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San Francisco Auditions
It's only an hour! Bring on the goodness! While waiting in line, a couple got engaged - AND married! That's a long way to go for a schtick.
Tatiana Del Torro (23, San Juan, Puerto Rico) She of the hyper inflated ego, really annoying laugh, and ridiculous mini dress replete with tulle on the bottom like it had an accident in the factory with a staple gun. She decided to hand over her press kit to the judges, including a picture of her modeling lingerie. Interesting. Damn it, she has a good voice. I think it's all overdone. When Simon told her she was trying too hard, she kept interrupting his criticisms with more singing. Paula gives her a yes. Randy gave her a yes. Kara likes her vibe, and she is through to Hollywood. She has to tone. it. down. I think I hate her, even though she's got a good voice. I wish you could all see the look on my husband's face when she started laughing. Seriously. He looked just stunned.
Nick Reed (17) tried to do his best Blake Lewis, but failed. Jiyai Yu (16) is no Grace Slick
Dean-Anthony Bradford (27, Pasadena) He needs a lot of fashion help and a hair wash, and should spend some time looking in the mirror when he's singing because he looks ridiculous. He's got some voice, but it is ridiculously used. He is funny, but he is not going on. I think it was the hyphenated first name that did him in.
Jesus Valenzuela (29, North Highlands, CA) He's cute, but he's singing the kind of music I hate. It's hard to judge him on that. He tried to sway the judges by saying his kids were waiting for him, and he was sent to bring his kids in. His boys are adorable. He sang Unchained Melody for his kids, and it was sweet. Simon voted no, Paula voted yes, and Kara was soft-hearted for the kids and said yes. Randy sent him through. The younger boy gave Simon a hug.
Dalton Powell (18, Manteca, CA) Dude's good at a Rubix Cube. He fixed a messed up Rubix cube in 24 seconds. Since I resorted to peeling stickers off and putitng them back in the right places, I can admire that. His singing, however, is dreadful and ... well, nothing good to say about it. He's unemployed currently, though I think the mad Rubix cube skillz could bring him places.
James Smith (missed his age) had performance passion but had a terrible voice.
Ahkilah Askew-Gholston (26, Oakland) She's reading about how to train gospel singers, with anatomical words, which she is completely murdering the prononciation of. The editors are having a good time with her. Her fashion is dreadful, with gray/silver dreads, a puffy jacket, acid washed jean overalls (?) and tall boots.... Her original song was awful. She went to sing a different song and it sounded the same, which was bad, and said that it was because she was singing from the wrong rectum. She begged for another chance, and kept singing until she was ushered out by Paula and then Kara. She claimed she irracitated (yes, that's what she said) because of the famous people. It's one thing to have a big vocabulary, but it's quite another to have a vocabulary of mostly made up words.
There was a slew of really good auditions which I couldn't catch (and my hubby was complaining about my pausing...), but they were all fantastic. Might come back later and fill in names.
Very skinny, odd looking, and indecisive Annie Murdoch does not have a voice for this kind of show, and it was in and out of key and over the top and dreadful in the end. It was a little too jazzy, and Simon said she sounded three sheets to the wind.
Adam Lambert (26, Hollywood) He's got kind of forced Emo hair to me, and I hate skinny jeans on men. He is singing Bohemian Rhapsody, which is amazing. Totally superficially, his skin needs a good chemical peel or something. He's rough. Maybe he just needs a good shave. Simon thought he was too theatrical. Randy liked him. Simon said yes, and Kara was confused by Simon, but loved him. He went to see Paula in concert when he was 10, his first pop concert, so that is pretty cool. I hope he gets a good makeover, because I kind of dig him.
(Did you see that hair guy run in to fix Paula's hair when Adam left? That was funny)
Kai Koloma (26, San Clemente, CA) I wonder about these people who are caregivers to loved ones going on the show. What will happen to Kai's sick mother? Well, I think they'll have to figure it out, because dude is awesome. He's got that likeability factor, too. Simon thinks he has the personality of a ship singer, and Paula thinks he could improve in that regard. Kara was interrupted when giving him constructive criticism, and she got pissy and said she would say what she wants to say, so there. Good for her. Kai is through. Hope he can improve the stage presence, because I like him.
Good night, overall. Wish we had seen a few more of the good ones.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Top Chef - 1.14.09
Very little intro before the ...
Quickfire Challenge
Hung is in the kitchen with Padma. The challenge is to work with all sorts of processed foods and canned good - because it's easy to create good food out of fresh ingredients.
They only have 15 minutes to create the most delicious dish they can without fresh ingredients.
Everyone complains bitterly, but gets to work.
Leah - Waffles with Strawberries and Sausage. Hung called it crunchy, and Leah proudly said that she fried it. Not so sure about that decision.
Stefan - Baked bean & Spam soup with Spam and Velveeta Grilled Cheese. Sounds hideous.
Fabio - Mac & Cheese with Roasted Artichoke and chili pepper. Hung appreciated the heat.
Radhika - Spicy Red Bean Dip with Grilled Bread. That looks pretty yummy. She put tahini in her dip, so it's akin to hummus, maybe?
Hosea - Sweet Pea soup with fried spam, onion rings, pork rinds, and hearts of palm. Hung likes pork rinds. Who would have guessed?
Jeff - Deep fried baby conch, coconut sauce, pina colada. That's kind of impressive out of the pantry.
Jamie - Bruschetta with garbanzo beans, artichoke & smoked mussels. Because there were no scallops in the pantry.
Ariane - Open-faced turkey spam sandwich with gravy and cranberry pineapple chutney. Hung called it interesting. Padma was amazed that they make turkey spam. Is that an attempt to make spam less gross? Hmm.
Carla - Asian Salmon Cake with fried green beans and lemon-grass ginger mayo.
Leah, Radhika, and Jamie were on the bottom. Hosea, Stefan, and Jeff were up on top. The winner is Stefan, and I can't be happy about that, because I can't stand Spam. Hosea kicks himself for letting Stefan have his extra spam.
Time for the Elimination Challenge.
The Cheftestants draw knives. The challenge is to create a seasonal meal around pork, lamb, or chicken (their knives had their assigned meat). They have to cook family style for 16, including dessert.
Leah, Ariane, and Hosea are Team Lamb. Leah and Hosea are on the same page, and Ariane won a challenge for her lamb before, so they think they are in a good place.
Carla, Stefan, and Jamie are Team Chicken. Jamie is pissed about being on a team with Stefan. Carla can't create in this environment. Jamie and Carla came up with a different menu and Stefan refused to listen. The tension mounted.
Jeff, Fabio, and Radhika are Team Pork. They seem to have something lovely in mind.
The next morning, everyone started to get nervous and rethink their dishes. Their is major tension on the way to ... not Whole Foods! No, they are at a famous restrauranteur's Stone Barn Farm and Agriculture Center. They are shopping at the farm, and meeting their meat, so to speak.
Jamie was attacked my a chicken, and Stefan thought it was hilarious, though he had to bring up that it was him and a bunch of hens ("I'm the only cock in the stall."). Nice, Stefan.
It's cooking time.
Team Pork is making: Seared pork loin, sausage ravioli with pesto, fried green tomatoes, grilled corn salad with bacon, and a creme brulee.
Team Chicken is making: Chicken Cutlet, Lemon-herb roast chicken, chicken ravioli soup, nectarine & strawberry tartlet.
Team Lamb is making: Roasted duo of lamb, heirloom tomato salad, roasemary & garlic roasted potatoes, swiss chard, and a summer berry trifle.
Tom came to check in, and everyone seemed on track. He questioned the butchering choices of Team Lamb, the soup decision of Team Chicken, and the dessert choice of Team Pork.
Ariane had issues tying the lamb roullades up, so Leah helped her out.
And it's service time!
They are serving the farmers, their family, and the judges including Dan Barber.
The judges didn't like the Chicken Soup idea. Others say it was good soup, so it wasn't too bad. The lamb was called a mess, with awful butchering. Their meal was called out of season. Fabio's ravioli was "fine" but the pesto was too aggressive. Jeff's fried green tomatoes got good reviews. Tom questioned the logic of taking pork off the bone and removing all the fat, which got rid of a lot of the flavor.
Carla's tartlett got really good reviews, and Tom praised her crust and the use of thyme. The creme brulee was called too sweet. The trifle was compared to airline food. ouch.
Judges' Table.
Jamie, Carla, and Stefan were called back first. They are the tops. Carla's tartlett got the best praise. She called herself the mediator in the kitchen between the two strong personalities. All three of them are winners. That's cool for them. I still can't handle Carla, but I appreciate her ability to make a good pastry.
The other two teams are sent back to the judges.
Jeff's butchery of the pork was a bad decision. Fabio added too much pesto, but says that they wanted to make a cherry tomato sauce, but there were no cherry tomatoes. Radhika didn't produce much in the time given, and Tom seemed critical.
Ariane's butchering and decision to tenderize already tender baby lamb were both criticized. The fact that Ariane was the only one to do anything with the lamb was a problem. Ariane said that she told them that she wasn't familiar with rolling and tying, and Leah said that she knows how to roll and tie, and Hosea said he knows how to butcher, but neither of them helped out, so that's not good.
The new judge (I missed his name) said that he wanted to have unprotected wild sex with the pork, but the other judges thought the lamb was much worse. They didn't like Ariane's work, but Leah's non-helpful demeanor was more annoying. Who's going home?
Radhika's minimal contributions, Fabio's heavy hand with pesto, and Jeff's butchery were questioned. Jeff's fried green tomatoes saved the team, and Team Pork is safe.
Leah didn't do much, Ariane didn't do a good job at all, and Hosea didn't take any responsibility to help with the butchering, which he claims to have experience with. In the end, it's Ariane going home, and she was in the bottom a lot, so I can see that. She left, calling Leah lazy, and Hosea a wimp. Her roller coaster ride on Top Chef is over.
Next week is Restaurant Wars!! Yippee!! And, Hosea and Leah are getting a little frisky. Hmmm.
Quickfire Challenge
Hung is in the kitchen with Padma. The challenge is to work with all sorts of processed foods and canned good - because it's easy to create good food out of fresh ingredients.
They only have 15 minutes to create the most delicious dish they can without fresh ingredients.
Everyone complains bitterly, but gets to work.
Leah - Waffles with Strawberries and Sausage. Hung called it crunchy, and Leah proudly said that she fried it. Not so sure about that decision.
Stefan - Baked bean & Spam soup with Spam and Velveeta Grilled Cheese. Sounds hideous.
Fabio - Mac & Cheese with Roasted Artichoke and chili pepper. Hung appreciated the heat.
Radhika - Spicy Red Bean Dip with Grilled Bread. That looks pretty yummy. She put tahini in her dip, so it's akin to hummus, maybe?
Hosea - Sweet Pea soup with fried spam, onion rings, pork rinds, and hearts of palm. Hung likes pork rinds. Who would have guessed?
Jeff - Deep fried baby conch, coconut sauce, pina colada. That's kind of impressive out of the pantry.
Jamie - Bruschetta with garbanzo beans, artichoke & smoked mussels. Because there were no scallops in the pantry.
Ariane - Open-faced turkey spam sandwich with gravy and cranberry pineapple chutney. Hung called it interesting. Padma was amazed that they make turkey spam. Is that an attempt to make spam less gross? Hmm.
Carla - Asian Salmon Cake with fried green beans and lemon-grass ginger mayo.
Leah, Radhika, and Jamie were on the bottom. Hosea, Stefan, and Jeff were up on top. The winner is Stefan, and I can't be happy about that, because I can't stand Spam. Hosea kicks himself for letting Stefan have his extra spam.
Time for the Elimination Challenge.
The Cheftestants draw knives. The challenge is to create a seasonal meal around pork, lamb, or chicken (their knives had their assigned meat). They have to cook family style for 16, including dessert.
Leah, Ariane, and Hosea are Team Lamb. Leah and Hosea are on the same page, and Ariane won a challenge for her lamb before, so they think they are in a good place.
Carla, Stefan, and Jamie are Team Chicken. Jamie is pissed about being on a team with Stefan. Carla can't create in this environment. Jamie and Carla came up with a different menu and Stefan refused to listen. The tension mounted.
Jeff, Fabio, and Radhika are Team Pork. They seem to have something lovely in mind.
The next morning, everyone started to get nervous and rethink their dishes. Their is major tension on the way to ... not Whole Foods! No, they are at a famous restrauranteur's Stone Barn Farm and Agriculture Center. They are shopping at the farm, and meeting their meat, so to speak.
Jamie was attacked my a chicken, and Stefan thought it was hilarious, though he had to bring up that it was him and a bunch of hens ("I'm the only cock in the stall."). Nice, Stefan.
It's cooking time.
Team Pork is making: Seared pork loin, sausage ravioli with pesto, fried green tomatoes, grilled corn salad with bacon, and a creme brulee.
Team Chicken is making: Chicken Cutlet, Lemon-herb roast chicken, chicken ravioli soup, nectarine & strawberry tartlet.
Team Lamb is making: Roasted duo of lamb, heirloom tomato salad, roasemary & garlic roasted potatoes, swiss chard, and a summer berry trifle.
Tom came to check in, and everyone seemed on track. He questioned the butchering choices of Team Lamb, the soup decision of Team Chicken, and the dessert choice of Team Pork.
Ariane had issues tying the lamb roullades up, so Leah helped her out.
And it's service time!
They are serving the farmers, their family, and the judges including Dan Barber.
The judges didn't like the Chicken Soup idea. Others say it was good soup, so it wasn't too bad. The lamb was called a mess, with awful butchering. Their meal was called out of season. Fabio's ravioli was "fine" but the pesto was too aggressive. Jeff's fried green tomatoes got good reviews. Tom questioned the logic of taking pork off the bone and removing all the fat, which got rid of a lot of the flavor.
Carla's tartlett got really good reviews, and Tom praised her crust and the use of thyme. The creme brulee was called too sweet. The trifle was compared to airline food. ouch.
Judges' Table.
Jamie, Carla, and Stefan were called back first. They are the tops. Carla's tartlett got the best praise. She called herself the mediator in the kitchen between the two strong personalities. All three of them are winners. That's cool for them. I still can't handle Carla, but I appreciate her ability to make a good pastry.
The other two teams are sent back to the judges.
Jeff's butchery of the pork was a bad decision. Fabio added too much pesto, but says that they wanted to make a cherry tomato sauce, but there were no cherry tomatoes. Radhika didn't produce much in the time given, and Tom seemed critical.
Ariane's butchering and decision to tenderize already tender baby lamb were both criticized. The fact that Ariane was the only one to do anything with the lamb was a problem. Ariane said that she told them that she wasn't familiar with rolling and tying, and Leah said that she knows how to roll and tie, and Hosea said he knows how to butcher, but neither of them helped out, so that's not good.
The new judge (I missed his name) said that he wanted to have unprotected wild sex with the pork, but the other judges thought the lamb was much worse. They didn't like Ariane's work, but Leah's non-helpful demeanor was more annoying. Who's going home?
Radhika's minimal contributions, Fabio's heavy hand with pesto, and Jeff's butchery were questioned. Jeff's fried green tomatoes saved the team, and Team Pork is safe.
Leah didn't do much, Ariane didn't do a good job at all, and Hosea didn't take any responsibility to help with the butchering, which he claims to have experience with. In the end, it's Ariane going home, and she was in the bottom a lot, so I can see that. She left, calling Leah lazy, and Hosea a wimp. Her roller coaster ride on Top Chef is over.
Next week is Restaurant Wars!! Yippee!! And, Hosea and Leah are getting a little frisky. Hmmm.
American Idol: 1/14/09
Kansas City
Home of David Cook, will it give anything good this year? Well, Jason Castro was there with his brother, who is auditioning this year. Interesting.
Chelsea Marquardt (19) She certainly has a high opinion of herself. Unfortunately, she's a complete vocal trainwreck. Why do people keep singing when the judges start laughing. I don't understand. It sounded like someone was strangling a cat (and of course, Simon topped my by saying that it sounded like a cat jumping off the Empire States Building). Kara and Paula thought the guys were being too harsh. Kara said the positive is that she is a pretty girl, but she is not a good singer.
Ashley Anderson (20, NJ) She chose to sing a song co-written by Simon, and she flubbed the lyrics in the first verse. She has a pretty voice, with some good control. It's not my favorite kind of voice (or I should say, style of singing), but I think she is good. Simon said it was a great song choice. She gets four yes votes and she's through.
Casey Carlson (20, Minneapolis) She's a bubble tea maker. That's interesting. She looks a little like Lacey Schwimmer from SYTYCD and Dancing with the Stars. She's got good presence and a nice voice. She has a bit of a she-mullet, so I hope she (like David Cook) gets better hair if she makes it farther into the competition. She's kind of cute.
Brian Kettler (20, Kansas City) Opera boy has a bit too much unfortunate chest showing. Some men should not wear low cut V-necks. I think he was singing Aretha, but his spastic singing was not good for this kind of music. Maybe he's good at opera, but I don't know about that. Yipes. Simon said everything was wrong in this audition. I would agree. He attempted to redeem himself by screeching out some Josh Groban. It did not work. I think he made a wise decision in walking away from music. He exited to Mozart's Requiem, and that was just genius, editors, genius.
Then, there was a montage of various people's disappointments, with crying and screaming galore.
Ryan caught up with David Cook's parents, who said that other good people are around.
James Michael Avance (20) Not one of those good people.
Billy Vinson (27) Dude, don't sing Reflection as a man. Just no.
Chris Jones (21) Painful.
Deandre something - also painful. Nothing else matters about him except he was awful.
Von Smith (20, didn't catch his hometown) - He started off with a break in his voice, but improved greatly after clearing his throat. I kind of dig him. He's different and he's got something that I could like. Randy liked him. Simon liked him as well. Paula loved him, and so did Kara, saying he had a big instrument and he can take risks other people might not be able to.
Michael Castro (20, Rockwell, TX) He's Jason Castro's younger brother, and he also sucks at interviews. The Muppet's little brother is an emo punk boy with pink hair. While I can dig girls with pink hair, guys with pink hair turn me off. He just started singing 20 days before the audition. Ballsy. He has a good voice, though it gets froggy at times. The pink faux hawk emo mullet is annoying. It's better than the dreads, but still. Simon called it good-ish, and he couldn't tell if he had the commitment to the performance, which was a problem with Jason as well. Kara thought he was cool. He got put through to Hollywood.
Vaughn English (19, KS) Replete with orange and yellow suit, he sang about bananas. That was foolish. He's gone.
Matt Breitzke (27, Oklahoma) He's got a really cute kid. He's got a really nice voice, and is the first singer this season to give me the chills. He's got great control, and he's likeable. Randy called him a bar singer, but not right for this. Kara disagreed and said that he has natural talent and likes him. Paula admired his tone and control. Simon is the deciding vote, and sent him on through. Yay! I actually rewound to listen to him again. Yes, I like him that much.
Jasmine Joseph (aka Jazz) (17, Norfolk, Nebraska) This pink and purple haired girl sucks. No way around it. The speechless judges just shake their heads and she is out.
Jessica Paige Furney (19, Wamego, KS) She lives in Oz Central, and with her 93 year old grandma. She sang Crybaby by Janis Joplin, and she's got a really great instrument. She's got a soulful voice and I love it. She also seems like a sweetheart. I hope her grandma is ok on her own. It's Jessica's birthday, and she got a golden ticket for her birthday.
India and Asia McClain (22 and 24, respectively) I don't want to be crass, but it seems like one of these sisters got all the cookies and the other got none. They claim to be choreographer and bodyguard material, and rap a song about cookies. They were decent rappers, but... They sang individually after their rap, and India was indeed much better than Asia. India was decent, and she was sent through. Asia, not so much.
Jamar Rogers (26, Milwaukee) He belted his song out decently, but I'd like to hear more control and variety and emoting in his voice. The judges thought he was a bit too loud and over the top, but they put him through.
Danny Gokey (28, Milwaukee) He's Jamar's best friend. His wife passed away 4 weeks before the audition from a heart condition. The poor guy. He stuck it out and auditioned, and I'm glad. I really love his voice. He's a music teacher. Paula loved him, and Kara declared herself a fan. Simon and Randy loved him, too, and he's through.
After that lovely audition, they had to even it out by showing some hideous ones in a horrible montage.
Anoop Desai (21, didn't catch where he was from) I enjoyed his voice, and he seems like a smart cookie and is well spoken. His voice has a little Elliot Yamin vibe to it, which is not necessarily my favorite, but it's a niche. Simon called his look geeky, but he's through anyhow. Good.
Then, another shot of wretched. Oh, why. After a break, some more strange gimmicks were showcased. No thankyou.
Andrew Lang (19, Columbia, MO) He was introduced his very own very bad cheerleaders (though I was impressed by the split, and the thin cheerleader kind of looks like Maggie Gyllenhal) His voice was not bad. His look was not good at all, but I've seen worse. He was passed on, and even his cheerleaders broke into tears. They encouraged him to go into musical theatre.
Asa Barnes (28, Kansas City) His daughter is absolutely adorable, that's for sure. He probably could have chosen a better song for his voice (he sang The Way You Make Me Feel), because he had troubles with the high notes, and it was kind of sharp all the way through. He did well enough to get him the ticket to Hollywood, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with a better song.
Michael Nicewonder (20, Grande Island, Nebraska) He's got a medal from music class in elementary school, and he's got a fortune cookie note on the back. He looks like he belongs in the next Dumb and Dumber movie. He sang a hideous original song, and then another hideous original song. Goodbye. There were tears.
Dennis Brigham (19, Florida I think) He did a backflip and had a dream about Simon, which is kind of creepy. His voice was good enough, I guess, but his eyes are creepy beyond belief. After Simon told him it was crazy, he decided it would be prudent to sing another song. Just. Stop. Paula gave him a yes. Simon gave him a no. I didn't get to see what happened to him, because my dvr stopped!
Help me out, readers, did I miss anything good? Was that the end? I curse Fox for not keeping normal timing.
Home of David Cook, will it give anything good this year? Well, Jason Castro was there with his brother, who is auditioning this year. Interesting.
Chelsea Marquardt (19) She certainly has a high opinion of herself. Unfortunately, she's a complete vocal trainwreck. Why do people keep singing when the judges start laughing. I don't understand. It sounded like someone was strangling a cat (and of course, Simon topped my by saying that it sounded like a cat jumping off the Empire States Building). Kara and Paula thought the guys were being too harsh. Kara said the positive is that she is a pretty girl, but she is not a good singer.
Ashley Anderson (20, NJ) She chose to sing a song co-written by Simon, and she flubbed the lyrics in the first verse. She has a pretty voice, with some good control. It's not my favorite kind of voice (or I should say, style of singing), but I think she is good. Simon said it was a great song choice. She gets four yes votes and she's through.
Casey Carlson (20, Minneapolis) She's a bubble tea maker. That's interesting. She looks a little like Lacey Schwimmer from SYTYCD and Dancing with the Stars. She's got good presence and a nice voice. She has a bit of a she-mullet, so I hope she (like David Cook) gets better hair if she makes it farther into the competition. She's kind of cute.
Brian Kettler (20, Kansas City) Opera boy has a bit too much unfortunate chest showing. Some men should not wear low cut V-necks. I think he was singing Aretha, but his spastic singing was not good for this kind of music. Maybe he's good at opera, but I don't know about that. Yipes. Simon said everything was wrong in this audition. I would agree. He attempted to redeem himself by screeching out some Josh Groban. It did not work. I think he made a wise decision in walking away from music. He exited to Mozart's Requiem, and that was just genius, editors, genius.
Then, there was a montage of various people's disappointments, with crying and screaming galore.
Ryan caught up with David Cook's parents, who said that other good people are around.
James Michael Avance (20) Not one of those good people.
Billy Vinson (27) Dude, don't sing Reflection as a man. Just no.
Chris Jones (21) Painful.
Deandre something - also painful. Nothing else matters about him except he was awful.
Von Smith (20, didn't catch his hometown) - He started off with a break in his voice, but improved greatly after clearing his throat. I kind of dig him. He's different and he's got something that I could like. Randy liked him. Simon liked him as well. Paula loved him, and so did Kara, saying he had a big instrument and he can take risks other people might not be able to.
Michael Castro (20, Rockwell, TX) He's Jason Castro's younger brother, and he also sucks at interviews. The Muppet's little brother is an emo punk boy with pink hair. While I can dig girls with pink hair, guys with pink hair turn me off. He just started singing 20 days before the audition. Ballsy. He has a good voice, though it gets froggy at times. The pink faux hawk emo mullet is annoying. It's better than the dreads, but still. Simon called it good-ish, and he couldn't tell if he had the commitment to the performance, which was a problem with Jason as well. Kara thought he was cool. He got put through to Hollywood.
Vaughn English (19, KS) Replete with orange and yellow suit, he sang about bananas. That was foolish. He's gone.
Matt Breitzke (27, Oklahoma) He's got a really cute kid. He's got a really nice voice, and is the first singer this season to give me the chills. He's got great control, and he's likeable. Randy called him a bar singer, but not right for this. Kara disagreed and said that he has natural talent and likes him. Paula admired his tone and control. Simon is the deciding vote, and sent him on through. Yay! I actually rewound to listen to him again. Yes, I like him that much.
Jasmine Joseph (aka Jazz) (17, Norfolk, Nebraska) This pink and purple haired girl sucks. No way around it. The speechless judges just shake their heads and she is out.
Jessica Paige Furney (19, Wamego, KS) She lives in Oz Central, and with her 93 year old grandma. She sang Crybaby by Janis Joplin, and she's got a really great instrument. She's got a soulful voice and I love it. She also seems like a sweetheart. I hope her grandma is ok on her own. It's Jessica's birthday, and she got a golden ticket for her birthday.
India and Asia McClain (22 and 24, respectively) I don't want to be crass, but it seems like one of these sisters got all the cookies and the other got none. They claim to be choreographer and bodyguard material, and rap a song about cookies. They were decent rappers, but... They sang individually after their rap, and India was indeed much better than Asia. India was decent, and she was sent through. Asia, not so much.
Jamar Rogers (26, Milwaukee) He belted his song out decently, but I'd like to hear more control and variety and emoting in his voice. The judges thought he was a bit too loud and over the top, but they put him through.
Danny Gokey (28, Milwaukee) He's Jamar's best friend. His wife passed away 4 weeks before the audition from a heart condition. The poor guy. He stuck it out and auditioned, and I'm glad. I really love his voice. He's a music teacher. Paula loved him, and Kara declared herself a fan. Simon and Randy loved him, too, and he's through.
After that lovely audition, they had to even it out by showing some hideous ones in a horrible montage.
Anoop Desai (21, didn't catch where he was from) I enjoyed his voice, and he seems like a smart cookie and is well spoken. His voice has a little Elliot Yamin vibe to it, which is not necessarily my favorite, but it's a niche. Simon called his look geeky, but he's through anyhow. Good.
Then, another shot of wretched. Oh, why. After a break, some more strange gimmicks were showcased. No thankyou.
Andrew Lang (19, Columbia, MO) He was introduced his very own very bad cheerleaders (though I was impressed by the split, and the thin cheerleader kind of looks like Maggie Gyllenhal) His voice was not bad. His look was not good at all, but I've seen worse. He was passed on, and even his cheerleaders broke into tears. They encouraged him to go into musical theatre.
Asa Barnes (28, Kansas City) His daughter is absolutely adorable, that's for sure. He probably could have chosen a better song for his voice (he sang The Way You Make Me Feel), because he had troubles with the high notes, and it was kind of sharp all the way through. He did well enough to get him the ticket to Hollywood, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with a better song.
Michael Nicewonder (20, Grande Island, Nebraska) He's got a medal from music class in elementary school, and he's got a fortune cookie note on the back. He looks like he belongs in the next Dumb and Dumber movie. He sang a hideous original song, and then another hideous original song. Goodbye. There were tears.
Dennis Brigham (19, Florida I think) He did a backflip and had a dream about Simon, which is kind of creepy. His voice was good enough, I guess, but his eyes are creepy beyond belief. After Simon told him it was crazy, he decided it would be prudent to sing another song. Just. Stop. Paula gave him a yes. Simon gave him a no. I didn't get to see what happened to him, because my dvr stopped!
Help me out, readers, did I miss anything good? Was that the end? I curse Fox for not keeping normal timing.
Survivor Tocantins: Cast and First Thoughts
The cast for the next Survivor has been announced! It's going to be in Tocantins, the Brazilian Highlands, and it looks like fun.
Here are my initial thoughts on the cast this coming season, and I reserve the right to change my mind immediately after seeing them in action. According to Zap2it, each tribe will immediately vote someone out, so first impressions are going to make a big difference.
Name: Benjamin "Coach" Wade
Age: 37
Occupation: Soccer Coach
Hometown/State: Montana
He looks like he might be a jackass. We'll see. He strikes me as something like Ace, and I don't know why. It's just the vibe I'm getting. He looks something like a Steven Segal wannabe.
Name: Brendan Synncott
Age: 30
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Hometown/State: NYC
He co-founded Bear Naked, and I love their granola, so I am immediately not hating him. He could be a good player. We'll see.
Name: Candace Smith
Age: 31
Occupation: Lawyer
Hometown/State: Dayton, OH
She's a former Miss Ohio, and a lawyer who no longer practices law because she moved to California to pursue acting, modeling, and opening her own consulting firm. She admits to being a bitch at times. Could she be this season's answer to Corrine? Please, no.
Name: Carolina Eastwood
Age: 26
Occupation: Bartender
Hometown/State: West Hollywood, CA
Her bio calls her a "trash-talking firecracker," which could get annoying real quickly. She could also be endearing. She's pretty, so that is a plus. I admit, I like some of the pretty girls just for being pretty. Don't judge me.
Name: Debra "Debbie" Beebee
Age: 46
Occupation: Middle school Principal
Hometown/State: Auburn, Ala
I want to like her, but her nickname is Bubbles. I don't know if I can respect a woman who is sometimes called Bubbles. She is, however, used to dealing with groups of somewhat irrational people, being a middle school principal, so that could help her out.
Name: Erinn Lobdell
Age: 26
Occupation: Hairstylist
Hometown/State: Waukesha, Wis.
Oh, Erinn of the superfluous extra n... wonder if she puts the emphasis on the second half of her name, like air-INN, instead of plain AIR-in. I suppose I should not judge her for her name, but I do judge her parents. She seems to prescribe to the Sugar Method, of playing "dumb like a fox." She may be good. We'll see, Eeerrrriiiinnnnnn, we'll see.
Name: Jerry Sims
Age: 49
Occupation: Sgt. – U.S. Army
Hometown/State: Rock Hill, SC
He certainly looks like a jovial fellow. I think he might be one to watch - he's strong, looks nice, calls himself a joker, and seems to have the background to be helpful around camp and might emerge as a leader. Whether that is good for him in the long term scope of the game or not, I don't know, but I like him at the outset.
Name: Joe Dowdle
Age: 26
Occupation: Real Estate Sales
Hometown/State: Austin, TX
He calls himself a genuine cowboy, and calls his strategy for the game "persuade and evade." Interesting, could be something to watch for. He doesn't like overly dramatic people and doesn't like to lose. Seems he might be in the wrong competition. He is not a standout for me at the get go.
Name: James "JT" Thomas Jr.
Age: 24
Occupation: Cattle Rancher
Hometown/State: Samson, Ala
Wonder how he and Joe will get along? He says that he is smarter than people think he is, and he's not a dumb hillbilly, but he's not above playing that card if the game requires it (and if the women like it). He's got wholesome good looks, so that might not be a bad strategy.
Name: Sandy Burgin
Age: 53
Occupation: Bus Driver
Hometown/State: Louisville, Ky
She works the night shift, so I hope that she is able to reset her circadian rhythm quickly so that she isn't all messed up at camp. She is a fisherwoman, and likes DIY magazines, so maybe she is angling (ha ha ha, sorry about that pun) to be like Bob's female counterpart. She calls herself funny and fearless and doesn't like mean and greedy people. As opposed to those who seek out the mean and greedy. She might be cool, or she might just fizzle.
Name: Sierra Reed
Age: 23
Occupation: Model
Hometown/State: Los Angeles, Calif
I think we have the Survivor Cutie of the season in Sierra! She moved to Taiwan when she was younger by herself (how young? She's pretty darned young now!) and so is used to less than sanitary situations. She calls herself an adventure junkie, and says that she has tenacity. I want to like her. She says she is not the typical model, and claims that she likes to model because of the travel it provides, and the new things she gets to experience because of it. She also says that she should be all set for Survivor, having lived with "five catty models all vying for the same spot." Yup, I want to like her.
Name: Spencer Duhm
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Hometown/State: Lakeland, Fla
Wow, he's young! He's a superfan of Survivor (since it began when he was in grade school! Good lord, I feel old). He's on his college's crew team, so ostenstiably, he knows how to row a boat, which is often a plus. He is a fan of water cooler gossip, so I bet he will be fun to watch. Since I know that college students tend to have a lot of energy, he might be up there in the top for me.
Name: Stephen Fishbach
Age: 29
Occupation: Corporate Consultant
Hometown/State: NYC
He admits that he resembles a muppet, and I instantly like him a little for that. He plans on playing a cutthroat game, and thinks that people will underestimate his ruthlessness because he looks unassuming. He doesn't like overconfident or cocky people. I like that he has competed in the Idiotarod, an event that I have never heard of but now have a burning desire to know more about. He could be one to watch.
Name: Sydney Wheeler
Age: 24
Occupation: Model
Hometown/State: Raleigh, N.C.
Another model, and another beauty, I wonder how she and Sierra will get along. She lost her sister in a car accident when she was 19, so she knows how to persevere through hardship. She says she is more than just a pretty face, and I hope that she's right.
Name: Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George
Age: 37
Occupation: Former Pop Star
Hometown/State: Nashville, Tennessee
She's a former pop star, and the wife of a former NFL Pro. Her music isn't my style at all, but her group was nominated for a grammy. I've never heard of them before. She says she is naturally distrustful, which could be a bonus in the game. I want to like her.
Name: Tyson Apostol
Age: 29
Occupation: Professional Cyclist
Hometown/State: Lindon, Utah
Oh, I just love when someone calls themselves charming, and arrogant. Ugh. I don't think I'll like Tyson. He seems totally egotistical and I don't think I can stomach him. Because of that, of course, he's bound to go far. Murphy's Law.
So, all in all, looks like a pretty likeable season. Tyson, Benjamin, and Candace are my least favorites from first impressions, and I like the looks of Jerry, Sierra, Spencer, and Sydney. We'll see how impressions change once I see them in action. Until February, Survivor Fans!
Here are my initial thoughts on the cast this coming season, and I reserve the right to change my mind immediately after seeing them in action. According to Zap2it, each tribe will immediately vote someone out, so first impressions are going to make a big difference.
Name: Benjamin "Coach" Wade
Age: 37
Occupation: Soccer Coach
Hometown/State: Montana
He looks like he might be a jackass. We'll see. He strikes me as something like Ace, and I don't know why. It's just the vibe I'm getting. He looks something like a Steven Segal wannabe.
Name: Brendan Synncott
Age: 30
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Hometown/State: NYC
He co-founded Bear Naked, and I love their granola, so I am immediately not hating him. He could be a good player. We'll see.
Name: Candace Smith
Age: 31
Occupation: Lawyer
Hometown/State: Dayton, OH
She's a former Miss Ohio, and a lawyer who no longer practices law because she moved to California to pursue acting, modeling, and opening her own consulting firm. She admits to being a bitch at times. Could she be this season's answer to Corrine? Please, no.
Name: Carolina Eastwood
Age: 26
Occupation: Bartender
Hometown/State: West Hollywood, CA
Her bio calls her a "trash-talking firecracker," which could get annoying real quickly. She could also be endearing. She's pretty, so that is a plus. I admit, I like some of the pretty girls just for being pretty. Don't judge me.
Name: Debra "Debbie" Beebee
Age: 46
Occupation: Middle school Principal
Hometown/State: Auburn, Ala
I want to like her, but her nickname is Bubbles. I don't know if I can respect a woman who is sometimes called Bubbles. She is, however, used to dealing with groups of somewhat irrational people, being a middle school principal, so that could help her out.
Name: Erinn Lobdell
Age: 26
Occupation: Hairstylist
Hometown/State: Waukesha, Wis.
Oh, Erinn of the superfluous extra n... wonder if she puts the emphasis on the second half of her name, like air-INN, instead of plain AIR-in. I suppose I should not judge her for her name, but I do judge her parents. She seems to prescribe to the Sugar Method, of playing "dumb like a fox." She may be good. We'll see, Eeerrrriiiinnnnnn, we'll see.
Name: Jerry Sims
Age: 49
Occupation: Sgt. – U.S. Army
Hometown/State: Rock Hill, SC
He certainly looks like a jovial fellow. I think he might be one to watch - he's strong, looks nice, calls himself a joker, and seems to have the background to be helpful around camp and might emerge as a leader. Whether that is good for him in the long term scope of the game or not, I don't know, but I like him at the outset.
Name: Joe Dowdle
Age: 26
Occupation: Real Estate Sales
Hometown/State: Austin, TX
He calls himself a genuine cowboy, and calls his strategy for the game "persuade and evade." Interesting, could be something to watch for. He doesn't like overly dramatic people and doesn't like to lose. Seems he might be in the wrong competition. He is not a standout for me at the get go.
Name: James "JT" Thomas Jr.
Age: 24
Occupation: Cattle Rancher
Hometown/State: Samson, Ala
Wonder how he and Joe will get along? He says that he is smarter than people think he is, and he's not a dumb hillbilly, but he's not above playing that card if the game requires it (and if the women like it). He's got wholesome good looks, so that might not be a bad strategy.
Name: Sandy Burgin
Age: 53
Occupation: Bus Driver
Hometown/State: Louisville, Ky
She works the night shift, so I hope that she is able to reset her circadian rhythm quickly so that she isn't all messed up at camp. She is a fisherwoman, and likes DIY magazines, so maybe she is angling (ha ha ha, sorry about that pun) to be like Bob's female counterpart. She calls herself funny and fearless and doesn't like mean and greedy people. As opposed to those who seek out the mean and greedy. She might be cool, or she might just fizzle.
Name: Sierra Reed
Age: 23
Occupation: Model
Hometown/State: Los Angeles, Calif
I think we have the Survivor Cutie of the season in Sierra! She moved to Taiwan when she was younger by herself (how young? She's pretty darned young now!) and so is used to less than sanitary situations. She calls herself an adventure junkie, and says that she has tenacity. I want to like her. She says she is not the typical model, and claims that she likes to model because of the travel it provides, and the new things she gets to experience because of it. She also says that she should be all set for Survivor, having lived with "five catty models all vying for the same spot." Yup, I want to like her.
Name: Spencer Duhm
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Hometown/State: Lakeland, Fla
Wow, he's young! He's a superfan of Survivor (since it began when he was in grade school! Good lord, I feel old). He's on his college's crew team, so ostenstiably, he knows how to row a boat, which is often a plus. He is a fan of water cooler gossip, so I bet he will be fun to watch. Since I know that college students tend to have a lot of energy, he might be up there in the top for me.
Name: Stephen Fishbach
Age: 29
Occupation: Corporate Consultant
Hometown/State: NYC
He admits that he resembles a muppet, and I instantly like him a little for that. He plans on playing a cutthroat game, and thinks that people will underestimate his ruthlessness because he looks unassuming. He doesn't like overconfident or cocky people. I like that he has competed in the Idiotarod, an event that I have never heard of but now have a burning desire to know more about. He could be one to watch.
Name: Sydney Wheeler
Age: 24
Occupation: Model
Hometown/State: Raleigh, N.C.
Another model, and another beauty, I wonder how she and Sierra will get along. She lost her sister in a car accident when she was 19, so she knows how to persevere through hardship. She says she is more than just a pretty face, and I hope that she's right.
Name: Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George
Age: 37
Occupation: Former Pop Star
Hometown/State: Nashville, Tennessee
She's a former pop star, and the wife of a former NFL Pro. Her music isn't my style at all, but her group was nominated for a grammy. I've never heard of them before. She says she is naturally distrustful, which could be a bonus in the game. I want to like her.
Name: Tyson Apostol
Age: 29
Occupation: Professional Cyclist
Hometown/State: Lindon, Utah
Oh, I just love when someone calls themselves charming, and arrogant. Ugh. I don't think I'll like Tyson. He seems totally egotistical and I don't think I can stomach him. Because of that, of course, he's bound to go far. Murphy's Law.
So, all in all, looks like a pretty likeable season. Tyson, Benjamin, and Candace are my least favorites from first impressions, and I like the looks of Jerry, Sierra, Spencer, and Sydney. We'll see how impressions change once I see them in action. Until February, Survivor Fans!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Yay for a New Season - American Idol 1/13/09
Finally!
To get things started this season, there is a short retrospective with some of the best and worst of past seasons, set to What a Wonderful World. I don't know if Louie would approve, but I do. Ah, and we get another view of Ashley the Crying girl, and Sanjaya's awful mohawk madness.
Good times, good times.
Then, it's Seacrest's turn to "This is American Idol" us into a new season.
Before we got there, though, he reminds us about the winning moment of David Cook last season, including a little showing of the tween girls freaking out about Archie's loss, a YouTube favorite (of course, I cannot find it, but it was funny).
Blah blah blah, more of what's to come, I'm fast forwarding to the real stuff.
Wait, what? I think I just fast forwarded through Simon getting hugged and/or humped by a giant bunny. We'll see what that comes to.
Finally, it's time for the first city.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 1
It's blazing hot (what do they expect, it's Arizona!). Before we get to see anyone, we are introduced to the new judge, Kara, including some clips of what's to come. Can't they just let it happen?
Tuan Ngyen (20, from Spring Valley, CA) Oh, joy. Tuan thinks it's necessary to have drill team movements, tap, and a giant ass fro to make his singing stand out. Somehow I don't see this ending well. His singing is subpar, his tap is completely superfluous, and he needs to maybe focus on one talent instead of spreading himself so thin... yeah, I'll say that was his problem. Randy gives him a definite no, and Kara says that she's never seen anything like that, and not in a good way. He's out. He thought the judges were with him in the beginning. Dude. Laughing AT you, not WITH you. His departure was set to the tragic tones of Wham's Careless Whisper. I will admit, his feet ARE guilty of having no rhythm, so that's appropriate enough.
Emily Hughes (21, LA) Her mom's a singer, and was professional when Emily was a child. Emily said that she was bad in school, so she decided to just perform, and "got a bunch of tattoos, so I'd never be forced to sit in an office." Hope this works out for her then, because laser tattoo removal is expensive. She's singing Baracuda. That's bold. She's got some serious pipes on her. It's hard to belt out some Heart a capella. I really like her a lot. The judges admitted that she chose a really difficult song. Simon loves her, Paula calls her Top 5 material, and Kara says that she looks serious, and Randy asks about her bandmates - who don't know she's there. If she makes it through, the band will have to cancel a European tour. Yipes. She claims that if she makes it, she can pull a Daughtry move and bring them with her in the future. She's easily through, and I really like her. She's got pink hair, and I tend to have a soft spot for the pink haired chicks. Funny, because I hate pink as a color.
Randy Madden (28, Moorpark, CA) He is so sure of himself, with no singing lessons, no band. He says that people stop him on the street and tell him he should be on American Idol. Based on his looks? Hmmm. Interesting. There were tears from him before he even auditioned, so this should be interesting. He sang Living on a Prayer, and it was ... as Simon said, wimpy. He looks like a rockstar, but he does not sound like one. He begged for a chance. Simon called him a cliche, and a drama queen, with no star quality. I'd agree with that. Paula tried to be supportive, and Simon put in a dig at her about her music. Kara said he needed to put in more work to have a shot at it, so he's a no. Goodbye, Randy.
JB Ahfua (16, Taylorsville, UT) He's got a good voice in him, he might be Archie material. I think he's better at the onset than Archie. Simon told him he has a good voice, but needs to loosen up. Still, he gets four yes votes, and he's through to Hollywood. Good. Hope that he doesn't disappoint me like Archie ended up doing. He has a sob story about his family struggling, so this is his chance to help them out.
Michael Gurr (17, Mesa, AZ) He's got that kind of awkwardly emo look of Evil Peter Parker in Spiderman 3, and he's been nervous all day. He sounds slightly like he's having a seizure when he sings(?). Simon said he couldn't understand a word, and he might as well have been singing in Bulgarian. Paula is stunned to agree. He asks to sing another song, and sucks up by singing(?) a song by Kara. Just no. He claims it was all nerves. I think it was just because he's sucky. And he came close to fainting after his audition was done. Oh, brother!
(I thought that they were showing less of the bad auditions this year?)
Will Kunick regurgitated Tears for Fears, DJ Bradley geeked Celine Dion to death, Shawn Vasquez butchered Dion Warwick. Please, make it stop.
Audre Caraway (aka Xray) (20, Phoenix) Full of energy and weilding a guitar, which he discarded before singing a strange song of his own, called Cactus, Baby. Unfortunately, he did not make the pain stop. It's a unanimous no. He pleaded for another chance, and Simon called him tiresome. Good and bye.
Ariana Afsar (16, San Diego, CA) She's a philanthropist, who founded an organization, called "Adopt a Grand-Friend" - that's sweet. She's really cute. I love the tone of her voice. She's got a real natural talent, kind of bluesy. She has a lot of un-forced power. She gets four happy yes votes, and she's through.
9 unseen others went through on Day 1 in Phoenix, too.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 2
Elijah Scarlet (22, Phoenix) He's got an incredibly low voice, which is hard to believe is real. Unfortunately, his range seems to be about 2 notes, and those notes are not good. Simon questioned if he'd ever seen the show before, and said it was something like a horror movie. Paula suggested he do voice-overs in monster movies.
Lea Marie Golde (16, Connecticut) She's got a pink cowboy hat on. She could be cute, and I admire her belly-dancing belly roll skills, but she's got a little bit too much energy. She claims to be Kara's biggest fan. She's brought a giant binder of all of her original songs that she's written. She showed it to Kara, and then sang in a painfully nasal voice. She should possibly stick to writing. Paula told her she needs to work on her voice, and Simon called her annoying. Kara told her to stick to writing maybe, if her writing is any good, and she was sent packing with her giant notebook. She promises to be back.
Stevie Wright (16, Phelan, CA) She's wearing what I think is a cow print shirt. That was an odd choice. She was named after Stevie Nicks. She sang At Last, by Etta James, and she was pretty good, especially for being only 16. Simon wants her to be more aggressive if she's going to be competative. She's through, easily.
Michael Sarver (27, Jasper, TX) - He's a Roughneck on an oil rig, which he is proud to announce is the fifth most dangerous job in the world. Yipes. He's got a couple really cute kids and a nice looking wife. I'm not sure about the style of his voice - which is kind of country - but he's got something there. Kara called him a sensitive roughneck, and Randy says his voice doesn't match his looks, but it's a good thing. Simon says he has the likeability factor. He is through to Hollywood.
Enter montage of nameless hideous singers. Oh, my ears.
Then, enter Bikini Girl.
Katrina Darrell (20, CA) She's going to be so leathery when she is 30. Her voice is decent. She didn't need to resort to wearing the bikini. She should have remembered that there are two women on the panel, too. Kara gave her a schooling about how the feeling of the song could have been much better. Simon and Randy are ready to send her through instantly. Kara and Paula aren't seeing it. Still, in this new four judge format, Simon is a tie breaker, and amidst much complaining from the women on the panel, Katrina is through. I don't think she was as bad as Kara and Paula attested, but still. Then, Kara went to find Ryan and planted a not-so-platonic kiss on him. That was kind of awkward.
Eric Thomas (aka Sexual Chocolate) (18, Phoenix, AZ) He attempted to sing Stevie Wonder and failed miserably. Simon said, "Thank you, Sexual." If he doesn't make it, his mom is buying him a car, so he's a car ritcher.
Brianna Quijada (22, from AZ) She had a cute voice, a good personality, but does the thing I hate and keeps singing when they tell her to stop singing. Simon says she likes her personality, and though Randy and Kara said no, Paula and Simon (astoundingly) sent her through.
Deanna Brown (25, KY) She has a bit of a thick Southern accent, and unfortunately, when she sang that she was "sitting on the dock of the bay," it sounded like she was doing something entirely different on the dock of the bay. She does have a very nice voice, though it's pretty country for me. She is through. She's cute.
Cody Sheldon (17, Detroit, MI) He makes horror films in his spare time. Nice. He's got kind of a nasal voice and it's the kind of voice I don't enjoy so much. Very froggy. His voice has a very sweet quality to it, which doesn't jive with his look. Predictably, because I don't like him the judges sent him through.
Alex Wagner-Trugman, (19, CA) Ok, so I don't think he'll be any good, but he's kind of funny. He's not bad vocally! He needs a serious hair cut/style. Simon didn't like him, but Randy liked him a lot. So did Kara and Paula. He's through, much to Simon's dismay.
An unfortunate montage of wretched people singing Wanted Dead or Alive. Painful. Oh, and there was also some really bad air guitar thrown in there. The montage ended with a "cowboy" who looked more like he belonged in Fiddler on the Roof. Just no. Look in the mirror before you go on national television.
Scott Macintyre (23, Scottsdale, AZ) He's legally blind, but has become a very good pianist. He can only see about the width of one ket at a time on the piano. That's impressive. He went into college at 14, and graduated at 19. That's impressive. He sang And So It Goes, which is a beautiful song. I'm not sure his voice alone would be quite enough to get him through, but he won the judges over. I'm hoping to see him go through and see him working with a piano. He's possibly got potential.
27 tickets were given out in Phoenix over both days. And there was much rejoicing. And pool jumping.
Until tomorrow, dear readers.
I think my favorite tonight was Emily Hughes. And you?
To get things started this season, there is a short retrospective with some of the best and worst of past seasons, set to What a Wonderful World. I don't know if Louie would approve, but I do. Ah, and we get another view of Ashley the Crying girl, and Sanjaya's awful mohawk madness.
Good times, good times.
Then, it's Seacrest's turn to "This is American Idol" us into a new season.
Before we got there, though, he reminds us about the winning moment of David Cook last season, including a little showing of the tween girls freaking out about Archie's loss, a YouTube favorite (of course, I cannot find it, but it was funny).
Blah blah blah, more of what's to come, I'm fast forwarding to the real stuff.
Wait, what? I think I just fast forwarded through Simon getting hugged and/or humped by a giant bunny. We'll see what that comes to.
Finally, it's time for the first city.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 1
It's blazing hot (what do they expect, it's Arizona!). Before we get to see anyone, we are introduced to the new judge, Kara, including some clips of what's to come. Can't they just let it happen?
Tuan Ngyen (20, from Spring Valley, CA) Oh, joy. Tuan thinks it's necessary to have drill team movements, tap, and a giant ass fro to make his singing stand out. Somehow I don't see this ending well. His singing is subpar, his tap is completely superfluous, and he needs to maybe focus on one talent instead of spreading himself so thin... yeah, I'll say that was his problem. Randy gives him a definite no, and Kara says that she's never seen anything like that, and not in a good way. He's out. He thought the judges were with him in the beginning. Dude. Laughing AT you, not WITH you. His departure was set to the tragic tones of Wham's Careless Whisper. I will admit, his feet ARE guilty of having no rhythm, so that's appropriate enough.
Emily Hughes (21, LA) Her mom's a singer, and was professional when Emily was a child. Emily said that she was bad in school, so she decided to just perform, and "got a bunch of tattoos, so I'd never be forced to sit in an office." Hope this works out for her then, because laser tattoo removal is expensive. She's singing Baracuda. That's bold. She's got some serious pipes on her. It's hard to belt out some Heart a capella. I really like her a lot. The judges admitted that she chose a really difficult song. Simon loves her, Paula calls her Top 5 material, and Kara says that she looks serious, and Randy asks about her bandmates - who don't know she's there. If she makes it through, the band will have to cancel a European tour. Yipes. She claims that if she makes it, she can pull a Daughtry move and bring them with her in the future. She's easily through, and I really like her. She's got pink hair, and I tend to have a soft spot for the pink haired chicks. Funny, because I hate pink as a color.
Randy Madden (28, Moorpark, CA) He is so sure of himself, with no singing lessons, no band. He says that people stop him on the street and tell him he should be on American Idol. Based on his looks? Hmmm. Interesting. There were tears from him before he even auditioned, so this should be interesting. He sang Living on a Prayer, and it was ... as Simon said, wimpy. He looks like a rockstar, but he does not sound like one. He begged for a chance. Simon called him a cliche, and a drama queen, with no star quality. I'd agree with that. Paula tried to be supportive, and Simon put in a dig at her about her music. Kara said he needed to put in more work to have a shot at it, so he's a no. Goodbye, Randy.
JB Ahfua (16, Taylorsville, UT) He's got a good voice in him, he might be Archie material. I think he's better at the onset than Archie. Simon told him he has a good voice, but needs to loosen up. Still, he gets four yes votes, and he's through to Hollywood. Good. Hope that he doesn't disappoint me like Archie ended up doing. He has a sob story about his family struggling, so this is his chance to help them out.
Michael Gurr (17, Mesa, AZ) He's got that kind of awkwardly emo look of Evil Peter Parker in Spiderman 3, and he's been nervous all day. He sounds slightly like he's having a seizure when he sings(?). Simon said he couldn't understand a word, and he might as well have been singing in Bulgarian. Paula is stunned to agree. He asks to sing another song, and sucks up by singing(?) a song by Kara. Just no. He claims it was all nerves. I think it was just because he's sucky. And he came close to fainting after his audition was done. Oh, brother!(I thought that they were showing less of the bad auditions this year?)
Will Kunick regurgitated Tears for Fears, DJ Bradley geeked Celine Dion to death, Shawn Vasquez butchered Dion Warwick. Please, make it stop.
Audre Caraway (aka Xray) (20, Phoenix) Full of energy and weilding a guitar, which he discarded before singing a strange song of his own, called Cactus, Baby. Unfortunately, he did not make the pain stop. It's a unanimous no. He pleaded for another chance, and Simon called him tiresome. Good and bye.
Ariana Afsar (16, San Diego, CA) She's a philanthropist, who founded an organization, called "Adopt a Grand-Friend" - that's sweet. She's really cute. I love the tone of her voice. She's got a real natural talent, kind of bluesy. She has a lot of un-forced power. She gets four happy yes votes, and she's through.
9 unseen others went through on Day 1 in Phoenix, too.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 2
Elijah Scarlet (22, Phoenix) He's got an incredibly low voice, which is hard to believe is real. Unfortunately, his range seems to be about 2 notes, and those notes are not good. Simon questioned if he'd ever seen the show before, and said it was something like a horror movie. Paula suggested he do voice-overs in monster movies.
Lea Marie Golde (16, Connecticut) She's got a pink cowboy hat on. She could be cute, and I admire her belly-dancing belly roll skills, but she's got a little bit too much energy. She claims to be Kara's biggest fan. She's brought a giant binder of all of her original songs that she's written. She showed it to Kara, and then sang in a painfully nasal voice. She should possibly stick to writing. Paula told her she needs to work on her voice, and Simon called her annoying. Kara told her to stick to writing maybe, if her writing is any good, and she was sent packing with her giant notebook. She promises to be back.
Stevie Wright (16, Phelan, CA) She's wearing what I think is a cow print shirt. That was an odd choice. She was named after Stevie Nicks. She sang At Last, by Etta James, and she was pretty good, especially for being only 16. Simon wants her to be more aggressive if she's going to be competative. She's through, easily.
Michael Sarver (27, Jasper, TX) - He's a Roughneck on an oil rig, which he is proud to announce is the fifth most dangerous job in the world. Yipes. He's got a couple really cute kids and a nice looking wife. I'm not sure about the style of his voice - which is kind of country - but he's got something there. Kara called him a sensitive roughneck, and Randy says his voice doesn't match his looks, but it's a good thing. Simon says he has the likeability factor. He is through to Hollywood.
Enter montage of nameless hideous singers. Oh, my ears.
Then, enter Bikini Girl.
Katrina Darrell (20, CA) She's going to be so leathery when she is 30. Her voice is decent. She didn't need to resort to wearing the bikini. She should have remembered that there are two women on the panel, too. Kara gave her a schooling about how the feeling of the song could have been much better. Simon and Randy are ready to send her through instantly. Kara and Paula aren't seeing it. Still, in this new four judge format, Simon is a tie breaker, and amidst much complaining from the women on the panel, Katrina is through. I don't think she was as bad as Kara and Paula attested, but still. Then, Kara went to find Ryan and planted a not-so-platonic kiss on him. That was kind of awkward.
Eric Thomas (aka Sexual Chocolate) (18, Phoenix, AZ) He attempted to sing Stevie Wonder and failed miserably. Simon said, "Thank you, Sexual." If he doesn't make it, his mom is buying him a car, so he's a car ritcher.
Brianna Quijada (22, from AZ) She had a cute voice, a good personality, but does the thing I hate and keeps singing when they tell her to stop singing. Simon says she likes her personality, and though Randy and Kara said no, Paula and Simon (astoundingly) sent her through.
Deanna Brown (25, KY) She has a bit of a thick Southern accent, and unfortunately, when she sang that she was "sitting on the dock of the bay," it sounded like she was doing something entirely different on the dock of the bay. She does have a very nice voice, though it's pretty country for me. She is through. She's cute.
Cody Sheldon (17, Detroit, MI) He makes horror films in his spare time. Nice. He's got kind of a nasal voice and it's the kind of voice I don't enjoy so much. Very froggy. His voice has a very sweet quality to it, which doesn't jive with his look. Predictably, because I don't like him the judges sent him through.
Alex Wagner-Trugman, (19, CA) Ok, so I don't think he'll be any good, but he's kind of funny. He's not bad vocally! He needs a serious hair cut/style. Simon didn't like him, but Randy liked him a lot. So did Kara and Paula. He's through, much to Simon's dismay.
An unfortunate montage of wretched people singing Wanted Dead or Alive. Painful. Oh, and there was also some really bad air guitar thrown in there. The montage ended with a "cowboy" who looked more like he belonged in Fiddler on the Roof. Just no. Look in the mirror before you go on national television.
Scott Macintyre (23, Scottsdale, AZ) He's legally blind, but has become a very good pianist. He can only see about the width of one ket at a time on the piano. That's impressive. He went into college at 14, and graduated at 19. That's impressive. He sang And So It Goes, which is a beautiful song. I'm not sure his voice alone would be quite enough to get him through, but he won the judges over. I'm hoping to see him go through and see him working with a piano. He's possibly got potential.
27 tickets were given out in Phoenix over both days. And there was much rejoicing. And pool jumping.
Until tomorrow, dear readers.
I think my favorite tonight was Emily Hughes. And you?
Tonight's the night - American Idol!!!
It's without a doubt my favorite show to blog about, and it's back tonight - don't miss it!
In preparation, here's a pretty darned good article about some of the changes coming this season. I agree with mostly everything they've got to say.
Also, as a side note, I got David Cook's CD for Christmas and it's pretty awesome. On top of that, Kelly Clarkson (still my favorite Idol winner) has a new cd coming out soon - All I Ever Wanted. Check out the first single, My Life Would Suck Without You. I can't wait to hear the rest of the cd!
In preparation, here's a pretty darned good article about some of the changes coming this season. I agree with mostly everything they've got to say.
Also, as a side note, I got David Cook's CD for Christmas and it's pretty awesome. On top of that, Kelly Clarkson (still my favorite Idol winner) has a new cd coming out soon - All I Ever Wanted. Check out the first single, My Life Would Suck Without You. I can't wait to hear the rest of the cd!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Top Chef - 1.7.09
It's been so long since there's been a new episode! I swear, it seems like it was last year....
That joke had to be made, but I still apologize for it.
Down to business!
After a short recap about how much many people sucked during the Christmas Challenge, but still managed to skip elimination, it's time for the new show! I'm very excited. (It's been so long - will I remember names? It's a challenge!)
Fabio was cooking, Eugene was angered at being in the bottom, and Melissa is feeling pressure. She is really an awkward looking girl. Hosea, on the other hand, is feeling good about his win. Stefan doesn't care that Hosea keeps winning, he still thinks that he's the best chef around, and Jamie is feeling unappreciated here.
Time for the Quickfire! Guest judge for the day is Jean-Christophe Novelli, who is apparently going to be a host of a new show on Bravo, Chef Academy. Hmmm. He's a pastry chef.
The "Diet Dr. Pepper" Quickfire Challenge is to create a sweet treat... without sugar. Any sugar. In 45 minutes.
The fridge is stocked with Diet Dr. Pepper, naturally. That stuff is good, but I bet the chefs hate to use it. Not exactly gourmet. Cans are displayed prominently, naturally.
Honey is in the kitchen, so that makes sweetness possible. Seems like cheating. The creations are:
Fabio - Granola and Oat tart with eggless pastry cream and fresh berries. The cream is called not cooked enough. Fabio thinks the French chef has it in for the Italian chef. I think his cream was probably not cooked enough.
Jeff - Frozen Cherry and white fig yogurt with a baklava spring roll. It is called an "interesting combination." It sure does look interesting. He had the judges scoop out their own frozen yogurt. Wonder if he ran out of time to dish it out?
Eugene - Mini Blini "burger" with banana lumpias "fries" with a strawberry and star anise dipping sauce. It was called "original." We'll see if that is good.
Melissa - Baked Dessert Burrito with Greek Yogurt Sauce. Not sure how they felt about that.
Radhika - Bread pudding with sauteed white peach & roasted cashews. Sounds delicious. IT is called adventurous.
Leah - Crepe with whipped ricotta, strawberries, and a balsamic reduction. I think I've seen this type of thing before.
Stefan - Sugar free mousse-de-chocolate with cherries. I couldn't understand some of the "banter" between Stefan and the guest judge, but I think it was positive.
Hosea - Green Figs & White peaches with honey and balsamic. It was called interesting, with a shrug, so I don't think that's good.
Ariane - whole-wheat crepe with carmelized pears and toasted almonds. That sounds yummy. She offered them whipped cream, but the guest judge refused, saying it was too stiff.
Jamie - Ricotta, mascarpone, peach, nectarine, and cherry Napoleon. It got another "very interesting"
Carla - Baklava with a chocolate disc and fried bananas. She was apologetic about it (bad idea) since her bananas were supposed to be frozen, but didn't freeze in time. Her presentation style sucked. Own your dish. Nuff said.
The least favorites are Carla, Ariane, and Jamie. The favorites are Radhika, Leah, and Jeff. Radhika squeaked out a win. I'm happy for her.
Toby Young (English food critic) is replacing Gayle for the rest of the time in NYC. That makes me sad. I like Gayle.
Padma told the cheftestants to take a night off and relax. Surprisingly, there were no twists, though there was some some product placement (Sidekick phones, and more diet dr pepper)
It's the day of the Elimination Challenge, and no one knows what's going to happen. Tom walked into the house in the morning. He arrived with knife block in hand. For the challenge, they have to cook for the judges, a group of foodies and critics (12 people). No limits, just family style, for a blind tasting. No one will know who has made the food they are eating ahead of time. And...
Two chefs will be eliminated.
As the winner of the Quickfire, Radhika gets immunity, and can choose which group she wants to cook with. Each chef gets $100 at Whole Foods.
Group A (cooking first) is Melissa, Eugene, Jamie, Radhika, Fabio, and Hosea.
Group B (cooking second) is Ariane, Jeff, Stefan, Carla (who took her time in the grocery store and chill, talk to her ingredients), and Leah.
Many people are doing fish or seafood, but Fabio is making homemade ravioli with souveed (I always spell that wrong) lamb. Sounds delicious. Or, it would be, if it hadn't been terribly undercooked. Jamie is making scallops again. To prove she can make them right, since she messed up with it before. Fabio says in confessional that it's not Top Scallop.
Fabio also had issues because the past machine wasn't staying on the counter well.
And there's a twist.
The cheftestants in the second group are the other "foodies" who are going to be taking part in the blind tasting (and vice versa).
Group A's food was:
Radhika - Curried Crab Bisque with a lemon scented crab salad. It got bad reviews, and I think she is lucky lucky lucky to have immunity. The new judge Toby is very sharp-tongued and calls the soup a WMD. Yipes!
Hosea - Bacon-wrapped halibut with roasted vegetables in a buerre blanc sauce. The vegetables are called fantastic. So good that they upstaged the fish.
Jamie - Seared scallops with fennel, garlic, oranges, and onion. This got good reviews, so maybe Jamie chose right.
Fabio - Rack of lamb with cheese ravioli and mushroom sauce. The lamb got called for being undercooked, but his pasta and sauce were good.
Eugene - Crispy Red Snapper with tomato, basil & daikon fettucine. It was pretty, but Toby called it the bland leading the bland. Yipes. Stefan didn't like hot daikon.
Melissa - Ahi tuna fish tacos. Toby said it tasted like cat food and said that the chef didn't seem very confident.
Toby is the Simon of the food critic world, I think.
Time for Group B to cook. They have the unfair advantage of knowing about the twist. Jeff is running around like crazy with prepping for 100 tapas dishes.
Stefan - Roasted Duck with braised red cabbage and bread dumplings. Radhika thought the dumplings were too dense (and Stefan thought that she knew it was his, and therefore had it out for him), but everyone else (including Tom) thought it was really lovely as a dish. Now, I want some red cabbage (I love red cabbage)
Jeff - Trio Tapas: Oysters, seared tuna, avocado sorbet, and grilled peaches. Eugene thought it was too much. Tom thought it was just a bunch of appetizers. Toby called the avocado sorbet like Tom Cruises Cameo in Tropic Thunder - an unexpected treat. Tom still didn't like it.
Ariane - Skate Wing with pineapple and cauliflower puree. This dish is called fabulous.
Leah - Seared Rouget encrusted in bread with fried beans in chorizo sauce. While Jamie didn't like it, Toby thought it was an upperclass version of fish and chips and appreciated it.
Carla - Seared scallop on top of risotto with gremolata topping. The scallops get good marks, but the garlic is too much in the gremolata, and the risotto is uninspired.
Judge's Table
The skate, duck, and scallop with fennel are called back first. That would be Ariane, Stefan, and Jamie, respectively. This is the top of the pack. The winner is Jamie. She has got to be so pleased. Padma looked happy to finally give her a win.
The bottom of the pack is Melissa, Eugene, and Carla. Two of them are going home. Carla said that she wanted to make a vegetarian dish, so she made the risotto, but then threw on the scallop. She is apologetic, and does not stand up for her dish. Melissa says that even though the criticism was rough, she liked hearing it. Tom called it a lack of imagination. Toby said you could smell it "in a way that wasn't pleasant." Eugene says that he thinks outside of the box. Toby said the dish lacks punch.
The judges deliberate. Toby rallied to give Eugene another chance, because he is creative. Tom said that Melissa's fish tacos are who she is, and Toby suggested that perhaps that's why she should go home. Toby (with another zinger) said that Carla's dish seemed like a person who was driving with her eyes closed, and that her reluctance to just serve a vegetarian dish shows that she lacks confidence.
Amazingly, Carla is the one staying. I will not miss Melissa, but I really was hoping to see Carla and her crazy eyes gone. Melissa cried about the fact that no one sees her creativity and imagination. Perhaps she should have shown it more in her food.
Hung is a guest judge next week. Cool.
Where you surprised by tonight's results?
That joke had to be made, but I still apologize for it.
Down to business!
After a short recap about how much many people sucked during the Christmas Challenge, but still managed to skip elimination, it's time for the new show! I'm very excited. (It's been so long - will I remember names? It's a challenge!)
Fabio was cooking, Eugene was angered at being in the bottom, and Melissa is feeling pressure. She is really an awkward looking girl. Hosea, on the other hand, is feeling good about his win. Stefan doesn't care that Hosea keeps winning, he still thinks that he's the best chef around, and Jamie is feeling unappreciated here.
Time for the Quickfire! Guest judge for the day is Jean-Christophe Novelli, who is apparently going to be a host of a new show on Bravo, Chef Academy. Hmmm. He's a pastry chef.
The "Diet Dr. Pepper" Quickfire Challenge is to create a sweet treat... without sugar. Any sugar. In 45 minutes.
The fridge is stocked with Diet Dr. Pepper, naturally. That stuff is good, but I bet the chefs hate to use it. Not exactly gourmet. Cans are displayed prominently, naturally.
Honey is in the kitchen, so that makes sweetness possible. Seems like cheating. The creations are:
Fabio - Granola and Oat tart with eggless pastry cream and fresh berries. The cream is called not cooked enough. Fabio thinks the French chef has it in for the Italian chef. I think his cream was probably not cooked enough.
Jeff - Frozen Cherry and white fig yogurt with a baklava spring roll. It is called an "interesting combination." It sure does look interesting. He had the judges scoop out their own frozen yogurt. Wonder if he ran out of time to dish it out?
Eugene - Mini Blini "burger" with banana lumpias "fries" with a strawberry and star anise dipping sauce. It was called "original." We'll see if that is good.
Melissa - Baked Dessert Burrito with Greek Yogurt Sauce. Not sure how they felt about that.
Radhika - Bread pudding with sauteed white peach & roasted cashews. Sounds delicious. IT is called adventurous.
Leah - Crepe with whipped ricotta, strawberries, and a balsamic reduction. I think I've seen this type of thing before.
Stefan - Sugar free mousse-de-chocolate with cherries. I couldn't understand some of the "banter" between Stefan and the guest judge, but I think it was positive.
Hosea - Green Figs & White peaches with honey and balsamic. It was called interesting, with a shrug, so I don't think that's good.
Ariane - whole-wheat crepe with carmelized pears and toasted almonds. That sounds yummy. She offered them whipped cream, but the guest judge refused, saying it was too stiff.
Jamie - Ricotta, mascarpone, peach, nectarine, and cherry Napoleon. It got another "very interesting"
Carla - Baklava with a chocolate disc and fried bananas. She was apologetic about it (bad idea) since her bananas were supposed to be frozen, but didn't freeze in time. Her presentation style sucked. Own your dish. Nuff said.
The least favorites are Carla, Ariane, and Jamie. The favorites are Radhika, Leah, and Jeff. Radhika squeaked out a win. I'm happy for her.
Toby Young (English food critic) is replacing Gayle for the rest of the time in NYC. That makes me sad. I like Gayle.
Padma told the cheftestants to take a night off and relax. Surprisingly, there were no twists, though there was some some product placement (Sidekick phones, and more diet dr pepper)
It's the day of the Elimination Challenge, and no one knows what's going to happen. Tom walked into the house in the morning. He arrived with knife block in hand. For the challenge, they have to cook for the judges, a group of foodies and critics (12 people). No limits, just family style, for a blind tasting. No one will know who has made the food they are eating ahead of time. And...
Two chefs will be eliminated.
As the winner of the Quickfire, Radhika gets immunity, and can choose which group she wants to cook with. Each chef gets $100 at Whole Foods.
Group A (cooking first) is Melissa, Eugene, Jamie, Radhika, Fabio, and Hosea.
Group B (cooking second) is Ariane, Jeff, Stefan, Carla (who took her time in the grocery store and chill, talk to her ingredients), and Leah.
Many people are doing fish or seafood, but Fabio is making homemade ravioli with souveed (I always spell that wrong) lamb. Sounds delicious. Or, it would be, if it hadn't been terribly undercooked. Jamie is making scallops again. To prove she can make them right, since she messed up with it before. Fabio says in confessional that it's not Top Scallop.
Fabio also had issues because the past machine wasn't staying on the counter well.
And there's a twist.
The cheftestants in the second group are the other "foodies" who are going to be taking part in the blind tasting (and vice versa).
Group A's food was:
Radhika - Curried Crab Bisque with a lemon scented crab salad. It got bad reviews, and I think she is lucky lucky lucky to have immunity. The new judge Toby is very sharp-tongued and calls the soup a WMD. Yipes!
Hosea - Bacon-wrapped halibut with roasted vegetables in a buerre blanc sauce. The vegetables are called fantastic. So good that they upstaged the fish.
Jamie - Seared scallops with fennel, garlic, oranges, and onion. This got good reviews, so maybe Jamie chose right.
Fabio - Rack of lamb with cheese ravioli and mushroom sauce. The lamb got called for being undercooked, but his pasta and sauce were good.
Eugene - Crispy Red Snapper with tomato, basil & daikon fettucine. It was pretty, but Toby called it the bland leading the bland. Yipes. Stefan didn't like hot daikon.
Melissa - Ahi tuna fish tacos. Toby said it tasted like cat food and said that the chef didn't seem very confident.
Toby is the Simon of the food critic world, I think.
Time for Group B to cook. They have the unfair advantage of knowing about the twist. Jeff is running around like crazy with prepping for 100 tapas dishes.
Stefan - Roasted Duck with braised red cabbage and bread dumplings. Radhika thought the dumplings were too dense (and Stefan thought that she knew it was his, and therefore had it out for him), but everyone else (including Tom) thought it was really lovely as a dish. Now, I want some red cabbage (I love red cabbage)
Jeff - Trio Tapas: Oysters, seared tuna, avocado sorbet, and grilled peaches. Eugene thought it was too much. Tom thought it was just a bunch of appetizers. Toby called the avocado sorbet like Tom Cruises Cameo in Tropic Thunder - an unexpected treat. Tom still didn't like it.
Ariane - Skate Wing with pineapple and cauliflower puree. This dish is called fabulous.
Leah - Seared Rouget encrusted in bread with fried beans in chorizo sauce. While Jamie didn't like it, Toby thought it was an upperclass version of fish and chips and appreciated it.
Carla - Seared scallop on top of risotto with gremolata topping. The scallops get good marks, but the garlic is too much in the gremolata, and the risotto is uninspired.
Judge's Table
The skate, duck, and scallop with fennel are called back first. That would be Ariane, Stefan, and Jamie, respectively. This is the top of the pack. The winner is Jamie. She has got to be so pleased. Padma looked happy to finally give her a win.
The bottom of the pack is Melissa, Eugene, and Carla. Two of them are going home. Carla said that she wanted to make a vegetarian dish, so she made the risotto, but then threw on the scallop. She is apologetic, and does not stand up for her dish. Melissa says that even though the criticism was rough, she liked hearing it. Tom called it a lack of imagination. Toby said you could smell it "in a way that wasn't pleasant." Eugene says that he thinks outside of the box. Toby said the dish lacks punch.
The judges deliberate. Toby rallied to give Eugene another chance, because he is creative. Tom said that Melissa's fish tacos are who she is, and Toby suggested that perhaps that's why she should go home. Toby (with another zinger) said that Carla's dish seemed like a person who was driving with her eyes closed, and that her reluctance to just serve a vegetarian dish shows that she lacks confidence.
Amazingly, Carla is the one staying. I will not miss Melissa, but I really was hoping to see Carla and her crazy eyes gone. Melissa cried about the fact that no one sees her creativity and imagination. Perhaps she should have shown it more in her food.
Hung is a guest judge next week. Cool.
Where you surprised by tonight's results?
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