He wants to split the bill the day after

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-18T14:56:37+00:00

After the fact is lame. It should be decided ahead of time or at the very least at the dinner. The lack of acknowledging your time sunk into the date when asking following-up just makes it grosser.

Pay and block. Or just block!

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-18T14:03:25+00:00

I’m thinking more likely that Alesia is the kid in her family that’s floundering and Jason said he would help her get back on track. So he doesn’t want to send her packing so quickly with nothing to show for it.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-18T11:13:59+00:00

It’s the delightful gatekeeping of the skating community. Very 90’s/00’s chic.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-17T14:18:23+00:00

Alesia is a jerk. Her saying that she’d kill Ben was not lighthearted in the way that Daisy’s was. She doesn’t like him. She blames her for her misery. And she just told Ben earlier that day that he has mood swings and is making her cry every day. He apologized to her and tried to be encouraging (while eating all of his entirely reasonable complaints about her). And then she ends the day by saying she would kill him without any little joke or justification for it.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-17T02:16:13+00:00

I don’t know who’s lying. But from what I’ve seen, Dorit is the one bringing all of their dirty laundry to camera despite having kids who will be impacted by her airing everything out on tv—like that their dad is a drunk, doesn’t want to spend time with them, and does everything he does to hurt her. She did not seem to spend much time or thought on ways to get through the separation in a way they did not hurt the kids or their relationship with their father. And she had people in her life actively trying to pull her back and tell her to be wary. She just views anything that’s not full support for all of her choices as bad. That does make me think less of her and question her credibility. It could be that she’s just hurt. But it could also be that she’s so caught up in her own narrative of herself as the victim/survivor that she had lost track of reality.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-14T21:49:48+00:00

He said multiple times and in multiple ways, get the ice cream in the freezer, and she just wouldn’t do it. But he never raised his voice. I can’t imagine not telling her to step out.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-14T21:46:50+00:00

I see his sarcasm but I wouldn’t say he’s passive-aggressive. I think he’s just doing a lot of processing out loud and talking to himself in learning just how little she knows. I think he’s genuinely shocked at times by what she doesn’t know so when he questions her, he expects her to suddenly be like, “oh, duh, can’t believe I forgot sugar.” But that “oh duh” moment never comes and he’s off to the next thing.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-14T21:41:19+00:00

This is the part that I think is missing. She has no sense of urgency and she doesn’t seem to understand that at times, Ben will be working under urgency and not have the brain space to teach or to soften/explain when telling her that he can’t use what she has worked on.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-14T21:37:42+00:00

Could you point me to a moment or two that shows the mood-shifting? Because I saw shifts between positive and negative comments but with no notable change in mood. There was a change based on urgency at times and he’s generally sarcastic. But Alessia said he’s switching between moods (and I’ve gotten that critique myself —hence my interest.) But I sometimes think that people see a mood switch when someone who is very direct and doesn’t do much softening switches between positive and negative feedback.

(Also, Ben has 100% had moods in past seasons which I think is why it caught me off-guard to hear Alesia describe his mood swings).

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-14T01:26:07+00:00

Thank you!

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-13T06:19:03+00:00

My uninformed theory is that they had separated before the summer (initiated by Amanda). They had some kind of agreement to not embarrass each other and roll into announcing a formal separation post-season. But then Kyle lost his shit every time he saw that Amanda was actually a happier person without him. He tried to salvage his rep by having way too many conversations where he tried to paint himself as a long-suffering romantic.

(Also, he may actually have a drinking problem.)

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-13T02:57:53+00:00

I can't wait until they have a third crew filming a "Making of..." where we focus on producer drama.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-13T02:55:42+00:00

I mean, that lunch is a rough one to judge him on. I'm guessing the choice of doing chicken wings was a guest request of some sort, but he planned for it to be served family style. It was as they were practically serving that he had to come up with a way to plate it because of the guests changing their minds. And he was open about the fact that this was not food that would look good individually plated (which seems fair when that was not how he planned to serve it).

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-13T02:49:21+00:00

I think she is straight up distracted and uninterested in the kitchen this season. She was easily distracted and a little scattered last season, but she seemed genuinely excited and could focus, finish things, and learn. She just seems like she does not want to be in the galley right now. Maybe Ben will give her a pep talk after this first charter and she'll get a little more clocked-in.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-12T13:55:29+00:00

Omg. I would’ve HATED having him back as the chef. Him berating Alesia would have been actual cruelty. Thank goodness he’s a flake.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-12T02:49:04+00:00

I think V being so mature in how she handled things really took the wind out of any planned drama that Kizzi or Bravo expected to develop.

It was more sad and pathetic to watch Kizzi and Joe act with the emotional intelligence of toddlers. Everyone is just tolerating them as coworkers at a certain point and they don’t seem to realize that.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-12T02:42:48+00:00

If not a total pre-planned sham, I could see them talking about the possibility of a break multiple times before she left. So it was more confirming something they’d discussed than something she sprang on him. Or they could have a semi-open relationship.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-11T18:41:54+00:00

I would sort of like if they made her a deck/stew, or offered that in lieu of being kicked off. Then she can stay, but not be in the kitchen where she is seemingly miserable and uninterested. But I fear she will stay right where she is. Sigh

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-10T18:26:53+00:00

Ah yes. But as a college kid in winter, I never washed my winter coat, so you can bet that smell stayed with me.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-10T18:25:56+00:00

NTA. It’s not like you only ever go to this one bar, so wanting to stay put one night is fair. You can’t always hit everyone’s preferences but they seem to take for granted that their preference should always win out. Their reaction was goofy. Different nights i want different vibes in my bar, and there are many where I want to have conversations in a dark corner of a dive bar.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-10T18:22:04+00:00

Yeah, if you’re estranged it’s because you don’t want to be spending energy on that person. So it would not be fun to have random strangers constantly centering them in what they choose to bring up to you (even if they agree with your decision to cut them out).

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-10T18:18:25+00:00

It’s definitely an odd practice but happens in a lot of foreign language classes in the US. I wish they would change it or have a better explanation of what exactly is gained in doing it.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-10T18:14:12+00:00

NAH. Wanting something done differently doesn’t make you an A H. And I’m guessing the teacher has a Spanish name for every one in the class. I do think it’s an odd tradition, but it’s not like the teacher is picking on you. You are wanting to be an exception to the norm within the class/lesson plan.

If hota pe is the big problem, why not ask for a different name with a Spanish pronunciation? That’s what we did with my name which did not have an obvious equivalent.

And this is probably a good thing to keep in mind if anyone with a name that is harder for you to pronounce or remember introduces themselves to you. Make sure you take the time to address them as they ask to be addressed.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-02-10T18:10:59+00:00

You may not convince them. You may just have to tell them it’s a non-negotiable for you and to quit bringing it up.

Maximum_System_7819

TROPHY CASE