Stinger97

Shea was one of my favorites on Season 9, but I have to concur with folks that have been saying that she's acting as though she's owed the crown. There's confidence, which I can absolutely get behind, and then there's entitlement. That said, her Flavor Flav was flawless! Girl killed it dead. Wasn't in love with her runway look because it didn't read prom whatsoever. It was India's time to go. I didn't buy her story about Alexis campaigning to eliminate Shea, especially considering the timing. If she was lying, though, she really was trying to sell it until the very end. Juju's runway look was adorable, if a bit simple. I liked Cracker's overall concept but wasn't sold on the outfit. Blair's gender bending look was impeccable, even though it read a little bit like The Joker to me. Alexis' was... eh. I was surprised to hear Ross say that it was perfect. It felt like something we've seen before from several other queens, including Alexis. And like several of the other queens' looks, it didn't read prom.

I've learned over the years that it doesn't take much for me to enjoy an episode of RHoNY. All I need is some over the top event in which Ramona is behaving unabashedly bitchy, Luann is being judgmental, Sonja is clueless and drunk, and Dorinda is, well, Dorinda. And I got all of that during this episode! I'm easy to please, I guess. It was nice to see Jill again. With the loss of Tinsley (although, can we really call her departure a "loss"?) and the flop that Elyse has proven herself to be, maybe we can get Jill back? Please? Did we ever get an explanation of where William came from during this episode? Dorinda sitting him down next to Ramona seemed incredibly staged, especially because he was acting as if he wasn't even there or hearing what Dorinda was saying. There's no bad blood between him and Ramona, at least as far as we've seen, so there was really no reason for him to ignore Ramona or vice versa. Right?

This ad for arthritis medication Voltaren is surprisingly fun. It features 2020 Paula Abdul dancing alongside her 1989 counterpart. Unsure how effective the ad is in making me want to try Voltaren, but it definitely helped encourage me to stream Forever Your Girl on Spotify.

Honestly, she probably should have known considering they're all supposed to have their walkies on them at all times. However, in her defense, when the guest asked if she could "walk around outside," I thought she meant she wanted to stroll around the deck of the yacht. Perhaps Jess didn't realize the woman wanted to walk around/beyond the marina? Of course, Jess seems pretty flighty in general and I wouldn't be surprised if she understood exactly what the woman wanted and just didn't put two and two together (if I let the guest off the boat, she's going to delay our departure).

I adored Hannah bringing out the preference sheet to the douche-y Brooklynite to prove that he'd never requested oysters for breakfast. It was so passive-aggressive and petty, but I'm sure so satisfying for Hannah (and the audience). In the eternal words of the Countess Luann, "money can't buy you class."

All the charter guests seemed like insufferable a*holes. One can only hope that they tip well at the end of it all, but they'll likely hold the crew responsible for all the hiccups. As someone that works with the public, seeing guests like these really makes me feel for the crew. I enjoyed Bugs during her last season, so I'm happy she's back. It was also nice to see that, despite her apprehension at the news of her return, Hannah was beginning to appreciate having Bugs as her 2nd stew.

My disdain extends to the grandchildren of celebrities, too. I'm nothing if not consistent!

You weren't the only one. I'm no fan of children in general, to be honest, and the children of wealthy celebrities are certainly no better. I don't have an issue with Cpt. Sandi's perceived micromanagement. Nor do I think it's something that she does for camera time. I think that, as a woman, she's had to endure quite a bit of pushback as a captain. As a result, she wants things to be done perfectly because, if it's not, she knows it'll be chalked up to the idea that women are unable to lead. That's also why Cpt. Lee can get away with the hands off approach.

The best part of these flashback episodes? 1. Getting to see the old opening sequence which, back in the day, many of us hated. But compared to the odd screensaver-esque opening credits we get nowadays, it's amazing. 2. Seeing old sets, like Carly's old house. I *hated* that set. The yellow color palette + black/white checkered foyer floor was...oof. Also, it's frightening how much ten years can age a person. Compared to his appearance at this year's Emmys, MB looked like a baby. Also also, I forgot how much I enjoyed JMB's Lulu. The character hasn't worked for me since Emme Rylan took over the role in 2013.

I understand the hyper-awareness around blackface being used in any type of media nowadays (and rightfully so!), but this move from Hulu seems to be missing the point of the BLM movement. There are larger, more systemic issues that need addressing. A joke about blackface from an episode of a 30+ year old sitcom seems like small potatoes. Not to mention the fact that the episode dealt with an interracial + May/December relationship in a pretty progressive way, especially for the 1980s. Why remove the episode from the lineup when it would have been just as effective to edit the scene entirely?

It also airs on one of the MTV channels on PlutoTV from time to time. I binged it one afternoon a couple of weeks ago for the umpteenth time in my life. Agreed with those saying that Julie was far from a drama queen. In fact, I don't know if any of them would deserve that moniker. Perhaps Kevin, as he certainly caused the most drama in the house, but his points were always valid and coming from a place of frustration rather than simply stirring shit for the fun of it. I recently started following Heather B. on Instagram. I loathe social media, but it's definitely great for keeping tabs on old reality show favorites!

Watched the first episode with my partner today. It was innocuous enough and something I'll check out again. I also have to concur with the folks saying that this scratches the Legends of the Hidden Temple / Shop Til' You Drop / Supermarket Sweep itch! I've missed gameshows like those recently. And while I love all the props and rooting for folks to make it to the end, I also find it super fun to root for some folks to fall to their doom. Most notably during the first episode, I was absolutely chuffed to see the triplet brothers fall into the lava one after the other. Same for the sister from the mother/son/daughter team that had the personality of a cardboard cutout OF a cardboard cutout.

Did anyone watch the latest series? I’m currently bingeing it and oddly obsessed despite knowing only a handful of the “celebrities.” Kate Garroway might be my favorite in the jungle, followed closely by Jacqueline and Adele. I think I’m currently up to episode 9 or so, when the group had to compete in Love Island themed challenges. One of the challenges involved four celebs passing pig testicles between them, using only their mouths. And I couldn’t help but think that, in a post-Covid world, I doubt we’ll be seeing things like that again for a long while.

Okay, so, the deepest comment about this episode that I can muster is this: B.D. Wong turns 60 (!!!) this year and is still an absolute snack. It was hard for me to buy him as Nora's dad considering he looked more like her older brother.

When Terry came out of the woods with blood all over his mouth and coat, I looked at my partner and asked if this was an IT prequel. I thought it was fairly obvious that the grieving mother died from that scene in the hospital. In the previous scene, we saw her grab her shoulder, then her chest, and then fall to the ground. When the doctor came out to deliver news and the son broke down, I figured it must have been a massive heart attack. What wasn't obvious to me was that Terry was giving the finger in that security cam footage from the train station. They zoomed in as though we could make anything out, but it was grainy as a bowl of rice. Considering this is Stephen King, there's no way that this doesn't veer into supernatural territory, whether we like it or not.