Pepper Mostly

Agreed. Lots of people play the field with great dedication, but become exemplary family men when the time is right!

Oh, pleasepleaseplease let someone else be watching this show!! I like Mitchell, the sommelier, quite a bit. In looks he reminds me of Richard Engel, the foreign correspondent for NBC, who I think is a BABE. His mother is really nice and warm, his father? is a douchebag of epic proportions. Those poor girls. He was downright rude to Rebecca. I would have run. Can't remember the name of the nurse who lives with her parents--can't say much about her, but her parents are a scream! I would love to hang out with them. Her dad is adorable. I also liked the ballroom dancer/real estate entrepreneur's parents, especially her mother. she seems level headed and fun.

Oh yeah, the pillowfight was all sublimated aggression. She feels upset, trapped and helpless, so she's lashing out in an "acceptable" way. Neil handled it well. And I will be anyone here a week's pay that the minute Neil turns the tables on her and lets her know he has reservations, she will be all sweetness and light, trying to win him over.

I would too--I am most decidedly not a beach person. Jason and Courtney's wintry idyll in the Poconos seemed delightful to me. Sleigh rides, hot chocolate, a roaring fire in the fireplace, cozy quilts? Bliss.

I laughed and laughed when he came out his his "big spoon" footie jammies! He is HILARIOUS. I love his deadpan humor. I love how patient and unflappable he is. I thought Sam was outdoorsy and athletic? Neil, game as hell, jumping in to the water. Sam, whining and cringing and wondering why Neil wasn't checking on her. I cannot with this girl.

Just finished "Redefining Realness" by Janet Mock. Janet is trans and her story is fascinating, un-putdownable. I had seen her as a talking head on Melissa Harris-Perry's show and always been impressed with her.

I certainly hope not! That was a travesty.

I actually said that out loud while watching. Jesus. I thought kale was over and it was cauliflower now. Or chard. Guess its the humble carrot, who knew? Padma's bitch face was firmly in place, hmmm? Honey, take a tweezer and remove that hair from across your ass. Still pulling for my homie Carl! I'm hoping he's a dark horse. He seems very well prepared for Top Chef and I like his grace under pressure. I mean, he was up against rib eye, pork belly, lobster, crab, rack of lamb--and killed with chicken. that's not easy.

spankydoll, can I come and sit at your lunch table? I cosign every word of your post. I was yelling "damn, girl, hold those flowers lower! They're not a shield!" Dying over your characterization of Ashley and David in the Hummer. Dying I tell you! Neil is my favorite and I think I would have paid him some attention in my younger days, and I was a red hot mama. Right? She acted like she was waiting for a bus and he was a homeless guy who kept asking her for change.

I am utterly baffled and mystified. Some of those models looked like streetwalkers! Weren't these supposed to be suitable for high school girls? And I concur on Matt's evening gown for travel. I was positive he'd be dinged for that, but not a murmur. Very annoyed that Jesse, who made something appropriate for the task and executed well, was axed over Jaxon's ill fitting space hooker and Matt's traveling nightclub singer Barbie. WTF? We could have been rid of Matt last week! Gah! Why are they saving him? I don't get it.

But he's not a bookish nerd--this is what he was looking for in a mate: "Someone who can keep up with his active lifestyle as he enjoys running marathons, hiking, skydiving and snowboarding." He's outdoorsy and looks like a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He may like to read also, and oh yeah, he's a scientist, but I wouldn't call him bookish. or a nerd, for that matter. :-) He's quirky, but he's not socially inept. He was friendly, warm, and kind in a very awkward situation. He certainly handled himself very well through Sam's, uh, episodes.

At least when they crash and burn, Neil will not lack for female companionship! All her girlfriends were twittering like birds after meeting him, and her mother thinks he's the bees knees! I think he'll be very popular with the viewers as well, he's funny and kind. I could not understand Ashley at all. There's shy, and there's Ashley. She wasn't shy, she was rude. I was cringing when David was trying to talk to her after the ceremony, and she kept answering in monosyllables. Like she was on an elevator with someone who was trying to make small talk. Vanessa looked so pretty-I loved her blush dress, I loved them jumping the broom, and I loved Tres' proposal, very nice. I have little hope that they'll last, but at least they acted like grown ups and will have some good stories to tell.

Mark will not have a vasectomy, he will not be able to abide another man (even a doctor!) see or touch his "manly" bits. And a woman doctor? An independent American fat jealous doctor? I don't think so. He'll make sure that birth control is Nikki's responsibility, so he can drone on and on about it, and make her feel like shit if it fails.

He won't let her work. He'll insist that she be home and available for him, all day every day. (god, I just threw up in my mouth a little). What if he came home, and she wasn't there? That would surely mess with his happiness!

He used the word "perfect" to describe how he viewed Nikki and how he knew she was "the one". the way he said "perfect" gave me the creeps. It reminded me of The Collector (by John Fowles). "after searching the Philippines from one end to the other, I found my perfect victim...I mean, wife!". Shudder.

Yes, this a thousand times! OK, Bev, you've voiced your concerns. You've let your sister know you're there for her. Now butt out! My god. Get a damn hobby.

I did too, and perfect for a beach wedding! I had her pegged for a sparkly, mermaid style, not the very classy, understated flowy number she wore. She looked great. God, he gave me the heebie jeebies with that statement. You know what that means. He has life insurance, all right. But Nikki is not the beneficiary. She will have nothing unless he decides to bestow it on her. I bet he makes her feel bad about the food she eats. He'll say "take it easy now, Nikki! I don't want my songbird to turn into a Strasbourg goose! Cool it on the pop tarts!" I'll bet anyone here five dollars that that ring is a CZ. He's a controlling prick and that poor kid has Stockholm Syndrome. She's kept under control by the occasional crumb of kindness. Loren made me laugh A LOT. I ended up liking her. She's learned a thing or two, and was able to laugh at herself. She's always going to be a drama queen, and Alexei seems fine with that, so more power to them. He's very laid back and soft spoken, they'll complement each other. Right? He sounded like he had one eye on his watch and wanted to get this thing overwith. My theory is that he was some random homeless guy they gave $20 and a bottle of Southern Comfort. Was that the $10 dress? Nikki looked really pretty. Oh yes. LOL, I got married when I was 33-just before my sell by date! I had no idea how lucky I was! Whatever Melanie and Devar have, it seems genuine and works for them. I really enjoyed Devar's dry sense of humor--I think he will enjoy winding up Bev the hosebeast in the years to come. His and Hunter's interactions were really cute and Hunter seems like an awesome little guy. I wish them the best. Agreed, he did himself no favors by appearing on this show. He was insanely creepy. Run Nikki, run!

Bless you--those were the days! to this day I say "he's huge in Belgium". I may be the only one who gets it, but it still gives me a laugh!

The trouble with dried chickpeas is that they have to be soaked overnight. the quick soak method is very hit or miss--they might get soft enough to use but they might not. They are a temperamental legume! Even using the quick soak, would she have had time?

I do agree, I apologize! I was reading quickly and thought you were saying that Tim was correct that the Peter Pan collar would never have been seen on Twiggy. Proves I should not read at work! (hangs head in shame). I also agree that the collar change up was very well done. (Looks like we both Googled images of Twiggy, I found the same one). I am spending waaaaaay too much time thinking about Twiggy, Peter Pan collars, and 60's fashion!

Not to nitpick, but Tim was clutching his pearls and saying Twiggy would NEVER have bee seen in a Peter Pan collar. I think changing up the collar was the right way to go, and the dress looked better and more modern, less of a throwback

I have no idea. It seems Frances didn't think using organic canned chickpeas was such a heinous offense, so I guess she didn't think, as she was rushing through the aisles at Whole Foods, trying to get all her ingredients together in a short time, that she should get dried chickpeas and hope there were pressure cookers available, or rethink her whole dish, or any of the other things she didn't think to do. I don't think that makes her lacking in ability. I think she had an idea, she wanted to make it work, and made a decision. Tom annoys me because he has the luxury of sitting back and being able to come up with every possible permutation, then snark on the cheftestants for not thinking of them.

I've only seen dried chickpeas in the store, never fresh. I use them myself for chickpea soup. According to Anne Burrell, you can't use the quick soak method for chickpeas, so Frances was kind of stuck there. I certainly don't fault her for using canned chickpeas, she already had an idea and was probably just focused on executing. Time is tight and I can see her thinking "vegan" not necessarily "freshly harvested in season vegan". Tom annoys me because he expects the chefs to read his mind. (well, among other things. Tom annoys me for many many reasons!) Yes, she could have switched gears and tried to find something else, but she didn't.

Squish over on the old lady couch. I remember them well, and Summer Song comes up on my Pandora from time to time. That was bullshit from Tom about the chickpeas. The chefs were sent to Whole Foods for their supplies. They did not have fresh picked, in season chickpeas. So what was Frances to do, exactly? Go pluck them from the earth at their host's garden? Jesus, Tom bugs the shit out of me.

Padma's still a bitch, I see. "So, Renee, tell me about your reason for existence and why I should even deign to taste your flyover country food". Sorry, I know lots of people like her but I have never been a fan. She seems to be very insecure in the presence of another attractive woman and once someone's in her sights, she can't seem to be able to resist getting her digs in. Like that poor guy with the spoon. Yes, he was wrong, but he knew it and was mortified. Let it go already. I don't like Tom either. Why do I torment myself? I remember liking Grayson in her original showing, so I hope she can adjust her attitude! Me, I'm rooting for my homies, Karen and Carl! Boston, represent! Hahaha, I remember that! He stuck his finger in the sauce to taste it, and was summarily thrown out of the kitchen. Then he was the first to go anyway. That was another person--an older lady who was wearing sneaks. I cannot believe I remember that!