It's the night before Thanksgiving, and I'm watching Top Chef by myself this week. (Mary went home for T-Day. She'll pitch in later.)

I've been looking forward to this episode since last week's teaser. This week's episode gets an A -- some dashes of drama, entertaining guest judges, and nice twists in the challenges. Still, the least amount of drama was the winner of the Elimination Challenge. But I'll get to that later.

We start the episode with Fabio basking in the glow of success AGAIN, and Ariane moping AGAIN. Feels like Groundhog Day. And then Richard talks about the cheftestants are settling in:

The Cast According to Richard: Jeff = Don Johnson. Fabio = "The cute Italian." Leah = The flirty one with "the nice rack." Team Rainbow. (So annoying. We get it, you're gay. What else?)

He stops there. No time to stereotype the whole cast. They've gotta cook!

Quickfire Challenge

In the Top Chef kitchen, Padma greets them all with a "Happy Thanksgiving" and a guest judge in tow. Obviously they didn't film this on Thanksgiving, since they don't have time machines (or DO they?), and surely they didn't film this a whole year ago.

The guest de la semaine? Grant Achatz, chef at Chicago restaurant Alinea and a James Beard award winner. Pretty impressive. (Hey, hey, we have some hometown James Beard winners too!) Achatz also is at the forefront of molecular gastronomy. Oh no! I still have nightmares of foams and gels and such since Season 2's Marcel "I have anime hair" Vigneron.

The cheftestnts pull random numbers, which turns out to be pages in the Top Chef cookbook. Product placement! Their challenge? Put a twist on the recipe on their assigned page. Lame.

Don Johnson is cocky about his recipe, fennel-crusted porkchop. He says he can bang it out in 15 minutes. Don't be so sure, presentation boy.

But 5 minutes before he's able to plate his dish -- that's 10 minutes into the challenge, math whizzes -- Padma and Grant come in and say they've changed their minds. They want soup now!

Awesome! Well, not for the cheftestants.

The look on Long Island's (Danny's) face is priceless. Hawaii looks pissed. Fabio is even madder. Carla wears an expression that seems to say, "Yeah, I should have known it wouldn't be this easy."

Padma says they want "creative, delicious soup" using Product Placement #2, Swanson broth.

Leah decides on chilled white asparagus soup for her carpaccio, even though she HATES white asparagus. (I do too.) Carla has to reinterpret oil-poached shrimp. "I feel like I'm MacGuyver," she says. And it's all good, says Miss Hippy Trippy, with her special ingredient, love. (I love her!)

And speaking of love, Jamie LOVES soup. She says she'd be happy if she had to make soup for the rest of her life. (She did hit a home run wth her corn soup last week.)

Quickfire tasting

Stephan's green curry bisque with shrimp and scallop dumplings, a take on the scallop and shrimp burger gets points from Grant for his aromatic broth. He wins by me. I want some of that. Padma and Grant love Long Island's ham and egg soup -- "It's actually a very good compliment to the recipe," Grant says -- I think I would pass. Too heavy. But Grant definitely doesn't like Fabio's mushroom and asparagus soup. "It's a little flat," he says. Fabio says "fair enough," which is a little-known Italian phrase that roughly translates to "Flat? Really? So's your face!" (It's all in the eyes.)

In the end, Jamie's deconstructed falafel soup -- chickpea soup with crispy shallots (it sounded souper good ... get it?!) -- Leah's asparagus entry and Long Island's "rustic" soup are singled out. In the end, Leah wins immunity.

No time to dance though, because it's Elmination time! And what's the challenge?

They're cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the Foo Fighters and their entourage!

Then they cut to commercial, come back, and do a suspenseful reveal that they're ... cooking for the Foo Fighters! Bad editing there. Groundhog Day?

Two teams will cook at the arena, they have to obey the Foo Fighters' rider and must make a menu acceptable for the entourage's 18 vegetarians. The winner gets to watch the concert, the losers get to clean up.

Elimination Challenge

Since Leah won the Quickfire, she gets to pick her teammmates. She doesn't hesitate: Jamie, Hosea, The Euro Duo, Melissa and Radhika. The other team is? Whoever's left.

Cut to the arena in Rochester. Don Johnson says he's psyched, but he doesn't look it. He just looks mad. Fabio is unimpressed about rock stars. He gets straight to the point: "Where's the kitchen?" Hear, hear.

When they see that the "kitchen" is outside, with a bank of microwaves and toaster ovens, no freezers, and one burner, everyone drops a brick. 

Meanwhile, I'm jumping on the couch. Great twist!

Stefan's like it's all good, I've done catering, but Jamie's having a fit. When Stefan says he'll do two gravies, Jamie nearly shrieks, "We have one burner!" She's wearing on me. Take a chill pill.

Meanwhile, on Team Reject, Don Johnson takes charge organizing, just like he did in the last challenge. Ariana's task is turkey, but Alex is worried. On Team Hot Stuff, Fabio makes it all about Europe, saying they'll prove they're the bees' knees if they pull off this American tradition. He's wearing on me too.

At the grocery store, Don Johnson goes on again about organizing. I see where this is going. (*Cough.* Team Leader at elimination?) In other news, Team Hot Stuff is named Team Sexypants (are we in high school?) and Team Reject is named Team Cougar. Not after the animal, but after Ariana. Alex says she's a mom and hot. Herm, OK. Why didn't they just name themselves Team MILF, then?

Back at the ranch, Eugene smartly crafts a grill out of their supplies, and the groups decide on their menus. Stefan bumps heads with Jamie, Jeff worries that he's taken on too many tasks, and Ariane gripes about everyone babysitting her. Fabio frets about his tiramisu when the rain comes pouring down (did Top Chef production see a prediction for rain and throw them out there?), Daniel worries about his potatoes crisping and throws them in the microwave (Ruh roh.) and Carla says Team Reject Team Cougar is out to prove themselves. "We're the people who haven't been chosen," she says.

The Dinner

The judges and the Foo Fighters walk in, and Richard describes how it's cool to see the rock stars roll in, but especially to see "Tom 'hottie gay bear icon' Colicchio." Hilarious. I had to rewind that on my DVR and hear it again, it was so funny. Richard has a crush on Tom!

Team Cougar's dinner is tried first. Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins don't like the spoonbread stuffing with figs, cranberries and walnuts. I hear 'em. That dressing seemed too fancypants. The four-cheese mac and cheese is a hit. Dave says he's a big fan of bacon. (Dave: "Whats going on in the middle there?" "Bacon." "F-- yeah there is!" Most excellent TV.)  Chris Shiflett says he loved the smoked ham and how Eugene rigged the smoker as if he was MacGuyver. Did MacGuyver pay them for a product placement too? Taylor says the mashed potatoes are a little too al dente, which means he doesn't like them. Saw that coming a mile away.

For Team Sexypants, the standout dish is the vegan stuffing. What? Dave says the burnt marshmallows on the yams were awesome too.

On to desserts. As they're dishing out desserts, Gail calls Fabio "FAB-io." Weird. And while we're on the subject of Fabio, Padma seemed a little flirty with him as he dished out the roasted corn salad for the entrees. I also liked that Dave called out Team Sexypants for making Fabio their front man. Way to spring out the Italian, homes.

As for the edible desserts, Tom loves the tiramisu twist on pumpkin pie. Every Sexypants dessert is a thumbs up. The Cougars ... not so much. When Don Johnson mentioned that the desserts weren't warm, I heard the warning bells. The peach cobbler is meh. The vanilla cream/foam on the banana smores (a twist on the frozen chocolate-covered bananas on the Foos' rider) looks like spit. The fresh fruit salad with pumpkin mousse is disgusting, from texture to flavor combination. Taylor calls it "barfait"! Hee!

As the teams wait to hear the winner, Long Island says he's ready to win. He has his party underwear on. (TMI, dude.) Don Johnson isn't so sure. "Hopefully our proteins* will put us over the top," he says.

But no dice. Though Padma says it was close, Team Sexypants pulls out a win. They're off to party, where Jamie wears some weird braid headband and Leah gets kissed by some mystery man. Team Loser Cougar gets to clean up.

Ariana and Carla try to keep up team morale while all the men just sulk. Eugene looks like he's ready to kick somebody's butt. Richard fears that someone will throw someone under the bus.

Elimination

Back in the steamroom, Team Sexypants gloats over the concert, and Long Island gives the finger. I feel him. Team Sexypants comes in like conquering heroes when they won by a tiramisu. 

At the judging table, Don Johnson is labeled as the leader, but Richard tries to minimize that. He was more an organizer, which was valuable, he says, and all of Team Loser Cougar messed up, he says. Good job. Don Johnson -- OK, Jeff -- is simply upset that they lost. "We had a lot of heart sir," he says to Tom.

The turkey is declared perfect. The spoonbread is dry. Tom winces when Long Island tries to defend his potatoes as "al dente." When Long Island says he didn't omit the potatoes because they needed a starch, a chorus of judges name ALL the other starches they had. 

Then the judges pile on the desserts. Carla defends the cobbler. She says the crust was good, albeit too sweet with the dried cherries. Gail goes on some more about the disastrous pumpkin mousse. Grant Achatz stomps all over Richard's banana s'mores. There was no burnt sugar, there was no melted chocolate, it's a failed concept. Richard lamely defends his s'more by saying the focus was on the banana.

In the end it comes down to Long Island, for the potatoes; Jeff, for taking on too many dishes; and Richard for the poor s'mores.

And the loser is?

BUT! Before we talk about that, we have to talk about the pre-announcement drama.

In the steamroom, Long Island eats a PBJ and drops peanut butter on the floor. (How are you a chef and aren't able to construct a structurally sound PBJ?) Jamie doesn't hold back. "You're the reason flies are all over the place," she says. They have a little back and forth, and in their solo shots, Jamie admits that Long Island gets on her nerves. Long Island suggests that the close quarters are getting to Jamie or "maybe it's that time of the month." HE DID NOT! You lose five billion cool points there sir.

But back to the loser.

Boyfriend's call? Long Island. He made a pretty big gaffe with the potatoes.

My call: Richard. All the reality show signs are pointing to him.

Who packs their knives and leaves?

Richard. It's sad that in his attempt to save Jeff from the Elimination Express, he got hit himself.

He's teary eyed, but he says he's ready to go home, keep growing, keep learning. As he leaves, he hugs Jamie and tells her to "Kick ass baby girl, kick ass."

Maryann's highlights

Best moment: So many great bits in this episode, from Ariane's comeback to the delicious drama (and hints of future drama). I also loved how Team Loser Cougar stayed together at the elimination table. So good to see! But my heart holds out for Richard's description of Tom Colicchio as "Tom 'Hottie Gay Bear Icon' Colicchio."

Worst moment: When Team Loser Cougar lost. I'm a fan of underdogs.

Who to watch: Jamie. Looks like she may become the seething angry center of this reality show truffle.

(Photo courtesy of Bravo)

Posted by Maryann James at 2:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Top Chef
        

After two hours of former contestants' dances, some kind of roast that wasn't very funny, Miley Cyrus and the last performances by the finalists (three redos of dances from the season), the competition went down exactly how I predicted: Brooke Burke dominated and took the mirror ball, Warren Sapp came in second, and Lance Bass got third. What do think?

Here's the Week 3 Viennese waltz that Brooke and Derek Hough redanced tonight to clinch the title:

Posted by Carla Correa at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Nick got the birthday gift of a lifetime in the form of two dorky frat boys named Dan and Andrew during the most recent episode of The Amazing Race.

The frat boys spent money on purchasing sneakers instead of using their money for taxicabs. (At one point, the duo had to argue with their driver in order avoid paying the entire fare. Losers.)

Siblings Nick and Starr did a pretty good job during the challenges. They just picked a bad cab driver -- twice. Each time, the cab driver had no idea where he was heading, which frustrated the heck out of Starr. (She cried several times.) Nick was the calming force.

I thought Nick and Starr were heading for an exit, but the frat geeks screwed up on a military-themed challenge. Teams had the choice of dressing up in military garb and marching with soldiers or dressing up in military garb and then feeding about 75 troops. They attempted both missions. (They failed horribly at the marching.) Their struggles opened the door for the siblings. Later, the frat boys got involved in that argument about the cab fare, which allowed the siblings to place third.  

Meanwhile, Toni and Dallas did an excellent job getting through their missions. Dallas was a complete beast in a challenge that required teams to carry 50 bags of flour from a truck into a bakery. The bags were huge and looked like each weighed a ton! They were able to breeze through this leg of the competition. They took first place for the first time in the competition and were rewarded with a vacation to the Dominican Republic.

Ken and Tina quietly finished second. (I think they are Nick and Starr's biggest competition to win the entire race.)

Oh yeah, did I mention that this was a nonelimination episode? So all the stressing was for nothing. I hope that the frat boys will get the boot next week.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: The Amazing Race
        

It's the last night of dancing for votes. I can't say I'm disappointed -- this show is long and draining to watch, and I'm not sure how all you loyal fans do it. On the other hand, OK, I admit it, I voted for Lance and Lacey last week. The last reality contestant I voted for was Kelly Clarkson (Justin who?) in the first season of American Idol. But I digress.

Tonight, Brooke and Derek, Lance and Lacey, and Warren and Kym, all clad in yellow, will dance a samba and a freestyle. First, we will see their favorite dances (ballroom and Latin) again to jog the viewers' memories. I first think they are going to dance them LIVE, but no, we're seeing tape. This should kill, oh, a good half-hour. Power couple Brooke and Derek show the quickstep from early in the season. I like when the judges lean over so they can see their feet. They pick their paso doble for their Latin dance. We learn Brooke has had 12 10s and has come in first 80 percent of the time. Like I said, power couple. Couple to beat.

Lance and Lacey pick the tango to Rihanna's "Disturbia" for their ballroom dance. Their mambo is their favorite Latin dance. I'm pleased to see this one again. Lacey says Lance deserves to win because he's the most improved dancer, and he's the only one who has beaten Brooke, among other reasons.

Warren and Kym show their Viennese waltz. Warren looks better in this dance, in my opinion, than he has in recent weeks. Next, they show their paso doble, for which they wore those wild black outfits. Kym says Warren should win because he captures the essence of what the show is -- he makes people happy when he dances. He has the most second-place finishes, too. Host Tom Bergeron calls him "Captain Charisma."

And now ... the winners of the junior championship are ... sister and brother team Craig and Samantha. They do a jive for us. Why did I not see the kids dance last week? Did they dance during the recap show? Craig gives her a little kiss right between her eyes at the end of their jive. It is the cutest thing.  

Now it's time for the ... "war on the floor!" says judge Len Goodman. That war is the samba smackdown. Yikes. Everyone will be dancing to the same music. Len says the best three pairs have gotten into the final. He's so excited he's got to ... nip off? .... to the bathroom? So, Brooke and Derek will begin the aforementioned samba smackdown, then Lance and Lacey will go, and Warren and Kym will close it out.

I find the samba smackdown a bit tame and disappointing. I wish I had more reaction to the dancing, but I find it kind of uninteresting. The best part is the group spin at the end, when they join arms, forming a circle. The girls jump off the ground and split their legs. Len starts with giving a shout-out to the band and singers. He thought all of the couples danced the samba better than when they danced it earlier in the season. He says Warren had more content, but he's still concerned about his feet. But at least he wasn't just gyrating while Kym did all the work, he says. Yes, those were pretty much his words. Len said Lance had great energy and great movements, but that he just needs to work on the finesse. He says Brooke is still the one to beat, that she's the sensation. Bruno says Brooke is "dazzling" and "sexy," and that everyone would like to "drive that model." Ew! Bruno says Lance was tight and clean, and that his confidence shows. He says Warren is irresistible. The technique is not great, but we love to watch you, he says. Carrie Ann addresses Lance first. She says "something is happening here" because he keeps getting better. He's still looking up too much, though. She says Warren is the most improved, even though he's a bit weaker technically. She says Brooke brings the technical nuances to each dance, but that in the samba she and Derek were just a hair ambitious. The lines got a little awkward at times. Scores: B&D get a 28. L&L get a 26. W&K get a 25.

Freestyle time. Brooke and Derek are up first. They dance to "You're the One That I Want" from Grease. It's just OK for me. Naturally, the judges will love it. They do a costume change on the judges' table. Bruno says Brooke is the one that we all want! He likes the lifts and says she was in positions he has only seen in the Kama Sutra. "One of the best freestyles I've ever seen!" he says. (See, told you there would be some judge love.) Carrie Ann says she loves their integrity. She says they "brought it." Len agrees that it was the best freestyle he's ever seen. Woah. From Len, that's saying a lot. Score: 30 (58/60 total)

Lance and Lacey come out with Lancey shirts. Interesting. They do a hip-hop routine to "Tricky," which I just don't think will go over well with most viewers. But, like most of their dances, this one has a lot of personality. Carrie Ann says she loved the beginning and the end, but there was one section (the cha cha cha in the middle) that threw it off. Len, however, liked the little bit of ballroom in there. Bruno calls it youthful, vibrant and exciting. He likes the smart, witty choices. Score: 27 (53/60)

Warren and Kym dance to "Proud Mary." Of course, they have some fabulous lifts, with Warren being so strong. And they have a really fun costume change. My opinion? His feet aren't good enough to win this competition. Len says that each season someone comes along and is a star. As an entertainer, Warren has no one that touches him, he says. Bruno says, "Lean back and enjoy the ride." Carrie Ann says that it was her favorite routine ... but, she says, they made mistakes. Score: 28 (Len gives them a 10!) (53/60)

So, here's how I call it. First place, Brooke and Derek. Second place, Warren and Kym. Third place, Lance and Lacey. What do you think? 

Posted by Carla Correa at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

I thought you might want to read this if you wanted to know a little more about Top Model's most recent winner, Brittany "McKey" Sullivan.

I read it because I really didn't get a sense of McKey as an individual on the show. She's probably one of the least personable Top Model winners in the history of the show. I'm not saying I don't like her. (She was the best model of the final three contestants.) She just didn't have the fire of Eva or the "oh, my gosh, I can't believe she just won" factor of Whitney.

Interesting notes: McKey says that she loves her new name; she feels that she was closest to Isis on the show; and she's currently closest with Sheena.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Check out Sun food critic Elizabeth Large's popular Dining @ Large blog, where Richard Gorelick got the scoop from eliminated contestant Jill Snyder.

My favorite comment?

Q: What's next for you? A: I'm going to buy an ostrich farm.

Posted by Carla Correa at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Top Chef
        

As I predicted, McKey won America's Next Top Model last night. She was simply the best.

Samantha was in second place; Analeigh, who struggled during a Covergirl commercial placed third. I'll have a more detailed recap later today.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Maryann here, recapping for you live(ish) from Mary's couch. (And Mary here, in italics.) This week, we had a chance to watch the show together. Not a lot of drama from the cheftestants, but plenty of eye-rolling and scoffing from us. 

It's the morning of the second challenge. Ariane reflects with Carla on her dismal by-the-skin-of-her-teeth performance and caps it off with a bad food shot. Reality show editing is so cruel.

Meanwhile, Stefan and Fabio bathe in the gloriousness of the Euro Duo as Stefan remarks that Fabio is his biggest competition. I'll admit they're both good, but I will be actively cheering against them this season. Sure, Europe has some freaking cool food stuff going on right now, but c'mon. Team America is where it's at.

Plus, Fabio is like a caricature of himself. Ooh, that's so post-modern.

But I digress. On to the challenges.

Padma introduces this week's judge, Donatella Arpaia. I can't say I've heard of her, but it doesn't matter; Padma and our gushing contestant of the week help us out. She's owner of restaurants davidburke & donatella, Anthos and Mia Dona, and, according to Zagat, she's the "hostest with the mostest."

She also apparently is selling sauces made from San Marzano tomatoes. How creative.

One of my favorite parts of "Top Chef" is when they cut to the contestants, scuse me, cheftestants, to talk about the Judge du Jour. These guys are prepped, I swear -- the always just happen to love the chef who's judging that week. It could be Chef Boyardee and they would be like, "He's an innovator pushing the line in canned foods."

Thank you for getting the cheftestant part right. "His spaghetti-O's reinvented the wheel -- into a noodle."

The Quickfire Challenge, Padma says, is based off a food that New Yorkers love so much. Mary yelled out 5 billion foods -- bagels, pizza, lox, tricycles -- but the mystery food was revealed to be ... roll out the cart ... hot dogs.

Maryann had a good guess with cheesecake.

Hot Dogs!!

They have to compete with a hot dog made by wee Angelina, a hot dog stand proprietor from Queens. We assume she's popular; we know she's adorable and comes in wheeling a giant hot dog vendor cart, which adds to the humor/surprise level. (Side note: If you're looking for a unique Christmas gift for someone special, look no further than this puppy. Side-side note: It's not really a puppy. Click the link.)

Fabio doesn't know how to make a hot dog and opts for a panini (New Yorkers don't eat panini!), Ariane does what she does best and complains about not making sausage since '89, and Long Island Daniel goes Sinatra and says he's gonna make a dog "my way."

Baltimorean Jill of Red Maple fame decides not to make a sausage because she wants to be a smart on her time. But her dish -- a spring roll with hot dogs, soy sauce and chili sauce -- is a dud. It looks unappetizing, and Donatella calls it one of the worst ones. Everyone else made their own dogs, she says, and even with her pre-made hot dog, "you didn't do anything with it."

I want to know where they got the ingredients for this quickfire -- and what scheming crew member bought already-made hot dogs to tempt the slacking contestants. You, madam, good thinking!

Stefan is also on the low list with his "world dog," which is a surprise to me. It looked good (even though it looked like another panini), with its cheddar, horseradish, Irish tartar sauce and French bread. Actually, scratch that. Now that I write that out, I've gotta agree with the unpelasant look on Donatella's face.

Don't forget he poured a German beer to go with it, as if getting the judges drunk will help. The problem with the hot dog, panini-style, is the meat has nowhere to go. It was shoved to one side of a long french bread roll. 

In the yay pile are Fabio; Hosea, with his hot dog with bacon and roasted red pepper; and the ultimate winner, Radhika. The judges love that she embraced the Indian theme -- kabob-style dog -- but I don't. I thought she said in the first episode that she wanted to show she didn't do just Indian? Haven't seen that yet. She's too drunk on the joy of victory to think about that.

The Elimination Challenge.  The cheftestants have to serve a three-course "New American" lunch menu. And, oh yeah ... it's in Tom Colicchio's flagship restaurant, Craft. And, oh yeah, Tom's running service in the kitchen. And, OH YEAH -- the diners are all the Top Chef rejects! The cheftestants won't need seasoning in their food; the diners will be salty enough.

Jeff organizes everyone into three groups -- five each of appetizers, main courses and desserts -- just like he's a school marm and they're in kindergarten. (I thought he showed a lot of leadership there -- as well as some major cockiness. I'm torn.) They head to Whole Foods and mow down the soccer moms. Hosea looks for Dungeness crab to make a tried and true appetizer, but settles for tinned crab when he can't find it. Fabio settles on beef carpaccio: "light, refreshing, perfect."

Jill gets all starry-eyed when she finds Ostrich egg -- how does this store have Ostrich eggs but only one source for crab? -- and decides to make quiche. When back in the kitchen, she reflects on her priorities in the Quickfire. Meanwhile, Jamie's voiceover cuts into Jill's zone of wonder, and she says: "There's a difference between "playing it safe and playing it ridiculous ... and I think that one is playing it ridiculous."

That giant egg looks so incredibly unappetizing, and Fabio comes over to help Jill figure out how to open it. (Stab it with a knife. Done.) Jill's in over her head again, and is also literally shaking the ostrich egg above her head, Fabio says. It's hard to watch.

Ariane settles on a lemon meringue while doing what she does best: complain about what she doesn't do. List so far of things Ariane doesn't do: 1. Middle Eastern food. 2. Homemade hot dogs. 3. Desserts. I think I'll throw a party if she ends up doing something she knows.

Back at the house, Eugene seems to emerge as the "I'm not here to make friends" guy. (There's always one!) Well, at least according to Mary. I'm not so sure, but his line about the Euro Twins is deliciously snarky: "The flight from Europe was pretty long. I'm sure the flight back is even longer."

He also says he's not out to win this for himself, but also for his family. His backstory could get more interesting, soon. And don't forget the serious flirting between Hosea and Leah!

Day Two. Carla, wearing some questionable windbreaker pants, remarks on having to cook in Craft's kitchen, just as they'd gotten used to the competition kitchen. "The challenge is about not getting your footing," she said. Word.

In the Craft kitchen, Jamie thins her cold corn soup, and Fabio sorta bad-mouths Jamie's dish as he works on his special olives that are solid on the outside, liquid on the inside. "It's a new technique," he says. Sounds cool, but I don't know if I'd wanna eat 'em.

Over on Team Entree, Jill worries about about her time. She says her quiche will take 45 minutes in the oven, and she looks like she's arranging asparagus and greens into little quiche cups -- only to pour a GIANT OSTRICH EGG over them. Ugh.

On the dessert line, Carla frets over her apple pastry while Richard engages in a little bit of sabotage. When Ariane asks his opinion about her lemon meringue martini, he admits to the TV that it's too sweet but tells her it tastes fine. But everyone else on Team Dessert ruins his half-baked plan and tells Ariane it's too sweet.

After the critique, what does Ariane do? She lets it stay as is. Ariane, honey, you are not going to last long.

She is driving me bonkers. She has no palate! No confidence! No ideas! No cojones! And this is what makes good reality TV.

I'd go over the Top Chef rejects, but all I heard was blah, blah, blah, bitter. So on to the tasting.

I noted a few choice comments: "I would have done this differently." "Mine would have been better." "I would have done this differently." "Mine would have been better." OK, covered.

The appetizers.  Jamie's chilled sweet corn soup with chili oil and mint is the first to come out. Padma loves the bejeesus out of that mint. Hosea's cold crab with citrus vanilla dressing doesn't go off quite so well. Gail complains of a "slimy feeling" that "really turns me off." The crab's tinny taste doesn't bode well for him either.

Padma says Leah's Yukon potatoes with seared scallops is "very 80s'" (I don't know what that MEANS! It reminds her of shoulderpads and slouchy socks?) but Fabio's carpaccio is a big hit. The olive's insides are like an egg yolk! They're beautiful! "It's the perfect lunch dish!" Donatella proclaims. Melissa's grilled avacados get a chilly reception from the peanut gallery. (Along with everything else?)

I think it was Leah's presentation -- sort of disassembled in teeny bites all over the plate. This is something the cheftestants do a lot -- choose their dish, realize nothing matches, and spread the items far apart hoping the judges won't notice.

The entrees. Gail proclaims that Jill's Ostrich egg quiche with pecans tastes like glue. The other judges agree. (Mary's bf: "How does she know what glue tastes like?" Hee. Indeed.) The only real problem found in Eugene's open-faced meatloaf sandwich was bad presentation. (I thought it didn't look bad!) (I agree, and I don't eat meatloaf, being of the firm belief that meat should not come in ball or loaf format. Open-faced sandwich format, yes.) Stefan's pan-seared halibut with tortellini looks absolutely wonderful. The judges seemed to like Jeff's southwestern chicken and chorizo, but I thought it was boring, just like Alex's pork tenderloin with fresh veggies, which the judges hated.

The desserts.  Radhika's citrus avocado mousse with wontons and chocolate milk with kahlua looked pretty, but seemed icky. Well, the avocado mousse -- what were you thinking? The judges agree that she took a (bad) chance because she had immunity after the quickfire. Long Island Daniel's pound cake with raspberry coulis seemed boring to me, too, but the judges loved it.

It was ricotta pound cake. Does that make it better, Maryann?

And now we must have a moment for Ariane's lemon meringue martini with a cherry surprise at the bottom. It's a disaster. Padma almost throws up, spitting her spoonful out into her napkin!

After Ariane, it's a cake walk (get it? ha!). Richard's banana bread sandwich with bruleed bananas is a trip back to childhood for the judges, and Carla's apple tart is a home run for Padma. Despite the presentation problem with the slice of cheese (just sitting to the side, sweating like at a deli counter, Donatella says), she can't stop raving about it.

But Tom is not impressed. At all. He says the cheftestants served up "clunky regional American," bringing back New American 20 years. What IS "New American" anyway?

The question of the night! I think a trip to Craft is in order, for research purposes, of course.

The judging table. I love this season's new practice of bringing out the winners and losers at the same time. Yes, it's cruel, but it plays up the drama. It's so delicious!

The top three are Carla, Fabio and Jamie. The bottom three are Hosea, Ariane and Jill. No surprises here, though there's a little bit of a mix-up as Fabio defends his dish passionately, then says he doesn't know why he's out there. The judges reassure him that he's in the winning portion, and he makes some elaborate hand gestures, as usual.

The judges loved Jamie's corn soup -- Gail says it tasted like "pure, fresh corn" and Jamie says she wanted to "celebrate the season," which just makes me think of cornucopias for some reason. 

Carla's tart is praised again, and Tom even was OK with the slab o'cheese on the side. 

We soon learn the winner is Fabio, and he says that he surprised all the judges. He also ups the level of competition with Stefan and says they're now tied. Does Stefan feel the same way?

On the losers' side, the defenses of the dishes are weak as heck. Hosea stands behind his (who doesn't?) and doesn't acknowledge the bad decision of buying the tinned crab meat. 

Ariane, shock of all shockers, offers up some poor reasons why her meringue was too sweet, including the one she gave last week about how you "taste and taste" and then you can't taste anymore. She needs taste bud transplant surgery.

Jill has the worst defense I've ever seen, and Gail points that out once the three leave before the final decisions. She can't explain why she used the ostrich egg, other than that it basically was unique, and spends her time flubbing reasons why she chose it, until Tom points out the egg wasn't the problem -- everything else was. Ouch.

So it's no surprise when they come back in, and Baltimore's own Jill is the loser. Anyone want to go to Red Maple anytime soon? Jill says she needs to take some time to figure out which part of cooking she's best at. (I am refraining from making comments.)

One final note: We pretty much end the show with Ariane crying into Carla's shoulder, saying, "I don't deserve it." Carla gives her a hippy-dippy reply about the universe and that everything is deserved (what?), and Maryann and I have officially thrown up our hands with her.

Maryann's highlights

Best moment: It's a tie. Evil Maryann: Padma's spit-take with Ariane's dessert. Good Maryann: Carla's moment comforting Ariane post-judging table, saying, "There are no mistakes in the universe."

Worst moment: I'm starting a tradition by naming a person: Jill. From the awful-looking spring rolls to her uninspiring quiche to her lackluster defense of her dish at the judging table, Jill just slowly dug her grave. "Lamest defense of a dish" indeed. Like an optimistic parent, I'm not mad, just disappointed. I still say Ariane should have gone home first.

Who to watch: Hosea and Leah seemed a bit too huggy at the end of the episode. Something's brewing there.

Mary's highlights

Best moment: When the hot dog cart came rolling out. I love it.

Worst moment: The ostrich egg breaking up. I wanted to vomit.

Who to watch: The Foo Fighters! They're next week's guests, and the chefs have to cook them a Thanksgiving dinner. The cutaway is of Dave Grohl making a hilariously puzzled face after he takes a bite. This is gonna be good.

(Photo is courtesy of Bravo)

Posted by Maryann James at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Top Chef
        

I know what I'll be watching at 8 p.m. tonight!

After months of catwalking and cattiness, it's time to crown a Top Model. For me, the choice is simple. McKey should win the competition because she's been the strongest model of the bunch, beginning to end.

Yes, Analeigh is very pretty. Yes, Samantha is spunky, and she takes great photos. But McKey has been consistently good. I can't remember the last time she was in the bottom two. (I'm pretty sure she hasn't.) She has also been very good at staying out of drama among the other contestants. (That's probably a Top Model first.)

McKey will place first. Analeigh will place second. Samantha will place third.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Tonight during Dancing with the Stars, I felt like I was watching American Idol. The show was jam-packed with singers; Aretha Franklin and John Legend performed. Also singing was Julianne Hough, and I have to say, I was impressed. She has got a great set of pipes. I should also mention that amid all this singing and dancing, Kristi Yamaguchi, last year's winner and dancing queen, performed with former partner Mark Ballas.

After about 55 or so minutes, many of which bored me to tears (pleeeeease ABC, a shorter results show next season?), the hosts finally announced the results. Lance and Lacey and Brooke and Derek were proclaimed safe first (no surprise there!), and then Julianne and Cody were sent home (again, no surprise there!). That means Warren and Kym are the final couple in the finale. 

I somehow missed the cute ballroom-dancing kids. Darn.

Here's hoping that next week's results show is a bit more thrilling. Perhaps Cloris Leachman will be back? I'll return with a recap of next week's dancing Monday. (By the way, I'm a DWTS newbie ... what are these "freestyle" dances that the couples are working on?) Till then, I'll leave you with my favorite dance of this season.

Posted by Carla Correa at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Mary Delgado (right), the contestant who accepted a television proposal from Byron Velvick on the sixth season of The Bachelor, has been released from jail after she was arrested in Del Rio, Texas, late Saturday for unruly behavior in a bar, according to the Associated Press and several other news outlets.

Delgado, 41, was charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication and resisting arrest, AP reported. She was released about an hour later.

The former NFL cheerleader was arrested last year on a charge that she struck Velvick in the mouth. (Yes, she hit her Bachelor fiance in the mouth.) Those charges were dropped.

TMZ reported that Velvick posted Delgado's bond for her most recent arrest (at least they're still together ...).

(Photo: Val Verde County, Texas, Sheriff's Office)

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bachelor/Bachelorette
        

I swear I'm not a fortune teller, but some of my least favorite teams are being eliminated from The Amazing Race.

Sunday, the mistake-prone daters Terence and Sarah bit the dust while in Kazakhstan. They were just edged out by frat boys Andrew and Dan. The couple's problems started earlier in the episode when they tried to go head to head with siblings Nick and Starr. The two stomped Terence and Sarah during an eating contest. Terence, a vegetarian, struggled to eat meat, while Nick and Starr got a clean plate award, which led to them winning this leg of the race. (That's four in a row, folks. They were rewarded with a pair of wave runners.)

Before they finished the race, they had a showdown with Terence and Sarah at the Fast Forward, which allowed the the winning team to sprint ahead to the pit stop. The losing team essentially had to start from the beginning of the leg. This Fast Forward required the teams to consume a traditional Kazakh feast consisting of fat from the butt of a sheep. (Can you see why Terrence struggled so much?)

Anyway, the siblings won, and Terence and Sarah struggled to catch up with the rest of the pack for the rest of the episode. Terence and Sarah took a gamble, which was a mistake. The mistake cost them the competition. See ya!

Oh yeah, Starr and Dallas were flirting up a storm -- again! When are these two finally going to act on all this flirting? Enough already! Someone needs to make a move ...

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: The Amazing Race
        

Dancing with the Stars semifinals time! There will be two rounds of dancing. In the first round, each couple will perform the last dance style they haven't attempted. Then, in Round 2, they must choose one of the new styles (West Coast swing, jitterbug, salsa or hustle).

Brooke and Derek are up first with a jive. It's really fun but ... messy? Could this be? There are some cute moves, but Brooke's feet and legs don't look so great. In fact, toward the end, i feel like she looks completely lost at times. They were hoping to wow everyone, but this didn't do it. Len Goodman says it was disaster. Bruno Tonioli says "the technique went down the toilet." He's in total shock. Carrie Ann Inaba says everyone has a bad dance, but she's disappointed that they went for blatant illegal lifts (really?). Score: 21 (That's their lowest score in the competition.)

Next are Cody and Julianne with a paso doble. It's nice to have Julianne back; Edyta is so boring. They're dressed in Army-themed outfits. I am not sure Cody pulls off the whole strong man thing, and he still looks too stiff. Awkward Jacket Move No. 1 of the night entails Cody pulling on an Army coat a little more than halfway through the dance. Bruno says that was "different." He says the timing was poor and it wasn't good enough. Carrie Ann says "10" for determination, but that, at this point, she shouldn't see so much tension. Len says it wasn't good. "I saw a few elements of paso doble," he says. "But it was just stiff and wooden. It lacked dance quality." Uh-oh. Score: 22

Warren and Kym perform a mambo, which they start in the audience. Warren is just so fun to watch, even if his dances are simple. I'm not a fan of Awkward Jacket Move No. 2 (Warren whips off his jacket). Carrie Ann says he knows how to bring the house down, but that needs to up his game "a hair." She wants more content in the dance. Len says Warren goes with what he knows. Bruno says it was flat-footed but very engaging. "You get away with murder!" he says. Score: 24 (Anyone understand what Warren said after getting his score?)

Let's see if Lance and Lacey can make the judges happy. They do the mambo. And, wow, I adore this dance. They are both such performers. It has plenty of personal touches, yet they still do the steps. I think Lacey does a good job (well, a better job) of showcasing Lance here. Len says he's been tough on Lance, but  .... he thinks it's the best dance so far! Bruno says, "This is semifinal material." Carrie Ann says it was a show stopper. Score: 28

After Round 1, L&L are on top, and Brooke & Derek are on the bottom.

B&D start Round 2. But before they dance the salsa, we see two Latin ballroom stars do one. They are fabulous. But, once Brooke takes the floor, it looks like she is bringing her A game. Her feet look great, and she has great musicality. Latin dances really suit her. There are great comments all around. "Brooke is back!" Bruno says. Carrie Ann says the lifts and moves suited the number. Len tells her to work to her strengths (basically, her crisp technique). Score: 28

Cody and Julianne are next with a salsa. Cody is still way too stiff, but I can see him trying to work through it. The number is just OK for me. He is also making weird faces. Carrie Ann says it was a lot of fun, but his musicality is lacking. Len, however, thought that the musicality was quite good. He compliments his strong lifts. Bruno says something crazy about strangling and calls him a "cheeky devil," then he says Cody just needs to work on the little technical details. Score: 24

Two pros now do the jitterbug. Holy moly, they are great. I wouldn't want to dance after them. But Warren and Kym must. And how great is her roulette skirt?  Unfortunately, I think the costumes, music and gimmicks (Warren deals cards to the judges at the beginning) are more eye-catching than the dance steps. Len says the audience loves to watch them perform, and they sold it. "Well done!" he says. Bruno says it was all over the place. Carrie Ann thought it was great. She said his feet were working a mile a minute. I guess they brought their game (ha!), but I agree with Bruno on this one! Score: 25

(Side note: A commericial tells us that Jason will be the next bachelor. I totally called that!) 

Last are Lance and Lacey with their jitterbug. They have a Navy theme (apparently, there's a military thing going). Almost immediately, Lance looses his shoe. Was he kicking too hard? He keeps on dancing though! It's another good, fun number. Bruno says, "Shoes off or shoes on, that was brilliant!" He says it was a real joy. Carrie Ann agrees and tells Grandpa Bass (who's in the crowd) that he should be proud. She says it was magic. Len says he'll salute Lance because he danced two fabulous dances. Score: 29

So, after Round 2, Lance and Lacey are at the top with 57/60. Tied in second are Brooke and Derek and Warren and Kym with 49. Cody and Julianne sit in last place with 46. I think it's Cody and Julianne's time to go. What do you think?

Posted by Carla Correa at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Isis King (left), the first transgender contestant on America's Next Top Model, will receive a sex reassignment surgery courtesy of The Tyra Banks Show, US Magazine reports.

The episode, which airs tomorrow, gives viewers a little more insight into King, who was born Darrell Walls. The 22-year-old hadn't received the surgery because of the high costs ($20,000 to $35,000).

"It's hard. I try not to think about it because it is something I'm really passionate about," she says on the clip. "I feel like I really was born in the wrong body, and it's just the one thing that makes me feel uncomfortable."

King is the Prince George's County resident who was eliminated almost midway through the current cycle of Top Model. King was extremely strong in the beginning of the season. (Tyra Banks and company basically hand-picked her to be on the show after Isis appeared on a fashion shoot last season.) But as the season progressed, Isis struggled with her confidence. (She was eliminated after failing the produce a stunning photo during a shoot that required her to pose in the water. She told the judges that she was worried about her man parts falling out of her bathing suit.)

(Photo: Michael Desmond/The CW)

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Entertainment Tonight is reporting that actress and recent Dancing with the Stars contestant Cloris Leachman was hospitalized and diagnosed with pneumonia last week. First we had Misty's injury, which forced her from the competition ... then came Julianne Hough and Lacey Schwimmer's diagnoses of endometriosis  ... and don't forget all those other foot, ankle, etc. injuries that hampered the contestants this season. I'm starting to think nearly everyone on this season's DWTS is doomed.

ET says that sources say Cloris is feeling better and even rehearsing for next week's finale. (I can't image that I would recover that quick!)

Posted by Carla Correa at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

We've been remiss in noting that "Top Chef: New York" cheftestant Melissa is a Marylander, in addition to Jill Snyder of Red Maple fame. (Read Baltimore Sun dining critic Elizabeth Large's review of Red Maple -- and her Dining @ Large blog post about Melissa.)

According to her bio on the Bravo page, Melissa grew up on a horse farm -- we think near Towson -- and "spent her youth surrounded by farm fresh produce and livestock. Her upbringing influenced her love of food and cooking from an early age." Like Jill, Melissa was trained at Baltimore International College.  

Melissa is a sous chef at a Boulder, Colo., restaurant now -- but there's no Elizabeth Large review for that one.

Also on Baltimore Sun blogs, TV critic David Zurawik reports that Wednesday's "Top Chef" had its highest ratings for a premiere.

There's good news for the page-views for bravotv.com, as well -- and I can claim responsibility for at least 50 of those.

Posted by Mary Hartney at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Top Chef
        

Reality Check reader Rob Yunich was so kind to e-mail his thoughts on Survivor: Gabon, which I am sharing with all of you. Read on:

Last night's episode of]continued the theme of what I'm dubbing the "quiet assassin strikes again." But first (as Julie Chen would say on Big Brother), the episode began with lots of discussion of a merge. Hmmmmm.

At the reward challenge, the tribes had to use a sling shot to put a ball into a "hole" (which was more like a saucer). Kota took the first portion, but Fang captured the final two to win the reward, despite Randy and Matty loudly arguing when they were about a foot from victory.

The Fang Five got to dance, clean up and eat during their reward excursion, the first one Matty had received all season.

The immunity challenge FINALLY brought the merge, when the tribe received really, really bright blue buffs to wear. The challenge was one that shows up every season: Start a fire big enough to burn a rope. Only Susie and Sugar were able to start a fire, and Susie won immunity.

As the newly merged group prepared for tribal council, Randy shot off his mouth again, stating (about Crystal), "Either she'll be gone or I'll be gone," while Sugar's vote was courted from every direction. Once there, Randy and Crystal had it out, and Charlie tried to referee. Sugar stated that she knew everything she needed to know to make a decision. (Is she the show's Yogi Berra?)

Charlie was voted out, everybody was shocked and Kenny (aka "the silent assassin") had orchestrated his third consecutive blindside without anybody figuring it out. Seems like Kenny's a threat to me -- but the question remains, when will everybody figure that out?

Posted by Carla Correa at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Survivor
        

Poor Marjorie and her desperate attempt to be the "perfect contestant."

Week after week, her shy awkwardness was picked apart by the judges. There were a lot of tears and a lot of excuses. Her luck ran out this week when Tyra Banks and company gave her the boot. Samantha, the bubbly blond with the short, sassy cut, beat her out with her overall presence.

I knew Marjorie was in trouble from the beginning. Top Model does a horrible job in the editing room. Season after season, the show will focus on one or two girls during the episode so that the audience builds a connection and then BAM!!! One of them is eliminated. The most recent episode was no exception. The cameras zoomed in on Marjorie lamenting being in the bottom two in the previous episode. (Can you say kiss of death?)

It appeared that Marjorie might advance. She had a pretty strong showing during the middle of the episode. She excelled in a challenge that required the girls to shoot a silent commercial with a male model. Surprisingly, her shy awkwardness worked to her advantage. She won a $10,000 shopping spree for her victory. (She decided to split the money evenly with her BFF Analeigh. How sweet.)

Later in the episode, Marjorie kind of crumbled during the photo shoot. She simply came out flat. During the judging, she appeared quiet and reserved. The judges pounced all over that. Tyra told her that she could strike the proper balance between her awkwardness and the mute routine that she was pulling in front of the judges.

Now that Marjorie is out of the way, my money is on McKey to take the title. She's got the goods necessary to win. She's a great model, and she's agreeable. She's been strong from the beginning; she deserves the title.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Spike from Season 4 of "Top Chef" did a live chat this morning with Washingtonian.com -- he landed in D.C. after last season and runs Good Stuff Eatery, a burger joint on Capitol Hill.

He seems pretty annoyed that the show let Patrick on -- he's still a student at the Culinary Institute of America and was booted off last night for his pedestrian salmon bok choy.

Spike says:

"This guys didn't stand a chance. Not even on Junior Top Chef!! I called it from the introductions. This isn't Top Culinary Student, it's Top Freakin' Chef. Personally, I've paid a LOT of dues to be granted a spot on that show. And I know there's a lot of people out there, that probably applied and feel insulted that they were denied and this toddler got a spot instead. Including some of my friends! Rosie Cheeks Boy MIGHT stand a chance in Top Chef, Season 89, but not this one."

And:

"If you open Pro-Chef (the text books in school), go to page 121, you will see his dish. Mark my words. Sorry kiddo, busted."

Sounds like he's got a bone to pick.

Other highlights from trolling for dirt and reaction to last night's episode:

Reality TV Magazine says: "The Top Chef contestants always seem to be big personalities, and with the introductions of these chefs, this season looks to be no different."

Cheftestant (God, I love that word) Richard Blaise, last season's No. 2, points out that every chef's biggest fear is being the first one out.

But Television Without Pity points out that Lauren got to take a ferry home after she was eliminated in the Quickfire, which is at least more interesting. (She also had a wicked arm sunburn.)

Tom Colicchio pontificates on inspiration vs. intimidation and how it relates to a chef's experience, which we saw in Patrick and Ariane last night. 

Finally, our sister site, latimes.com, has a Show Tracker blog that gets at the heart of why "Top Chef" (and "Project Runway") are the kinds of reality shows that many of us are drawn to: "Contestants on these shows either know what they’re doing, or they should not be contestants at all."

I'm starting a new Google Reader folder for all these Top Chef blogs. More suggestions welcome!

Posted by Mary Hartney at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Top Chef
        

Maryann and I will be tag-team blogging Season 5 of "Top Chef," set in New York, so we figured we should introduce ourselves.

We're foodies, friends and opinionated watchers of quality reality TV. I'm the snarky one, Mary tells the bad jokes. We have different styles in the kitchen -- Mary's a kitchen improv, I'm a fastidious baker -- and with words, but we find common ground in the joys of a good meal. I (Maryann) will be the italic voice for the season (or until we think of something better).

As you know, Jill Snyder from Red Maple in Baltimore is on the show, and we're keeping a special eye out for her. She doesn't play much a role in this episode, however. (Was that a spoiler? That didn't take long!) We also learn that Carla is from D.C., where she runs Alchemy Caterers. Can't say I've had the pleasure.

The first episode is 75 minutes, which meant five and a half pages of notes for me, so this cannot continue or my hand will go numb. Luckily, two people were eliminated during the course of the show.

After brief introductions (we don't even meet everyone yet -- there are 17 of them), the contestants learn they have a Quickfire Challenge. (For photos of the cast of Season 5 of "Top Chef," click here). They're to peel an apple with a paring knife, and we get the requisite complaints from the chefs, who say they're not used to using paring knives. Too bad! The first nine chefs who are done are safe, and the rest will then have to chop them finer -- Maryann, what was that technique called? -- and then make a dish in 20 minutes to prove their worth on the show.

The key moment for me here is that Long Island Richard cuts into his thumb while he's paring and continues. There's blood everywhere, all over the apples, but he winds up being safe, and I still am not sure why Tom Colicchio let that fly. Ick.

The four who have to cook "something that will convince me you should stay" include Radhika, who goes on a spiel about not wanting to be pigeon-holed for making Indian food and proceeds to directly make a chutney. Well-played, Radhika.

But her pork passes muster, and we learn that Patrick, the youngest at 21, and Lauren, a friend of his from culinary school, are on the chopping block. Lauren's salad with apples, blue cheese, bacon and vinaigrette isn't interesting enough for the judges, and she's sent home before she even makes it to the Top Chef kitchen. Ouch.

She had me at "Everything's better with bacon." I was sad to see her go so soon.

Before tomorrow's challenge, which will feature pairs competing against each other by making cuisine inspired by New York's ethnic neighborhoods, the cheftestants (hee! I love that) ooh and ahh over their Brooklyn pad and start to build factions (gays vs. Europeans vs. everyone else). We'll see how long that lasts.

The six cuisines for the challenge are Middle Eastern, Indian, Jamaican, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Greek and Italian. The cheftestants have to shop in the neighborhoods, and Hosea and Carla, who go to Brighton Beach for Russian ingredients, seem to be at the biggest disadvantage. Hosea says he's never been to Russia or eaten Russian food, and Carla seems lost in the store, saying, "I want to be led to do this dish basically by my spirit gods." Let us know how that works out, K?

We also learn that Eugene has never cooked Indian food, Melissa has never cooked Italian food, and Ariane consistently second-guesses herself.

The biggest drama of the kitchen comes with three minutes left, when Jeff, who previously noted that he's always making the wait staff tell him his hair looks good, realizes he has to start plating. He'd added more food to his plan when he was ahead of the game earlier, and it catches up with him, when he doesn't get to finish putting everything on the plate. Less time on the hair, Jeff.

Before we get to the final dishes, I just want to note the super-awkward moment with Gail Simmons is caught with her ankles twisted, posing, struggling to find the right camera to look at. Gail! Pull it together! 

Haha, I saw that and thought maybe Gail tippled a bit too much before the show started. 

On to the food. First, Jillwatch: She was assigned to cook Jamaican food, and makes seasoned scallops with plantain fritters and three kinds of sauce. This would be normal, if she hadn't created sauces in red, yellow and green and then informed the judges that it was in keeping with "the Rastafarian theme that is Jamaican." So the plate is essentially a flag. First, what? And second, why? Jill, we're going to have some fun this season if you're not eliminated soon. Truly, I am not hopeful, and I'm sad, because I'd really like to be.

Mary, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the "Rastafarian" color scheme with the sauces. She didn't have to be so literal with the challenge, but I'll just talk it up to first-challenge jitters. Jill ended up winning her face-off with Radhika. Gail mentioned that Radhika's Jerk halibut with three bean rice and mango salsa tasted good, but that the texture was off. Jean-Georges agreed. I thought her plate just looked a little too brown. More mango next time?

To the others:

Stefan vs. Ariane, Middle Eastern food. Ariane starts off with her "I don't know much about Middle Eastern food" disclaimer. If there's anything I've learned from watching four seasons of Top Chef, it's that you never say "I don't know about [insert here]." You've gotta own your dish, mistakes and all. Turns out her farro "risotto" wasn't cooked well enough. And Jean-Georges just loved Stefan's lamb chop with tabouli salad and beef onion skewer. Heck, everyone did. Slam dunk for Stefan.

Richard vs. Jamie, Greek. Oh no! Two parts of the Rainbow coalition go head-to-head! The judges thought Richard's lamb sliders were overcooked, so Jamie's sea bass dish wins. I predicted Richard's dish would go down, just because sliders are a little, uh, dated. Heck, Ruby Tuesday's has sliders now. (Yes, I'm a food snob!)

Fabio vs. Jeff, Latin. I really thought Jeff would rule this, since he's from Miami, but his pitiful presentation due to his poor planning skills made it a little dicey (too many P words in that sentence!). But Fabio's mushroom and avocado salad, though quite pretty, just sounded icky to me. His demi-glace pork didn't sound too Latin either -- jalapeno does not = Latin. Seems Tom didn't like Fabio covering up that pretty avocado with mushrooms either. Substance won over style: Jeff's coffee-seared tenderloin with corn and beans put him in the winner's circle.

Hosea vs. Carla, Russian. Carla's spirit gods failed her. Both had smoked fish, but everyone loved Hosea's trio. Carla needed to be a little more generous with the seasoning (and dressing). Hosea won this round, though I have to say I'm so. tired. of trios.

Leah vs. Melissa, Italian. It was a competition of modern vs. traditional: Leah's farro risotto with red snapper and mushrooms (is farro risotto an up-and-coming dish?) vs. Melissa's rib eye with arugula salad and fried mushrooms. Of all the dishes that were displayed, Leah's was my fav. I wanted it in my mouth NOW. The judges liked it in their mouth; they panned Melissa's dish for lacking salt and pepper and gave Leah the gold star.

Long Island Richard vs. Pat, Chinese. Long Island's Asian chicken salad dish was DOA. Not only was it predictable as heck -- I yelled THANK YOU when Tom said "Wolfgang Puck has been making it for some 20-odd years." -- but it was also wet. Ew. Pat's salmon with black rice noodles looked like a winner, but tasted bland. He broke another cardinal rule: Don't base a dish on ingredients you haven't used, when you have another choice. Long Island won by default, on account of Pat's gummy noodles.

Alex vs. Eugene, Indian. Both of these guys said they had no experience with Indian food, but they didn't do that bad. Eugene's masala-rubbed lamb with "tzatziki" and Basmati rice won. I'm still trying to figure out Alex's claim that Latin correlates with Indian. What?

The top three were Stefan, Eugene and Leah; Patrick and Ariane were at the bottom. I thought it was a bit brutal to have all five out at the same time: Hey losers, here's who won! Listen to our compliments to them! In your face! And oh yeah -- Stefan won. Yay. Rah. I was rooting for Leah. (Could you tell? :-D)

Watching the judges decide between Ariane and Patrick, I couldn't help but notice how young Pat was. He's still in culinary school, for goodness' sake! When the judges said Ariane had access to Israeli food, being so close to NY, she replied, "I got books to look at." Oh no she didn't. Tom didn't like that one bit. Even still, Patrick went home for his "sanitized version of Chinese food." Good call judges.

Mary's highlights:

Best moment: Gail's awkward two-step and half-smile looking for the right camera.

Worst moment: Daniel bleeding all over the apples. Ewwww.

Cheftestants (ho!) to watch: Fabio, for the ego factor; Carla, for the spaciness factor; and Stefan, because, well, he could very well win it all.

Maryann's highlights:

Best moment: I liked Gail's awkward two-step, but Eugene's surprise success with his "tzatziki," AKA "curds and rice," was awesome. Hilarious.

Posted by Mary Hartney at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Top Chef
        

Police say a fan of Paula Abdul has been found dead in a car parked near a home belonging to the American Idol judge, the Associated Press reports. Read more about it here. TMZ is reporting that the woman was named Paula Goodspeed, and she auditioned for Season 5 of the reality show. See TMZ's details of her MySpace account here.

Posted by Carla Correa at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: American Idol
        

I thought I had missed Dancing with the Stars when I flipped through the channels at about 8:30 p.m. ABC was actually airing a recap of Monday night's show before the results show. DWTS overload alert!

During the results show, we were treated to performances by Lacey Schwimmer and famous brother Benji (winner of So You Think You Can Dance, which Lacey was also a part of) and Julianne and Derek Hough. Julianne looked great in her and her brother's routine to "Great Balls of Fire." It was nice to see her back. There was also a forgettable number featuring some of the pro dancers to a song by guest singer Brad Paisley.

Onto the results! Warren and Kym and Lance and Lacey were proclaimed safe first, then, after some filler that stretches out the show, Brooke and Derek. At the end, Maurice and Cheryl were eliminated; that means Cody and Edyta were safe, and Cody wlll dance with Julianne next week. Though Maurice and Cheryl didn't do too bad Monday, their scores were on the lower side. Plus, I don't think they have the fan base of someone like Warren, who is just so charismatic, and Brooke, who is just so good.

Next week: semifinals.

Posted by Carla Correa at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Tina and Ken lucked out two weeks ago when they finished in last place during a nonelimination leg of The Amazing Race.

The luck however ran out for Kelly and Christy on the most recent episode of the show. I'm not sad to see them go. They were soooo petty and mean-spirited. No surprise that both of them were recently divorced ...

According to my calculations, only two remaining teams, Ken and Tina and Nick and Starr, have placed first this season. My money is on one of them to win the title. (I'm leaning toward Nick and Starr.) I don't think Toni and Dallas will win because Toni is not physically fit enough. Terrance and Sarah make too many foolish mistakes; Andrew and Dan are too immature to win.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: The Amazing Race
        

We're two weeks away from the finals! Yesssss!

(Note: Side cutouts continue to be all the rage when it comes to the women's costumes.)

First up are Cody and Edyta. I hope that Cody does better this week. The couples, by the way, are doing two dances this week, and the stars have a 15-second solo in their Latin dances. Good thing Susan and Cloris are gone; those solos would have been tragic! Cody's first dance is the foxtrot. It's OK; definitely a bit more adult, maybe? Judge Len Goodman says he was pleasantly surprised. He says he had an elegance, and he had nice footwork. Judge Bruno Tonioli says it was grown-up, and he got his jerking in control. As Carrie Ann Inaba begins to speak, someone screams that she loves Cody. Carrie Ann says she took a point off for a foot coming up off the ground. Score: 24

Brooke is the only female celebrity left. She and partner Derek are dancing the tango, which is one of my favorite dances. It's a traditional one that I really like. Brooke really stays in character. Bruno says it was "more than a tango, it was love's diablo." Really? Did I hear that right? Carrie says the dance showed why she is the last woman standing. Len compliments the choreography but criticizes some of the body contact and posture. He says it was riddled with mistakes. Score: 28

Maurice and Cheryl do the quickstep. The sprinter is running while he dancing! Fun! But I think he looks a bit sloppy. His suit pants also look like maroon wind pants, no? Carrie Ann says, "Yeah!" She really liked it. Len says he had great footwork and posture. Bruno mentions that this time, Maurice didn't "deflate" halfway through the dance. What do I know? Clearly nothing. Score: 24

Hooray for Lance and Lacey! First up for my favorite pair is the foxtrot. So, the foxtrot isn't my favorite dance, but they have some really cute elements that I think makes the dance better than Cody and Edyta's. Len says, "You're here on the wrong night! Extreme Makeover was last night!" He says it was, overall, very good. Bruno likes that it was traditional but that little touches retained their quirkiness. Carrie Ann says Lance is "truly a bright light." Score: 26

Warren and Kym do a tango. I really like it. Maybe it's the James Bond theme music, or maybe it's the way both dancers really take command of the floor. It's just really fun to watch. Bruno spouts off his normal craziness, complimenting the dance. I think. Carrie Ann likes how he connects with the audience. "Last week a flop; this week on top!" Len says. Score: 28

After the "Ballroom Round," we learn Brooke and Derek and Warren and Kym are tied for first, and Cody and Edyta and Maurice and Cheryl are at the bottom with 26 apiece. That leaves L and L in the middle. Next up is the "Latin Round."

Now Cody and Edyta dance the mambo. I miss Julianne. Their unison looks a bit off, and I'm pretty sure Edyta's braid is tied to the back of her costume. Awkward! The audience seems to really like Cody's solo though, which ends on top of the judges' desk. Carrie Ann says, "A for effort; A for energy; but it was a little erratic." Len says he hopes Warren doesn't do the same ending. Hee! He says the dance was a bit stiff and angular, but overall good. Bruno also says it was a bit "jerking" but that he, too, appreciates the effort. Score: 24 (48 total)

Brooke and Derek do the mambo, too. And, wow, Brooke starts off with her solo and looks amazing! (Yes, it's worthy of an exclamation point. And by looks I mean dance-wise, not pretty-wise.) It's no easy task to move her feet and hips like she does here. She also does a great split later on. Len says it was "very ambitious." He does say that her legs were a little too flexed. Bruno says she's a great dancer. Carrie Ann says that her posture was a bit off at times. The dance was a bit frantic. Again, what do I know? Score: 27 (55 total)

Maurice and Cheryl do the paso doble, which was their team dance last week. (Ugh. I HATED the team dances!) It's aggressive and powerful. Maurice's solo is just him twirling a cape. Hmmm. Bruno says the routine was strong, imposing and very, very powerful. Carrie Ann loved Maurice's focus. She says he just needs to bridge the gap between the strong steps and the gracefulness. Len says he normally doesn't like cape work, but that it worked well here. Well done, he says. Score: 24 (48 total)

Lance and Lacey dance the samba to a fabulous song, Amerie's "1 Thing." I think his solo looks a little pop starish. Carrie Ann says they did a really good job, and that the song (they don't get to pick what they dance to!) and dance were really hard to master. She says Lance looked up too much in his solo (much like Audrina Patridge from The Hills!). Len says he saw elements of the samba in the performance, but that Lance needs to work on his footwork. Bruno says his solo was good -- that he owned the audience, and that the dance was very difficult. Score: 24 (50 total)

Warren and Kym do a jive. This is Latin? Who knew. Warren is just so fun to watch. His solo makes me smile. Len says it was a joyful thing to watch other than his feet. Bruno agrees that his feet were flat, but that Kym choreographed to his strengths. Carrie Ann says she loved that his feet kept going and that he had plenty of energy. Score: 26 (54 total)

So Brooke and Derek are still on top, Cody and Edyta and Maurice and Cheryl on the bottom. Host Tom says it's been an unprecedented night of competition. Isn't it always? I bet Tuesday will be an unprecedented night of results show. A show that is toooooo long.

Posted by Carla Correa at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino sang at the funeral of Jennifer Hudson's dead family members last week in Chicago. The two competed against each other on the show. Jesse Jackson and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley spoke at the service. 

American Idol will return Jan. 13, Fox recently announced. Read more here.

Speaking of American Idol, Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta is set to release his self-titled first album tomorrow. Read this USA Today article for more details. The article also contains a link for his single "Crush."

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol
        

It was go-see time on America’s Next Top Model, and, as usual, some of the contestants had a problem making it to all of the designers on time.

The designers absolutely loved McKey. All four reported that they would book her for jobs. Unfortunately, she was five minutes late for the challenge, which disqualified her.

Analeigh took advantage of McKey's tardiness and swept up the challenge win. As a result, she earned $18,000 worth of clothes, accessories and other prizes.

Marjorie did horribly during her go-sees. She only made it to two of them; and she didn't get booked for either one. Once again she did a very, very, bad job selling herself. She wasn't confident, and it totally repulsed the designers.

Elina turned off many of the designers because of her tattoos.

The next day, the girls participated in a photo shoot photographed by Tyra Banks. The girls took two photos -- one natural shot, and one for which they were glammed up with a ton of makeup.

Samantha and McKey did the best. Elina did not shine. It came down to Elina and Marjorie in the bottom two. Elina was sent home because she simply had not demonstrated that she could loosen up and relax. She was too controlled through the season. Tyra remarked that Elina appeared to be more stiff recently (not good). So she was sent packing. Elina cried a little and vowed that she was still going to be successful (blah, blah, blah ... ).

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Guest blogger Karen Shih files her last Top Design recap. Thanks for writing, Karen!

It's the season finale! After 10 weeks, it has come down to Nathan (not surprising), Preston (kind of surprising, given his start) and Ondine (where did she come from?!).

As we know from last week, their final challenge is to finish the home they started last week. They jump right in, going shopping, figuring out wallpaper and painting immediately.

Nathan says he's trying to make a hip, young and good-looking home. Preston, as usual, wants sleek and modern with a traditional twist. Ondine is going for … Danish modern chic? I don’t know what Danish style is, but OK.

Since it's a big project and they have only two full days to work on the home, the designers get the help of two carpenters and a seamstress. After the first full day of working, they already have the houses wallpapered and painted.

And surprise! (But not really … ) They bring back Andrea, Eddie and Natalie to help our designers. Have none of these people ever watched Bravo? Really? I mean, this is only the most-used gimmick at the end of each show.

So Nathan gets Natalie, Preston gets Eddie and Ondine gets Andrea. As a sign of perhaps how helpful Eddie will be, he says this: "I just got kicked off the show and would really like to slit my wrists right now." Oh good, I want him on my team.

Moments later, we get this: "I'm here to help him, I’m not here to make him win," Eddie says. He's only a little bitter.

They all seem to be working quickly and efficiently, though by the second day, Ondine is having problems getting all her carpentry work done. She blames the speed of her carpenters, but she might have just been a little too ambitious with her projects. It all gets finished, though, in a frenzy of last-minute rearrangements.

Onto the judging! Ondine's place is retro-glam, hip, young, stylish and fun, she says. The living room is very '50s, with furniture from Denmark. The family room upstairs has two fuchsia sofas. In the dining room, there's a brass chandelier. There's some continuity in terms of a black-and-white theme throughout the whole home, though it doesn't seem that coherent. The master bedroom is blue, with golden wallpaper and golden curtains. The headboard for the bed is pieces of beveled mirror (which her carpenter spent all that time laboring over). The kids' room is very bright and yellow, super-cute and friendly looking. The study/guest room is the room from last week, all black and white with flowered wallpaper.

Preston's place is modern meets traditional, he says. The lounge area upstairs is very patterned and brown, so Jonathan says he needs a splash of color. The dining room is Preston's room from last week but modified with deep browns against the blue wall treatment. The bedroom is very patterned again, with dark browns and some green accents (Jonathan again wants to know where the splash of color is). The guest room is gray and blue; very masculine and very Preston. The office is colorful, with retro wallpaper that's full of fun circles.

Nathan's first room has a couple of old-looking wood pieces: an armoire and a table. Upstairs is kind of wacky. I can't describe Nathan's work, really. There's a paper-plate chandelier in the dining room. There’s a "sarcophagus" in the main room upstairs, which is too cumbersome, the judges say. The master bedroom from last week is essentially the same; he didn't change the bed, which Jonathan disagrees with, but Nathan did add some blinds and linens. The small room is a boy's bedroom. The office is bright robin's egg blue with portraits all over the walls of random old men. The wall above the desk has an ornate mirror and flashy flowery wallpaper.

As a side note, Kelly looks like she wrapped toilet paper around herself and now has layers flapping in the wind. Also her hairstyle is a little Princess Leia.

At the final judging, India reminds the contestants that they are competing to win $100,000 and a spread in Elle Decor magazine. The judging panel is the regular one: Margaret Russell, Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler and India Hicks.

It's clear that the judges like Nathan eccentric design style, though they questioned the "sarcophagus" decision, given how bulky it was in the room. Overall, however, they love his choices for individual pieces and really seem to be leaning toward his style. "It's very provocative and all the best of Nathan," Jonathan says.

Ondine's work is the most put-together they've seen from her, but they don’t seem particularly wowed by anything she did this week. They like the improvement, but it's hard to see how she'll win based on improvement.

They like Preston's flawless style but take issue with how polished it is. They want to see a little more excitement and a little dash of color, in his design.

So, surprise surprise, Nathan wins!

It's been fun blogging for any of you who have been reading. Top Chef takes Top Design’s place next week … yummy!

Posted by Carla Correa at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Top Design
        

I'm not going to lie: I am a bit addicted to the news about the presidential election right now, and watching DWTS' results show, which is generally a cheesy waste of time anyway, was not in the cards tonight. I caught glimpses. The paso doble team performed its group dance again (one time was enough for me), and there was some "Dancing on the Ceiling." I fast-forwarded in hopes of seeing some cute kids doing the samba but didn't see any.

The bottom two came down to Cody and Edyta and Susan and Tony. It would have been a shame if Cody went home the first week without Julianne as his partner, so I'm glad he didn't. Susan was cut. It was definitely time for Erica Kane to go. She has no rhythm! What did you think of the results? Who will be the next to go? Why can't the results show be a half-hour?

Posted by Carla Correa at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

This season is just getting better and better (insert sarcasm here). Two team dances? Seriously? I think my dance recitals were somewhat tolerable for my parents because, hey, there's always a cute kid who does something like scream hi to her parents, or walk off stage, or cry. In this group dance, Susan Lucci was NOT PRETTY. But I digress ... I should start from the top.

First up are Warren and Kym with the foxtrot. I like watching this pair dance, but it's not as fun as usual. Judge Len Goodman is back this week. He says it wasn't a classic foxtrot, but that Kym put a spin on it that brings out Warren's personality. But he says his posture wasn't a good as usual and that he seemed a bit heavy. Bruno Tonioli says the technique "went into recession." Hee. Carrie Ann Inaba says he wasn't performing in his normal way. Warren says it was his feet: He's not wearing his own shoes! Oh, no! Score: 21 (Ugh, stop saying, "Winner, winner, chicken dinner." I'm so over the blackjack joke.)

Susan and partner Tony are fighting! Dramarama! Maybe the answer will translate into an angry, strong Paso Doble, says Tony. Nope. Susan has the same expression that she has in every dance. Yawn. Bruno says well done. Carrie Ann says she struggled with claiming her power on the floor. She tells Susan to face the camera and say, "I'm doing good!" (Grammar police: It should be well.) Clearly, the judges and I do not agree. Score: 24

Maurice and Cheryl dance the cha cha cha. It looks hot. I've never seen Maurice so into it. He can really move his hips. This is definitely his dance. Finally, something enjoyable tonight. Carrie Ann says he brought his "'A' game." It was a "perfect mix of form and freedom." Len says it was his best dance so far. He uses the word "dazzling." Bruno says he has a natural sense of rhythm. Score: 25 (Why do they get two 8s? That was way better than Erica Kane's dance! Boo judges!)

Cody and Edyta are next with a Viennese waltz. (We see Julianne in bed, recovering.)  I generally do not like waltzes, so I can't say whether it's good. It seems a bit off. But I love Edyta's dress. Len says that as a couple, they looked comfortable together, but that Cody himself didn't look that comfortable. Bruno says it was clumsy. Carrie Ann, however, thinks it was great. Score: 22

Lacey and Lance will dance the rumba barefoot! But he has a broken toe! And he and Lacey fight over it. He ends up sans shoes for their earthy dance. It's not my favorite dance of theirs, but it's interesting. And I always love me some Lance and Lacey. Bruno says it was "seductive and romantic." He liked the contemporary spin. Carrie Ann says the risk was a great payoff. She said it was their best dance. Len didn't get it. He says the bare feet didn't enhance the dance, and he doesn't get why they started and ended the dance on a bench. He gets heckled by the crowd. Score: 25

Brooke and Derek do the foxtrot. Brooke looks great. She's a natural at this. She has fabulous lines and flow. I normally don't love the foxtrot, but this one is enjoyable. Carrie Ann says, "Wow! Wow! Wow!" Len says it had so many elements that it became more than the sum of its parts. Bruno calls it a "gob-smacking, beautiful, thrilling performance from start to finish." Gob-smacking! Ha! Score: 30! (It's the first of the season.)

Team dance time. Team cha cha cha is Susan, Lance, Cody and their partners. Susan doesn't want to be the weak link. But she is. Lance and Lacey, as the judges say, pretty much save the day. The dancers do several moves in a straight line, and their unison is really off. They also have solos during the dance. Cody is way too stiff. Susan's feet are jumbled. Len says well done. Bruno says it was teetering on the brink of disaster and was rescued by my favorites. Carrie Ann mentions the unison problem. She says it was "brutal" to watch. I agree. Score: 20

Team paso doble is Warren, Maurice, Brooke and their parents. It's a way better dance than the cha cha cha number, but I still find it cheesy. Warren is decent; Maurice a bit too stiff, even for the paso (but I find Cheryl to be captivating); Brooke, as you can guess, is pretty good. The judges are standing. Bruno says it looked ... invincible? "That's the way to work like a unit," he says. Carrie Ann agrees. She says they all looked great during their solos. Len says it's easier to keep a formation in a marching dance compared to a cha cha cha, but he says that overall it was enjoyable. Score: 29

The team scores will be added to individual scores to give each team a total score out of 60. Brooke and Derek are crushing the competition, and Cody and Edyta are at the bottom at 42.

Results will be on Wednesday because of the election. So go vote for a dancer and a president!

Posted by Carla Correa at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Catch up on Top Design with guest blogger Karen Shih:

This week, the challenge is to design one room of a three-bedroom home to persuade the judges to let them finish the home, which will be the final challenge. The designers get to pick whichever room they want, and they get 90 minutes to pick out colors and wallpaper. The contestants have the rest of the afternoon to shop.

Happy Birthday to Nathan! They're partaying it up (with hard liquor, Eddie adds), but Preston is kind of being emo in his own room, talking about how his family has a history of alcoholism. He goes to sleep, leaving a heavily intoxicated Nathan to prance around in tights and a wig as the "host" of Top Design.

The revelry over, the contestants start the next day with their wallpaper done and furniture downstairs. They get a lot of help on this challenge: They have movers for two hours, but there's dramarama when a desk, the centerpiece of Ondine's room, can’t fit through the door (she chose the smallest room in the house). After some mild hysteria, they somehow get it in. They don’t show us how.

Judging this week is particularly intense; the judges are more critical than usual (it is the second-to-last week).

Eddie's room looks like it came straight out of a Martha Stewart catalogue (surprise, surprise). It's supposed to be East Hampton-esque (easy, breezy and relaxing), but the judges don't seem to like it very much. His bed is totally white with no accents. It's probably their least favorite room because it looks like a hotel room and has no personal touches. Jonathan, the guest judge from Flipping Out, says Eddie's style is for older people -- those with walkers and oxygen tanks. Eep. Kinda harsh.

Nathan has an elegant and refined bedroom, though the judges think the dark wood bed doesn't really go with the rest of the room. It's minimally decorated, and he even admits that it's not totally finished; he would like some extra flowers and a window treatment. He toned it down this week, he said, and tried to do something pretty. Bthe judges say he has an edge that he needs to maintain.

Preston' room is typically his: manly but simple and classy. There's lot of furniture, but the judges love the blue diamond-patterned grasscloth (I think that' what they called it) on the wall. The judges call his room polished and confident, Margaret in particular calling it "swank and sophisticated."

Ondine' room is black and white, with flower wallpaper on two walls. There's one burst of color coming from a painting on one wall, which the judges appreciate. It's modern and fun, they say.

No surprise then when the finalists are announced in this order: Preston, Ondine and Nathan.

Eddie's going home! Never terrible but always safe, he's finally going home to Martha (and taking his ego with him).

Next week: grand finale! The contestants finish designing their condos.

Posted by Carla Correa at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Top Design
        

The contestants started off in Cambodia. They had to travel to Delhi, India.

Dallas talked about his attraction to Starr. She did the same.

Ken and Tina appeared to be lost heading to their first road block. While at the road block, Tina nagged at Ken to the point that I started to cringe. That first road block required the teams to paint a taxi. Andrew and Dan breezed through the road block and surged ahead to first place.

The teams had a choice in the next mission: launder clothes or launder money. Launder clothes required the teams to iron clothes. Launder money was a complicated task that required teams to decorate a necklace with the right combination of cash.

Ken and Tina, who were close to being in last place after their taxicab driver got lost, chose the money challenge. Terrence and Sarah, who were in last place after a poor showing in the painting road block, were in last place going into the money challenge.

Starr and Nick won this leg of the race. As a result each won an electric car! (Now that's a prize!) Kelly and Christy were really jazzed to be in second place. Dallas and Toni placed third.

Meanwhile, Andrew and Dan struggled while ironing clothes. The frat boys lamented that they had never ironed before. (Seriously? My heart hurts.) Sarah and Terrence and Ken and Tina were attempting to finish their money challenge.

Ken and Tina had a beast of a time getting to the pit stop. They couldn't find a cab for the life of them. Their struggles put them in last place. Lucky for them, this was not an elimination round. But Ken and Tina were slapped with a speed bump as a result of finishing last. A speed bump is an additional challenge that a team has to complete in addition to the rest of the race. (It's not easy.) We'll see how this will affect them ...

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: The Amazing Race