Teen Mom 2: Moves, Lawyers, Fights, Jobs

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Is it just me or is it hard to believe that this season of Teen Mom 2 is almost over already. Similarly, is it just me or does everyone agree that little-to-nothing even happened this season? I mean, let's look at it - Isaac turned one, Kailyn got her own place, and she files for child support. That's really about it. Jenelle and Kieffer fought, broke up, got back together. She got kicked out of her mom's house, moved back in, moved out voluntarily, then moved back in again. Maybe it sounds like a lot, but it's really the same ol', same ol' with her. It gets even worse from there... Chelsea got back with Adam but he dumped her, she moved to a new place, and she got a job. The first part is pointless, the second point hardly matters, but great on the third part. Corey wants a change in careers, Leah gets a full-time job but ends up only working one day a week, and Ali doesn't have MRI problems or a known genetic disorder. For them, this is basically just an update, not a season of stuff. Am I being too hard on the show?

Teen Mom 2 "The Beginning of the End" (S02E09):
Leah: They go to look at some land where they could put a new trailer. It's $5,000, and closer to town, schools, and doctors. [sounds like a big improvement.] Corey likes it, so Leah goes to her mom's house to use the internet and look for a mobile home. [moving ahead, good idea.] But, Corey then tells her that he's been thinking and decides that he doesn't want to move right now - they can save more money where they are now. [it IS a good point.] Corey talks about getting a new truck now and a house later. [not the worst idea, until we learn some more...] Leah mentions that they had made this decision together, and asks why is he going back on that, but he just says that this was his thought process. Leah's friend helps her bathe them in a tub that's downstairs, cold, and doesn't really have a proper faucet. [it also looks like an accident waiting to happen... as soon as the girls are slightly more independent!] Leah has lunch with her mom and stepdad while Corey takes the girls to his mom's. Leah talks about Corey's priorities, and it comes out that Corey has only had this truck for like four months. [well, now they're not living in a safe environment AND there seems to be no reason to upgrade the vehicle.] Her stepdad says that he'll help her find a place to live. So reasonably, she tries to reason with Corey, telling him about the problems around the house and whatnot, but it comes down to her telling him that she's going to move, whether he comes or not. [wow... look at her taking charge! It's impressive though that she might leave him over this.]

Photo by MTV

Kailyn: her semester is going well. [remember? she's the only one on this show who is working on her education.] She gets a copy of the letter Jo wrote that says why he doesn't think he should pay $488/month in child support. Kailyn calls Jo to ask him why he's appealing the child support order, and he says that it's too high, she should get a better-paying job, and won't even tell her if he's getting a lawyer. [I don't know that the better-paying job would make that much of a difference... Jo would still pay quite a bit.] She meets with a lawyer who tells her that Jo's amount is 63% of what was determined as the cost to raise Isaac. She suggests that Jo would try to go for "downward deviation," claiming that he can't afford it, that he gave her some support already, and that she needs to work harder. But, the lawyer sees no grounds for these things. [does the fact that he supported her in the past factor in at all?] Kailyn pays a $350 retainer and now she has a lawyer.

Chelsea: she hasn't started studying for GED. [still. I've got nothing... her mom clearly will watch Aubree whenever. Her dad seems more than willing to help on weekends. how has she not gotten to study AT ALL yet?] Adam broke up with her, so she complains to her mom that Adam "just doesn't like me anymore." [cry me a river.] Her mom basically tells her to move on. Similarly, when she complains to her dad that all she can think about is Adam, he doesn't know what to tell her, as he's said it all before. [girl. you're not in the 8th grade. get over it.] Chelsea starts her job, and her mom picks up Aubree... and we learn that Chelsea puts lipgloss on her one-year-old. [that can't be good.] She puts on her uniform, clocks in, then starts filling out paperwork. She learns how to check-in people and how to clean the tanning beds. She'll work at least 15 hours a week.

Jenelle: Barbara and Jenelle go to social services and Jenelle is ordered to start paying $30/week in child support. [really? Jenelle asks her mom to turn off the windshield wipers when it's visibly raining out?] Jenelle complains that she hasn't slept in two days, and Barbara reminds her that Kieffer just isn't good for her, which, of course, makes her yell for a moment. See, Jenelle heard that Kieffer has been talking to other girls, and things only get worse when he won't tell Jenelle who he's texting. She actually drives off to a random location and leaves him there. [I don't know that this girl thinks. ever.] She goes home to complain to her roommate, and Kieffer shows up at her place to get his stuff. [why does she immediately have to complain?] Kieffer shows Jenelle his phone, and it was his ex-girlfriend whom he was texting. Jenelle and Kieffer get into a fight, and she slams some doors while crying about how nobody cares about her. [if she wasn't currently living in a different location, they pretty much could have used stock footage for this.] Oh, but Jenelle finds even more to be angry about... one of her housemates has had friends over all afternoon. [...what's so wrong with that again?] Jenelle then argues with Tori and says that she's going to move out, since she's not getting money for groceries and stuff. [how did Jenelle even get money to front for such things?] Jenelle goes into Tori's room and demands her clothes back. Tori asks Jenelle to leave the room, but she won't. Well, they get into an all-out girl-on-girl fight... and then the boys do, too. When it ends, Jenelle just yells about how everyone needs to leave her alone. [sound familiar?]

Teen Mom 2 "A Closer Look" (Special): not much was actually revealed in this thirty-minute presentation, so don't get your hopes up.

Chelsea: Just why can't she move on from Adam? She takes everything personally and wants to know what Adam doesn't like about her so that she can become the person that he's after. [really? you want to change into what he'll like? GET OVER IT.] She doesn't want Aubree to have a stepmother figure. [not only does she cling to the past, she's completely against the future. not a good sign.] Chelsea says that it's a misconception that she's a pushover - that only happens around Adam. [thanks for clearing that up, because you do indeed seem fairly useless in society.]

Jenelle: She says that living with Tori and Tori's boyfriend was like living in a frat house and it wasn't a good thing. She had never previously been in a physical fight with Tori. She says that it's a misconception that she's a bad-@$$ and hard to get along with. [...really?]

Leah: Corey has never bathed the kids downstairs. [wow. NEVER??] Leah says that the idea that she's a "cheating whore" is incorrect.

Kailyn: She's quit the job she had working with Jordan. [well, that's new.] She feels that Jo didn't tell her if he had a lawyer so she'd spend the money to get one, sabotaging her. [at first I thought that this was a bit of a stretch, but then I thought about it... it could be just the sort of thing that Jo would do!]

Alcatraz: To Be an Expert

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So between last week and this week, I got to thinking. For Doc Soto, this is a really cool thing. He was working in his comic book shop and creating stories of his own, but then this giant opportunity comes along to put his knowledge into practice. He's written four books on a niche subject (Alcatraz), so he's uniquely qualified to serve as a historian of sorts. And, as pointed out in this episode, an expert spends 10,000 hours on a subject, and Doc has likely spent twice that on studying Alcatraz. Well, if you were offered the opportunity to serve as an "expert" on something, what would it be for? Why would you be called into such a service? For me, I'm not sure. The most likely answer is The Rocky Horror Show, as that's what my Master's thesis was about. But I haven't gone to the event a hundred or a thousand times like some people have, so I am not the most knowledgeable person regarding the latest in shout-backs and the like. But, at the same time, perhaps I have a unique understanding of the script, having spent about 30 pages analyzing various things about it. And of the history behind the show's various productions, which took up another large chunk of the paper. And then there's the evolution of the extra-textual material, probably my favorite part of my Rocky Horror studies. Oh, and that whole third of the project that was devoted to the process of producing the show and analyzing audience members' reactions to it. I didn't hit 10,000 hours (which is the equivalent of spending 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 5 years), but I can't think of anything else that would rival the amount of time I spent studying Rocky Horror. What have you spent the most time studying? 

Alcatraz "Kit Nelson" (S01E03): In Walnut Creek (CA), a guy carries a flower and uses a key to enter a home. He turns off a lamp, then goes upstairs and wakes a sleeping child, abducting him. [creepy topic for such an early episode, no? or is that where we're going with this show?] The next day, the guy (Kit Nelson) takes the kid (Dylan) fishing, using poles that he stole from a hardware store. They rent a boat, and Kit soon has both of them in the water. He asks Dylan to hold him underwater as long as possible, which he does reluctantly. However, then they switch positions, but we don't see it. [thank goodness. I think that this would have freaked me out!] They then head to the movies, where the guy makes the kid eat popcorn. They go to have pie, and we find out that Kit takes his victims to do things that his brother used to like to do. Then, they head to a bomb shelter to play checkers. Dylan asks to go home, and soon takes off a shoe, throws it at a lightbulb, climbs up the hatch, and makes a run for it.

Now that you know the crime and what the criminal does, let's look at his past. In 1960, there was a a fight in the Alcatraz recreation yard. Kit is beat up because the other inmates don't like that he beat up kids. [I had never thought about how other inmates might dislike you because of why you're locked up. yeah, perverts don't bode well for most!] The doctor offers Kit a cigarette, but he doesn't take it. He's then abused a bit by the doctor. When his father comes to visit, he says that his mother died and left a dried chrysanthemum. But, before she passed, she told his dad that Kit killed his brother when they were children, and she had covered it up by saying that the boy died of scarlet fever. [I wonder if this show is just going to end up being too much for me, emotionally...] Kit is brought to solitary confinement, where the warden talks to him by matchlight, demanding to know what Kit did to his brother. [well this doesn't seem legal...] He's threatened that he'll have to stay in solitary if he doesn't admit what he did to his brother, so he comes clean, saying that he strangled his brother, that he liked it, and that he knew he had to do it again. The flowers were a favorite of his mother and brother, and that's why it became what he left with the bodies. The warden leaves Kit in solitary anyway. [the whole idea of being in a dark room 24/7 disturbs me. maybe that's part of the reason I take issue with a show half-set in a prison!]

Now, let's look at how our heroes manage to catch their culprit. We see Doc drawing a comic book about his experiences when he hears about the 11-year-old missing boy on a police scanner. He grabs a file and runs out to bring it to Madsen, who is with Hauser, checking on the state of Lucy. This criminal's pattern is to kidnap a boy on a Friday night, then return his body on Sunday night. Madsen and Doc go the house of the missing boy and show the mother and brother a photo of Kit Nelson, whom they recognize as a guy from the hardware store. They go to the hardware store, where they find out that a uniform was stolen along with the fishing poles, so they ask where someone would go fishing around there. [this is starting off like a wild goose chase, no?] When they reach the Lafayette recreation area, Kit and Dylan are already gone, so they head back to the boy's house. They ask his mother about what Dylan liked to do, but they don't match up with what the duo is doing. Doc is working on cracking the pattern when they find out that Hauser canceled the Amber Alert on Dylan. It seems that Hauser is more interested in catching the criminal than keeping the kid alive, and if there are no cops around the house, they'll just grab him when he goes to return the body on Sunday. Doc, of course, is upset that the boy will be dead by then, and heads off to try the cherry pie at every diner in town. [he apparently either remembered that Kit liked pie or that it was a link in the other old cases or something.] Hauser isn't sure that Doc is needed, but Madsen convinces him that Doc can make more out of the clues than they can.

Cr: Liane Hentscher/FOX

Well, by the fifth diner, Doc finds Kit and Dylan, and tries to stall them while Madsen is en route. It's clear that he doesn't know what he's doing, however, and by the time Madsen arrives, Kit pulls a gun and threatens to kill the boy, only letting up when Madsen and Doc are handcuffed to a dumpster, without a gun, keys, or a phone. Back at Alcatraz, Doc goes through the boxes and finds that Kit had some really expensive cigarettes... they find his commissary account and look up where the money came from - he used to build bomb shelters, and that's where he hides with the kids. [time out. I just want to say that Alcatraz is a PAIN to get to, and Walnut Creek is nowhere near there. We're talking about a 40-minute drive PLUS a ferry ride. I realize that they can't set all of the crimes in San Francisco, but I think that this is going to become a problem sooner than later.] They head to the only bomb shelter in Walnut Creek and arrive to hear the boy screaming in the woods. They find him and Hauser shoots the assailant, who, by then, had caught up to the boy.

So, that's the story in this episode. But, before we leave it, let's look at a few other things. For instance, Hauser apparently knows more about Doc's background than Madsen. Hauser confronts Doc about having "arrested development" (when you face a trauma as a child and get caught up in being that age, not growing past it), but he needs to move beyond being eleven years old if he's going to be helpful on this team, regardless of the point that he is an "extreme expert" on Alcatraz. Doc agrees, but isn't able to muster up the courage to explain the situation to Madsen. [well, I'm dying to know!] He does, however, tell a little of the story to Dylan when he brings him three issues of a comic that the boy was missing from his collection: when he was eleven, he was kidnapped, and he got away. He goes on to say that, "once you know you can do that, it sort of gives you a superpower." [...and now we know why he is making a living being a comic book writer. very interesting!] 

But that's not even the most messed up part. Hauser brought Kit's body to his secret underground Alcatraz replica, where THE DOCTOR FROM THE ORIGINAL ALCATRAZ is working! [super-mega-creepy! ahhhhh!]

Switched at Birth: Your Own Projects

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I love how the storylines came together in such a way that so many of the characters (except for John, Melody, and Bay) had a side project going on. Kathryn had her book, Angelo and Regina had the salon, Daphne tried to bake cupcakes, Emmett tried to repair motorcycles, and Toby and Wilke tried to make a music video. Teamwork at its finest in some instances, which is great. However, it's not always enough. As we see, nobody is able to help out Emmett with his fine, and he's forced to sell his beloved motorcycle. And, with both he and Daphne (who lost her driving privileges for a month) out of wheels, I wonder how they'll be getting to school? And, speaking of wheels, we saw some nice glimpses of Bay's "Thing" again, which is fun. What's not fun? This creepy past of Angelo's! According to the scenes-from-the-next, though, it looks like we're closing in on learning what he's been up to!

Switched at Birth "Les Soeurs d'Estrees" (S01E14): Emmett has Daphne over to help him study for trigonometry, and she imagines them kissing. [you gotta admit, they did look totally cute together!] Melody comes home and lets Emmett know that the $5,000 fine is due in a week, and she doesn't have the money. He thinks that his dad will help out, but Melody suggests he sell his motorcycle, which his dad bought it for him for his 13th birthday and fixed it up with him. [that sucks. also, I guess we're not going to see a trial or anything? you can just press charges and a fine "happens" ??] Daphne thinks that she can sell 200 cupcakes at $5 each to help with the money. [um, girl. $5 each? It may be Buckner, but that's steep. Sprinkles doesn't even charge that.] Then, while Daphne is baking, Bay tells her that the tagging that Emmett did was a birthday present for her. [ooooh... I didn't realize that Daphne didn't know that yet!] Regina buys the first cupcake, then she sells some at Buckner, but she's not really getting anywhere. It doesn't help that Wilke tells her he doesn't even want to be friends anymore. [well, you know. she kinda acted like a tease.]

abcfamily.com

A new lawyer comes over and says that there's no way the hospital will actually want to go to trial for the case, and they'll likely offer a new settlement anyway. [is that what the Kennishes want at this point, though?] Kathryn admits that she's writing a book, and is told to be careful with what she writes, since all of it will be admissible in court. [hmmm... so wait until after a legal battle to write it all down??] They then interview another (younger) lawyer, who thinks a memoir will be great, since it's moving testimony for a jury. Kathryn likes this guy, but John wants someone more experienced. [I wish we had more about what Kathryn liked about him.] They take a break from talking with attorneys for John to learn that the detective STILL can't find anything on Angelo for the missing two years. So, John goes to Angelo's to ask him what he's been up to, and Angelo talks about living with a wealthy woman in Chicago and working under the table. [something seems strange...] John fills in Angelo about how Regina found out that the girls were switched thirteen years ago and did nothing about it. This, as expected, blows Angelo's mind. [what room were John and Kathryn in when they poured drinks? They have a full bar in their house?] Angelo reacts by rushing over to Regina's and demanding to know why she never told him, then says he's done with her. [I wouldn't bet on it...]


This would have put a damper on the fact that Regina was going to have Angelo act as a silent business partner in the salon, but Angelo decides that Regina must have been doing what was best for the girls, and decides not to give up the "dream." This is, of course, aside from the fact that they're apparently still interested in one another romantically, since we see them kiss toward the end of the episode. [definitely not a good thing...] You know who else isn't a fan? Daphne. When Regina tells her that she's looking for a salon location, Daphne isn't really okay with Angelo being part of the project, but she doesn't want to be the reason that Regina isn't happy, so she says she's fine with it. [I thought it would have been nice for Regina's mother to comment on the whole situation..]

Bay and Daphne have been brainstorming about how they could get more money to give to Emmett, and Daphne comes up with a pretty good plan. She tells John and Kathryn that she lost her hearing aids, and they promptly write her a check for $5000. Plus, since she doesn't want to bother Regina, it'll be a secret. [awesome. love it.] But then she screws up when she mis-texts Regina instead of Emmett, and Regina then catches her in a couple of lies. [when you're doing something of this nature, Daphne, you need to come up with your lies AHEAD OF TIME. do better.] Daphne admits the truth, seemingly unable to come up with anything else plausible on the spot. Regina makes her give the money back right away, so she heads over to tell Kathryn (John isn't there). [if she already had the check cashed, why did she even go home? you'd have a much better shot at making this work by going directly to Emmett's afterwards!] She gives Kathryn the cash and apologizes, starting out with a lie about finding the hearing aids, but then admitting the real truth, which makes Kathryn not trust her. [I liked the idea of her sticking with the "I found them" bit, but I guess Regina would have found out.] Kathryn takes away Daphne's car keys for a month, then goes to Regina's to talk about it. This doesn't go too smoothly, since Regina tells Kathryn about the salon project. After leaving there, Kathryn then confronts Bay, thinking that she must have put Daphne up to that charade, and is hard-pressed to believe that Bay isn't all evil. [poor Bay. I hate it when mothers do that!] Clearly, Bay goes to Daphne to find out what went wrong with the plan, and then decides to try to convince Daphne to woo the money from Wilke. [not the best idea in the world, but it might work.] Daphne claims she doesn't want to manipulate him, but off they go to find the boys.

Now, before the girls actually get to the guys, let's look at what Toby and Wilke have been up to this episode. Still set on doing a music video with a capybara, Wilke gets costumes for the rodent, then gets Simone to be the director and camera person, since she has to do a project for a class anyway. [I'm not a fan of Simone. In fact, I don't really like her at all. But, it sure looks like she's going to be around for a while!] And, although she was once with Wilke, she's apparently now into Toby, and hits on him. Oh, and Toby is an amazing singer. Okay, now, when Bay and Daphne arrive at the taping, they point out how Emmett has helped the guys in the past, and they should help him now. Toby says that they've pretty much spent all the money already (though there's no sign of this expensive capybara until later...). The girls are left to tell Emmett that they couldn't come up with the money. He's forced to sell his bike for $4750, but he and Bay do take a last ride together. Oh, but in order for them to go for a ride, Daphne gets left alone... and she calls Wilke to give her a lift. [and I'm just going to sit here, shaking my head...] Another episode-ending scenario that's bound to change things? Emmett announced that he's going to be moving in with his father. [excitement! how will this impact EVERYTHING??]


And, we'll end back on the lawyer thing. So, the young guy tells a publishing friend about Kathryn's idea, and since it was well-received, he brings over a few other books so she could see what sorts of things they publish. [do you really start looking for a publisher before you have anything for them to read?] He reminds Kathryn and John that the other lawyer is going to get them money, but he'd make the hospital sorry for what they did, and this really hits home with John, who hired him. [I don't know a lot about hiring lawyers, but I'm not 100% sure that I would've went with this guy OR the other one we saw this episode. Though, I wouldn't want to interview every attorney in the metropolitan area, either.]

House: Gaining Freedom

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I didn't like Taub not being in this episode. I'm not sure exactly why it bothered me, but I guess I got used to having him in the episodes... at this point he's a little easier to relate to than Park, Adams, or Foreman. And, with the absence of Cuddy this season (who I found pretty easy to relate to), it's important to have some sort of character that seems realistic to a certain extent. And, speaking of ridiculous characters, can anyone see Melanie Lynskey as anyone other than Rose from Two and a Half Men these days? Don't get me wrong, I loved her as Lurlynn in Sweet Home Alabama, but I think that she's kinda "holed" as Rose these days. But here in House? I don't think that she really shined. Not that the patient or the case were all that memorable, either. The ongoing Foreman-House battle for power is getting old. Trying to give Chase's character some new depth via a sister ain't gonna do much. I think we all need to accept that this show is just about done. I'm seeing one more season at best, people. I wouldn't be surprised if FOX blows the whistle on the show any day now. The first eight episodes averaged 7.5M views each, but that's counting the season opener, which came in with 9.78M... since then, it's only gone over 7.55M twice - and once was for this episode, the first since November. We're looking at four more new episodes in the next four weeks... then another month-long hiatus. Anyone want to argue that these are good signs?

House "Better Half" (S08E09): A different doctor's patient, Andres, struggles to know where he is or what things are, but he's planning to start a drug trial for a new Alzheimer's medication. When he suddenly starts coughing up blood, he becomes a patient of the diagnostics department. Chase is fine with a family friend being in the room as they do tests, but Park kicks him out. [I imagine that this has got to be one of the tougher things about being a doctor... the regulations don't define "loved ones," as some of us do.] The patient gets violent toward his wife, then there's blood in his urine. [what's with Adams' neckpiece?]

Cr: Adam Taylor/FOX

Soon, he wanders out of the hospital, but Chase and Adams find him at a track field not far away. When the patient comes to after being frozen, he's speaking Portuguese, his native tongue. House can't go to the patient's house to check for toxins, and he can't make the team do it because Foreman overruled him, so he tries to talk to the patient's wife, but that doesn't really work. [really? nobody went to the house? that is so rare!] House was, however, able to translate about what her husband was talking about.

Meanwhile, House is petitioning to have his ankle monitor removed, thinking that he has concocted a great plan to convince Foreman to sign... [I don't know that I want House left to his own devices already... it's still just episode nine, folks. And, if you'll recall, House was in prison at the start of the season, so he hasn't been on "house arrest" all that long.] House has notecards taped to things with predictions of what Foreman will do. [slightly amusing. very character, tho.] Foreman can't control House, and that's the big push/concern. [why did Foreman ask where House's petition was if it was THE ONLY THING ON HIS DESK?] In the end, House is able to have his ankle monitor removed after all. [surprising. and probably a bad move.]

Also on Foreman's plate? The hospital is at risk of losing donors, as they have dropped in the rankings. Foreman says that the drop is due to the diagnostics department temporarily being shut down, but the donor believes that it may be more likely due to the change in management, and asks to see a five-year plan. This may spell trouble shortly. [I hate it when Foreman does things like House - like has an epiphany in the middle of a conversation and running off to check his suspicions.]

On to Wilson, who has an asexual patient. And, it might not be that much of a rarity - apparently, nearly 1% of the population identifies as such. [this interests me a little, but not enough to actually go do my own reading on the matter, LoL.] House bets Wilson $100 that there's something medically wrong with the patient that makes her not want to have sex. Wilson tells House that he can't contact the patient, but he can run tests on some already-drawn blood. Well, House gets around this by contacting the woman's husband, and they find out that he has a brain tumor that has stopped him from wanting sex. [wow. didn't know a brain tumor could do that.] The wife admits that she has had sex before, and that it's fun, so maybe they can "go through it" together. [awkward!]


Now, the final round-up. Taub wasn't in this episode because he was "taking time off for a sick daughter." Chase calls his sister for the first time in years. The most memorable thing said was, "most happiness is based on lies."

Cake Boss is Back! Buddy & Lisa's Vow Renewal

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I was a little surprised to see that this show was back on so soon. I figured that they'd wait until Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker was wrapped up (which is only two weeks away), but apparently not. I'm glad that they did an hour-long episode about the vow renewal, since there was a ton to see. There are certain things that I would have focused on differently, but I thought that it was a nice overview of the family vacation. I did have a couple glaring questions though... for instance, why in the world did Buddy want to make his vow renewal cake so ENORMOUS?!? I just couldn't figure that out - I mean, it's one thing to want something grand and stunning, but if you're going to throw away half of it, who's winning? Another thing, on at least two of the four cruises I've been on, there were strict regulations about not bringing flowers, plants, fruits, etc. back onto the ship, since there are concerns about non-native species being brought to other places. Maybe not all cruiselines enforce this? Regardless, this was a cute, memorable episode that I'd watch again.

Cake Boss "Cake Block, Cruise, & a Carlo's Ceremony" (S05E01): Buddy is working on coming up with a neat cake design for the vow renewal. They use styrofoam cakes to get a feel for it, since Buddy wants a combination of the original design with some newer stuff because he's learned a lot in ten years. [makes sense.] Buddy got some hints from Lisa about what they dress looks like so he can work some appropriate lace into the cake, and has has a new mold to make sugar lace. Problem is, it doesn't work well. Luckily, they found that baking it at 100 degrees for 15 minutes helps the lace come out of the molds, which helps. [this was interesting to me. I don't know that I'd want to go through the same tedious trouble, but it was interesting to learn about.] They're also doing tropical flowers and fondant seashells for the vow renewal cake because the ceremony is on the beach (but the reception will be on the ship). After the lace is on the cake, Buddy isn't thrilled with the look (he really struggled to see where the cake was going), so he just starts piping. [that cake is SO BIG!] Everything is going super until they drive the truck to Florida (the family is going out of Port Canaveral), and the humidity makes the flowers fall a bit. [awww!]

The gang is also doing a replica of the the Disney Dream for the ship's first anniversary of sailing. Mauro hasn't been on a ship since 1968, when he came over from Italy, other than "booze cruises."[wow... that cake looks AMAZING!] Everything goes smoothly with this cake until it comes time to present it at the event, and it's too large for the ship's elevators! Everyone has to carry the cake up several floors.

Now, on to the trip itself! The Valastros manage to pack 20 suitcases for their family alone - they're over-packers. [how would you know which piece of luggage was missing if one was?? I struggle when we bring three bags on a trip!] They board, take some photos, and then we see the family up on deck, on the slide, etc. The family makes a big deal of getting Mauro to go on the water slide, since he's a big fraidy-cat. They finally convince him to go on it, tho. We see the family at Animator's Palette for a meal, interacting with a computer-generated Crush from Finding Nemo. In Nassau, the women and kids take a bus to do some shopping while the guys go buy some fresh flowers to solve the sugar flower dilemma.

Phelan Ebenhack/DCL

The vow renewal is planned for the day that they're at Castaway Cay, and the ladies get their hair and nails done while the guys work on fixing the flowers on the cake. [I liked the original flowers better... just me?] While everyone's getting ready, clouds roll in and a storm brews. When the rain starts coming down, Lisa's mother tells Buddy that they just can't do have the ceremony outside. [major bummer. It's tough to have rain spoil your wedding day. Having been to a dozen weddings in Florida, it happens a lot!] So, they do it in a beautiful room with a 360-degree view. [I liked how Buddy shuffled his feet a bit while waiting for Lisa to appear, so cute!] Sophia is the Maid of Honor, and the three boys are the Best Men, which is a big switch from the original bridal party - Buddy and Lisa had eighteen bridesmaids and eighteen groomsmen!!  

Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker: Cakes for a Queen

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I just noticed that the cake in front of Buddy in the opening titles has figurines of all of this season's competitors! How neat! Well, we're down to the wire now. Just the finale to go, and it's bound to be exciting! The finale last season was pretty neat, as I really enjoyed watching the finalists try to run the bakery and sell their own wares at Carlo's. I think that the remaining contestants all have a great shot at becoming "The Next Great Baker," and I'd root for all three under different circumstances. But, enough about the predictions, let's look at why Chad is no longer in the running. Well, he certainly showed some great skill with making a large cake mostly on his own in eight hours. Too bad he didn't see past the fact that the client was a beauty queen. I think that the assessment that his cake would be great for a wedding or a Sweet Sixteen was spot-on, and I'm sad that he didn't give the other aspects of the customer into consideration, since I think he might have busted out something rivaling the other cakes. Looking at the sketches, I thought Ryan had it in the bag. But, he thought the same, and his ego was just a bit too inflated throughout this challenge, don't you think? Marissa's early struggle really made me doubt her overall ability, but you have to remember that Buddy sometimes takes a while to come up with an awesome idea for a cake. I thought that Nadine had some good design aspects in her cake, but I also thought it could have been a big larger. Keep reading for more details on what happened!

And, let us know who you think will be The Next Great Baker over here to enter to win a cupcake plunger!

Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker "Crown-Winning Cakes" (S02E09): Chad still thinks that Marissa is the one to beat, and Ryan thinks he's a shoo-in for the finale. [I've been finding it interesting all along that Nadine isn't asked what she thinks about the remaining contestants and her chances, but maybe her responses are just boring so they're not shown?]

Baker's Challenge: Make a modeling chocolate rose. Buddy is known for it, so you gotta know how to make sugar flowers. None of the competitors are really experienced with this, as Ryan has never done it at all, Chad hasn't really tried it, Nadine has only made flowers one petal at a time, and Marissa tried it twice when she was in school. In five minutes and eleven seconds, Buddy is done, and it's gorgeous. The contestants have 15 minutes to do this, and the winner will get an edible printer. [nice!] Buddy watches as they work. Nadine's flower is the worst, and Chad comes in third, due to a poor center (he liked his own work, tho). Marissa finds flowers to be tedious [they are!] but she comes in second, as hers is well-balanced. This leaves Ryan in first, due to the ton of petals he made. Marissa isn't thrilled. [she and Ryan have such an ongoing feud!]

Elimination Challenge: It's a free-for-all, which thrills Ryan. The guest judge/client is Miss USA, who was previously Miss Teen USA and is from New Jersey. Chad is excited because he knows her background and loves pageants. [...he already knows her background? Is he super into pageants or what?] The cake is to celebrate the client and what she loves, so Buddy demonstrates how to ask a client what they like. Miss USA likes cooking, traveling, is a girly-girl, and loves gowns. Buddy gives the competitors ten hours to build an appropriate cake. The girls sketch, Ryan measures, and Chad goes straight for supplies. When there are four hours left, Buddy comes to announce that he's going to take away two hours of their time (worrying the girls much more than the boys), BUT, some of the losers from this season will be helpers for the remainder of the time! [I figured we'd see some of the old contestants again - who did you expect?] Buddy pairs up Ryan with Melo, Marissa and Jasmine, Nadine and Heather M, and Chad and Wes. [whoa. Wes is here. so the entire show was probably filmed before any of it aired... interesting. I guess I had figured that they'd start running it on television half-way through or something. guess not.] All four of our competitors are happy with their assistants. [impressive. I wouldn't have expected everyone to be happy with their assistant since there were so many clashes early on... but maybe Buddy just thought it all through so much that it didn't much matter.] Oh, and the cakes don't have to be delivered for once. Grace joins Miss USA as guest judges.

Nadine [27, NYC] wants to focus on travel. She's never constructed the base on her own before, so that's a major obstacle. After Heat M arrives, she puts her to work on the suitcase. She also has Heather print out edible "colorful flags" for the cake. [I thought it was funny that she went for pretty flags and not countries the pageant queen has likely been to or can identify.] In the end, Nadine's cake tells a story but is a little small, and the girly-girl part also didn't really come out. [I don't know that it needed to, though, since so many other areas were captured.]

Marissa [24, Pompton Lakes, NJ. and we just found out this episode that the reason she hasn't listed what she did before and just talked about her background in culinary school is that she was fired from her executive pastry chef job for having an attitude!] struggles to come up with a design, so she starts with the structure... though she struggles using the tools. Marissa takes nearly 90 minutes to come up with a design, but still isn't sure about her idea or the colors. [that's a LONG time. at that point I'd probably go see what two other people are doing and combine their thoughts, LoL.] She asks Chad about her design, and asks Ryan and Chad both about whether the client said she likes to cook or just likes food. [the variance in how each competitor understood the client's interest amused me!] When Jasmine arrives, Marissa has her work on an assortment of tasks, and the finished cake really shows the client's journey, with Italian and Jersey roots, etc. Grace says that the color of the suitcase didn't "pop," but both Nadine and Marissa have the top cakes, according to Buddy.

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Ryan [30, Rhode Island] is doing a suitcase, some fashion and makeup, and a little food . [a nice combo of Miss USA's interests. But, Ryan's "they're screwed without me" attitude got old]. His plan is for a really big, 500-pound cake. [good thing he doesn't have to move it alone!] With Melo around, Ryan assigns him to make a dress form, which he then has to ask to be dressed up a little. Ryan's cake is clean, but rather scattered and does not have a lot of detail. It wasn't "special enough." [interesting choice of words.] His vision is just disappointing. Ryan claims that he's a go-getter and will do whatever it takes to succeed, while Chad's cake wasn't even what the customer wanted. Ryan is spared. 

Chad [43, Dallas] is really fired up about this cake. He's planning six tiers full of feathers, ruffles, pink, and bling. ["all the girls I know in pageants." um, the drag queens? or does he have friends that do mainstream  pageants as well?] Ryan and Nadine are concerned that Chad's cake is too pageant-y, especially as the loads of sparkles and touch of feathers really put it over-the-top. Chad has Wes work on adding small details to the cake. Chad thinks that Ryan will have to go home because his cake looks unfinished. Well, the judges decide that the bottom layer in particular is great, the overall cake is pretty, but it has too much bling and not enough about the client. Grace points out that the cake was too wedding or Sweet Sixteen. [agreed.] The work is flawless but the design doesn't fit. [a shame, really.] Chad says that he is more technical, very diligent, hardworking, a leader, and his heart is in it. Still, he's sent home. In the box truck, Chad says he isn't too disappointed, since he's gained so much from the experience.