[S02.E03: Applegate River Lodge]

Most surprising thing to me in this episode was that people were willing to pay a $15 music cover charge to hear what sounded like a bunch of stoned locals jamming and not a real band. I would assume that it's the same crowd (also locals) every night. There's either nothing else to do at night within 50 miles or everyone is really, really stoned. Probably both.

This is the second of three shows this year in which one of the hotel owners played music at the hotel. Never a good sign. Duke called himself a "Music Director." Is that really a job in a hotel of that size, where probably Duke and his friends are the only act?

[S09.E13: Quarterfinals: Week 2 Results]

Some people react to reality show elimination as if they will be hauled off and executed

 

 

I often think that's just people playing the reality show game, with encouragement from the producers no doubt. But another argument for not having little kids on reality shows is that they have no context for their emotions. To them it probably does feel like life and death. Especially when on top of their own emotions, they feel they're carrying the weight of the hopes and dreams of their family. (Sensitive kids can take that on even at a very young age).

 

It's like when you hear a teenager or pre-teen on these shows say it's something they've dreamed about for their "whole life." It sounds like a joke but then you realize that it's their reality.

 

Even though the consensus on this site seems to be that Mara Justine needs to go asap, I suspect (fear) that across much of America people are drinking the judges' Kool Aid, and they see this as an inspiring underdog story. And the longer those go on, the more momentum they build. Especially when there's a lack of truly awesome acts, which I think is the situation this year. So people feel that they may as well vote for the sentimental choice. There could lots more lip quavering to come.

 

And did the adopted singer (can't remember his name) really say that about now only singing for America?? (did not see that part). Wow, it's amazing how fast this show can turn what seemed like a nice, humble young man into a spoiled, entitled, D-bag. It's really the fault of the judges and their ridiculous overpraise and pimping of marginally talented people. Some of the contestants are able to stay humble, but some of them buy into the BS and it can warp them.

[S09.E13: Quarterfinals: Week 2 Results]

As a musician and someone who's worked with talented singers and respects the art and craft of singing, I've hated Mara Justine since she first opened her mouth at her audition and let out that horrible caterwauling shriek that the judges are trying to convince America is great singing. It is not great. Or singing.  On top of that the song choices have been ridiculously inappropriate for a 12 year old. When I say I've hated MJ, it's not about her personally. It's everything her act represents. And yes, the mother does creep me out.

 

When Howard was lecturing Juan Carlos about taking the space of some more deserving act, I was thinking about how many better singers there must've been than MJ who we probably never even heard perform. Because they have the misfortune to not be 12.  Please, please, please set an age limit, because all the cutesy kid acts are ruining this show. Everything they do, whether it's singing, dancing, playing piano, magic etc, is judged on a huge curve based on their age. There is no way they should be competing against adults.

 

About the only act from this week I would even care about seeing again is Mat the magician. Note to those two losers from last week who botched their trick and still made it through - that's how it's supposed to be done. And he seems like a genuinely nice guy, and not smarmy like Collins Key.

 

For me Aerial Animation is okay, but I feel like I've seen everything she has to offer. The judges are acting like it's the most original thing ever, but haven't other acts in the past done a similar thing, of interacting with projected animations?. Even using the same effect of falling into water and then swimming. And her imagination seems to fall completely within the world of Hallmark cards and unicorns and rainbows. Kenichi Ebina did a couple of "uplifting" pieces, but he also had a dark side that he was not afraid to explore. The range of his vision and the element of unpredictability was part of what made him so fascinating. I get none of that from Aerial Animation.

[S10.E10: Promos and Pilots]

Sarah bored me, and when she wasn't boring she annoyed me.  She started off thinking of herself as "pageant girl" and was naive enough to think people would be impressed by that.  She's one of those cooking show contestants who says 'don't underestimate me because of my looks'  and i say " stop over-estimating your looks" 

 

Great line Backformore, and true of many reality show contestants. Like Natasha last year on Master Chef, who constantly talked about her looks. Which made me think, okay, it's sexist, but since you raised the topic, there are several other female contestants I think are hotter than you are.

[S10.E10: Promos and Pilots]

Was that the season where the contestant was nicknamed "The Fiery Latina"? She was not very successful with the Mexican cuisine and her personality didn't seem to live up to the nickname. No matter how hard hard she tried to convince them otherwise she couldn't. They were rigid on that nickname and POV

 

No, that was a different contestant, I believe the following season, but same basic principle, and it was really embarrassing. Suzie Fogelson told the woman she needed to be fiery when that was not her personality at all. Because you know, all Latinas are fiery, just like all black people are good dancers, and all Indians can write computer programs in their sleep.

 

In the case I was thinking of, the woman (I believe her name was Susie) had trained at a prestigious culinary school in France and started the season with simplifying classic French cooking as her "culinary POV." And Suzie and Bob were dumbstruck. "But your family is Mexican? And you are cooking French food. We don't understand."  They really played with the woman's head, and she eventually changed her concept to Mexican cooking and ended up telling tear jerking stories about her old abuelo who had come to the US and picked fruit in the fields. I felt sorry for her.

 

They have pulled this "ethnicity is destiny" BS in varying degrees on a number of contestants. I don't think there's ever been a classically trained African-American chef who they insisted cook soul food, because probably they would at least be smart enough not to go there. But Latino certainly need to cook Latino food. And as someone pointed out, women who are mothers always need to talk about cooking for their kids and their families. It's kind of like in the world of Food Network the last 40 years haven't happened.

 

One big joke to me is that Bobby Flay, an FN superstar and past judge, built his culinary career on southwestern cuisine, when he's from an Irish-American background and grew up in New York City. He certainly didn't learn about chipotle peppers from his grandmother from the Auld Sod.

[S10.E10: Promos and Pilots]

"Just say that your love for Jersey 'Coastal Cuisine' inspired you to investigate dishes from other coastal regions, and although you haven't (yet) had the opportunity to travel to those places in person, you taught yourself through trial and error and lots of practice to properly prepare those dishes, and that's where your expertise comes from. After all, it's not like everybody on FN has personally visited every single place a dish they've prepared comes from." I mean, sheesh, "selling it" really isn't (or shouldn't be) that difficult.

 

In my neighborhood (in Seattle) there's a seafood restaurant that features dishes of a different coastal cuisine every month. Brittany, Morocco, Greek Islands, Peru, Spain, Brazil etc. And I'd bet my bank account that they don't hire a new chef every month who comes from that particular region. The idea that you can only cook a dish in the style of a country you have visited is ridiculous. Yes, you do learn by eating food prepared by chefs who are trained in a specific kind of cuisine, but you can do that by eating at the enormous variety of restaurants in New York City or any other major culinary center. It's about educating yourself to flavors and ingredients and applying a set of professional techniques, not how many frequent flyer miles you have.

 

(But then, a couple of seasons back Bob and Susie insisted that a Mexican-American woman cook Mexican food, even though she had lived in and received formal culinary training in France. You really can't win with these people.)

 

It does occur to me that TPTB are trying to sabotage Nicole, because wouldn't Robert Irvine as the director have told her not to be sucking on a bottle of beer in so many of the shots? In large parts of this country I don't think that's going to sit well. Even Aunt Sandy was a more demure drinker.

[S10.E10: Promos and Pilots]

Behind Sara's down homeTexas gal act I always sensed an air of entitlement. Like she grew up hearing she was just the most adorable little thing and she still believes it. So it was great seeing her face crumble when she was eliminated. I bet she thought she had it in the bag.

 

I know she's not the only one who does it, but I hate when women say "I'm a Mom." No, you're a mother. "Mom" is what your kids call you. Would we not understand how special you are if you just said "I'm a mother." Like a grown-up.

 

I'm on the "anybody but Lenny" train. I have not seen those offensive videos, but he's always creeped me out. (And yes, I did get a weird vibe from his reaction to meeting Robert Irvine. I thought he was going to start fanning himself). I can not imagine ever tuning into a show of his, because that "pilot" was about 5 minutes and I was already worn out by his corny shtick (including the gun shot sound effects when he threw the salt a la Emeril) and the endless self-promotion. I think he's deluded enough to believe he could be another Guy Fieri, with multiple FN shows, his own food line etc. On his show the cooking would always be secondary to promoting the Cowboy Lenny brand. 

 

Fart jokes? "Cook you up some vittles." Really???

 

It also wasn't even clear from the pilot would the format of the show would be. Would he be cooking in a different restaurant every episode? And on the BFN (Bobby Flay Network) do we really need someone else showing us how to cook a steak? (Which is also why I think they finally dumped Sarah. She mentioned "Tex Mex" in her promo, but all she ever showed was that she could grill meat).

 

I would be okay with either Luca or Nicole. I'm not a big seafood person, but it's something a little different, I thought she easily did the best of the three at actually showing how to cook something. And if women like looking at Luca, I will be a shallow male and say that I like looking at Nicole

 

If Lenny does win, next season there will probably be some jerk in a pirate suit going "argh matey, my name is Pirate Pete and I'm here to show you how to cook like a real buccaneer."

[S09.E11: Quarter Finals Week 1: Results]

I can't believe even Howard didn't call the magicians out on that trick. Pathetic.

 

His only critical comment was that the set-up was too long, which to be fair, wasn't really their fault, because the judges were making their jokes about the other judges' books. (Although David and Leeman should've known that was going to happen, especially with Howard getting Heidi's picture book). But the Howard of old would've reamed them for how poorly planned and executed that trick was. "Pick a compound word." Really?? I have never seen a magic trick of this type (as someone posted, basically "pick a card") in which such leading instructions were given, which totally destroys the critical illusion that the magician isn't manipulating the results.

 

I suspect that the live audience had zoned out and wasn't paying much attention, as they do when there are 50 salsa dancers on the stage.  Or maybe it's just that they are obediently following instructions to wildly cheer every act. But what's the point of having judges if they don't actually judge? When every one of the four launced into their "OMG, that was amazing, how did you do it" spiel, my jaw hit the floor.

[S02.E02: Monticello Hotel]

Even though Overstock.com is clearly "donating" the bedding and linens in exchange for an on-air promo, the fact that the recipient is a millionaire and not the typical struggling owner on the verge of bankruptcy made it seem ludicrous. There's a huge difference between an owner not upgrading their property because they don't have the funds and an owner who has the money (several times over) but just doesn't give a shit. I wish they'd "donated" the linens to some local homeless shelter or other charity instead.

 

I have never seen an owner on any reality TV show so undeserving of help. The only thing they could do to make him seem somewhat sympathetic was  portray him as an alcoholic. But based on what they showed, the fact that he's a selfish, arrogant, asshole who's exploiting his staff is completely independent of his drinking problem. My sense was that the employees had to be coaxed show concern for him as a person. Maybe the carrot that the producers dangled was that if he got help with his drinking it might make the hotel successful and they would keep their jobs. Which turned out to be untrue.

 

Sadly, I can understand those people wanting to hold on to those minimum wage jobs, because sometimes even a bad situation feels preferable to dealing with the unknown. But they all seemed like reasonably capable people, so I hope that being forced out into the job market led to them finding decent situations.

[S09.E10: Quarter Finals Week 1: Performances]

Why would she?  

 

I know the Opry is standard knowledge in the South, but Mel's only real cultural tie to the US is L.A. (and even there she's only an occasional resident).

 

American popular music of all kinds, including country, is huge around the world, including in England. So an institution as famous as The Grand Ole Opry should be common knowledge among any Brit who is a pop musician. I'm an American, but I know about The Royal Albert Hall, and that The Beatles came from Liverpool. I am sure that Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, and Adele, to name a few Brits who spring to mind, know all about The Grand Ole Opry.

[S09.E11: Quarter Finals Week 1: Results]

I disqualify myself from being able to impartially judge Miguel Dakota, because living in Seattle I am constantly surrounded by obnoxious hipsters and I hate hate hate that hat he wears. Why would you wear that unless you're prematurely losing your hair? It is such a dumb look.

 

Dan the comedian is like a cross between Jon Lovitz and Ray Romano. I don't find anything original about him. Or particularly funny. I think it's hard to do comedy in such a tight time frame, but a really good comedian should be able to do more than just be likeable, which is the main thing he has going for him.

 

Baila Conmigo going through was a given, after the response they got in Radio City and the judges' continued enthusiasm. But as others have pointed out, there should be more to salsa dancing than just high energy. And although these kids are more a part of the act than the kids in the Willis Clan, I still believe they are primarily there because the cuteness factor gets vote. I'd like to see what the grown-up dancers can do, without more or less hiding (literally) behind the kids.

 

Still wondering why the judges were so forgiving of Leeman and David after all the issues they had with their trick. Having to prompt Howie not just once, but twice, to give them the pre-selected word, completely destroyed the illusion. They judges have been much harder on other magicians in the past. It just makes it so obvious which acts they want to go through.

[S09.E10: Quarter Finals Week 1: Performances]

Julia Goodwin is by far the best of the young singers. There is a big difference between 16 and 11. But I thought she did herself in with the song choice. The dress made her look more grown up but if he was going for "mature vocal artist" that song was a snoozer. Her peppy jazz style was much more fun. I'm okay with the judges being critical of her, but I expect that they are going to gush all over that horrible screaming 11 year old girl who makes my ears bleed. The favoritism of the judges for the chosen ones is one of the worst things about this show.

 

I hope we've seen the end of the Willis Clan. I don't even think they're good enough for Branson. The lead singer has a thin voice that goes off pitch, and most of the others are just taking up space. Could Heidi have sounded dumber when, after Howie said their sound didn't fill the stage, she suggested that they turn the mikes up higher? And did Mel B, who is supposed to be a singer, really not know what the Grand Ole Opry is? I hate to sound sexist, but this show has really become the male judges being the ones whose opinions matter and the women there for eye candy and comic relief.

 

Can't believe they praised the magic act after that debacle over Howie not providing the pre-chosen "magic" word.

 

The tap dancing guys always look clumsy to me, and tap is supposed to be about grace and style. And I'm no teenaged girl, but I don't they're half as cute as they think they are. The dancing girls in the background were just a distraction, as were the flashing lights. Terrible staging.

 

The strong man has no act. I can't imagine anyone paying money to watch him hurt himself. How did he ever get this far?

 

I'm rooting for the Bulgarian  circus couple because they seem like really nice people. And because they came all the way from Bulgaria and wound up living in Texas. In a trailer.

 

[S10.E09: Rachael Ray Show]

It was clearly the time for L'Oreal to go. Don't know how she made it this far. She's the "Butcher Babe" but at that meat counter she still couldn't find anything to say that would establish her "food authority." (Although in the last couple of seasons the judges seem to have dropped that a criteria for having your own show.) She keeps blaming her nerves, but if you are an expert on a subject you should feel comfortable talking about it in any situation. Either she's a fake or a moron or stoned all the time. Those seem to be the three alternatives.

 

Speaking of morons, does TFN really have that low an opinion of their viewers, because seem to love the fact that Sarah acts like a 13 year old girl. I can't decide whether her giggly, gushy personality is real or an act, but either way, it makes me grind my molars. Don't want to offend any Texans, but maybe the culture she comes from reinforces the idea that there's nothing more adorable than a grown woman being all little-girl cutesy. On top of that, similar to L'Oreal, I've never gotten a sense of any food expertise beyond that of a competent home cook. If she got her own show, what exactly would she do? Grill meat?  On the network that has Bobby Flay on six times a day?

 

Had any other contestant starting talking about the melon without first tasting it the judges would've gone ballistic. And her shoving the melon into her face (or her face into the melon) was just gross, but the judges acted like it was all kinds of adorable. The favoritism is nauseating.

 

Not surprised that the kids liked Lenny, because as I said in earlier post, he reminds me of the cowboy character on a kids cartoon show. In general I hate when kids are judges on a cooking show. because It means that the food has to be really dumbed down. I would have played it safe and not used sirracha, but to offer a contrary opinion, I have a lot of friends with little kids who eat sushi and spicy Thai food and all sorts of non mainstream things.Not every kid in America is raised on fast food and meat and potatoes. But for the challenge they picked what seemed to be very mainstream middle America families. I'm sure that if Nicole had drizzled chocolate syrup on her wraps the kids would've loved it.

[S09.E09: Boot Camp (2)]

The Willis Family performance provided more proof to my theory that the real Howard Stern has been kidnapped and they're trying to pass off an imposter. The Real Howard would never gush that The Willis Family is "the cutest act ever" because of those little kids. He'd blast the blatant manipulation and call anyone who fell for it an idiot.

 

Between The Willis Family, the Children's Choirs, the little kids in Baila Conmigo, the child pianist, and Mara Justine this season is drowning in cuteness. And I can't recall any act that's smart and sophisticated like Kenichi to offset some of the goo.

 

Like others, I'm in disbelief at some of the acts they put through. Obviously Juan Carlos, but also that strongman who ran into a block of ice. I don't think that inflicting injury on yourself is a talent. Mara Justine gives me the creeps, and if you've ever heard a true child piano prodigy you know that their little genius isn't one. The tap dancing teenage boys are also nothing special. They're frequently out of step with each other and the music.

 

Another annoying thing about this season is that in the auditions the judges put though all these acts who so obviously just had one joke or one shtick, and then they complained about that exact thing during the boot camps shows. Did they really think that the pig had some brilliant trick up his snout?

 

Of all the singers the only two who interest me are Emily West and Jonah Smith, both seasoned performers with the ability to actually arrange and interpret songs instead of doing karaoke. On You Tube there are several videos of Emily West from her Nashville country days, complete with country singer hair and cowboy boots. In the videos she sounds like every other country singer, but I think the material she's doing now shows a lot of personality. So it seems that she reinvented her appearance to go along with a reinvention of herself as a singer.

 

The sadist in me enjoyed hearing Joe Matarese whine about having to go home and tell his wife and kids he didn't make it. His sense of entitlement was really annoying, like every other reality show contestant who thinks they're special because they're trying to "win it for my kids." (Or father, grandmother etc). Next time try to be funny.  He should consider himself lucky that he has a wife who apparently earns a good living so that at 47 he can continue to be a stay-at-home dad and failed comedian.

[S09.E08: Boot Camp (1)]

The whole kid singer segment was excruciating. I wish they would just set an 18 year old age minimum, but this show has gotten a lot of mileage over the years out of the over-the-top emotions of kids either celebrating or getting their dreams crushed. Or maybe I should say their parents' dreams, because it's obvious all these kids have been pushed into performing from a very young age,

 

Of all the kid singers, easily the worst is Marta Justine. I can't understand why the fix is in for her. She is Exhibit A in how American Idol has ruined a generation of singers (especially girls) by making them think that shouting is singing. To me there is absolutely nothing appealing about an 11 year girl imitating a diva two or thee times her age, and singing lyrics that are completely age inappropriate. She creeps me out, as does her stage mother. And I'm afraid we're going to be stuck with them deep into the season.

 

How can you compare an 11 year old singing robot with someone like Emily West, who is a real musician?  I loved the original of that Roy Orbison song, but I also loved her version. That is what a real singer does, take a song and give it her own personal interpretation. Something that the kids singers are years away from having the knowledge and maturity to pull off.

 

I didn't think the comic talking about his kids was all that funny the first time, but OMG, what was he thinking tonight? Was talking about wiping his kid' ass (complete with bending over) supposed to be cute and adorable?  Worst "comedy" performance I've ever seen on this show.

 

The other comic is too just too much of an Emo Phillips clone for my taste. Zero points for originality. The only surprise was that he actually does have a girlfriend. And an attractive one. I bet her parents really don't like. Security guard? Really? "But honey, you can do so much better."

[S09.E08: Boot Camp (1)]

Can not believe that the two male salsa dancers (John and Andrew) made it through.  I have travelled in the Caribbean and South America, and they are on the level of any number of couples you will see dancing in clubs in Columbia or the Dominican Republic on any Saturday night. Taken out of context, on AGT, it may look good, but if  you have seen high-level salsa dancing it is nothing special at all.

On the other hand, this is about producing an entertaining TV show, not a real competition, and the producers may've just liked the gimmick of a male dancing couple in which one is gay and one is straight.

[S10.E08: One-of-a-Kind Experience]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that Sarah can not only grill a steak, she can also cook corn on the cob by throwing it into boiling water.. The judges were actually besides themselves over this bit of culinary wizardry. One of them actually said something like "you made every kernel pop with flavor." Maybe she should just skip the rest of Food Network Star and go on Next Iron Chef.

 

I understand that this show is an end in itself, because it gets high ratings, but I also think there should be such a thing as the producers respecting the audience by presenting contestants who genuinely would have something to offer if given a show. I believe that was the case during the first few seasons, and has been less and less so every year. I mean, I think Kelsey Nixon only came in something like 6th in her season, and she's head and shoulders over anyone they have this year.  It's become all about cartoonish reality show fame whores. The contestants who don't fit that profile seem to just be there to give the show what little legitimacy it is, but they're generally eliminated early on.

 

Since she doesn't have a neatly defined image that can be explained in a couple of words (ie. Southern Gal ) or an ethnic identity (ie,Italian, Indian) I don't see Nicole lasting much longer. Being from the Jersey Shore, if she'd come on as a clichéd tough, gum chewing, Jersey broad she probably would've had a better chance of winning.

[S10.E08: One-of-a-Kind Experience]

Just caught this episode on replay. I am so depressed, because I thought for sure I thought we'd lose L'Oreal tonight. Instead if was Sweet Emma. Most of the weirdness of the losing team was due to L'Oreal, who seemed to be from another planet. I have no idea what TPTB, especially Kermit, see in her. He finds her "intriguing." Huh? The only thing intriguing about her is how one person can be annoying on so many levels, from her talking about herself in the third person to the ridiculous "Butcher Babe" label to the faux hipster wannabe expressions and her whole contrived appearance.

 

Why is it that TPTB always think the audience wants over-the-top phony "big personalities" (Pie Guy, Cowboy Lenny, Butcher Babe) instead of a pleasant person who tries to connect with the audience about food on an intelligent, adult level? Oh right. This is the network that choose to pin its identity and image on Guy Fieri.

 

Count me among those that was underwhelmed that the Texas Airhead Princess didn't screw up a gorgeous hunk of steak. The judges were oohing and aahing before they even tasted the meat. So for at least another week (and probably more) we get to hear that "Texas" is a POV. On a shallow note, when she pulls her hair back, which she does frequently, it makes her face look doughy and ringed in baby fat. Not attractive.

 

Lenny was sure one sweaty buckaroo during the judging. Interesting to see how quickly all the wise cracking bravado deserted him the first time he wasn't judges' pet. What he actually reminds me of is the cowboy character on a Saturday morning kids cartoon show. I guess I'm showing my age, but when I was a kid all the cartoon shows had cowboy or sailor or policeman characters. It's what Pee Wee Herman was riffing on with his "Cowboy Curtis" character on Pee Wee's Playhouse. I think that Lenny does know about food and can really cook, but his shtick totally loses me.

[S09.E06: Auditions Week 6]

I think that the main reason Howie used his Gold Star was because Howard didn't like the act, and Howard had used his Gold Star on Dustin's Dojo, the fake martial arts demo that Howie didn't "get." So it was kind of payback, and part of their ongoing rivalry over who's the real authority on comedy on this show. For me, both acts were blah, although of the two, I think there's a better chance that the rappers could come up with something different and funny in the next round.

 

I was with Howie on Dustin's Dojo. I got that it was a put-on. It still wasn't funny. It was high school stoner humor. Well, Howard's credentials as being a comedy expert were shot for me when he loved the 12 year old making jokes about his testicles. Did he really think that "a million dollar act," as he's always saying?

 

Kelli Glover is the kind of contestant that made me stop watching American Idol. An okay voice, but completely derivative of so many other singers. And while the judges talked about her connection to the audience, I feel that they kind of singer never really connects, because the emotion is more packaged than genuine.

 

The only thing less genuine would be an 11 year old singing "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going." To me an 11 year old doing an adult diva song is all kinds of horrifying. And she was just screaming right out of the box. Besides doing something appropriate to your age and life experience, how about learning how to sing a melody? It creeped me out. As did the stage mom and all the brothers and sisters. I got the idea that they're all counting on little sis to make it and provide financially for the whole family.

[S10.E05: Live Demo at Knott's Berry Farm]

Well, as if we needed it, we got confirmation tonight that being a Food Network Star has nothing to do with being able to cook, because the only real chef in the bunch, Christopher, got sent home, and although they hated Sarah's burger she wasn't even in the bottom two. (And on top of cooking horrible burgers twice, she has a really annoying personality. They've stopped dinging her for being pageanty, but she still feel completely phony to me).

 

Actually, they pretty much didn't like any of the food. Except for Christopher's dish, so of course he got axed. Luca, another legitimate professional chef, got an even earlier exit.

 

I find Lenny to be another phony. He's always snarky and non-supportive about the other contestants. But the one who completely drives me up the wall is "Butcher Babe" Loreal.  Everything about her reminds me of every cliched Seattle/Portland pretenious wannabe faux retro hipster chick I know. I'm horrified to think that TPTB are keeping her around because they see her as potentially a female Guy Fieri.

 

I feel that the judges are especially hard on Reuben. Based on their feedback, theres' no way he should've been bottom two. But this show has a history of being really tough on contestants from a Latino background. Maybe they don't want to give any competition to network golden boy Bobby Flay, the Irish-American New Yorker who's their resident expert on Mexican and southwestern food.

 

I don't think they have any chance of winning, but I really like Nicole and Emma. They seem like decent, genuine people. Rarely have I seen a contestant on this show who has the self-awareness and honesty to kid themselves the way Nicole did when she joked about her "bitch face." And on a superficial male level, I enjoy looking at both of them. Although I would advise Emma not to continue telling the story of how her future husband realized he wanted to marry her while he was fishing for crabs. There are a few different ways you could go with that, none of them good.

[S09.E05: Special 200th Episode]

Another episode dragged down by too many kid acts, which predictably come with shots of the proud stage moms and dads, who are often trotted out to be congratulated for robbing their kids of a childhood. It's not hard to picture some of these parents mentally counting the cash that will be flowing in if they can kick start their kid's career by getting them on AGT. Sometimes, as in the case of child choir, I get the feeling that these acts are put together specifically for AGT.

 

If an adult or even a teenage knife thrower had the same skill level as that kid they would be considered a terrible act. So if kids get sent through because they're good for their age, then they really should be in a separate category. Same with the singers. Having a "big voice" for your age does not make you a good singer. The best you can say about someone that young is that they have the potential to someday be a good singer. (which for me is about developing a personal musical style and point of view, something that takes time and experience)

 

We need to put out an APB for the real Howard Stern, whose spot on the show has been taken by a hairy, 6 foot 5 imposter. Because the real Howard Stern would've been horrified by the calculated cutesiness of the child choir. Instead of haranguing another judge to get them put through.

 

On the other side of the same coin, I was worried that the 74 year old was going to be bad but get patronizing praise from the judges because of his age. But I actually thought he had a nice tone and good phrasing, the essentials for putting across that kind of song. I only wish that the audience hasn't been clapping along, so I could've really heard him.( I did think the clapping, which was not doubt prompted, was patronizing and completely unnecessary.)

 

There are actually lots of string instrument players out there who do Hendrix and a whole array of other non traditional music. So I was not overly impressed by the cello brothers.

[S10.E04: Internet Marketing Video]

Of all the dumb challenges over the years that have nothing to do with cooking ability or food knowledge, this was maybe the dumbest. Well, what can you expect when the entire show was about shilling for candy bars?

 

 Apparently the judging criteria was "how much are you willing to humiliate yourself to show us you want to win?"

 

Christopher's reserve didn't have a negative impact on his chances, because he already had no chance. When it comes to male winners, the model was set by Guy Fieri. They want "in-your-face," which was why the Sandwich King was the predetermined winner. That's also why Pie Guy, who was barely articulate and three out of four times couldn't even make a decent pie, was the judges' pet. Because they liked his "personality." Similarly, they really like Lenny, who's shown that he's more than willing to play the clown.

 

Not surprised that the video based on Latino stereotypes was the winner. A couple of seasons back there was the Mexican-American woman chef (can't remember her name) who was trained in classic French cuisine. And the judges seemed astonished. ("You want to cook French food? But you're Mexican!!). Ultimately they coerced her into cooking Mexican food and telling stories about her abuelo. It was embarrassing. And borderline offensive.

[S09.E04: Auditions, Week 4]

Way too much time spent on a mediocre singer because he's in the army and cute. This show really likes working the military angle. At least we haven't seen anything this year like the military wives chorus. Yet.

[S09.E04: Auditions, Week 4]

The over-the-top praise (and standing ovations) for every act this season is making me crazy. Every act that goes through (with maybe a couple of exceptions) has gotten 4 yeses. There's no disagreement between the judges, which is one of the things that made this show entertaining. Even Howard Stern, who used to call himself "the voice of reason" because he was often the only one who didn't vote for the cute kid acts or some of the one-trick ponies, is now drinking the Kool-Aid. Has he decided they're paying him all those millions just to be a nice guy?

 

I know it has to do with the editing, but the only acts we're not seeing put through are the Gong Show type joke acts. In previous seasons we saw some pretty good acts that didn't get put through because it didn't seem like they had more up their sleeve. The guy with the trained pig? Really? I had the definite feeling we saw everything the pig could do.

 

I liked the 4 guys who did the old, street corner type soul singing, and the card trick with the story about the judges was amusing. Otherwise, too many nothing-special singers, and even though I admire the strength and dedication of the hand balancers, I feel like I've seen it all before. (The KriStef Brothers last year added a dimension of humor and entertainment that I'm missing).

 

And I was enjoying the Colombian salsa dancers more BEFORE all the little kids came out. I would be happy to never see another cute kid singer or dancer. How can you judge them by the same criteria? They should be in a separate category. Or better yet on a separate show.

 

12 year old comic. Like others have said, YUCK. Can not believe he got 4 yeses. Wasn't Heidi the one last year who hated gross, juvenile humor? I guess when it's coming from a 12 year old that makes it okay.

[Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage]

I think the dad is the hamster & older black dude is grandpa maybe? I thought the French child called the hamster dad when she mentioned that while he hated the word framily he loved the word brunch.

 

In the first commercial with the older dude the woman says to him,  "Welcome to the framily, Dad." So is he supposed to her father, making them a bi-racial, bi-species family? Or in the "framily" are all titles and relationships interchangeable and/or honorary?

 

The fact that we're talking about this means they've won.