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    <title>Television Without Pity</title>
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    <updated>2009-01-08T21:10:08Z</updated>
    
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<entry>
    <title>Bride Wars: Anne Hathaway&apos;s Time Capsule </title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/movies_without_pity/bride_wars_anne_hathaways_time.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30963</id>

    <published>2009-01-08T20:56:22Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-08T21:10:08Z</updated>

    <summary></summary>
    <author>
        <name>The TWoP Staff</name>
        
    </author>
    
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<entry>
    <title>13: Fear Is Real Premiere</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/mondo_extra/13_fear_is_real_premiere.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30952</id>

    <published>2009-01-08T14:18:08Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-08T15:50:46Z</updated>

    <summary>I&apos;m just going to start off by saying that I&apos;m very confused. What is the premise of this show, exactly? I&apos;m not entirely sure. How did this awful show get made? I have no idea. I can tell you with...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Mindy Monez</name>
        
    </author>
    
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    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/">
        <![CDATA[I'm just going to start off by saying that I'm very confused. What is the premise of this show, exactly? I'm not entirely sure. How did this awful show get made? I have no idea. I can tell you with the utmost certainty that after watching the entire first episode of <I>13: Fear is Real</I> that I can see why Sam Raimi didn't do any press for it. And that after enduring this thing I promise both you and Angel that I will never, ever bitch about the time I had to recap two hours of <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/crusoe/fall_pilot_season_crusoe.php"><I>Crusoe</I></a> again. <br><br>

We start with a Jigsaw-y voiceover explaining that the voice man has invited 13 people to "one of the most haunted areas on earth" in the "Louisiana Bayou." He does not explain why this place is so haunted or even provide the specific name of it, because as you'll soon see it's basically just some public park in L.A. they've dressed as a haunted forest with an oversized Fisher Price playhouse in it decorated with Halloween knick-knacks from Michael's to be a haunted <I>Evil Dead</I> cabin in the fake Louisiana Bayou. <br><br>

Cut to a prison transport-looking bus with our 13 contestants on it. Jigsaw explains that his guests are going to be playing a game for him, but that they don't know he'll be watching them. We see some monitors in a room, with views of the cabin they'll be staying in on the screens. And I can't tell you enough how much these people definitely do know that he will be watching them. <br><br>

Back to the bus, wheels goin' round and round. Jigsaw says the only thing these kids know is that he's going to drop them off deep in the woods, where he will make them face their fears. They will be systematically "killed off" and the last person left standing will be rewarded a devilish $66,666. Oh, and that the fear they'll be experiencing is <I>real!!!</I> Credits time. <br><br>

First off, the way I can tell all these people are aspiring actors is 1) they look like aspiring actors, and 2) a couple of them have fucked up spellings of their names that you know they just made up the day they got to Burbank. Our first generic blonde girl is "Melyssa." Then there's Rodney. He has brown hair and looks so stereotypically L.A. actor guy I thought I knew him at first. And then I realized he's just so stereotypical that he actually looked familiar. Then Laura. She too has brown hair. Now Cody. He is very punk rock and has a giant Mohawk he carefully anchors with a blue bandana wrapped around his head. Erica, who is very pretty, with giant gold earrings I can really get on board with. Adam, who is blonde and wearing an Abercrombie button down, reminds me of Dick from <I>Veronica Mars</I>. Kelly, also blonde and actressy. Ted, handsome guy with mile high, product-laden hair. Stefinie, who has an ice cream cone. Nasser, also handsome guy. He does not have a prop, unfortunately. Lauren, the blondest, juggiest, actressy-iest blonde actress of the bunch. She has a cell phone and mucho volume in her hairdo. Ryan, headphone enthusiast. Leah, normal-looking and our sole cred actress (I'll explain later).<br><br>

Back to the bus. Leah explains that she hates the dark and fears monsters under her bed at home. She is here to overcome her greatest fears. We see the first of many shots of random spiders. <br><br>

Lauren explains that she is aware that the ditsy blonde always dies first in these situations, but that she is sure she is going to win despite this. <br><br>

Cody reveals that he has always been a giant horror geek, and that as a child he spent a lot of time in haunted houses and "abandoned mental institutions." He is here solely to find something to scare him. <br><br>

The bus comes to a stop when a conveniently placed log is in the road. The bus driver explains the 13 will have to walk from here. It is dusk in the fake Bayou and they are SCARED!!! to walk around in it. Erica asks if they know where they are going. Cody explains that they "are going straight, man. Straight into the wilderness." <br><br>

Stefinie interviews that she grew up in Laos (OK, so maybe I'll forgive the spelling), and that her parents "made [her] aware" that there are spirits. She has encountered them before and is very scared. <br><br>

The 13 walk a little bit longer and find the "haunted cabin." I cannot explain enough to you how fake and shitty this cabin is. It's very community theater company haunted house U.S.A. There's red corn syrup smeared all over the walls, fake cobwebs everywhere, etc. It reminds me of this diorama I had to make in sixth grade, but bigger and a gianter waste of money and my time. <br><br>

Leah doesn't want to go in because scary things always happen in cabins (in Sam Raimi productions.) They all go in anyway. On the doorknob, I don't mind telling you, someone has attached three fake dead fish. They are plastic and shiny. Erica cheerfully says about the cabin, "we could clean it up!" She is so my favorite. <br><br>

So they're all looking around at the crayon scrawled pentagrams and "hidden" cameras on the ceiling. Kelly interviews that she is a Christian and believes that stuff out there is the devil's work. I'm serious. That's what she said. Then the hot girls take their shirts off and spray themselves down with bug spray. Lauren interviews that she is the type of girl who prefers a dry martini at the bar to being abandoned in the woods. I too am this kind of girl. As, I'm sure, are many girls. She looks at the bright side, though, by saying this is kind of cool because it's like being in her own horror movie. Just puttin' it all out there, this girl, which is actually wise considering this show is basically these people's <I>The Descent 5</I> audition reel. <br><br>

The girls are asking Nasser why he's called "Show," because apparently people call him that. He reveals that they call him this because he likes to put on a show. Also, he raps. Which we all get to hear, as Erica does some hot impromptu percussion on the pentagram-scrawled walls. Seriously, Erica FTW! And I know he hadn't seen it yet when this was filmed, but I think it should be said that reality people should never attempt to rap on television ever again after <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/rock_of_love/season_premiere_1.php?page=3">Nikki's epic herpes instructions rap</a> on <I>Rock of Love</I> last week. There's just no following that act. <br><br>

After everyone's settled in the craft store cabin, they all decide to take a nap, when there is a loud BANG! on the side of the cabin. Leah starts freaking out in a major way, screaming and overacting and it's simultaneously insufferably annoying and really impressive. One of the brown-haired guys goes out to investigate and finds a piece of binder paper with ransom letters on it, demanding that they "Answer the phone." It is attached to the cabin with a giant ax, thus the BANG! sound. Apparently it was thrown with John Locke level accuracy, pinning the note to the cabin. Leah screams, "AAAAHHHHHH THERE'S A NOOOOTE! AND IT SAYS STUFF ON IT!!!" The mere notion of a note that also says stuff on it is enough to reduce her to hysterics. See what I mean? She's fantastic. <br><br>

Brown-haired guy rejoins everyone in the cabin, and a phone starts ringing. They look around and find it hidden in one of the floorboards. It's Jigsaw! Hi Jigsaw! He tells them through professional voiceover added in post as opposed to the customary-for-reality speaker phone, that they will be playing a game for him. Which they supposedly already know, but this thing is the biggest crock of shit since that show where aspiring directors had to pitch shitty movies to Carrie Fisher, so alright, I'll go with it. <br><br>

Commercials. There are still Christmas ones airing in my area. Enough already. Admittedly, I'd rather watch those than this show, though. <br><br>

Jigsaw (he calls himself "Mastermind," but I'm not indulging this farce. His name is Jigsaw) explains to the 13 that to start off, one of them has to stay in the cabin all alone. Cody quickly volunteers, because a fake haunted cabin with a full camera crew with work lights in it is far less frightening than the abandoned mental institutions he lied about having grown up hanging out in as a boy, apparently. I mean, really. Abandoned mental institutions? Plural? Maybe I could believe there was one in your town. Maybe. But there's no way there were two, or even three, and I think he's trying to spin that there were like <I>dozens</I>, and that he conquered them <I>all</I>.<br><br>

Jigsaw says the rest of them have to split up into pairs, and one person from each pair has to be sent "down the road," where "My helpers, <I>minions</I>, I call them, will take over from there." OK -- HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA "<I>MINIONS</I> I CALL THEM?!" This show sucks, but that line was <I>to die</I>.<br><br>

Leah interviews that she can't believe this. She doesn't do well in the dark, or with monsters or the woods. Hey lady, they're minions, not monsters. That's offensive. And, alright, I know I'm gonna get some heat for being arguably needlessly bitchy about this, but Leah has the biggest herpes sore on her bottom lip I have ever seen in my entire life, and it's insanely glaring for the entire episode and I just can't <I>not</I> talk about it, especially when she's trying to manipulate me into believing she's actually scared of this fake show, which is an even worse offense against us all than my making fun of her herpes sore. So really she owes me. Anyway, I won't mention it again, I promise. <br><br>

So the pairs are: Eric and Ted; Ryan and Melyssa; Adam and Laura; Rodney and Leah; Nasser and Stefinie; Kelly and Lauren. If you care. I don't. Kelly and Lauren are very proud to be an all-girl team in this terrifying situation. The down-the-roaders of the pairs head off. Down the road. <br><br>

Back in the cabin, it's Laura's turn to pretend to be terrified. I can tell because she's shrilling, "I'M TOOOOTALLY TERRIFIED, HOW COULD I NOT BE TERRIFIED?!" while hugging Stefinie. Her performance is very high-pitched, I'll give her that, but it in no way matches Leah's earlier performance, or the shit she does to come. <br><br>

Jigsaw calls and tells everyone but Cody to set off down the road too. So they do, each randomly saying, "I'm so scared!" every few seconds as the camera crew with work lights and likely several PAs and a director follows them. <br><br>

Cut. To. Leah being tied to a chair using mental patient restraints by the minions and screaming like a stuck pig. I can't even describe the sound she's making, but it's insanely convincing, despite the terrible production value of this and how totally unscary everything but the sound of her screaming is. She is really selling it. I sincerely do hope she gets that part in <I>The Descent 5</I>.<br><br>

The down-the-roaders part deux come upon a mannequin tied to a chair in the same fashion Leah was, with a NOTE! AND IT SAYS STUFF ON IT! pinned to its shirt and a tape recorder. The note says "Play me," so they do and Jigsaw says they each have to take one of the camcorders in the mannequin's lap (oh yeah... there were camcorders too. Do people still say camcorder? They don't, do they?), and go find their partners in the woods. They've all been tied up like Leah too, but she was the only one they showed, probably because she totally screamed the best. The last pair to return to the mannequin will "lose the ritual" and "face a terrible fate." <br><br>

They all run off to find their partners, and they all do, but the specific action in this part is far less important than this: the video recorders given to them are meant to disguise the blatant camera crews that are following them, and the show just kind of carelessly flips back and forth between said camera crews and the video recorders, which are of clearly and vastly different video quality and you'd have to be pretty retarded not to notice that. And that's just one of the many, many, fake and stupid things about this fake and stupid show. I really do miss <I>Crusoe</I> right now. <br><br>

Anyway, Kelly and Lauren end up getting to the mannequin last. They are the losers of this "ritual" and will have to face the dreaded "Execution Ceremony." Lauren tells us that being tied up and gagged alone in the woods was terrible. Thanks for the heads up.<br><br>

The execution ceremony is for later, I guess, because now everyone's back in the cabin, trying to sleep under mosquito nets, when the lights go off and they all scream. But apparently it's just lights out, like in jail, so it's OK. Then they sleep all night, and... nothing happens and then it's the next day. Well, one thing happens during the night, actually. Leah gets up and says "I have to go to the bathroom" out loud in the middle of a cabin full of sleeping people, as one does, and goes outside and just starts screaming "THIS ISN'T FUNNY! I DON'T LIKE IT! LAURENNNNNNNN!" I don't know why she does this, but I bet it has something to do with the producers telling her to do those things. And since when are she and Lauren best friends? Lauren's condemned anyway, Leah. She's got her own crap to worry about. Anyway, they go back inside. Done. <br><br>

And it's morning! Everyone is very excited that it's not dark anymore. We also see a closeup shot of what I think is Laura's butt in a pretty rad heart bikini as she pulls her mini-shorts on. Gratuitous and unnecessary, but I am jealous of that heart bikini. <br><br>

Then they all just sit around talking about how scary the night before was for awhile. The only notable thing is Lauren saying sometimes she gets so nervous she starts puking all over herself. <br><br>

Nasser starts wandering around away from the group clearly looking for something but acting like he isn't looking for something, like there's any sort of possibility that anyone watching this is even remotely buying this crap, but anyway he finds a rusty cage with a box in it and a tape recorder on top of it, and a speaker in the tree above it. He plays the tape recorder, and the sound magically comes out of the speaker, and it's Jigsaw again! Hi Jigsaw! Jigsaw says the box inside the rusty cage is "The Death Box." Whoever possesses The Death Box can kill off three other guests, but if you're revealed as the killer, you automatically go to the Execution Ceremony with Kelly and Lauren, and nobody wants that. The goal is to steal The Death Box with no one noticing. <br><br>

Commercials. I can't wait for <I>The Uninvited</I> to open, because I'm really sick of the trailer. <br><br>

Now the 13 are sitting around talking about how they're all going to turn against each other now and how sad that is, when Stefinie just gets up and walks away from the group towards The Death Box and NO ONE NOTICES OR CARES. She steals The Death Box and hides it in the foliage nearby and returns to the group, who does not notice either that she was ever gone or that she just returned from exactly where The Death Box was. Stefinie says she is very scared to be the killer. Despite having the balls to be the first to try to steal The Death Box, actually steal The Death Box, sneak back with no one noticing, and then act like nothing happened. OK, show. <br><br>

Leah jumps up all of a sudden and says, "I wanna see if it's still there!" She goes to look, and of course it's not, and they all start accusing each other, like inmates do when the pruno goes dry. Though no one's accused her specifically, Stefinie is even more scared than she was before. She is "so completely terrified" that she goes back and PUTS THE DEATH BOX BACK IN THE RUSTY CAGE, even though no one had accused her yet, and probably never even would. She says it was what she had to do to get this load off her shoulders, and I say what load, exactly? She is aware that this is PRETEND MURDER, right? I'm not sure she is. <br><br>

Everyone is understandably happy that The Death Box is back. Cody interviews that whoever took it and put it back totally couldn't handle the intense responsibility of having it, and I'm still like, WHAT RESPONSIBILITY? THIS IS PRETEND MURDER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. It's literally as serious as that game you play in camp where you wink at a person and they "die." <br><br>

It is now night time, the right time. The phone rings, and Cody answers, and it's Jigsaw! Hi Jigsaw! He says Kelly and Lauren have to go to execution times, and must go down the road, blindfold themselves, and wait for the minions. One of them will not be coming back, ever! Before they go, they have to record their last words. They are both so scared. <br><br>

Commercials. Ooh, Pringles! And also, I know the critics hated <I>Mirrors</I>, but I think it looks scary and I'm going to rent it. True story. <br><br>

Kelly and Lauren blindfold themselves and the minions carefully guide them to a couple of coffins. They have to get inside and get buried alive, <I>Fear Factor</I>-style, and find a way out. They do this, and it would be scary, but after they get into the coffins the minions scurry up and kind of sing-songily pretend to hammer them shut with Tinker Toys for like two seconds before they lower them into the ground and it's all very Gilbert and Sullivan with coffins. <br><br>

Also, question time! Inside the coffins, seemingly in the ground, but I bet they're not because this show is so fake and also that would be insane, the coffins are making that scary-ass creaky sound they made in <I>Kill Bill 2</I> and that <I>Alias</I> episode that ripped off <I>Kill Bill 2</I> where Sydney got buried alive, and I'm wondering how people know that coffins make that sound? That scares me that they know. First time all episode! At minute 53, no less! <br><br>

Anyway, they struggle and panic inside, and Kelly finds A TRAP DOOR in the BURIED COFFIN and just kind of climbs out of the ground. Easy peasy! She is the winner, and Lauren is dead. <br><br>

Jigsaw's voice appears out of nowhere and tells Kelly she must return to the cabin and play everyone Lauren's last words video. She tells them being buried alive is horrible, and plays the video. It's so sad! No it isn't. Lauren says she loves them all and Leah starts CRYING, which is just too far. They don't give Oscars for performances in fake reality shows, Leah. How many times do I have to explain to you that the best you're going to get out of this is a walk-on in <I>The Descent 5</I>? Some people. <br><br>

The next morning, Nasser, Laura and one of the brown-haired guys discover that The Death Box is gone again. Nasser interviews that he is very scared for his life because there is a killer on the loose amongst them. The end! <br><br>

My god. Let's pretend this never happened, OK? Deal? Deal. <br><br>]]>
        
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<entry>
    <title>I Lied, Too</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/damages/i_lied_too.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30951</id>

    <published>2009-01-08T14:02:02Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-08T14:06:42Z</updated>

    <summary></summary>
    <author>
        <name>LuluBates</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="Damages" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    
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<entry>
    <title>Focus Group</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/top_chef/focus_group.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30950</id>

    <published>2009-01-08T13:42:52Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-08T13:46:10Z</updated>

    <summary></summary>
    <author>
        <name>Kim</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="Top Chef" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    
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<entry>
    <title>Season Premiere</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_biggest_loser_1/season_premiere_2.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30931</id>

    <published>2009-01-07T14:40:24Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-07T16:08:21Z</updated>

    <summary>Hey! Jillian and Bob are in OUR FACES! We are a nation of FATTIES! Try going for a walk, fatties! Try saying, &quot;No thanks, Big Mac, I&apos;m going to enjoy some broccoli today!&quot; And for God&apos;s sake, STOP EATING ICE...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Potes</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="Biggest Loser" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    
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        <![CDATA[<P>Hey! Jillian and Bob are in OUR FACES! We are a nation of FATTIES! Try going for a walk, fatties! Try saying, "No thanks, Big Mac, I'm going to enjoy some broccoli today!" And for God's sake, STOP EATING ICE CREAM WHILE YOU WATCH THIS SHOW! On this last point, do you think it's more acceptable to just keep drinking wine continuously? Antioxidants, bitches! God, between this and Oprah's "Best Life Ever" week, I feel like all of television is staging a collective intervention. </P>

<P>Anyway, as you may have heard, this is the biggest season ever. And by biggest season, we mean that there are 11 couples weighing 3.5 tons. Including the oldest couple to ever make the show, the biggest woman ever to make the show, the youngest man ever to make the show, the heaviest contestant ever, and, and, unfortunately, the sickest person ever to make the show. Basically, everyone is about to die. Wheeeeee! And this is their now. They may not have a later, apparently, so let's hope they enjoy it.</P>

<P>And now it is time for the official show to begin. Right now (well, right at the point of taping), 11 couples are in a Hollywood hotel room waiting to find out if they made <I>The Biggest Loser</I>. Well, since we just saw that 11 couples are on the show, this is a pretty foregone conclusion, right? Right. </P>

<P>We meet Carla and Joelle, 36 and 41, respectively, who are best friends and known as Team Get Gorgeous G Squared. Let's hope they don't remind us of their moniker too often. They are out to eliminate, but not destroy. We also meet cousins Sione, 29, and Filipe, 27. Their parents are from the island of Tonga, where culturally it's normal to be big. They want to change the mentality of the Polynesian people and let them know that it's okay to be skinny. How many people totally want to go on vacation in Tonga this year and let it all hang out with pride? Then there are best friends Daniel, 19, and David, 23. Daniel is the aforementioned biggest person to ever be on the show. He says that he knows if he doesn't change he won't make it past 25 or 30. That is pretty sad, man. We then meet grandparents Estella and Jerry, both 63. They have three kids and four grandchildren together and have apparently been married quite a long time. Then we have cousins Dane and Blaine, both 28. Both are married with three kids, and Blaine has another one on the way. They want to be healthy for their families. And then, with those names, maybe start a newly skinny boy band. </P>

<P>The losers travel by bus to the ranch and everyone cheers and/or cries. We meet Shannon, 29, and Helen, 49, a mother/daughter team. They always made dates to start diets together but none of them stuck... until now! Well, we hope. We also have a father/son team, Ron and Mike, who are 54 and 18, respectively. The contestants enter the gym where they meet Sami. Filipe is excited to actually be there, at the 24 Hour Fitness gym, where Bob and Jillian kill people! Sami tells the contestants that it's time for them to get their very first workout. And what better way to test what they're really made of than to ask them to do it alone? What Sami means is, their first workout will be without trainers. This is basically an exercise to see how pathetic everyone is when it comes to knowing how to work out. There is lots of stretching and walking very slowly on the treadmills. And surprise, Bob and Jillian are watching via hidden camera. They note that it's chaos in the gym, but find this whole experience to be quite insightful. Jillian says that she expected the contestants to be lost in the gym, and in their lives, but for the first time in the history of the show she looked at the contestants and thought, "Wow. These guys are big." I mean, on a show that by design is all about very, very large people, that's saying something. Bob tells us that this is the reality of America. Oh, didn't they make us feel bad enough about ourselves at the beginning of the show? At least we know we're free. </P>

<P>Finally, Bob and Jillian enter the gym and hug the teams. Everyone is quite excited to meet them. And then a thing happens. Jerry, the male half of the grandparent team, looks particularly unsteady. Estella interviews that he came to her and said that he felt like he was going to go down. A medic attends to him as he limps and slurs and his eyes roll back in his head. Estelle emotionally interviews that she thought he was going to die. And then Jerry passes out. Holy crow! Of course we then go to commercials. Thanks, <I>Biggest Loser</I>, for not exploiting a truly scary moment where it looks like someone might finally kick it. I'm surprised no one yelled out, "You can revive him with Extra Sugar Free Gum!"</P>

<P>When we return, Jerry is on the floor and Estella is obviously quite worried. The medic gets Jerry to open his eyes and breathe. I think we can all be happy that he didn't actually die. Bob says that seeing Jerry pass out was one of the scariest things he's ever experienced at the <I>Biggest Loser</I> ranch. And Vicki was on his team! So he knows scary. The other contestants are obviously affected as well. Estella tells us that the fainting incident made it all real -- it's not a question of if she's going to lose Jerry, it's when. She knows they need to make a change, yeah, do it today, yeah. An ambulance takes Jerry to the hospital for some tests. Jillian and Bob take this opportune time to remind the contestants that this is about life or death. They will be Jerry if they don't change. Lucky for them, they have a really, really good opportunity to change.</P>

<P>But enough with the real drama, and on to some manufactured drama! It's time for the teams to get their trainers. Sami explains that Bob and Jillian will each choose one team, then that team will pick the next team, and so forth. Daniel's brain instantly goes to the fourth grade "somebody's going to get picked last" that we all -- but especially these guys -- have suffered through. Jillian has first pick. She asks Estella why she's there, and Estella says she came because Jerry asked her to, but now she realizes how important this is for them. Jillian asks Estella if she can change. Estella says she can, and Jillian asks her to join her team. Go Jillian! She never backs down from a challenge. Bob picks Carla and Joelle, the Silver Team. I think one of these ladies is the biggest female ever, but I'm not yet sure which one it is. Estella picks Black Team Blaine and Dane to join Jillian's team, and Carla and Joelle pick the Blue Team, Sione and Filipe to join Bob's. Dane and Blaine pick the Green Team, former models Tara and Laura. Sione and Filipe pick the Red Team, engaged couple Nicole and Damien. The Green models pick the Orange Team, best friends Daniel and David to be with Jillian. The Red Team picks the Pink Team, Shannon and Helen to join Bob. The Orange Team then picks the Yellow Team, sisters Aubrey and Mandi, to join Jillian. The Brown Team, Ron and Mike, is last to be picked to join Bob's team. This means that the Purple Mother daughter team, Kristin and Cathy, is last. Kristin, the Purple daughter, interviews that when you're heavy you're used to being rejected by certain groups of people, but to be rejected by your own kind really hurts. Kristin tells the whole group that she and her mom can do anything. Sami appreciates Kristin's pride, and says that their reward is to pick who they want to train with. Kristin and Cathy pick Bob. Kristin thinks this is the best decision her mom has ever made. Given Bob's winning streak or lack thereof against Jillian, I wouldn't be so hasty with the praise. </P>

<P>Now that the teams are set, it's time for the first weigh-in. The scale does not look supersized, even though this is the biggest season ever. I'm surprised they didn't have to get a new, bigger building to hold them all, actually. Estella is up first on the scale, solo since Jerry's still at the hospital. She's starting at 242 pounds. Estella and Jerry are the White Team, which means she's doomed to look dingy and wan all season. Maybe this is to cleverly disguise Jerry's true state of health and make us worry even more? The Pink Team is next. Helen weighs in at 257 while Shannon is 283 pounds. Their combined total is 540 pounds. Then we have the Purple Team, Cathy and Kristin. Cathy weighs in at 293 pounds, while Kristin is 360. This actually makes her the biggest woman ever to be on the show, according to Sami. By 62 pounds! Kristin interviews that her weight is more than that of defensive linemen for the Green Bay Packers. Too bad NFL recruiters don't frequent the ranch. </P>

<P>The Yellow Team, Mandi and Aubrey, are next. Mandi weighs 263 pounds, while Aubrey is 249. That's 512 pounds total. Mandi starts crying and confesses that she doesn't even let her husband see her like this. By "like this" I think she means in a yellow sports bra and unflattering shorts. Good call on her part. Next up is the Red Team, Nicole and Damien. Nicole is 269 pounds, while Damien weighs 381 pounds. That's 650 pounds total. Nicole cries, and says that she's been faking it for so long, like everything's okay. But now that she's met the man of her dreams she doesn't want to fake her life anymore. The Green Team, Laura and Tara, weigh 285 and 294 respectively, and 579 combined. They cry, too, as you do on the big scale. Then we have Filipe and Sione. Filipe weighs in at 364, while Sione is 374 pounds. Bob looks mortified. That's 736 pounds altogether. Even heavier are Blaine and Dane, the Black Team. Blaine weighs 365 -- one pound for each day of the year -- while Dane weighs a whopping 412 pounds. That's 777 pounds. What a lucky combined weight! They should totally skip the last chance workout and go play the slots. Then we have the Brown Team, Mike and Ron. Mike weighs 388, while Ron is 430 pounds. That's 818 pounds altogether. I think we're building up to a really, really heavy combined weight here, folks. </P>

<P>The Silver Team -- Carla and Joelle -- are next. They're so fabulous that you can't call their team Gray. Carla weighs 379 pounds, while Joelle weighs 309. Wait, Carla IS bigger than Kristin! I knew it. They weigh 688 pounds total. Bob notes that Carla is hanging with the big men on the show, and Sami tells Carla that she's officially the heaviest woman ever to be on the show. There's one team left to weigh in -- Orange Team Dan and Dave. This is the big kahuna. Dan prepares for the worst. He weighs in at 454 pounds, while David weighs 393 pounds. That's 847 pounds total. Dan is not quite Discovery Health Channel big, but he is the heaviest contestant ever on <I>The Biggest Loser</I>, and together they're the heaviest team. Jillian laughs with glee, because she's going to beat them skinny. </P>

<P>With that, it's time for the teams to get to work. Bob and Jillian start to have at them in the gym, and Bob reminds us that these fuckers are large. He's ready for a sleepless season. Jillian, meanwhile, tells her team that she's going to push each of them until they quit. And if they quit, that's fine. She's not going to yell, she's just going to show them the door. I give this New Year's resolution about 45 seconds. As soon as someone puts their hands on the treadmill bars, she's done. The contestants are obviously having some immediate challenges. Pink Helen says she's never lifted a weight in her life. Green Laura wheezes on the treadmill, and Jillian tells her that she's not going to die. Jillian interviews that Laura immediately started with the theatrics. That's a pretty convincing theatrical wheeze. She gets some support from her teammate, Tara, and then just does what Jillian says until she pukes, and then does what Jillian says some more. She hopes that things will get better, though Jillian yells that things will get worse. Positive motivation works every time. </P>

<P>Bob, meanwhile, shows his team the miracles of the Bodybugg, which keeps track of all the calories you take in, and all the calories you burn, all by just being strapped to your arm all day then connected to your computer's USB port! I want one of those. </P>

<P>Oh! And then there's a Jerry update. The doctors told Jerry that his blood pressure dropped when he was working out, which caused him to pass out. He realizes that he's in worse shape than he thought, and is ready to get going and get his life back in order. He is greeted triumphantly when he enters the <I>BL</I> house. Jillian delivers some bad news to him: she's going to be his trainer. She's such a card! She gives him a big, loving squeeze and he admits that he's excited but scared. </P>

<P>And then it's challenge time! On a bridge! Sami tells the contestants that they're in between two lives: the sucky, fat one, and the happy, skinny one. There is a bridge that will bring them from one side to the other, and it is built of challenges. The specific, literal challenge on this bridge is 250,000 pounds of sand. The teams must race over the bridge, across the sand to their team's colored flag, and then back. The top five teams after the first heat will go to the second round, and the top two teams from the second round will go head to head for the victory. The winning team will get immunity at the weigh-in. This is obviously huge, thus befitting the theme of the season.</P>

<P>Some of the contestants positively leap over the sand pile, while others have a bit of a harder time. The team members have to get their flag together before they can race back, so if there's one fast team member they can't just sprint ahead and win the whole shebang. Jerry makes it over the sand pile while maintaining consciousness, which is a victory in itself. The five teams to move on to the second round are the Yellow Team, the Black Team, the Blue Team, the Green Team, and the Red Team. They all look pretty tired, but get back to the start line and prepare to tread some sand. Once again, both members of the team have to cross the finish team to win, and it's the Yellow and Black Teams who made it to the third heat. Tara, though supportive to dead weight Laura, interviews that it sucks that Laura gave her best, but her best wasn't good enough. Tell it to James Ingram, honey. The Black Team totally doesn't want to be beaten by girls in the finals, which makes me hope even more that they will be. In the end Blaine pulls far ahead, and Mandi is first to cross the finish line for Yellow. This leaves Aubrey versus Dane, and let me tell you that Aubrey totally hauls ass! Dane realizes that she's catching up, and really wants to win it for his kids at home. And he does. Oh, rat. Aubrey gave him a run for it, though! The Black Team has immunity, and is feeling pretty happy about it. </P>

<P>Oh, and now it's time for DeathWatch with Dr. Huizenga. The contestants head to the hospital for all sorts of crazy tests and to learn just how bad off they are. The Brown Team, Ron and Mike, are extremely fat, and Ron even has a fatty liver. Ron had bypass surgery, but wasn't able to lose weight even so. His stomach was the size of an egg after the bypass, and Dr. H. says that all this shows that surgery is not a panacea. Ron is scared to know that Mike is following in his footsteps, and that he has another son at home who is facing the same struggle with weight. The Pink Team, Shannon and Helen, are mirror images of each other. Helen is a smoker, which makes things even worse. Helen is 48, but her "real age" is 60. This makes her cry, as those real age tests often do on this show. And on <I>Oprah</I>. Blaine and Dane don't get good news, either. Their lung capacity is teeny, on account of their voluminous abdominal fat. They also have fatty livers. Blaine and Dane get emotional as well. </P>

<P>We then go back to working out at the ranch. Buy Brita filters and water bottles to stay hydrated and save the environment! Oh, this is actually the last chance workout. There is yelling from Bob and crying on the part of Joelle from the Silver Team. Bob says that Joelle does a lot of talking and not a lot of working out, and he needs to change that if she's going to stick around. Jillian gets on dead weight Laura's case, and Laura is already sick of Jillian asking her why she's there and why she's fat. Jillian tells us that Laura concerns her, because the work that she needs to do mentally far outweighs the work she needs to do physically. She tries to Dr. Phillian Laura, to mixed effect. Tara interviews that she's going to do what she has to do to keep them there, and generally confirms her overall awesomeness. </P>

<P>Weigh-ins! Sami tells the contestants that tonight there will be no eliminations. Everyone cheers and high-fives, except for Jillian and Bob who just look wary. They ask what the catch is. Sami says that there will be no elimination, but nine of them are going home. The celebrating abruptly stops. Sami explains that each team will weigh in, and the team with the highest combined percentage of weight loss will be above the yellow line. Dane and Blaine, of course, have immunity and are the only couple that is safe. The only other couple to be safe is the couple that wins the weigh-in. The nine teams who fall below the yellow line will have to choose one person from each couple to go home. DIABOLICAL! Poor Sami must feel so bad having to give this kind of news all the time, but she remains stoic. All her evil training on <I>Days of Our Lives</I> has prepared her well. </P>

<P>The Black Team, Dane and Blaine, weigh in first. Blaine goes from 365 to 351, for a loss of 14, while Dane goes form 412 to 392, for a loss of 20. That's 34 pounds lost total. Blaine is sweating like a beast up on the scale. With the immune ones taken care of, it's time to get to business. The Silver Team, Carla and Joelle, approach the scale. Carla goes from 379 to 368 for a loss of 11, while Joelle goes from 309 to 296 for a loss of 13. That's 24 pounds total. Not bad, but people tend to drop some huge-ass numbers in the first week, so I don't know if it will be enough. They are happy, though. Their percentage lost is 3.49%. Next up is the Orange Team, Dan and David. To beat the Silver Team, they need to have lost more than 29 pounds. Dan goes from 454 to 424, for a loss of 30, while David goes from 393 to 377, for a loss of 16. Dan lost more himself than the Silver Team combined! That's 46 pounds total. Dan starts tearing up, and says that the one time he tried to lose weight on his own, he lost 34 pounds in four months. This sure beats whatever that ineffective system was. Jillian is psyched for what this will do to motivate Dan. The combined Orange Team total is 5.43%, putting them above the Yellow Line. </P>

<P>The Red Team, Damien and Nicole, are next. Nicole goes form 269 to 251, for a loss of 18, while Damien goes from 381 to 364, for a loss of 17. That's 35 pounds total! They're both pleased. Their total percentage is 5.38% -- they were one pound away from beating the Orange Team. As it were, however, they're below the Yellow Line. Next is the White Team, Jerry and Estella, none of whom are dead, hooray. We learn that Jerry's starting weight was 369. They need to have lost more than 33 pounds combined to go above the yellow line. Jerry goes from 369 to 344 for a loss of 25, while Estella goes from 242 to 233 for a loss of 9. That's 34 pounds! They totally did it! Everyone cheers, and Jillian maybe even tears up a little. Jillian tells us that this is such a statement -- if Jerry can do it, anyone can do it. He fainted before she could even get her hands on him! Jerry and Estella have lost 5.56%, and knock Dan and David out of first place. There are still six teams to weigh in yet, though, so no one's getting too comfortable yet. </P>

<P>The Blue Team is up next. They need to have lost more than 40 pounds to go above the yellow line. Filipe goes from 364 to 347 for a loss of 17, while Sione goes from 372 to 349 for a loss of 23. Hot damn! Of course this equals 40 pounds, which means they just missed the mark. It always comes down to a pound. They lost 5.43%, which is the same as Dan and David. Next up is the Yellow Team. They need to have lost more than 28 pounds to displace the White Team from atop the yellow line. Mandi goes from 263 to 251, for a loss of 12, while Aubrey goes from 249 to 236, for a loss of 13. That's 25 pounds, also known as not enough. Tears. They've lost 4.88%, which actually puts them toward the bottom of the current pack.</P>

<P>The Purple Team is next. They need to lose more than 36 pounds to go above the yellow line. Kristin goes from 360 to 341, for a loss of 19, while Cathy goes from 293 to 281, for a loss of 12. That's 31 pounds, or 4.75%. It's still not enough to take the lead from the White Team. This weigh-in is so bittersweet for the contestants, like the chocolate they are no longer allowed to eat. The Pink Team is next. They need to lose more than 30 pounds to go above the yellow line. Helen goes from 257 to 245, for a loss of 12. Shannon goes from 283 to 270, for a loss of 13. That's 25 pounds total, or 4.63%. One of them is going to have to go home, and they are pretty upset about it. Then there's the Green Team. To go above the yellow line they need to lose more than 32 pounds. Laura goes from 285 to 272, for a loss of 13, while Tara goes from 294 to 273, for a loss of 21. Holy crow! They did it! I give Tara all the credit. She secretly gives herself all the credit, too. Jillian looks a little sad that she might have to put up with Laura for another week. They lost 34 pounds, or 5.87%, and are above the yellow line with one team left to weigh in. Jerry and Estella look sad. </P>

<P>The final team to weigh in is the Brown Team. I'm guessing they at least come close if they're weighing in last. They will have to lose more than 48 pounds to take victory from the jaws of Tara and Laura. That is a pretty tall order. Mike goes form 388 to 366, for a loss of 22, while Ron, who I am sad to report has an actual six-pack of man boobs, goes from 430 to 398, for a loss of 32! Holy crow part deux! That is 54 pounds, bitches, and Laura is going hooooome! Good deal. Ron says that all the weight of the world (if the world weighed 32 pounds) has been lifted from his shoulders. He's quite joyful to get to spend another week with his son. To add a non-fat cherry on top, Sami tells Ron that 32 pounds is the most anyone has ever lost in a single week on campus. It's good times for Brown! The Brown team lost 6.6%, and are definitively safe. The Black Team, of course, have immunity. But the other nine teams must choose one team member who will go home tonight. </P>

<P>But! There is another twist! Sami tells the teams that there is a way back. They are already SO fed up with her shenanigans. So, basically, one contestant from each team will go home. After 30 days if their teammate has managed to stay in the game, they get to come back. Jillian and Bob look like they are going to eat their tube socks. The contestant who remains on the ranch will have to work his or her butt off, and ditto with the contestant who goes home. </P>

<P>The teams have some hard decisions to make. Pink Shannon wants her mom, Helen, to stay, because she will fall off of all sorts of wagons if she goes home. Nicole lobbies for herself to stay. The Yellow sisters argue over who would or would not be mad at the other if things didn't work out. Tears. Discussion. Tears. Man hugs. Eventual agreement upon decisions. </P>

<P>We are then in the elimination room, to learn who stays and who goes. And the person who goes, goes immediately, as is the <I>Biggest Loser's</P> custom. The Pink Team sends home Shannon, just as she wished. The Blue Team sends home Sione. Laura goes home for the Green Team. The Yellow Team sends Aubrey home. The Red Team sends Nicole home. And the engagement's off if Damien doesn't bring her back. David is going home for the Orange Team. The Silver Team sends home Carla, who may kill Joelle if she doesn't come back in 30 days. The Purple Team sends home Cathy. Finally, there's the White Team. Estella is going home. All of the players who remain are incredibly motivated to bring back their teammates. Except, secretly, probably Tara. A song about keeping on moving plays, and we're out. </P>

<P>Next week: Beatings. What else? And Bob wigs out, to the delight of Jillian! </P>

<P><I>Potes is the biggest Potes ever! You can email her super-sized inbox at potesypotes@gmail.com.</I></P>]]>
        
    </content>
</entry>

<entry>
    <title>Hello, Goodbye, Amen</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/90210/hello_goodbye_amen_1.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30930</id>

    <published>2009-01-07T14:01:43Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-07T15:41:14Z</updated>

    <summary>Previously: Harry&apos;s bastard son Sean showed up with some fancy designs for taking over Casa Wilson. Designs also flitted about in the head of a cheerleader shaking her pompoms all up in Dixon&apos;s face. Annie and Naomi continued to hate...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Lady Lola</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="90210" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/">
        <![CDATA[<P>Previously: Harry's bastard son Sean showed up with some fancy designs for taking over Casa Wilson. Designs also flitted about in the head of a cheerleader shaking her pompoms all up in Dixon's face. Annie and Naomi continued to hate each other, while Navid and AAdrianna stumbled into puppy love, sex not included. Then there are these other people named Brenda and Kelly. They look vaguely familiar but the lack of scrunchies and acid-washed jeans is somehow making it really hard for me to give a damn about them. Also, just for the record, it's been so long since an episode aired that I don't even remember some characters' names.</p>

<P>We open in the halls of West Bev, where Annie and Ethan walk and flirt, talking about their winter breaks. Naomi interrupts to recount many thrilling tales in which she forced Sean to act brotherly toward her. She couldn't be more transparent in her attempt to make Annie feel bad about not being included in said plans. It's pathetic, even by Naomi standards. The Perma Donna finally stoops low enough to insinuate that Sean doesn't want to hang out with Annie. Annie takes the bait, sharply reminding Naomi that Sean chose to stay at Casa Wilson all those eons ago. Ethan calls the point for Annie, and they leave Naomi to stew. </p>

<P>Annie parts ways with Ethan and finds AAdrianna in mid-brood because she can't locate one of her rehab friends. They head to class, wherein <i>MADtv</i>'s Debra Wilson lectures on perception and intuition. What? There's actual learning (albeit it wishy-washy nonsense, plot-driving bullshit) on this show? Who knew? </p>

<P>Downtown, a token Indian doctor gives Brenda grim news. She admits that she has no nearby family or friends to support her during the coming rough times. </p>

<P>Back at West Bev, Rah Rah Sista Boom Bah flirts with Dixon, handing him a CD of one of her recording exec dad's new bands. During this exchange, she even calls him "D." Are we suddenly at <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/gossip-girl/">Constance Billard/St. Jude</a>? Silver interrupts them, making it clear that she has no interest in befriending Rah Rah. Awkward. Rah Rah leaves, and Silver can barely wait five seconds to make fun of her by calling Dixon "D." She calls Rah Rah out for hitting on her man, then issues a tart goodbye before heading to class. </p>

<P>Over in PrinciPAL Harry's office, Annie runs into Sean on the way to his and Harry's father-son surfing date. More awkwardness, different place. Then Naomi prances in, gives Sean a big, creepy kiss on the cheek, and rubs it in Annie's face that she is going surfing with the boys. Sean invites Annie to come along, but she passes and escapes the brotherly love as quickly as possible. </p>

<P>AAdrianna skulks into Kelly's office to ask for Brenda's contact info so she can invite Brenda to a rehab support day. She would rather have Brenda than there her own mother, in fact. Granted, DinaLite would probably bring head shots and vials of coke, so it's understandable. Kelly balks at contacting Brenda because the inevitable Matthews drama will resurface, but, seeing AAdrianna's moon-shaped, fiend-orable face, she thinks better of it and offers to help. </p>

<P>That afternoon, the Wilsons play Pictionary. Tabitha is terrible. In her world, everything is a sock. I suspect the writers had more tawdry ideas for what Tabby sees in the pictures, but prime time censors required them to change it. But I digress... Tabby's up and furiously drawing when Sean gets a call and has to step out. The rest of the gang fights over Tabby's incomprehensible sketch, and eventually Debbie tosses the timer. When Annie steps outside to retrieve it, she overhears Sean carrying on a tense conversation about money. He angrily slams the phone shut, and Annie approaches him to ask what's going on. Credits. </p>

<P>When we return, Sean anxiously tells everyone that his father was a good-for-nothing gambler. And also kind of an idiot apparently, because he killed himself to pay off his debts despite the fact that most insurance obviously would never cover suicide. As a result Sean claims to be up to his ears in debt. Harry immediately offers to help. Then Sean tells them that his father owed 200 grand. He puts on a brave face, suggesting they resume their game of Pictionary. Because nothing says "Family Game Night" like loan sharks and imminent broken legs. </p>

<P>Later, Sean catches Annie as she walks past his room. They live up to their roles. He's overly gentlemanly and self-effacing about his wretched lot in life. She's faux-apologetic for getting in his business and way too enthusiastically offloading her findings on Harry. The bullshit parade carries on until Sean's phone rings. She hands it to him, but he refuses to answer it before not-so-subtly bidding her goodnight (read: "Please leave now.") She exits confusedly, and he keeps an eye on her until it's safe, then shadily checks the phone. </p>

<P>Elsewhere, Tabby pours out some "iced tea" as she, Harry, and Debbie discuss how to help Sean. Tabby admits she's taken a beating in the market and says she's considering going back into acting. She muses over her "calling," then floats away drunkenly. Harry tries to talk Debbie into dipping into their savings or the kids' college fund to help <i>his</i> son. Smartly, she's not too keen on this idea. Backed into a corner, Debbie suggests they bring in the sage fiscal advice of Crazy Eyes. She is practically the Suze Orman of Beverly Hills after all. Harry goes for it and leaves Debbie heaving sighs behind him. </p>

<P>Upstairs, Annie joins Dixon in the bathroom. She looks over her back, then divulges her reservations about Sean. She tells Dixon he received a local call earlier. Dixon lets out an exaggerated gasp like, "So?!" Annie wonders why Sean would receive local calls if he doesn't know anyone in L.A. Dixon gives several plausible reasons, so Annie backs off a little. Then Dixon gets to the nitty gritty, explaining that his freak-out over Sean hurt Harry. He warns Annie not to go down that path again. She reluctantly agrees, and they head to bed. </p>

<P>Elsewhere, Kelly shows up at Brenda's house unannounced. Brenda says she's been avoiding Kelly to avoid the inevitable Matthews drama. Kelly can't help herself and snipes, "Then you shouldn't have slept with him," then she invites herself in to get to the point. She tells Brenda about AAdrianna's support day at rehab. She tells Brenda that AAdrianna sees her as a mother figure, and Brenda will have to embrace that. Brenda shies away from this new role, and Kelly gives her shit before being ushered out the door by Brenda Bridge Burner. </p>

<P>The next day, Rah Rah finds Dixon at The Peach Pit. They talk about the CD, and he accidentally reveals his sorely lacking knowledge of retro R&B. Oh that Dixon! He's never Black enough! Rah Rah decides to help him out by inviting him to a gospel barbecue at her dad's house. She asks whether Silver will have a problem with that, but he insists she'll be fine. <i>Uh-huh.</i></p>

<P>Over at West Bev, Crazy Eyes joins Harry and Debbie in Operation: Clear Sean's (Fake) Debt. Crazy Eyes blames herself for getting him in this predicament and offers to squeeze Mr. Crazy Eyes for as much as she can, even sell off some of his really important art. Debbie quickly accepts her offer for everyone. As Crazy Eyes leaves to meet her business manager, she intentionally gives Harry a sultry hand shake on the way out. Harry sees Debbie's hate-filled eyes and thanks her for not stabbing Crazy Eyes with a pencil. Debbie is surprisingly cool about it and wishes her man a good day before making a graceful exit. </p>

<P>Out in the hall, Dixon runs into Silver, who is hard at work on an exposé on West Bev's janitor's lazy eye, not to mention a nasty blog about cheerleaders. Dixon is quick to point out that the only cheerleader Silver actually named was Rah Rah. Silver reminds Dixon that her blog is called "The Vicious Circle" -- emphasis on the "Vicious." She asks about his plans for the next afternoon. She suggests a Tarantino film festival. As much as it pains Dixon to miss that, he claims he has a family thing, a.k.a. Rah Rah's gospel BBQ. Given the circumstances of late, Silver takes it at face value and disregards Dixon's clearly guilty face. </p>

<P>That afternoon, Kelly accompanies AAdrianna to her support event. They unexpectedly find Brenda, and she apologizes for being late. "Traffic's a bitch," snarks Kelly. Needless to say, the subtext is not lost on Brenda. AAdrianna obliviously chatters about her missing friend Hank. A woman who doesn't look like she could ever have been an addict -- more like an elementary school art teacher, though I know the categories aren't mutually exclusive -- begins the session. AAdrianna gives her testimonial, looking pretty radiant, I must say. She expresses thanks to those who believed in her, shooting meaningful looks at Kelly and Brenda. I really wish Navid were there instead of these dead weight hussies... Then Brenda delivers an encouraging speech in which she calls AAdrianna a friend (practically her only one, it should be noted). Kelly looks angsty as Brenda and AAdrianna hug to sobriety and loneliness. Woohoo! </p>

<P>Over at West Bev, Naomi and her Bitch Posse interrupt Annie and Ethan's cute couple-y banter to show off some overly touchy-feely pictures of her and Sean. Seriously, they're practically slathering each other with whipped cream. It's totally inappropriate. Neither Annie nor Ethan could care less. As Naomi continues to pretend that she has friends, Annie flashes back on all of the strange episodes she's had with Sean, putting them all together in light of her psych teacher's lesson on intuition. She makes a break for it, leaving Ethan to continue ignoring Naomi and Co. </p>

<P>Annie makes it home in record time and cracks open up this can of worms with Debbie. She stars shakily, rambling frantically about how she doesn't like Sean, even though everyone else does. She eventually slows down enough to make it clear that she thinks there's something <i>off</i> about Sean, though she has no proof. Debbie agrees and says she's been blaming it on her semi-jealousy of Crazy Eyes. Now that Annie has brought it up, she acknowledges that something is fishy. "So, what do we do?" asks Annie. Commercials. </p>

<P>When we return, Kelly and Brenda reconvene after the support group. Brenda admits that she needs Kelly's and starts to tell Kelly something... but AAdrianna interrupts to introduce them to her sponsor, the aforementioned elementary art teacher. AAdrianna mentions that she wanted to introduce them to Hank, too, and the sponsor has to break it to her that Hank relapsed when he tested positive for HIV. AAdrianna takes this news particularly hard because she slept with Hank several times. Brenda and Kelly offer to take her to get tested. </p>

<P>It's happier times at the gospel barbecue, where Rah Rah continues Blackifying Dixon and confirms that, yes, Kobe Bryant is there. Dixon half-jokes that he didn't know L.A. had so many Black people. Rah Rah's father approaches, happy to finally meet Dixon. They discuss music, and Dixon reveals that he enjoys singing. Father Rah Rah encourages him to pursue his (heretofore unmentioned) passion, then scoots off to have a powwow with Dr. Dre. </p>

<P>Back at Casa Wilson, Harry comes home and excitedly tells Debbie he's found a way to get a second mortgage on the house. Three cheers for life-long debt! Debbie tells him that she went to see the P.I. that located Sean. She apologizes for going behind his back, especially because she came up with nothing. Still, she thinks Sean's timing is suspect. Harry insists on Sean's innocence. Debbie mentions that Annie doesn't trust Sean either, and Harry pawns it off to her being a bratty teenager (which, while technically true, is not applicable this one time). He also notes that the same thing happened with Dixon, which is an entirely different situation and, frankly, a pretty low blow. Say it with me now, people, "Shut up, Harry!" He insists that he owes this kindness to Sean, so Debbie points out that he shouldn't sacrifice the kids' futures in order to pay off his guilt. Harry insists that Sean is as much his child as Annie and Dixon, so Debbie brings out the big guns: He's not <i>her</i> son. Suck on that, PrinciPAL. </p>

<P>In the thick of their confrontation, Sean arrives home, bleeding and busted. He claims that the loan sharks found him and roughed him up. He offers to leave in the morning and dramatically stalks off. Harry shouts out that they'll find the money. He and Debbie walk off, so Annie takes the opportunity to sneak up and snoop through Sean's bag. She locates his phone and calls the local number that she saw on his phone. It's an investigation firm. </p>

<P>Kelly and Brenda sit in a hospital waiting room with AAdrianna, filling the time bitching about how ugly hospital waiting rooms are. Oblivious, AAdrianna tries not to notice her world caving in on her. She finds it particularly ironic that she finally got clean only to discover that she might be dying. A nurse interjects to inform AAdrianna that she doesn't have AIDS. She does, however, have a bun in the oven. Commercials. </p>

<P>We return to AAdrianna, freshly sprung from the frying pan and hurtling into the fire. She obviously doesn't understand simple biology or read tabloid magazines (Jamie-Lynn!) as she cries, "I can't be pregnant. I'm only 16!" Kelly speaks from experience (BTW, <i>where</i> is her son?) as she consoles AAdrianna. On the other hand, Brenda practically leaves a cloud of dust behind herself she gets out of there so fast. Kelly offers to help as AAdrianna's mind darts from figuring out how to tell her mother to mentally running through the list of the many junkies she boned for speed in the last few months. She starts to cry when the she considers how Navid will take this news. Kelly cradles her maternally.</P>

<P>Back at the Casa, Harry is having an eleventh-hour phone conversation about Sean's financial woes. Annie walks in, and Harry totally blows her off. As he's leaving, she tells Debbie that Sean's last five received calls were from the P.I. that Tracy used to locate Sean. At this, Harry pauses and gets snippy at her for invading Sean's privacy. Annie apologizes but tells him that she'd rather piss him off than leave him vulnerable to Shady Sean. Debbie agrees and asks Harry to take a paternity test. Harry claims that he has an instinctive connection to Sean (read: deep-seeded desperation to become relevant and necessary for a child -- any child! -- once again). Nonetheless, he agrees. He spits, "You shock me" at Debbie as he walks away. </p>

<P>And the longest gospel barbecue ever continues... Rah Rah brings Dixon a drink and wraps her arms in his as she invites him to dinner with her father the next week. He frees himself from her clutches and decides to set the record straight. When he tells her he has a girlfriend, she responds, "I know, so do I." Ha! She laughs that he thought she was putting the moves on him. Yeah, all that fawning and mix-tape making can really send the wrong signals... Dixon picks his jaw up off of the ground as Rah Rah tells him that, while she has had boyfriends, she's not interested in him. They get past the weirdness pretty easily, though, and she gives him an open invitation to hang out. Dixon grabs his phone and walks off, still gawking slightly at what just happened. </p>

<P>Meanwhile, there's a pounding on Brenda's door as Kelly storms in and reads her the riot act for abandoning AAdrianna. Brenda finishes the conversation she started earlier, admitting that she just found out she can't have children. Kelly put on her Guidance Counselor hat, and Brenda admits she was jealous that AAdrianna could get knocked up. Kelly assures Brenda that medicine is advancing, which is how she had her child... whom we've only seen once. (Point of fact, didn't Kelly get knocked up, too? How would medicine be involved in that in a positive way?) Either way, Brenda says she's ready for children (God bless those train wrecks in training) and wants to adopt. She says she wants Kelly to be part of the process. Yeah, Brenda's really a great candidate, a grade A manipulator and sometime slut with no stable job or boyfriend. Put her at the top of the list! </p>

<P>Back at the 'cue, Dixon welcomes Silver and tries to break the tension by offering to introduce her to Denzel. She still gives him a hard time about lying, so he apologizes and assures her that there is nothing between Rah Rah and him. He admits that he didn't know how to talk to her about his Blackness, so he turned to Rah Rah. He offers to end the friendship, but Silver acquiesces, confessing that she was jealous she couldn't give Dixon what he needed in that regard. They go back to being the awesomest couple ever, in search of Denzel. </p>

<P>Back at the Casa, Harry strides into Sean's room and promises him the money... if he takes a paternity test. Harry guiltily says it's just a formality, but Sean -- a little too quickly -- says he understands. Harry gets one more father-son embrace for the road. </p>

<P>As the barbecue winds down, Father Rah Rah gives a speech about family and friends, then pulls Dixon up on the stage to sing "Amazing Grace." I assume he'll be performing "Motown Philly" next, but we don't see as much. </p>

<P>Instead, Dixon's dulcet singing carries on over sweeping shots of L.A., finally landing  on Annie hanging up clothes in her closet. She closes the door, and the music stops with a thud as she jumps at the sight of Sean looming behind her. Maybe he <i>is</i> Tracy's son. He certainly has the crazy eyes. He pointedly tells her that he's taking a paternity test tomorrow since <i>some</i> people don't trust him. He claims Annie should understand where's he's coming from since she's had her whole life handed to her. In fact, nimrod, that's exactly why she wouldn't understand, but whatevs... Annie shoots back that not everyone gets to take what isn't theirs, either. About 67 steely glances later, I'm wondering why no one (Annie!) has been abducted. So help me Lifetime, I know where these kinds of confrontations go. But no! Sean just stands there, then semi-menacingly says goodnight before skulking out. WTF? Hog tie the bitch and call it a day, country boy! It's your destiny. </p>

<P>The next day, Harry walks into Sean's empty room. So no paternity test? </p>

<P>Over at AAdrianna's abode, the heroin(e) examines her belly and tries to muster up the courage to call Navid before dissolving into tears again. </p>

<P>Back at the Casa, Crazy Eyes and Naomi have joined the Wilsons. Crazy Eyes remains in denial, but Harry has finally realized that Sean was a scam artist. Harry says he called the P.I. that morning, and his phone was disconnected, which implies that he was in cahoots with Sean. Crazy Eyes leaves, followed by Harry. Debbie solicits Dixon's help in making breakfast, which leaves Annie and Naomi alone. Annie tries to extend the olive branch, but Naomi throws it back in her face. As usual, she blames Annie for all the trouble that has befallen the Clarks, including but not limited to her mom's utterly stupid decision to dip into her own divorce settlement to give Sean money before he left. Yeah, that's totally Annie's fault, jackass. Annie tries to comfort her, but Naomi storms out. </p>

<P>Joshua Radin or some other such mopey singer-songwriter croons as Harry sits on the empty bed in anguish. Annie walks in and apologizes, but Harry is smart enough not to blame her. They hug it out and strengthen their bond, the way parents do with their actual children -- you know, the ones who aren't trying to bilk them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. </P>

<P>Next week: AAdrianna spends some more time on her back, this time after suffering the literal fall-out of her unexpected pregnancy. Poor Navid. No amount of individually sorted jelly beans can save him now. </P>

<p><I>See how the <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/90210/90210_old_vs_new.php">new cast compares to the old cast</a>.</I></p>
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<entry>
    <title>Home Is the Place</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/desperate_housewives/home_is_the_place_1.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30898</id>

    <published>2009-01-06T16:50:41Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-06T16:53:29Z</updated>

    <summary>Previously, Andrew and Alex told Bree they were engaged. Jackson told Susan he needed more from her. Carlos could see again. Mrs. McCluskey and Lily Tomlin (her leather-clad sister, Roberta) made plans to go visit the doctor just before he...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>DeAnn Welker</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="Desperate Housewives" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="desperatehousewives" label="Desperate Housewives" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>Previously, Andrew and Alex told Bree they were engaged. Jackson told Susan he needed more from her. Carlos could see again. Mrs. McCluskey and Lily Tomlin (her leather-clad sister, Roberta) made plans to go visit the doctor just before he was fried to a crisp. And Warren Schilling threatened Porter. That's all the "previously on" Mary Alice gives us before jumping right in. </p>

<p>She tells us there are important events in the history of every family -- births, deaths, weddings -- as she shows us pictures from Bree's wall. Mary Alice goes on that the one event every family dreads is the moment they meet the in-laws. Bree, standing in front of her picture wall, is being introduced to one Joanna Cassidy (Brenda and Billy's mom on <i><a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/six-feet-under/">Six Feet Under</a></i>). Andrew introduces Joanna as "Melina Cominis," so apparently she's supposed to be Greek. Do we even know Alex's last name? If we were told it, I missed that. Melina says hi and thanks Bree for letting her stay there. She can't afford a hotel right now because she was laid off from her job. Bree tells her she's sorry, but Melina says it's okay, because you know what they say: "In a bad economy, the mature cocktail waitress is the first to go." Bree fakes a smile and asks, "Really? They say that?" Well, if they don't, they certainly should, because everyone knows that people only want to be served drinks by the very young and immature.</p>

<p>The boys clear out, so the mothers can get acquainted. Bree makes small talk, but Melina instantly calls Christmas, saying they'll have to split the holidays now. Bree says calling it is not how they decide family holidays. Melina calls Thanksgiving, and is about to call Easter, when Bree finally caves and calls it herself, despite really thinking calling the holidays is the worst way to handle this. The boys walk in right then, and Bree wants to get their input, so Melina leans in close and makes a threat to keep Bree from talking. And Mary Alice is back: "Yes there are important events in the history of every family. Meeting the in-laws is one. The moment you decide to hate them is another." Because, apparently, hating the in-laws is inevitable.</p>

<p>Edie walks out of a home with an "Edie Williams Realty" sign, and past most of the other Wisteria homes as Mary Alice talks about how everyone needs a home and a realtor. As Edie arrives home, Mary Alice finally gets to her point: that you need a lovely home in suburbia so no one will suspect the ugliness going on inside. She forgets to mention that, in this case, even Edie doesn't know from inside the home. Inside, Creepy Dave's rifling through a briefcase filled with prescription bottles. Edie walks in, and he slams it shut quickly. We see that he's all disheveled, what with his loose tie, facial hair, and mussed hair. Edie ignores it and tells him she got the Adams house listing, and asks him to take her out dancing. He says no, he doesn't feel like it. She gets pushy, and he makes a sincere apology, to which Edie replies, "There's something you should know about me: I don't stay unhappy for long." Not that I'm on Creepy Dave's side EVER, but since she doesn't know he's evil, maybe she shouldn't be threatening to cheat on him if he doesn't take her dancing? Seems a little drastic to me. </p>

<p>Susan's unpacking groceries and listening to her answering machine. There's a message from Jackson, who says, "Hey, it's Jackson. I'm having fun at the old alma mater, but we need to talk. Oh, and good news, I promise. God, I miss you." I think Gale Harold is a better actual actor than voice actor, because I wasn't impressed with that rather stilted line reading. Susan picks up the phone to call him back, but instead spies on Bob and Lee having a spat right outside her window. Lee tells Bob that if he won't go clubbing with him, he'll have to go alone, and he'll be wearing his "not coming home alone jeans." Bob asks him if by "wearing" he means "squeezing into." Ooh, snarky. Go, Bob! </p>

<p> Bob storms off, and Lee spots Susan spying. She ducks down, thinking he might not have seen her, but when she peeks out again, Lee's right there looking at her. He asks if she missed anything, or if she'd like a juicy recap (um ... shout-out? I mean, we all know the word recap doesn't exist outside of TWoP, right?). She apologizes and goes outside to stop him from taking off, and to tell him she has dirt on Bree if he's interested. He stops and asks what, but she was just doing it to prove he's just as bad as her. Then she begs to go to the gay club with him, saying "Gays love me." Lee: "Name three." Susan: "You, Bob, Andrew." Lee says: "That's two." I'm not sure what that means, though. Is Lee saying he doesn't love her? Anyway, whatever it means it falls flat. He relents, though, and tells her to pile on the makeup since drag queens get their first drink free. I think she's a little insulted.</p>

<p>Bob, meanwhile, is in the Scavo backyard talking to Tom, Lynette, and Preston. He's asking Preston to recall what happened that night. Only, Bob thinks it's Porter, which we know because he calls him by his name twice, both times awkwardly, mainly to point out to the audience that Bob's still in the dark. Lynette asks Bob to give Porteston a break, so they do. While Porteston's over by the swing, Penny comes out and talks to him, calling him Preston several times, and then asking Lynette to tell Preston to stop taking her stuff. Lynette tells Penny that's Porter, and Penny says it isn't. Then Lynette gives her a look, and Penny's all, "Right. Sorry!" But Bob's already figured it out, and asks if they have anything they want to tell him. </p>

<p>Carlos and the girls come onto the front porch, where Gaby's rolling up a yoga mat, still working out apparently. They show her a ladybug they found, and Carlos goes on about how beautiful the ladybug is. The girls are sent inside because of some plot contrivance to get them quickly out of the way. Then Carlos tells Gaby he quit his job, because now that he can see, he realizes that "naked people are gross." Plus, with his vision back, he can find other work, because the world is his oyster. He wants to spend some time soaking up nature, though, and starts by admiring a spider that Gaby quickly smashes.</p>

<p>Bree's ironing a table cloth, when Orson comes in. She explains that Andrew wants a formal dinner, and he asks if it's so formal, then why wouldn't they use her grandma's tablecloth. I have to say that, of the many things I love about Orson, one is how he knows the tiniest details such as these about Bree that so many other husbands wouldn't know or care about. Bree says she's not going to let Melina "defile Nana's lace," saying she'll probably blow her nose on it. Wow, everyone's feeling snarky this episode. Thanks, show writers. That saves me a lot of work. Orson reminds Bree that this isn't the first bad in-law in the world; take, for example, his mother. Bree actually says that "At least Gloria had the good taste to <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/desperate_housewives/the_little_things_you_do_toget.php?page=13" target="_blank">have a paralyzing stroke</a> so we don't have to deal with her." And Orson agrees that that was a merry Christmas. But, unfortunately, he thinks Melina's in good health, so Bree has to learn to deal with it. She doesn't know if she has it in her, but Orson snuggles up to her as he says, "Please. No one's better at plastering on a fake smile and pretending to like someone than Bree Hodge." She thinks this is sweet, and asks him to get the lace tablecloth. She will pretend to like this woman, just like she pretended to like Nana. Hee. So, the tablecloth is only precious to her because it's lace, not for anything remotely sentimental. Classic Bree Van de Kamp ... er, Hodge. </p>

<p>Inside the Scavo home, Lynette and Tom are apologizing to Bob for not telling him. This is why they've been trying to get the hearing date postponed, but Bob says they have bigger problems now, because he's legally obligated to tell. They beg him not to tell, or they'll lose the restaurant, thanks to Lynette's brilliant plan to use the restaurant to post bail. Bob agrees to give them two days, until he meets with the D.A., to find Porter. He leaves, and the camera pans upstairs, where Preston's listening, thoughtfully. It's not remotely clear what he's thinking, but he looks like he's thinking something.  </p>

<p>Poor, poor Gaby is outside of a fancy store with shiny gold shoes and pretty dresses in the window. She sadly looks inside, then looks right next door, where there's apparently a bargain store, with "Everyday Low Prices" painted all over the windows, and a clown out front waving her his way. Because all stores that aren't Neiman Marcus look like this. Oh, and they're also right next to Neiman's, because both types of stores can afford the same real estate and have the same target demographic. She's all, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming" and starts to head that way when a guy in a suit recognizes her. He says he's Bradley, who used to work with Carlos back in the day. She tells him Carlos got his sight back and now they just have to find him a job. Bradley, who has his own investment firm now, wants Carlos to work for him. When he tells Gaby about the high six-figures income, she accepts the job on Carlos's behalf. Bradley leaves, and Gaby tells the clown, "So long, sucker," before going inside Shiny Pretty Shop. </p>

<p>Mrs. McCluskey and Roberta are finally at the doctor's office, and asking about Dave Williams. The receptionist is all, "Who?!" But then she says she's not at liberty to discuss it, and she is sure the doctor wouldn't either. I don't know how much time has passed, but since they were going to find the doctor way back when the fire happened, shouldn't they have been there by now? And shouldn't the receptionist know the doctor's dead? Or have they really not been able to identify the body? It has to have been at least a few weeks, since everyone's healed and at home, so this timeline is really out of whack. Anyway, the sisters pressure the receptionist, saying Dr. Heller's going to want to know all about the stuff Dave's been doing. They ask when the doctor will be there, but the receptionist doesn't know, so the ladies wait. </p>

<p>Gaby's looking at herself in the mirror in her new shoes when Carlos comes in. She tells him the good news: She got him a job working for Bradley. He says that's nice, but he actually just got a job. She thinks that's fantastic, and thinks maybe they can get Bradley and the other job in a bidding war. Carlos says he's working at the community center, with the blind, which offers the perks of "making the world a better place" and "personal fulfillment." Gaby says working with the blind isn't that fulfilling, and that he should trust her since she's spent the past five years doing it. Carlos wants to give something back to the people who were there for him when he lost his sight. Plus, he thinks Bradley's kind of an ass, and there's no way he's working for him. He leaves the room, and Gaby calls Bradley and says Carlos is "intrigued," and invites him over to dinner to seal the deal. </p>

<p>Lee and Susan are arriving at the club, and she's acting like an idiot, saying she wants to "Boogie-oogie-oogie." Lee: "God, you really haven't been out in a while." Her phone rings, and he goes to get drinks. She answers and it's Jackson. We only hear her side of the conversation, but he tells her something that surprises her. </p>

<p>Bree walks out of her front door to find Melina sitting on the front porch drinking beer and smashing the cans. Bree says they actually have patio furniture in the backyard, along with recycling bins. Melina's just fine on the front porch. The boys walk up and tell their mothers that Edie was showing them houses. They loved the Adams house, but will only be able to afford it if they find a way to move it next to a toxic waste dump. Melina looks at the price and tells them they could come up to where she lives and get a five-bedroom house on the lake for this price. Bree says that's nice, but Alex's practice is here. Melina says it is now, but there are also sick people in Oakdale. Bree says those people already have a doctor, just like Alex's patients in Fairview have him. Man, if this gets any pettier, I might have to just skip entire scenes to avoid reverting to first-grade playground bickering. Melina says that's fine if they want to stay in the tiny apartment; who cares if the other doctors make fun. Alex says this is something they should talk about, because Andrew would really like Oakdale. Andrew's open to it, and thinks they should go this weekend and look around. They walk inside. Bree asks Melina what she's doing, and Melina plays innocent: She's just helping them live the American dream. And she adds that if they move up near her, she'll let Bree have them for Christmas. </p>

<p>Lee and Susan are sitting at the bar drinking pink drinks in martini glasses. Lee's complaining about Bob being the provider, and he insists he does things too: He pays the bills, cleans the house. Susan thought he had a housekeeper. He says, "Geez, you're an ugly drunk," but then says he was kidding and asks what's with her face. First the drag queen comment and now, "What's with your face?" A little harsh, Lee. She's selfish and annoying, but still a lovely woman. She tells him she's feeling down because Jackson called earlier to tell her that his old art professor in Riverton offered him a job, and he wants Susan to move there with him. She says she wants to be with him, so she'll probably move. Lee asks if she's sure she's not just waiting for closing time. "You know: 2 a.m., bar's closing, and you haven't found the perfect guy, so you settle for ... something like that" as he gestures at an average-looking guy at the end of the bar. She asks, "Is Jackson perfect?" Um, might I answer for you: YES! But she answers for herself: "No." But adds that she doesn't think anyone is, and she has a history of sabotaging relationships. So she's doing this. He congratulates her, and they toast. The normal guy at the end of the bar gets up and starts walking over. Lee says "Scary guy's coming over," and asks if he can grab one of Susan's boobs to throw him off the scent. She lets him, of course.  </p>

<p>Then we cut to Susan waking up in her bed the next morning ... next to a shirtless Lee. She's in nothing but her bra and underwear. She grabs her robe and runs downstairs, where she finds more evidence: empty wine bottles, and a smooth jazz CD in her CD player. Lee comes running down and says Bob's going to kill him, but "that was fun last night. Different ... but fun." Then he slaps her on the butt and heads out. She's horrified that what she thinks she's done -- with her underwear and bra on, apparently. Because we all know that's how sex happens on TV. </p>

<p>Lynette's on the phone telling Tom she can't find anyone who knows anything about Porter's whereabouts. Then she gets off the phone and notices Preston's on the phone in the yard. She walks over and asks why he didn't pick up when she called. He says she didn't call him, and shows her his phone to prove it. She grabs it and runs off, hitting redial. Porter answers, "Dude. Is Mom still there?" She asks where he is and he hangs up. Preston catches up to her, and she yells at him for talking to Porter and not telling her. He doesn't know where Porter is, though. He won't even tell Preston. Preston tells her to call Porter and tell him to come home. Preston says he's not coming home, because Mr. Schilling threatened to kill him. Lynette says she can handle Warren Schilling, but if Porter doesn't come back, they'll lose the restaurant. Preston says he's not going to let his brother risk his life so Tom and Lynette can sell pizza. </p>

<p>Gaby's at Susan's asking how she can sleep with someone and not remember. Susan: "I don't know. I was drunk." And she sure does look hung over. Gaby asks who it was, but Susan says, "Just a friend." Susan asks if Gaby thinks she did this subconsciously to sabotage her relationship with Jackson. Gaby asks if it was Tom Scavo, but Susan asks her to stop guessing. Gaby asks if it was Lou, and Susan says, "My mechanic? Are you crazy?" Gaby points out that she was with a plumber, then a painter, so it seemed the logical next step in service providers. Just then, Bob knocks and comes in. Susan acts freaked, but Bob says he's just here about Lee, who told Bob he and Susan went out last night. She says it was an uneventful evening, so he was probably making stuff up. Bob says, "He said he stayed the night here." Gaby drops her cup and breaks it. Susan tells Bob not to worry, she was just leaving, but Gaby says she has to stay and clean up this mess (the cup, not Susan's life). Susan tells Bob that Lee did stay here. Then she lies and says he slept on the couch in the guest room. Bob says he had this awful feeling that Lee stayed the night with another man. Gaby laughs, but Susan assures Bob that Lee wouldn't do that because he loves him. Bob: "I know he does, but when he's got a few drinks in him, he'll bang anything with a pulse and facial hair." Gaby breaks into big guffaws, and honestly? Who doesn't? That's a seriously hilarious line (and more snark!).</p>

<p>Back at Dr. Heller's office, the kooky sisters are still tormenting the receptionist, who finally tells them that Dr. Heller went on a trip and should have been back a week ago, but she doesn't know where he is. She gets a phone call right then, and it's Creepy Dave, who calls himself David Dash. The ladies are talking about how Creepy Dave might be connected to the doctor's disappearance, ignoring the receptionist, who says, "Mr. Dash." Dave asks for a new prescription, as Roberta says she's done and leaving. Mrs. McCluskey gets up to follow her out, right as the receptionist repeats Creepy Dave's new address: "Wisteria Lane. What a lovely name." So the sisters missed all the good stuff. Although what would it have accomplished for them to hear any of that? The doctor's dead, so this is a dead-end. So to speak. </p>

<p>Bree's formal dinner. Melina asks if there's anything she can do to help, since she's just standing there with her thumb up her butt. No, really. She said that. Bree says she doesn't need help, certainly not from Melina's thumb. The boys come in then, apologizing for being late. Bree says they're just in time, as it's time to eat. Melina sits down in Bree's seat, and Bree tells her that's her seat. Melina says she wants to sit next to the boys, and Bree asks if it occurred to Melina she might want to sit next to them too? Melina says she already called it. Orson says she called it, and he offers his seat to Bree. She goes to sit down and whispers to Orson, "Guess who just got the burned lamb chop." Um, Melina I hope. Not Orson for agreeing that Melina called it. You never know with Bree. </p>

<p>Melina tells the boys she has good news: She talked to a doctor in Oakdale who's retiring and would love for Alex to take over his practice. Alex is excited, and says it could be a good opportunity. Bree says it's a good opportunity for Andrew to commute five hours to his job. Andrew isn't sure, but Alex says it's the only way they can afford a house, and if they're going to have kids... Bree breaks in, "You're going to have kids?" And Melina says that's perfect, because she can look after them. She wants to toast to seal the deal, to Oakdale. Bree looks panicked, and then blurts, "I bought you the Adams house!" Andrew: "What?" Orson: "What?" Melina: "What?" She says it was going to be a surprise wedding gift, but this Oakdale thing has forced her to show her hand. Andrew says it's way too generous, and Melina agrees that it is. Bree says it's nothing Melina wouldn't do. Alex says he doesn't know what to say, but that he totally loves Bree for this. She tells him she loves him too, then asks Orson to pour Melina more wine. He whispers to her, "Calling Edie, are you?" She says he knows it. </p>

<p>Carlos arrives home to find Gaby with Bradley and his wife, Maria, who she says dropped by for dinner. He wants to talk to her in private, where he asks why Bradley's here. She wants him to listen to what Bradley has to say, and if at the end of the evening he's still not interested, she'll support him completely. He agrees. Except, watch out, Carlos. Gaby's not telling you the truth. What she means is that she'll support you <i>if</i> you work with Bradley. </p>

<p>Bradley's telling a story over dinner about how he bought a company, laid everyone off, outsourced the work force, and now it's profitable. Gaby says that's impressive, and Carlos agrees: "It'll be a great story to tell all the other CEOs in hell." Bradley says he's just taking care of his kids. Maria says she has a picture of the kids in her purse and asks Bradley if he wants to see how many of them he can name. Bradley: "More wine, Maria?" Gaby asks what a typical workweek would look like. Bradley says there's lots of international travel. Maria says it's really fun to sit alone in a five-star hotel, while Bradley's out crushing the Third World. Carlos tells Bradley he appreciates the offer, but he's just not interested. Bradley asks why he can't do his work with the deaf on the weekends, and Carlos says, "First of all, because they're blind." Maria laughs and almost spits out her wine. She tells Carlos not to listen to Gaby, because he's a good man who wants to help people, and will be worth more than Bradley even if he never makes a penny. She tells Bradley she'd like a divorce and walks out. Gaby asks Bradley if eye care is included, because that's a big issue for Carlos.</p>

<p>Edie wakes up in the middle of the night, and she's in bed alone. She wanders downstairs where Creepy Dave's sitting at the dining room table whispering things like, "Just a little bit longer" and "You look so beautiful" and "I miss you so much." Edie walks up to comfort him, whispering "Dave," but he jumps backward and accidentally pushes/hits her. He says he's sorry, but she scared him. Edie asks who he was talking to, but he says no one. She says she heard him, but he says he's not feeling well. She asks who in the hell he was talking to, and he says, "Leave me alone," and walks off. </p>

<p>Lynette is driving Preston somewhere at night. He is confused about where she's going, since he thought they were going to the store. He asks where they are, but she just starts talking about how much she loves her kids and would do anything for them. She didn't know it was possible to love another human being so completely before she became a mother. She feels this need to protect them. Preston's confused. She says she will never let Warren Schilling kill Porter. She explains that they're outside of a bar that Warren goes to every night, and that tonight when he leaves she's going to do what she has to to make sure her family is safe. She asks him to get out of the car, because he can't be in it when this happens. He asks if she's serious, and she looks deadly serious. She tells him to get out and starts to cry. He tells her to stop it and says he gets it: He'll call Porter and tell him not to worry about Mr. Schilling. She says he will convince Porter to come back home. He shuts his door and they drive away. Okay, wow. Lynette is crazy. I'm not convinced that even was a bar Warren frequents.  </p>

<p>Carlos and Gaby are in their room, and he reminds her she said she'd support any decision he made after hearing Bradley out. He tells her that he can either do something fulfilling and feel good about himself or take a job he hates that will crush his soul. She tells him he can let his family continue to sacrifice or he can grow up and make real money, and look after his family like they've been doing for him. He reminds her what these jobs are like: He'll never be home. It will take a toll on the family. She says not paying the bills has taken a toll, too. He asks her to please not make him do this, but she just looks at him. Then he calls Bradley and accepts the job. She kisses him, and walks into her closet, satisfied with her pair of gold shoes and the dreams of many more such pairs. She has no idea what she's getting herself into, though she should based on how much they used to hate each other when he was successful.</p>

<p>Susan goes to Lee's, and awkwardly asks him, "When you spent the night, did we get it on?" He tells her she's insane, and points out the opera he's listening to and the kimono he's wearing. In other words, he's GAY, remember? He asks why she'd think that, and she says he was mad at Bob and she sometimes sabotages relationships. He says she didn't this time. She's glad that she can move in with Jackson with a clear conscience. He asks why she's moving in with Jackson. She says, "Because he loves me." Which is enough information for me to know: 1) It will not happen and 2) It's a terrible idea. Lee asks if she loves him, and she says she's "getting there." She knows that she and Mike will never get back together, and she really needs to move on. Lee points out that moving on doesn't have to mean moving in. Susan says Jackson doesn't do well with long distance, so she could lose him. Lee tells her to lose him. She says she needs a man in her life, and he asks why? "We're so useless." Susan: "But you are fun to dance with." They hug and she looks sad. He tells her to tell Jackson she's not ready, and he'll dance with her until someone better comes along. She doesn't say anything. Just gives him a kiss and leaves. So, we went from Susan wanting to be with Jackson to wanting to get over Mike to wanting to be with any man? God, I cannot stand her. Seriously, Jackson, move on. You deserve better than flaky, flighty, selfish Susan. </p>

<p>Preston's on the phone begging Porter to talk to mom for five seconds. He says "Do it for me, man, okay?" And then he hands the phone to Lynette. She asks where he is, but he won't tell her. She asks him to come home, saying everything will be fine. He doesn't think that's possible, since either Warren Schilling will kill him or he'll end up in jail. She says they can get a restraining order to protect him, and Bob thinks there's a good shot at getting the case dismissed. She says there's no evidence against him, and he needs to trust her. He says he does trust her, but then his Grandma Stella takes his phone from him and hangs it up, telling him not to trust her. She fell for that once, and look where it got her. She gestures at the room, but I have no idea what it is. Her room in Glen's house? Or has she been put into a home or something since <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/desperate_housewives/distant_past.php?page=7" target="_blank">last we saw her</a>? If so, it looks like a nice, private room at least. And apparently it's one where you can have your grandson move in.. </p>

<p>Creepy Dave's all clean-shaven and clean-cut when he comes down the stairs and tells Edie "Good morning." She tells him she didn't get a lot of sleep, and he tries to apologize "about last night." Okay, so we are supposed to believe he went from disheveled crazy Dave to clean-shaven, calm Creepy Dave overnight? How? She says she doesn't want an apology, she wants an explanation, and if he can't give her one, they're finished. He says he's stressed, but she says that doesn't make you talk to people who aren't there. She asks what's going on, and he tells her that before they met he was married to someone else who died, and last night she was on his mind. She can't believe he was married before. He says, "She's dead, Edie. Why does it matter?" She says it matters and then she tells him he has until tonight to get his things together and get out of her house. </p>

<p>Mary Alice talks about the lovely homes in suburbia again: Everyone needs one so the neighbors will never suspect what's going on inside. Alex and Andrew run up onto their new porch, go inside, and kiss as they shut the door. Are we supposed to think that's scandalous or something? Because it's not. Mary Alice says we'll find parents racked with guilt (we're looking inside Lynette's window), wives tired of struggling (Gaby), lovers who have been lied to (Edie). Mary Alice finishes: "Yes, everybody needs a lovely home in suburbia, if for no other reason than to have a place to come home to." Creepy Dave is walking out of his house and down the street when Mrs. McCluskey arrives at her own home in suburbia. </p>

<p>I wish they would have done more to move along the Creepy Dave storyline other than have him fight with Edie. It didn't do anything to further the main plot, which is about his plan to get back at Mike. And I can't see how Mrs. McCluskey matters at all now that we know he's bad. I mean, I guess if she keeps digging, she might end up revealing to everyone else that he's bad, but it sort of feels pointless now that we already know, doesn't it? I liked this episode a lot, though, other than the lack of attention to the main plot. Everything else was sharp, funny, and trademark <i>Desperate Housewives</i> (read: the women making bad decisions).</p>

<p>DeAnn is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. You can contact her at <a href="mailto:twopmodmars@gmail.com">twopmodmars@gmail.com</a>.</p>

<p><em>Visit <a href="http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?s=1d1d04d7d2ca0acc906dd06faa793caf&showforum=728">the <em>Desperate Housewives</em> forums</a>, and get <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/">the latest TV news</a>!</em></p>]]>
        
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<entry>
    <title>In The Realm Of The Basses</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/gossip_girl/in_the_realm_of_the_basses.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30919</id>

    <published>2009-01-06T15:35:14Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-06T20:09:24Z</updated>

    <summary></summary>
    <author>
        <name>Jacob</name>
        
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<entry>
    <title>Winter Pilot Season: True Beauty</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/mondo_extra/true_beauty_premiere.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30918</id>

    <published>2009-01-06T14:26:38Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-06T14:42:20Z</updated>

    <summary>Disclaimer: There is absolutely no Tyra in this show, which means it is distinctly lacking true true beauty. Some chick with a broadcast-y meteorologist voice informs us that we&apos;re about to &quot;meet ten people who think they&apos;re the most attractive...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Lauren Gitlin</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="Mondo Extra" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
        <category term="True Beauty" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
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        <![CDATA[<p>Disclaimer: There is absolutely no Tyra in this show, which means it is distinctly lacking <i>true</i> true beauty. </p> 

<P>Some chick with a broadcast-y meteorologist voice informs us that we're about to "meet ten people who think they're the most attractive people in America." We get a nice li'l look at some incredibly modest and gorgeous men and women who are convinced they're tens and twenties, respectively. Let's all try to use the same scale when we're talking about our superhuman looks here, mkah? Just to save the confusion? The blonde chick from the promos (you know, the one who goes "Huh?" almost as awesomely as Britney) shows up looking like a blonder, trashier Elizabeth Taylor in her prime. The peppy dumbass voiceover informs us that all of these beautiful specimens will be asked to face challenges and perform tasks while being followed by hidden cameras and judged for their true human spirit by a panel of judges that includes "celebrity fashion expert" Nolé Marin, former über-pin up Cheryl Tiegs and "me, Al Franken!" No, I'm just playin! The voiceover reveals herself to be former Miss Teen U.S.A. and Nick Lachey's hump bunny Vanessa Minnillo. Because these three people are all known for their humanitarian efforts. </p>

<p>Each week, one of the contestants will be ousted for bad behavior and forced to watch footage of themselves being a-holes. The winner will win $100,000, which obviously they'll use to build a school in a rural African village. They'll also get their mug in <i>People</i> mag. Hoorah! </p>

<p>Vanessa and her fellow judges pow-wow in a tricked-out little area called the "spy room," I'm guessing because of the presence of a wall of monitors from which they'll presumably watch the wannabes unawares. Minnillo explains that their ten targets are right this moment convening at a private pool party in the Hollywood Hills. A bunch of candy-colored cars pulls up and first out is a pretty brunette swimsuit model named Laura, who tells us that she likes to command attention. Next up is Billy from Idaho, who is a dead ringer for Outzone Ken and announces that he owns and operates his very own vitamin store. What ambition! OH, and he's a Chippendale dancer. So in other words, he is gay. Then we have "student" Monique, who considers herself a natural beauty. Listen, bitch. Just because you have close-cropped hair instead of some natty weave doesn't make you "natural," okay? She is apparently into the androgenous thing. Inside the party, at the VIP table (which appears to be sporting a spread of crudités and assorted dips), Billy and Laura are basking in each others' gorgeousness. Monique comes in and introduces herself, revealing that she just graduated with a degree in biology but is now using her educational background to "club dance." Hmmm, I suppose being able to administer your very own STD tests comes in handy at some of the hotter clubs. </p>

<p>Outside, another hot young thing pulls up. This dude is software salesman and workout enthusiast Joel, who looks like the kind of guy I would run into in the weights section of my gym in Brooklyn. He claims that his life goal is to look good nekkid. Well, at least the dude has aspirations! </p>

<p>Next is Texan pageant queen Julia. She makes sure we all know that she cannot live without her semi-permanent eyelash extensions. To think we've all been laboring under the misapprehension that she <i>could</i>! For shame. </p>

<p>Then we have the "proud, sexy black man" and barista (all these people seem to be holding at least two jobs!) CJ. He is also the proud owner of a pair of really hideous jeans, but I digress. </p>

<p>Next is the dumb blonde chick! Nashville-based model Chelsea (because didn't you know? Tennessee is the fashion capital of the world!) intimates that girls are always jealous of her. By way of explanation, she smirks, "Look at me!" and then proceeds to make the ugliest face I've ever seen on anyone. I think that's what they call "irony." As the introductions are made back at the VIP area, Joel affects a drumroll, which Chelsea thanks him for suuuuuuper-bitchily. Despite being dumb as rocks, Joel picks up on the fake gratitude and calls her out. Oh snap! Early factions! </p>

<p>Professional receptionist Hadiyyah-Lah (for reals that is her name! I know!) arrives and says she thinks there's a pretty good chance she's the most beautiful person in the country. I'd like to know if she's been taking some sort of census. She says that everything about her is perfect and that she's thankful to be so beautiful. What a nice sentiment! </p>

<p>Next up is a less-beat-than-Chelsea blonde named Ashley who is from the Bronx (just like KRS-One!) and has a passion for fashion. She says she has a collection of dresses worth over $100,000. Me too, if we're talking about Monopoly money. </p>

<p>Then comes rather lispy "artist" Ray, who says that being cocky makes girls like him. He says the word cocky approximately 15 to 20 times. Cocky. Cocky cocky cocky. </p>

<p>So now that the gang's all here, we pan back over to the spy room, where Minnillo arches an eyebrow all sneaky-like and poses the question that we all knew was coming: "Are they as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside?" No. Can we go home now? Oh, right. </p>

<p>Minnillo explains the first trap. They're about to send a hired actor into the fray playing a hapless waiter to see how the Hot Squad treats him. Cue waiter, who comes to the VIP area to serve a round of water and promptly crashes into the glass table. Minnillo cackles, then looks concerned as we see what looks like a stream of blood running down Hadiyyah-Lah's leg. And commercial! </p>

<p>And we're back ... turns out the stuff that looked like blood was just drinks. All the members of the Hot Squad seem to be at varying levels of miffed and disgusted. Only Julia asks if he's okay. </p>

<p>Hadiyyah-Lah THs that she's convinced the waiter spilled on them on purpose because he was "hating." Laura flips the hell out because her "lucky gold shoes" got spilt upon. Elsewhere, we see Ray wiping up Joel's face, and all the judges croon at what a nice gesture it is. "It's a bromance!" squeals Minnillo! Wrong show, beeyatch. Ray has taken to wiping down Monique as well. So far, Ray is in the lead. </p>

<p>And now it's time for the judges to meet the Hot Squad. Minnillo et al pop out and introduce themselves to the crew as the hosts and judges. Julia and Ray TH that they were just so excited and yadda yadda. Minnillo explains that the ten contestants have earned the right to compete to be the world's most beautiful person, and reveals what the prizes are. Everyone flips out, of course. Minnillo tells them to go home and rest up. And by "go home," she means "go inside," because wouldn't you know it? The house where the party is being held is actually their very own fabulous mansion! So many surprises! Requisite interior design porn ensues as the crew freaks about the gorgitude of the house. Chelsea THs that in each of their rooms over their beds are Warhol-ish portraits of them. I am still marveling at the fact that this woman made it onto this show. Not saying the others are truly the most incredible feats of genetics, but bitch looks like she made a wrong turn at the <i>Rock of Love</i> casting call. Real talk. </p>

<p>Next morning at Casa de Beauty, we get a little glimpse into the regimens of the young and sexay, which involve eyelash curlers and elliptical machines. So much for natural beauty! We see footage of the dudes working out on the veranda as Chelsea, a self-confessed conceited a-hole, THs that all the guys in the house are only concerned about their looks and their muscles. A little late to be judging people for being narcissistic, doncha think Sugarplum? She makes one exception -- CJ, who is parked conspicuously at the dining room table scribbling in a journal so as to invite people to ask what he is doing. He reads some of what he's writing to Chelsea, something about being a fat kid when he was little and crying himself to sleep. Tragedies! Chelsea, who's sporting some serious zit-cream, attempts a fake cry, TH-ing that she was touched by CJ's writing because it was so passionate. A heart-to-heart between the two about their respective experiences being fat in high school ensues. </p>

<p>Before we go to commercial, Minnillo teases us with the upcoming segment, in which "science and beauty collide." We see the Hot Squad talking to some science-y dude in a lab coat who says he's going to take their face and their body and compare it to a set of proportions to see how their number stack up. We also get a glimpse of Cheryl Tiegs being really disappointed when someone acts douchey in front of the hidden cameras. I can barely contain myself! </p>

<p>Back at Casa De Beauty, everyone is continuing to primp. Laura, dressed like she's going to a costume party as Mary Ann from <i>Gilligan's Island</i>, makes a big show of washing a dish while Billy slobbers all over her. Because when you're incredibly good looking, you don't know how water works. Julia and Chelsea fight over bathroom space and Chelsea shit-talks to Hadiyyah-Lah about how fake and bitchy Julia is. She THs that "in this competition, pageant faces aren't gonna cut it." Neither are hagsville drunk peroxide mugs, I hate to say. Magically, Minnillo shows up in the living room to explain to the assembled hotties that over the next eight weeks she and her fellow judges will be putting the group through a series of challenges and judging them on their beauty, but that today, they'll be leaving it all up to science. She goes on to explain that there's an equation that measures physical beauty and they're all going to get evaluated according to these formulas to come up with their respective beauty scores. Chelsea is understandably freaked out, because there's only so much pancake makeup and a cheap dye job can do. She THs that her nemesis Julia is all smiles, but she ain't got nothing on her and her "celebrity face." Come to think of it, Chelsea does sort of resemble Gary Busey. Minnillo tells everyone that the person with the highest beauty score will be safe from elimination but the bottom two will have to face the judges in the "hall of beauty" for possible ousting. She tells them that their beauty bus awaits. Turns out, the beauty bus is a stretch SUV, which means that there are countless beauty buses clogging up the streets of suburban New Jersey around prom time every year. I'm learning so much from this show! </p>

<p>As the hapless hotties pile into their chariot, Minnillo voice-overs that the contestants aren't just going to be measured,  they'll also be facing their next secret challenge. Sneaky! </p>

<p>In the waiting room, Laura asks Ray what he does. Chelsea, who doesn't appreciate it when the topic of conversation isn't her, makes fun of Laura's accent, which causes Joel to jump in and get bitchy with her. (He's still not over her unfriendly response to his amazing drumming skills!) Joel decides to be "straight up" with Chelsea by telling her he doesn't like her. But before the shit can really fly, Dr. Palmer, so-called beauty expert, shows up to talk to everyone about his method of measuring beauty. He says he's going to take their measurements and compare them to an ideal set of shapes, proportions and angles to determine their beauty number. He introduces his assistant Debbie, whom Minnillo voice-overs is actually a plant who will try to get a rise out of the contestants. </p>

<p>First to be measured is Julia. During measurements, Debbie mutters that she has a "granny butt," but Julia merely flutters her eyes. After she's measured, the doc and his "assistant" leave, and Minnillo explains that each contestant will be left alone, within reach of their fellow competitors' files to see whether they sneak a peak. Julia doesn't look, so she passes. </p>

<p>Next is CJ, whom Debbie informs has some funky feet. He does too! CJ says he'd be interested to see Debbie's feet, which she assures him are totally adorable. CJ, visibly ruffled, starts grilling Dr. Palmer about whether this method truly presents an accurate reading of someone's beauty. He then compares Dr. Palmer's career to crack-selling. Someone's a little defensive, methinks! CJ also resists looking at the charts of his colleagues, but when he gets back to the waiting room, he begins to trash Nurse Debbie for making fun of his feet. </p>

<p>Next is Laura, who doesn't fall prey to any of Debbie's taunts but does flip through some of the files, so therefore automatically fails. All the judges act duly horrified. </p>

<p>Chelsea is next up, and gets seriously beat up by nurse Debbie about her weight and the size of her hips, but she just giggles. I guess in light of the previous scene where she describes her struggles with her weight as a teen, we're supposed to feel sympathetic to her, but resist! Resist! She's the one who came on this godforsaken show to prove she is the most beautiful human on earth, so don't fall into her sad fat girl trap! She makes a reach for the files but stops herself and passes, as do Joel and Ashley. Hadiyyah-Lah, however, peruses her own and CJ's files and gets a big fat F. </p>

<p>Billy gets aces in his hotness measurements, even though Debbie tries to make him feel bad for being older than everyone else at a grizzled 31. He doesn't peek at the files. Monique also passes and is complimented on her perfect proportions despite being in actuality the weirdest-looking person of the bunch, so THHHPPPPPPP to Dr. Palmer's faultless methodology. </p>

<p>Ray gets complimented on his nice head of hair, which he takes to mean he's totally allowed to look through everyone's file. F for you, Ray! </p>

<p>The judges discuss what they've seen and Tiegs says that those who looked at the files aren't automatically out of the competition. WTF? Then what was the point of the challenge, fools? This show is stupid! Another teaser about who is about to face elimination as we head to commersh. </p>

<p>Back at the ranch, Joel THs that he's pretty confident he's going to win this challenge because he is perfect in every way. Except for the way that you're a malicious, misogynist Guido. The judges show up and re-explain the conditions of the challenge. Hadiyyah-Lah THs that she's sure she won't be going home, as Minnillo explains that any score over 85 is considered good-looking, and any one over 95 is star quality. She asks Ray and Monique to step forward. Nolé informs Ray that the doctor said he has a bit of a thin lip but spectacular cheek bones and an incredible eye color. Minnillo tells him his score was 92 and therefore he's safe. She tells Monique that her score is 91. </p>

<p>Next up are Ashley and CJ. Ashley's final beauty score is 94. Meanwhile, CJ is shaking his head, and Cheryl calls him out on it, so he explains that he thinks the whole thing is an irritating load of BS. Funny, that's how I feel about this show! He gets suuuuper defensive and says that the business of measuring beauty disgusts him. I'm not even gonna dignify that hypocritical nonsense with a "no you did not." Oh, wait. Minnillo tells him that for what it's worth, his score is 94, and he cracks a self-satisfied smile. What a faker! </p>

<p>Billy and Joel (hey! Look what they did there!) step up next, and Cheryl tells Billy that the doctor said he has thin lips but an amazing physique considering his age. Way to serve up a back-handed compliment Cheryl. Nolé tells Joel that the doc says he's as close to perfect as Brad Pitt and in the background Chelsea feigns shock. Minnillo announces that the two beefcakes tied for first place with 95. </p>

<p>Minnillo calls the remaining four up and tells Laura that with a score of 94, she's safe. She then informs Hadiyyah-Lah (Jesus that's an annoying name to type), Chelsea and Julia all lack a certain symmetry in their faces. Chelsea THs that she doesn't give a hell about symmetry, she knows she ain't ugly! Whatever you say, Hatchetface! Minnillo announces that nevertheless, Julia has a score of 91 and is safe. The remaining two each affect exasperated disbelief as Minnillo tells them they'll be facing elimination in the hall of beauty. Hadiyyah-Lah then starts to lose it, saying that "this is stupid anyway," and starting to cry, which is an even worse look for her busted-ass face. Sore loser much? </p>

<p>HL retires to her room and insists that she's not sad, she's pissed because she knows she is beautiful, no matter what that stupid doctor's test says. Paris Hilton can be totally sure that she doesn't have herpes no matter what her GYN says, but that doesn't make it any less true, Miss Thang. CJ tries to comfort her by saying that she has much more than just her looks, which is probably the worst thing you can say to a person who has come onto a reality show the premise of which is evaluating someone's physical beauty. CJ, you fail!  Before the commersh, Minnillo teases the final segment, which promises that a final challenge could save one of the two ugliest hos from elimination. </p>

<p>In the spy room, the judges discuss what happened at panel. Cheryl is pissed that HL turned her back on the judges when she got news she didn't like. But Minnillo reminds everyone of Chelsea's bad behavior in the house, and they flash back to her cursing Julia out over the bathroom. Tiegs adds that the fact that she's made enemies in the house doesn't reflect well on her. Nolé says that HL might be more aesthetically pretty, but the fact that she rifled through the files in the doctor's office counts against her. Minnillo, unsurprisingly (because duh, we saw it in the teaser!) says that she thinks they should put the two through one final test to see who ought to go home. </p>

<p>At the Magnificent Mansion, Chelsea is cursing like a sailor as she tells CJ and us viewers that there's no way she deserved to be in the bottom two. She claims that she looks different from the rest of the people in the house and that adds to her beauty. Meanwhile, Joel acts pleased that his enemy is on the chopping block, saying he doesn't understand how she squeezed through the doors of the competition in the first place. </p>

<p>We see a gussied up Chelsea and HL wheeling their suitcases into the "beauty bus." On the way to their destination, they commiserate about how they so don't deserve to be the two on the bottom and blah blah blah boring. Back at the spy room, Minnillo explains that what the two losers don't know is that they're on the way to the Hall of Beauty [<i>Is that like the Hall of Justice? - Zach</i>], and in the parking lot, they have a van outfitted with a camera and a PA loaded down with a bunch of coffees, just gunning to spill his goods all over the two unsuspecting marks. Wow, so are all of these challenges going to involve people getting spilled on? This is starting to feel like a G-rated version of Two Girls, One Cup. Oh, wait, Minnillo says the challenge will actually be to see if they acknowledge the poor sap and are willing to help him with the door when they're walking into the building. Whoever came up with these challenges is a total Game Theory mastermind. </p>

<p>First up is Chelsea, who holds the door for the dude and therefore passes with flying colors. No offense you guys, but Hitler coulda passed this bull poo. [<i>Hitler was a notorious door-holder. - Z</i>] Next up, in a magnificent chartreuse satin dress, is HL. And wouldn't you know it, we go to commercial! </p>

<p>And we're inside the hall of beauty. Hey, no fair! We don't get to see what HL did? I guess that can only mean one thing: she acted like a b but they had no other way to build the suspense than to leave out her reaction to the dude. What a pack of geniuses! </p>

<p>Minnillo, flanked by her fellow judges, welcomes the two losers to the Hall of Beauty and tells them she'd like each of them to plea their case as to why they deserve to stay on. HL is up first and eloquently states that she doesn't think it's fair and doesn't believe what the doctor said. Tiegs ask what HL thinks "real beauty" is, and she replies that it's natural beauty, sans makeup. Oh snap! Passive-aggressive dig at Chelsea! </p>

<p>Chelsea fares slightly better, sticking to her party line that sometimes being unusual and standing out is more beautiful than having conventional measurements. </p>

<p>Tiegs compliments HL on her smile and her face, while Nolé  informs Chelsea that while she's pretty, she could use a make-under. Chelsea's face just about cracks. </p>

<p>Minnillo assure the two that they're both beautiful but one of them has to go home. Then she informs Chelsea that she's safe and can go back to the house. Guess that means HL is going home! I didn't see that coming AT ALL! Then Minnillo really breaks it down, letting HL in on the secret that the judges have been evaluating everyone on their outer beauty AND their inner beauty, then shows HL the clips of her cursing and peeking through other peoples' files, which she tries to defend by saying it was only her file she was looking at. Uhh, dude. They have the footage right effing there! No use lying about it now, sistah! She proceeds to dig herself in even deeper, cutting Cheryl off and brushing off the mysterious footage they withheld before of her neglecting to help the dude with the coffee when he was struggling to get into the building. </p>

<p>Minnillo sticks her with another chestnut about true beauty coming from within, and it's all HL can do to keep from flipping all of them the bird. Backstage she cries and insists that she is a good person with a big heart. The closing sequence features a couple of janitor types removing HL's portrait from the hall of beauty. Cleverness! </p>

<p>This show aspires to be some amalgam of <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/americas-next-top-model/" target="_blank"><i>America's Next Top Model</i></a> and <i>Punk'd</i> (or so its producers would have you think), but the production is shoddy, the pacing and structure is full of holes, and no one on the show is likable or crazy enough to hold this ADD bitch's interest. I'm hereby renaming this show <i>True Sucky</i>. </p>

<P><i>Visit the <a href="http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3180756&st=0" target="_blank"></i>True Beauty<i></a> forums, then get the latest <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/" target="_blank">TV news!</a></i></p>
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<entry>
    <title>The L Word</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_city/the_l_word_1.php" />
    <id>tag:www.televisionwithoutpity.com,2009://2.30917</id>

    <published>2009-01-06T13:46:08Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-06T13:49:41Z</updated>

    <summary>Previously: Whitney got a fake job at Diane von Furstenberg, wherein she met The Wicked Witch of the Upper East Side, a.k.a. Olivia. Everyone can start starting to hate Olivia now -- that is, if you haven&apos;t already. Whitney fell...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Lady Lola</name>
        
    </author>
    
        <category term="The City" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
    
    <category term="thecity" label="The City" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_city/the_truth_will_reveal_itself.php" target="_blank">Previously:</a> Whitney got a fake job at Diane von Furstenberg, wherein she met The Wicked Witch of the Upper East Side, a.k.a. Olivia. Everyone can start starting to hate Olivia now -- that is, if you haven't already. Whitney fell head over heels in like with hipster rocker Jay, until trucker-hat wearing model Alex, whom Whitney once rejected in favor of Jay, threw a crimp into their courtship that was as uninteresting as it was contrived. Now, Whitney gets to see what it's like not to date a d-bag because Erin's boyfriend is coming to town...</p>

<p>Erin and her hipster boyfriend futz around on a guitar. The bf is down from Toronto (big up, Ontario!). They start discussing their plans to "watch a movie" that night, i.e. have as much sex as possible until he leaves. Whitney is weirded out by the subtext -- or perhaps the subtext of Erin trying to convince her already pretty gay-looking boyfriend to watch <i>The Sound of Music</i> -- so she takes her cue to leave them alone in the love shack. Erin pretends that Whitney is welcome to join them, but our girl is a lot savvier than her blonde locks imply. Thus begins the Ameri-nadian booty call. </p>

<p>The next morning, Erin unwraps her thighs from around her boyfriend long enough to brave the wilds of the East Village and have breakfast at The Smith with Whitney. Whitney tells Erin she's working on DVF's online catalog photo shoot, which is huge. Mmmmhmmmm. Erin apologizes that Whitney has to crash on the couch and that it's crowded with her boyfriend in town. She insists Whitney can stay as long as necessary. Fortunately for Whit, it seems that Erin is more genuine than <a href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_hills/who_to_choose.php?page=5">Heidi was</a> with <i>her own sister</i>. Whitney explains that house hunting has been challenging. Yeah. Because <i>no one</i> is selling their place at a cut rate right now. It must be so hard find an affordable apartment when you're making $75 grand a week and were super-rich to begin with. I really sympathize. Erin turns the subject to Jay. Whitney admits that they are in that hellish gray area of dating without spoken commitment. And the whole Alex shit-talking fiasco certainly didn't help. Whitney resolves to take it one day at a time.</p>

<p>Whitney returns to DVF HQ for the photo shoot, which Alixe is clearly running. It appears Whitney's big break involves tying models' shoes. Likewise, Olivia is blazing a trail straight to the top by unfurling necklaces. These two really are the fashion pioneers of tomorrow! Olivia asks about Erin's boyfriend. Whitney diplomatically notes that Duncan's (that's his name) presence has put a fire under her ass to find a place, and that Jay is helping her look. Olivia's eyes glint, then Alixe interrupts to tell Whitney to change an outfit. She gives a suggestion including the phrase "white jumpsuit." I shudder.</p>

<p>As Whitney recasts the ensemble, Jay calls to tell her he's found an apartment. The cameras try to make it look like Olivia's eavesdropping, but I'm pretty sure she's just standing there being useless. What else would she do? Whitney ends the call and updates Olivia, lamenting that she can't see the apartment because she has to work. Olivia decides that this simple exchange of information is an invitation for her to commandeer Whitney's house hunt. Whitney decides to swing by the place after the photo shoot. As luck would have it, Alixe leaves early, so Whitney makes a break for it at Olivia's urging. Man, I wouldn't trust that girl as far as I could throw her. She's willowy, for sure, but I have absolutely no upper body strength, so she probably wouldn't make it past the tips of my shoes. That's how little would trust Olivia "I Want To Be a Brand" Palermo.</p>

<p>Whitney meets Jay at a building that's about 100 stories high. Of course the apartment has a massive living room with wraparound windows and a balcony. It's not quite as ridiculous as the apartment in <i>Big</i>, but it's still an apartment I would have to split with six of my friends to afford. The realtor goes into her song and dance about the tight market and the high interest, then gives them mere minutes to decide. Whitney walks out on the balcony to take in the view and says this kind of sky-high pad isn't what she envisioned for herself. Jay puts on the pressure, emphasizing that this is their first chance for "alone time." She's still not sure but lets his insistence make her decision for her... like the strong-minded, independent girl she is.</p>

<p>Later, Whitney and Olivia reconvene at DVF MePa to fake work. By which I mean talk about Whitney. Throw some garment racks into the picture and we're back at <i>Teen Vogue</i>. Olivia asks about Whitney's apartment search, all, "Pick me! Pick me!" Whitney tells her she got an apartment and starts listing its astounding features. Whitney says the apartment is on the 30th floor, making a makes a not-so-subtle shout-out to her craptastic theme song by saying it's like she's "on top of the world." She announces she's moving in over the weekend and will thankfully have Jay's help. Olivia makes a c