I really think the fix was in with Texan Doug getting a Texan artist who reminded him of his mom, who he seems to adore. And Mei's pairing was just too funny to be random. I love Doug and am glad he made it back in, but as soon as I heard her accent I knew this was not at all random.

Mei said in the opening to an episode — maybe the Jacques Pepin one?—that she and Melissa have become very close. It's clear they are tight and it's mutual. This group seems like they are very close in general — I follow them on Twitter and they still seem to keep in touch a lot. It's one of the things that has made…

We were cracking up watching that pairing, because Mei is so no-nonsense and serious about her work and this woman was all "I am ECCENTRIC! And WHIMSICAL! Because I am an ARTIST! Be delighted by my artistic temperament!" I too amazed Mei could even fake not wanting to kill her, much less smiling and saying she was…

Yeah, this is super weird. He's been eliminated twice. I hope Doug takes it or the finale is not really worth watching.

I very much enjoy these recaps, but I completely disagreed with this one. I love the lack of nasty interpersonal drama this season. It is really enjoyable to watch a group of people who are clearly good at what they do and who like each other a lot go out and try to do their best on their own terms, not by cutting…

I have never thought of it that way, but yeah. Pretty, small, gives zero fucks and will CUT YOU if you fail her.

I follow all the chefs on Twitter and #itookarisk seems to be an in-joke with them. Which is kind of adorable, really.

WHOA. I am dealing with some FoO (family of origin, for you people smart enough to get a master's in something not social work) stuff right now and have been really struck by how the way my close friends see me now, as an adult (even the ones who knew me as a teen) versus how my family sees me, and how desperately my…