I Hate Jill Zarin Flipping Out / Rocco’s Dinner Party / Teen Mom – RHONY Let’s Chat!

I Hate Jill Zarin  Let’s Chat!

I hope you’ll take a few mintues to read these great blogs that were scheduled to be posted this morning but thanks to some petty celebrity housewife it was postponed.  Enjoy!

Flipping Out by VAGirl

So happy that a new season of Flipping Out has started and we can join the
snarky world of Jeff Lewis.  This is a guy who can cut you to the quick with his
dark humor and temper, but who I think has a heart of gold. 

Jeff sold Valley Oak and now rents West Knoll.  He hasn’t had time to look for a
new home.  The new house is much smaller and Jeff can keep a closer eye on
Zoila.  Zoila doesn’t like the new house.  They each tell each other how lucky
the other one is to be employer/employee.

Jeff has Trace, the Design Associate, sitting right beside him because he was
sending too many personal e-mails.  He has Sarah sitting at the dining room
table.  Trace would rather be sitting at the dining room table.  He wants to be
further away from crazy.  Sara wants more duties.  Jeff sends Sara to get some
laundry faucets and wants to make sure she doesn’t get something fugly. She
bumps into something.  Jeff says she’s just a little slower than most of the
other kids.

Jenni, in the car with Jeff, tells him his grandmother has called him.  Jenni
now works as a consult and on his out of town business. Her hours got cut so she
can pursue other opportunities.  Jenni calls him on being snappy and not wanting
to talk to his grandmother.  He says he is busy and doesn’t have time. He is
stressed and apologizes to Jenni for being in a bad mood. Jeff is no longer
flipping houses. He is now a designer and he likes it. 

Jeff’s current projects include Marlo’s House, which they are remodeling for her
not to sell since she broke up with her almost fiancé, but for her to live in. 
Fuller is a major remodel in Hollywood. What is that in Jeff’s hand – a greeting
card with a condom in it?  Ewwwww!  I’m sure Jeff finds a lot of interesting
things along the way.  Durand is a remodel to rent and the client is a tough
woman named Jean.  Spring Oak is a complete remodel for Laura Milligan.  Nobody
can go into the cats’ room without Laura. Jeff is still working on Chaz Dean’s
Cole salon.  They are almost finished with the third and final bungalow.  He
will also being working on a salon in New York for Chaz. 

Jeff’s business is growing and he expects his employees to pull their weight. 
Gage is new and handles all the business affairs, which Jeff sees as a most
critical part of his business. He generates business, speaking engagements, etc. 
The San Francisco Design Center has asked Jeff to be the keynote speaker for
design week.  Gage goes over the schedule and wants to know if Jeff will attend
a cocktail party before he speaks.  Jeff says he is only contracted to speak for
one hour, but agrees to do the cocktail party.  Gage then wants to know if he
wants to attend a reception afterwards.  Jeff says he’s extremely busy and
refuses to do the reception.  Jeff says if Gage had his way, he would have him
working 18 hours a day, with six hours of sleep. Gage wants to help Jeff’s
business grow and make money.  I wonder why?  Ohhhhh – Jeff and Gage are DATING. 
He has a vested interest.  Gage says at the beginning of their relationship he
used to take things personally and has learned not to take things that way with
Jeff.  

The staff is sitting around eating brownies.  Gage says he might have eaten
about half of the brownies.  Sarah says Gage gets Jeff’s sense of humor and they
make a good couple.  They have been dating about 2 years and Gage is 26 and Jeff
is 40.  Gage says Jeff doesn’t act like a 40 year old. Jeff goes to the gym more
to get into better shape. Gage makes Jeff want to get more botox. I guess nobody
ages gracefully anymore.  At least not in Bravoland.

Jeff takes Sarah around to tell her what needs to be done while he is in San
Francisco.  Marlo’s house is way behind and Jeff wants Sarah to keep on Chris
the contractor’s back to get it done. Marlo is getting impatient.  He is telling
Sarah to be a bitch when dealing with the contractors. 

Zoila is ecstatic that Jeff is leaving and she will be alone.  She tells Jeffrey
to “Keep it Gangster” as he is leaving for San Francisco.  On the private plane,
Jenni plays flight attendant and fixes everyone drinks and snacks. Jenni
introduced Jeff and Gage.  She says she couldn’t work with her ex, but they seem
to work well together. 

At the San Francisco cocktail party, Jeff was expecting a small dinner party
that was really a large meet and greet. He meets a representative from
California Home and Design who says they are paying for his room and is upset
that he canceled the reception they were going to have for him the next day. He
is blindsided that she brought that up then and there and starts chastising Gage
in front of her, telling him they need to work it out. He asks if it’s too late
to have set it up and she says yes, it is. Gage knows it’s his fault and
apologizes to her.  He could not diffuse the situation and she really doesn’t
accept the apology.

Meanwhile back at the farm, Sarah is taking care of things the Sarah way.  She
is not very assertive.  At Cole, the subcontractor is taking pictures of her.
Don’t know what that’s all about.  Sarah does not do well at confrontation and
she thinks it’s not her job to be bold with the contractors or clients.  Marlo
is pissed and calls Sarah.

Jeff is very nervous about speaking in front of people.  He tries to go over
hand signals with Gage and Jenni. He is concerned he will not get his speaking
fee if he curses because it’s in the contract for him not to curse.  Jeff asks,
“Do you think I’m just opening for someone else?”  The moderator asks Jeff what
his design esthetic is.  Jeff seems nervous.  Jeff talks about his age and says
he hasn’t had plastic surgery and says his hair is not a toupee, it’s real.  He
feels more comfortable after everyone laughs.  The moderator asks what Jeff
thinks his employees say behind his back and says he can use profanity.  Jeff
doesn’t fall for it.  Jeff calls Jenni to the stage. Jenni thinks that Jeff is
showing his appreciation because he trusts her to come on stage and talk.  The
meet and greet afterwards has a lot of people.  Gage and Lisa from California
Home and Design talk again and shake hands.

Back at West Knoll, they are all sitting around having salad.  Jeff tells Zoila
he has a surprise for her birthday.  He’s thinking about legally adopting her.
They joke about Zoila calling Jeff Daddy and Gage Mommy.  Zoila was jealous when
Gage first moved into the house, but she says he’s OK now. 

At Marlo’s house Sarah tells Jeff how much better it looks. Jeff makes a face
and says he is a little disappointed in the progress.  Jeff tells the contractor
off and tries to show Sarah how she should have handled it.  The contractor
admits he delayed the project.  Jeff asks Sara if she is up to the task. She
says yes and he says he is worried about her.  Jeff wants Sara to stalk and
bombard Chris in a very firm manner.  Dawn is her alter ego.  Sarah as Dawn
calls Chris but can’t keep from laughing while she is trying to act tough. When
she hangs up, Jeff tells her she’s too nice and tells her to get tough.

Jeff takes Jenni to Marlo’s house, gets her to take her shoes off and starts
throwing pillows at her.  They finish with the furniture and accessories.  He
wanted it to look nice.  The house looks great.  He says they didn’t spend a lot
and got a lot for their money.  Marlo is happy.

Jeff and Gage discuss Sara.  Jeff says she not close to where he needs her to
be. She’s lacking the skill and traits for her job and he needs someone strong.
Gage says maybe this just isn’t her gig.  Gage looks at it logically.  The goal
is to make money.  It’s not personal.  Jeff doesn’t know what he’s going to do
about it.

So far I think Gage is good for Jeff.  He seems the more mature one and although
Jeff acts tough, I can tell he doesn’t want to fire Sarah. Maybe Gage will give
him the strength to do what he needs to do.  I like Sarah, but she is not the
right person for this job.  At least she wasn’t constantly chewing gum like last
season.  That drove me crazy. 

Rocco’s Dinner Party by VAGirl

The Chefs are Fabio Caparelli, Jen DePalma, and Ryan Poli.   Jen thinks Rocco is
really handsome, but so is her fiancé.  He gives the three chefs 30 minutes to
create their signature dishes.  He will pick two of the three chefs to prepare
the dinner parties.  The two guys are not worried about Jen.  They think they
are competing against each other.  Jen thinks they are too cocky.  Jen is making
Chicken Amore.  Ryan is making fish tacos.  Fabio is making Sea Bass.  He does
not want to be “chattery.”  Jen is pouring wine for everyone.  Ryan takes her up
on it.  Fabio is too serious.  Rocco tastes Ryan’s corn nut infusion and calls
it salty.  Ryan calls it seasoned.  Jen is a mess.  She spills the wine and
catches a towel on fire.  She says she is an emotional chef and she may not
finish on time.  The three guys are watching her finish her dish.  She finishes
on time. 

Rocco tastes all three dishes.  He says Fabio’s shitake broth is way
too bland, but the fish is good.  He says Ryan’s corn nut infusion is too salty
and he made a mistake by not tasting his food first, but he likes the fish and
wine vinaigrette.  He says he is surprised how good Jen’s tastes considering she
is such a mess.  He’s concerned about her being able to do a whole dinner party. 
He eliminates Fabio and names Jen the winner.  She will get to pick the dining
room and choose to serve to first or second.
The theme of the dinner is The Perfect Summer Party.  Each course must be under
350 calories and 10 grams of fat.  He gives each chef a copy of his low calorie,
low fat cook book.  Wow everyone has something to sell on Bravo.  The chefs meet
with Jes, the designer.  Jen picks the Terrace for her dinner party.  Jen wants
a contemporary look after Jes makes a face about tiki torches.  They are going
for the Miami look.  Ryan chose the intimate dining room.  He is going for the
beachy look like message in a bottle.  He bombarded her with a lot of ideas.
Jen is making dishes she has never made before.  Ryan is going for things he’s
familiar with.  I personally like Jen’s room the best.  While the chefs are
cooking, the guests arrive.  The guests are Chaz Palminteri, actor, Betty Wong,
Editor in Chief of Fitness Magazine, Joe Dowdell, Celebrity Physical Trainer,
Demaris Lewis, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model, Jung Lee, Celebrity Event
Planner, and Jeff Ross, Comedian.
Jeff tells Rocco he doesn’t eat healthy food.  He takes Jeff to meet the chefs
and he tells them he wants chicken salad, pot roast, motzo brie, and cheese
cake.  Rocco tells them the same rules apply and they can both make the same
dishes.  Ryan says he’s going to make the chicken salad and Jen will be making
the matzo brie. Ryan will be serving first. 

 
The diners go into Ryan’s room.  Joe likes the décor.  Jung says it’s too much. 
She thinks less is more.  Jeff says he thinks it’s delicious and eats the menu. 
First course is Seared Sea Scallops.  Jeff loves the chicken salad and he finds
out it’s made with yogurt instead of mayo.  Betty loves the scallops.  Jeff
doesn’t eat fish or scallops.  Since the next course is cod, Rocco tells Ryan to
make something else.  Ryan makes Jeff shrimp.  Chaz says he doesn’t eat anything
unhealthy, even hot dogs or hamburgers.  He looks fit.  The cod dishes and the
shrimp dish goes out.  Jeff loves the shrimp.  Demaris likes the cod.  Joe
thinks it’s mushy and Jung is not impressed with the cod.  The strawberry
parfait is not really a hit. 
Meanwhile Jen is getting a little stressed out.  Her room is a hit with the
guests.  They seem to really like it.  Jen’s scallop dish is inedible.  She
decides to prepare a shrimp dish she’s never made.  Her cocktail is called a
coco loco spritzer.  They like it. Rocco comes back to the kitchen because
they’ve been waiting a while.  She gets it out and Rocco tells her to get the
next course out faster.  They think she changed the course because of Jeff when
that wasn’t the case.  Jung likes it.  Jen makes up the matzo brie because she
has no idea what it is.  Jeff says it’s motzo dipped in egg and fried.  Jeff
loves it and so does everyone else.  For the main course, Jen gets one of the
servers to help her while the other two clear the first course.  She is fussing
at the servers and you can tell they are not happy.  Jeff is keeping everyone
entertained.  The next course is BBQ Pork Tenderloin.  They don’t believe it’s
low calorie and healthy.  Betty says the sauce tastes like ketchup but the
others seem to like it.  The dessert is a passion fruit trifle.  Jeff says it
tastes like baby food.  But everyone else finishes it.
The winner of the $20,000 prize is — Jen DePalma.  I think it was the dining
room that won it for her.

Thanks VAGirl, great blogs!  Lynn~

Teen Mom  by Cyndi  @buy4shipfree   July 5, 2011

Tonight was the first episode of the new season of Teen Mom.  It brings us back into the lives of the 4 original girls.  After a quick recap of where the mom’s have been and what has brought them to this point in life we delve right in.  Rather than give you a recap of the entire episode (which can be read on MTV’s website written by a better writer than myself) I am giving you my take on each girl one at a time. 

Maci –

Maci is still living in Chattanooga and is back to dating Kyle.  She says she is on summer break and just taking it easy.  At what point do adults get to take summers off?  Not sure why she isn’t working this summer, but I digress.  After a trip to the ATM machine she realizes that her child support hasn’t come.  (I’m pretty sure a job would have helped alleviate some of that stress).  It seems like every single mom I know or have known has had to talk with their “baby daddy” to ask where the money is.  It is never a good conversation but I give Maci credit for trying to keep communication open with Ryan.

We are then witness to an awkward conversation between Ryan and Maci regarding Kyle.  Answer me this though, are all tough questions now asked via text?  Ryan is once again showing his immaturity and proving to Maci that she made the right decision.  Just like pulling a girl’s hair in 2^nd grade won’t make her like you, calling her new boyfriend “slow” isn’t going to get her back in your arms. 

On to Farrah

Farrah has decided that due to giving birth her breasts aren’t what they use to be.  If she can just secure a loan then she can have the breasts she once had.  Yes, she is actually going to finance her boobs!  This girl has a mother that has screamed about far less, I can not figure out why she isn’t screaming about this.  You have no real job, do not have a college degree, have a toddler that you are raising on your own and the priority is boobs???  Come on!  By the end though she is crabbing at her dad cause her new, financed boobs hurt. 

Amber

Amber, Amber, Amber.  What can I say other than thank goodness she is going to counseling!  She is holding onto the fairytale that she should be with her baby daddy, Gary.  Has this girl every been alone?  While Gary is in her bed she has to go and break up with the current boyfriend.  I have to say this is one relationship that I don’t see making it. 

And finally Catelynn

Catelynn and Tyler are so sweet.  They are so dumb, but oh so sweet.  Neither one has a job but they have decided to move in together because then “like everything will be half off”.  Catelynn’s mom’s house was certainly not safe and she definitely needed to move.  I am not even entirely against them moving in together.  The prospect of renting an apartment with no one working just doesn’t seem like a good move to make.  Catelynn’s mom does seem to be showing a little compassion which is a relief.  I certainly hope we won’t have to see the anger come out of her that we have seen in seasons past.

Four girls all trying to find their way in life while being teen moms.  While I do not envy any of them (very happy my mistakes were not filmed for my children to watch when grown) here are my parting thoughts to each one….

Maci – Get a job and get your degree.  With money in the bank you will never have to depend on Ryan.  Have your own mind and your own money that way a man can be a compliment to you and not a necessity. 

Farrah – Grow up!!!  When a mom “treats herself” she buys new shoes (generally at the Walmart on clearance) she DOES NOT finance plastic surgery!!

Amber – Stick with the counseling and think about spending some time alone.  You will never be happy with some one if you can’t be happy when you are all alone.

Catelynn – Life has not been easy but don’t make it harder by making stupid mistakes.  Get a job and a mentor.  Think about the future and how you are going to get there and then make it happen!

Till next time…….Remember only you can prevent pregnancy and forest fires.  😉

Thanks Cyndi, great job!

Is everyone ready for the Real Housewives of New York, don’t miss Simon’s blog immediately after the show and be sure to listen to Carly and I rip on the ladies at 11:30 / 10:30 central time.

Listen to “Carly Hall presents RHONY with Ly…” hosted by Carly Hall on 7/7/2011 10:30 PMCDT #BlogTalkRadio http://t.co/DZc6TzB