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His pirates are circus-themed. Maybe it'll come up in the filler. And he's not that creepy a clown . . . though his Chop-Chop power might be nightmare fodder, depending on how you look at it. ETA: Well, that episode was . . . .Japanese. I reckon there should have been annotations for a lot of the story. I recognized the kids as Usopp's "crew" from his introduction arc in Syrup Village, Mr. 3 as the commissioner, and Princess Vivi and her aides. And we got to see Buggy and a bit of his Chop-Chop power . . . though I should mention that he doesn't usually have kabuki makeup. It was a fun holiday filler, but I felt a lot was lost on me.

Yes, it is. Here's his Wikipedia entry, though it might be a little dense to go through.

Anybody else put off by the lack of Phil narration at the start of the legs? It's one of the things that puts him apart from Probst . . . his ability to tell a locale's story at episode's beginning. Now we get Racers and hotel arrangements. Ducky . . . there was a group shot at the end with the teams and Phil, but I don't know if it was a selfie.

. . . aaaaaaaaaaand TAR cut off the departure times after Bergen & Kurt, so I have to eliminate that metric. As for the commercial cliffhangers . . . . Matt & Ashely got two, while Harley & Jonathan had one. Anybody else delighted that the blind date couples don't seem to be working out? Even Jelani & Jenny are seen sniping at each other in the teaser for next week's episode, and they've finished in the top three for the first three legs. I hope Bert & Elise present the footage to the CBS overlords and proclaim, "Never Again!"

ElleryAnne . . . nope, that wasn't a hallucination. Matt spilled his champagne, and tried to scoop it up from the soup. I think Ashley pointed out a chive in his glass. ETA: Anybody else weirded out that we went from Fitbits for Jelani & Jenny last week to a trip to Prague for Mike & Rochelle? I don't think the prizes are altered for blind date couples, but it is an odd leap.

Anybody else fighting the urge to make generalizations about Thailand? This would've been a nightmare leg for me. I'm not athletic, so I can't wakeboard. I'm not used to heights and zip lines (does seeing that one South Park episode count?), so that's a nightmare. And I'm not extroverted enough to get done up and dance. I would've laid in wait on Jelani & Jenny and mugged them for their Express Pass. Anybody else whoop when Harley & Jonathan got non-eliminated? I hate boy bands, and I'm not fond of most stuntcast teams, but Jonathan really wanted to be there. Who am I to poop on his dream? Also fun: Mike & Rochelle winning the leg. They're easy to pick out of the crowd for me, and they ran a good leg. Cheeseball maneuver by Matt to propose to Ashely. Great that they can stick further out of the herd, but it's a corny move. I'm guessing that Bert & Elise wet themselves when they found out about it, either through interviews or the act itself. Seeing how they finished sixth despite making mistakes, I guess they're in it for the long haul. Maybe they can get Jonathan to sing at their wedding, since he and Harley were the only ones not at the proposal. Man, shut UP, Hayley! It's not that she's wrong about stuff, but it's her voice that grates. I'm probably would be closer to snapping on her than Blair at this point. Good episode. Still can't tell most of the Racers apart, but at least there were some good scenes and nice monkey action. Also, I think this was the second straight episode with a 7-Eleven. Minimum, it's the second time in three episodes. Don't ask me why I see that. ETA: Nice that the blind dates aren't working out, in the sense that throwing stuff on the wall to see what sticks sometimes doesn't work. Bergen & Kurt handing over their Date Night to the hairstylists was a class move, and they don't have an awkward eat/sleep/mingle period between legs.

That was funny. One thing . . . what's the deal with wolf's blood? Why would the Gang have that?

I've decided that individual episode threads are a waste. Only three people post on them, myself included. This thread will cover the episodes that have aired on Toonami, and would not go over spoilers from the current (Enies Lobby) arc. With that said, it looks like we'll be leaving the current story (assault against CP9, Chopper turns himself into a reindeer monster) and going into filler for a few weeks. Here's the description for "Boss Luffy Returns! Is It a Dream or Reality? Lottery Ruckus!": Sounds like something that would beat any filler you'd get on Bleach. The following episode is titled "A Big Rice Cake Tossing Race at the Castle! Red Nose's Plot!" This suggests the coming of Buggy the Clown. This should intrigue at least one of the regulars here, since he keep seeing him in the (full) credits, and wants to know more about the clown pirate.

Maybe I'm biased because I own the "Indecision 2004" DVD and America: The Book, but I feel that the group of that era was the best team of correspondents the show ever had. And now the last of them -- Samantha Bee -- is going to do her own project. Helms, Colbert, Corrdry, Bee . . . a virtual Murderer's Row of comedy, and the guys went off to have success in their endeavors. I'll be looking forward to what Sam has in store for us.

Lana, Lana, Lana. It's like when I first watched Arrested Development, and I thought Michael was the normal one in the family. Now I know . . . he was as neurotic as the rest of the Bluths, it was just a matter of degree and covering it up. Lana makes some questionable life decisions, and she comes off as the sane one because the rest of the gang/cartel/what-have-you is much more upfront about it. Having sex with Archer? Ew. Ewwwwww. I mean, better him than Cyril, but it's still a bit gross. Speaking of Cyril . . . if it wasn't for Jerry from Rick and Morty, he'd be the most pathetic character Chris Parnell plays. At least he managed to keep all of him limbs, though. Poor Ray. He's gonna be more machine than man at this rate. It was a funny farce. Not a weak spot to be found. I daresay Christian Slater was born to play Slater. Who wouldn't go wild with a tranquilizer dart gun? And Cheryl was surprisingly lucid, yet she didn't lose her comedic edge.

I would've set up the thread beforehand, but my cable said Regular Show was running at 7:30. Lucky that I had to make sure of it. This week: weirdness occurs. Finn and Jake fall down different holes. Finn lands in the Large Kingdom (I think) and becomes the prisoner of a plus-side dude. Jake meets a travelling salesbear who fell down the hole for a long time, slowly descending by makeshift hot air balloon. Jake and 7718 (you have to look at it carved and upside down) bond, while Finn uses his wits to break an intricate clock and escape the giant. I'd elaborate, but I didn't record the episode because I thought Regular Show was running in that slot.

Anybody else see the latest episode just now? The Titans go to Starfire's home world, only to realize she's unique from the planet's borderline Klingon denizens. Oh, and she winds up marrying a multi-mouthed blob monster, while Robin slowly died of jealousy. Also, Cyborg has a pop-out tummy suitable for tickle fights, which . . . a little gross, in my opinion.

gunderda . . . now I have an image of BMP production staff getting releases signed by drug dealers.

I still hate "Bananas." I thought maybe getting left to hang by Nany would have been enough of a humiliation, but then BMP came up with "EX-ile," and he has new life. Just because his return makes the insufferable Wes fume and throw his (figurative) hat down on the ground doesn't mean it's a good thing. CT and Johnny are like apples and oranges. I acknowledge CT's bad behavior, but he seemed to want to reconcile with Adam and Diem in Rivals and BOTExes, respectively. Also, I figure CT wouldn't have to be on that BMP teat the way Johnny guzzles on it, but your mileage may vary.

Bumping up to see if anybody in the NYC area is going to the Big Apple Con on Saturday. It's a one-day show, but a lot is packed into it. I figure that I'll get sketches and browse trade paperbacks. Hopefully, the snow will be manageable by the time the event rolls around. ETA: My schedule for the next few months: Big Apple Con, East Coast Comicon next month, Special Edition NYC in June, and AnimeNEXT the week after that. And I'll probably get access to New York Comic Con while at Special Edition. ECC might be a misfire . . . it takes place on the same weekend as the MoCCA show in NYC, which I recommend for anyone who wants a taste of the indie scene. I didn't realize the conflict until it was too late.

Thought . . . if Charlie had followed up Frank instead of Dennis, he could've won the game. Frank had 195 points . . . Charlie could have just popped off five one-point answers and gotten the win. Something else for Dennis to consider on his road to eviscerating random victims down the line.

I took a look at Bill Simmons' Twitter feed. Last night, he was suggesting ESPN run a ticker for Nia going after Nany. Actual post: "BREAKING: HURRICANE NIA DRANK A MAN'S SWEAT A FEW EPISODES AGO, IS NOW HARSHLY JUDGING OTHER WOMEN. #thechallengeisour5thprofessionalsport" Then he suggested Johnny Bananas should get an ESPY nomination for Best Male Athlete, so it looks like he's still in the tank for that loser.

Decent episode. I feel they lifted the "one point answers" gag from Family Guy, but seeing Keegan-Michael Key as the frustrated host made up for it. I cringed a lot, which is probably a good thing for this show. That included Mac explaining how he and Charlie were part of the Reynolds family. Anybody else feel sorry for Dennis? I know, he's a full-bore sociopath, but seeing him in a buzzer-induced fetal position was sad. And funny.

Did anybody else expect Probst to chide the No Collars, ripping up the votes for Vince? I mean, it's probably better for Coach Lite to go too soon than too late, but it looks like another identifiable member of this season's herd is gone. He'll get a little time at the Reunion, especially if he wears feathers. Nina, Nina, Nina. You gotta have thicker skin when dealing with others who aren't like you. I'm not ready to lump Jenn and Hali as "Mean Girls," but I understood where Nina was coming from. In other news: do I suck for thinking about Nina having implants, especially because they're in her ears? It's still tough to tell these people apart. For every Dan and Max (facial hair), you have somebody who doesn't make much of an impact. Speaking of Max . .. I don't want the Survivor scholar to walk around naked. It's probably the best time to do it, since there are fewer people (four) to horrify (not counting crew members), but channeling Richard Hatch isn't a good idea. ETA: Which "No Collar" girl talked about seeing the show when she was eight? Way to make me feel old.

Isn't it fun to speculate on RW's demise? Also fun: going up to the likes of Tony, Bruno, Madison, etc., and asking how it feels to have killed the franchise.

Now we know Tony's berserk button. Who else wants a reunion situation where the audience chants "White Trash" until he loses it? Big fat "Whatever" to this episode and the season in general. I agree with laschifosavita about watching Jason and Nicole fight, because there are no winners to be had there. I think we should get our fill of her now, because she's too normal to go on a Challenge.

So . . . is anybody taking sides? With some reservations, I veer towards Jordan & Sarah. He's a meathead, and she's been beaten by the game again and again, but I sense that they're good people on some level. Wes is a guy who's too enamored of himself, Nia is a raging psycho bitch, Jay & Jenna are nobodies/scrubs in the big picture, and friggin' Johnny & Nany were already eliminated. Also, Zach is a misogynist asshole, and I'm glad he's gone. Even though she's a nutter, Nia's got a point about Johnny and Nany getting fed scrubs in the loser's bracket. I'm sick of Johnny and his shtick, and I fear he's going to luck into a sixth win. With that said, Nia should shut up forever. Those who never saw her on RW: Portland, y'all are lucky.

Wow. Some team is going to get their hashtag changed to "Engaged." Speaking of which . . . is it gross if somebody says "hashtag" out loud before saying a hashtag, as in the episode's title quote? I think it might be, but I don't use Twitter.

Bumping this thread up for BOTE II spoiler talk.

Damn . . . this show knows how to leave an audience hanging. I like Fish's new look . . . though I'm sure Jada could've rocked an eye patch if needed. Also liked how the show is willing to be lunatic, what with the head transplant and the reveal of the "Doctor's" headquarters. Also, watching Fish play both sides . . . it's almost like she's become Penguin herself. Kringle's boyfriend isn't going to stay long, right? Poor bastard. At least he's friendly to Eddie. Oswald had one shell left? Sweet. I know, the scene was stolen from The Dark Knight, but watching two seniors -- a couple, no less! -- get forced into a deathmatch is darkly comical. And it turned out Oswald didn't have a train ticket to Arizona after all. That was cold. Funny, but cold. So much for having a warm spot for mothers. Miriam is scary. Not overly so, though the starling necklace was a good indicator of crazy. BTW, anybody think starling bones were a shout-out to Arrow?