S17.E02: Episode 2

[AndreaK1041]

The physics of that competition made no sense. Sometimes people would let go with both arms and not move an inch. Shenanigans.

Quiet down please, dentist. He's like Judd if Judd had been intelligible.

[Nashville]

The physics of that competition made no sense. Sometimes people would let go with both arms and not move an inch. Shenanigans.

Nothing wrong with a good thighlock, I always say.

 

Quiet down please, dentist. He's like Judd if Judd had been intelligible.

I love the fact he's not the conventional stereotype of a dentist, at least.  When I first looked at the bio page, I saw "dentist" and immediately moved on before I started dozing off.

[looksee]

I hope that dentist doesn't plan to go back to his practice. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't go to a dentist 1) who is that immature and 2) so openly stated he is only doing it for the money. I am not trusting someone like that to put a needle or drill in my mouth.

I am annoyed with this season already...

I wonder how many people he scammed to do unnecessary dental work.

[bafleyanne]

First impressions:

Jason's way of speaking is going to get old realllly fast, every comment you make does not have to sound like a hilarious one liner.

Jeff and Jackie didn't annoy me too much on TAR so hopefully it'll be the same here.

I was surprised not one snarky or mean comment about Audrey being trans, even in the DR. I'm cynically sure they are coming as soon as she makes someone mad though.

How much did they have to pay Phil to get him to involve himself with this show?

I am already annoyed by Davonne and her assumptions about everyone.

Here's hoping the girls alliance actually materializes this season. It would make for some good tv at least.

[Megan]

I was checking out his teeth. Can't help it when he's a dentist. They looked clean and straight, but they are a natural color, not bleached to Hollywood White Xtreme. That's not so surprising, since whitening your teeth is bad mmmkay? Most dentist know that.  

His teeth looked gray, unnaturally square and weird to me.

They look nothing like Shelli's aggressive teeth. Hers looked sad like Hollywood. His looked like Central Valley.

 

Little Shop of Horrors.

 

( my expertise - unnaturally straight via braces and 20 years of wearing a nightly retainer and dentist prescribed whitening trays.)

Edited June 26, 2015 by Megan

[Nashville]

A few of my first impressions (a.k.a. "How Many People Don't Fit Your Bio Impressions"):

 

Meg - expected to like her, but not really.  Too in-your-face, without a strong enough personality to pull it off.

 

Jason - good god.  Someone slipped Ian Terry some poppers and changed his name.  He could be gone last week and I'd be ok with that.

 

James - gotta say, I kinda like the Twangin' Asian.

 

Audrey - think she's got more game going on than most realize.

 

Da'Vonne - my current nominee for the "Think S/He Knows More About The Game Than S/He Really Does" award.

 

Shelli - generally positive; wish the broadcast would quit pushing the showmance crap so hard, though.

 

Clay - more positive than I expected - which isn't necessarily saying much.

 

Steve - yeah, we get it.  You're a geek.  It is absolutely NOT necessary to remind us ever 4.3 seconds.

 

That'll do for now.

[Racj82]

[snip] In general, I can't stand really loud people but I also can't stand people that feel ON all the time. Shit drives me nuts. Jason can go anytime now. Jace gets on my nerves too because he sucks up all the oxygen in the room. He constantly leading group conversations. Sit back a little man. Lastly, no way I would let that dentist anywhere near me. Stay Away!

Edited June 26, 2015 by Stinger97
Edited language skirting the line of offensive.

[Nashville]

Jace gets on my nerves too because he sucks up all the oxygen in the room. He constantly leading group conversations. Sit back a little man.

 

Jace wants to be Hayden so bad his teeth hurt - which probably makes it a good thing there's a dentist in the House.

 

News flash: Jace is NOT Hayden.  No film at 11.

[Stinger97]

Just as a reminder to folks when talking about issues of race, religion, sexuality, etc., to tread very lightly. This show has a tendency to incite heated discussion about these topics and I want to try to avoid any major forum drama. For example, there have been a number of references to Jason as being too "flamboyant." Often, this is code for "too gay," which is inappropriate and borderline offensive. Please be mindful when choosing your words. 

 

Thanks!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It is super difficult to make Julie look bad.  Congratulations, BB costumer.  You did it!  

 

The TAR takeover is aight in concept.  But, it rightly puts a bullseye on the pair who come in. 

[BeatrixK]

It doesn't surprise me too much they didn't recognize Vanessa:  90% of the time, when she plays, she wears sunglasses and a ballcap - you would have to keep up with poker to probably really recognize her away from a table.  (The SO plays a lot in WSOP tourneys:  We keep up with the game, so to speak.)

 

And I gotta wonder about Da'Vonne - I find it highly suspect she's out west, in those circles and doesn't recognize Vanessa:  She either dealt poker at someone's homegame once, or she's not remotely smarter than she clearly thinks she is.

 

Jason has already worn my last nerve.  It's Frankie 2.0 - but without the social media mogul-i-ness.

[tobysmom]

It is super difficult to make Julie look bad.  Congratulations, BB costumer.  You did it!  

 

 

Isn't that the truth?  She sure didn't look good last might.

 

and yes, Vanessa - way too tanned - I said "over-tanned" last night but "orange" is a good description too.

 

Dentist - do not like - yes, the first thing I did was look at is teeth - definitely not white.  Also, funny, that during the competition he said it was more painful than what he does to his patients; yeah, I don't think so.

 

Jason -first thing I said before anyone else did was "Pee Wee Herman" - he is trying just a little too hard.  And, it is funny that it looked he didn't move up that pole at all?  How is that possible when you have other, stronger people having a hard time?

 

I like James :)  I hope he stays in for a while.

Edited June 26, 2015 by tobysmom

[ProfCrash]

OK first mpressions.

 

Jace is annoying. He is already on my hate him, get him out list.

 

James seems cool. A bit in character but generally speaking pretty cool.

 

John, the dentist, is awful. He is whiter then I am and that takes work. He is loud and obnoxious. When the Amazing Race team was going to be brought on, and before we saw them, my husband commented that they should bring back team dentist so that the country would be safe from all three for a period of time.

 

Jason so over the top. Just a walking stereotype. I don't know if he is really comfortable with who he is as a person and ok celebrating all that he is or if he is really uncomfortable with who he is and is overcompensating. All I know is that he is exhausting to watch, I can't imagine living with him. And if you want to get out of your parents basement, find a job that pays more then a cashier at the local grocery store. You are 25, take your life into your own hands and do something. Just a whiny, over the top character. I don't believe for a second that this is who he is in his real life.

 

Vanessa seems smart but her game theory talk is going to drive me nuts. I suspect that she is someone who understands the basics but knows nothing about bargaining models, bayesian models, or how to even solve a real game theory problem never mind the fun equilibriums like the hand of god. Yes, I studies game theory. Yes I built game theoretic models. She is going to annoy me in a way that very few people will be annoyed.

 

So those are my first impressions. The rest is still background noise.

[Skittl1321]

 

Vanessa seems smart but her game theory talk is going to drive me nuts. I suspect that she is someone who understands the basics but knows nothing about bargaining models, bayesian models, or how to even solve a real game theory problem never mind the fun equilibriums like the hand of god. Yes, I studies game theory. Yes I built game theoretic models. She is going to annoy me in a way that very few people will be annoyed.

She has a degree in economics from Duke (which she completed in 2 1/2 years, girl is clearly book smart).  I doubt they let you graduate without knowing the things you've mentioned.

[ghoulina]

So now we know why there were only 6 houseguests coming in on the 2nd night. Amazing Race crossover! Blah. I love TAR, but I HATED last season and its stench of The Bachelorette, so I tuned out early. I am only vaguely familiar with Jeff and Jackie and could care less about them coming into the house. 

 

Steven is immediately my favorite - he's the total awkward, smart, underdog package that I love. 

 

Jason comes off as OTT and annoying, but once in awhile he is funny. I'm sure after a few days he'll just constantly grate, though. But, damn, if he isn't a determined little whipper-snapper! Austin's Seabiscuit comparison made my night!

 

Vanessa is interesting, and even more interesting - both the "poker people" chose to sit out the comp. But Da'Vone is slipping, she got the totally wrong read on John. 

 

Speaking of the very hungry Peta Mellark, John is apparently going to be this years DR yeller. Oh joy. 

 

Liz said "bae", so she's officially dead to me. 

 

Becky seems innocuous enough, not much to comment on her as of now. 

 

 

 

So far nobody really stands out as SUPER unlikable except possibly Jace. I really did not like his vibe last night when all the new girls were coming into the house. He'd do this thing where he'd act all interested in one girl, and then when she started to talk too much, he'd basically dismiss her and be all, "Hey, how you doin?" to the neck chick down the line. And then the Archie and Veronica comment? No. Just no. So yea, I sense a potential for a big skeeve factor from him. 

[Primetimer]

The Amazing Race host takes some small measure of revenge on Julie for Brendon and Rachel.

Read the story

[parisprincess]

John, the dentist, is awful. He is whiter then I am and that takes work. He is loud and obnoxious. When the Amazing Race team was going to be brought on, and before we saw them, my husband commented that they should bring back team dentist so that the country would be safe from all three for a period of time.

 

If Team Dentist from TAR came in, John's already grey teeth would look even worse in comparison to their sparkly over-the-top white chompers.

[BeatrixK]

I will also add, re:  Vanessa - she talks game theory in her poker interviews as well - she's surprisingly very geeky.  I'm sure she gets prompted on the poker references...because the DR loves their narrative.

 

John - he would scare the hell out of me if I were his dentist...but he probably has the most top shelf Nitrous on the planet!

[ProfCrash]

She has a degree in economics from Duke (which she completed in 2 1/2 years, girl is clearly book smart).  I doubt they let you graduate without knowing the things you've mentioned.

Ohhh new info. I didn't read the bios. She won't drive me as crazy because she will be able to discuss it in an intelligent manner. Most of the time people discussing game theory know Prisoner's Dilemma and that is it. Then I pull my hair out because there is so much more to it then that. So yeah and thank you.

[Hanahope]

It doesn't surprise me too much they didn't recognize Vanessa:  90% of the time, when she plays, she wears sunglasses and a ballcap - you would have to keep up with poker to probably really recognize her away from a table.  (The SO plays a lot in WSOP tourneys:  We keep up with the game, so to speak.)

 

And I gotta wonder about Da'Vonne - I find it highly suspect she's out west, in those circles and doesn't recognize Vanessa:  She either dealt poker at someone's homegame once, or she's not remotely smarter than she clearly thinks she is.

 

Do they hold WSOP games in Inglewood?  I presumed that since that's where Da'Vonne lives, she deals poker at Hollywood Park or one of the other local card casinos. 

 

Obviously Da'Vonne shouldn't be afraid to reveal her profession, since she clearly can't read people as well as she  and others seemed to think.  I mean, why would someone lie about being a dentist?  Its not exactly a glamorous profession and many people would think, "hey a dentist doesn't need the money, vote him out", so I can't see the upside to admitting such a thing.  I thought Vanessa's lie about being a DJ works well for her, she can pull it off, even to admitting she's met some famous people.  If Da'Vonne name drops someone, everyone's going to wonder how the heck a 2nd grade teacher met someone famous.

[BeatrixK]

Do they hold WSOP games in Inglewood?  I presumed that since that's where Da'Vonne lives, she deals poker at Hollywood Park or one of the other local card casinos. 

 

Obviously Da'Vonne shouldn't be afraid to reveal her profession, since she clearly can't read people as well as she  and others seemed to think.  I mean, why would someone lie about being a dentist?  Its not exactly a glamorous profession and many people would think, "hey a dentist doesn't need the money, vote him out", so I can't see the upside to admitting such a thing.  I thought Vanessa's lie about being a DJ works well for her, she can pull it off, even to admitting she's met some famous people.  If Da'Vonne name drops someone, everyone's going to wonder how the heck a 2nd grade teacher met someone famous.

 

But I would expect Da'Vonne to have some DR about knowing who she is.  But no cutaway to that.

 

The more I think about it...I am actually very surprised Vanessa chose to do this:  WSOP is happening now through July in Vegas.  Weird time for her to be AWOL.

 

And WSOP has a circuit at Commerce, but Vanessa is also on a lot of WPT stuff - and Vanessa-level players tend to play a lot of high stakes cash games when not doing tournies and stuff.  Again...just seems very, very off that Da'Vonne, if she were so 'poker dealery' she felt she had to hide it...that she wouldn't know who Vanessa is.

[ghoulina]

Obviously Da'Vonne shouldn't be afraid to reveal her profession, since she clearly can't read people as well as she  and others seemed to think.  I mean, why would someone lie about being a dentist?  Its not exactly a glamorous profession and many people would think, "hey a dentist doesn't need the money, vote him out", so I can't see the upside to admitting such a thing.  I thought Vanessa's lie about being a DJ works well for her, she can pull it off, even to admitting she's met some famous people.  If Da'Vonne name drops someone, everyone's going to wonder how the heck a 2nd grade teacher met someone famous.

 

Yup. Da'Vonne is really losing points with her "I can read people" schtick. John doesn't look like a dentist? How are dentists supposed to look? My only surprise was that he appears fairly young. But you're absolutely correct, there really is no advantage to lying about something like that. 

[yalcteef]

 

And WSOP has a circuit at Commerce, but Vanessa is also on a lot of WPT stuff - and Vanessa-level players tend to play a lot of high stakes cash games when not doing tournies and stuff.  Again...just seems very, very off that Da'Vonne, if she were so 'poker dealery' she felt she had to hide it...that she wouldn't know who Vanessa is.

 There is no way Da'Vonne would not know who Vanessa is. She is one of the top women poker players in the world. I smell something fishy. BTW the odds of winning st WSOP is not as good as 1 out of 14.

[Madison]

Ohhh new info. I didn't read the bios. She won't drive me as crazy because she will be able to discuss it in an intelligent manner. Most of the time people discussing game theory know Prisoner's Dilemma and that is it. Then I pull my hair out because there is so much more to it then that. So yeah and thank you.

I'm a super curious person so of course I had to look up the "Prisoner's Dilemma" but geez--I honestly can't even understand the Wikipedia entry on it. I promise I'm not an idiot; I'm just an English person. I thought for sure Wikipedia could dumb it down enough for me to grasp an idea of the concept (at least at surface level!), but ... not so much. Basically all I took out of it was the first sentence: that sometimes 2 rational people still won't cooperate even if that will ultimately work against their own self-interest. But, if it helps your impression of me at all, I swear I never attempt to discuss game theory. Maybe Vanessa can teach me something new this summer. (Also, Vanessa is much less attractive than I expected based on her interview with Jeff. HD does her face no favors.)

 

I really didn't like the second group of contestants as much as the first group. I was also kind of annoyed that they showed--verbatim --the same clips for them as they did at the end of last night's episode. I know they also showed additional footage but come on, I remember things I saw 24 hours ago.  I will never be able to like Liz now that the first thing out of her mouth was about how other girls will be "jealous" of her. That is code for "I'm still a 14 year old mean girl and I can't get along with others but I don't feel like that's my fault!" I already knew I hated John from his pre-show interview, but yep, confirmed. I really hope he doesn't last long. 

 

It was nice to see Phil last night; he's my favorite reality TV show host by far (Suck it, Probst: you're the WORST). However, I don't even remember Jeff and Jackie from last season. I'm really curious how they chose which team to transplant to Big Brother. Was there a large fan base for Jeff & Jackie that I don't know about? 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

How the hell did Jason win that challenge?  He has twigs for arms and legs and it didn't look like his harness was getting pulled at all.  Looks very much like a fix.

It could have been a mechanical problem that nobody noticed soon enough.

 

 

But [Derrick] was chosen for Team America, so he had to be pretty well-liked,

Wasn't Team America chosen very early, before anyone got to really know the contestants?

[ohaifriendo]

Yeah as a poker player/fan I immediately recognized Vanessa. She's fairly awkward (as me and most poker nerds are) but definitely incredibly intelligent.

 

Clay is certainly a handsome fella but seems dumber than a bag of rocks, with a personality to match. A few of those ladies definitely want to jump his bones.

 

Meg is annoying to the point of cringe, I hope she tones things down.

 

Jason seems like he's acting like a caricature of himself. 

 

John (dentist) is uncomfortable to watch.

 

Jackie comes off as an incredibly unpleasant person.

 

Audrey has unspoken immunity for at least the first half or so of the game, if not longer. The rest of the cast will be petrified in fear of the backlash and claims of transphobia if they put her up for eviction. 

 

I guess they brought on Jace to fill the "douche-bro" role in this season. He was also painful to watch. 

 

I'm hoping some of the flagrantly annoying traits are more jitters and trying to get their personalities out at the onset and they start to get more comfortable.

Edited June 26, 2015 by ohaifriendo

[Way Wes Jr]

Day two, again watching on CBS.com, so “notes while watching time.”

 

Liz - Why, exactly, are you worried about jealous girls?
Jason - A little over-the-top.  Okay, more than a little.
Vanessa - Shallow note: I can’t wait for the “hair-bump,” to disappear.  *
John - Brash, too high energy?
Becky - Bland start.
Steve - At least he’s self-deprecating?
Jackie - This is the show she should have been cast for in the first place.
Jeff - I thought he was dull on AR.

 

* I have a feeling the Vanessa is interested in protecting her "brand," and the bump-it is part of her visual image. That being said, if she doesn't want to be recognized in the house, there are two things she needs to do appearance-wise: lose the bump-it, and NEVER wear a ballcap&sunglasses.  How long before she goes 0/2?

 

Poor, poor, Phil for having to do this show.
Really, the two poker folk are the two to sit out the first HoH comp? 
A brute strength competition?  That doesn’t favor anyone, <cough>Jeff<cough>...  Well that could prove to be a dumb decision.  I have to wonder if all the ropes were pulling at the same strength...

The “second day” players really got the short shrift on screentime - I hope there aren’t any “America’s Choice,” type things for a couple of weeks, to even out the playing field.
A really boring episode.

 

I also seemed to notice lots of camera shots of James all by himself.

 

Part of this could be the need to stuff so much into the second episode.  But, yeah, I noticed this also, and it does seem odd.

 

Vanessa is going to be unbearable this year with the poker references and puns.

 

"Don't hate the player, hate the game."  (A phrase I detest, but it seems apropos.) But seriously, the PA's and producer's are going to keep her in the Diary Room until she gives them the material they want.  Hopefully it won't crush her soul.

 

So I thought the twin twist was supposed to be surprise for the audience to figure out as well,

but the commercial with upcoming scenes showed the two women.

 

The Twin Twist is only supposed to be revealed if they make it to week five, and the clips we saw were just from the last week.  Perhaps

that was Meg and Liz?

 The clips went by too fast for me to be sure, and I'm not going back to check.  If

Liz and her twin

are the twins, I just can't see them pulling it off - identical or not, I'm able to tell them apart from what I've seen so far.

 

But I would expect Da'Vonne to have some DR about knowing who she is.  But no cutaway to that.

 

The more I think about it...I am actually very surprised Vanessa chose to do this:  WSOP is happening now through July in Vegas.  Weird time for her to be AWOL.

 

It's possible the show is saving Da'vonne's DR, "I know who she is," for Sunday, when they'll have more time.  (Again, this episode was boring and rushed at the same time.)  As for the WSOP, I can totally see Vanessa weighing the options:  If she's eliminated pre-jury, she'll be able to compete in virtually all the important WSoP tournaments she wants to, (and shark the suckers at the cash games if she wants too,) BUT if she makes the jury phase, you'd have to like her chances of winning the whole thing.  (And with endorsement money not being what it used to be, she probably isn't missing out too much by missing the WSoP on that front either.)

[iMonrey]

Why is CBS trying to ruin Phil? First he has to suffer through the indignity of the worst gimmick the network ever came up with for The Amazing Race since the Family Edition, standing at the mat asking "blind dates" if they've found love yet every single episode. Now he's lowered himself to appear on the likes of this show. And of all the teams of all the seasons of AR, this one? Seriously? This was the worst and most unmemorable season AR ever had and I guarantee you by the time the next season starts I will not be able to recall one single team from last season.

 

So our keen-eyed Poker Dealer deduced that John is lying about being a dentist. Go back to Poker School, Poker lady. You are clearly not as shrewd as you think you are.

[Hanahope]

Perhaps that was

Meg and Liz

?  The clips went by too fast for me to be sure, and I'm not going back to check.  If

Liz and her twin

are the twins, I just can't see them pulling it off - identical or not, I'm able to tell them apart from what I've seen so far.

 

I agree that the clips went by very fast.  I had to go back twice to look and even then it was fast.  I didn't even notice it at first, one of my kids did, and made me go back on the DVR.  It looked to me like

Becky

and a twin, but I suppose it could have been

two of the female HGs that have some similar features

.

[Vixenstud]

 

Jason -first thing I said before anyone else did was "Pee Wee Herman"

LOL, I was screaming out ‘Boston Pee-wee’ as soon as he spoke…I love the gay Boston accent.

 

 

Audrey has unspoken immunity for at least the first half or so of the game, if not longer. The rest of the cast will be petrified in fear of the backlash and claims of transphobia if they put her up for eviction.

And this is what annoys me and gives me hope that someone with balls will nominate Audrey sooner.

 

STFU, Jace, damn! 

 

HD is sho ‘nuff on the gitdown not doing Vanessa any favors, her face is resembling a leather wallet.

 

John – Gotta give props to a fellow Pennsylvanian, but take the yelling down a notch.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

It looked to me like

Becky

and a twin

That would be consistent with the photo they showed us during the intros.

[Gregg247]

I would NEVER let that dentist anywhere near my teeth.  I can understand why the poker dealer didn't believe his story!

 

Jason was on my nerves before he even made it into the house.  It seems like he's working really hard to be "the gay guy" rather than just, you know, BE a gay guy (if that makes any sense).  He makes Frankie from last year seem sedate.

 

I wasn't a big fan of Jackie and Jeff from TAR last season, but I found myself really pulling for them last night.  I think they're my early favorites (along with country James).

 

I play a lot of poker, so I'm familiar with Vanessa; not a fan at all.  At least she's not wearing those ridiculous page-boy hats like she does at the tables (no one can pull off that look).  I agree with the poster above who said she looks very "orange".

[Donny Ketchum]

That TAR couple is weak. No one (besides Jason) had any idea who they were. They would have been better off just putting in two more new people.

Steve knew who they were, as well.

 

I kinda liked how Austin was standing far in the background with a "couldn't give a shit" look on his face.  He didn't even cheer with the other houseguests when Jeff and Jackie entered.

[ghoulina]

I kinda liked how Austin was standing far in the background with a "couldn't give a shit" look on his face.  He didn't even cheer with the other houseguests when Jeff and Jackie entered.

 

I appreciated that as well. Frankly, I'm over all the shrieking and hugging that goes on upon entering the house. I'd be such a let down if I was ever cast on BB; I'd just walk around in an appreciative, but calm manner. 

Edited June 26, 2015 by ghoulina

[wallysmommy]

What I actually hated about last night's episode was Julie Chen's feigned surprise at the TAR contestant announcements. So overblown and stupid sounding!

[Nashville]

Obviously Da'Vonne shouldn't be afraid to reveal her profession, since she clearly can't read people as well as she  and others seemed to think.

 

"I'm a poker dealer, so I know how to read people."

Really? 

Since when is reading people a necessity for a dealer???

[mojoween]

Jason needs to shut up for infinity. I seriously cannot with that accent. It sounds fake and more Brooklyn than Boston.

Liz also needs to shut up, but sartorially, because that romper was a giant NO.

Governeur isn't too far from where I live so as long as Steve doesn't turn into that other nerdy guy, whose name escapes me at the moment but he was just wretched, and locked himself in the HOH room because the other houseguests were making his life miserable, then I will continue to like Steve.

Every pronouncement does not need to be met with shrieks, yells and gape-mawed faces. Also, Meg, don't be rude.

[Wandering Snark]

I hope production will give them a nice whiteboard to keep track of what "twists" are currently active and what they do because it's already getting tough to keep track of and we're not even through the first week.

 

ETA: I also can't believe how grey the dentist's teeth are... you'd think he can get the best whitening avail. for cost and yet... not so much. Now, this is a dentist worthy pair of smiles, from TAR's dentist team! So white they're even a little creepy... but it's your JOB man, what the hell? No wonder you were pegged as "not a dentist".

Edited June 27, 2015 by Wandering Snark

[JediDVguy]

I thought Meg was going to be the insufferable one this season, but then Liz appeared on my television screen. Yikes. Horrid voice, narcissistic attitude, utter lack of decency (underwear as eveningwear?)... This chick is the worst. She must be cut from the same cloth as BB2 Shannon and BB12 Kristen.

After Audrey's questionable comments about James in episode 1, it was nice to see her describe him to another HG simply as "the guy with the visor" rather than something more offensive.

As much as I expected to despise Jason, I just read his CBS.com profile where he named BB5's snarky, no-nonsense Diane as one of his all-time favorite contestants, so now I have no choice but to warm up to him.

Edited June 27, 2015 by JediDVguy

[Gemma Violet]

 

Wasn't Team America chosen very early, before anyone got to really know the contestants?

 

Yes, extremely early....remember, Frankie was voted onto Team America.

[backformore]

what the HELL was that little pink romper outfit Liz was wearing?   It looked like a cross between lingerie and a toddler's sundress. 

[DAngelus]

I was incredibly horrified by the sexism on display in the Amazing Race clips Phil showed.  Jordan and Rachel both won this game; that at least takes some skills and competence, no matter what TPTB would like you to believe.  And Rachel was actually pretty successful on TAR; her and Brendon are the only team ever to race the complete race, twice, without getting Philliminated.  (Yes, the two third place finishes they got were ultimately disappointing, but there are a lot of teams who would gladly take one third-place finish, never mind two.)  Both teams won legs, and all the members involved (Jeff, Jordan, Brendon, Rachel) had highlights Phil could have shown.

 

Instead we get "Haha, Jordan can't tell Joan of Arc from Noah!  She's so stupid! Women!" and "Here's Rachel crying! She's so emotional! What a baby! Women!" and not a single positive moment of our two beloved (on the whole, I think by this point) former winners, who were after all, representing this show that we do care about and embrace, much as we carp about the details.  ("Battle of the Block"??  AGAIN?  Fuck me long.)  I wanted to kick Phil right in his Keoghans when I saw that crap.  And boo to Julie for pretending she didn't know that Jeff and Jackie were going to be Houseguests.  How fake can you get?

 

I've actually wanted a Racer or Survivor contestant to try their hand on this show forever, so I should be excited about Jeff/Jackie, but sending them in as a pair is stupid; it's an automatic target on their back.  Particularly if any of the hammies remember that Jeff/Jackie were the only successful "blind date" romance on last season's TAR.  (Well, my headcanon is still that Hayley and Blair had some awesome semi-hate-sex once they finished the race, but only Jeff and Jackie actually boinked during the season, and Jackie was the one all sniffly when they were eliminated, going "I'm gonna give him my number".  Which, it appears, he rarely calls, so haha to you.)  It's true that because the "blind date" nonsense of TAR 26 was entirely antithetical to what TAR is supposed to be about ("teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship") that Jeff and Jackie have less of a bond than any other former AR team and once they are broken up, the survivor might be able to convincingly blend in with the other hammies, but I still would have preferred a single Racer, or at least two who hadn't raced as a team.  

 

That said, I can see why Grodner might have wanted Jackie; she does seem to have Rachel's facility for being excited to play the part she's cast for.  Not that this stopped Grodner from taking multiple dumps on Rachel (although her true hatred was always clearly reserved for Brendon), but maybe Jackie will get luckier.

 

As for the new-to-RTV HGs, Jason may get tiresome soon, but at least it's cool to see a different strain of flamboyant gay represented.  (Asking TPTB to cast a non-flamboyant gay man would be wishful thinking, of course.)  Jace, OTOH, is quite clearly a tool, even if it's nice that he's a fan of the game.

 

And put me in the camp that is enjoying John for the moment, even though I know he's weird and creepy and will probably piss me off before too long.  Now if he could stop blatantly turning his head to the side to read the cue cards in the DR, that would be nice.

 

No problems with any of the girls so far, as I think Liz's "my problem will be jealous girls" intro segment is as much bs as Jessie's "I'm the prettiest and I'm a leader" segment was in BB15.  I'm sure this will change as some of them willingly give up their game to let this year's inevitable version of The Cock Squad run the house, but I'm good for now.

 

Finally, I'm betting on Clay to be the twins.  There are lots of twin athletes, and he's just too dull to be cast otherwise.  I mean, yes, pretty, but to quote the executive who didn't want Robert Redford cast in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (the part was supposed to go to Marlon Brando or Steve McQueen; a star on Newman's level, not this nobody):  "He's another blond; throw a stick at Malibu and you'll hit a dozen of them."  One Clay by himself doesn't scream necessity in the casting, but a pair of Clay-mates…

 

(The odds are that I'm way wrong, but I'd just as well get it out there to laugh at, later.)

[lilabennet]

I was incredibly horrified by the sexism on display in the Amazing Race clips Phil showed.  Jordan and Rachel both won this game; that at least takes some skills and competence, no matter what TPTB would like you to believe.  And Rachel was actually pretty successful on TAR; her and Brendon are the only team ever to race the complete race, twice, without getting Philliminated.  (Yes, the two third place finishes they got were ultimately disappointing, but there are a lot of teams who would gladly take one third-place finish, never mind two.)  Both teams won legs, and all the members involved (Jeff, Jordan, Brendon, Rachel) had highlights Phil could have shown.

 

Instead we get "Haha, Jordan can't tell Joan of Arc from Noah!  She's so stupid! Women!" and "Here's Rachel crying! She's so emotional! What a baby! Women!" and not a single positive moment of our two beloved (on the whole, I think by this point) former winners, who were after all, representing this show that we do care about and embrace, much as we carp about the details.  ("Battle of the Block"??  AGAIN?  Fuck me long.)  I wanted to kick Phil right in his Keoghans when I saw that crap.  And boo to Julie for pretending she didn't know that Jeff and Jackie were going to be Houseguests.  How fake can you get?

 

I don't think that Phil personally chose the clips that were shown.  Those clips were some of the more memorable moments from Rachel and Jordan's time on TAR; they have already been shown many times in different previews and montages, etc. And they also fit with the narrative that TPTB at CBS have created about the characters Rachel and Jordan have become on these shows.  Every word out of Phil's mouth was clearly scripted.

[SnideAsides]

I love how the Jeff and Jackie thing was explicitly played as "You keep sending us these fucking assholes, now it's your turn to suffer for once", and that Julie seemed to be in on it.

[Wandering Snark]

Well it could have been worse, we could have gotten Hayley to pierce our ears with her voice again.

 

I'd have preferred Jelani and Jenny which would have given a nice splash of diversity to what is a very white cast.

[Donny Ketchum]

Jeff & Jackie are kind of a randomly awesome (or even awesomely random) choice, IMO.  They were one of the few couples in TAR26 who actually had personalities, for one thing.  And for another thing, I actually remembered them quite well.  If they had to go with TAR26, then I'd have preferred Mike & Rochelle, personally, but Jeff & Jackie were a nice choice, too.

[Kromm]

Slimy Dentist is Slimy. I can't believe Da’Vonne actually thinks someone would lie about being a Dentist.  I mean unless she thinks he secretly another Poker Dealer. Also come on.  Did we really expect the Dealer to NOT know a fairly famous player?  Oh wait.  She didn't. FAIL!!!  

 

Jace annoys the fuck out of me.  More and more each moment he speaks.

 

The number of Nerdy Guys is real big this time.

 

Jeff and Jackie were the BEST of the Dater teams on the last TAR, so I'm glad to see them (Jeff could be a bit of a jerk, but Jackie was really adorable).  Of course they won't last here, but I'm glad to see them for even the little time we'll have them.

Jeff & Jackie are kind of a randomly awesome (or even awesomely random) choice, IMO.  They were one of the few couples in TAR26 who actually had personalities, for one thing.  And for another thing, I actually remembered them quite well.  

You do have to wonder what good a casting twist is that will be nullified totally within a few weeks at the outside, but it was going to happen with whoever they put in--and not even just because they're an obvious pair, but also because they are now considered "famous".  But yes, it was a good choice.  The only downside is that this means they're not likely to show up on TAR again as a returning team (and I actually thought they deserved that as much as anyone ever does).

Edited June 29, 2015 by Kromm

[Newbietunes]

Instead we get "Haha, Jordan can't tell Joan of Arc from Noah!  She's so stupid! Women!" and "Here's Rachel crying! She's so emotional! What a baby! Women!" and not a single positive moment of our two beloved (on the whole, I think by this point) former winners, who were after all, representing this show that we do care about and embrace, much as we carp about the details.

 

 

I appreciate the point you're making, DAngelus, but Jordan and Rachel to some degree brought that on themselves by willingly, I believe, playing those roles (Jordan: "the dumb blonde" and Rachel...whatever it was she thought she was doing, but it was always fake).

 

Just spent the afternoon watching the first three shows (and the evening catching up here).  I wasn't enthusiastic about this show at all this year and considered not watching, but I did and now I'm hooked again.  Maybe I should just stay away from the live-feed thread and I can continue to like these people (most of them anyway).  A few comments:

 

Audrey:  Reminds me of Charisma Carpenter.

John:  Like Megan above, first thing I thought of was Steve Martin huffing laughing gas in Little Shop of Horrors.

Steve:  Nothing like Ian.  Ian was full of himself and had a powerful ally from the beginning.  Steve is a lamb being led to the slaughter.

Jeff and Jackie:  Wouldn't have been my first choices from TAR, even from last season's TAR, but I guess they have to make do with people who can take a summer off work, i.e. people who aren't doctors, nurses and lawyers.  Which is another reason I don't fault Da'Vonne for thinking John wasn't really a dentist (aside from him being a total flake).

Da'Vonne and Vanessa:  Hope they go far.

Jace:  Hayden started out pretty loud and obnoxious too, streaking for example.  Can Jace tone it down and get into the game too?  I doubt it, especially with Austin egging him on.  

I'm down with the back-door plan.

Austin:  Interesting.  Let's see where it goes.

Shelli:  I see the Cheryl Hines resemblance (can't remember who said that).  Please don't be that girl who throws her game under the bus for a guy.

Liz:  Except for the "jealous girls" comment, I kind of like her.

Jason and James:  Impressed with the way they're handling the HOH.

Becky, Clay, Meg:  No opinion.  Except, of course, that Clay is very pretty.  And feeds baby raccoons, how cute is that?!

Edited June 30, 2015 by Newbietunes

[DAngelus]

Jordan and Rachel to some degree brought that on themselves by willingly, I believe, playing those roles (Jordan: "the dumb blonde" and Rachel...whatever it was she thought she was doing, but it was always fake).

 

I would disagree.  I don't Jordan ever played the "don't ask me, I'm just dumb" card.  Her very first week in the house she organized an extensive campaign to save Braden from being evicted after he was backdoored, one that depended on Casey voting to keep the man who had said disgusting racist things about his (Casey's) clique-mates, and which would require Ronnie and Michele to vote out their own clique-mate (Chima) to the detriment of their game.  She lost it and confronted both Russell and Shelly physically, she snowed Kevin into thinking she would take him to the Final 2, and she's an ace at organizing an alliance and keeping it together (telling Jeff not to call Russell a "f*ggot" because that antagonized the bisexual Michele, "babysitting" Rachel when she was devastated by Brendon's [first] eviction) as well as observing who's talking to who and sniffing out connections.  She may not care a lot about going all out in physical comps (although she spent 2 and a half hours on that log in the F3 HoH in BB11), but she worked for her game, as useful a meatshield as Jeff might have been.

 

Yes, she doesn't have a lot of book-smarts, but it's Jeff, asshole that he is, who is always mocking her for that.  When she doesn't know what the Holocaust was or what the Vatican is, she just asks about it, she doesn't go on about "Oh, I can't ever remember stuff, my brain isn't built for thinking, Jeffy" or anything like that.  The DR anecdote I remember her telling on herself involved her doing a spot-on "Noo Yawk" accent of a lady who came in the salon where Jordan worked, not any "oh, ditzy me" self-mockery.  To be honest, Rachel's done more of that than Jordan has, IMO.

 

But that's not Rachel's shtick, any more than the "crybaby crazy Rachel" that CBS wants to force on us is Rachel's plan.  Rachel's sees herself as the Fun Girl (when the HGs introduced themselves to each other in BB12, Rachel was talking about all the parties she ran in Vegas, including "the BEST party pool"), who's always a good sport.  (Laughing at Britney's imitation of her in BB12, the "nobody comes between me and my MAAAAAN" gag production foisted on her, enthusiastically wearing costumes and hosting comps.)  And then, She Fell In Love and couldn't understand why people were trying to break up her and Brendon and punish them for Being in Love.  But the idea that Hysterically Crying Rachel is a Rachel that Rachel wants us to see is something I would definitely dispute.  JMO.

[methodwriter85]

Speaking of the very hungry Peta Mellark, John is apparently going to be this years DR yeller. Oh joy. 

 

Peeta Mellark. My god, you're right! His jawline and body type is even similar to Josh Hutcherson's.

 

I just think it's hilarious that so many people seem to think he's lying about being a dentist. And then Jason, who thought he was lying about being from Scranton, PA because that's where the Office is set.