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Some people already have some regrets at voting for Trump or not voting for Harris and seeing Trump win. For instance, Venezuelans in the Miami area voted for Trump, now angry that he targeted their community for deportation. The naturalized citizens aren't at risk, for now. But their friends and family members were deported, going back to Maduro to be persecuted. Then Muslim-Americans in Dearborn, MI and other key swing states either voted for Jill Stein or didn't turn out at all or some outright voted for Trump, who's now talking about sending US troops to clean Gaza out of any remaining Palestinians, so he can build a new riviera with oceanfront resorts. Bill obviously would like his narrative to be the reason that Trump won, that the Democrats focused too much on LGBTQ issues or were punished for being woke. What a crock.

Seems like the Outies had to consent to this excursion -- OUTBO? -- while the Innies didn't. The theory is that Mark's reintegration isn't complete yet. So he's still Innie or Outie. Now we learn that Lemon can literally flip the switch individually on the severed characters. That would have to be some satellite or mobile network connections to always control the implants, regardless of where the severed people are. Yet Milchick has to scream into a walkie talkie to presumably someone in the control room to turn on/off the implant. So they wake up and they have old man Irv climb up a cliff, after walking across a frozen lake. You heard the ice cracking as he walked yet the bigger danger may have been him trying to climb up the icy terrain up to the cliff. The doppelgängers, at least in the credits, are different actors, not the same actors shot separately. So they're not suppose to be identical to the main characters. But this is suppose to be some reward, seeing the world's tallest waterfall, glamping (with heated tents and luxurious meats) and storytelling with roasted marshmellows? No wonder Helena mocked the story. Though Milchick must know that's the boss's daughter so why did he get pissed? After those blackface paintings, maybe he shouldn't have reverence for Kier mythology. Oh well, they didn't even have graham crackers so just those brick marshmellows alone didn't look that appetizing. Mark is suppose to believe that he's sleeping with Helly. But it was Helena who's been making goo goo eyes at him, even when they went on their little trek to the goat room. He never met Helena, at least knowingly. I forget Irv's dream. His motivation seems to be to get out. So by threatening Helena, he knew he'd be banished. But maybe that's okay with him, he'd rather be outside stalking Burt?

A catch in what sense? He's somewhat well known reality TV star with some side businesses? He's been connected to some attractive women who were also on the same TV shows as him? Thing is, the women he's been linked to didn't seem to have been gaga for him. Somehow they have no problems letting him go. If he's such a catch, one of them would have tried to hang on to him? He's prime marriage age too, never having been married, should have some money assuming he's not blowing it all. His personality, got a sense of entitlement and probably expects women to throw themselves at him since he's been on TV for a relatively long time. That is why he goes on Raya, probably thinks women who otherwise wouldn't be interested in him will now target him as a "celebrity." Seems like away from the cameras, he's not compelling enough for these women to want to stick around. Paige said she's 31 but if she really wants to have children, she's kind of going down to the wire. Plus, she can't count on her looks too much longer, barring plastic surgery. Yet for the 3 years they invested, she abruptly walked away, supposedly because she's such a businesswoman who has too many opportunities going on right now. That's the cover story. Or maybe the whole relationship was a cover story and she got bored of it and bored of him.

How much time in those 3 years did they spend together? They did a lot more FaceTime than Shep and Sienna but that isn’t saying much.

I just watched WWHL with Craig talking about his breakup. He says love is all you need, he will always root for love. He talks about how painful, how he's gone through the various stages and so on. But much of the time he has the same vapid smile on that he usually does. Craig tried to sell his supposed heartbreak. But he's still got business cooking and he's on Raya, looking for love! He said he was going to propose by the end of last year, spent Thanksgiving with Paige and parents and shortly after she dumped him. Andy asks him about rumors that she's already dating another guy. He said it's none of his business. Pretty phlegmatic and cool about the supposed love of his life possibly cheating on him. Maybe because the relationship was a ruse all along. But he's flashing that smile so he'll be linked with some pretty younger sweet thing.

My DVR recorded two episodes based in Australia as a new hour block. First one was two young women from Toronto whom I recognized from before. They shop for an apartment together near Melbourne. Second one, I don't recall seeing, a man and a woman who are described as best friends, moving from Chicago to the Blue Mountains area, an hour west of Sydney. They want to open some energy healing business and they want a 2 bedroom home for $1400. Woman wants a gas stove. The first home they see, there's a big tree out in front and both of them go up to the trunk of the tree and commune with it, like put both hands and the front of their bodies up against the tree. The agent tells them lets go look at the house, you can do that later. They want to be near the town of Katoomba, which is where all the tourists come to see the Three Sisters and other expansive views. They do choose a cottage but no sign that their energy healing business has ever taken off.

That is the business, of this show. Every dinner, every party, every event is staged for the show. It’s not like they’re organically having a dinner party and the camera crew is invited along to film behind the curtain. The whole purpose of the dinner was to interrogate Craig and Shep about their relationships, which are key story lines of this season. Other scenes in the episode also touch on their relationship, Shep FaceTiming Sienna, Craig and Paige at the farm, posing for photo ops before they have this pointed exchange about their relationships”future.” These are all fictional relationships, concocted so that the show would have things for the cast to discuss. Want to know how staged things are? Austen and Madison go to a fancy bar to have a convo and order glasses of champagne. How classy right, how affluent they must be? Then they each order a different drink and mostly drink these second drinks, leaving the champagne untouched. Don’t matter, the drinks might as well be props and they’re not paying for them. Everyone presses Craig on when he’d get engaged and he finally says end of this year. He probably knows the breakup to this fake relationship will inevitably happen. As for Shep, he can’t be naive. He knew Sienna was on Raya, maybe even that she approached Whitney? Why wouldn’t he be suspicious of that? This show already had one young woman who got on the show by pursuing more than one cast member. Hell it was what got the show noticed in the first season. This is why he’s playing along and when he and Craig have their hearts broken on the show maybe they will come across as genuinely hurt. Then we’ll find out they’re over it quickly, supposedly dating other young women already, not long after their breakups air on the show.

Well it must be doing well enough that she's staying in NY instead of her trying to glom on to Sewing Down South. Or if she was really attracted to Craig, she'd recognize that a fashion line based off notoriety on a reality TV show is very tenuous business. Instead of counting on becoming wealthy from selling merchandise based on her reality TV fame, maybe build a real life with Craig. But it was probably a showmance at best.

Only time I've encountered problem flushing was in Greece. Turns out that after WWII, British engineers built up a lot of the infrastructure in that country, especially the islands. But they used a narrower gauge piping for the sewers so you can't flush papers down the toilet. The only other restriction I've faced in an industrialized country was in Amsterdam, where there were some homes below the water level and they asked you not to flush like wipes. It makes sense that in the jungles of South America, they don't have modernized infrastructure. Jordan said that if you see a toilet back up because you flushed papers down in, it's a traumatizing experience -- I forget the exact adjective he used but it was the same sense. The agent said that the only way an area gets good enough sewer infrastructure is if a rich American pays for it.

What does a fashion house mean these days? She gets a label under her name and they sell some dresses and outfits under this label at Target or Macys? Or is it a real fashion brand like Prada or Gucci, though on a small scale? Because a lot of reality TV stars get fashion brands, like a swimwear line, which are sold at mass-market stores, with the hope that the products become a runaway hit. I mean would young women spend hundreds to buy clothes bearing her fashion brand name because they saw her on some Bravo shows? Then again, I didn't think people would buy pillows and other stupid knick knacks based on Craig's appearance on this show, which isn't even that popular compared to other Bravo shows. If some fans buy out of curiosity or for the novelty factor, that might give him a sales surge during the airing of new episodes. But for people to keep buying for years now? How often do people need to buy pillows? Though I think I clicked a link from one of these threads and saw that they were selling things like hoodies and more common clothes, just with his branding. Then again what do I know, I've never bought any licensed merchandise connected to a TV show or movie, even the ones I actually like and respect.

It looked like Tzarina was surprised that she'd be getting a sous chef, considering that the BD chef job has always been a one-person operation and that she'd already handled a previous season by herself. Though I don't call how much help she got in her previous BDDU season, whether some deckie was always washing dishes, chopping veggies, etc. Again it looked like Bravo cast a guy who was ambitious about moving up and maybe promised him more out of the job than being more than an assistant. For Tzarina to plan out meals to meet the requirements of the guests, as well as feed the crew, she now also has to find tasks to give to this guy as well, maybe map out a division of labor? Or she operates as she did before and expected to operate, pretty much by herself with some help from other crew. You know that the intention of the producers was NOT to lighten the work load for her but to stir up drama, personality clashes of some kind.

I guess young women can't come on the show as new cast unless they're faux romantically linked with one of the male cast. Some of them have little or no ties to Charleston. But in the Bravoverse, that doesn't matter, just someone who may contribute to drama is the main prerequisite.

Jordan and Syrona are a young couple who met in Manchester and have been traveling together for 4 years. Jordan researched places where they could move to and found Perez Zeledon, a Costa Rican mountain village far removed from all he tourist hotspots. He found that CR offered digit nomad visas with zero taxes and chose Perez Zeledon for the low housing costs. He doesn't speak Spanish but Syrona does. They want to buy a 2 bedroom 1 bath home for $90k. They want an office space since they will both be working at home. Syrona wants modern amenities like flushable toilets and running hot water. She also wants to be walkable to shops and restaurants. Also room for 2 cats. Agent Faith believes their budget isn't enough. House 1 is a new construction in the mountains for $100k. Faith tells them more than once that it's new construction when they point out things it lacks from their wish lists, like being close to shops. It has flushable toilets. House 2 is $60k and it's like sheds with gaps in the roof line to the outside, so likely to leak and let in jungle insects. Toilets can't be flushed and the kitchen only has a camping stove, though some appliances. They immediately eliminate House 2. House 3 is $80k but still doesn't have flushable toilets. It's close to town but Syrona is concerned about the bars and the chicken wire -- prison chic. Jordan pushes for House 3, points out that he gave up his 6-figure tech job and finances are a big concern. Syrona points out that House 1 has AC and has flushable toilet. They agree that they will find ways to save money in other areas and go for House 3, which would also be more suitable for raising children. Three months later, they're happy with the choice, in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle.

TN to Liverpool - Ryan and Katherine Hewitt, a young couple with two young daughters, at least one of them a toddler. They are recently debt free so they decided to move. The husband grew up in England and fondly remembers spending time with his grandfather in a specific part of Liverpool. He's found a job and now, the wife who had worked in some kind of public service to discharge her college loan debt will stay at home for now. So they are feeling good about their finances, as they will buy a home rather than rent. Nostalgia is powerful but the wife who grew up in America must want to stop working, just take care of her daughters? They want 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and at least an office space. They want it in a specific neighborhood, for $400k. The agent Owen Jones -- Richard didn't come up from London -- appears to be a local. The husband and the agent talk about unique speech patterns in Liverpool and then as they go see each home, they relate it to a Beatles lyrics. Katherine wants move in ready but Ryan will reno to save money. House 1, "Let it be," is move in ready, $410k Katherine loves it but Ryan remarks on the price and the fact that it's close but not in Woolton Village, his preferred neighborhood. House 2 is also set up to move in ready but is even farther from Woolton Village. "Long and Winding Road." Katherine doesn't like it, doesn't feel English. House 3 is "All you need is love" because it's in need of heavy renovation. It's $340k and it's in Woolton Village. Katherine is worried about the renovation work needed. They eliminate House 2, it's not particularly English enough. While the wife likes House 1, Ryan promises to really make sure the renovation is done well and she agrees to House 3. Three months later, they say things are going well, though they've only talked to an architect, no actual renovation seems to have taken place.

She pronounced it gas-patch-io!

Now that I think about it, the suitcase with sex toys was planted by producers. We know at least some of the guests are fake, only going long distances to appear on the show. These guests are from Brisbane so maybe not as bad a trip as Americans having to fly to Eastern Africa — even going to West Africa is a long journey. So far with the only remarkable thing about these guests are the sex toys. BTW let’s be on the lookout for American guests who go all the way to the Seychelles … for a 1-night charter. I’m sure any of the guests who’d go so far would be available to do more than 1-night charters but the producers decide which ones will get 2 nights, probably.

The last episode of season 2 was in Sept 2023 so it's been 16-17 months. Somehow it feels it's been longer. Interesting that they moved to Africa. Jason was on WWHL and alluding to a melanoma scare so it's been a long time since the last season. I don't recall Tzarina being so upbeat, unless she really likes working with Jason and doing the show again. Her enthusiasm for working with Lara is not being met with the same on Lara's side. Looks like they sprung the sous chef on her but they also cast a guy who has ambitions of moving up, so you know there is going to be a clash. She was prepared to just power through all the work herself and now she has to manage a guy and give him some of the work so he'll be happy? It's suppose to be help but it may also be more work for her. And she has a point, she doesn't know how good he is so she has to be leery about sending out food to the guests because how good or bad that food is will reflect on her. Anyways, no doubt the producers raised this guy's expectations, as well as John, the Greek guy who thought he'd be lead deckhand. That way there will be friction and drama on board. Among the stews, one of them was modeling before doing this? So basically she wanted to be on TV enough that she will clean toilets and do laundry? And now put away sex toys. Plus right off the bat another fake meal theme, tasting dishes from around the world, which means more courses, which means more plates to run up and down the damn ship, also more chances for the plates to get mixed up because there are a couple of vegans. Yeah interior and the galley are stressed with the very first meal and it's completely by design. In fact the producers must have chosen this yacht because of the crazy layout. Then the thing with the breakfast. Tsarina believes she told Lara to tell the guests about the special but instead Lara takes special orders of eggs. Meanwhile she was stranded in the elevator because she was gassed from going up and down the stairs the night before.

Maybe they won’t, since Stiller is rich already but Erickson is a first time show creator/runner. They’re bringing Ted Lasso back and Sudekis had gotten rich from that show. But Apple will throw buckets of money to keep a hit show on.

They had long seasons for broadcast network TV and syndicated shows because they needed a certain amount of content to sell ad time for and also back in the day, there were far fewer production capacity. So 10 network shows turning out 22-26 episodes, in production probably 9 months at a time, was the norm and it employed a lot of people and that was the capacity of the industry. Now you have smaller production companies turning out 2 or 3 shows a year, with anything from 6-10 episodes for those shows. But they've cut way back on the number of staff needed. For instance, during the writers strike, it was revealed that the streaming companies who buy shows were eliminating writers room, meaning smaller writing staffs and those writers not being employed throughout the shoot of the show, so there weren't things like constant rewrites like there used to be. A big hit like Lost was out of the gate, there were all kinds of incentives to churn out tons of episodes because the network assumed that the audience would go along for the ride and they turned out to be right, though a lot of the viewers who stuck with that show were alienated in the end.

But the previous AS seasons were on Paramount Plus so they had like 10 episodes at most? That's less than half the number of episodes in a typical MTV Challenge season. So are they going to stretch this one out to 20 episodes or stay at 10? The award money is only $300k. I think all the previous AS seasons were $500k? So you'd think it would be a short, streamer-length season.

They better not go the Lost route. That would be burning a lot of good will. Lost show runners infamously got together with Disney and agreed on a multiple season series map. They were motivated by money, not telling the best story. They had to keep the show on the air a certain number of seasons or episodes. They produced 121 episodes over 6 seasons, to sell ad time, to get enough for syndication or DVD sales or whatever. So it was full of filler episodes and they threw out events and back stories, just to keep it going. They really could have resolved the mystery in 1/3 the number of episodes but let financial incentives guide them above all else. Even then, it was an unsatisfactory ending and of course they didn't tie up all the loose ends -- people were still left asking WTF is the smoke monster. Pretty cynical way to string loyal viewers along.

Interesting. The creative people sound like they would have the chops to do it well. But I think people who watched the original will be looking for the snappy dialog and humor. Whedon may have been a *** but he was unquestionably a creative force. I wonder if someone like Boreanaz, who seems to have been the most successful of the original cast, having gotten several shows, would do the reboot. The pilot would have been shot almost 30 years ago. So the cast was originally in their late teens at the youngest, would all be middle aged now. Are they going to pretend to be still young or now dealing with mid life crisis or something? Vampires don't age but vampires slayers do right? Well facially but they probably have supernatural athletic prowess.

Mark's main advantage would be physical contests like Hall Brawl, not anything involving running long distances or dealing with puzzles. But did that little squirt Derrick beat him in Pole Wrestle in one of the All-Star seasons?

I don't mean from a science or pseudoscience POV. After all this severance tech is just made up. I mean more like from storytelling POV, the show only being in the second season, it might be a better story for him to relapse into severed halves. Also they may want to keep the series going several seasons so if Mark the main character has to struggle with not knowing everything that he's experienced, that might keep the plot going longer.

Elon has interns from his startup companies going around examining systems at the Treasury, the GSA and other big agencies to try to hack them. I don't know if they even have clearances. There's social media posts about them, one is some 19 year old Canadian. Or maybe he's older but they're all in their early 20s at most. Now there's talk about Elon putting the Treasury on the block chain. That's a major change. How does that get done without congressional approval? If Democrats aren't going to court to contest these kinds of moves, that's huge political malpractice.