JMarie99

Bogogog I agree with you 100 percent. I couldn't have said it better.

Wow - Mackenzie is 23? Sorry - I thought he was younger. He comes off sort of sweet and innocent to me so the line about the dress kind of threw me. Someone upthread had mentioned the line and I was merely commenting on that. I wasn't offended by it, and yes I realize that dresses come off, but I just didn't care for the line. Mileage varies and all that.

I thought the judges' picks were okay, although I would have substituted Avalon for Olivia. I wish we could vote someone off instead of voting for our favorites because I really need to see Geneve gone. Her ridiculous costumes and that damn hat hurt my eyes, and I just don't think her voice is that great. Her lower range is absolutely atrocious and the rest of her singing is just mediocre. I feel that the judges put her through as a novelty act, and the fact that they put her through instead of Stephanie Negrete is a travesty in my opinion. I too get something of a Disney Princess vibe from Sonika, but I really love her voice. J-Lo sounds a little silly when she talks about "face goosies," but I have to admit I understand where she's coming from. There is such a purity of tone to Sonika's voice and it really affects me. If she gets over her nerves and learns to relax a little, she could go far. Mackenzie's original song is sweet, but I caught that reference to removing the girl's dress the first time around. It struck me funny that they cut to a shot of his mom the minute he finished that line. Must make a mother proud. LOL I really hope to see Geneve and Jenn gone tonight. I wouldn't mind seeing Stringbean gone too, but I know that's not going to happen.

I'm with Ari333. I have to say, though, that the overuse of runs is a lot less prevalent than it used to be, probably because musical styles have changed. There were some seasons where I swear the auditioners thought they had to throw in as many runs as possible to get voted through. I liked Sonika a lot, and I appreciated Keith mentioning that she didn't have to "stack her voice with a bunch of runs."

That man definitely saved that woman's life. Another hero to add to the heroines in this tragic story. This episode had me in tears. I really hope the evil monster gets a really stiff sentence for the rape, because I have a sickening feeling that his lawyers are going to manage to get him off on the murder charges.

That's right, Totale - thank you for correcting me! Chef Oh did the cornmeal - Home cook did milk and cornstarch. Neither sounded very appealing to me. Of course, I'm from Buffalo NY and we are very particular about our wings! I enjoy Adam Richman also. He has practically the same routine week after week but he manages to make it sound fresh. The way he says "Food Fighters, to your kitchens!" always makes me smile. I just like his personality. His conversations with the home cooks seem very sincere. The trash talk is stupid but it seems to be done all in good fun and the pro chefs are always very nice at the end. This is my first year watching the show and I would definitely watch it again.

I was not impressed with this home cook at all. Except for the pumpkin dessert, everything seemed to involve ginger, garlic, rice vinegar and some kind of spicy Asian chili sauce. Not very creative. Her baked cod looked terrible. And baked fish is really not very hard to do. And cornmeal on chicken wings? Please. For the first time ever while watching a cooking competition, I actually thought I could have done a better job than the contestant. And I am far from being a gourmet cook! She did seem like a nice person, however, and I'm glad she won some money.

Keriann, the pretty blonde chef, was a contestant on Top Chef this past season. As I recall she was eliminated about midway through the competition. I realize they are all pro chefs on that show but I had no idea she was so world-renowned. I don't watch a lot of actual cooking shows so the only "pros" I tend to recognize are former Top Chef contestants. I liked this home cook too. He was organized, down to earth, and seemed to enjoy the back and forth "trash talk" with the pros. I wish he would have won more money, but he was enjoyable to watch.

A couple of the contests were close though. I agree that her age put her at a definite disadvantage, but when the results are 3-2 those could have gone either way. That was very nice of Walmart to come up with a nice prize. I was hoping they would not send that poor girl away empty handed.

I totally agree with Alexa. I was thinking the exact same thing. Time management was definitely his biggest problem, and the dishes he chose to make were far from easy. It probably was due to lack of practice, since I believe he said he had just finished his final exams. I really felt bad for him. He seemed like a super-nice guy. I'm glad at least that he won the challenge at the end to double his money. Oh, and I love Fabio. That is all.

I love Katsuji! He was one of my favorites on Top Chef Boston. I would love to meet him in person and eat at his restaurant! I really wanted to like this woman. But she was a little over the top with her stressing that her baby girl was adopted - even besides the money issue. Saying things like "Even though she didn't come from me, I love her so much, she is my world" with tears in her voice. "Even though...??" I know several adoptive parents and they would never make that distinction. And I understand that adoption is expensive, and it's unfortunate that they had huge medical bills on top of that, but she should have just left it at that. Instead she made the mistake of saying that if she won the grand prize, she would want to adopt two more children. And then when she didn't win the top prize, I guess she couldn't very well say "Well, forget those other two kids then!" Add to that the "me on a plate" thing which is my least favorite food cliche ever. I couldn't help but feel bad that she didn't win the top prize, but she definitely got on my nerves.

I just became aware of this show this season, and I almost stopped watching after Episode 1 because of the "smack talk" and because I couldn't stand the first home cook/contestant. I'm glad I stuck with it, because I really liked the contestant on the second episode, and I loved Troy. I started tearing up when he received that gift from Rocco, and I was totally in tears when he won the scholarship. The pro chefs were all so nice to him. All in all it was a good episode so I'm glad I gave this show a chance. It's a nice break from Master Chef which is really getting on my nerves this season. Besides, it's nice to see former contestants from Top Chef turn up from time to time.

I got the gay vibe from Brian right off the bat. And the way they said his marriage just sort of disintegrated without offering any kind of an explanation pretty much confirmed it for me. I have a married friend who is going through a similar situation so at first I thought it was just me, because that family has been on my mind, but I see that others here got the same vibe. I thought Dr. Green pretty much implied it without coming right out and stating it when she said this family has been holding a lot of secrets. Maybe they just didn't want to make an issue of that and let people draw their own conclusions. Brian was one of the most sympathy-provoking hoarders I've seen in awhile. I can totally see how dealing with that situation and losing his marriage and family could contribute to his hoarding problem. His wife and daughter seemed very sweet and supportive. Even his overbearing mom seemed to have a good heart. I only hope the reason his son refused to participate is that he didn't want to appear on a reality show and that he is supportive as well.

I'm 50% shocked and 100% sad. Call me crazy but I'm addicted to this show. Good or bad, I planned to see it through to the bitter end. Just didn't think it would be this soon. And I can't stand that "other" singing show that apparently is so crazy popular. Guess I'll be going through major withdrawal after next season!

That Shelley episode really ticked me off, for the reasons mentioned, and also because the "solution" to her hoarding was for the family to move into a much bigger house, with "plenty of open space," but no mention was made of her actually getting rid of her stuff! I'm assuming that since the rooms we saw were so spacious, that there are several empty rooms that she can fill with up her crap, with room for her to keep buying even more. That's not a solution at all. And by the way, how did they afford this big beautiful house when she is spending all their money buying crap? Unbelievable. The bit about the "twin sister" definitely made the episode worth watching though. Priceless!

I agree with Proserpina65. I don't think this show is important enough for people to even bother with protest voting anymore. But please don't blame the grandmas for keeping The Infant around. I'm a grandma, and I voted my fingers off for Quentin!

I agree that having no homage to the ones being sent home really sux. Otherwise I don't mind the new selection process that much (light-up chairs and all), but now that sing-for-the-save is over, it seemed brutal that the two that were left were sent home without a proper goodbye. I especially would have liked to have heard Adanna sing again. Her being sent home while Daniel and Qaasim stayed is a travesty. I agree that having no homage to the ones being sent home really sux. Otherwise I don't mind the new selection process that much (light-up chairs and all), but now that sing-for-the-save is over, it seemed brutal that the two that were left were sent home without a proper goodbye. I especially would have liked to have heard Adanna sing again. Her being sent home while Daniel and Qaasim stayed is a travesty.

I loved that Phil Collins song when it first came out, but it definitely was one of the most overplayed songs of the 80's and I actually grew to hate it. Quentin's version made me love it again. I really look forward to his performances each week - not to mention his outfits. I see that he is a "retail associate" - I wonder what store he works for? Thank goodness Maddie is gone. Hope Grandpa Redbeard isn't too upset. He was really scowling after the judges' criticism of her performance last week. I may be in the minority but I don't think this group is that bad. With the exception of Daniel, who apparently is being voted through on the basis of cuteness alone, and Qaasim, who is a dynamic performer but NOT a good singer and should never have been given the save last week, I actually think they are all pretty good in their own way. I like that there is such a variety in their vocal styles. And here is a real minority opinion - I actually like the group performances. It occurred to me during last night's group performance - and after the Hasselhoff mess - that possibly Idol realizes that it just isn't all that cool anymore, so it has decided to embrace the corny and cheesy. Call me crazy, but I actually find it kind of endearing.

I can't believe I am saying this but I really liked Joey last night. For one thing, without the distraction of that hat, the thrift-shop clothes and ukulele, I was able to focus on her singing performance for once. She always looked like a clown to me, and last night she actually looked pretty. And her rendition of "Fancy" was very entertaining. I am glad she gave credit for the arrangement - I had never heard of Postmodern Jukebox, but I was watching with my son and he practically fell off the couch when she mentioned them. He's a big fan of theirs, and he played me a video of them doing a doo-wop version "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus that was amazing. So anyway, I feel like I finally get what Joey is trying to do. I'm also amazed that she was able to rattle through all the lyrics of "Fancy" without a hitch, and yet she couldn't seem to remember the simplest lyrics to a song in the early auditions. In any event, I finally understand what a lot of people on this board have seen in her all along. And like many others, I can't wait to see what she does next. So Qaasim decided to show us his singing ability. Now I can see why he focuses on the dancing. NOT good. Adanna was surprisingly good last night - I'm glad she got through. I'm very disappointed that Sarina-Joi did not. Tyanna was a shoo-in - she seems to have it all, talent and personality. NIck and Clark are good and definitely deserved to stay. Maddie is the only country singer so I'm sure that works in her favor. Jax and Daniel can leave at any time ... the sooner the better. Aww ... Quentin ... I was so afraid he was going to be sent home. I actually screamed out loud when he got through. He didn't overwhelm me as much as he usually does - I was hoping he would bring more drama to the song - but he's still my favorite. There's just something about him that's mesmerizing. And I'm glad the issue of his teeth is settled - it was mentioned a few threads back that his teeth looked like they had some kind of decoration on them, but Ryan mentioned last night that he had his braces taken off, so that's a relief - he wasn't defacing his teeth after all. And hopefully the nose ring is gone for good.

But the judges LOOOOOVE Jax and Daniel. They've been pimping them from the beginning. So I don't see how that would improve the results.

I really hope the people who like Quentin do start voting for him. I too was shocked that he was a wild card, although relieved that the judges chose him over Adam, since they seem to like that oversung classic rock stuff. Judging from this board, Quentin does seem to have a lot of fans, so I hope that translates into more votes for him so that he sticks around for awhile. I thought his arrangement of "Royals" was hauntingly beautiful, and I attribute his pitch problems to him being so emotional. I was crying right along with him at the end of his song. I don't know what the deal is with Daniel. He isn't even good enough for a middle school talent show, let alone high school. Hard to believe he's 15. The judges made a big mistake putting him through so early. It must be the little kids and tweens who are voting for him (I don't think many older teenagers watch this show anymore) now that it's been determined that VFTW is no more. His performance last night seemed particularly bad - "having fun-one" and squeaking through those falsettos. I really hope he's goes home soon. Qaasim should absolutely not have been allowed to do a performance like that. Running around the stage and doing that stupid beat-box thing while BACKUP SINGERS ARE SINGING THE ACTUAL SONG!! And the judges praise him for it! This is not X-Factor or America's Got Talent. The focus should still be on the singing. The top prize is a recording contract. If a contestant wants to dance like crazy and run around the stage as part of his performance, that's all to the good. But IN PLACE OF THE ACTUALL SINGING? Not so much! Geez - now I'M getting hyper!

The judges seemed to be more interested in putting through singers of different "types" than they were in putting through the most talented. That's why they had to eliminate either Rachel or Maddie the other night, and either Ricky or Riley last night (although at least they didn't put the boys through the charade of a "sing-off" like they did the girls, when it was obvious they had already made up their minds). In my opinion all four of those singers were more talented than some of the ones they put through, and I don't even care for country music. But apparently they were too similar to each other. On the other hand, Shi, Qaasim and Joey Cook each have their own "lane" as the judges put it, so they get to go through even if they are inconsistent (Shi), forget words (Joey), or are just plain annoying (Qaasim - IMO). It seems to me that they let go quite a few good singers in the interests of variety. I understand their thinking, but I just don't like it.

I too was wondering why Heatherlee was cut - maybe it was the backstage drama. Purple lipstick girl from her group definitely should have gone rather than her. The cuts seem so random this year. I was sorry to see Sal go. As someone mentioned upthread, his style may have gotten him through during the John Stevens era - not so much anymore I guess. I have done a complete turnaround on Joey Cook. Without that ridiculous hat and those stupid instruments, she looked downright cute last night, and because I was not distracted by her get-up I was able to focus on her singing, which I actually enjoyed! Her group did a good job on a difficult song. I thought Naomi, the tall woman with the short purplish hair, was fantastic.

Ari333, I gave my take on the Dakota thing a few posts up - not that it's the final word on the subject and I could be wrong, but from my experience it may be a matter of personal preference. Oh, and I totally agree with you about Radioactive. I used to love that song but the show is ruining it for me. That woman who sang it like a lounge singer? She had a good voice but it was completely wrong for that song. Enough already!

I actually like the group rounds because it's interesting to see what the kids come up with. When they are bad, it's kind of hilarious, but when they are good, like Dimples and a couple of the others last night, they are downright entertaining. I do hate to see them being put through so much pressure though, but I guess that is part of the business. Regarding the Dakota thing: When my son was younger he used to go to a local gay nightclub and became good friends with a couple of the drag queens who would perform there. One of them went by his female stage name both on and off the stage, and we would always refer to him as "she." The other friend adopted a female stage name but went by his male given name off the stage, and we always referred to him as "he." So I guess it is a matter of personal preference.