Design Star
After watching the second show I'm left with
positive feelings about Jennifer and Matt,
positive neutral feelings for Stephanie and Mikey,
negative neutral feelings for Trish and D. Paul, and
negative feelings for Tracee and Michael.
I'm glad the season won't be based around building a house! I was dreading that.
I wasn't clear what Vern thought was so horrendous about Jerome's bedroom. The color wasn't restful or peaceful, but the layout seemed okay. I wonder why people wouldn't want to sleep toe to toe? Does that mean they'd prefer head to head?
If I were Mikey V, and Matt had just gotten the (deserved) credit for the layout of the second bedroom, I'd have made the point that I recognized a good idea when I heard one! That deserves some credit too, right? Anyway, I'm glad he got recognized for the color choice.
Jennifer and Stephanie were a pleasant team to watch work together. Its too bad they didn't finish up properly, and I didn't like to see how hard Stephanie took it. Jennifer was a good friend to her.
I wouldn't have had negative feelings about Tracee if she had kept quiet during the elimination. Sheesh! Too much talking is never a good thing. Tracee's performance was evidence one for that old saying...it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt. Sorry Tracee.
Food Network Star
Three eliminations already. At this point I enjoy Aaron and Lisa the most. I didn't think I'd like Lisa, but she's improving with each episode, becoming less guarded and articulating her style more clearly. I enjoyed her enthusiasm with Martha Stewart. For her sake, I wish she could have won the Martha Stewart part of the challenge.
I would like to see Aaron develop more, I hope he gets the chance. He seems like a genuine young man.
Adam did fantastic last episode on the mini challenge.
I also hope Jennifer and Kelsey find their footing.
Nipa - I'm not sure. I don't eat spicy food so I'm naturally disinclined to enjoy her food selections. Well, I still hope for the best for her.
The Mole
Wow - two people gone in one episode. Excellent! :)
I have thought Paul is The Mole. In the first episode the 11 on the journal is the clue I noticed. And I thought it meant the 11th person on the list - which was Paul. I've missed so many of the clues - I don't naturally catch 'em. In the last episode I thought the word 'top notch' was emphasized in part of the narration. That led me to Alex for no good reason except that Alex was wearing a leather necklace that looked like it could be notched. Hey - I admit it, I'm no good with the clues.
But, I'm sticking with Paul as my number one choice and Alex as my backup.
I've looked at the message boards on abc.com and it seems many people think Victoria is The Mole. I liked a poster's reasoning for Kristen being The Mole - she's quiet and in last week's challenge all she had to do was beat the bulk of the team up the mountain to deny the pot.
I've been playing the quiz but I can't tell how I'm doing. Would I have been eliminated already with my bad answers? I've tried to answer based on the best odds. On the one hand, a contestant wants to answer as many questions right as possible, on the other, you don't want to figure out who The Mole is too early in the game before the pot has increased. As I understood the rules (from season 1 anyway) the game ends if someone guesses The Mole. Maybe that's a misunderstanding on my part because if someone guessed right on the first try that would be the end of the show. In any event, I've tried to answer as wide-ranging as I can, but still point to Paul or Alex.
I think this is a hard game. There are so many angles to consider. I'd have a difficult time with the challenges alone!
Another word about Paul and Nicole: Both of them believe that 'playing the game' gives them the right to be antagnonistic and mean-spirited. People who indulge in this behavior claim they're not as difficult to be around in 'real life'; its only part of the game.
And, often, the player is a 'hero' to fans around the internet.
I don't understand it. I find it disturbing to watch, and I don't enjoy people like that in real life. I'm not sure how I would react if someone were as 'in your face' as the contestants can be.
In any event, how does that kind of attitude serve the world? It doesn't. Its only about 'me and mine'. To them, the end justifies the means; how they got there isn't as important as getting there.
Not to put too much emphasis on this, but it seems to me that that's the attitude that has put our world climate in danger; that has made places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo commonplace, that has sullied the reputation of America around the world. Its the attitude that creates citizen apathy, and contributes to the growing income inequality between workers and corporate CEO's; between the middle class and the ultra-rich.
I don't blame Paul and Nicole, any more than I blame other players in televised strategy games (Dick Donato [Big Brother 8], Jonny Fairplay [Survivor ?], Jon and Victoria [Amazing Race ?] are some examples)
They aren't CAUSING the problem, but they're the canary in the mine - the warning that the 'me and mine' attitude is becoming too pervasive in our society and not serving us well.
I'm concerned for the time when lack of common courtesy is the norm, when lying and name calling and twisting the truth is considered an acceptable form of communication (campaigning), and I'm concerned for the time when laughing AT someone is the only way we know how to have a good time.
It's a slippery slope and its not okay to stand by and watch as we incrementally slide into an abyss.
That's my thought anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment