KFC

Of the law student gang, I find the Connor fits in the most with the overall tone of the show. It's flashy, moves at a rapid pace, not a lot of substance but is fun if you don't expect realism or depth. He's pretty, devious, has lots of gif-y quips and is in control of his own destiny. At this point, I don't mind that he's a bit cartoonish, because that's sort of emblematic of the show in general. His bitchy one-liners (and Asher's frat bro-ing out) are the closest thing we'll get to levity. Although in general, I wish they'd add more humor/sarcasm, especially to Annalise's character to lighten the dourness.

Yeah, I thought that was an utterly strange strategy if he wanted her to win... Considering how all the judges, Adam included, had been so critical of contestants picking Adele songs and also the fact that Amber made it perfectly clear she was a country singer and that was the type of music that most resonated with her. She did perform the song well, although it certainly did seem like he was stacking the odds against her at the time. I'm all for stretching the contestants, but I think a good coach will recognize when a singer knows their strengths and will help showcase that to the wider viewing audience that they have access to during The Voice. I seem to recall reading an interview with Amber after the show where she intimated that it was hard having to sing all those pop songs when, post-show, she's still trying to launch a country career but few people got to see her perform that kind of music during the show. On topic, I'll be curious to see what he does with Beth. He seems much more invested in her than he ever did Amber, so I wonder how close he'll hew to the kind of music she wants to sing.

Oddly enough, I didn't really mind that Korina asked to leave. Clearly the girl was teetering on the edge, so I'm glad we were spared an entire episode of her melting down. I've never understood why the producers think this makes for entertaining television on PR. This show has the benefit of (potentially) beautiful and ghastly garments to bring the drama; I'd rather it not take the form of watching Korina implode or someone like Angela crumble under the pressure. If the contestants are too emotional and can't handle the puppeteering twists of the competition, I'd much rather see them leave. So yeah, maybe she could've handled it better, but under the circumstances (aka... she totally wasn't), I'd rather she just leave and spare us a prolonged bitchfest.

What point do you think Char was making? Hell, even if Char did pick Korina's to prove something to the judges, there was nothing under-handed or even spiteful about the move. She was well within her rights and the rules of the challenge to pick that garment. No one told them that the actual contestants would be trotted out to assist them (my guess if they had known, she probably wouldn't have picked Korina), so I don't really understand why Char should be taken to task for adhering to the rules or for picking something outside her wheelhouse, fabric-wise. From what we were shown, she didn't say anything rude about Korina or even Korina's garment. I think that's a huge reach to make Char's choice into some calculated move beyond strategizing to win the challenge... And shouldn't they all be doing that? And I say this as someone who thinks Char should have been eliminated either with Emily or in place of her. But I just don't see anything off-putting or unduly calculated about her selection of Korina's auf'd garment.

And S2 had the 13th look challenge right before the final designers were about to show at fashion week. I agree, this show has always had some level of drama and manipulations. While it has certainly increased in recent seasons, to me the real difference is that they used to give the designers more time, so it increased the likelihood that something amazing could walk the runway. Now, it just feels like they're all swimming against the tide. I'm kinda surprised they didn't use the "reinvent a bad look" tiebreaker that they have done in various incarnations on both regular PR and, to even greater success, on PR: AS. I actually really loved when they had Uli and Joshua take the critiques and revise their couture pieces in the 60 minute challenge. Both looks improved drastically. You still had the drama of another challenge, but the looks were actually GOOD in that case. As opposed to passable-given-the-time-constraints.

I have serious taste issues with the students of Alexander's alma mater.

Yes, Korina was a terror, but mostly I'm surprised at how she played right into the producers' hands. Good grief people, you've probably watched multiple seasons of this show. You know it's all about producer fuckery and last-minute rule changes. No one goes onto a reality competition for fair. It kinda shocked me that she didn't have the wherewithal to look past her seething rage at Char for ONE hour and make a dress that didn't suck. I do kinda agree that Char is probably the weakest one there, but shouldn't that have given Korina even more incentive to make something in those 60 minutes that could have easily sent Char packing? I agree with a previous poster who said the only time they might respect Korina is in the next episode when, it appears, she just says fuck PR and bolts. Gosh, the definition of insanity is sticking around expecting the PR producers to play fair, so finally, at long last, the unhappy witch finally takes off on her broomstick and high-tails it outta there. Blessed be!

Her pitches have been hit-or-miss for me, but I loved the candor of her reaction to an artist picking Adam over the rest of the chairs. "Really? ... WHY?" TRUTH.

I'll be curious to see how much Pharrell invests in any of his contestants post-show. To this point, I quite enjoy him as a personality in the judges chair, plus I like the idea that his role as a producer means he could also be using this show to scout for potential artists to nurture and promote. I'd like to think he has more of a stake in finding someone he could help turn into a successful recording artist, more so than the other judges who are for all and intents and purposes known first as a singer not a producer (with the exception of maybe Ceelo). I bring this up also because I wonder if the show has tried to recruit Calvin Harris. 1.) Like Pharrell, he's been a recording artist with some face recognition, but his credentials are more as a songwriter/hitmaker and would have a vested interest (theoretically) in finding undiscovered recording artists with whom he could collaborate with. 2.) Plus, I'm guessing a show like The Voice would be more enticing to him than say a Katy Perry or a Pink, because he'd probably benefit more from that general audience exposure than they would. 3.) With a lot of general Adam discontent (I'm certainly on that boat), you'd have a feasible replacement for producers: A tall, photogenic white dude who could charm the ladies with his accent. (I would've said Ed Sheerhan falls into the same singer/producer 1-2 punch as well, but he's already been on the show, and I don't think he'd have quite the same prettyboy appeal that Adam seems to enjoy and that I think Calvin Harris could.)

"Consulting Producer" is a higher title than "Supervising Producer."

If anything, the market is actually more ripe now for The Voice to find a talented, potential star than it was when it first premiered. X Factor US is canceled, Idol is slowly but surely dying in the ratings, and ABC's two attempts at singing shows have failed to take off. I know this show has always been more about the judges' banter than launching a new singing star, but I do think some of the judge fatigue (ie Blake and Adam) would be offset if the show could do more to launch the careers of some of these contestants. I'm actually kind of surprised this show hasn't made more of a concerted effort to give the winners better coronation material. I think of when Phil Phillips was given the Mumford and Sons-sounding "Home" on American Idol (as opposed to the usual generic A/C ballads they tend to saddle the winners with), and I'd venture to guess a song like that or something with pop radio appeal would inject some fresh excitement into the show itself. Having Ryan Tedder produce the winner's single last season seemed like a step in the right direction, but then Tessanne got a schlocky (IMO) inspirational slow song that is so not what you hear on the radio these days. Would it really cost the show THAT much more to create more individualized, radio-ready singles for say the top two or three contestants? It's not nearly the investment of a full album but you could still generate the buzz off a hit single. Personally, I don't think the show is all THAT much different or worse than when it first aired. Although I do agree it's becoming increasingly hard to get excited about the contestants, be that due to a shrinking talent pool or a shift in what the judges are looking for. In any event, I do wish the producers would realize your contestants can and should be just as much of an investment as the banter and star power of the judges are, just for very different reasons. I think they're starting to rely too heavily on the appeal of the judges to the point that the contestants are becoming an afterthought. Ideally, there'd be a happy union of both: wacky celeb musician hijinks (or whatever you want to call it) AND the Cinderella stories of undiscovered talent getting their big break.

Yeah, I attended a taping last season and definitely agree with this. The sound you hear in the studio just doesn't always translate on film. Whichever episode it was that Christina Grimmie did the Drake song, and I was surprised at how good everyone sounded live vs. when I watched it back later that night. You could sort of tell who was going to be on the bottom, but that had less to do with lack of vocal prowess and more to do with some singers were less in command of the stage than others. Even Blake, whose music is not really my cup of tea, was taping a performance that they aired in another episode, and he sounded amazing live. His voice was so powerful and resonant. So I guess I'm not entirely shocked that the judges are turning around for people that we at home might be scratching our heads over. I'm sure quite a few of these singers are more impressive when you're watching them in person.

Drunk Kate Walsh was ever the treasure. Gold, really.

Thirded. Pharrell's calm, measured cool would contrast well with Christina's blunt, unintentional/intentional shade-throwing. While the girl couldn't sniff a hit if it were tied to an anchovy bratwurst and dangling from her nose, there's been no other judge as skilled at demonstrating the vocal mechanics of what they're saying in their critiques. (With the exception perhaps of Usher.) All throughout this evening's set of auditions, I was wishing she had been on the judges chairs. While everyone was cooing over the various so-so vocal performances, what I wouldn't have given for a little Christina "THIS is how you shoulda sung it" grandstanding. Especially with Pharrell schooling Adam and keeping him in check, it'd be nice to have some of Xtina's unabashed honesty counterbalancing the other judges.

Oh I definitely understand that. At risk of generalizing, though, I think the point that people were making about the burger shock is that most trainers DO eat less than healthy food. They've logged enough hours of exercise and proper portion control/nutrient consumption that they allow themselves to indulge in small doses on a regular basis. And they know that one bad meal is not going to push them off the wagon. They just are smart about moderating the amounts and frequency with which they consume things like a burger or a pecan pie. I understand that for someone who's in the initial phases of a big weight loss program (like these contestants), they might have to be more mindful about splurges that could spiral out of control. I just think the trainer's reaction was unnecessary and feeds into this all-or-nothing mentality that isn't realistic for most people trying to maintain a healthy weight. It just sort of spoke to this illusion of "good" foods vs. "bad" foods, which I personally don't think is a great way to help the contestants make educated choices down the line. Especially when some of the contestants were salivating over the food, I just thought, "Dolvett, eat the damn burger and don't make a production out of it."

I'm guessing the producers put out some sort of pre-taping casting call for women wanting to be on a design reality show, had them sign a waiver and them told them to hang out in the park and that they'd be approached by the designers. Which of course would naturally attract aspiring actresses, dancers, etc. Just logistically speaking, I can't imagine production wanting to hedge its bets and roll footage all day on the off chance that each designer would land a muse. So they probably had to stack the deck with plants just for time's sake. You'd have to figure that if this took place in "real" time, even after someone might say yes to a designer, they'd possibly back out after hearing about non-disclosure agreements, the taping schedule, etc. It reminds me of a "clothes off your back" park challenge on an episode of All Stars. A few of the designers just "happened" to stumble upon male models who quickly disrobed to their undies. I know it's model-filled New York and all, but I didn't buy for a second that the encounters were spontaneous.

MuShu- Yeah, that was my biggest issue with the game, too. I don't like the idea of demonizing certain foods that these people clearly love to eat. I'd rather they discuss more of how to moderate and balance the fattening foods with healthier ones so that they don't feel like they have to deprive themselves of the pizza/pie/burgers/etc and don't have to feel like these neutered versions of their favorite recipes are their only option to losing weight. Plus it's also rather misleading to say a slice of pecan pie is 900 calories (or whatever nebulous figure they came up with). A skilled chef could create a recipe at a similar size but a fraction of the calories and fat without it being a "healthy" version. Nuts are a high-calorie food and all, but I found some of the game's nutritional values to be a bit puzzling. Is there a tablespoon of sugar in that or two cups? It was just strange to me... calorie and macro content is so dependent on, you know, the specific ingredients and amounts they put into this dishes, the final figures could vary wildly. But I'm not a regular viewer of BL, so maybe this episode I saw was a departure from how they normally approach food.

Agreed. Although I did think that the judges tried to be more cognizant of that this time when offering their critique and with their little pre-judging "it's not you, it's them" disclaimer. The constant "but your hair and make-up look great!" compliments felt a wee bit forced, but I'm still glad they did that.

I'm on Team Shenanigans about the trainers' burger outrage. Most trainers advocate/participate in a cheat meal (some even a cheat day) once a week. And quite a few trainers espouse a "if it fits your calories/macros" approach to dieting, so I don't buy that it was such a task for them to eat a burger and a soda, not even a large one like that.

Just popping in to say, upon a few glances at the C6 cast of Austria's Next Top Model, it's like night and day compared to ANTM. There are guys who actually *gasp* look like models!

Anyone else just bracing for the Shannon fall from grace next season?

Chloe Grace Moretz was fun last night, mostly because she was loving every minute of being there. Billy Bush... he tried. I guess?

Adrienne really miscalculated that one, didn't she? While Brandi obviously should NOT have repeated the info, I venture to guess that most people wouldn't bat an eyelash had Adrienne just come clean and not forced Bravo to edit out any direct reference to the surrogacy. By leaving the viewers to fill in all the blanks, she also gave Brandi plenty of wiggle room to color people's perceptions of what was going on behind the scenes. At risk of blaming Adrienne, she really should have just sucked it up and not tried to so hard to conceal things. It's a reality show! (Or "reality" show, if you prefer.) She could have easily won that battle against Brandi. Much like Luann and pirategate on RHONY, don't conceal just reveal. For all of Brandi's faults, in this case she was clearly savvier than Adrienne at playing the HW game. I genuinely wonder if Lisa has that kind of sway over the producers. And if she does, I could see that being the case re: Joyce. She clearly never actually liked Joyce in the way that I actually think she and Brandi were friends. I think she only tolerated Joyce because everyone else had turned on her. And if Lisa did have the power to influence casting decisions, I'm more surprised she didn't keep Carlton around. Useless as Carlton was, I think Lisa actually did seem to like her toward the end.

Are they big fans of "The Other Sister"?

He was probably the locations manager or a locations scout. :-)