either, unless he runs a roofing or driveway paving scam. Maria and Nina sell flowers at vastly inflated prices to drunk people. Its a rich life. /sarcasm. Poor Peter. He seems to have a head on his shoulders. What a waste. He won't go to college or have any kind of opportunity, in the name of keeping the culture unspoiled.

Dancing is a big part of Mormon culture! Half the pros on DWTS are Mormon, and there are always Mormon contestants on SYTYCD. As I understand it, dancing is a celebration and a way to rejoice in the lord. Aleksandra should be able to dance her heart out, in Rexburg. I'm kind of baffled about why the show is implying that the good folk of Rexburg will find her dancing sinful.

And General Foods International Coffee. Seriously, his house depresses the shit out of me. So dark and cheerless. And you know that wall to wall carpet reeks.

Chickabiddy, you come on over here and sit next to me. I cosign every single word of your post. I cannot get over how selfish and unfeeling the "host" fiances are. Kyle and Josh are marginally less awful, but still so tone deaf and clueless. What does poor little Aleksandra do all day, stuck at Grandma's house? Does Noon only do housework? I would be a lot more interested in seeing their real struggles, not this producer driven dreck. But, like you, I am in for the long haul.

Agreed. I was a bartender for years. Flirting is just one tool in the personality toolkit for any service provider! And really, if his tired, mechanical "so, what are you ladies up to tonight?" is his idea of devastatingly charming repartee, well, he has a long way to go. I was surprised that Josh's dad did not wear a tie to the morning scripture reading. Mama still has her arms crossed, though, and her look of patient suffering is firmly in place. What a sourpuss. Loren is horrible. I know I've said that already but. She just sucks all the oxygen out of the room. Her parents are beaten down and Alexei is next.

oh my god, I'm right with you. Mark's house is depressing--so dark, all that carpeting (I bet its ancient). The place looks like it has a bad smell. Unwashed sheets, old carpeting, and old man. Yuck. Could his family have looked any more awkward? "Breakfast party, yay!" Enjoy your frozen waffles, folks. Poor Nikki. I laughed like a hyena during their little talk, when she was cutting up mangos. It looked like she had a huge bowlful in front of her at one point. (Producer: "OK, you two need to have a little talk at the table. Nikki, maybe you could be cutting up some fruit or something? here you go, honey, here's a knife and a bowl of mangos. And--action!" Loren's sneering at Alexei's wish to do something meaningful was breathtaking! "OMIGOD, he wants to be a police officer or a firefighter or an EMT and serve his community! He should be a MODEL!" Um, what?? Yeah, he should not help people, he should pursue a long shot, high risk, short lived dream! Loren is a harpy of the first water. She will never be content. What an awful, awful person she is. Every thing is all about her. If that is Kyle being Mr. Personality and flirting it up for the big bucks, he should find another profession. He was utterly charmless, with all the personality of a bowl of cream of wheat.

I hope they go along the lines of the Masterchef kids' edition, with supportive mentoring and positive reinforcement. It will be very pleasant to watch if that is the case.

....or "I love this look! I would totally wear it!" Christian is a wonderful judge, so glad he's on board. I like Kelly too. Loved the winning look. Like the kids, the kid from Kansas has stolen my heart and I was glad the kid with the hat got a second chance. I have two Massachusetts kids I'm rooting for, one of them is from the town right next to mine! No screen time at all last night, so I'm hopeful that he's in it for the long haul. Will this be the thing that injects some life into the PR franchise? Let's hope!

I have a feeling production has her wear it, in case they want to splice some days/events together. No one will notice what Tony is wearing! Loved Colbert fishing in his dugout, and Tony and Amelia bartering for a "betty hook". she cracks my shit up. Thorn has a GF!! Holy moly.

Nosy, Bitter Harpies? God, they were horrible. I thought their intrusive questioning was way out of line! Melanie is a big girl and is capable of making her own decisions. They may not be the decisions her nasty sisters would make but it is HER BUSINESS. And not once did I see them behave in any way that could be construed as polite. Did anyone thank him for cooking for them? Or ask how he was adjusting? Nope, straight for the jugular. Awful. I applaud Devar for not losing his shit and staying civil. I'm just hoping he was winding them up with his "I'll send 9 dollars out of 10 back to my family". I cling to the notion that he's having a quiet laugh about sending up their blood pressures. I don't know what's driving Devar, maybe he's in it for the green card, maybe he likes Melanie well enough and is happy to live with the trade off, maybe he even does love her. But no one deserves the kind of grilling he got. Loren is a spolled brat and breathtakingly self centered. Obviously her parents have catered to her every whim and indulged these tantrums. Poor Alexei. Aleksandra needs to run, not walk back to Prague. Poor thing, I just wanted to hug her. And why was everyone salsa dancing at a Dunkin Donuts?

I agree 100%. I thought Kelly, with her wacky esthetic and 70's point of view was cannon fodder. I loved her from the beginning, but I was always preparing myself for her auf-ing. I really hoped she would go all the way. And I'm not one for calling shenanigans either, but it was so transparently clear that Ashley was the Chosen One, it was laughable. I don't understand why producer manipulation is needed. Remember season one? You couldn't have edited, manipulated or orchestrated the developments of that halcyon season! Mustache-gate! Morganza's many meltdowns! Wendy Pepper, goddess of evil! Kara Saun's shoe scandal! The fabulous Austin Scarlett! Sigh. Those were the days. And they didn't even give them a driver! They had to drive themselves!

Oh my god, I read those ages ago, when the first Forsyte Saga series was on PBS (it wasn't even PBS then, I don't think!), I must have been maybe 14 or 15? They're wonderful, I'd like to read them again.

When Ragini came home from visiting her parents and Veeral still acted like a petulant, sulky child, she should have turned right around and walked out again. Really? He's still pouting? They're both awful. Oh Meghan. Yes, Target. Except the whole scene in the "cute little shop" was totally staged and scripted. "OK, Meghan, honey, we found you a nice store, what we need you to do is go in, get excited about their cute merchandise, and lay down several hundred dollars on useless shit. Not to worry, we'll get it to your apartment before Josh gets home". Her mother told her to go out and buy something for the apartment? WTF? Don't they have wedding gifts? what could they possibly need? That was absolutely terrible advice, Meghan's mother! And really, its a "Southern tradition" that people eat at a table? This girl needs to get out more. "In the south, we enjoy using silverware to eat our food" "here in the south, we traditionally eat popcorn at the movies". Maria is like a hostage, thinking she can curry favor with her captors by snitching on her fellow captives. Stockholm Syndrome.

I just came by to say how much I love Rachel's glee at Jeb's weird little noises. Last week she likened his "whoo!" to the noise of a "happy little owl" which made me laugh heartily and for many minutes.