Pepper Mostly

I agree with every word of this. I, too, was yelling at my TV--"don't you dare blame her! YOU dragged your kids into this!". And she was texting/talking with this person when she should have been taking care of them, at least sometimes. She said they talked for hours, and her daughter asked who she was talking to. I am NOT old fashioned and I don't think women should sacrifice their own lives on the altar of their children, but honey, you had 3, you have to spend some time raising them and not chasing a new boyfriend. Jesus. I suppose all these average/pleasant looking people want to believe that they can win a hot model with their wonderful personalities? so much so that they'll live with any delusion? She was almost as dense as the nursing student from Arkansas who fell for the "model" who was studying to be an anesthesiologist online, when he wasn't a writer on the Chelsea Handler show. Ye gods.

I am praying to the fashion gods that Swapnil, like Jay McCarroll before him, will sail right through to the end and win it all. I love him. He's very witty, in his personality and his fashion--his quirky nod to the LBD was clever and he (like Jay!) seems to know how to play the production. He is also great at styling his models. I adored wearing peplums back in the day, when I was young and slim. I had a tiny waist and even though I was pear shaped, I didn't care. I loved how a peplum emphasized the waist to hip ratio even more. shrug. kinda crazy I guess, but I love them. I adored Kiernan Shipka as a judge. So tactful and diplomatic for one so young. It was really refreshing! I love Kelly beyond all reason. She just makes me smile. I didn't think she was long for this but I'm willing to concede that I was wrong. She's a lot more knowledgeable than she seemed up front, she knows when things are going south, and she knows how to fix them. She understands her fabrics (cough Gabby cough) and she's unfazed by what the others do. She does Kelly, and I LOVE her for it. Blake just did a cheap knockoff of his "jellyfish" dresses he showed on road to the runway. Ashley's was cute but it was another version of her winning look from a few episodes ago. sigh. that's what happens when no one has any time to come up with an idea and/or execute. I like Lindsey's outfit. it had its problems but I liked the slim black and white outfit and the red swing coat. And I love her snark. Her comment about Blake not being adorable if he either couldn't tell time or was pretending he couldn't tell time was right on the money. My other love is Candice. I like how positive she is and how excited she gets about each challenge.

he had me in episode one, when he said everyone was running like there was free food. He's witty and I enjoy his commentary.

yes, I agree. I don't think he started out racist, he started out merely obnoxious. I think he would have said something obnoxious to anyone. But he went from zero to full metal racist really quick. so I think he thinks he can get away with saying "shocking" things, owing to his aforementioned adorableness. which only he seems to recognize. I'm sure we'll get to hear his "adorable" "shocking" "Oh Blake you are so bad!" opinion of all his fellow contestants. And it will be equally uncomfortable each and every time.

RIght,thank you, this is more what I was driving at. The first time I watched I thought he said "would you set them up for us?" and not because he thought Swapnil was his inferior or "the help" but because he was being "adorable" and wanted to snap his little fingers and have someone do his bidding. The whole interaction was really uncomfortable, and Blake is the type of insufferable twerp who can never acknowledge that he might have some responsibility for the way others react to him. He's awful and I cannot WAIT to see him go.

I thought that was really cute! Her whole concept was the moment you open a card--that's what sending and getting a card is all about. I loved the hand addressed envelopes, and I was annoyed with her model because she didn't sell the "taking the card out of the envelope" moment. She looked bored, which missed the point. And not to beat a dead horse, but clearly Swapnil speaks and understands English. to me he was expressing disbelief that Blake was asking him to set the machines up for the rest of them. Blake repels me and I cannot in any life figure out why he thinks being spiteful and ignorant is adorable.

Right there with you. I could not believe he went there. inches from "speak English, you dumb foreigner, this is America!" what a dink. And newsflash, Blake. If you have to tell people you're adorable, you're not. Agreed. I adore Kelly, I find her so cute and unassuming, but not intimidated, even though she's surrounded by people who are well trained and much more experienced than she is. I loved her outfit. Calling it Katy Perry was right on the money, and I don't see why that's a bad thing! Its a DRESS. Made of GREETING CARDS. Lighten up, judges. That was tremendously cute and made me smile. He really thought about the big picture. Since he's been auditioning for years, I'm sure he's spent plenty of time thinking about what he'd do in every situation! Props to him and I hope we get to see more of his strategy. I like him a lot more this week. I hope the fact that we're not seeing much of Candice yet means she's in it for the long haul. I like her. Swapnil is my favorite. He handled Blake perfectly by not paying attention to him, since that is what he craves the most. I am cautiously optimistic about this season!

He's a low rent Austin Scarlett. Blake, I know Austin Scarlett. I worked with Austin Scarlett. Austin Scarlett is a friend of mine (if only!). You, sir, are no Austin Scarlett. That color is the kiss of death on Project Runway. I think I emitted a small scream when he picked it. Pink for anyone over age 6 on PR is DOOM. I likened her to my beloved Laura Bennett. I thought she would be icy and brittle, but she turned out to be tremendous fun and with chops to burn. Once I saw her pics of her with her kids, I was hers. I hope she goes far, but I must confess I was a tad concerned about her dress. the fit was wonky. Sigh. why is every single reality show contestant from my town either a loud mouth, bigoted muscle head from Southie or Eastie, or some ratchet, trashy looking girl who looks like she slept in a dumpster? Kelly seems like a sweet girl and big points to her for starting again from scratch but I cannot figure out how she got on to the show. However, she is my homey and I'm pulling for her. but if she makes it past episode 3 I'll be amazed. I love Ashley and I hope she can find power, as my other fave Laurie says! I love Laurie's energy, she seems very cool. I'm sorry to see the good looking Viking go so early, but for once I am not in despair. It may be a good season! Yay!

smoosh over, Reality Cowgirl, I'm right there with you. The minute I saw the short girl with buck teeth I knew she was in. Poor Tyra, its like she can't help herself. Every season, she picks one person (ok, I know that's all of them!) who does not have a snowball's chance in hell of ever having a modeling career. The closest that poor child is going to get to fashion is folding sweaters at the Gap. Jesus. Bello is going to continually suck all the air out of the room but I laughed like a hyena at his outrage over his "$200" crown. He's going to give Jade a run for her delusional money. Stefano wants to be the biggest jerk! Yay. His parents must be so proud. Sigh. Its great to have you back in all your trashy glory, ANTM!

It did feel a little rushed, but I loved every single underhanded, duplicitous second! I HOPE with every fiber of my being that it comes back for a second season. Brittany thought she was on top, Queen Shit. She had no idea that she was being used, which I enjoyed about it. She got to swan around and call people "bitch" and be her trashy self, but she was always just a throwaway. No one cared. She was just spoiling for a fight--she'd been publicly embarrassed or made to feel awful, and we've all had those three a.m. moments when we fantasize about Just What I Would Do If I Ever See Those Assholes Again. Sadly for Brittany, it didn't play out the way she envisioned. She thought she'd leave her fallen enemies sobbing in her wake, but no one gave a damn. Haha! As for Anna's rehabilitated image--two words, redemption arc. Its a tried and true reality show trope, isn't it? She and Adam's deepening relationship shows the viewers a softer side of the supposed bitch Anna.

I laughed like a hyena when Brittany appeared. I thought it might be Poppy, Adam's ex. I adored that Grace was not to be snowed. But sluts get cut. I LOVED Anna's walk up the stairs. The look on her face was gold. She realized that Quinn had steered her to a perfect set up for a great shot, and that she was going to have her chance to have her say. Fabulous. Chet's comeuppance was a delight to behold. Jeremy's faux proposal was so very low. What a dick. I've never liked him and agree that he thinks he has some kind of moral high ground. Look in a mirror dude. You are no better than Quinn, Rachel, Adam, or anyone else you look down on. Tiny gripe, Adam isn't royal. He's nobility and has a title, or will inherit one, but the only people who can be called royal are actual members of the royal family. His granny could be Her Grace, the Duchess of Someplace, but not her Royal Highness. (When Prince Charles got married to Diana Spencer, there was some tut tutting among the Brits that he was marrying a mere Earl's daughter--plenty of people thought he should stick with a royal princess from elsewhere in Europe. She was nobility, but not royal.) Loved the confessional scene. I should be prepared for the twists by now but that shocked me. And cute callback--aren't the talking heads in reality shows called "confessionals"? Ha! Kudos, that was clever! Quinn and Rachel are now officially unstoppable. Cannot wait to see what havoc (short of murder) they wreak.

Quinn strikes me as an all or nothing kind of girl. When Chet proposed she was all giggly and girlish and I think she allowed herself to believe that she was going to have it all--love, career, family, money, the works. When she saw Chet and Madison it was like the scales fell from her eyes, and her realistic self wiped away all the fairy dust. She feels like she was played for a fool and I'm guessing hates herself for being a sap. There's no way she's going to forgive it. She probably looked the other way when she was the other woman. But now she's the fiancee, its public, she has a ring, everyone knows. I do not think for one minute that Quinn would countenance being seen as "poor Quinn", whose guy can't not cheat on her. She'll do whatever it takes to reassert her control of the situation. I am totally on Quinn's side, too! I want to see Chet go DOWN.

I agree with every word of this post. when Leah started incoherently rambling about how people were "plotting" I felt my jaw hit the floor. She goes on and on about how she's their mother and how important she is to them and how crucial it is for her to be there because she is their MOTHER and NO ONE can care for them like she does. She really doesn't see that her life is a complete mess. I don't doubt that she loves her kids but her mothering is leaving a great deal to be desired. And yes a thousand times re: Kail and Javi. That was a loser from the beginning. She was going to go out with her friends every weekend and be the brave wifey on the homefront. The best of all worlds. No husband underfoot but the social standing of being married. And then when she inevitably found a new stooge, she could collapse onto his broad manly shoulders sobbing about how haaaaarrrrrd it is to be the strong one holding the family together all on her own. Gah, I cannot stand her. He was a huge douchebag when we first met him on 16 and pregnant, but he was kinda cute--he was the bees knees in the burg they lived in, apparently. he certainly acted like he was god's gift back then. Now he looks like 10 miles of bad road--amazing how fast the hot guy in high school goes downhill.

Miranda made me laugh a lot with her raised eyebrows, smile and "Divas!" comment. She's right, not everything is a Huge Crisis. They're just little kids acting up. No need to have a nervous breakdown. Sometimes even when you have to straighten things out or employ some discipline, its still kind of funny too. God Kail is a hosebeast.

If Ashley has a child I am the Queen of Romania. (spoiler alert--I'm not). Just more lies, she can't help herself. I knew she wouldn't delete the fake profile. I was hoping Nev and Max and Sara would pull out a laptop and invite her to do it right then. "Why not now? Here. I'll help you. You know its for the best." Doesn't Facebook have rules about stuff like this?

hahaha, yes phoenics, I agree! Madison will have a sleeker look and will have perfected her, um, techniques in other areas!

For eight years Quinn has been the mistress, the other woman. Realistic person that she is, she accepted the fact that she had no exclusivity rights and got on with it. But once Chet left his wife, and she became his fiancee, she expects fidelity and commitment. Now, she may have been silly and short sighted in expecting them, but she did. She was hurt and humiliated, and Quinn is the very wrongest person on earth to get on the bad side of. Chet is pretty secure in his sleazy charms, but he's in for a rude awakening! hee hee.

Oh, I think Madison is more Eve than Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. She's exercising her budding producer chops. (Remember Rachel with Brittany, the first girl cut? She was utterly convincing. All the times she was working with girls or Adam, she is utterly convincing.) Madison is very far from there yet, but I think she is nowhere near as naive as she's letting on. She's ambitious and she is keeping her eyes open. She knows how to take advantage of an opportunity. And speaking of opportunities, Chet. I'm willing to bet five American dollars that he no more thought he was cheating on Quinn than he thought he was going to the moon. It was just an opportunity to get his rocks off, no thought at all. He has no interest in Madison, personally or professionally. She was just close by and willing. And second to the horseback riding sequence, Chet lugging that dog around was also everything. So funny.

My theory is that Rachel went to pieces because she couldn't reconcile being a normal, happy person with what she does for a living. How can she be a good partner to someone and still be brilliant at manipulating people and treating them like soulless props? She was ok with being a badass producer and being great at her work, accepted herself as a successor to Quinn--ruthless, successful, absolutely cynical. Bam, along comes love. How can she be all that and be a loving person? I ship Rachel and Adam and I love their scenes together. They both know at some level they're full of shit but they can't deny that they belong together. (one of my son's friends lives with us, and he was watching this with me--after Adam's "let's lie on the beach neck deep in Bellinis" speech, he looked at me and said "I want to run away with this guy!" He's a completely straight 25 year old man) Adam was absolutely right about how bored she'd be, folding Jeremy's underwear, marooned out in the country. I loved how everyone made his or her bid for what they really wanted. Faith, Anna, Grace, Adam, Jeremy, Quinn, even the doctor. Awesome. Rachel's the only one who doesn't know what she wants. Two weeks ago Quinn's offer would have been it. Domestic bliss with Jeremy isn't it. San Tropez is calling but that's not it. Rachel needs to work, I think. I want Quinn to emerge victorious. I just love how focused she is on her vengeance. Chet gave up 50 million to his ex wife, and Quinn is going to leave him and take all her ideas (and future millions) with her. He'll have nothing. He'll regret that bj for the rest of his life. The horseback riding scene was everything.

I think Anna just wants to WIN. She may have the idea that she and Adam could really develop feelings for each other, but I think once she's out of the fishbowl she's the only one realistic enough to see things clearly, but still play the game. AND I think she's the only one who could pull off the charade of being "newlyweds". I was on edge of my seat during the car scene. I believe I even let out a small scream. Holy moly. I just knew that the intern was going to show that she was willing to go there. She's probably just what Rachel and Quinn were like when they were green. Observant, ambitious, ubiquitous; watchful, and taking it all it. She knew Chet was the power. I don't know what's on the USB but I am content to wait and see what other seedy delights this show has to offer. I love every second.

This was a great episode for Chet. You could really see him in action, see what makes him successful. And agreed on the scenes with the network guys--great exposition. So well done! All the hugging and good wishes, meanwhile everyone is seething. And I think Chet, like a lot of married men who have affairs, likes to have a stable home life and a non-challenging spouse, who takes care of his home, gets his stuff to the cleaners, keeps him organized, attend social events and provide warm food and a warm body when needed. When Mary killed herself he had to confront the notion that he is actually in love with Quinn. Again, Chet is shown to be more than the slovenly, bearded, slightly ridiculous figure he seems to be. I LOVE that he's not a cartoon villain. I adore his character. "hey, home slice!" had me cracking up.

Yes, this was my read as well. He says "was she the black girl?" and Quinn says, very quietly, "the mom". As if it came alive to her in that moment that these women aren't people to them, just commodities, empty dresses with labels. I love how Quinn has these moments when her tough as nails mask slips.

I have loved sloppy, frowsy, skeevy Chet from day one. He looks like an unmade bed but he's really smart and savvy beneath it all. I love that we were able to see that--it would have been easy to make him a buffoon. I've never seen the actor before--he is wonderful. The acting is great in this show--Rachel, Quinn, Adam, all stellar. Jeremy is a douchebag of the first water. He doesn't know what he wants, so he's prepared to hurt two women who care for him and have their own shit to deal with so he can get his rocks off. I hate him. Shia and Jay's scenes were awesome. You can see that he's smart enough to see how the game is played. He has more native talent for it than Shia will ever have. Shia had a will to succeed and the raw desperation to do whatever it took. She was probably a high achiever in school and a teacher's pet. You can see the hurt in her face when Quinn doesn't acknowledge her efforts. So she went further and further out on that limb. But Jay has a real killer instinct. He was cold as ice.

hahaha, I remembered--in fact I screamed "UMEBOSHI! Tastes so sweet, you'll swear its candy!!" Good times, good times..... I didn't get Aemilia's bit at all. The audience didn't know her fellow contestants, so it wasn't like she was giving them behind the scenes dirt. She was just talking smack about people they didn't know. If she'd poked fun at Bobby or Giada, it still would have been in terrible taste (unless it was good natured and, you know, actually funny), but would have made more sense from the perspective of the audience. Eddie ftw. He was great.

That's pretty clever! I like the notion that it was a meta joke! I'll cling to that. I don't think Mary broke Lilybelle's arm. And I think its pretty common for abused women to apologize for "making" their abuser hurt them. I think Mary's story was pretty straightforward. She was abused, traumatized, and suffered from mental illness. She made a terrible decision to go on reality TV. A perfect storm.