zibnchy

When Kevin had to choose 3 of the 5 chefs to cook (in LCK) against he first chose the two white men and finally the third man, Gregory. This tells me that he either 1) doesn't consider the women to be a threat to him or 2.) he figured he'd lose and wanted to lose to a man and not an icky girl. (Actually I think both are true.) I think he couldn't handle the idea of possibly being eliminated by a girl chef. Kevin lost me with the plantation food episode but I was also thrown by his "we always traveled first class because grandpa was an executive" blather.

Did Poh really refer to the day as a pohllercoaster? How long has she been waiting to use that one liner? I don't think Ben was in the gantry for the cook. He showed up later for the masterclass stuff but that could have been filmed at a different time. Somebody earlier said that Katy Perry was in Australia in early March just before restrictions were put into place. So it looks like there will be some new Ben info soon. I'm more interested to see what covid restrictions will be put into place and how the cooks and judges will manage them. I'm old and not interested in pop music so I don't really know who Katy Perry is BUT I thought she did a great job. I only know she's a Celebrity. She was obviously playing to the cameras but I felt like she was at least making an effort to act like a "normal" person and also to put the cooks at ease. I liked her. I still won't listen to her music. (I just learned *yesterday* that the theme song is a Katy Perry song. Considering that at least once per season I develop a nasty MCAU theme song earworm, I should hate her.) Simon's dish did not look or sound delicious. IMO. Poh's dish looked and sounded like something I'd like so I'm good with her immunity. Is Twists Week over or is Sunday's elimination still part of twist week?

I actually feel like I need to lie down and hug my cat after that. And stress eat. Jess is too awesome for words. Just pure sweetness. She must be protected. Is it possible she's actually *better* than the great dessert god Reynold? Laura got roughly 10 talking heads to everyone else's one. Is this the Laura show? Is Laura auditioning for her own show? I may have been worried that Poh was leaving if they hadn't so completely telegraphed Amina's departure. I'm not crazy about Poh but there are a lot of others who should go first. Melissa is so good at this. It is too bad Jock is such a dud. As is Andy but to a lesser extent (IMO). The only twist I want to see tomorrow is when, mid cook, they swap out Jock for Matt Moran for the rest of the season. And then bring back Amina because Ice Cream Ben is off to make ice cream in jail.

Is anyone else disgruntled about Twists Week? The episodes are more closely resembling Survivor or Big Brother challenges all of a sudden. I get that a good chef needs to be able to think on their feet. They need to be able to swap out ingredients or change a recipe last minute if something goes wrong. (OR a dreaded vegetarian shows up.) But when has it ever happened that, in the middle of prep during dinner rush, an entire kitchen staff is suddenly told that they now need to go work in the restaurant across the street? Immediately. What did we learn from this? Nothing. Was it fun? No. Was it dramatic? No. Was Jock annoying? Yes. Did Andy think the food was banging? Mostly. Also, did Reynold (I think it was Reynold) get paid extra to say something along the line of "No food ever goes to waste in this kitchen." Because we know that's not even remotely true.

What surprised me about that was I didn't feel that she was kidding at all. Then the others agreed. Those three, in the kitchen, were awesome together.

And Morgan Freeman is in Every Freaking Movie of the last 30 years. Playing the same character. He doesn't even play a character. He's just Morgan Freeman. The difference, for me, is Katy Sagal is interesting.

The closest word I can come up with to describe why I don't like Jock is he's dismissive. Recently he and Melissa were talking about an asian dish (I don't remember which one). He professed an opinion and Melissa, in a very measured response, disagreed with him and told him why. The camera caught Jock shrugging in response. It was very dismissive. I don't think it's just Melissa. He's like that with most of the cooks as well. I think he just really thinks he was hired to be the star and doesn't like it when someone disagrees with him. I hope they give him the boot after this season. Maybe they can send him home with Ben.

Matt Moran is an excellent suggestion. I like him. As an aside, I Wonder if we'll get any Bake Offs this year. Wouldn't they normally be filming those about now? Agree with you re: Melissa. She's a winner. I did not expect to like her so much. Nice surprise. Honestly, Poh would probably make a pretty good judge. Poh, Melissa and Andy?

I'm starting to really dislike Jock. FF thru almost every one of his interactions with the cooks. Barely listen to what he says while judging. Hope he gets eliminated next. Poh is winning me over! Multiple instances of finger licking tonight. I didn't even finish the episode because I'd been spoiled on the results but also the finger licking grossed me out. Think I'm in a bad mood today.

OK these are trivial but pet peeves often are. I pull up to a 4 way stop just before another car. I have the right of way. But the man (it is always a man) in the other car graciously waves me thru. Like it's his little kingdom. Pisses me off every time. Tailgaters. Especially on city streets. Go ahead. You will find out how slow I can drive (I'm probably their pet peeve). People in the checkout line who wait until every item has been rung up and bagged and then seem surprised to have to pay so they rummage around in their giant bags for their wallets. And then count out the exact change. And converse with the clerk. While my ice cream melts. People who let their dogs run off leash anywhere but in their own yards or at the dog park. People who cant be bothered with masks because they are somehow so much better than the rest of us suckers. You know what? I look stupid and can't breathe with the f'ing mask on either but I wear it because it's part of the social contract. Anyone who uses a leaf blower for any reason ever. Get a rake ffs! OK, clearly my pet peeves can just be shortened to People.

Whenever I see Emelia I'm surprised. I keep thinking she's a random staff person who snuck into a scene. Why does the show hate her? What is Jock's problem with Callum? I grant you Callum was perhaps confused about the brief but Jock was acting like a dick. Or maybe I'm just extra quarantine cranky today. Or maybe Jock's a dick. Sarah T is delightful. She literally jumped for joy. When is the last time you did that? Also her chicken looked and sounded delicious. Isn't a chip butty made with french fries (chips)? If made with potato chips wouldn't it be a crisp butty? Has Simon ever actually had one? Also how was that dish gantry worthy? He didn't make the bread. He made plain old potato chips and he fancied up some butter. I know Simon is super nice and everyone loves him but I don't like him. (JUst a personal opinion. I tend to mistrust/dislike people who are too nice all the time.) When is Ice Cream Ben leaving so we can get on with our lives? Laura made pasta. Crunchy pasta with something and something else. I was holding my breath expecting her to be sent directly to the gantry. I rag on Poh but tonight I loved her random bowl of random crunchy stuff. No drama just fun. I could be a fan of this Poh. Were Khanh and Dani really close or was Khanh just having a moment? So many questions.

Also in previous episodes we've gotten such great feedback as "this dish has heaps of flavor" and "this dish made my mouth sing." (The last time a dish made my "mouth sing" I spit it back out.) My unasked for opinion so far? Melissa is a keeper. I like her vibe. I enjoy her interactions with the cooks and she's smart enough. She'll learn the ropes. Jock is not impressing me BUT I know he has skills he's probably still got first season jitters. The issue with Laura is a real problem for him I think. Andy could honestly just not show up for work and I likely wouldn't notice. Noticed no sign of Ice Cream Ben in the gantry on Thursday. Speculation online is that this was the first episode filmed after his arrest. I want to know what he was arrested for because I am a very nosy person. Your AU privacy laws must be way better than ours (US) because here in the US it would be all over the gossip rags. We are very nosy. I'm very fond of Jess. In her first season she had to cook scallops and she had never cooked scallops before so she had a "great" idea to marinate them in mustard. In Mustard. The looks on the judges faces when they checked in at her bench were priceless and they quickly told her that would be a terrible idea in no uncertain terms. She was (and still is) so young and very talented and she bounced back from that mistake. She has (IMO) no chance to win so I'm thrilled to see her getting some good air time. I am simply refusing to believe that Laura made a dish which was essentially tofu straight out of the package and a leek (cooked on the hibachi of course) with some oil dribbled over. And that it seemed she almost won immunity for that. WTF? I know I rag on Poh but there was also no sign of her on the gantry on Thursday. Maybe she and Ben are on the lam together. 🙂

At this point I fully expect Jock and Laura to proclaim their everlasting love by the end of the season. Laura will cook a special pasta dish to mark the special occasion.

I'm calling bullshit on that pie of Poh's. I simply don't believe she was able to cook that pie thru in what? <35 minutes? That pie was giant. Did she blind bake her crust? We didn't see that I don't think. If not, I do not believe her pastry was baked thru in 35 minutes or less. I don't pretend to know what shenanigans were pulled off but I believe there were shenanigans. Also what about that pie was wow? It looked yummy but in the end it was just a meat pie. (Also her crazy anxiety laugh is kinda scary actually.) I'm over Laura and her pasta. That dish was not wow. OK actually most of the dishes were not really wow but I love Amina and Sarah T so WOW!

Masterchef Judges thru the years: We Love Big Bold Flavors! More Big Bold Flavors! Andy to Reynold: I'm concerned that your flavors might be too Big and too Bold. Shut Up Andy! Oh good, more Poh drama. I wonder if she'll finish on time?! If she had won with her two dumplings we'd know the fix is in. I like Melissa more and more as the season goes on. Wish I could say the same about Andy. My new favorites are Sarah T and Amina along with Tessa. Laura has fallen out of favor. I wonder what simple thing Poh will dramatically cook tomorrow.

Andy just shovels in giant bites and it's completely irrational how much this annoys me. It seems like Gordon really did prop up these three in the first week because left on their own they are flailing. But none of them are George so that's a huge plus.

I am not historically a germaphobe. Of course, Covid-19 changes things for everyone. In this pressure test episode I saw at least two, and possibly three, instances of judges or cooks tasting something by dipping a finger in and licking it. Pre-virus that would be icky. At this point it is a complete gross out. Sure, there wasn't any double dipping (that we could see) but we have no way to know where that finger had been. Had it been washed recently? I mean, washed with soap and water, not spit. Over the years I've overlooked the loose hair flipping and sweat dripping and face touching and questionable tasting strategies, probably because I don't have to actually eat the food. Now it just grosses me out and puts me off whatever dish is being cooked. What will the MCAU kitchen look like with Covid-19 restrictions in place? My understanding is they were still filming when restrictions were introduced and I will be very interested to see them implemented during mid-season. Gloves and masks at a minimum. Minimum distancing. Also the judges will have to stop eating off the same damn plate (that has always annoyed me). A few petty asides: 1.) I (hope I) will never be hungry enough to suck the brains out of a prawn head. I never want to see a prawn head on my plate. I will never declare prawn brains to be "Yum". 2.) I don't know anything about Andy and my impression is of a basically ok guy BUT there's something about the way he eats that annoys me soooooo much. Get off my TV Andy. 3.) Ice Cream Ben needs to go. They've done a pretty good job of editing him out but he was unavoidable today.

In the first episode Gordon told Poh she's the favorite. Everyone fawns over Poh. There's literally no way Poh was ever going home first and she knew it. She was putting on a show. She could have vomited in a pan, baked it, and frosted it with poop mousse and she still was not ever going home first. I'll give her credit though because she did put on a show. She baked a nice cake. She could have just thrown some carrots on a plate, called it Carrots 3 ways, and been done with it. Also I refuse to believe that Simon's plate of cabbage was as mind blowingly delicious as the judges seemingly wanted us to believe it was. Laura is my new favorite (I hope I didn't just jinx her) and her cacio e pepe looked so delicious. Now that was a risky dish and she aced it. I never watched her season but may have to go back after this is over.

I don't know very much about Poh but she gives me the impression of someone who practices her facial expressions in the mirror. "Here's my shocked but amused face." "Here's my humble Oh Shucks face." However, sometimes her "I'm going to kill you" face comes out. Anyway I don't trust her. I was surprised that Gordon told her (in ep 1) that he'd heard that she is the favorite. Really? I call her Sarah Carrots 3 Ways. She seems to have grown as a cook. I'd probably like her more if she'd stop with the damn hair bows. (I get that production probably encourages her to wear them.) I feel like the new judges are trying waaaaay too hard but I can't actually blame them for that. I don't know their names but I like Scottish guy the best of the three. Black Beard needs to dial it down a few notches (and be less bland) and The Woman Judge just seems blah to me. All in all, thru 3 episodes, we've already seen some great cooking so I'm hoping for an exciting season.

I just watched the new episode and a couple of things stood out. 1. Rick Kirkham tells a horrifying story about a horse. Really just skip it. I mean, Joe was an horrific animal abuser throughout but the horse story is just evil. 2. Comments made by Josh (the campaign manager) indicate he's gotten NO counseling help after witnessing the shooting. I don't know why no one has helped him. Maybe Netflix could facilitate something? 3. Saff! 3. Everyone comes off pretty well with the exception of Jeff and Lauren. I am not kidding at all when I say I fear for their baby. 4. No Carole. I'd have loved to see some Carole.

I can only assume the writers all hate their jobs (and paychecks and viewers) and want this show to die because, after killing Lucy, they decided to bring back the rapist, make him even more unlikable (a herculean task), and then waste half the episode on "funny" hijinks involving said rapist. Then we don't even get to see Rio kill him. (I'm not convinced he's dead. If this show survives, and I don't see how it can, they'll probably plan some more hijinks for the rapist and the girls.) On a positive note: there was very little Dean. I'm only watching now because I find it fascinating in a trainwreck kind of way. Also I'm quarantine bored.

I was so confused. Is there no one in production who could have said "Um wait. This makes no sense." Can you imagine Tom's face if Jamie had started the bidding at 16 hours and 123 ingredients? Of course none of that would have made the final cut. Nothing to make Tom look bad will make the final cut.

I had no idea Kathleen Rose Perkins was originally cast to play Beth. Now I hate this show even more. I would have loved to see what KRP could have done with the role. She's underrated and she was very funny in Episodes. I think she'd have possibly brought a more down to earth warmth than CH is capable of. And she'd have brought the funny. I guess they thought they needed a "name".

That's it?! That's the story they wanted to tell us? What exactly was amazing about that? That was boring but I thought there would be a payoff. Don't bother with this one unless you like boring stories.

Beth was going to have Max shoot Rio in a crowded bar? Max? While she was sitting there? There's asking your audience to suspend disbelief and then there's treating your audience like drooling idiots. Also, even if I suspend disbelief infinitely, there's NO WAY I believe Max doesn't either 1) go immediately to the police and spill everything OR 2) immediately spill everything to the next human being he sees who asks him about Lucy or even just says "hi". We're asked to believe that in the end all he wanted was the bird? So last week Stan was a paragon of virtue and now he's planning heists? Farewell Stan's character. Who even cares about Dean any more?! Or ever. IMO at least 75% of ANY home is just people's crap. Why would Rio want that stuff? Why would the guys leave the place spotless? Those floors looked like they'd been washed. So much stupid. Why am I watching? Because I'm bored and also, frankly, because I'm enjoying watching this show kill itself with its own stupid.