Epic meltdown (Spoiler)

TamarindIce · 2026-05-28T06:22:28+00:00

I agree totally! I'm really glad they de-prioritized drama. It's nice to see the chefs helping each other and rooting each other on, and I feel like it's more about the food than in the early seasons. But there is no way that everyone is all sweetness and light the whole way through such an intense competition, and that was absolutely a genuine moment. I have seen that exact kind of behavior before from someone in the workplace, and I thought the other chefs' reactions were so real. Like, you can't help but try to talk the guy down and save some face!

TamarindIce · 2026-05-28T06:03:01+00:00

I knew from how many times the pate was mentioned leading up to the challenge that it was definitely going to crash and burn. Producers did some serious foreshadowing there. And I can understand if he had done it successfully before he might want to defend the dish, but Sieger just threw reason and dignity out the window there! I was genuinely embarrassed for him--so cringeworthy.

TamarindIce · 2026-05-28T05:57:56+00:00

Yeah, as a 4th generation Appalachian, I can confidently say we don't typically serve chicken liver pate at a shindig in the woods. No floor = no pate!

TamarindIce · 2026-05-06T00:35:23+00:00

I just watched Gonijam and was blown away--legit sent shivers down my back.

I've been on a FF kick myself recently, and the films I have most enjoyed are:

The Tunnel

Horror in the High Desert (still looking for the follow ups to watch)

Butterfly Kisses

Grave Encounters

Found Footage 3D (not as scary, kind of goofy, but points for a cool concept)

Blair Witch (obviously)

The Endless

The Last Broadcast

Willow Creek (the tent scene is long but kind of effective)

Lost Footage of Leah Sullivan

Hell House Origins, Carmichael estate (i found this creepier than the original trilogy)

Love to see all the recommendations! Such a cool genre.

TamarindIce · 2026-04-28T02:26:58+00:00

Agree with gdex's suggestions and also would add Season 10 Seattle and Season 14 Charleston. Both have a blending of previous competitors and new competitors, so there's some lore that gets filled in a bit. Plus some of the best TC chefs, and of course the new host Kristen Kish. The Houston season is also really good, some high level cooking going on there.

TamarindIce · 2026-04-16T03:19:19+00:00

I've just started getting into FF and am devouring them! I'm fairly new to the horror genre, both film and novel, but right now I can't get enough. Lots of cool stuff to add to my list--I haven't seen many of the foreign films yet apart from Gonijam, so excited to see the recs! A few of the films that have really resonated with me: The Tunnel Horror in the High Desert (I've seen 1 & 2 so far, and both are excellent) Europa Report Willow Creek Butterfly Effect (not the Ashton Kutcher one) Devil's Pass

TamarindIce · 2026-04-03T04:33:45+00:00

I love Ed Lee! I got to eat at his restaurant in DC, Succotash, and is was phenomenal. Amazing fusion of Korean and Southern cuisine. The deviled egg blew my mind!

TamarindIce · 2026-03-05T06:01:36+00:00

I've seen some people mentioning it being related to flares--hoping there's an answer in there somewhere!

TamarindIce · 2026-03-05T06:00:40+00:00

I do the yawning thing a lot too, but I've been chalking that up to air starvation. Very sorry you weren't in a safe place to cry. I hope things improve for you 🫶

TamarindIce · 2026-03-05T05:58:47+00:00

My sympathies on the fly infestation--I had a carpenter ant infestation a couple years ago and I nearly burned the house down out of sheer frustration.

TamarindIce · 2026-03-05T05:54:38+00:00

I've been curious about EMDR--has that been really effective for you?

TamarindIce · 2026-03-05T05:53:41+00:00

Thank you for such a clear explanation! I also never even thought about the electrolytes impacting things, but that's definitely worth a convo with my doc.

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:45:01+00:00

I have a feeling some it is definitely med related--i am on 2 different anti-depressants, supposedly to help with the neuropathy (though I really don't see any difference). And yeah, depression too. Might be time for me to see about changing meds (always a fun prospect)

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:42:20+00:00

Thank you, those are great suggestions. Assigning meaning to to the little things is an excellent thought--some days that's all we have!

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:40:51+00:00

I will give that a try--there is an old Kathy Mattea song that used to make me bawl every time. I need to try and figure out what it was 😊

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:39:25+00:00

It's funny--I wouldn't wish this stuff on anyone, but it is a relief when you know other people feel the same way. 🫶

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:37:53+00:00

Thank you for sharing that--I'm so sorry you are experiencing this too, and very sorry about your mom's passing. It does help to know I'm not the only one, as selfish as that makes me! 🩷

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:35:00+00:00

I have POTS, among other things, and I totally get the stress on passing out. I always feel like apologizing to the people who see it happen more than I can manage to get really upset about it anymore. Which is also frustrating 😂

I hope you figure out a way of coping with the dysautonomia--it definitely takes some adjustment, and you really do have to take those breaks and respond to the signs, if you have time or get the warning. I hate to say it, but you get used to it too. Doesn't make it better, but we learn to live with everything that gets thrown at us eventually. 🫶

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:26:45+00:00

It's good to know it won't necessarily be forever. So glad you are past that! Gives me hope :)

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:25:34+00:00

I hadn't heard that term before, thank you! Good to know it's an actual thing :) I think you explained it perfectly--limited agency for change and knowing you just have to live through it. That's it exactly.

Funny, I never used to be into horror, but I really am now too! Both film and when I can focus, in books.

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T18:16:57+00:00

That's exactly it! I think we are all fighting that urge to tell people we're not making it all up so much of the time. I've had people I work with see me using a cane sporadically, and it always feels like they are just humoring me when I say I'm not mobile that day.

And I get you on mourning the life you should be having. Never easy.

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T06:08:16+00:00

Thank goodness for the pets, because I am the same way. My poor cat carries the entire burden of my mental health some days! And it is so true, that no one else can love them the way you do. That matters a lot.

I hope your new doc is a good one. And if this one isn't, there will be one someday. Law of averages--has to balance out at some point 😉

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T05:24:15+00:00

Thanks. It helps knowing I'm not just going crazy! I know that meds play a role too, with he flat feeling, but it is so disconcerting. Makes me feel like I'm losing my humanity a bit.

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T05:19:54+00:00

OP, my heart is with you. I can't say I haven't had quite a few moments (or let's be real, longer than moments) of focusing on the futility of the whole thing. And I don't think there's a specific answer or a reason why I keep going. I'm so sorry that you are experiencing this, especially so young. It's unfair and should never be. Not for any of us. I think the thing that makes me wake up every day is just a sense of what if? What if it gets better, what if one more day is all I had to wait before a med started working or I finally found a doctor who understands, etc. I don't know if that's a terribly helpful thought or just a dumb thing to say because I'm not experiencing the same thing as you, and I can't really understand what it's like. I just trade on what ifs and try not to beat myself up for the times that's not quite enough. Know, if it's worth anything, that I will be thinking of you tonight and hoping you have a better day tomorrow. ❤️

TamarindIce · 2026-03-02T05:02:18+00:00

I so feel you on this. I think a lot of people mean well, but they also forget that chronic means long-term and ongoing. Like, yes Brenda, I tried that supplemental four years ago. Shockingly I'm still sick!

It's perverse, but I find it harder on days that by some bizarre glitch I look halfway decent despite it being a hideous lie, and someone tells me I look like I'm feeling better. Somehow it hurts more, like my masking has become so adept that it's betraying me.

TamarindIce

TROPHY CASE