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Friday, February 27, 2009
 

American Idol - Season 8
Three Finalists Chosen


So here we are chosing three more singers to continue on. In case you didn't see my last blog I think the favorites are Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Megan Joy Corkrey. Am I right? I have no idea ...

They artists are doing "Closer". I can't help but exclaim that Adam Lambert is a HUGE DOUCHEBAG!! Allison doesn't really stand out in these groups like Megan Joy Corkrey.

Ok, let's fire this up.

Allison Iraheta is the first one called up to the stage. Ryan calls her to the side of the stage and calls out Jesse Langseth. Why did he ignore Allison? Because she should be safe ... right? Ryan then tells Jesse to step aside too and calls out Matt Breitzke. He throws the three of them to the side. Apparently only 1 of them will make it to the finals. That is what Ryan implies.
American Idol's Allison IrahetaAnd it is Allison. No shock there she was fabulous last night. I like her. She may be young but she can own the stage. She is just so frigging happy.

Ryan then calls Megan Joy Corkrey and Kris Allen out to the stage. This is bad news for Megan. Unless that is Ryan calls out another person. I'm pulling for Megan.

However Ryan does call out another person. Two people in fact. Both Jeanine Vailes and Matt Giraud. This is good news for Megan. One of these four makes the top twelve. It has to be Megan. Although Kris was close I just think Megan makes it.

Ryan tries to narrow it down by telling Jeanine that she is going home. Matt is sent home next. I like this drama because both Kris and Megan COULD make it. However one girl has already made it so that means if Megan makes it the third contestant HAS to be a male.

American Idol's Kris AllenSure enough Kris Allen makes it. This made sense with the way they lined it up tonight. It doesn't make sense because I would rather see Megan again than Kris. He wasn't that good and Megan was cuter.

Of course all the drama is sucked out now because I think Adam Lambert is going in for sure. If not by actual vote than by producers executive decisions.

Mishavonna Henson, Kai Kalama, Adam Lambert and Jasmine Murray are all called up to stage. It is interesting that only Nick Mitchell remains after this group is called up. That is actually pretty odd. I assume he doesn't make it to the finals but they want to do a special send of for him because of his uniqueness.

Not surprisingly Mishavonna Henson, Kai Kalama and Jasmine Murray are all dismissed.

Nick/Norman and Adam are left out on the stage. I would LOVE if America chose to keep the comedian Nick in for another round. Especially because it would mean the douchebag Adam would be gone. unfortunately I think the butcher douchebag Adam will be making it.

American Idol's Adam LambertNot surprisingly this horrible artist is making it through to the next round. I will be rooting for him to lose and to lose quickly. America I hate that you love douchebags.

Thursday, February 26, 2009
 

Top Chef - Season 5-
"Season Finale --- Part 2"


We are back down in New Orleans. Carla has been riding a hot streak recently, but can she keep it going? Stefan has been the favorite since the beginning and he has known it. Will his cockiness get in the way of winning? Hosea has been a roller coaster. At times he has looked like a top contender and then he has looked like he belongs solidly in the middle of the pack. He must be considered the underdog of the three.

The three chefs are greeted with a knife block after breakfast. The final challenge will be to create a three course meal. Deserts are optional. That means no one should make one! They are deathtraps on Top Chef! They will be serving 12 judges. They will be given assistant chefs.
It is runner ups from seasons past: Richard (season 4), Casey (season 3) and Marcel (season 2). Marcel has a sweet blowout and sunglasses. Looks like he is still a douchebag. This is what the knife block is for, the order in which they can pick an assistant chef.

The have two hour prep today.

Hosea is planning strong flavors. He is planning a raw fish first course, a scallop/foie gras dish for second course and a game for the third dish. Richard is an excellent chef and probably should have won his season. Hosea should leverage him.

Carla is looking for big flavors. She wants to do a version of boulebase and a beef comfort food. Casey is also a chef that probably should've won but she really screwed up her final challenge. She is also a very attractive woman, always a plus.
Casey wants to sous vide (cook in an air tight bag in warm water) the beef. Carla has never done this before. It is a risk.

The chefs are greeted by Tom and a basket of crazy ingredients. He tells them they need to include an additional appetizer from either crab, red fish or alligator.
Hosea wins the right to choose a protein and also the right to assign the other proteins. He chooses red fish for himself. He gives the crab to Carla and the alligator to Stefan.

The chefs now have 3 hours to cook their meals.

Hosea is cooking a trio of Sashimi which is followed by scallops & foie gras with pain perdu. The last dish will be venison loin with wild mushrooms. Hosea is serving his special ingredient red fish onto of a corncake.

Stefan is starting with a halibut & salmon carpaccio. His second course is squab with braised red cabbage & schupfnuden. Stefan does decide to end with a desert and will be making ice cream & chocolate mousse with vanilla syrup & lollipops. I can't believe he is doing a dessert. This almost always backfires on the chefs.
With his special ingredient appetizer he will be doing an alligator soup.

Carla is serving a seared snapper with safron aidli & crouton to start. She is following that with sous-vide new york strip steak, potato rod with merlot sauce. Like Stefan, she is serving a desert as the last course with a cheese tart with apple coins and marmalade. Casey suggest changing the tart into a blue cheese souffle. She plans on doing an asian flavored crab for her special ingredient crab.

The special ingredient appetizers


Hosea's red fish on corncake with creole remoulade appetizer is well received by the judges.
Stefan's alligator soup with celeriac and parsley is similarly well received by the judges.
Carla is serving shiso soup with blue crab and chayote thai salsa. Once again it the judges like it.

So far no one has blown it.

First Course


Stefan presents his smoked salmon & halibut carpaccio with micro greens, citrus vinaigrett & caviar.
Carla serves red snapper over saffron aioli, braised fennel and grilled clam.
Hosea has a trio of raw fish: tuna, hamachi and black bass.

The judges liked Carla's dish. Hosea's dish was lacking pop. Stefan's dish seems to have been a bit lacking. Looks like Carla's dish was a clear winner in this round.

Second Course


Stefans 2nd dish is a pan seared squab with braised cabbage, foie gra & grape jus.
Carla serves up a sous-vide strip steak with seared potato and merlot sauce.
Hosea presents a seared scallop with foie gras.

The judges immediately start complaining about the toughness of Carla's steak. Looks like Casey's suggestion might have backfired. It took away from the "soul" as one judge said.
Stefan's squab was cooked real well.
Hosea's dish is well cooked and well recieved.
Not sure who did the best between Stefan and Hosea but I know Carla probably gave back her lead from the first round.

Third Course


Carla has a disaster with her souffles. She forgot to turn down her oven. She decides she can not server them and is pretty much presenting half a dish.
Stefan is serving his ice cream, mousse, and banana lollipop.
Carla only able to serve what remains of her dish, the apple tart coin with bleu cheese and walnut crumble.
Hosea serves his venison with chestnut & celery root puree with wild mushrooms.

The judges are of course upset that Carla's dish was incomplete.
Seems like Stefan's dessert was not up to snuff.
Hosea's third dish seems like it was very good.
One judge does call out Hosea for taking an easier way out by not attempting a desert.

Judge's Table


To be honest I think this is wide open. Carla's desert bombing probably killed her chances but I'm still not sure on it. I think only Carla winning would surprise me because of the dessert problem.

Carla takes some hits from having Casey influence her a little too much with the steak and the souffle.

Hosea's 2nd dish was very complimented. He does get a little grief for not doing the dessert.

Stefan's squab was probably his best dish, if not the best dish of the night. I don't think the judges thought it was a good enough dessert to put an exclamation on the meal.

When the chefs leave Padma notes that Carla is out of the running. It is too bad. She serves a complete dessert she might be the winner. She is at least in the conversation. Stefan's dessert was pedestrian and probably hurt him. However Hosea is almost getting penalized for not doing the dessert.

The newest Top Chef - Hosea


The newest Top Chef - HoseaWell Hosea is named Top Chef over Stefan. A little surprising but Stefan's food was almost robotic. Made with precision and skill but lacking a little of "soul". I just wish one of these times we would have a finale without one of the chefs making a mistake and virtually eliminating themselves.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
 

American Idol - Season 8
Second 12 of 36


So the highest vote getting male, highest vote getting female, and the remaining highest vote getter are through to the finals. I hope that makes sense ...

American Idol's Jasmine Murray

Jasmine Murray

Jasmine, the 16 year old from Mississippi leads us of with "Love Song". I believe she has a pretty strong voice and has stood out before.
She begins singing the song and she seems kind of flat to me. Not that her singing was bad or off, just kind of bland. Her voice isn't doing much to wow me or make her stand out. In fact her voice seems almost restrained by the song itself and is struggling to break free from a seemingly simple song.
Randy thought it was pitchy and the song was too simple. Kind of like what I said. Kara thinks she is very commercial but didn't do good enough. You know you are in trouble when even Paula didn't get too excited about it. Simon was disappointed because he liked her but he has confidence for her in the future. Hey, she is only 16 so maybe Simon has a point that she is a bit before her time.

American Idol's Matt Giraud

Matt Giraud

I don't really remember Matt, the 23 year old from Michigan. He doesn't look that spectacular to me and quite honestly I think he holds very little chance in this competition. Tonight he will be singing "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay.
His voice is very wobbly. There are parts of his song where I actually think he is going to blow the song away. He never really gets there though. His voice is very shaky. Too much fluctuating on the words. Like I said I didn't expect much from him and he lived up to those low expectations.
Kara was blown away by Matt ... in Hollywood week, but not tonight. She just didn't like the song choice for him. Paula was let down by the song. Simon thought the performance was too wanna be popstar and it ruined the image he had of Matt. Randy tells him to stay away from simple songs.
Looks like the judges all loved him doing Ray Charles in Hollywood week but did not like the Coldplay song choice.

American Idol's Jeanine Vailes

Jeanine Vailes

Jeanine is a 27 year old bartender from DC. I don't really remember her either. She seems like she's kind of cute ... at times. Shes got a pretty nice body but her face is hit or miss. She is singing "This Love" by Maroon 5. She definitely likes to dress sexily.
Again it is another mismatched songs. I usually like this song a little. But she seems to suck all the fun out of the song and comes flat. Just another bad choice of song and arrangement. There were a couple of parts I liked, but just not enough.
Do they judges agree with me? Paula compliments her legs and passes it to Simon. He agrees with me that the song was inappropriate for her. He does agree with the nice legs. As does Randy, who then says poor song choice as well. Kara thinks it was so over done.

What is up with these first three contestants? They are just picking terrible songs and performing them poorly on top of it. I know they usually pack their favorites towards the back but this is poor so far. At least Nick Mitchell might be able to make us laugh a little.

American Idol's Nick Mitchell

Nick Mitchell

You may know this 27 year old from Connecticut as his alter ego, Norman Gentle. Is he going to take himself serious or will be the comedian that we have come to know?
Well right from the get go we know that there will be a comedy routine as he has the headband and glasses on. I'm not sure what song this is but it's not very good. Looks like his routine might not translate to the regular show. This is all very corny and too top it off his singing is not that good until he hits a long note at the end which again shows that he has some singing ability under the comedy.
Simon, who has been his biggest critic, prays he does not make it to the next round. He thought it was atrocious. I honestly agree with Simon. The shtick is getting a bit old. Randy found it entertaining but not good singing. Kara will at least remember him, which is something we can't say about the previous 3 singers. Paula mentions he might have Vegas in his future.

American Idol's Allison Iraheta

Allison Iraheta

Allison is a 16 year old high schooler who will be singing "Alone" by Heart. She is kind of odd. She has a weird speaking voice. Can't put my finger on it, maybe kind of surfer like. She has long red hair. She kind of has a piggish like face but also kind of cute at times.
Right from the get go of the song you know you are seeing the best performance of the night. Wow, I know this seems lame but as the song goes along I actually get chills during one of the notes. She has really picked a good song to showcase herself. She has a great stage presence and performance. I think she nailed the crap out of this song. I can't believe she is only 16, she wailed this song.
Randy says she blew it out of the box. Kara calls her great and says she has serious chops. Paula calls her by far the best so far and refreshing at how well she worked the stage. Simon says she was the best by a clear mile. He also says she was so boring pre-song with Ryan but totally transformed when she got on stage.

I think Allison's odd speaking voice is definitely a kind of Hispanic southern Californian surfer talk. She definitely is shy when she is not singing though.

American Idol's Kris Allen

Kris Allen

Kris Allen is 23 and from Arkansas. I don't remember much about this guy. That seems to be theme for tonight. He will be singing "Man in the Mirror" my Michael Jackson. I said it last week and I will say it again. Doing Michael Jackson is tricky and dangerous. Luckily I think this is a song that can translate to certain singers.
He begins the song and I will at least say that the song does seem to fit Kris. I don't think he nails but at least it was a good song choice for him. He does a good job. Better than everyone tonight, except Allison.
Kara thinks it was the wrong song for him and it doesn't show what he did in Hollywood. Paula thinks he nailed the song and it was a good choice for him. Surprisingly Simon agrees with Paula. He likes that Kris showed some confidence tonight. Good remarks from Simon. Randy like the performance tonight.

American Idol's Megan Joy Corkrey

Megan Joy Corkrey

Megan Joy Corkrey is up next. Megan is a cute 22 year old blonde from Utah. She is also a mother. She is cute but she does dress a little odd. Like in this picture it is a very old time looking outfit. I guess it is a bit more hippy than old timey. She also has a 3/4 tattoo sleeve on her right arm. That kind of takes the hippy part away for me. At least contradicts it for me. She will be singing "Put your records on" by Corinne Bailey Rae.
The song seems to be sung well. I like it. She doesn't seem like she really knows what to do with her body on stage though. I liked the song and the performance but I think it might have been missing a little something. It might not be memorable enough. It probably isn't going to be good enough to make the top 3 but it was nice.
Paula thinks it was the right song. She also finds her hip, cool and beautiful. Simon says she looks gorgeous. He thinks she became a bit shoutty. She is sitting there and smiling beautifully on stage. Randy thought it was a nice job. Kara calls her a package artist and thinks she has potential to be a break out artist.
Those are all good words from the judges but will it translate to America?

American Idol's Matt Breitzke

Matt Breitzke

Matt is a big old 28 year old welder. He doesn't exactly have an Idol look. He is singing Tonic's "If you could only see". I like this song, hope he does well.
He definitely has a decent voice on him. I'm just not sure he is, to use a phrase the judges like to use, a package singer. I would've liked to see him rock out this song a bit more. He keeps it kind of low key and never really explodes the song out. That is going to hurt him because, although a good performance, it is going to be a forgettable one.
Simon hated the song choice. He found it boring and not fitting of Matt. Randy agrees that it was a boring performance. He says it was ok but didn't have enough of an edge to it. Kara thinks the song fell flat. The song was in key but just not exciting enough agrees Paula.

American Idol's Jesse Langseth

Jesse Langseth

Jesse is a 26 year old single mother from Minnesota. She was one of the sing offs at the end of Hollywood week. She is singing "Betty Davis eyes" by Kim Carnes.
I'm finding her singing to be nasally. Not terrible but I don't really like the voice. The performance is a bit weird too. The whole thing seems off a bit to me. Can't quite explain it properly.
Randy thought it was ok but it wasn't big enough or exciting enough. Kara liked her look and liked the risks she took tonight. Paula has found her captivating even if the performance tonight wasn't perfect. Simon thinks she was forgettable. Honestly I don't think he is being insulting when he says that, I think he means it exactly as it looks. Oh well.

American Idol's Kai Kalama

Kai Kalama

Kai is a 26 year old Californian. I think he might get support because he is a good looking man. Although I think he would look better if he cut his hair shorter. He will be singing "What becomes of a broken heart" by Jimmy Ruffin which should help the women swoon. That of course will help his vote totals.
The performance is actually pretty good. He has some cheesy looks and actions in the song that I didn't like. I also think the poofed out hair with the beard makes him look very George Michael-ish.
I think Kara likes him, a bit of a crush. She thinks the song was a bit old fashioned for him. Paula thinks he has the chops and liked the performance. Simon says he has heard a lot of performances like his. Again, he is using the forgettable word again. Randy says it was a very safe performance.

American Idol's Mishavonna Henson

Mishavonna Henson

Mishavonna is an 18 year old Californian who made it to Hollywood last year. Last year she was cut in Hollywood, this year she makes it a bit further. Tonight she will be performing "Drops of Jupiter" by Train. Shes a bit weird looking.
Her performance is good. Definitely one of the better ones tonight. She takes the song and uses it to show a range in her voice. I think she did a good job transforming this song into her own song.
Paula didn't think it was a good choice but wasn't exciting enough. Randy thinks the song sums up Mishavonna it is very serious but the performance was a bit cold. He thinks she acts like a 50 year old. Younger and more fun. Randy gets the old feeling from her as well. Kara wants her to loosen up a bit. She says Mishavonna is a good singer but isn't sure where she fits in the music industry.

American Idol's Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert

I have a feeling that Adam is one of the favorites of the judges/producers. As I have said before, usually getting the closing spot on the show is an indication the producers want you to succeed. However, with all that said, this kid looks like a huge douche to me. It starts with that horrible Goo Goo Doll (Johnny Rzeznik) haircut. He'll be performing "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones tonight. I want to forward through it.
Oh man, he is dressed in all black with SEVERAL gold chains. He also treats us to several Elvis like snears. I can't express enough how much I do not like this kid. He is also butchering the song. He is chopping up the lyrics into individual words. I hated everything about this performance.
Paula is giving him a standing ovation at the end. She says he is in a league of his own. Simon thought parts were excruciatingly bad and parts were brilliant. He also says it was a love it or hate it performance. Randy loved it and thinks he is incredibly current. He warns Adam not to overdue it. Kara thinks his vocal technique is great, going from low to high.

I hate him. I think he could go very far but at the same time might not make it this week.

My American Idol Rankings

Here is how I ranked the singers tonight. Again this is how I think America will vote them. Unfortunatly this means I put Adam at the top. Ugh. I think tonight was overall underwhelming.

1. Adam Lambert
2. Allison Iraheta
3. Megan Joy Corkrey
4. Kris Allen
5. Mishavonna Henson
6. Jesse Langseth
7. Kai Kalama
8. Matt Breitzke
9. Jasmine Murray
10. Jeanine Vailes
11. Nick Mitchell
12. Matt Giraud

Monday, February 23, 2009
 

TripAdvisor can hire Nadine Velazquez?



Thursday, February 19, 2009
 

SNL: Fun with the Wii



Wednesday, February 18, 2009
 

Top Chef - Season 5-
"Season Finale --- Part 1"


So here we are in the first of a two part season finale. Stefan, Fabio, Hosea and the surprising Carla are down to New Orleans.

Emeril Lagasse is the guest chef for this challenge. The chefs are not competing. Jamie, Leah and Jeff will be competing for a chance to compete in the finals. So the three of them will be cooking with crawfish. Logic would dictate that Jeff should win this. However I have a feeling Jamie will make a soup and win. Yup, I have already written off Leah.

Jamie actually did corncakes so no soup. Leah did do a soup for interesting contrast.

The winner and chef back in the running is Jeff. What did I tell you? It is good that Top Chef corrected their mistake. However there is one more hitch. In order to continue onto the finale Jeff must win the elimination challenge, not just make it through.

Create 2 dishes and 1 cocktail for 100 people. One of the dishes must be in the creole style of cooking. 5 hours of prep and cooking. They will have 1 hour in the museum to set up. If Jeff wins, then two of the other chefs will be eliminated. As an added incentive the winner will get a new Toyota Venza.

Hosea is cooking a gumbo and pecan crusted catfish. He will be serving a pomegranate and blood orange hurricane for his cocktail.

Carla is preparing an oyster stew and a shrimp and andouille beignet. She is the lone chef making a non alcoholic drink with her cranberry spritzer.

Stefan has chosen to do a duck & rabbit gumbo and also an apple beignet. His beverage will be a black cherry and rum cocktail.

Jeff is doing a fried oyster with sausage, crawfrish pot de creme and wrapping it up with a cucumber mojito.

Fabio is cooking a sausage & rabbit maque choux with grits, crawfish & crab stew with caserecci pasta and also muffuletta bread. His cocktail will be a bell pepper martini.

Tom questions Stefan cooking a dessert (apple beignet). Stefan is very nonchalant about his desert and the challenge as a whole.

As a pleasant surprise, Gail Simmons is back! Always nice to see her.

Jeff gets nice compliments from Emeril. The judges also liked his cucumber mojito.

Stefan gets a little guff on his roue being too light in his gumbo.

Fabio's dishes were pleasant but seemed to be missing the heat as Emeril said.

Carla gets high praise from Emeril. Tom and Gail raved about it as well. She should be in good shape.

Hosea's gumbo was well received by Emeril and the crowd.

Carla wins the challenge. Sadly this means that Jeff is heading home even though he performed well enough to be in the top three. That should be good news for Fabio and Stefan who were clearly the bottom two. Hosea is the next chef to be named safe thus leaving Fabio and Stefan.

Top Chef's FabioFabio is asked to pack his knives and leave. Big break for Stefan and that will keep the pressure on Carla and Hosea. Someone is going to have to cook their ass off to win this thing.

So, my final rankings of the season. I put Stefan ahead of Hosea solely because I think this week will be a kick in the ass that will drive him in the next challenge. Carla has to be #1 because she has turned it on these past few challenges and she deserves it.

1. Carla
2. Stefan
3. Hosea

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American Idol - Season 8
3 Finalists Chosen


So tonight is a results show where they will be announcing the 3 finalists from this group. I believe there are 3 wildcard spots but I am not sure how those are handed out. Whether it is votes or the judges/producers.

If you read my post last night then You know I expecting Danny Gokey, Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace to be the three finalists. However I would not be surprised to see Casey or Stephen get in instead of one of them.

So I think the thing I love most about Idol is the group songs they always do for results shows.

Casey is definitely the hottest in this group. Ann Marie is pretty good looking too, just not as much.

Ryan pulls Casey out to the middle of the stage first. She, of course, is not in the top 3. Stephen is called out next and he too, is not moving on.

American Idol's Alexis GraceAlexis Grace is the third person to be called out. She was one that I thought would make it through.

Sure enough, she makes it into the final 12!

Ricky and Jackie are called out together. This can't be good for the two of them, especially following someone that made it into the final 12.

American Idol's Michael SarverAnoop and Michael are called out together. One of them is going to the finals. I thought Anoop would make it into the finals.

This time I am wrong as Michael Sarver somehow sneaks into the finals. Not sure how, he doesn't have that much personality on stage.

Carly Smithson and Michael Johns come out to perform. I wonder how their careers are going. I don't remember hearing about them at all. After seeing them perform, it is no surprise why I haven't.

Ann Marie Boskovich is called out to stand. I don't really expect her to make it. Brent Keith is also asked to stand, as well as Stevie Wright. As expected none of the three made it into the top 3 so none will be moving on.

American Idol's Danny GokeyIt comes down to Danny Gokey and Tatiana Del Toro. This should be a no brainer and should be Danny easily. If it is Tatiana then it is a horrible shame.

Danny makes it as I expected/hoped. Thank goodness. I think he has a very good chance of winning the whole thing. We'll have to see who makes it to the final 12 with him though.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
 

American Idol - Season 8
First 12 of 36 Compete


Jackie Tohn


American Idol's Jackie TohnJackie Tohn starts off the show.

She comes out with some too tight plastic pants and walks in with a weird shoulder shimmy. Her voice was terribly off and almost no singing was involved. Her raspy voice was just not right for the song. She picked the Elvis "A Little Less Conversation" song. I thought this was terrible. She is spastically moving around on the stage.

The judges loved it. Randy, Kara and Paula at least. Simon called her the clown of the show. I have to agree with him. It was unmemorable and that is always bad.

Ricky Braddy


American Idol's Ricky BraddyUp second is Ricky Braddy singing "A song for you" by Leon Russell. This wasn't a bad performance. Not a great song choice as it was an unfamiliar ballad to me. He sang it well. Not sure he has a great look though. He's a bit goofy looking. He does appear to be able to sing.

The ladies and Randy love him. Simon agrees with me that, while he is good, he is lacking star power. The world has plenty of good singers, some even very good to great, but not all are stars and that is the problem.

Alexis Grace


American Idol's Alexis GraceThe pink haired Alexis Grace is dirtied up as per the judges. "Never loved a man" by Aretha Franklin. DANGER! DANGER! Singing Aretha is always dangerous unless you are sure you have the voice to carry it off. Almost without a judge one of the judges will mention that to her. The song seemed a bit unmemorable to me. It wasn't bad but it didn't pop.

Randy disagreed with me, he loved it. The ladies liked her, not surprisingly. Simon loved her as well. He thinks she has soul. I'm a bit surprised by their loving of her. Simon drops the Kelly Clarkson comparison. That is high praise from the Idol Judges. I thought she was good but not a superstar.

Brent Keith


American Idol's Brent KeithWe switch over to country with Brent. He does a rendition of "Hicktown" from Jason Aldean. It was a pretty decent showing. He might have a career in the country world after Idol. Not sure he would be able to win this competition though.

Randy says he would make a very good country artist. That is kind of the kiss of death as I had just said. Kara thought he didn't take a big enough risk. Paula again mentions him as a country star in the future. That is probably the route he will have to go. Simon uses the dreadful "forgettable" word.

Holy smokes! When Brent sits down next to Ryan Seacrest he looks HUGE. I know Seacrest is a pocket sized man but he struck me as even tinier next to Brent.

Stevie Wright


American Idol's Stevie WrightStevie is 17 year old woman with a big smile. You know the show has been around for a while when a contestant says she has wanted to be on it since she was 9. Simon was really pressing the issue that she needs to sing young. So to try to sing young she goes with "You belong with me" by Taylor Swift. She starts the song with a weird voice.

I'm not quite sure she captured the youthfulness that she had hoped to. Randy did not think it was hot at all. I have to agree with him. She just didn't seem to be singing that well. Kara and Paula thought it wasn't the best song choice. She sacrificed her personality for the hope to be young. Simon just thought it was dreadful and I have to say I agree with him. It was probably the worst performance of the night. It's really between her and Jackie for the bottom.

Anoop Desai


American Idol's Anoop DesaiAnoop Dog is the 22 year old Indian guy. He sang "my perrogative" in Hollywood week. He says he just wants to sing songs that he had wanted people to perform on Idol. So tonight he is singing "Angel of Mine" by Monica.

I have to admit I already have a soft spot for Anoop. Not sure what it was. Maybe his dorky persona during the audition, I'm not sure. I think I will like him solely for the fact I can count on him for singing interesting songs each week. He does a good job with this song and I hope the judges liked it too. It is a bit more subtle and he doesn't have to do a lot of moving around or selling of the song.

Randy wasn't sure of the song choice but he likes him. Kara also wasn't sure on song choice but she likes him and things he has potential. Paula thinks he has America's backing already. Simon thought the song might have been too old or serious for Anoop. It seems the judges like him, just not this song and performance. He has likability and that should help him in the early rounds.

Casey Carlson


American Idol's Casey CarlsonCasey is a 20 year old from Minnesota. This means she has a nice little accent to her voice. I believe she has done some modeling and thus she loses a little bit of the sexy girl next door once you find out she is a professional looker. Anyways, She is singing "Every little thing she does is magic" by the Police.

She does look good. It seems they have slowed down the tempo of the song a bit for her. She keeps giving these sultry looks and snarls to the camera. Unfortunately the vocals are a bit lacking and I think it comes off as a bit karaoke to me. Randy uses the karaoke word just as I typed it. Kara agrees with me and Randy and also calls out her odd movements. Paula said her phrasing was weird and she didn't think about how she would sing it. Simon struggles to find a positive about the performance.

This was a real tough performance. She may be able to slide through on her looks alone. Best part of the performance was hearing Casey's mother speak in her great Minnesota accent afterward.

Michael Sarver


American Idol's Michael SarverMichael is the roughneck from the oil rigs. Although only 27 he does seem to have an older aura to him. Perhaps it is because he is a tough man with a real family. He is singing "I don't want to be" by Gavin DeGraw.

Michael has a weird look to him. It starts with the fact he is a bulky guy. I always expect him to belt out country ballads but, as with tonight, he goes with pop. His performance is surprisingly (to me) pretty good. He sings it decently and seems into his song. Not a bad job at all.

The judges didn't really like his performance. They don't think it was bad but it wasn't as good as they wanted out of him. Simon wasn't too negative with this and actually hopes America votes him into the next round.

Ann Marie Boskovich


American Idol's Ann Marie BoskovichAnn Marie is an attractive 22 year old woman from Nashville. She is kind of hit or miss with her looks. Sometimes she can look great, other times she can look plain. She will be singing "Natural woman" tonight.

I feel like she missed a few notes in the song but she sung it well. She also looks pretty good in her blue dress, so that might help her out and give a needed boost.

Randy and Kara didn't think she sung the song that well. Paula thought it was one of her better songs so far. Simon doesn't think she had the voice for that song. I don't care, I think she still did well and has a good shot at moving on.

Stephen Fowler


American Idol's Stephen FowlerI don't really remember this guy at all but I know he forgot his words and walked off on the last Hollywood performance. He is a 26 year old black man with a big afro. It is still a bit puzzling on why he made it through despite losing the lyrics and walking off.

Tonight he is performing "Rock with you" by Michael Jackson. It is a great song that may be hard to pull off seeing that Jackson is one of the greatest artists of all time and has quite a range. Stephen has an interesting voice and he seems to handle the song well. I can see why the judges wanted to give him another shot. He's got a good performer in him too.

The judges do not like the performance. All four did not like it. Paula mentions that the song was owned by Michael Jackson, so much like Aretha it is tough for the contestants to pull off.

Tatiana Nicole Del Toro


American Idol's Tatiana Nicole Del ToroTatiana is one of the most annoying people I have ever seen on this show. That is saying a lot with some of the gems that have been shown on Idol before. She has a horrible laugh that will haunt my dreams for years to come. I hope she is gone immediately.

She will be attempting "Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney Houston. This should seal her fate with the judges because Whitney is yet another singer that is so unique that it is near impossible for the Idols to pull off her songs.

This is not her first time performing because she works the cameras well and connects to the cameras. She is also a better singer than I think I have given her credit for. She struggled on some high notes and was shouting more than singing at some points. The dramatic ending was unpleasant though.

The judges liked what they saw. They know she didn't hit all of her notes but still think she did well.

Danny Gokey


American Idol's Danny GokeySo it looks like the producers really like Danny Gokey since they are putting him last on the show. The headliner of the show should have an advantage if they have a decent performance. Much harder to be lost in the shuffle when you are the last thing people see. They probably like his singing and his tragic background story. Danny will be singing "Hero" by Mariah Carey. Mariah is another singer that is dangerous to sing. Luckily the rules tend to go out the window if you are of the opposite sex as the singer.

Paula can be seen out of her seat after only a few of the lyrics. Now I like Danny too. I think he can go far if not win the whole thing. I'm not thrilled about how he is singing this song but he still manages to do a good job of it.

Kara is screaming at the end of the song. Randy drops a blazing hot on him. Simon brings down the praise a bit. Calls it good, not great. Simon isn't buying the Gokey hype ... not yet at least.


My new gimmick is doing lists for my shows. Luckily for me this is a show that fits well for this type of list. Only 3 people will make it through. I believe there are some wild card spots open after this as well.

This top 12 list will be a combination of who I would like to see make and who I think will make it to the top 3.

1. Danny Gokey
2. Anoop Desai
3. Alexis Grace
4. Casey Carlson
5. Stephen Fowler
6. Ricky Braddy
7. Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
8. Michael Sarver
9. Stevie Wright
10. Brent Keith
11. Jackie Tohn
12. Ann Marie Boskovich

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Friday, February 13, 2009
 

30 hornets vs 30,000 bees


Just a horrific battle scene. Absolutely brutal.

Thursday, February 12, 2009
 

Top Chef - Season 5-
"The Last Supper"


The episode starts off focusing on Leah. Ugh, she must be gone this round right? She has lasted 3-4 more rounds than she should have. They then do some focusing on Carla. Apparently Carla did some modeling ... what??

Wylie Furesne is the guest host. He is a chef who is known for his use of chemicals with the food.
The quick fire is to cook an egg dish. This isn't as simple as it sounds. Cooking eggs is not as easy as it may sound.

This is a big quick fire because the winner will get an advantage in the elimination challenge. This is the last cut in New York.

Stefan presents eggs two way. A sweet and savory egg.
Leah presents a quail egg with caviar and potato.
Carla presents her green egg which is good looking.
Hosea shows his Japanese inspired egg dish.
Fabio made sunny side up two ways.
Fabio, Hosea and Leah were the bottom. The top two were Carla, who was noted for her playfulness, and Stefan who showed his skill in the egg dish. In the end Carla takes the win. I'm telling you she is making her move at the right time in this competition.

The chefs draw knives of bigwigs in the culinary world. They have to cook that judge's "last supper" of their choosing. Carla's advantage is that she was given the chance to swap for another chef's last supper. Carla declines the option as she is excited to cook her last supper dish.

Leah is the first with her eggs benedict. It is a mix board on the judges. Some liked some liked it less.
Stefan presents his salmon, roast potatoes and spinach. The salmon was overcooked. A rare mistake by Stefan. He is going to be on the board for elimination. Wow.
Hosea's dish was shrimp scampi with tomatoes privencal (close enough spelling for me). Hosea was not an overwhelming favorite. He might be in trouble.
Fabio, who broke his pinky during this challenge, cooked a whole roasted chicken, roasted potatoes and a leafy salad. Fabio's dish was the best received so far. He will be safe from elimination.
Carla's dish was squab with peas. Just as a reminder squab is pigeon. Just throwing that out there. Carla seems to have nailed it. It is well received by the judges with only a disagreement on how the squab should be cooked. I think Carla is going to be safe. Wow, she is coming on strong.

Padma calls all of the chefs in to judges table. No need to split them up I guess as only the 5 chefs remain.

Sure enough Carla and Fabio are being talked about as the winners.
As far as the losers Stefans overcooked salmon is a key issue. Leah's undercooked eggs is her issue as well. The hollandaise sauce was a bit thin as well. Hosea's dish was dull.

The winner is announced and it is Fabio. I guess the broken finger was worth it. Carla was also announced as being safe. She is really picking up steam at the right time.

Leah is asked to pack her knives and leave. Perhaps a few challenges later than she should have.

As we come down to the final four it is really anyone's game.

I really wanted to drop Stefan down this week. I wasn't sure who to move above him, Fabio or Carla. In the end I decided he still has the best chance of winning the whole competition despite the poor salmon tonight.
1) Stefan (was 1)
2) Fabio (was 2)
3) Carla (was 5)
4) Hosea (was 3)
5) Leah (was 6)

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
 

American Idol - Season 8
Hollywood Round #4


Two action packed (hopefully) hours tonight. Can't wait. They added sing offs! Way to stress these kids out even more!

54 contests remain and 36 will make it to the finals. If I do my math correctly that means 18 people will be cut.

Each contestant has a long walk to the judges. The first to talk that walk is Anoop Desai. I liked him. He is the Indian guy who dressed a bit too uptight. I like him but his singing isn't great. He makes it and Doug is happy. I like Anoop. I also think Idol likes his ethnicity. 1 contestant in and I am no upset so far.

Von Smith is the second contestant up. I don't think I like him. He might change my mind. He made a key decision to switch up his styles the last night and it paid off.

Cody Sheldon, the amateur horror film maker, is asked to sing one more time to earn his spot. This is the first sing off. I don't like his stringy dirty hair. God that irritates me.
Alex Wagner-Trugman is the 2nd contestant in the sing off. The kicker to the sing off is that Cody and Alex had become friends. A delicious plot twist.
Judging solely on looks I prefer Alex. The judges must agree with me as they pick Alex.

I hate Adam Lambert. I hate his whole look. I will be saying negative things about him all season as he makes it into the final 36.

Taylor Vaifanua is the first woman on the chopping block. She's potentially a cute girl. I liked her day three song. Thankfully she makes it. So we know there is at least one decent looking girl.

Jasmine Murray (Sam Cassell), Arianna Afsar, Casey Carlson (cute), Megan Cokrey (cute 3/4 sleeve tattoo), Mishavonna Henson and Stevie Wright all make it into the final 36. Some decent looking girls in there. That will keep me around for a few weeks.

Joanna Pacitti looks pretty good on stage but she forgot her lyrics in most of her songs. She's had some experience with labels and in the biz. She gets a chance in season 8. I thought she might get cut just for the lyrics alone.

T.K. Hash, Chris Chatman and Reggi Beasley are the first 3 men cut.

Kendall Beard is a cute little bubbly blonde. The judges don't really like her song choices, thinking she was going to old. She makes the cut though but needs to pick songs that work on her bubbly persona.

Jenn Korbee (who made it to Hollywood with her husband) is facing a sing off with Kristin McNamara (part of that horrible threesome that Tatiana tried to switch to). The judges pick Kristin but tell her that she needs to work on her image because she is a mess. Cut to her turquoise boots.

Alexis Grace, a mother of a little girl, with her sweet pink streaked hair make it to season 8.

Scott Macintyre, the blind guy, makes the cut. This will be interesting to see how or if the blindness plays into his stay on Idol.

Lil Rounds, the first black woman to face the judges tonight, makes it.

That pretty much wraps up the first hour. Still 13 people or so to disappoint.

Felicia Barton and Ashley Hollister, Devon Baldwin get axed. First 3 girls to get sent home. Down to 10 cuts remaining.

Frankie Jordan, the stay at home mom, and Jesse Langseth are having a sing off. Frankie gets a "well that makes the decision easier" from Simon. That was not a good thing Frankie. Lucky for her Jesse gets a "horrible song" from Simon. Neither one is good looking enough for me to choose over the other. Jesse makes the cut. Simon lets Frankie know he didn't think she would've been able to win. Kind of insulting but he was honestly trying to tell her don't feel too bad because she wouldn't have made it too far. I have to agree with him. She didn't miss the opportunity of a life time.

Shera Lawrence and Derik Lavers get cut. 7 cuts to go.

Allison Iraheta, a 16 year old with dyed magenta hair. I liked her singing but she was singing Kelly Clarkson and quite frankly I think she might be a little too comparable to Clarkson and this would not help her in the long run. Anyways, she makes it to Season 8. Interesting girl to keep an eye on.

Danny (of Danny and Jamar) is on the block. They warn him to stay relevant as they slide him into season 8. Jamar is up next. I am absolutely shocked that he does not make it to season 8. I liked his "Hey There Delilah" and I thought the judges loved him. I am very shocked, first shock of the season for me.

6 cuts remaining. Is Danny going to be strong enough to go on alone?

Ricky Braddy (who?), Matt Giraud, Ju'not Joyner, Jorge Nunez and Brent Keith all make it through.

Stephen Fowler, the big black dude with a big afro, is on the block next. He is the one who forgot the lyrics on the last day. He also walked off after forgetting the lyrics. The judges still let him through. Kind of a surprise after bombing that last performance but acceptable.

Nick Mitchell (Norman) is up next. He is the big class clown. Will the humor help or hurt him? Nick says he would love to perform as his character. Apparently that is what the judges want. They allow him to be a part of season 8. He, if nothing else, will add some humor and entertainment to the show. Oh ya, he also can sing a bit too.

Jackie Tohn actually might grow on me. She does seem like she might be fun. I'm not thrilled with her bluesy nasally voice and style. I'm curious to see if like her on the show because I will be seeing her again.

Tatiana Del Toro is the most annoying person I have seen in a long long time. She is also a big boned girl. I hate her laugh too. Simon give Paula some good ribbing about Paula giving Tatiana a ring from her collection. They let Tatiana through to season 8. I guess we know who all the haters will be voting for now.

Jackie Midkiff and Nathaniel Marshall are having a sing off. You know Nathaniel as the annoyingly faggy (that's an ok word right? It's not disparaging if it is describing him right?) crying kid who is always whining and crying. I am rooting for Jackie 1000% percent because I don't want to see any more of Nathaniel. Unfortunately the judges do not take my feelings into consideration and they allow Nathaniel to join the final 36.


5 more cuts to make.

Jeanine Vailes, Kai Kalama, Anne Marie Boskovich (kind of cute) and Kris Allen make the final 36.

Matt Breitzke (a welder) and Michael Sarver (roughneck on an oil rig) are in a battle for the final spot. I am not sure where the other cuts have gone. I am especially confused as Matt and Michael both make it.

Damn editing really screws up my counts. I will save it for another post to list the top 36 and probably rank the final women based on looks. Maybe even if there is time I will list the guys by level of annoyance.

They will be performing in groups of 12 next week. The first group of 12 will be:
Casey Carlson (who I think is hot in a quirky way)
Stephen Fowler
Jackie Tohn (hit or miss)
Ricky Braddy
Anne Marie Boskovich (Potentially very hot)
Some dude named Keith?
Alexis Grace (single mom, pink streaks in her hair)
Michael Sarver (roughneck, chicks might dig it)
Stevie Wright (unsure how she looks)
Danny Goeke (I like him)
Tatiana Del Toro (I hate her)
Anoop Desai (I am amused by him)

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
 

American Idol - Season 8
Hollywood Round #3


The last episode before we narrow it down to the final 36.

This time the contestants get to perform as if they were on the show, with a band and backup singers. They also can use an instrument if they want.

I like what Adam Lambert was intending to do with his changing the way we know classic songs. He does believe by Cher and I like what he is trying to do. I like when bands cover classic songs and put there twists on it. However I am not sure he does it good enough.

This is a really weird episode to blog. Not sure how to approach it. Too many people are blasting by. Might just have to cut this one short and wait to get to the final 36.

I am pretty shocked and disappointed that Lenesha Young didn't make it. I thought, form the moment she auditioned, that she was going to make the finals.

You knew that room one was going to be good because Jamar and Danny were in it. Not to mention Jackie Tone.

The real question going into the last room was "do they let 3 rooms pass again?" or was it just the two rooms. Adding Tatiana to this room was not a good sign because she blows. So of course it came as a shock that the room made it. Ok fine, it was a shock that Tatiana made it. She is terrible and I hate her.

Tomorrow is the big day. That is when we can get down to the finals and I can begin ranking the contestants!

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Friday, February 06, 2009
 

Young kid hopped up on pain meds


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Thursday, February 05, 2009
 

Top Chef - Season 5-
"Le Bernardin"


The quickfire is a a three round fish filleting contest. !st round is 5 minutes to fillet sardines. Everyone is complaining about how hard it is to cut the small fishes. The judge said Leah (wtf?) and Fabio did the best job. Carla and Jamie did the worst.

Artic char is the 2nd fish. Well Leah gave up on this fish. Shocking. She is pretty bad but how the heck did she do well last round? Leah of course lost this round. Fabio joins Leah as a loser of that round. Hosea and Stefan have to tackle a fresh water eel, peel and fillet. An odd little quirk to this challenge is that the eels, although recently killed, are still moving quite a bit. Stefan is the winner as he apparently has had some experience skinning and filleting eels.

The chefs are taken to Le Bernadin to enjoy a nice 6 course meal. Their elimination challenge is to reproduce one of the dishes and as a group to reproduce the meal they had just eaten.

Fabio's red snapper was very good according to the judges.

Leah is panicking over her dish, the mahi mahi. The judges are not pleased with hers at all. At times it is shocking she is even still in here.

Stefan's lobster dish is well received and a very good imitation of the original dish.

Carla's dish was the escolar. She did well. Her classic french training helped her out in this french style competition.

Hosea did the monkfish dish. His cooking of the fish was not well. His sauce was close but the fish was overcooked and over spiced.

Jamie is doing the dish she liked the least, the black bass with the braised celery. She overcooked the celery and did not reproduce the dish as well.

Stefan, Fabio and Carla are the top 3 of the challenge. The winner was Stefan. Yet another win for him to put in the bank.

That means the bottom three was Jamie, Leah and Hosea. The chef that was asked to pack their knives and leave was Jamie. How does she get asked to leave and Leah gets to stay? She's been performing poorly as of late and flat out gave up on the quickfire.

The updates list:
1) Stefan (was 1)
2) Fabio (was 5)
3) Hosea (was 3)
4) Jamie (was 2)
5) Carla (was 6)
6) Leah (was 7)

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American Idol - Season 8
Hollywood Round #2


It's group night in Hollywood. 40 contestants were already sent home. The remaining people have to divide up into groups of 3 or 4.

Dude, Bikini girl is getting way too much hype. She is totally going to blame the other members, you can just tell. She won't be the only one though.

There is an annoying Tatiana girl that keeps group hopping. Jeez lady, make up your mind. Everyone is going to hate you if they don't already.

Wow, after all this hype "Bikini Girl" Katrina decides she wants to sleep in and not get up to work with the group. I wonder if she will show up at all. She wasn't there for roll call or whatever the heck it was.

Right on cue they show Katrina showing back up with her group. Does she really think people were going to wait on pins and needles for her? Who does this girl think she is?

India, Justin, Kris and Matt are "white chocolate". The do want you back. I like the way they do the song they don't just sing it they perform it. They do a sort of hip hop remixing of it. The harmonize it. They nail it and all make it through.

A montage of people screwing up the words. That is the ultimate sin, like volunteering to make dessert on Top Chef.

Jamar, Danny, Taylor and another girl decide to go a capalla. Singing without the music is tough and definitely means you need to know the heck out of the song. Luckily for them, they do know it. Just killed it.

You just know that Kara loved delivering the news to "Bikini whore" that she will not be going on any further. Lots of catty comments by the judges on the way out. Then Katrina doesn't even give Jasmine (the one who made it) a hug of congratulations. Man, some people.

75 people survived group day. When do we narrow this down? I'm getting bored of all this. I need to see the finals.

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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
 

American Idol - Season 8
Hollywood Round #1


Hollywood week! 147 contestants have made it this far.

Special guest star is none other than Barry Manilow!

Day 1 is half the contestants. They take the stage in groups of 8 in front of the judges and the remaining contestants. This is without the background bands.

I love how they separate the group into 2 lines and then call out the front or back row to leave ... or stay.

Just for the record I too found Dennis Brigham extremely annoying.

Singing in this arena makes a lot of the singers sound much different than the auditions.

Nathaniel Marshall is dressed like an ass. Turquoise T-shirt over a plaid dress shirt with a orange and blue striped tie. Add this in with two terrible lip piercings, or what ever the studs below the lip is called, than he looks like an idiot. Than he uses a sob story to explain his lame song choice. Add in tears as well. I'm totally rooting against him.

Anoop Desai is up next. He is the indian guy that Simon made fun of. He is dressed much better today. More modern and younger, he looks and sounds good.

Jasmine Murray is a strong singer. She is the one I compared to Sam Cassell.

Rose Flack is like "Hi guys its me Rose". I liked that. It plays into her dumb hippie routine. At least she is wearing shoes this time! I kind of like her better now than I did in her audition. She didn't sing that well though.

Simon says "You are all unfortunatly in the same boat, so you can stay where you are" and the proceeds to tell them they get to stay. A nice setup.

Nick Mitchell or "Norman Gentle" was the big huge comedian during auditions. He is terrible singing and way to cruise singer. Which is too bad because underneath it all he actually has a decent voice. He makes it through. I think they just like having him around a bit longer to amuse themselves through this long drawn out process.

Now we start up day 2 with the second half of the contestants. Hope they enjoyed their sight seeing!

Jackie Tohn is the bluesy girl. I think the judges might like her style but her song was terrible. They like having one of these girls in the bunch.

I might be right because they send her on to live another day.

Let me take this time to say where are all the hot chicks? Are they saving them up? Are they getting kicked off?

Danny Gokey(who recently lost his wife) and Jamar Rogers(his best friend with the weird cheek piercing) are in the same group and the judges predictably keep the pair.

"Bikini girl" Katrina Darrell thinks she is hot stuff. I hate her for the arrogance. Luckily she isn't that great of a singer. This should be the end of the road for her but I imagine they may keep her around because she is recognizable. She looks like she might be latina or pacific islander or something, I'm curious on what.

Ha, she makes it through. I'm shocked... She has no chance at making the finals though.

I'm shocked at a few of the people they show getting cut. Jessica Furney, the young caretaker who has a little Lisa Loeb thing going on, Sharon Wilbur who is a good looking woman who brought her dog to the audition, Patricia Roman who had the large joyous partying family all got sent home. A little shocked by them being sent home.

They really gloss over who makes it and who doesn't. This pisses me off. I want to see every person whether they make it or not. Ok fine, I really just want to see the hot chicks. But can you blame me?

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