TAR 32, Recap Leg 11, 12/16/20

 

Welcome to Leg 11! Last time, on Seriously, There’s No More Alliance *fingers crossed*, 4 teams raced to Manila, Philippines, for the first ever City Sprint. Teams raced around Manila and ended up at a “final task” where the secret 3 alliance bonded against DeAngelo and Gary, who were annoyingly eliminated. This leaves us with Riley and Maddison, the professional volleyball playing brothers, who constantly lament about never winning anything; Will and James, the dating gay couple, who have coasted through the race even though James is a lifelong fan; and Hung and Chee, married parents who with smart racing have been more efficient than most other teams. Who will win The Amazing Race 32? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 10, 12/9/20

Welcome to Leg 10! Last time, on Sometimes It Helps to Watch the Demonstration, 5 teams raced to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Mine Five Alliance was left, but the Secret Alliance of the Beard Bros, the Boyfriends and the Married Parents wanted to get to the U-Turn first to get rod of the Footballers. The Footballers got there first, so the Siblings were the target instead, and got eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 9, 12/2/20

 

Welcome to Leg 9! Last time, on Yielding the Blondes Is Way More Fun, 6 teams raced to Hyderabad, India for a Megaleg. But all we seem to be able to talk about is the Mine Five Alliance, which are the only teams that remain. (Toyouke: “Do you think you haven't talked about this stupid alliance enough for the past month that we need to pretend that's all that happened last week?”) Riley and Maddison finished first, Kaylynn and Haley were finally eliminated. Blah, blah, blah. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 8, 11/25/20

 

Welcome to Leg 8! Last time, on How the Almaty Have Fallen, 7 teams raced to Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the Detour, Leo and Alana struggled to identify what spears were, and then Kaylynn and Haley were coerced by members of the Mine Five Alliance (specifically Will and James and Riley and Maddison) to use the Yield against them. In the end, Will and James finished first, and their rivals Leo and Alana were last and were eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 7, 11/18/20

 

Welcome to Leg 7! Last time, on Helping Alliance Members Can Get You in Trabant, 7 teams raced to Berlin, Germany. CheeHu decided to help the Mine Five Alliance at the Roadblock and it cost them the win, which went to the Football Players. The Yield got ignored again, which is probably why it was removed in the first place. And Kaylynn and Haley finished in last AGAIN, and got non-eliminated AGAIN. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 6, 11/18/20

Welcome to Leg 6! Last time, on Getting Lost in France in Six And a Half Hours or Less, 8 teams raced to Paris, France. Kaylynn and Haley continued to be slow, and Will and James, who bragged about driving stick, actually got help from Leo to get out of the garage. Riley and Maddison helped the finally christened Mine Five Alliance by telling them about the pie throwing and then won the leg. Michelle and Victoria got hopelessly lost, and were eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 5, 11/11/20

 

Welcome to Leg 5! Last time, on How Long Does It Take to Make a Cello?, 8 teams raced to Asunción, Paraguay. Leo and Elana survived the Double U-Turn, and 6 AM Salt Mine Departure Alliance managed to help each other at the cello-making Roadblock, which pushed Will and James to their second win. DeAngelo and Gary had isues at the Detour, and were almost eliminated, but because Kaylynn and Haley took four hours to put a cello together, they came in last on the first non-elimination leg of the race, and will face a Speed Bump this leg. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 4, 11/4/20

Welcome to Leg 4! Last time, on Seriously, Read the Clue, 9 teams raced to Manaus, Brazil and into the heart of the Amazon. Will and James solidified the 6 AM Salt Mine Departure Alliance, and somehow took out a vendetta against Leo and Alana. Everyone forgot items and bags before they got on the bpats to the Amazon, but it affected Jerry and Frank the most, who made it all the way to the village before realizing they need it. Will and James U-Turned Leo and Alana, and Kaylynn and Haley saved them a little bit by U-Turning Jerry and Frank, who ended up getting eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 3, 10/28/20

 

Welcome to Leg 3! Last time, on Yields Were Better With Colin, 10 teams raced through Bogotà, Colombia. We are introduced to the new Yield, complete with hourglasses. The top five teams decide to work together, but Will and James make the number one mistake in TAR and forget to read their clue. The Nerds help the Blondies, and while Hung and Chee finish in first again, Kellie and LaVonne finish last and are eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 2, 10/21/20

 

Welcome to Leg 2! Last time, on The Cast of Beetlejuice Performed It Better, 11 teams started Amazing Race 32 in Los Angeles and ended up in Trinidad and Tobago! Teams had to play Swedish Fish Roulette, and we learned that teams that are often athletic are not always good musicians. But in the end, it was the Catfish Noodlers who couldn’t catch a break, and were the first team eliminated, and the first ever eliminated at a “Keep Racing” Pit Stop. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 1, 10/15/20

Welcome to Leg 1 of The Amazing Race 32! It’s been a long time since we’ve been together; in fact, this season taped in 2018, so Phil has to come on and remind us that this iteration of the Race happened pre-COVID. Anyway, the Amazing Camera moves around, and eventually land at the Hollywood Bowl in LA. The teams enter and line up in their rainbow of colorful shirts on the stage, the Starting Line for The Amazing Race 32. Phil then grills the 11 teams and makes them make snap judgements of each other. (Toyouke: “Look at Phil, encouraging everyone to stereotype their opponents.”) (click for more)

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TAR 32, Recap Leg 0, 10/7/20

Welcome back to the Amazing Race! It’s season number thirty-two. Which taped in 2018. We waited TWO YEARS for this. Now, to be fair, probably a wise more airing this in the middle of a pandemic, since we’re all wishing we could travel places right now, and some of us have a huge case of wanderlust. Also, it is to be noted that this is the first season in a while without a gimmick. (Toyouke: “Phil says in the intro video that we're back to letting "ordinary" people run the race. Right before he points out there are TWO teams made up of professional athletes and a team of Olympic athletes. Also the gay couple, both members have already been on reality TV.”) Oh, and I brought Toyouke along for the snark. Aren’t you lucky? (Toyouke: “Also, everyone is claiming they love trying new food when they travel so they'd better have a gross eating challenge to call them on it.”) We’ve read the bios, and watched the videos and read the bios, so let’s get to this shall we? (Toyouke: “Why are the individual team bios on Instagram? I refuse to get an Instagram account and this is obnoxious.”) The eleven teams for TAR32 are: (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 6/18/20--"Finito!" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: the final four contestants went to Parma,to explore both parmigiano reggiano and prosciutto de Parma. Then they had to make two courses, using those ingredients. Melissa won, again, because I think she is the one to beat. She made XO sauce with the prosciutto and the judges love her fusions. Stephanie cooked the prosciutto in both her dishes, which she wasn't technically supposed to do, but it turned out delicious so she is also in. Bryan was told his cooking didn't have any heart or soul, which I think really upset him. But his cooking was deemed better than Kevin's, and Kevin was eliminated. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 6/11/20--"Parma" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: we pretended the chefs went straight to Italy, even though they were in LA in the summer and it's clearly cold when they're in Italy. The Quickfire was to make aperitivos, which are supposed to be one-handed snacks to have with beer. Stephanie was the only person to make a hand-held item but apparently that was not important and Kevin won. Then everyone had to make dishes to be served with white truffles. This was tricky, because you have to showcase the truffles, which shouldn't be cooked. Melissa won, for making congee and staying true to herself. The bottom chefs all made OK dishes, but didn't showcase the truffle. So since they all failed in the same way, the judges said the judging was difficult. Stephanie served very bitter radicchio, and she knew it was bad but served it anyway. Gregory threw out his back, and made a stew he knew he could execute, but didn't go with white truffles. So even though the judges said his dish was perfectly fine, and Stephanie's dish was bad, Gregory was eliminated. I personally think if they all failed the challenge in the same way, then the person with the worst dish should go home, and from what we saw that was Stephanie. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 6/4/20--"Lucca" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: Kevin returned, and the Quickfire was to make two courses of “airline food”, which means it has to fit in the dish (so you could put it in an oven on an airplane) and also it can't be seasonal. Melissa won, so she got to pick out the dish she wanted to make for the Elimination challenge. Everyone went to Michael's Santa Monica, which is a very famous “California cuisine” restaurant. I had never heard of Michael McCarty but everyone else has. The chefs had to reimagine a classic dish from this restaurant, with most of them being 30 years old or older. Melissa won, again, but I would argue that since she picked a dish from last year's menu, updating it was extremely easy. But I'm not mad about her being in the finale. Malarkey had a snafu with serving (which was entirely not his fault), but it really threw him off. He seemed to be quitting, but then everyone told him not to, and then he was eliminated anyway. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 5/28/20--"Michael's Santa Monica" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: the Quickfire was a blind taste test to get ingredients for dessert. The more things you guessed correctly, the more possible ingredients, and the more time you had. Melissa won with olive oil cake. Then everyone had to make a kaiseki progressive meal for Olympic athletes. Kaiseki is usually very traditional, we're talking tea ceremony traditional. But this was less traditional. I mean everyone I think tried to make something Japanese but keep to the idea of delicate flavors and presentation. Stephanie won for making panna cotta, presented in lemon rinds. Karen was eliminated (for the second time) for not cooking her duck properly, and not cutting the slices properly either. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 5/21/20--"Colossal Coliseum Kaiseki" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: everyone had to go up to a fancy campground to cook brunch for a mom's group. So rich white ladies (they were mostly white, don't act like you didn't see that) pay to get away from their kids for a long weekend. The contestants had to first do a Quickfire with baked beans, which Lee Anne won. Then brunch, but they had to get up early to do prep, instead of the day before. Maximum drama. In the end no one made eggs because everyone who was going to messed up. Bryan won, for making his Bryan fancy food out of whatever was left in the pantry. Lee Anne made two bad dishes, and was finally sent home. There was a tiny bit of drama, where she blamed Bryan for having the oven on steam so her clafoutis got ruined, but he had the oven first and she never checked. So it's not like she set the oven and someone changed it. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 5/14/20--"Cabin Fever" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: Restaurant Wars happened, with Gregory and Kevin facing off. Gregory made a Haitian grilled menu, while Kevin's menu revolved around one dish (the country captain) and a ton of side dishes. Even though on paper Kevin's team was stronger, Gregory had smoother service and better food. Kevin's dishes weren't stellar, and the service was not good. Karen is not a server. In the end Kevin agreed the failure was his fault and was eliminated. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 5/8/20--"Restaurant Wars" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: Karen came back from Last Chance Kitchen, and then everyone had to make tacos with machetes. Quickfires are so weird sometimes. Almost everyone made fish tacos, except for Stephanie who won with lamb tacos. The Elimination challenge is related to tonight's episode, in that everyone has to pitch their restaurant idea for Restaurant Wars. They need a concept, a type of cuisine and price point, and they should cook at least one dish from the menu. The two winners, Kevin and Gregory, will be the executive chefs of the two restaurants tonight. While Lee Anne again was on the bottom, the judges claimed not to understand what “fine dining but not stuffy service” meant and eliminated Eric. I mean, his food was not executed well, and I get that, but they kept harping on how they didn't get if he wanted family style or fine dining or what. Compare that to how Bryan said he wanted something more casual but made a fine dining dish. They just said “he should stick to fine dining” and moved on. Just blame his food if it's bad, but this whole “what service are you talking about” is silly. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 4/30/20--"Pitch Perfect" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: the chefs were asked to use flour to make a dish, but none of it was all-purpose standard wheat. I feel like this challenge would have been way harder 3 or 4 years ago, but no one had any trouble with it this time. Gregory won some money with pancakes. Then they paired up (self-selected teams) to make dishes for the LA Philharmonic, each with a pair of flavor profiles. So salty/sweet, bitter/umami, whatever. Double elimination. The previews acted like Lee Anne and Malarkey were going to crash and burn, but they were fine. Kevin and Melissa won, but I think we all expected them to. Karen and Nini didn't have umami but sweet, because they used fresh tomatoes and not roasted. So they were eliminated. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 4/23/20--"Get Your Phil" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: the loved ones came for a visit, to eat some good food and explain to the contestants over the phone what the dish looks and tastes like so they could replicate it. Kevin won, because even though his wife is not actually a chef, she has an eye for detail and a very sensitive palate. Then everyone had to make some kind of product to sell, sauce or whatever. Also make a dish showcasing it. Lee Anne's mom did get sick, and almost fainted, but it was not as immediately serious as the previews acted like. Melissa sold the most product, but Gregory was actually the winner for his pickles. Jen made ginger sauce but the texture was gritty and in her dish she mixed it with yogurt which diluted the flavor. So she was sent home. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 4/16/20--"Bring Your Loved One to Work" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: there was a bunch of product placement for a Quickfire. Colors. Whatever. Gregory won, which was nice mostly because Karen lost again. The Elimination challenge involved two teams, and shopping at the farmer's market. Everyone had to make vegetarian tasting menus. There was some minor drama with Lee Anne and Malarkey, because Lee Anne once again did poorly. Melissa won, with another soup. She's doing very well. Lisa was sent home for a weird lukewarm undercooked Brussels sprouts dish. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 4/9/20--"You're So Fresh" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: the Quickfire asked everyone to make fried rice with odd ingredients. It wasn't that weird, but it's a fun challenge. Kevin won, for making fried rice with hot dogs and hot Cheetos. He had immunity, which was great, because the Elimination challenge was to be inspired by art movements. No one really did a stellar job, because art movements are complicated. But there were some pretty dishes. Melissa won, with a gorgeous dish of lobster wontons. Karen was in the bottom, and she was salty because Kevin's dish was worse, but he had immunity. Forgetting the part where if Kevin hadn't been in her group, she still would have been up for elimination. However, Jamie's overcooked chicken and missing jus sent him home. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 4/2/20--"Strokes of Genius" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: no Quickfire, because everyone was split up into small groups and sent out to small restaurants to be inspired. The event was honoring Jonathan Gold, a restaurant reviewer. Mostly people ate at ethnic restaurants, and they did skim over some of them which was sad, but it was cool to see. Kevin won, because Kevin is amazing. Eric was once again on the bottom for making East African food that the judges didn't like, but in the end, Angelo was eliminated for making a sweet broth that wasn't a dessert. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 3/26/20--"The Jonathan Gold Standard" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: We started with a mise en place race, where of course you have to cook with the ingredients. The first team to finish won, in spite of Hipster Joe's terrible pasta. The team members were each were a team leader for the Elimination challenge, which was to cook seafood on the beach over a firepit. Gregory cooked perfect salmon and won. Both Hipster Joe and Lee Anne made mistakes in both the Quickfire and the Elimination challenge, but Hipster Joe was eliminated. But of course, Last Chance Kitchen. (click for more)

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Top Chef:All Stars 3/19/20--"It's Like They Never Left" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: It's all stars time! Some normalcy, which I think is very necessary. (click for more)

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Project Runway 3/12/20--"Finale pt. 2" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: the four finalists all made collections and showed three looks to the judges. Everyone got criticism and then they acted like they didn't know how many people they were going to eliminate. But they have to know, because they didn't have time to discuss who they were eliminating. And I accounted for the edit. Whatever. (click for more)

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Project Runway 3/5/20--"Finale pt. 1" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: we had an avant garde challenge that was actually pretty good. Compared to the level of “avant garde” this show usually produces. But with a double elimination everyone mostly freaked out. In the end Marquise and Brittany were eliminated, which means that everyone the judges eliminated is actually gone. Interesting. (click for more)

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Project Runway 2/27/20--"The Height of Avant Garde" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: makeover time. Design a “victory dress” for an Olympian. Generally everyone did a good job, although the big errors were mostly just boring. Nancy won, for making a functional dress and train for a wheelchair user. No one was eliminated, technically because everyone made their clients happy, but whatever. (click for more)

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Project Runway 2/20/20--"Olympic Game Plan" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: everyone had to tie-dye. Also stay up all night. Geoffrey made a beautiful gown in dark olive green with some mustard starburst patterns and won. Delvin made a “cheap church dress” that was well made, but didn't have anything interesting happening. So he was sent home over Victoria's ugly outfit. (click for more)

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Project Runway 2/13/20--"Live and Let Tie Dye" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: the designers were asked to reinvent the tuxedo. To do this they got the aid of eliminated designers. This didn't cause as much drama as Delvin shittalking Nancy and blaming her for sabotaging him, or Sergio making up a political stance for his dress that was offensive (he said America was the greatest in the 1950s). In the end, Marquise won, which I knew he would because he designs his own looks for his ballroom competitions. Brittany made some shorts that were terrible, and just in general didn't tailor well, so she was eliminated. But then Christian Saved her, so I guess she's got a second chance. (click for more)

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Project Runway 2/6/20--"Suit Yourself" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: make an editorial look using sheer fabrics. Almost immediately, Dayoung had to lie down and have medical attend to her, and after a conversation with a producer she quit the competition. Marquise was brought back to replace her. Then Victoria had a meltdown and threatened to quit, and everyone talked her out of it for some reason. She didn't follow the challenge and blamed it on language, leaving out the fact that several people explained sheer fabrics to her and she could have asked Christian several times. But sadly she was not eliminated. Instead Chelsey made a bad sheer blazer and was sent home. Sergio, for all that he is still very annoying, made a beautiful dress that was constructed so well no one could tell it wasn't lined, so he won. (click for more)

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Project Runway 1/30/20--"Sheer Genius" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: a collab with artist Ashley Longshore, where everyone had a print inspired by Ashley's works. So I guess this was instead of the “make your own print” challenge. Dayoung was still not well. Brittany used her pre-existing love of Ashley to make a weird Frankendress and win (it worked, trust me). Marquise messed up his blouse so he was sent home. (click for more)

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Project Runway 1/23/20--"Project Runway X Ashley Longshore" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: the designers were told to make whatever they wanted, inspired by their own background and heritage. Also everyone got phone calls from family members. Most of the drama was about Sergio, who wanted to honor immigrants (sure) by embroidering the names of the six children who have died at the US border on his gown (umm...not his heritage?). He ended up in the bottom, because his dress wasn't very good and I don't think the judges bought that he was moved to tears about it. Chelsey won, by making a letterman's jacket. Dayoung was a close second, for a lovely silk jacket. While Sergio was in the bottom, and Delvin flailed because he was given too much choice, Shavi's dress was a lumpy mess and he was sent home. (click for more)

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Project Runway 1/16/20--"There Is Only One You" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: the designers were told to work in teams to make collections “inspired by Cyndi Lauper's iconic 80's style. A mix of punk and pop.” The winning team did a better job, I guess, but they only did punk and did all black and I don't think that fits the challenge. Also, Geoffrey told everyone (including judges) that Cyndi had changed his life and then he won. Too many years of producer manipulation make me very suspicious of this. I don't think his look was terrible, but it was all black. The other team used stripes, which was deemed terrible, and then Melanie was sent home. If you are going “Wait there was a Melanie?” then you can see why. I know no one agrees with me about the failure of the challenge last week so I'm going to try to get over it. (click for more)

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Project Runway 1/9/20--"She's Sew Unusual" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: the designers were told to design an outfit for Karlie to wear to a fashion event in Paris. The catch was they could only use clothes from Goodwill. So there was a lot of cutting up clothes and making shirts from jeans and so forth. Victoria made the same pointy-shouldered wrap jacket with side cutouts that she's made every episode and she finally won. Tyler made a boring outfit and then got shady about how Karlie is married to a Kushner so he was eliminated. (click for more)

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Project Runway 1/2/20--"The Ultimate Upcycle" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: we pretended it was actually Christmas time when they filmed and had the unconventional materials challenge! Make a garment out of all these decorations and whatnot. Sergio, for all his annoying cockiness, made a beautiful bell skirt out of wrapping paper and a basket, with bells inside. I don't like Sergio but he did make an amazing dress and won so I'm not that mad about it. Alan did some whack-ass nonsense so he was eliminated. I'm sad because he was entertaining, but his designs weren't that great. (click for more)

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