KerleyQ

I haven't seen the past few episodes, since I've had my son home sick for the past three days, and it looks like there's nothing worth actually pulling them up on my DVR to watch? Is Ivy really just gone? What the hell, show? There can be only Steffy? Although... If Deacon is non-existent, and Bill is eventually going to find his way into Brooke's bed, that means both Quinn and Katie are freed up for Liam? The only two women he genuinely has chemistry with? (Although Quinn might actually break him...)

That was my thought - that Zach was showing up to honor Knight, since they seemed close.

I'll take that at this point. I'll also accept "Because...Helena."

I think that was supposed to be a mud pit they were over, and the original Ring Toss one had them trudging through a mud pit.

I think that part of the issue with the spinning speeds, too, was that sticking your legs out like that, it makes you spin a bit slower than if you bent your knees and pulled your legs into your body. I could swear I remember hearing someone telling Jenna to stick her legs out to spin slower. Apparently, it didn't occur to any of them that the slower you spin, the slower you drop. Of course, it should have occurred to them after the first time she was noticeably slower down to the ground. I think what John's downfall is this season is that, usually, he has all kinds of people around him to do his dirty work. This season, he hasn't had that luxury. So then he finds himself in a place where he has to say both Nany's and KA's names. In past seasons, he's usually managed to, for the most part, keep from saying the name of an alliance member, even while he watches others say those names after he did some behind the scenes manipulation. If he had numbers, he would have likely kept his hands clean in throwing the mission, too, probably pulling some "they'll suspect something is up if I don't do well" BS on his minions to get them to do his dirty work. He's really been down to no one, though. All he has left is Aneesa (which is the real reason he didn't throw a useless vote her way to placate KA/Anthony). I hope the producers realize that it's more entertaining watching him flail about trying to save his behind than it is watching him just get his way all through a season. Who would have ever thought we'd see a season where Cara Maria is sitting in the power position? But she really is now. It was win/win for her with whoever came back from the Pit, because both teams were now pissed off at Johnny/Vince. And Abe is still, at this point, clearly in her corner. So, if Jenna and her cousin stick with being pissed at Johnny/Vince, they have a three team alliance. Johnny has Aneesa. Cory is clearly not going to side with Aneesa, so they're out as a potential ally, unless Johnny gets really persuasive. But, given how everyone has had a ringside seat for watching him screw over Nany and KA, I can't imagine anyone is going to trust him. Cory (and his family member, whose name escapes me right now) would be wisest to sit back and watch the other two sides go at each other rather than claiming some allegiance to either side. You know that Johnny/Vince will go after CM/Jamie, and vice versa. Sit back and watch that play out, because, even if you take sides, the odds are you'll be the expendable one to either side when it comes down to it. I appreciate that CT has grown, and he was there with Diem's little sister, but it would have been awfully satisfying to watch him (or anyone) lay out Vince. Who knew Johnny wasn't the most obnoxious member of his gene pool? Oh, and who was the ass who said, of voting Jenna in, "she's been in already, so she knows it's not personal." Um, really? Sending someone in for the third freaking time isn't personal? I bet it feels damn personal to her, asshat.

It would not remotely surprise me if she had the balls to go to The Haunted Star looking for a job. "God! I'm not working with your husband any more! What is your problem? My Mom died, you know!! Geez!"

I'd honestly rather have JPL than Muhney. Ick. Ick. Ick.

Current day Sam is boring as hell. Does she even actually do anything now? How she's not either trying to help Jason get his memories of their relationship back or saying "screw it if he doesn't remember loving me," while she either finds some hot new guy to distract her with or decides to rain hellfire on her cousin for screwin her over is beyond me. She just sits there fending off her family's urge to gossip about her (currently) non-existent romance with Jason. I swear, there used to be a time when I liked Sam, and even liked JaSam, but she's currently a non-entity in her own damn story. They could replace her on set with one of her special happy meal toys and not miss much action.

Seriously. I so badly want Lulu to be like "yep, I believe it was while you were fucking my cousin in our marital bed, asshole."

I was actually finally into something Liam was saying. His speech to Steffy was a thing of beauty. I was particularly interested in his line about (and I'm paraphrasing big time here) how she kept inserting herself in his life until he was convinced he couldn't be happy if he wasn't with her. Now, on the surface, that might sound romantic (and maybe that was what the writers intended). But, if you think about it, it's actually the most accurate representation of their "love story" this show has ever displayed. Basically, she kept hounding him out of his relationships with other women until he gave in. You could interpret that as he decided she'd never leave him alone if he didn't take her back. I still will never fathom why Quinn would want Wyatt to grab onto another one of Liam's reject pile, when we all know Liam never leaves them on the pile for long. His reject pile is more like a waiting room. Just cool your heels with his brother until he gets back around to you.

I can't wait until they manage to lure her back in (and you know eventually she'll succumb) and show what a hypocrite she is.

So dark that I'd be so relieved to hear that it was all fake - either scripted by BMP or cooked up by CM and Abe. For a show that relies on repeat cast members returning for future seasons, they really sold one of their frequent cast members down the river (and emotionally screwed over an old favorite). And, for the love of God, if you're going to put a cast member on blast for this shit like that, then do it to Johnny. It's ridiculous that he keeps getting a pass for that stuff while he gets to run around calling out others for it. Honestly, it seems like they make much more of an effort to hide the guys' cheating around in general than they do the girls.

1) Yes, that's JW. 2) I'm trying to think. I guess there's a little reason for interaction, to some degree. Billy is involved, off and on, with Victoria. And SB's character is her recently discovered half-brother. Colin isn't on much, so he gets off easier in the "potential screen time with SB" department. There's no real reason for them to interact that I can think of.

Yes, they're involved, although I can't remember if they got married or are just dating.

...yet He's the recipient of the town's daily delivery of a low level of carbon monoxide?

I think that the larger issue with the Jason threat to Sam isn't even the threat itself, except for the little detail that the man is a Borg-y hired killer. And it shows that his only reaction to people who piss him off is "must kill." That should be alarming, as a woman involved with him. (Along with the fact that he is, in fact, said Borg-y hired killer). Can he not just get mad, say "you make me sick, I never want to see your face again," or something? Scream about betrayal? (Oh, wait, that's above his pay grade.)

If Adam was trying to throw it, Tyler was trying to throw it, too, because he made the same mistake and had the same problem getting up the hill. I think it was a situation where they didn't pay enough attention to the explanation of the game (as far as the two of them grabbing the wrong colored balls), along with just being gassed because grabbing the wrong ones added on more running up and down those hills. I think, by that point, Adam was really OK with CT, for the most part. I think CT's reaction to the loss is what pushed him over the top into seeing him as a friend again, but I think that, over the course of that season, they had already bonded. I never saw CT's behavior that season as harassing or bullying Adam into being his friend. It really came across as more of a game between the two of them for him to check in each episode with "so, we friends yet?" And, honestly, I think that was the entire reason CT came on that challenge. I know they claim that the cast doesn't know what the format will be before they get there, but, I think that, when BMP really wants someone there, they use that as an incentive. I think they knew CT was in that whole process of trying to turn himself around, and they dangled getting a shot at redemption with Adam in front of him. (I also think that he knew full well on both Exes seasons that he was going in for that format and a chance to pair up with Diem. I believe he flat out said it in the first episode talking heads on the last one.) I also think Adam had to know going in that it was a Rivals format and he was being paired with CT. I don't think there is any way the show would spring that on him, given their history. It's too much of a potential liability for them to have not spelled out for him that, not only will CT be there, but he'll be your partner, and then get him to explicitly agree to it.

Is there someone on the production staff whose only job is to just make Bratz Waffles montage videos? What do you say at cocktail parties? "What do you do?" "I...um...I clean gas station toilets."

I won't lie, there is literally no story line I wouldn't embrace if Mickey Mouse strolled on screen, begged my forgiveness, and offed Sonny as a peace offering. None. I don't care how stupid, how insulting, how beyond credibility it is, I'm in. Just give me a cartoon mouse offing the Moobster. I'll take two awful story lines if it's Daisy Duck who offs him instead.

Silly, he won't need target practice. He's St. Jasus of the Borg. He can naturally out-shoot any trained sniper. With his eyes closed.

Well, and Will. But, I assume once they SORAS him up to an appropriate age, Bill will encourage him to go for FUN!!Cougar Steffy.

I loved the weekly "so, we friends yet?" requests (along with the fact that, in the end, Adam said, yeah, they're friends). I do think he genuinely felt bad and ashamed of that whole situation.

I really wonder if things would have been so bad if Cara Maria had been upfront with Abe as soon as he arrived (well, as soon as they were alone together after he arrived). He knows how these shows work. I think that, if she had said "I know it's stupid, but I flirted with this new guy to get him on my side to beat Johnny, and I let it go a little too far, but it meant nothing," he would have been upset, but I don't think he would have been as scorched earth about it. I mean, he probably still would have wanted Thomas out of there, but I don't think he would have been quite so crazed. And a less crazed reaction from him probably would have not ended up with CM and Jamie having that conversation, which is what really hurt Abe the most. Honestly, you have to wonder how much producers prodded her to keep it secret. I'm sure they wanted to milk the drama of "when will Abe find out?" for a few episodes. It wouldn't surprise me to find that she had producers in her ear, feeding her anxiety about how he'd react and saying stuff like "maybe you shouldn't tell him while Thomas is still around, because he might go after him."

I feel like his name has been mentioned too many times here today. You're all summoning him! Wardrobe is probably pressing his best mini-Hefner smoking jacket and ascot as we speak!

Yes she has been a strong competitor, in terms of the actual challenge activities, but she hasn't done well at the social game at all. The flirting (and subsequent involvement) with Thomas was about aligning herself with someone to try and stay protected from the elimination rounds. And, honestly, until Abe showed up and blew it all up, it was a smart move. She had to pick someone outside of John's alliance, because she knows that, even if she did suck it up and agree to join in with him (which, given how few allies he had this time around, he would have welcomed), she would always be fodder for him to get rid of once he ran out of non-alliance cast members to throw in. Since this was the first season where there were a credible number of non-Bananas groupies to counter him, latching on to one of the rookies was a smart move.