Wootini

Actually, I seem to recall a previous season where they had to design sportswear for Heidi's sportswear line, and she basically gave them piles of fabrics from her factory stock so the creations would fit in with her existing line. So I'm not surprised to see similarities between what the designers made and what's already on her site. (And yeah, I also liked Jake's scalloping better than what she's actually selling, though the larger strap looks better than the two separate thin straps he had up on the runway.)

See, I feel like this season has been too focused on presenting strategy, and we never really got to know any of the hamsters. Like when they did a home visit for… I think it might have been Steve, and they showed some of his footage where he was personally interacting with the other houseguests as his family talked about him and his awkwardness, I finally felt like, "OK, that's who this guy is." And that was WEEKS into the season. Also, I wouldn't mind strategy talks if they actually amounted to anything. More often than not, they show us an entire episode of "Who should I nominate? I should nominate those people." and then in the end, they nominate someone completely different, so the whole episode was a waste of time. Speaking of wastes of time… WHAT THE HELL WAS UP WITH THAT EVICTION? Honestly, as soon as they brought Vanessa in second and she also voted to evict Julia, I realized it was going to be a unanimous vote to get rid of THE WRONG TWIN. As I tweeted immediately after it happened, did they get confused and accidentally vote out the wrong twin? Because why wouldn't you split up two alliances with one Liz? Oh, sure, let's get rid of the twin who can't win competitions and isn't very good at the game, and keep the one who is, and who is seriously aligned with another player (Austin). That makes TOTAL SENSE. And then during her good-bye interview with Julie, Julia made it sound like she and Liz had decided between themselves that Liz should be the one to stay and everyone agreed to that. WHY WOULD YOU AGREE TO THAT? THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS! Seriously, this show has gone downhill in the past few years ever since it became commonplace for people to be informed that they will be going up on the block and making sure they're okay with that before it happens as well as the entire house agreeing to vote together to evict someone in a unanimous or nearly-unanimous vote. IT'S SO BORING! You're supposed to surprise people with nominations! You're supposed to evict the people who could hurt your game! You don't just listen to the HoH and vote how they tell you… or God forbid, listen to THE NOMINEES and evict the one who asks you to! I think they should just set fire to the house now and declare this entire season a wash. Nobody wins.

As a gay man, I had no frame of reference for this entire episode. And since I'm not trying to work in the fashion industry, I feel like it's perfectly fine for me to know absolutely nothing about lingerie. ;) But that said, when Merlene's came down the runway, I thought it was awful, as bad as Blake's. I'm glad to see that others here agreed with me. That model didn't even have big boobs, but it still made her look saggy and unsupported. I thought it was just really unflattering on her. It does look a little bit better on Heidi's website, given that it's been produced properly in a factory and not hand-stitched by one woman who often seems to make garments that appear kind of unfinished, but man, I feel like if you have any boobs at all, that's not going to be any fun to wear. I don't know what was up with all the people who did those super-high cuts on the panties like it was 1983 or something. It just looks tacky. And I also don't understand the point of making a boy short pantie in the front, but then it's a thong in the back. Why would you want extra coverage in the front but dental floss up your crack? Is that normal? I was actually surprised that Blake went home, even though his lingerie was TERRIBAD. Jake's was pretty, but kind of unflattering on the model (who is so beautiful, but never looks happy to be there) and it was boring, which the judges always hate. Blake had done some things the judges absolutely loved, so I thought that would work in his favor. (Even though I've only liked one thing that he's done, I think… the rest were awful and I didn't know what the judges were thinking.) So I guess now we're not going to have any more of those totally unrehearsed moments where Blake makes a big deal about knowing nothing about something so everyone can roll their eyes at him and he can get more camera time. (Tho I absolutely LOVED when Zac and Heidi shut him down on the runway for not even making the effort before now. Surprised Nina didn't jump in -- I remember a season where she kept taking one designer to task for always designing things a woman couldn't wear a bra with) My personal favorite was Ashley's. Swapnil's was good, but I actually thought it was a bit overworked. And there was no way it could win since Heidi's sweatshop couldn't realistically mass produce that. Although judging from Ashley's tears in the preview for next week, she'll be having another off week. She does seem to alternate, doesn't she? One week she's on her game and makes something great, and the next week she designs a sack. What's up with that? Oh, and quickly about that "sleepover?" What was that? I thought it was a way to give the designers more time, and those who wanted to could stay up as late as they wanted. I was looking forward to seeing who was that dedicated that they would give up all their sleep just to make their garment better. But they all went to bed at the same time around 3 am. And then Tim woke them up and clearly sent them back to the hotel to shower and get dressed before they came back to the workroom to get ready for the runway. So yeah, I didn't see the point of that except to annoy the designers and give Princess Blake more camera time for shenanigans. :P

Oh, I've tweeted snarky things about the show with the hashtag #ANTM. Tyra wants us to use @ANTM, but I'm not going to do that because then you're tweeting directly to them. And I don't think they want to read what I've got to say! :D

On a somewhat related note, remember when this show would make a big deal about giving the hamsters treats and alcohol? It was never enough to get really drunk, though, which is why that one… Krista, maybe?… guzzled mouthwash. :-/

I do admire the way Vanessa has been playing the hell out of this game, but I also have to wonder if she'd be having such an easy time of it if it didn't seem like everyone else in the house was sharing one brain cell between them. ;)

I don't know what was more delicious. The Ben & Jerry's ice cream I was eating during this episode or watching the Austwins implode. After bathing in the tears of Liz having been put up on the block, watching them snipe at each other and succumb to Vanessa's hypnotic powers was AMAZEBALLS. It's kind of hilarious how throughout the season we see these moments where people go "Vanessa is totally manipulating all of us! She's super dangerous!" But then nobody ever does anything about it. At this point, if she can make it to the final two, she'll probably have an easy time winning. Even if you don't like her (and i don't), you have to admit she's played the game. Overplayed it, really, but still, more than most of these idiots could manage. Plus, I would love to see her final two "Vote for me" speech. It would be five minutes of nonsense rambling doubling back on herself working herself up into an emotional breakdown where she CAN'T QUITE squeak out any actual tears. It would be awesome. But watching Austwins implode was glorious. As I've said before, it's always nice when the people who strut around the house acting like people should just hand them the grand prize finally get put on the block and they have a complete breakdown. "DON'T THEY KNOW I DESERVE TO WIN THIS? HOW COULD THEY PUT ME UP?!" Wonderful. Unfortunately, after Liz sniped at him, Austin somehow managed to get back in her good books and we were forced to watch them make up. Ick. And yeah, Austin? When Jesse thinks you're ridiculous, maybe it's time to rethink this Judas bullshit. Seriously. JESSE.

Yeah, the models always seem to watch their competitors' shoots. Either to see if they're doing well or so they can make fun of them for doing badly. I mean, if they're not busy in hair/makeup/wardrobe, that is. But yeah, there's usually a crowd. I gather that Nyle was handed the competition win because he showed a ton of personality during the shoot? Because in the final photo they showed, his face was still pretty but dead. And I honestly didn't think he had the best final photo, either. It just felt like the show was pushing him up to the top for a change after complaining about his lack of presence on camera. But as noted above, it's a bit early in the season for that. Now there's time for him to do well for a few episodes and then backslide so Tyra can boot him for losing his personality. You know, like the way she would boot the plus-size… sorry, FIERCELY REAL model for not having a bubbly personality. Because bigger girls are required to be bubbly or something. As much as I think Hadassah is a stuck up bitch most of the time, I have to say I feel her on the whole bathroom issue. I, too, have a thing about someone peeing when I'm in the shower. My husband gets so frustrated, but there's nothing I can do about it! Sorry! I knew as soon as Ava had that interview session in the first five minutes of the episode that she'd be the one booted. It was too much background. The editors on this show are not subtle. Also, the hair and makeup and wardrobe on this show are not good. Seriously, what the hell was with that photo shoot? I got all excited that they were finally doing a shoot with a concept and creative hair and makeup, but all they did was pour talcum powder in their hair and whiten their faces. Oh, and the ugly blue contacts so everyone could look as artificial as Bello. Although I will say that somehow, Justin got even prettier with his features all smoothed out under the white powder… :) On the plus side, Ava can finally grow out her hair (although maybe snipping off the party in the back so it's a pixie cut would be a good start). Seriously, Tyra, it's kind of shitty of you to complain that Ava looks awful when you're the one who gave her that hideous haircut. I don't even think Lacey could pull it off!

I also remember when production wouldn't step in nearly as quickly. You used to get a good beat down before security would rush in to separate them. Now it seems like the guards are literally standing just off camera. As soon as someone makes a move, they're on them to pull the girls apart. :( But yeah, Jela seems to have at least a few redeeming qualities to offset her stuck-upishness. The Twins aren't so lucky. They're the very definition of waste of oxygen.

Oh my God, every time the twins say "Know your place," I want to stab those stuck up bitches in the eye! Aaargh! It just cracks me up that Jela and the Twins complain about "fake bitches" all the time, when they're clearly the fakest in the house. They took one look at Jenna's picture and immediately judged her as being not on their level. (If she's from Albany, I don't know what the tire was all about, though) The other girls are much more real because they were willing to wait and see who she actually is and not judge a Bad Girl by her photo. (Seriously though, between the tire and her facial expression, it's like the show was TRYING to make her look bad from the start) And Jenna had every right to complain about the club they went to. I mean, it didn't look that bad to me, but apparently they all agreed it was kind of dead, so when Jenna asks if that's the type of place they normally go to, why wouldn't you just say "Ugh, no. That place was lame. We'll never go there again!" No, of course you would turn it into a shouting match in the limo and start a fight. And while Jela was trying to make peace, she lost any points she might have earned when she turned it around and blasted Jenna for throwing water on her. Um, no, actually, it was one of your twins who pushed you from behind and got the water accidentally splashed on you. Not really Jenna's fault. Props for Jenna for kicking that door in, though. The whole locking someone out of the house is so juvenile. When she was standing at the kitchen door with that big window, I was like, "This is where I just throw a lawn chair through the window and walk in." Although I don't know how production feels about that kind of property destruction. I guess Kat was okay breaking a window, but that might be a bit much. Kicking it in worked a treat, though! I do have to call editing shenanigans though. We saw Jela pouring the Patron down the sink, but later she made nice by giving it back to her in a water bottle. So… um… where did it come from? I feel like Jela probably poured it into a water bottle and then filled the Patron bottle up in the sink, but that wasn't good enough, so production asked her to pour out that water and act like she was pouring out the Patron. Something like that. But if she didn't actually pour out the Patron and kept it to give back, that seems weird. And not very Bad-Girl-y. But clearly when that production guy sat everyone down and said "Cut that shit out. We can't deal with any more fighting today you psycho bitches," Jela got nervous. Because if you're not going to throw someone out because they threw the first punch, you're going to have to throw someone out because they're the problem. And Jela is very clearly the problem. it's funny because they were all getting along so well in the beginning and when they went on the not-at-all-production-scheduled visit to the animal shelter/farm, so I was wondering what was going to turn them against each other to lead to the massive property destruction we got a tease of in the first episode. But yeah, Jela and The Twins are not going to change. And I feel like they deserve whatever they get!

You're right. It was Hailee. But my opinion about Nigel ruining everything with his weird judging comments still stands! And Gaby was much more fluid than Jaja in that jazz piece with the skirts. That, combined with the weak routine with Cyrus, I hope will knock Jaja down a few pegs with voters so maybe she won't be such an easy win...

Yeah, I get that. But what I meant was that the show was angling it to make it seem like Steve was actually thinking of targeting Austin when they should really be getting rid of Liz.

Since Jim has gone, I don't really have any investment in who wins this season. I ended up voting for Gaby just because I feel like she's the least egregious of the remaining dancers. I don't think Jaja is strong enough, Hailee leaves me a little cold, and Virgil is always "on" which has started to grate. Gaby seems the most versatile and is the best of the remaining four. (Even though I still think Virgil or Jaja will end up being more popular) I thought Travis' routine was actually quite lovely (even if Gaby out-danced Jaja, who was really very stiff in it) and I appreciated that he specifically said it was about romantic love between two women. So OF COURSE, Nigel had to go and spoil it when he went off on that random rant about how it's sad that they couldn't do a romantic routine like that with two boys. No, Nigel, we can't do that on this show, because YOU'RE the one always spouting off about how the boys should dance like MEN and not like girls and getting all weirded out any time there's a routine with two boys that isn't a rough-and-tumble hip hop number without a hint of romantic chemistry. (Surprised he didn't have a homo freak out when Joshua wheelbarrowed Virgil during their routine!) I also liked Phillip's "lyrical hip-hop" even though it felt a little contemporary/jazz to me, because visually it was something different from anything else we've been seeing. It all starts to feel the same by the season's end with all the contemporary and jazz and hip-hop. For the same reason, I loved seeing Zack again doing that tap number with Gaby because it was something we haven't seen this season. Mix it up, show! And yeah, producing sequels to popular routines is never really a great idea. Especially when the original routine is regarded so highly. I did enjoy Virgil and Joshua's routine because it was very high energy and they really did a great job with it, but it was no "Run The World." And the less said about that weak Cyrus/Jaja routine the better.

Ugh. That would be awful. Although I can totally see him TRYING to sexually assault Ronnie, but I can just as easily see Ronnie snipping it off if he came at her! :D For me, that would be the best way to go. I'd hate for him to force himself on Roxie or Ronnie. But if he tried something with Ronnie, she could fight back and then he could go to jail properly.

Watching LIz's eyes fill up with tears as she realized that the other hamsters weren't just going to hand her the prize money was delicious, but then when she ran out of the room and hid in bed under the covers was icing on the cake. Every season there's always that housguest who seems to act like they're entitled to the prize and everyone should just help them win it because they're so wonderful or something. And when they finally come crashing down to Earth, it's always a great moment. I do get the whole "Put up Austin and Liz so Julia can't win Veto and take one of them off" idea, but I'm hoping that if Liz is still on the block come Thursday, they send her packing. That's the one that makes the most sense. You're breaking up the showmance and the strongest alliance in the house at the same time if you get rid of her. It should also upset Julia so much that she won't be able to concentrate in the subsequent HoH comp. (I hope) Austin, I don't think would be as bothered… ;)

Neurochick, agreed. That's why the earlier seasons were so much more interesting. They would have conflicts and people went home only when they really went over the line. But then once the girls realized that would happen, it became like a competitive reality show where they would try to drive someone to throw the first punch and get booted from the house. It got really, really bad a few seasons ago when it seemed like someone would go home every week. I forget which season, but a couple girls just decided to drive everyone out of the house one by one. It got really old really fast. And it makes the reunion SUPER crowded! (and you're like, who is that bitch? Because they were only on for an episode)

As soon as they realized that Liz and Julia were switching places, they should have IMMEDIATELY targeted Liz for eviction. Even if they weren't sure that a twist would bring both twins into the game eventually, it's the kind of situation that should make a BB hamster super-paranoid. But they didn't. And then Liz got another ally in the game. At which point, the other houseguests should have realized they'd made a terrible mistake and immediately targeted one of the twins to break up what is clearly the strongest alliance in the house. But they didn't. They all deserve whatever they get. (Which will be having to choose between Liz and Julia in the final two and possibly voting for the wrong twin by accident… seriously, I can't tell them apart!)

Well, that was unfortunate. There was a tiny glimmer of hope when John went to Steve with the idea of booting Julia and breaking up the Austwins, but as soon as Vanessa bullied Steve into thinking it was a bad idea, I knew it would be a mostly-unanimous vote to evict Meg. Thank God James was there to defend his girl and keep it from being YET ANOTHER boring unanimous vote. And then Liz wins HoH and Julia gets Veto? Bye Bye James. It's really not your fault, though. You gave it a good try. Steve and Johnny Mac cemented his fate, though, by not taking advantage of the opportunity to break up the strongest alliance in the house. Yes, Vanessa is a power player, and yes, Austwins has the numbers, especially with Vanessa on their side. But for fuck's sake, people. THEY ARE TWIN SISTERS. You couldn't ask for a stronger alliance. Break that shit up!!!! I'm not going to give up on the show. There's just a few weeks left. I can stick it out. Also, my husband is obsessed with this show so it's hard to avoid even if I wanted to. So I'm trying to look forward to watching Austwins implode on themselves. That's about it at this point. There's no one to actually root for anymore, since I expect Johnny and Steve to be the next ones out. (Unless they win HoH, which is unlikely. Vanessa should throw it so she doesn't have to pick a side, but I expect Austin or Julia to win to continue the downward spiral of this season.) I just hope that when the jury is sitting there looking at the twins as the final two, everyone in the jury is proud of themselves for stupidly helping them get there. (And they also have trouble telling them apart and accidentally vote for the wrong one!)

I felt for Ashley when she was picked last, even though she'd won two challenges. Especially after Heidi totally rubbed it in by pointing it out to everyone who didn't pick her. But during the paintball challenge where Blake just hid his little self away so he wouldn't get hurt, Ashley revealed she was an animal with a paintball gun! She just stood there firing non-stop and it was awesome! I was hoping she'd turn some of that aggression on in the workroom, but she just completely fell apart. For future reference, the correct response for being picked last for the team is to design the ever loving shit out of something. Especially when it became clear that the girls weren't going to become a cohesive team and were all just going to end up doing their own thing. At that point, you abandon the team concept and save yourself by creating the fiercest garment on the runway. Unfortunately, Ashley did NOT do that. But that seems to be a theme with her. Some weeks she's inspired and makes a great outfit, and other weeks, she just gives up. I was fine with Laurie spreading the gossip that she had the impression that the other girls were going to throw Ashley under the bus. She wasn't really passing along gossip she'd heard, just the impression she had. And she turned out to be right. That runway was a total shitshow. Poor Ashley. If only her outfit had been better, she could've had more confidence standing up for herself. To be fair, though, I honestly thought Kelly's was the fugliest thing up there. That top was hideous. And even though I really don't like balloon hems or bubble skirts or whatever you call it, I still thought Swapnil had the best dress. But he's apparently always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Sigh. And I had to grudgingly give Blake a little credit for standing up for Ashley in the lounge during judging. And his dress was actually kind of pretty. DAMMIT!

I feel like that's pretty much how Nyle is experiencing the house, which is probably the best way! :D

I would love to see a Lacey/Nyle finale, but I don't think Nyle is long for this competition. He's pretty, but SO FLAT in his pictures. But I love him, and he's one of the only sane ones, so I want him around. (Of course, since he doesn't bring the drama, he won't last long.) I just need Mikey and Devin to start taking shitty pictures that reflect their shitty personalities. Because I need them gone. I know Tyra wants behind the scenes drama, but they're just awful, terrible people. It's funny because while I still don't like Bello very much, he suddenly became almost rootable when Devin and Mikey became so completely awful. Lacey's hair actually does totally work with her face, and could be one of Tyra's most successful makeovers ever. Go figure. She's quite stunning. And seems to know how to take a good photo, so I'm pulling for her to take the crown in the end. I say crown, such as it is. I figure if this show keeps chugging along, eventually that'll be the prize pack. "You've won a product-placement camera phone to take your own photos, a tiara from Party City and bus fare home! Congratulations!" Seriously, this show is so far past its prime, it's sad. A whole challenge based around posing for a camera phone? And if that guy was really a professional photographer, I felt bad for him having to use that. It must have been painful. Plus, the lack of budget is causing all kinds of seams to show. Hey models! (used loosely) It's time for your photo shoot! Just come out to the back yard because we can't afford to rent studio space twice in one week, and pose with some cardboard boxes painted by some interns while Tyra's boyfriend takes your pictures again! Remember when they actually had a variety of fashion photographers? And interesting photo shoot set-ups? Ah, the good old days. To be fair, at least Tyra's bf's photos all seemed to be in focus this week!

I agree with the two above who felt that Vanessa blowing up at James was 100% strategy. When she flipped out at him and started yelling, I got annoyed, but when you think about it, it is kind of her MO. I mean, didn't she flip out on Jace that first week or something to ensure everyone turned against him and he was unanimously evicted? But yeah, she's blasted various people in order to "justify" her subsequent actions. Here, targeting Meg fully. HOWEVER… I would like to think that putting up Julia is her way of casually getting rid of one person in that triumvirate. Because I would be extremely disappointed if James couldn't convince Steve and John to vote out Julia over Meg. You have the opportunity to knock out a person in the last super-strong alliance in the house (and I'm talking about Julia/Liz, not the Austwins), so you TAKE IT. And this way, Vanessa can act all shocked and squeeze out some crocodile tears as she whines about how the house flipped on her and Julia was supposed to be 100% safe and how did this happen oh my God this is terrible boo hoo. This would keep her hands clean. Well, clean-ish. Unfortunately, the way this season has been going, it's like last year. Super-predictable with just a few moments of "Wow! That was a surprise!" The house will vote with Vanessa's wishes, and Meg will go home on Thursday night. Although I would LOVE to be proved wrong. PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG, HAMSTERS!

Dean hasn't shown up in our PBS shows here in NY. We're a few episodes behind, but we just had Christmas and Sharon found out she's pregnant. (Alfie returning in his jalopy for Kat in the snow made me cry - I'm not proud!) But Roxy has proven in the past that she has terrible taste in men. I mean, just from when I've been watching (there's a gap of time in between the PBS episodes I've been watching since the start and the current BBC eps, which is when Roxy and Ronnie show up) it doesn't seem strange to me that Roxy would throw herself at a guy who some are claiming to be a rapist as long as he was hot and good in bed. Amy must be so proud.

Yeah, that's what always cracks me up about this show. You have to pick a side and stay with it, you can't talk to anyone else in the house or else it's THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL. And then you'll be labeled a traitor. Or even worse, A FAKE BITCH. These bitches are so concerned with who's fake and who's real. Just once, I would like someone to call another one a fake bitch and that one to whip off a Mission Impossible mask and reveal that they really are fake because they're actually an alien monster. And then the alien monster kills the other one. :D

Wow. That was one of the most pathetic good-byes ever on this show. I mean, I thought it was lame in previous seasons when a girl would get there and practically go home the first day because she realized that she was not cut out for that. But to have Jela put your stuff in the yard and you just give in and leave? That makes her feel like the winner. (When I feel like Tina would've left on her own eventually) Don't let Jela ever feel like she's got one up on you. She'll never let that go. So congrats, Tina! You're the most pathetic Bad Girl of the season! (So far) It was interesting to see Kat finally show why she's in the house. Lauren had been asking, and now she's seen first-hand the insane temper that makes Kat a Bad Girl. Clearly she's got a jealous streak a mile wide, and I feel bad for any girl who tries to date her. But punching in the kitchen window? (Which already had tape on it? Why?) Yikes. And then that completely insane outburst at the end when Lauren told her they wanted to get her out? (why would you say that?) Double Yikes. She cut her hand again. Girl's got ISSUES. A whole subscription, really. I enjoyed watching Jela fall out with the twins, but unfortunately it was resolved pretty quickly. i expected some trouble in paradise since they can't ALL be the prettiest. :D Oh, but along those lines: Without their caked-on makeup and eyeliner, those twins are beasts! Their skin is awful! Terrifying!