I agree, brenda! On both counts.

For Pioneer Woman fans, her Thanksgiving throwdown against Bobby Flay is rerunning tonight at 11 p.m. EST on Food Network.

Thank goodness, the team I wanted eliminated got cut!

I hope nobody gets the trots from the raw cane juice! Running the sugar cane juicer was from the producers' bag of Technically It's A Task tasks.

Challenging enough tasks otherwise, and some good use of the strategic U Turns! And Vicki went up ten points in my estimation for insisting that her team should skip using it. (She wouldn't have lost ten points from me if she'd chosen to use it, but I respect when somebody takes a stand for moral reasons.)

(Unfortunately it looks like Nick may lose about another 100 points next week for more asshattery.)

"I'm not going to be much of a team member if I pass out" should have been the title of the episode. The quarrelling between the QVCs didn't ping my interpersonal conflict buttons, maybe because it's the exact sort of thing I'd be saying on either side of the team in that situation.

On the other hand, the team that was cut -- there was an edge to the nastiness spilling out. Seriously, I hope that guy never coaches anyone for reals, because it seems like he only knows how to cut someone down -- or maybe that's the editing.

Also, possibly the first U-turn leg with noone getting on their high horse about how "unethical" it is to use it.

I know! Even Chad's taunting was obnoxious, but not entirely uncalled for - he admitted he was just trying to slow her down.

And Vicki went up ten points in my estimation for insisting that her team should skip using it.

ITA. I don't blame Jill & Thomas for using theirs (you never know when a lead like they had is going to evaporate, and there is ALWAYS a bunch-up before the finale), but Vicki gets a ton of respect for saying "We already know we're going to beat them, we don't need this."

OTOH, this was the same team who didn't know what the Fast Forward was, so I might be giving them too much credit.

Chad and Stephanie are expecting, and got married this weekend: [link]

Awww. Here's hoping that it's a happy marriage for them, and they never have to travel anywhere in a hurry....

Woooooo! Mia Michaels isn't going to judge anymore on SYTYCD! Thank goodness! I really don't think she added anything to the judging at all, and it really seemed like it was Mia and Adam vs. Nigel all the time. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really do hope they bring Mary Murphy back.

they are!

Noooo! Not Mary Murphy and her squealing!! Aaaagh. For all the once in a rare while that she says something coherent about ballroom, there's so many MORE times where she's a gushing pile of "OW, MY EARS"

I love Mia, and would gladly have her judge, as long as she also got to choreograph (OK, some of her choreo I don't love, but some is awesome). Mostly I want to go to a dinner party with her, but that's beside the point...

ETA: Hmm, a reality show on Bravo? That might work for me! :)

I wish they would go back to having a rotating judge slot.

Me too, Jesse.