Oh and there is bonus footage of the Howie/Joey fight which I have not seen. (At home, dial-up, no sound.)

I hear that it become clear that Howie's angry response to Joey completely un-nerved him and then that Howie didn't know how to stop and Tre and Casey had to step in.

Huh! The link you posted goes to a Top Design bonus footage clip, sumi.

Oops -- let me go find the right spot!

In the meantime a few more links:

Afterelton interview with Dale Levitski and two reviews in the NY times.

Well, here it the TC index page with a sidebar to the bonus video.

And I hope that this is the actual footage.

I'm a bit worried about our cheesemaker Sarah M. Not only did we barely see her in the episode but her dish wasn't in the "rate the plate" feature on the bravo website. They did have her recipe but it seems to be missing an ingredient (sausage) - and one of the only mentions made of her was Tom C comparing her store-bought sausage to Brian's handmade ones. (However, her sausage was only a component in her short-rib dish - so I don't get it.)

I'm watching that new show I posted about the other day, I've Got Nothing to Wear, and it's interesting.

Top Chef: My friggerty god, why didn't they send Joey home? I know the answer is because of production, they want to keep him around because he's contentious, but he's just fucking annoying and a little bitch. You're not in NY, Joey. STFU.

Otherwise, I thought Sara's dish was lovely, and I was interesting in how Micah was able to turn things around--I think she's going to be the wild card--but I wish, ferchrissake, a woman would win the Elimination Challenge. I mean, I want people to be judged on their merit, but it seems like dudes always win everything. Bah.

Still, I find it interesting that, on the second episode, the bar is already raised to technical qualifications of a challenge--none of the dishes were bad enough to shunt people out on that alone. it came down to "did this meet the challenge as stated." Which is subtly different from the first two years--at the beginning there were dishes bad enough to get people sent home on that alone. But it's evident that, so far, we're working in a different ballgame altogether. Innnnnnnsteresting.

SYTYCD: I was so devastated that Jessi and Pasha were in the bottom three. That was so impossibly wrong--their dance was brilliant, all the more so because Pasha was totally out of his style and knocked it out of the part. He's my new favorite. I love that he was able to rise to the challenge so well. Also, his solo was ::fans self:: very hot.

Unlike Jessi's. Girl, wearing pigtails, a halter dress, and flashing yourself is not going to get you very far at all. Do what you do best.

I liked the Paso Doble, and I love Sara so much. That was one arena in which congratulating a dancer for being able to get through something made sense to me, because she was essentially trying to get through it--it wasn't remarkable--but like last week, Kameron being there for Lacey, Sara was here for Jesus, who fucking stole that stage. (Though I though the music kind of sucked--it was very distracting.)

I was so proud of Dominic, and totally felt with him, because you saw him trying so hard, and that's what this competition is about--pulling someone from their laurels and transforming them into something great. Nicely done, Dom. Keep it up.

Shauna, dancing for her life--she was just exultant in that solo. Lord. That was beauty in motion. She definitely deserved to stay. Faina...bless her, was kind of one note, but one note she did very well.

I thought it was a shame that they kept Cedric, because while his own style is brilliant to watch, I don't think he has what it takes to stick it through the competition. That said, I was impressed that he was, at least, able to be exactly where he needed to be at every moment in that foxtrot, for all that he was insecure and timid about it; for a fellow who hasn't done partnered dance *or* formalised choreography before this competition, he is learning lightning-quick.

I am still not confident that choosing uniqueness over talent--which Cut Dude had in spades--was the right choice. But then, we shall see how Cedric does with Shauna, and go from there.

Also, I kind of this kameron and Lacey are sleeping together.

sj, I hope that they repeat the "I've got Nothing to Wear" show because it sounds good.

TC: I think that there are so many good chefs that lots of the in the middle folks have barely had airtime. That also means that I think that Howie and Joey won't be around for long.

sj, I hope that they repeat the "I've got Nothing to Wear" show because it sounds good.

It really was good. I think it is going to be on every Friday. It's one of the few fashion shows I would be willing to go on because it doesn't rely on embarassment. A stylist goes through your closet and decides what you should keep and what should go to the designers, then he takes the person shopping for good staple pieces, and then the three designers make two new outfits each using the material from your old clothing. The designers can't buy new cloth, but they can buy $50 each worth of embellishments such as buttons, etc.

And my god, do I need that. Much more than a WNTW total replacement.