2013: A Dual Redundancy Flashback

2013 has been a busy and exciting year for Dual Redundancy!

Over the course of the year we have done 21 podcasts with topics ranging from Academy Award predictions to Michael Bay being attacked by a flying air conditioner. Much to our displeasure we even talked about Glee at least twice.

In March, after Arrested Development was named the best TV show the year before, we held another bracket putting Oscar best picture winners against Oscar snubs and runner-ups. In the final match-up The Shawshank Redemption, literally found redemption and won over the godfather of classic movies, The Godfather.

You also voted every week on what shows we would cover on the weekly wind down podcast. In just nine episodes we covered 26 different shows including The Walking Dead, Parks and Recreation, Survivor, Scandal, The Good Wife, Homeland, and Masters of Sex. We even did an episode focusing solely on Netflix's programming from 2013 (House of Cards, Arrested Development, and Orange is the New Black).

However, one of the biggest shows of 2013 received its own weekly podcast. Starting in August every week we broke down the latest episode of Breaking Bad's final season. It was not only hard for us to say goodbye but you also had trouble since it was highly ranked in two separate categories in our yearly wind down special.

While we talked for hours and hours about entertainment this year, we also wrote a lot of it all down. Over here on the Dual Redundancy blog we had recaps on shows such as Big Brother, Girls, and Whodunnit? We also ranked the best shows of 2013 and some of the best American Idol performances as well. Finally, we became your one stop destination for entertainment news covering stories like Ben Affleck being named the next Batman and how Katy Perry possibly stole a song and liked it.

From all of us here at Dual Redundancy thank you so much for making 2013 so great. We can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

The Best of 2013: Dave's Top 13 TV Shows of the Year

By David Allen

Just like I did last year, before we can close up 2013 and start judging the entertainment of 2014, we need to look back on what was so great about this year in television. Below is what I believe to be the thirteen best shows of 2013. (Possible spoilers below).

13. New Girl

Ranking New Girl is tricky. As with all these shows I am looking at all the episodes that aired in the calendar year of 2013. For New Girl this includes both the second half of season two and the first part of season three. While the tenants of 4D beat out the sophomore slump with a great second season developing both Schmidt and Nick’s characters (and also creating Julius Pepperwood), season three took an interesting turn. Instead of giving us seasons of “will they/won’t they” (à la Jim and Pam) Nick and Jess finally became a couple and had sex. For the most part this plot development has created some bumpy storylines. I’m looking at you “All In” and “The Box.” However, the idea that I am scratching my head the most about is how they treating Schmidt. For a fan favorite they are really taking him down a notch (and how dare you create a new notch in his belt worn by Kanye West)! First they make him look like, to steal a word from the show, “douchebag” for dating both Cece and Elizabeth at the same time. Then he tries to break up Nick and Jess because he cannot see them happy when he isn’t. Man he is really filling up that jar of his! In the end, despite some problems, season two’s highlights outshine the dark spots of season three and with Coach returning the future looks bright for the rest of the season. As for Winston, he’s having fun being color-blind solving puzzles with a cat, leave him be.

12. The Walking Dead

While most of America couldn’t get enough of Rick and the gang this year (over 16 million people tuned in for the season four premiere) I was in this for the Governor played by David Morrissey. When watching I was more interested in what he was doing at Woodbury than what Rick’s group was doing at the prison (which wasn’t much at all). For the most part many of the characters at the prison still feel one-sided and have only one goal or character motivation: survive. However the Governor seems more fleshed out and an interesting anti-hero. When the show focused two episodes solely on him (“Live Bait” and “Dead Weight”) I loved it. To see the big bad guy of season three reformed and trying to start anew, I was not ready to go back to my sentence at the prison. However, in true Walking Dead fashion this did not last long and by midseason we lost the Governor to Rick and the other members of his team that I can never name. Now I am worried for the future of this show. Season two really lacked a villain or a central conflict with them just hanging around the farm. Season three got better, thanks in part due to this conflict with Morrissey’s character, but without him the second half of four may be another period of waiting around. Sure I love to see zombies killed week after week but I need something more and I am not talking about splitting up boring characters in side groups that we will certainly focus on in season four part two. However in the end, 2013 was the year of the Governor and while we probably won’t see Morrissey back in 2014 on The Walking Dead at least we probably see less Carl come the final eight of season four.

11. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Back in May if you asked me what new fall show I was looking forward to the most Brooklyn Nine-Nine was probably not on my list. Andy Samberg was never my favorite Saturday Night Live character and a police comedy? Already saw that on shows like Reno 911! The first few episodes reminded me of Parks and Recreation and its relationship to The Office. This probably has something to do with the fact that Michael Schur (along with Dan Goor here) is the creator of both shows. However, very much like the first few episodes of Parks and Rec, once Leslie Knope became her own person and unlike Michael Scott, the show started to shine. Many of the characters at the Brooklyn precinct were carbon copies of the Pawnee Parks Department (Captain Holt is Ron Swanson and Detective Diaz is April Ludgate). But now many are beginning to morph into their own identities. Also by becoming more of an ensemble show and focusing less on Samberg’s Jake Peralta, we are getting to see the comedic chops of Joe Lo Truglio and Chelsea Peretti. With a future lead-in of New Girl and an episode airing after the Super Bowl, FOX thinks the gang of the 9-9 have a lot in store for 2014 and I am ready to believe them.

10. Girls

This second season of Girls had me more interested in the guys than Lena Dunham and company. Whether it was Charlie impressing Marnie with his Zuckerberg-like business or just Adam Driver delivering both dramatic and comedic moments with ease, this season was all about the guys. Even Jessa’s quick fiancé played by Chris O’Dowd, Booth’s torture TV booth, and Elijah’s “first time” with Marnie on the couch had me more invested in their stories than Hannah’s out of nowhere battle with OCD. Despite this and a somewhat cliché romantic comedy season ender (no way anyone has that great of a phone connection throughout the city to FaceTime) Lena Dunham further pushed what she could get away with and what she wanted to say this season. Don’t believe me? Just look to “One Man’s Trash” and “On All Fours.” While it will be interesting to see how quick Christopher Abbott’s Charlie is written out especially since season two ended with him finally back together with Marnie, when season three hits in a few weeks I will be ready to see what Lena, the girls, and all the guys have in store.

9. Arrested Development

…and now for the season of a cult show, which received mixed reviews in it’s Netflix premiere. It’s Arrested Development season four. In 2011 it was finally announced that the show barely anybody watched (but everybody loved on DVDs years later) would return after seven years of footage not being found. Leading up to the May 2013 premiere the Internet was so full of frozen bananas, cut-offs, and beads bees that nothing, I repeat, nothing would satisfy everybody’s dreams for the Bluth family. Many did not like the anthology type structure, which had episodes focusing on one Bluth family member (due to the very busy schedules of the now in-demand actors). However, as Mike and I discussed on the podcast, it was perfect Arrested Development. Many forget that when Arrested premiered it was way ahead of its time in not only humor but style as well. Now fast-forward to the revival premiering on a whole different type of “network.” What Mitch Hurwitz and the team did was create a new type of show with a unique style perfect for the medium it was premiering on. It was an ambitious puzzle, which, believe me, requires multiple rewatches much like the original series did. For me, I would much rather have some new ideas and jokes (of course mixed in with some classic callbacks) instead of just episodes reliving their greatest hits, which they could have easily done. However, my only piece of real criticism is in regards to the length. There were times I feel that these episodes (some ranging up to 37 minutes) could have been tightened up to really have the fast paced feel of classic episodes. While Mitch did not have to cut them down to 22 minutes exactly for FOX, each episode could have definitely been shorter with the same ideas conveyed. But in the end I shouldn’t complain because at the end of the day we got some Bluths and some Bluths are better than no Bluths at all.

8. House of Cards

Netflix was on fire this year, so much so that it somehow traveled from the O.C. (don’t call it that) all the way to Washington D.C. House of Cards based on the BBC series of the same name brought political intrigue and betrayal to a whole new level. How did it become so good? It could be due to the caliber in front of the camera. Robin Wright, Kate Mara, and my personal MVP of the season Corey Stoll knocked every scene out of the park and it’s quite a shame we won’t get to see Stoll’s Peter Russo come back in season two. Oh yeah the lead? Played by some newcomer named Kevin Spacey. Believe me this guy is going to make it in this town! As for his character? He is the next Walter White. There are times I see myself rooting for him to lose in hopes to just see his next plan of attack. Other times I am strangely rooting for him to win and get the revenge he may or may not deserve. If Spacey isn’t enough we have executive producer David Fincher behind the camera directing the first episode and creating an even darker Washington then we have ever seen in before. Very much like how the villains of Shakespeare’s plays would look directly to the audience and explain their plan of attack, when Frank Underwood stares and addresses me, I’m all ears and on the edge of my seat ready for what him and House of Cards has up their sleeves.

7. Parks and Recreation

While not as strong as say it’s third season, Parks and Recreation is one of the most consistently funny sitcoms on television today. Unlike a show like Modern Family, which is cranking out mostly the same episode every week, Parks is willing to try new things expanding their Simpsons-like world of crazy characters. While this current season has less Andy Dwyer (since Chris Pratt is filming Guardians of the Galaxy) and will soon see the loss of both Ann Perkins and Chris Traeger, this has allowed for some meatier stories for characters like Retta's Donna. We also received a great villain in Councilman Jamm, played by Jon Glaser. However, the real highlight to put Parks so high up on this list was last season’s wedding episode between Ben and Leslie called “Leslie and Ben.” While originally written as a series finale before NBC asked for more episodes, this episode would have been a great conclusion for everyone in Pawnee, Indiana. While I worry we may not get as good as a series finale once that day comes, as long as NBC gives us one I am sure the Parks team can capture lighting in a bottle again. Just don’t let Jerry Garry Larry be in charge of the finale plans.

6. Mad Men

Oh Don! What a terrible year for you but a great year for Mad Men. While many awards like the Emmys and Golden Globes may be done with you, I’m just as hooked as ever. Despite historical moments like the MLK assassination to great guest spots from Freaks and Geeks’ Linda Cardellini, this season was all about the downfall of Don Draper. Between Sally walking in on her father cheating on yet another wife to unpredictable behavior at the Hershey’s pitch, Don was off of his game this season. By the end season six he loses Megan, is forced to take a leave of absence and he finally opens up to his children about his mysterious past and growing up in that brothel in Pennsylvania. It will be interesting to see if the Emmys will welcome Don and the gang of Sterling Cooper & Partners back and if Don will be able to pick himself up and become the powerful and important man he once was in this final, but two-part, seventh season.

5. Survivor: Blood vs. Water

Can you believe it? 27 seasons! Survivor has been on for 13 years (and will be hitting 15 years with the recently announced Survivor 29 & 30). While many shows start declining by season three (Homeland I’m looking at you) Survivor hit a high point this year. While season 26 in Caramoan was no sleeper, with The Three Amigos taking out Stealth R Us Captain Phillip Sheppard, it was all about Blood vs. Water. When the season was first announced I liked the idea of Survivor favorites being joined by a loved one but was worried about the execution. The return of Redemption Island? Day zero? Allowing love ones to switch out once their counterpart is voted out? Idol clues given out to the winner of the duel (which are really truels)? Colton, Rupert, and Laura who? These are my favorites? Calm down with all the twists!! But in the end everything seemed to click. Colton and Rupert left early, Redemption Island brought drama this time around, and idol clues were hilariously burned. The best part about the season? A deserving winner. Tyson Apostol, who was a coconut bandit and found idols left and right, controlled the game. Not to mention we got an amazing “purple rock” tiebreaker (the first since season four) and a girl voted her own mom out of the game! With an interesting concept for Survivor 28 (three tribes of brawn, brains, and beauty all against each other) I can not wait to see what the leader in reality-competition shows gives us next!

4. Masters of Sex

Based on everyone’s favorite book Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love, Masters of Sex tells the story of William Masters and Virginia Johnson and their controversial sex study back in the late 1950s.  When I first saw the advertisements on billboards in LA I thought it was just a shameful way to try and attract viewers with promises of sex and nudity. While the show is full of these two things, there is so much more. A cousin of Mad Men, Masters of Sex explores themes of just not sex but marriage, love, homosexuality, and gender bias in the work place.  Played brilliantly by both Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, Masters and Johnson are two already complex characters that you want to see succeed and at the same time worry that mixing work and play will lead to a disaster down the road. Speaking of down the road, while I am sure there is some sort of timetable for these characters (since it is based on real people doing a real sex study) the show’s home worries me. Showtime has not had a good track record of ending a show before it stays past its welcome (Weeds, Dexter, and soon to be Homeland, which I am sure will be on for the next five years). While this is still (hopefully) a few years down the road for Masters of Sex, at least we have a great freshman season to study over and over again.

3. The Returned

This time last year if you told me a French-speaking show about people coming back to life that re-aired on the Sundance Channel for American audiences would not only be in my top 13 but be number three I would say “je vais le croire quand je le vois.” The Returned, which originally aired on Canal+ in 2012 and was titled Les Revenants, tells the story of a small mountain town where various dead people begin to reappear as if nothing has happened. Imagine if you took the mysteries of Lost, the cinematography and score of Breaking Bad, and I guess “zombies” from The Walking Dead, threw them into a blender along with a French dictionary, the result would be one delicious television show. Perhaps it helps that I have never seen any of these actors in other roles but every single character is believable in their portrayal and are creating a realistic world where people of all ages can be resurrected from the dead. While mystery shows like Lost may have dropped the ball in later seasons, between the acclaim to re-air this show in various markets and a general “rule” that oversea shows do not stay past their prime, I’m hoping The Returned can stay out of any temple, skip the time travel, and leave the polar bears out of this intriguing and puzzling show.

2. Orange is the New Black

Netflix is the new HBO. Again if you asked me in 2012 which Netflix show I was most excited about between this, the Arrested Development revival, and a show about revenge starring Kevin Spacey, a show about a women’s prison would not even be on my radar. However, taking the number two spot on my best of 2013 list is that show starring a bunch of relative unknowns, the girl from That 70s Show, and that guy who “studied” (Dr. William Masters-style) that apple pie. While the show began as Piper Chapman’s adjustment and observations about life inside a women’s prison, it soon morphed into an ensemble story with unique characters detailing how they all ended up at Litchfield Correctional Facility. While there were characters you loved like “Red” and “Taystee”, there were also characters like George “Pornstache” Mendez and Sam Healy that you loved to hate. Whether you did your sentence all at once or spread it out to enjoy every moment, the real punishment is having to wait until mid-2014 until we get to see everyone again and find out what is in store for Chapman after that “screwy” cliffhanger.

1. Breaking Bad

After years of jaw-dropping episodes and fascinating characters this drama starring everyone’s favorite anti-hero finally concluded its final season this September to rave reviews. Of course I am talking about Showtime’s Dexte- sorry I cannot even finish that sentence. Was there any doubt that it would not be Breaking Bad? After a $#!% your pants cliffhanger at the end of season five part one, there was not a second to breathe in these final episodes that saw the end of Walter White. So many great moments that it is hard to even list them all. Hank working with Jesse to trick the great Heisenberg to lead himself right to them. One massive cliffhanger in the To'hajiilee desert that led a nation to yell at their TV screens. A machine-gun robot used to take down a room full of Neo-Nazis! Even the “simpler” moments hit you right in the gut. It was hard not to cry with Walter when baby Holly started asking for her mom in the gas station bathroom. Just watch the ending of "Granite State" one more time as Walt regains his mojo to return to Albuquerque and try not to get chills. I could go on and on for hours (which I did with Mike this season on the podcast) but like Jesse I just need to hop in my car and finally drive away with a giant smile on my face for one hell of an ending. Let’s pray to the king of kings Ozymandias and hope that this spin-off prequel/sequel Better Call Saul makes it to next year’s top 14 and does not tarnish the legacy of this amazing show.


That’s a wrap for 2013! After a year of amazing television I cannot wait to see how 2014 tries to top it. How will the return of Dan Harmon affect Community season five? Will the return of Louie be everything we hope for? What about the second seasons of many of these break out shows? Will shows ending like How I Met Your Mother be able to stick the landing? Only time will tell!

For even more coverage of Mike and I talking about television in 2013, listen to our weekly wind down podcasts on either iTunes or on YouTube.

Do you agree with my list or did I forget to include one of your favorites? Send me your thoughts or lists either in the comments below or @eastwoodmcfly.

Podcast Episode 45: Winding Down 2013: Your Favorites in Movies, TV, Music and Pop Culture

A tornado filled with sharks, a serial killer turned lumberjack, and a interesting "duet" with a foam finger. 2013 was a crazy year and before we can move on to 2014 we need to look back and wind down the good, the bad, and the ugly from the past year.

In this week's episode we look back at entertainment in 2013. We also reveal the results for your favorite movies (2:33), TV shows (22:02), musical artists (39:05), and pop culture moments from 2013 (52:05).



You can also listen to past episodes of the podcast on iTunes or on our YouTube channel.

Podcast Episode 32: Predicting the Unpredictable 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards

Every year David and Mike try to predict the very unpredictable Primetime Emmy Awards in a very special episode of Dual Redundancy. This year they try and forecast who will take home the gold in all the major categories for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

This special is going to be released at first as a YouTube exclusive. To make sure you don't miss out on any specials and fall behind on all the latest in entertainment be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Unsure how to? Follow these easy instructions!

As an added bonus be sure to print out your very own Emmy ballot where you can keep track of our predictions and have an easy guide to follow along during the show!

Keep checking back to the Dual Redundancy blog during Emmy week for more Emmy news and predictions!

TV Review: Big Brother 15: "Week Ten"

DA- No time for witty opening remarks or for Elissa to get her bag on her way out. No, Elissa what are you doing? We will get it later. We have a lot to talk about! It was a double eviction. Come on! Just go out the door so we can get started…

After last leaving our houseguests they were competing for the coveted HOH by hopping around like bunnies and moving eggs through chicken wire. There was a lot on the line. Not only can you become the HOH but also if you lose then you are forced to wear a chicken suit for the next 48 hours! Calm down Judd, it isn’t that bad. Speaking of whining, McCrae I see that you are having a lot of problems with your long hair getting in your face. If only you had a bandana and could use to hold it back but yours is too busy being worn as some weird fashion statement. If only you had multiple ones of various colors you could wear. Hmm, maybe next time!

GinaMarie takes the competition and Amanda can’t figure out why Elissa is celebrating. She claims it is her fault that Aaryn went home. Amanda, Aaryn needed three votes to save her. It is not like you, your boyfriend, and her best friend GinaMarie could have voted for her instead of- oh wait. You could have! Silly me!

But Amanda does not stop there with her masterful game play. She tells GinaMarie she needs to nominate two people the house hates. Lucky for her that is…Amanda and McCrae! Now as long as can make it through her nomination prese-… pre-set… presentmatio-… speech it looks like a done deal.

After Judd’s help with pronouncing “dynamic” and choosing other words after struggling, McCranda is finally on the block to the displeasure of well, McCranda. Instantly Amanda starts calling GinaMarie out for lying to her that she was safe. Umm, so if she told you that you were going up you would have been content?

Amanda and Elissa fight again and everybody is a chicken to stand up for her. Wait, let me rephrase that. Everyone is a figurative chicken to stand up for her except for Judd and Spencer who are literally dressed like chickens and are quietly watching the fight take place. My favorite moment of the various fights? Amanda sarcastically telling Elissa that she is so “mature” as she walks around the house in her underwear. However, there is one moment that really angered me. Elissa is listening in to Andy and Amanda talking in the storage room. When Spencer sees he goes in and tells on her (mostly to save his skin so Andy does not say he is with Amanda in front of Elissa). After hearing this Amanda swings open the door with all her might, probably in hopes of hitting Elissa. While sure Elissa is eavesdropping this is clear attempted violence. What’s the difference of Amanda throwing something at her like pork rinds and missing then trying to hit her with a door and also missing?

After her temper tantrum Amanda lets loose with McCrae and cries that she did so good to get here. She is ready to quit and tells Andy who immediately tells her to stop that type of talk! Umm, Andy you may want her to quit so she can skip jury where she won’t be mad at you for backstabbing her and diluting the whole jury to be against you in the end but hey, that’s just me.

Finally it is time for the veto competition and for ballerinas who love to bowl this competition is for you! After spinning around for 15 rotations they have seconds to throw balls up a ramp to knock down pins. Of course Amanda is chosen for every single round and by the end it is McCrae and Amanda to battle it out. McCrae even compares this situation to the book/film Old Yeller (which was coincidentally was a major point from this week’s Breaking Bad). First, Walt goes back to get his ricin in the Breaking Bad premiere the same night the Whodunnit? killer uses it in the tea to kill Ronnie and now this? What’s next? A competition with a prize to Belize? Houseguests, be warned. A trip to "Belize" may not be to Belize if you know what I’m saying.

In the end McCrae wins it by a millisecond (or that is what the editors want us to believe and we all know how tricky they can be). He finally does not let Amanda cloud his judgment and chooses to take himself off thereby forcing GinaMarie to put up Spencer, who by volunteering breaks the record for being on the block the most in one season!

Speaking of records this Thursday’s double eviction is the show’s 500th episode!! Can you believe it? 500 episodes! That’s insane. Is there anything more unbelievable than that? Well actually there is. In some weird out of nowhere miracle, Amanda asks for Elissa’s vote and they become, dare I say it, friends. These are the same two that days before were saying some of the most disgusting things about each other and their families. To make it even more official they exchange jewelry including Elissa’s wedding ring! This sounds serious. Are you worried now Spencer? This may be “the dumbest thing [you] have done in the house.” While you may think this is, I think this may be instead.

In the end Amanda almost had the votes if only Andy was really on her side. After a 2-2 vote GinaMarie had to break the tie and picked Amanda to leave the house. Once in the audience and receiving some boos, Julie brings up the bullying. She regrets some of the things she said but asks if we saw Elissa against her when Julie interrupts and says we saw everything. WRONG! Sure the Internet saw everything (or close to it) but the television audience is getting only a fraction of the story including how this fight between the two girls was more two sided then we were to believe. Unsurprisingly Julie skips over the racism, which only proves my point that Aaryn will be the face for the disgusting comments this season despite the fact that many other houseguests including Spencer and GinaMarie will not even be mentioned!

Anyways the week is not over yet. We are treated to the famous “clown shoe” competition where contestants have to search for bones in a pile of grass. Last time it was a veto competition but this time it was for HOH. McCrae wins and without much time to think nominates GinaMarie and Elissa. At first I thought he was trying to trick Andy to not play hard in the veto competition (especially after Amanda said “I thought I could trust you” to him on the way out). However, I think he thinks it is still Elissa who voted for his girlfriend/fake wife/whatever Amanda is to him. Before McCrae realizes his mistake and gives The Exterminators a clear target in Elissa it is time for the veto competition.

This year’s double eviction veto is very similar to last year’s where houseguests had to guide a racecar through a long, winding puzzle. Out of nowhere Judd takes it and he decides not to use it for either two reasons. One he is mad at Elissa (after finding out she knew about his backdoor at the last double eviction) and wants her to stay up OR GinaMarie’s speech is so compelling. She tells him “if he wants to use it- that’s great. If he wants to use it on Elissa well that’s not a good idea.” Wait, so it’s a great idea to use it as long as he doesn’t use it on Elissa? GinaMarie you have such a way with words!

In the end it is Elissa walking out the front door-what’s that Elissa? Yes, you will get your bag later. I promise. Now please let me finish this recap! As I was saying Elissa leaves and talks with Julie about how she has no idea what just happened (or probably happened during most of the game). She also shares Rachel’s advice for her, which was to play without her emotions. Did Rachel even do that?

That’s it for your weekly Big- oh my god Elissa! Here! Now take your bag and go the jury house already.

In and Out Points:

- I know I have talked about how crazy GinaMarie is but this week I have more concrete proof. After winning her HOH she begins talking to her “bunny” Aaryn through her memory wall photo. Also the majority of Sunday night’s cutaways? It was her alone in the HOH room practicing her hip-hop moves in an oversized hoodie.

- Spencer begins a story but is then called to the diary room mid-sentence to receive his chicken outfit. “I went to the doctor two blocks from my house…” Wait, that’s it? We will never hear the rest of it?! Why did he go to the doctor? This show is just like Lost with all of its unanswered questions!

- For some reason the houseguests find the whole house covered in balloons and are forced to pop every single one to find 3 tokens in hopes of winning $10,000. Why? No reason. I think Big Brother was just feeling generous this week or was just worried for everyone in the house making rent after losing their jobs.

- “First you pump it and then you squirt it.” Out of context this a terrible sentence. For a motto of a Big Brother alliance? This is also a terrible sentence.

- Many are mad at Andy for the game he is playing and while I do not think it is perfect, he is getting blamed for things others have done in the past. For instance, this week Andy backstabbed one alliance where he would have been third for an alliance with a terrible name and gesture. Last season Ian schooled Boogie (and Frank) so he did not end up third by going with the Quack Pack. Ian won last season. Is this now Andy’s season to win?

Are you sad to see either houseguest go? Do you wish Julie brought up Amanda’s racist remarks? But first, what episode of the 500 was your favorite? I personally liked #67, #233, and #356. Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly. Also be sure to let me know what episodes I just picked by typing in random numbers on my keyboard.

TV Review: Big Brother 15: "Week Nine"

DA- Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it is Glee star Matthew Morrison in the audience! What was Mr. Schuester doing in the studio audience for a reality show on CBS? I try to piece it all together in another crazy week of Big Brother!

We begin this week right off where we did last week. After the houseguests and jurors are done being pelted by baseballs, we have a new HOH and a returning juror! But before I announce who won what, let’s look at some strange moments from an odd HOH challenge. First, what was the point of the dancing mascots that ran across and then quickly left? Secondly, I’m glad Jessie got to show Amanda she is not scared of her. As soon as she was eliminated and as she runs out with her back to her she yells how she hates her. Yeah that will show her! Finally, Elissa’s recoveries would not have worked on Survivor. She was hanging off of the ball holder, sitting on the platform, and probably doing downward dog on Nick’s hat that GinaMarie has on her 24/7. Despite all these close calls Elissa wins the HOH key and the world gets to see J-U-double D re-enter the Big Brother house with his famous bear shirt.

Despite a clear power couple controlling the game it looks like Elissa’s biggest target is Aaryn. While she is a beast in challenges it seems like this is more of a personal move than a game move. For me it is clear when she tells her during the nomination ceremony that Aaryn has made her life terrible so now she will know how she felt.

This week it looks like Judd is ready to make amends and give everyone a clean slate including Elissa, who he thinks was working with Helen to get him out. But Judd does not want to stay clean for long. A day later he is ready to get his hands dirty with a backdoor. Not to mention a few days after that he teams up with GinaMarie, Andy, and Spencer (leaving Elissa on the outs) but we will get to that.

Sorry Judd but the person I was most excited to see return to the Big Brother house this week was not Mr. Party Daugherty it was the Zingbot! This year we got some good ones after Elissa first tries a terrible zing herself to the insulting robot. Hey Elissa, let’s leave the zings to the professionals shall we? To sum up McCrae always wear shorts because Amanda wears the pants in the relationship and Andy is like a ghost because of how much of a floater he is (which actually scares Andy into possibly shaking up his game now). GinaMarie meanwhile is on the table slapping it like she has never heard of comedy before. Man, she is going to die once she sees an episode of Two and a Half Men! Her zing involves comparing her “relationship” with Nick to Fatal Attraction. But don’t worry, GinaMarie assures us she would never harm Nick unless he was married. He isn’t married but I am not sure he is staying completely free this summer.

Before the veto competition Elissa realizes how she wants to get Amanda out this week because she is a bigger threat. As long as she doesn’t choose Amanda’s name from the- yep she chooses Amanda’s name to compete in the veto competition. But she never wins a competition so we should be good, right?

For this week’s veto it is Baby Zingbot’s first birthday so they have to roll a ball back and forth to reach 250 power units. If the ball falls they start back at zero. 250 power units? Whatever happened to kids wanting candy and slinkys? Why does the veto involve getting power units for a robot’s birthday? Probably the same reason why a beaver is crying over love letters?

As luck would have it Amanda wins! Elissa for some reason tries to joke around saying they threw it, which sparks a forest fire inside the Big Brother house. Amanda calls her “bitchy” and says how Rachel would be so proud that she wasted her HOH. She then proceeds to call her “trash” at the veto ceremony and how next week she will be out of the HOH room and back with the “scum” downstairs. It looks like we know who is going to win fan favorite don’t we? Amanda, if GinaMarie even thinks you are a “crazy bitch” settle down!

But unfortunately Amanda is not reading this and keeps going. She starts picking on her face and becomes angry that she (excuse her language) looks like “the bully when this bitch ass, Joker faced, motherf-cker walks around like she's Queen Sheba.” Please reread that sentence to understand the irony spewing out of it with every word. While Amanda has said some terrible things Elissa is not a perfect angel. Even though we have not see it on the show some live feed watchers have claimed that Elissa fired back and called her out for having an abortion and not a miscarriage (as she claims) to be on Big Brother this season. Either way congrats Big Brother Casting! You have found the most vial and disgusting houseguests ever in reality television.

Because CBS does not want to show any more hurtful events in the house, we are treated to two packages this week where Dan Gheesling plugs his web show tells us his thoughts on the game and how three Big Brother showmances are doing in the real world. However, the big event of the live eviction night made Twitter buzz for days!

As it turns out Twitter was going nuts over the dirty bedroom and after ten weeks of not getting a question (as Spencer points out) he explains the complex situation. Glad that is settled. Who was tweeting in these stupid complaints? Their moms?

No, the real important event of the episode was how Julie was going to handle the eviction of Aaryn and if she would bring up the comments she made earlier in the game. The question is soon answered and Julie reads back some of her comments to the booing and laughs of the Jerry Springer Big Brother audience. Meanwhile Aaryn is struggling to find a response. While I completely agree that what Aaryn said was tasteless, rude, and disgusting, I had a few problems with this segment. For one, many people claimed Aaryn was obviously lying that she could not remember saying these things. Well if these remarks just naturally come out of her, I believe her. How is she going to remember three or four sentences over 70 days? Can you remember something rude you said over two months ago? Next, how much do you want to bet she will be the only one this season to be on trial for her actions? Meanwhile the stuff GinaMarie, Spencer, Amanda, and even Elissa have said will be brushed away because it has been nearly absent on the show. So they get to walk off for the most part Scott-free (with the majority of the American audience) but Aaryn will always be remembered as a racist super villain? Finally, Aaryn now knows something is up. She has no idea how much trouble she may be in and what is going on in the outside world. Now for the next three weeks she is in limbo thinking about what she may or may not have said and what her future outside of the game really is. Now that is a have-not punishment!

In and Out Points:

- How come we did not get to hear Big Brother expert Matthew Morrison’s opinion on the season and the Aaryn controversy? He must be a super fan to attend a taping of this summer reality show!

- Aaryn accidentally drinks nail polisher remover and that is the not most shocking part of that event. Supposedly Helen was in the scene but erased from it completely. While not an important game move this goes to show the power of editing and how unless you subscribe to the live feeds you really don’t know what is going on.

- GinaMarie, Andy, Spencer, and Judd form an alliance and instantly start coming up with names. I feel as though people just like alliances now for the naming aspect. Every day they break and reform alliances just for the fun brainstorming of naming it!

- This week America the East Coast people on the East Coast who do not have Time Warner cable voted for the punishment of the HOH losers. Will they have to wear a bunny outfit or a chicken outfit for 48 hours? Is there an option for who cares? Big Brother either lets America choose the dumbest details or lets them completely change the game by voting people back in the house or choosing someone who can nominate someone themselves. No middle ground!

How do you think Julie handled the interview with Aaryn? Can you believe what the houseguests have said to one another? But first, did you vote for the bunny outfit punishment or the chicken outfit punishment? Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly.

Dual Redundnacy Turns Two!

On August 30th 2011 in their Ithaca College dorm, David and Mike (along with their audio expert John) recorded the first episode of Dual Redundancy. Since then their television and entertainment podcast has morphed into a web show, ICTV show, and blog. Despite all these changes one thing has stayed the same: their opinions (which are exactly the same)!

To celebrate this special anniversary, all day today on Twitter we will flashback to some of our favorite moments. Head over to our Twitter page or follow along using the hashtag #DualTurnsTwo.

Thank you to everyone who have been with us these last two years. We can't wait to see what year three has in store!

TV Review: Big Brother 15: "Week Eight"

DA- Don’t start crying my fellow Big Brother beavers! I got your love letters about this drama filled week of Big Brother. Before I explore the logic of a beaver in the Big Brother house crying over lost love letters, we have a lot to cover first.

As we learned at last Thursday’s episode Aaryn won yet another HOH after McCrae, as the gentleman that he is, finally throws it for Amanda to win. GinaMarie tells Spencer that Amanda is ruining not only McCrae’s game but his life too. McCrae while she may be right don’t worry about taking love advice from GinaMarie of all people. You remember what happened with Nick right? This is the same girl who later tells Julie that she was prepared for the blind Have-Not competition because she looks around for Nick’s hat around the house at 3 AM 4 AM for some reason.

Aaryn has her heart set on nominating Spencer and Elissa but Amanda tells Andy right in front of Aaryn that she actually going to nominate Helen and Elissa. Umm… you didn’t win HOH Amanda so stop bossing everyone around and put Aaryn’s HOH basket items back. You got second and according to everyone ever that means you are not the winner!

But Amanda may not even have to pressure Aaryn to put up Elissa and Helen because Elissa may want to go home early. She tells Helen that she does not want to miss her kid’s first day of third grade and spend another day without her yoga mat in the Big Brother house. If she is evicted she is going pass the jury house, not collect $200 and go right home. This causes Helen to break down because if she is not there she loses a vote in the final two. Woah, woah, woah. We are getting a little ahead of ourselves aren’t we Helen? As Helen sobs all over the house about this it does paint Elissa in a bad light. However it does the exact same for Helen. McCrae points out she already assumes she is going straight to the end already, which he finds absurd. Spencer however just says Elissa is having a bad day but others don’t see it that way. “Rachel would be mad” about Elissa’s behavior and now she is an “embarrassment for her household.” The best line? GinaMarie telling Spencer it is not a bad day because she didn’t die or get hit by a bus! Very true GinaMarie! You are right about that!

After the houseguests are trapped in the dark where Amanda gets a giant blow (of air) to the face in a cheap simple Have-Not competition Helen and Elissa are put up on the block by Amanda Aaryn. But Helen isn’t too worried because she has Andy and McCrae to help back her up. Umm… Helen this is a completely fake alliance. You are not a member of 3 AM or any other time-themed alliance in the house.

Now for the classic “Otev” veto-competition. Now excuse me as I try to talk and figure this one out. For some reason Otev is a giant beaver that is crying because he supposedly wrote a bunch of love letters for the houseguests. Why a beaver? What does that have to do with Big Brother? Can a beaver write letters? Why did the beaver write extras for each forcing each contestant to find the same exact one? Is he sending multiple copies out of each one? Why am I trying to find logic in a Big Brother competition? Elissa ends up winning the completely well-reasoned challenge and proves she “is here to stay.” Well a few days ago you were ready to go home over a missing yoga mat so…

Amanda spills the beans to Elissa that it is Helen going home this week and that there is nothing she can do to stop it and if she does it is her leaving instead. Elissa tries to secretly come clean to Helen by giving hints, as she literally cleans the bathroom, about Amanda’s plan. However Amanda may have counted her McChickens (see what I did there) before they hatched.

Aaryn comes clean about the wine incident in week one and they all joke around about this event so far in the past. As Amanda says what she did, Aaryn is put off by how “rude and bitchy” she was. A fight ensues which leads Aaryn to see how she has been playing Amanda’s game getting Howard out and trying to evict Helen this week. She is ready to plan her own game.

However all this was for nothing as Spencer is put on the block replacing Elissa as she takes herself off.  Aaryn says she is doing this because she is being forced into a corner. While she may not playing her own game by doing this she is keeping her hands pretty clean. She has won four HOHs and a veto already yet she is hardly a target from week to week!

Before Helen packs up her bags to leave, she has a few more moves to try. She tries pressuring Andy to vote for her to stay and if he doesn’t and “sides” with McCranda instead then Elissa, GinaMarie, and Aaryn all have him as a target next week. While Helen is working her magic inside the Big Brother house, at the jury house Candice, Judd, and Jessie are getting ready to possibly reenter the house themselves. For the record I am angry that Big Brother did not sequester them individually and not allow them to conspire with each other like this. In the end though there is no use crying like a giant Big Brother beaver about it.

As Andy sits there speechless that Helen (the person he just backstabbed) could re-enter the house, the doorbell rings and they all emerge to compete in one giant HOH challenge. Playing alongside the houseguests the jury members are also competing for their right to re-enter the Big Brother house. Houseguests have to stand on a ledge catching ten balls as they are sprayed with hoses. While I question how these balls are equally reaching the houseguests at the same height, who may be throwing them, and at what various speeds they are reaching the players I’ll have to wait until next week to find out these big questions. As for the questions that actually matter like who will take the HOH crown and which juror will re-enter the house only time will tell!

In and Out Points:

While there has been some terrible opening lines this season the editors have used some great footage at the end during the credits. Between the absurd idea of David playing chess, GinaMarie crumping and Spencer playing chess alone they are finding some great b-roll!

This whole three nominations and MVP twist was supposed to eliminate floaters this season but it looks like it only made more. Maybe the houseguests are too scared to make big moves against someone America loves or make big moves in the house to stand out among the players and become one of three nominees. Either way it looks like it was not that well thought out!

Helen says to Andy that America is watching so he needs to align with the good people and get out the bad. Who is she to assume she is a member of the good? While she is right, the other people on her side are certainly not great but then again nobody is!

Jessie tells Candice and Judd she went out guns blazing. Jessie, from what we saw it was more like a water pistol.

And the winner for the worst time to mute during a live broadcast? When Julie explains the HOH competition and says “there is ______ in the sprinkler system.” Much like where did Clownie run off to, the world may never know.

Who do you think will win the HOH competition and who will re-enter the house? Are you hoping Helen can make a quick turn around and rejoin the game? But first, what item are you searching around your house for at 4 AM in the dark? Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly!

Movie News: Affleck is Batman Now.

Photo Credit Link

DA- Attention Gotham City. You have a new dark knight! It looks like director/writer/producer/actor Ben Affleck has sold the Daredevil suit and is ready to be the hero we deserve but not the one we needs as the latest Batman crusader!

Warner Bros. announced hours ago that Affleck will star alongside Henry "Superman" Cavill in the Man of Steel sequel they may pit these two legendary heros against each other. Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel, 300, and Watchmen among others, will be returning to direct this still untitled sequel.

While Affleck's Bruce Wayne will be "an entirely new incarnation of the character" fans should not worry. I am sure that this embodiment will be the same hero we have loved in the thousands of comic books, movies, television programs, video games, and action figures.

So...how do you like them apples? Is Affleck a good choice to take on the character? Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly.

TV Review: Big Brother 15: "Week Seven"

DA- Boy do we have a lot to cover. Even though there has been a lack of shake-ups or power shifts this season, there is still a lot of drama inside the Big Brother house. Much like the season and the lack of explosions we have seen this drama is often drama for just the sake of it. What do I mean? Read on…

We have to go all the way back to when Candice was voted out last week to see how GinaMarie was somehow even more rude then we thought she was. While I thought it could not get any worse than saying to someone who was adopted “at least my mom likes me” GinaMarie tops herself by saying Candice’s mom “doesn’t even want her.” Candice on the other hand does not get off Scott-free. She does take a crack at GinaMarie’s color contacts, how she still lives with her parents, and her eating disorder. While Candice leaves, the house is stuck with GinaMarie and Aaryn is worried that GinaMarie’s actions will hurt her game and make her look bad. Oh, honey!

On a much sadder note it was painful to see Judd pleading for his safety during the deleted scenes from last week’s double eviction episode. What’s even sadder? He left because people thought he was the stupid MVP. It is just another stupid twist ruining the game for somebody else. I would link to an example but where do I begin? Eric Stein being forced to do America’s actions as America’s player and thus not being able to play his own game? Big Brother 13’s Pandora’s box which reinstated the duos twist for just the week that the HoH was targeting production favorites’ Rachel and Jordan? The list goes on and on.

But we have to move on and it is time to see some action. Andy is ready. He would love to “win so people know [he] is here to play.” Hey week seven is a perfect time as any to start. Andy is true to his word and wins a HOH competition where the goal is to land a cherry ball into a very small container at the end of a moveable banana board. While everyone loves that Andy has won because he is friends with everybody (which was perfectly shown by an edited package of diary room confessions) this could be disastrous for future weeks. Now Andy has to actually choose a side instead of playing both of them unless he takes the easy way out and just puts up someone like Jessie up. This is Andy after all so I won’t be surprised if he does just that.

 The big drama however is between McCranda, Amancrea, or whatever everyone is calling McCrae and Amanda. During the competition Amanda has a diary room confession saying how she hopes McCrae lets her win or they are banana-splitting up. That’s funny. Too bad you can’t laugh at your joke when he actually doesn’t let you win. She cries and complains that Jeff threw it for Jordan and Brendon threw it for Rachel! McCrae however did not want people to think he was being controlled. Shut up Amanda! Not only does whining make you look terrible but if McCrae wants to win HOH and get all the blood on his hands (leaving you without getting anyone mad) let him! But Amanda hopes this outburst doesn’t “draw attention” to her. Did Big Brother just cast at an elementary school this year? In the end Amanda can dry her tears because it is Spencer and Jessie on the block this week.

For some reason everyone wants Jessie out instead of a real threat like the two power couples (Helen/Elissa and McCrae/Amanda). Every week the “big threat” is someone like Candice, Judd, or Jessie. Am I missing something here? How about Aaryn who keeps winning challenges? But hey what do I know!

Speaking of Aaryn she made a positive game move this week by attaching herself to Andy, Amanda, and McCrae in the new alliance “3 A.M.” which is way better and easier to say than the long original idea of “Three A’s and the McCrae.” To stop Helen from possibly putting Amanda and McCrae up at the same time they come up with a great idea to make a fake alliance with her. This threesome of Andy, McCrae, and Helen is easily sold and not because of Andy’s poker face (or lack there of).

Helen unfortunately buys it but to make sure the sale doesn’t get returned they all decide to throw the veto competition so Helen wins. Even though she could easily change the nominations and put Amanda up they are hoping this bargaining chip establishes trust for the group. But how can you throw a competition you don’t even know is coming? Well somehow every contestant figures out the exact type of challenge before it happens. Since it is a counting challenge they all decide to fold so it would only be between Jessie and Helen. However after counting nearly 468 bats in the first round and other random objects Jessie is throwing it too! Helen has racked up two tickets and only needs one more.

Spencer is worried though. He is on the block after all, so for some reason he starts trying in round three and actually eliminates Helen in the process. In the end it is between Andy, Spencer, and Elissa. Well actually Elissa is not even in contention after she folds in the last round, which makes no sense. You only fold if you are not sure of the guess so you can go to the next round and try again. But if it is the last round and everyone is tied you try and guess anyways because you have a 1 in 3 shot to win! Andy wins and even though Spencer gives a convincing argument during the veto ceremony (Andy “you haven’t done anything intelligent all week so why start now?”) both nominees stay on the block.

Jessie is paranoid that she is just being told she is not the real target and she is right. In a last ditch effort she tries to tell how Helen did consider trying to backstab Amanda and asked Jessie to get on board. Helen doesn’t remember saying this but thankfully the editors of Big Brother do and have the clip to prove it! Unfortunately this move does not work for Jessie and she overhears the group discussing how she is going home. Jessie is done with everyone now and that includes Andy so don’t bother trying to comfort her now buddy! He asks what she heard and Jessie (smartly) replies you tell me what you think I heard (just in case there is more to the story she didn’t hear to begin with).

But before Jessie goes home she starts up some of the most confusing drama this season of Big Brother has seen! She tells GinaMarie that Aaryn talks about her all the time. Later GinaMarie tells Aaryn just but since there are no specifics this is not considered rude to her. Aaryn says just by saying that to begin with is completely rude! Thus begins a fight over if saying that someone talks behind someone’s back is rude or not. Keep in mind this is not a fight over what was actually said! GinaMarie wakes everyone up to settle this argument that does not involve anyone else by yelling to everyone that Aaryn is “yelling” at her. Talk about irony!

Despite this new conflict it is still Jessie that goes home in ANOTHER unanimous vote. As soon she exits the door we are treated to an HOH competition where contestants have to buzz in with the answer of what type of competition it was after hearing a poorly made song with lyrics about the event. After some anxious houseguests hitting their button over and over they realize that Big Brother went to all this trouble making the songs and by golly we are going to hear them in their entirety.

After McCrae clearly throws it to Amanda this week, Aaryn wins her third HOH in a row? What’s that Aaryn? I pulled a Julie and did not get my facts right? Your fourth HOH?! Wow and including your veto win that means you have won five competitions this season! How come nobody else sees you as a threat yet Jessie who only won a veto by default and Candice who never won a challenge had to go home sooner?

Next week Julie teases that production is going to intervene and allow a juror to reenter the house by a competition. While this will allow floaters like Judd, Candice, and Jessie to re-enter, I think the person to watch for will be whoever gets evicted this week because if it is a power player like Amanda and Helen, the sparks are going to fly!

In and Out Points:

- Editors, can you please go back to choosing interesting quotes to start the episode with? This used to be my favorite part and now we are treated to a sobbing Andy hugging McCrae, McCrae jumping on to a table, or Andy being attacked by a bird. Give me a good old-fashioned zing!

- While normally Julie likes to update the houseguests on celebrity births, this week Julie asks a hard-hitting question from a complete nobody on Twitter. How come there haven’t been any big moves this season? Oh burn! How much do you want to bet it was one of the producers tweeting this in trying to get the houseguests to actually play the game?

- Why does everyone celebrate after seeing someone they are targeting be eliminated from the veto competition? I understand you are happy but you are trying to trick Jessie that she is safe and is a pawn. Stop smiling and celebrating when she is eliminated! If I was her I would glance at the audience during the competition to see people’s real reactions so I knew my accurate fate.

- There is a mini-controversy over Amanda and Aaryn’s use of adderall in the house. While it is supposedly used for their ADHD many see this mini-version of speed an advantage in the challenges. Even though Amanda has not won a competition this season, Aaryn is dominating the field. But who are the two people most upset about this? Amanda and Aaryn. Both think the other is faking and doesn’t need it like they themselves actually do. Ahh, this is the drama we expect don’t we?

Who do you want to see re-enter the house? Who do you think Aaryn will nominate for eviction? But first, are you like Spencer and feel like a candy bar at a fat camp with everyone around licking their lips? Let me know in the comments below or @eastwoodmcfly!

TV Review: Whodunnit? 108: "Frost Nixin"

DA- Now I have a new theory. No not about who the killer is but something even more important. Whodunnit? is…Breaking Bad! Don’t believe me? What does Breaking Bad and Whodunnit? have in common? Both air Sunday nights at 9 PM. Neither has won an Emmy for outstanding series in their perspective categories. Both deal with death on a weekly basis. But the most important piece of evidence both of these television programs include something that starts with a “rice” and ends with “-icn.” Icing? Interesting transition to…

Ronnie who was catapulted out of the hot tub to the pool, which somehow has ice chunks scattered around him. Exactly how did Ronnie end up floating in a pool? No, it has nothing to do with a trained monkey this week. To figure it all out this week four rooms are involved in the investigation but with exactly four investigators how we will decide who goes where? Let’s stab some blocks of ice in a challenge that clearly favors strength and power. Unsurprisingly the sole male contestant Kam wins and gets to head the mystery room (which is the attic) as well as spend three minutes in a room of his choosing (which turns out to be the last known whereabouts).

The other three contestants now have to choose where they will go but they all must go to a different room. Kam’s team asks Melina, who is all by herself, which room she wants and she chooses the last known whereabouts. Instantly Lindsey also wants that room but Melina does not want to budge. Kam says she has to and just because she said it louder than Lindsey doesn’t mean it is all her choice. Actually Kam I saw the whole thing you asked what she wanted and she decided so boo-hoo for you!

Giles settles any disagreement as any good butler would by providing three envelopes to the three girls. As luck would have it sends Lindsey to the last known whereabouts anyways. Melina gets to visit the morgue as Cris examines the crime scene. After Cris is confused by how the drink next to a hot tub could freeze, she wishes she picked the morgue but Melina “screwed” her out of that! Wait! What? Am I missing something here?

As for Kam’s advantage, in my opinion, it was actually a disadvantage. Sure he got to see Ronnie doze off and then explode from the hot tub to the pool on some surveillance footage but so what? This could have been figured out later. To top it off because he got this room he only had three minutes to explore another room making it hard to find any details in any one room alone.

After everyone left their respective areas, Melina requests their help and asks them if they are ready to play the game now and not be cowards to pick on the lone ranger. Kam does have to remind her that at one point this 3-1 split was a 6-3 split with him the minority against her! However in a perfect bluff Melina does not even need their info anyways after she accurately guesses out of nowhere very specific and detailed information about each of their rooms. Hmm…I wonder how she knows that unless she was in each room… planning to kill Ronnie!

Next it was time for the riddle and this week it looked like they wanted to make a huge mess for the production assistants and interns to clean up. First, let’s blow up a giant vat of ping-pong balls that will make them go everywhere outside. These balls then lead them to the kitchen where they have to search through a giant barrel of beans. Beans are going everywhere! Good luck getting them from behind the fridge! Inside the bean barrel is a word search that would lead them to the next location. While Melina wants to completely solve the word search before she searches any room, everyone else decides to do one at a time because this is a speed round after all. Finally, we make it to the pool equipment where Kam finds that liquid nitrogen was used in the hot tub to help propel Ronnie high into the air.

But like the audience the contestants do not have every single detail about how exactly Ronnie died. In the end it was a long, long process. The killer saw that Ronnie went to the library to write a letter to Giles “spilling the beans” about who the killer is. See what I did there? You know with the riddle round and the spilling of literal beans? Now I am confused. How does the guy who had the least amount of information last week and thought a trained monkey was involved, all of the sudden know who the killer is? Umm…don’t ask me!

Anyways, the killer decides to send a maid to deliver a tea set with powdered cream spiked with ricin, which as we all know thanks to Breaking Bad is extremely toxic. Why does someone choose to put powder cream in their tea when most people use it in coffee? Umm…again, don’t ask me!

Ronnie then brought his tea to the hot tub, which would be filled with liquid nitrogen when the timer went off. Somehow the heated water magnified the effects of the ricin, which again because of the science I learned from Breaking Bad normally takes three days to work. When the timer goes off the liquid nitrogen reacts and blasts Ronnie’s hot body (due to the ricin) into the pool, which also freezes him at the same time. Man! How come the killer never just shoots anyone and calls it a day?

After Melina and Lindsey are “scared” this is where the episode gets even more unusual then normal. The next day Lindsey sneaks up on the group laughing and giggling as though she was drunk. I was almost sure that it was Lindsey under some sort of gas making her act loopy and that her time was dwindling. However, they all are treated instead to a limo ride and are given gifts which Lindsey thinks is a bomb. Hey Lindsey, if the killer is one of the four and gave you a bomb all of you would die and thus the show would be over for not only the audience but also the killer. A better guess would be if the box had a trained monkey inside. Sorry Ronnie, I’m not letting this go.

Next thing we know the limo does a crazy U-turn and heads back to the house. Who is even driving the limo? Giles? Nope! He is now being held hostage in a scheme that looks right out of a comic book! Out of nowhere fog overtakes the room and Melina is gone! Is she dead? Is she the killer and is fleeing? Are those dancing zombies of previous contestants that are coming back? WHAT IS GOING ON? For a fun and cheesy summer reality show that is pretty crazy cliffhanger you just gave us. Who do you think you are…Breaking Bad?!

In and Out Points:

- When Lindsey is looking at the fake ricin in the last known whereabouts, was she told she could not try it by production? Sure while it is not actually ricin many detectives would often try a taste of substances they find to see what they are working with. What would happen if in the scope of the show she did take a lick?

- Melina is eavesdropping on Kam’s team after he solves the riddle. Originally I thought this was production’s way of allowing her to survive the week (because I think she is the killer and the killer can’t be killed). This way it could be argued her score with Lindsey was close to the same so for the audience it would not be a huge shock if Melina survived over Lindsey this week. But then production threw us a curve ball anyways so why am I even looking into this theory…

- Giles points out that Cris has never been “scared.” I think this was a way to raise suspicion that she is the possible killer to the audience but I don’t buy it. I think this is a classic misdirect to take the attention off of the other contestants who actually have been “scared.” If I was the killer I would “scare” myself to help take the target off of myself!

- There is some more evidence online that is leading to Melina as the killer. While this could just be a weird happenstance and not an actual clue, look at this. Most criminals and killers wear masks and which one of the four has a type of “mask” on? Conspiracy theory!!

So who is the killer? Who is going to take the golden knife or whatever the Whodunnit? winner receives along with the quarter of a million dollars? But most importantly, why is the prize money for a show about stopping a serial killer less than the prize for a show about mean people sitting around in a house for 100 days? Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly.

Music News: Katy Perry Stole a Song and She Liked It

DA- Attention Katy Perry fans! Two days before “Roar” (her first single from her upcoming album “Prism”) was supposed to premiere the song has leaked early thanks to a possible “mistake” on the Internet.

However, many people could argue they heard “Roar” way before today. No, not from stealing Doc Brown’s time machine and traveling ahead in time but from already hearing Sara Bareilles’ lead single “Brave” which premiered back on April 23rd. Listen below and judge for yourself.

In a case similar to the “Born This Way”/”Express Yourself” controversy of 2011, these songs sound pretty identical. Now perhaps Katy Perry made an honest mistake and somehow never heard of Bareilles’ song. I mean she must have been pretty busy working on said album during the song’s rise to #11 on Billboard’s chart of adult pop songs and #61 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Oh wait…

Photo courtesy of Oh No They Didn't!

Yeah. This isn’t good. Maybe Perry is simply “sampling” Bareilles and has her and everyone who worked on “Brave” on board. While no comment has been made yet it will be interesting to see how Team Perry plays this one out. Stay tuned.