bluepiano

Wuta could've easily been sent home over Ketura. Not knowing a NY strip from a flat iron in a steak challenge, and therefore cooking it the wrong way, is a big deal. On top of his total failure as a team captain, which is why he was in the challenge. But I believe that Wuta is one of the chosen ones, so he's safe. After the last few seasons (especially with Gerron's win) I'm convinced that the whole season is scripted out before they even start filming. The winner and finalists are "cast," and even at least roughly the order of elimination is predetermined. So going out on a limb, I'm saying that the final five will be Wuta, Dorian, Sarah, Micah, and Fred, with Noah being the "shock elimination" at 6 or7 spot.

I'm with you. Most of the season I've been apathetic about the winner, but NOLA's behavior in this show was a huge turn-off. I understand that if they feel they negotiated an exclusive deal they weren't happy about Brunch Babes showing up. But then to yell that they were selling Krispy Kremes and frozen food was inexcusable. All season long NOLA has made it clear they feel they deserve this. Then win it with your food if you're that good. Don't tell lies. It's funny how on these competitive reality shows there are always contestants who say they want it more than anyone else. Hey, everyone is there to win. NOLA believes they want it more than anyone else, so in their mind that justifies winning at any cost. I also didn't like the main NOLA guy calling them "Brunch Barbies." Very derogatory. No need to get into personal insults. Unfortunately, I think NOLA was the chosen winner from the start. In the interview segments with Tyler, where each team talked about why they want to win, NOLA got the most air time, and they totally played for sympathy with their Katrina story. Do we even know that's true about their getting wiped out by Katrina? I'm sure lots of failing businesses have claimed that, whether it was true or not.

Keturah was becoming my favorite contestant, so of course she's gone. I thought she brought a touch of class and elegance to the show. I loved her lilting speaking voice and accent, and she also had nice personality. When Dorian went back to her station after the judging, crying, Keturah said to her "those are the tears we like, tears of joy." It was a sweet thing to say, especially since she was worried about her own dish and knew she was likely going home. Keturah was the only one who sliced the meat and tried to use it as a component in a dish, instead of just throwing the steak on the grill. Big mistake. I attribute it to her be the only contestant who's not an American. She just didn't understand the whole American mystique around steaks and grills. She might've thought that just grilling the entire steak was taking the easy way out. I mean, how hard is that? (Seems like a pretty simple challenge for the amazing, incredible Season 10). I'm calling BS on the dessert thing. I believe that when GR announced they had to make a dessert the clock showed 25 minutes. And by 15 minutes they were all done. And they were fairly sophisticated, composed deserts, not just grilled fruit, using ingredients like phylo dough and rum. (Where did the liquor suddenly come from?) We saw a couple of people slicing fruit, but never saw anyone actually working on their dessert. They just magically appeared. And how could they focus on fairly labor intensive desserts while still keeping an eye on the grill? I'm sure they made the deserts before or after the grilling challenge.. It was all a contrived piece of nonsense to try to show that the amazing Season 10 contestants can do anything.

So he's yet another successful European singer who AGT is trying to make us think is an untested amateur. Just like the woman last year from Holland. I hate how they lie to us. There was a charming underdog (pardon the pun) quality to Hero and Sarah and I could see why Simon got emotionally attached to them. I'm just not feeling it all with Lukas and Falco. To me there's something kind of cold and manipulative about the act. Interesting point about Howie. Yeah, several times in this show they made him out to be the villain for not liking a particular act, like the Texas high kicking gals. What a reversal of roles. She yelling something when the first guy started unbuttoning his shirt. Hard to hear exactly. I realize it's all an act that's supposed to get the audience going, but in this day and age it's just stupid. If objectifying women is wrong then the same should apply to men.

A bad night for me, as I don't feel like I need to see any of these acts again. I hate the inconsistency. Simon is always saying "is this a Vegas act?" Can you imagine the girl who got the GB on a stage in Vegas? At a show people paid money for? I would walk out if she were in my local coffee shop. I wouldn't walk out on the Swedish singer, but he's nothing special., and seems very full of himself. We're supposed to think he's discriminated against because of his looks? Because no other folk singers have long hair or a beard? Something weird about all the Belles supposedly being between 14-18. How could any of these tall statuesque girls be less than 18 at a minimum? Unless it's some trick of camera work. And all from one small town high school? The dog act was unimpressive, but it doesn't matter, because the entire thing was just about pandering to Simon. Smart strategy I guess. The family hand balancing act was good, but so sick of the female judges going gaga when men with athletic bodies take their shirts off. Had enough of it with Heidi and Mel B. over the years. To state the obvious, Simon and Howie similarly hooting over a woman with large breasts would produce a firestorm of "Me Too" outrage. I'm with you. Best act of the night. Only one that really made me smile,. It was just fun, with no sob story or emotional manipulation. (Glad that Matthew playing a recording of his dead father didn't get him through, but I have a feeling he may return as a Wild Card).

Although the cameraman/editor did not give us endless shots of her shoes, so must be a different team than in Courtney's season. Gordon actually did give the red team plenty of help and advice. They completely redid their lobster dish based on his instructions. In the end, it came down to serving undercooked seafood being the ultimate sin, because of the health risks. As soon as diners started talking about the lobster being undercooked I knew they were done for. Count me in with those who are tired of the team challenges, which always end up being about the drama and GR screaming at people. It's supposed to be "Master Chef," not "Master Caterer."

Exactly. These team challenges always turn into Hell's Kitchen with Gordon screaming and throwing temper tantrums. And sometimes throwing food, which I hate seeing. The fake weddings are a staple of GR shows. And of course he's able to marry people. He's a superhuman who can do everything in the most amazing, incredible way. Renee was certainly annoying, but not as bad to me as Dorian. Tired of hearing her boss everyone around, and her screaming at Subha in the tag team challenge was indefensible. I'm glad they've apparently stop saying that this is the most talented group of contestants ever, as if it being Season 10 means the standards are higher. I think this is probably the least impressive group I can remember, although the last couple of seasons were pretty weak too. (Still can't believe Gerron won). I only watched this show sporadically in its first few seasons, but my memory is that there were always at least 3-4 people who cooked at such a high level it was hard to believe they were home cooks and not accomplished professional chefs. There's definitely no one close to that this year. Have they already burned through all the truly great home cooks in America? Shaun seems to have become to this show what Richard Blais is to Top Chef. They turn up all the damn time.

When she said we'll take the $200 I thought that was crazy, as the winner must've had way more than 8 customers. So yeah, the whole thing didn't make sense. It seemed like there were about 20-25 Navy people alone. But it was really a big nothing, because we never learned if it was the bonus that pushed Brunch Babes past Frank & Slides. I suspect that they already had more sales than Frank' & Slides, so the amount of the bonus was meaningless. I think that if winning the bonus saved them from elimination Tyler would definitely have said that. The fact that we never heard anything about the difference in sales between the last two trucks makes me think it wasn't close.

In the trendy city where I live, more trucks are getting away from the traditional sandwich or wrap and doing bowls and larger plates. What helps make that possible is that many of these trucks sell outside bars, where people then take the food inside. Essentially they become the kitchen for places that don't have kitchens. As I posted earlier this season, Nola Creations is more laser focused on winning than any team I can remember. They are not in it for the "experience," or to bond with their teammates, or to become buddies with the other teams. They are in it to win it. Which can make them come across as dour or unfriendly. Their leader/head chef has made it clear he doesn't believe anyone else can cook at his level. Regarding unfair advantages, a couple of seasons back there was a team of Mormons, and their standard tactic was to hook up with the Mormon Church in whatever town they were in. And it was out west, where most Mormons live, so it was like they had family everywhere. Then there was a team that was a military family, and they tried to hook up with local veteran's groups. So this show has never frowned on people using any advantage they can.

The Kissing Couple was obviously just a set up for the French couple, like, okay, here's an act that's sexy but done by two people with actual talent. I guess it was inevitable that the (completely baffling) success of Vicki Barbolak would bring us Trailer Nasty 2.0. Well, she's nowhere near as as gross, but it's another woman whose act is talking about her body and having the hots for Simon. Why are comediennes who personify female stereotypes considered funny? I don't think people would laugh at a guy scratching his crotch and talking about farting. As soon as Robert Finley started singing I knew it was AGT up to its old lying tricks. Among Robert's professional credits, he's recorded an album and toured worldwide with one of the Black Keys. He still has an interesting story, so why couldn't they just present that to us honestly? (shades of that Dutch singer last year). No question that this year's Golden Buzzers have talent-wise been the worst group ever. This week's winner seemed like a nice kid, but he really struggled with enunciation and pitch. Would he even get the lead if his middle school did a Broadway show? Not sure. Well, at least he didn't say he was a victim of bullying. Favorite act of the night for me was the Argentinian dance troupe. But does every dance act have to say they came to America because there's no opportunity in their own country? I know everyone wants to make it in America, but there's a large and profitable entertainment industry in Argentina and other South American countries, so that didn't ring quite true. Aside from the sameness of so many acts, the fact that so many say the same things adds to the feeling of deja vu. (Of course that goes for the judges too. "What happens in the next few minutes can change your life." Sure it can).

All the teams seem to be composed of nice people. Usually there are at least a couple of trucks each year that annoy me with an arrogant or entitled attitude, but none this year. Well, the vegans were slightly annoying with their hugging, but in a harmless way. And all the trucks seem to be putting out good food. Without all the contrived drama of trying to find parking spaces I think there's been more time to focus on the food. $20 does seem crazy for a sandwich from a food truck, even if it has premium ingredients. True, charging twice as much meant they could sell less, but in the real world I don't think that tactic would work. I think that when you get to around $12 or $13 people feel like they may as well go to a sit down restaurant. I believe this is the second episode in which a main ingredient (the pork) was supplied to them already cooked. (Previously it was barbecue). I don't remember that happening in previous seasons. I know that they have to incorporate that ingredient in a creative way, but it seems strange to me that they don't have to cook from scratch.

In the department of redundancy department, I will say for probably the 100th time in these forums that the minimum age should be 16. Any time a little kid walks on stage the judges go all mushy and we get the "what's your name, sweetie" act. If a kid goes on this show (or more accurately, their parents put them on this show) then they should be treated, and judged, like any one else. It's like this show exists in a vacuum. News flash. There are thousands of 10 and 12 year olds around the world singing opera, or playing Chopin on the piano. But the judges go nuts every time like this is the most amazing thing ever. I'm not an opera aficionado, but to me that girl this week did not sound like anything special. A few other thoughts: I expected the South African troupe to get the Golden Buzzer, since this year they are being awarded entirely on back story. I was not bowled over by them, but thought they were better than the kid's choir from Detroit that did get the GB.ff The guy who got brought back to sing multiple songs? Overrated coffee house singer with zero charisma. The freestyle dog act for me was not nearly as good as Hero and Sarah. Surprised to hear they won the German Got Talent. We've seen similar acts to Verba Shadow but I thought they were really original in how they used their bodies to form the images that were part of the story. They used their bodies and didn't rely on technology. I thought Death was at least as funny as some of the comedians they've put through and raved about. Would rather watch his act than listen to someone making jokes about their disability.

I meant to comment on this too. One of my biggest pet peeves is eating at a restaurant, or even a bar that prides themselves on their food, and being served frozen French fries. Especially at the prices some of these places charge. When I eat a place that charges $12 - $15 for a burger and fries and get served frozen fries from Sysco, they immediately go on my list of places to never visit again.

Yup, no one from NOLA helped. My sense is that they are taking this show more seriously than the other trucks. Their leader is a trained professional chef, who believes he should win over a bunch of wannabees. And he'll be pretty pissed if he doesn't. So I don't think it's bad blood, I just think his attitude is that you don't help the competition. I don't ever remember seeing a Health Inspector. Another wrinkle they've added this year, like the cost of the deductible after the accident. Rolling Indulgence made a strategic decision not to do the challenge, because they were selling a lot already and didn't want to get sidetracked. They won the week, so that was smart. When the Brunch Babes won the initial challenge, they got some kind of advantage to call a pit stop (or something). Did they ever use it? Not that I remember.

Where I live in the northwest we have some pricey food trucks that do more "elevated" cuisine but they still don't charge what you see on this show. Obviously people are paying these prices to be part of the TV show experience (though very few wind up on camera). That's one of the ways that this show does not represent the real food truck business. I've also never seen anyone running around screaming and carrying on to attract business, even at events where there are multiple food trucks. You scope out the different trucks, look at their menus and decide what you want to eat. All without anybody giving you the hard sell. (And definitely no hugging).

Better than last week for sure, though that's not saying much. Marina - very entertaining, though wondering what else she can do that's different next time. Dom - Pleasantly surprised he wasn't doing card tricks, because after Shin Lim, it would be hard to be impressive. Have actually never seen a trick like that before, so points for originality. Edson and Leon - there's always at least one act that goes through based on their age, but I like them a lot more than the geriatric dance acts that usually get that spot. Charlotte - natural to make comparisons to Courtney Hadwin, but I liked her way more. Technically a much better singer. Nice control of her voice, never going over-the-top shouty like a lot of young singers who try do blues or soul. Actually, Courtney was never much of a singer. It was all about her spazzy dancing and the "I'm so shy" BS. Never liked her shtick. Carmen - Singing did nothing for me, and I was put off by the blatant play for sympathy with the "he said I was fat" story. But standard procedure for this show. (Actually, a number of "plus size" singers have been very successful) Sethward had to be a plant. Though actually, he was no worse than some of the other Gong Show type acts that've gone through (Yumbo Dumbo). Howard Stern always loved the stupid acts. Ventriloquist - Fairly clever material. Though I didn't need to see the poop joke more than once. Kevin the comedian - Okay, yet another deadpan Steven Wright wannabee. But a couple of jokes were funny, which is more than I can say for Vickie Barbolak Golden Buzzer Violin Kid - We know by now that the GB is mostly reserved for the feel good stories. Seems like a nice kid, been through a lot, so OK, good for him and his Mom. But the playing was just not that great. Does anyone else think that when Julianne has her hair swept back she's a dead ringer for Miley Cyrus?

I thought when this show started the competition was between actual professional food trucks? I always like those seasons better, but they seem to have moved away from that concept permanently. Based on what I've heard so far, there are only two trucks with actual professional chefs. Could be more, but at least a few of the teams have expressed that they've never served food to people for money before.

Worst GB ever? Definitely. Not even close, and I was no fan of Grace Van der Waal. Count me with those who thought the guy singer was a girl. How hip of AGT, with gender fluidity being such a thing now. Julianne and Gabrielle drooling over the shirtless guy brought back memories of Heidi and MelB, but not in a good way. Would've been cool if they differentiated themselves by not doing the obvious thing. The high kicking high school girls sure did look about 25-30. I guess hair and make-up can do that. And as someone else pointed out, their act was not in the slightest bit like a cheerleading routine. I saw "Bring It On" so I know. (Did you know Gabrielle was in that movie?) I will be fast forwarding through the girl pop dance act every week they're on the show. Which could be a long time. I liked Terry Crews when he started. Now I'm thinking it's maybe just because he was Not Tyra. In retrospect, Nick Cannon was a genius. You know what would've been really cool. If the comedian with the disability came out and didn't a single joke in his act about it. He seemed to be off in about 30 seconds, while I swear that the toilet seat/tennis rack guy was on for 10 minutes. One of the few people we saw not making it through also has a toilet seat around his neck. Must be the new in thing.

I expected them to announce the deductible as $500, which probably would've sent the vegans home. But I think the producers want to keep them around for awhile for the novelty and the drama of them not being willing to use certain ingredients. And yes, they are annoying. (Loved the disbelief of one of the Nola Creations people when we said "we lost to corn??") I don't remember the food trucks being in such bad shape in the past. I think this is also the first time I remember them introducing a "mechanic" as part of the cast. I love New Orleans food, and want to eat everything made by Nola Creations. There are two other food trucks doing some variation of southern cooking, but true New Orleans food is fairly distinctive. (Though we did have two Po Boys). My guess early on was that the maple truck was going home. It's such a limited concept. In the first challenge basically all they did was cook hot dogs in maple syrup. And then they made maple glazed chicken. Every week they would've been pouring maple syrup over something else. Every season seems to bring a team of perky, pretty blondes who excel at attracting male customers to their truck.

Thanks Pezgirl7. I don't generally watch the "Digger Deeper" episodes. Am glad to hear that the Laginas weren't having any of it. They can get a bit carried away with the Oak Island theories (Holy Grail, Shakespeare etc.) but at heart I think they're sill level-headed Midwestern boys.

It's something I've been thinking about for years, as they've brought enormous amounts of very heavy machinery onto what, you can see in the overhead shots, is a very small island. Not to mention all their digging. The island is privately owned, but does that mean that you are legally entitled to destroy it? I DVR the series and will have to go back to look at this episode I somehow missed. But OMG, ghosts??? We've already seen some cross over between this show and other History Channel "reality" show, like Ancient Aliens (same production company) and America Unearthed. But giving serious credence to ghost hunting would just about destroy any claims the Laginas have to conducting a scientific investigation. As for the curse, a couple of seasons Greg Tester's teenaged son (or perhaps stepson, not sure) passed away. To the credit of the show, they didn't bring up the curse thing to capitalize on this tragedy. But having the show called "The Curse of Oak Island" has always been stupid, since it's about the hunt for treasure, and other than the show's opening the curse is virtually never mentioned. Also, the people who died during treasure hunting activities died because they were do something very dangerous. A "curse," as in the stories around the fate of those who discovered King Tut's tomb, is supposed to strike people years later in ways unrelated to the original activity.

Ariel seemed like the obvious winner the entire season, so I thought for a second they might give to Mia to have a surprise ending. I think both of them were head and shoulders over past finalists on this season. Usually the final feels like they're having to pick the lesser of two evils. With the cooking skills they demonstrated, I can see either Ariel or Mia doing well on Top Chef. I forgot about the other contestants coming back to help out the finalists. So unfortunately I had to look at and listen to Brett for another week. He was Brett right to the end, saying that Ariel picked a "murder goon squad" to help her. Is a "murder goon squad" something you'd want in the kitchen? Loved how Heather and Scotley were left waiting at the end. Easily the two most unpleasant people this season, and neither ever impressed in the kitchen. Not sure how Heather ever lasted as long as she did. Overall, this was my favorite season of HK. Several capable and likeable contestants, no over-the-top villain, and a lot less backstabbing and fake drama. I think to some extent people perceive that Mia acts like a kid because she's very small, something she can't do anything about. Yes, she's cute and knows it, and that's probably worked to her advantage, but if she were 5 foot 10 and had that same personality I don't think she would get the "Kid" thing.

I couldn't stand that kid in her original season, and I like her even less now. No way deserving of the Golden Buzzer. The multiple child singers are the worst thing about AGT. Actually, Darci Lynn is easily the best kid singer who's ever been on this show, and she does it with her mouth closed. We've heard her sing in multiple musical genres, and now she shows she can do opera? Insane. Though I actually wish she would've mixed the opera with another kind of music, to showcase her versatility. She could've done that with more time. Dangerous Games was given a huge chunk of time compared to all the other acts. What the heck. The sand artist is mind bogging. I can only imagine how many countless hours she's spent practicing to work so quickly but with amazing precision. I get choked up watching her every time. She seems like a truly beautiful human being, inside as well as outside. In just two appearances Christina Ramos' shtick has already gotten old for me. Slow, operatic opening, rip off the cloak and rock out. Ho hum. She hits a lot of random high notes that are supposed to have a "wow factor" but that's more like a novelty act than true singing. She does put on a show though, I'll give her that. I feel like this whole "champions" season is a set-up for Susan Boyle to win. I had forgotten that she was runner-up, not the winner, on BGT, so it's almost like they've brought her back to right a wrong. So the most famous contestant in the history of the franchise finally gets to be a champion. And was Simon nasty to her in her initial appearance? He made a comment to that effect. So it also gives him a chance to personally atone. (Now that he's the new, nice Simon). I they do AGT Champions again, PLEASE, no more "50 states" nonsense. Have open audience voting, just like the regular show.

You said something I've been thinking for a while. I watch this show with an expectation of being fairly consistently blown away by the skill level and creativity of the contestants, and this season I'm not feeling it. You mention Food Network. I would actually say that the level of cooking often feels comparable to Master Chef. (not sure if that's more or less of an insult). To be honest, not every season of TC has been stellar, and there've been at least two or three dud winners. But overall, this is not a strong season. I would've said that this season might best be remembered for the all around friendliness, and lack of cliques or gamesmanship. Until this week. Maybe that's why the white team's actions towards Sarah really stand out. For my part, I thought it was a bush move and understand her being upset.