Following an equal amount of singles and album delays, Joyner Lucas shared his sophomore album, ADHD. The 18-track effort saw appearances from Young Thug, Timbaland, Logic, Fabolous, and more, but one of its standout records came thanks to an equally standout visual. Dropping “Will” days before the album’s arrival, Lucas paired the single’s with a visual that found himself in Will Smith’s shoes — his film shoes at least. Reenacting scenes from Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Pursuit Of Happiness, Bad Boys, Men In Black, and more, the video was a warm way to honor the legendary actor.
A month removed from meeting for the first time ever over a zoom call, where they both watched the “Will” video, Smith and Lucas have decided to add a new chapter to their story with a remix of “Will.” Kicking off with Lucas leading the way, Smith steps into the spotlight and grabs the mic to lay off a verse of his own where he reminds listeners of his hip-hop past, one that came “back before there was streaming sales,” Smith raps. “Way before all the iTunes and the fans had to get CDs still.”
Soon after the video’s inital release, Will Smith would praise Lucas for the video saying, “I am humbled and honored. One of the lines in there, you say, ‘You inspire people and you don’t even know it.’ It has been my intention from day one to into the world and just put positive energy and to be able to use my creation to inspire and elevate and empower. I just love what you’ve done — it’s creative… Hope to meet you one day.”
Press play on the remix is above.
ADHD is out now via Twenty Nine Music Group. Get it here.
Despite their lengthy time and popularity in hip-hop, Future and Travis Scott have brought their talents together on just a few occasions. The first came in 2015 with Travis’ “3500,” which also appeared on his debut album, Rodeo. Nearly four years later, the two would reunite this time on Future’s behalf thanks to “First Off” from his The Wzrd album. Getting back to work for a second consecutive year, Future and Travis work their magic once again on Future’s newly released album, High Off Life.
Dedicated to their beloved flashy diamonds, Future and Travis Scott’s “Solitaires” finds them thriving off their chemistry once again. Laying down a dark hook, Future slides through with a pep in his step for his first verse. Laying down a verse of his own, Travis Scott comes through with some thoughts of his own before going back and forth with the ATL rap star. The track arrives hours after Future had fans go one a scavenger hunt through 149 websites to his “All Bad” collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert, which will also appear on High Off Life.
In addition to “Solitaires,” High Off Life comes equipped with 21 songs in total and features from Drake, Meek Mill, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, DaBaby and more.
After sharing their own projects in 2020, Trippie Redd and PartyNextDoor have joined forces for their new single, “Excitement.” The single arrives after Trippie Redd shared the deluxe version of his 2019 album, A Love Letter To You 4. The revamped release features eight new songs with help from Chance The Rapper, Young Thug, and more. On the other hand, “Excitement” follows PartyNextDoor’s PartyMobile album, one that arrived nearly three years after his last project, as well as a guest appearance on DVSN’s recent album, A Muse In Her Feelings.
Uptempo in nature, “Excitement” comes through as an ideal track for a daytime drive as the production eases its way to the track’s climax. With PartyNextDoor stepping to the mic first, Trippie emerges soon after belting the lyrics to his own verse. Showing appreciation to the significant other in their lives as well as their physique, Trippie continues to shower his love with praise while pleading with her to join him in seeing a new side of life. To close out the track, PartyNextDoor returns with a reminder that it is more than their bedroom magic that keeps him around.
The new song also arrives after Trippie Redd shared a video for his Young Thug collaboration, “Yell Oh.” The video found the two rappers fleeing from their enemies.
Press play on the video above to hear “Excitement.”
PartyNextDoor is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Knowing how to competently talk about whiskey is tough. Enough that it creates a barrier for many lovers of the brown stuff. There are just so many damn words to learn that it almost feels like you have to go back to school to get a grip on them. On top of that, different cultures sometimes have completely different terms for the same thing, adding a layer of confusion.
With World Whiskey Day coming up, we decided to cut through as much of the bullshit as possible by compiling a comprehensive A-Z list of whiskey-related terms. If they’re not here, you probably don’t need to know them. We have, however, tried to shy away from the super-scientific words — they’re just too inside baseball unless you’re an actual distiller. Yes, there are a few science-y words on this list, but that’s simply because try-hard whiskey aficionados like to toss them around (feel free to roll your eyes at them when they do).
Hopefully, this whiskey 101 guide will help you understand the vernacular of the whiskey world. It should also give you a few pointers on the process involved in making whiskey and even tasting it. If you have any local whiskey slang to add, please sound off in the comments!
Barley — The main grain used in most non-U.S. whiskies.
C
Congeners
A scientific term that gets thrown around a lot. They refer to the chemical compounds — like esters — that survive the distillation process and carry certain tastes into the unaged spirit.
Other terms to know:
Cut (Heart) — The middle section of the spirit (between the foreshot and feint) coming off stills that actually goes into the barrels.
Cask — An oak barrel used for aging.
Cooper — The barrel maker.
Cooperage — Where barrels are made.
Charring — Blasting the inside of a barrel with fire to create char.
Char — The fire-burnt inside of a barrel, varies in depth from (generally) one to five with five being a heavy char.
Chill Filtration — A cooling process that removes substances that tend to cloud whiskey expressions when it gets cold.
Column Still — Also called a Coffey Still, using continuous and mechanized distillation.
Condensation — What happens when the distilled vapors are turned back into liquid via cooling.
Cask Strength — Whiskey bottled directly from the cask without meddling.
The organic residue left from the grains and cereals after the mashing that’s later dried and sold as animal feed.
Other terms to know:
Dram — Whiskey glass, usually from Scotland. Or, as our Vince Mancini says, “a shot that studied abroad.”
Dusties — Old bottles that are sitting untouched in collectors’ cellars.
Drum Malting — The process of germinating raw barley in large drums with local water and constant churning to create malt.
Distillation — The process of turning the “beer” or “mash” into clear spirit or alcohol.
Doubler — A type of pot still for second distillation that amps up the ABV.
E
Expression
A specific varietal from a single distillery or blender. These can vary by aging (time or process), blending, barrel selection (location of the barrel in the Brickhouse or unique barreling technique), or different mash bills.
Other terms to know:
Ethanol — This is what alcohol actually is, chemically (C2H5OH).
Esters — A chemical compound by-product of distillation that carries flavors into the spirit.
“E” — The “e” in the term “whiskey” from Ireland and the United States compared to “whisky” from the rest of the world.
Getty Image
F
Fake Tan
Whiskey that’s been colored by artificial agents or caramel.
Other terms to know:
Floor Malting — Very old-school method where the raw barley is soaked in water and then laid out on a floor to germinate into malts.
Fermentation — The process of turning malt grist, water, and yeast into the beer that’s the base for whiskey.
Foreshot (Heads) — The first part of the distillation that’s too rough to be barreled, so it’s often redistilled with the feints.
Feints (Tails) — The ends of the first distillation process, after the cut, that’s often mostly water and redistilled with the foreshots.
Filling — The act of filling barrels.
Finishing — Taking whiskey from a standard barrel and refilling it into another barrel to add more flavor and depth.
Flipper — Someone who buys high-end bottles and then resells them at a marked up price on the secondary market.
Finish — The lingering tastes and feelings of a whiskey.
G
Grist
The milled malt that then goes into a mash tun with water.
Other terms to know:
Green Barley — Germinated but un-dried barley malts.
Grain Whiskey — Often distilled with wheat and corn to be blended with a straight whiskey.
Glencairn — A classic whiskey tasting glass.
Glen — A narrow valley in Scotland.
H
Honey Barrel
In Kentucky parlance, this is the perfect barrel from the sweet spot of the rickhouse that’s aged for the right amount of time that almost magically (read: luck) makes the best-tasting barrel of bourbon.
Other terms to know:
High Wine — The spirit from the first distillation which is sent directly for a second distillation.
Honey Hole — A retailer that sells high-end bottles at average retail prices.
Islands — A regional designation for Scotch whisky. Unlike Islay whiskies, these expressions feature a wide range of flavor profiles.
Irish Whiskey — A triple distilled whiskey aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for at least three years.
J
Juice
A slang term for whiskey after it’s distilled and while it’s in the barrel or bottled.
Other terms to know:
Japanese Whisky — A malted barley whisky — blended and single malt — originally made to mimic Scotland’s whisky culture.
K
Kiln
The process and room where wet, germinated malt is dried with heat from various sources (peat smoke or dry air, etc.).
Other terms to know:
Kentuck Chew — The process of nosing, sipping, and tasting Kentucky Bourbon.
Kentucky Hug — The warm, lingering finish seen in many high-quality bourbon expressions.
L
Lyne Arm
The horizontal tube between a pot still and worm wherein the vapor starts turning back into a liquid.
Other terms to know:
Low Wines — The spirit created by the first distillation.
Loch — A Scottish lake.
Lowlands — A regional designation for Scotch whisky. Generally, light and mellow in flavor.
Lomond Still — A pot still that operates similarly to a Coffey Still that’s sometimes used in Scotland.
Legs — The streams inside a whiskey tasting glass that denotes age and alcohol content.
Lincoln County Process (Leaching) — The process in Tennessee wherein whiskey is filtered or mellowed with sugar maple charcoal.
Getty Image
M
Mash Bill
The mix of grains and cereal used to make the initial mash.
Other terms to know:
Malt — The grains or cereals that are germinated and then dried which become the base of the mash bill.
Mill — The machine that turns malts into grist.
Mash(ing) — The step where the grist (ground malt) is added to water with sugars before fermentation.
Mash Tun — The tank wherein the mashing happens.
Master Distiller — The person who oversees every step of the process of making whiskey.
Master Blender — The person who oversees the maturation, blending, and bottling of the whiskey.
Maturation — The process of aging whiskey in barrels.
Moonshine — An unaged whiskey made at an illegal still.
N
Neck
The top of a pot still that allows vapor to travel into the Lyne Arm.
Other terms to know:
New Make — Another term for White Dog or whiskey before it’s aged.
Noser — The person at the distillery or blendery who specifically noses the whiskey for quality control.
Nose — The smell of the whiskey when “nosing” the glass as you prepare to taste it.
O
Oxidization
This is what happens when air and congeners meet in the barrel and burn off the harsher edges of the spirit, allowing certain flavors — brought along by the sugar in the barrel’s wood — to take center stage.
P
Peat Monster
A whisk(e)y, often scotch, where the malts are kilned with heavy peat smoke which becomes the dominant taste in the finished product.
Other terms to know:
Peat — A bio-fuel from just below grassy sod used to dry wet malts after germination with its signature blue smoke.
Pot Still — A classic bulbous still.
Pagoda — The shape of a kiln room roof which allows for ventilation (archaic).
Purifier — A device attached to the Lyne Arm to trap harsher alcohol and redirect it for redistillation.
Phenols — The chemical compounds released in peat smoke that enter the malts.
PPM — The “theoretical” Parts Per Million of phenols in peaty whisky.
Proof — Twice the ABV.
Poitín — An unaged (white) Irish whiskey.
Palate — The taste of the whiskey.
Q
Quaich
An ancient wooden whiskey-drinking vessel with handles on either side. Originally fom Scotland.
R
Rickhouse
A storage building for barrels of whiskey (mainly U.S.).
Other terms to know:
Rye — In Canada, the umbrella term for all whisky. In the U.S., a whiskey made with a rye-dominate mash bill and aged in new American oak.
Reflux — The recondensed spirit that doesn’t make it to the Lyne Arm and falls back into the still for redistillation.
Rare — Whiskey either produced in non-standard batches or from a shuttered distillery or brand.
Refill — A reused cask or barrel.
Run — The spirit that passes from the still into the spirit safe.
Getty Image
S
Spirit Safe
A brass-framed, glass box where the spirit flows (directly from the spirit still) for testing by the master distiller for quality.
Other “S” terms to know:
Spirit Still — A secondary, smaller still for additional distillations.
Spirit — The unaged alcohol made via distilling.
Sherry Butt — An oak barrel from Jerez, Spain that once held sherry.
Shell Condenser — The tube around the Lyne Arm where water is pumped in to cool the arm.
Steep — The process of soaking grains in water to start germination.
Saladin Box — A method for drying germinated barley in a box with a perforated bottom where hot air is pumped through.
Speyside — A regional designation for Scotch whisky. Typically either light, smooth sippers or rich and sweeter.
Single Malt — A whisky made at a single distillery during a single season with malted barley.
Single Grain — A whiskey made from a single grain other than barley at a single distillery.
Single Pot — An Irish whiskey made from unmalted and malted barley in a pot still at a single distillery.
Single Estate — When all the grains come from a single farm.
Straight Whiskey — A bourbon, rye, or Tennessee whiskey that has to spend at least two years aging and barreled below 62.5 percent ABV.
Small Batch — The process of blending a few choice barrels from a single distillation at a single distillery.
Singel Barrel — The process of bottling a choice whiskey directly from a single barrel with no additives or filtration.
Scotch — A whisky, blended or otherwise, from Scotland.
Spent Lees — The residue left in a still after distillation, waste.
Sláinte — The Scot-Irish Gaelic term for “health” a la “cheers!” when toasting.
T
Tater
A whiskey hypebeast who chases high-end bottles but rarely knows what they’re talking about.
Other terms to know:
Tennessee Whiskey — A type of whiskey from Tennessee with a corn-focused mash bill that’s filtered through sugar maple charcoal and aged in new American oak.
Toasted Barrel — A barrel that’s been air-dried before either charring or filling.
U
Uisce Beatha
Also, Uisge Beatha in Scottish-Gaelic, the original term for “whisky” which is a local translation of aqua vitae, or water of life.
Other terms to know:
Unicorn — A very hard-to-find and much-sought-after bottle of whiskey.
Underback — The vessel wherein the mash passes from the mash tun to the washback and cools before fermentation.
V
Vatted Malt
A whisky that is blended from two or more single malts with no other grain whiskies involved.
Other terms to know:
Viscosity — Denotes a thicker whiskey with more defined legs in the glass.
Getty Image
W
White Dog
An unaged (or barely aged) American whiskey, often distilled with a high-corn mash bill.
Other terms to know:
Wort (Mash) — The sugar-loaded liquid from the mash tun.
Washback — The fermentation tank where yeast is added to the wort from the mash tun.
Worm — The coiled tubes that run off a still through a water vat to cool the vapor back into a liquid.
Warehouse — A storage building for barrels full of whiskey.
Wash Still — The first and larger still for distillation.
Worm Tub — The wooden vat the holds the coils after the Lyne Arm that’s filled with water to help the condensation process.
Whiskey Thief — A long brass tube used to taste test whiskey from the barrel.
White Lightning — A form of moonshine.
X
X Waters
An archaic term for Irish whiskey that was originally called “Strong Waters” which became X waters.
Other terms to know:
XXX — Tripled distilled moonshine or whiskey.
Y
Yield
The amount of alcohol that one ton of malt can, well, yield.
Other terms to know:
Yeast — The live fungi that eat sugars to create alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation.
Z
Zymurgy
The study of fermentation in brewing, winemaking, and distilling.
Top Chef All-Stars LA was back this week, taking the chefs to the mountains “a few hours outside of Los Angeles” (was it Big Bear? why can’t we just say Big Bear?) for a Summer Camp challenge. That meant ziplines, tents, campfires, and Padma wearing some hilariously fashion-y boots inspired by some abstract idea of rustic life.
NBC Universal
Hold up, are those side pockets? Dammit, mom, I told you not to throw out my cargo pants!
But before they got to play horseshoes and make s’mores, the chefs were forced to roll that beautiful bean footage, for a bean-based challenge sponsored by, who else, Bush’s baked beans. Last season’s winner, Kelsey Barnard Clark was there to guest judge. Apparently the talking golden retriever had a prior engagement. On the one hand, ugh, another product placement-driven challenge. On the other, creating a dish where beans are the main course in 30 minutes using canned beans is hard as shit.
This challenge also dredged up some painful memories for yours truly, as last week my fiancée and I got into a heated argument over whether the correct lyrics were “beans beans the musical fruit… (me)” or “beans beans the magical fruit… (her).” It’s true, I can often sound like a know-it-all in arguments (making it not especially fun to argue with me), but in my defense, it’s hard not to sound like a know-it-all when you are clearly correct. It’s musical fruit, because the more you eat, the more you toot. As in, the sound a horn makes. Ie, music. If it was magical fruit, the more you ate, the more you’d… I dunno, pull rabbits out of hats or grow magical beanstalks and cuckold giants or whatever. Am I in the wrong here?! I FEEL LIKE I’M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!
Anyway, the contestants did some impressive bean work, though I couldn’t believe no one pointed out the flaw in eating seven bean dishes the same day you travel from sea level to the mountains. Poor Padma was probably all farty and bloated that entire weekend.
Paramount Pictures
Maybe they were trying to amp up the drama by filling the contestants full of beans, taking them to the mountains, and sticking them in a small room together. Magical Elves? More like Machiavellian Elves! (Magical Elves is the production company that makes Top Chef, FYI). Anyway, say what you will about beans, it kept anyone from making another crudo.
Incredibly, not a single second of fart-based drama made the final cut. Maybe that was part of Bush’s product placement rider. Instead, the contestants packed off for a day of Summer camp fun followed by an early morning challenge of every chef’s nightmare scenario: Cooking brunch for 400 hungover moms. To make matters worse, it was to be served buffet-style, with two dishes per chef, using only whatever ingredients the camp actually had available (to be guest judged by season 15 winner Brooke Williamson, aka Biscuits).
Before the chefs set off on their goof-off tour, Padma urged them “don’t break a thumb” in a way that sounded suspiciously more like a hex than a word of caution. “Nice opposable digits you got there. Be a shame if something happened to them.”
After a night in which 400 drunken Karens singing karaoke downstairs kept the chefs from getting much sleep, it came time to divvy up ingredients and plan a menu. Only then did the chefs find out how few ingredients there actually were. They only had enough eggs for two of the chefs to plan eggs as a main, but halfway through prep both of those chefs abandoned the egg component of their dishes. (Admittedly there are few things harder than trying to make eggs to order for 400 people).
No egg dishes at a buffet brunch?!? Damn, I would’ve burned that place to the ground. Incredibly, the karaoke Karens didn’t say a thing. Maybe we’ve been wrong about Karens? Or we were right all along, and all you have to do is distract them with a mimosa and a Voltaggio sighting.
POWER RANKINGS
7. (even) ((Eliminated)) Lee Anne Wong
NBC Universal
AKA: Frazzle. Aka Loud Mom. Aka 911. Aka The Teflon Wong. Aka Chefzilla. Aka Steamy Ray Vaughn.
I have a slightly softer spot for Lee Anne after eating her food and being very impressed, but what we all assumed was inevitable from episode one or two on this season finally happened: Lee Anne has been eliminated. RIP Teflon Wong, some bad food finally stuck to her.
Not right away though. First, Lee Anne made a bean empanada that actually won her the quickfire. She received $10 grand but no immunity. She also had a top-three finish in the last quickfire, believe it or not, in the episode before last. But as they say, that and 99 cents will get you two tacos at Jack in the Box. For the brunch, Lee Anne planned a Cinnamon Roll donut and a berry clafoutis — which I’ve since learned is basically a giant baked pancake-cum-coffee cake. This was designed to save Lee Anne the hassle of trying to serve pancakes to order. The ol’ casserole dodge.
Those dishes didn’t sound half bad, but Lee Anne unfortunately failed to notice that the oven was set to 100% steam. And thus her plan for fruity clafoutis turned into a Steamy Ray Vaughn.
Comedy Central
It might’ve been fine if her donut had measured up, but instead, everyone said it was dense and bad. I don’t know why people try to get so fancy with donuts, making it out of cinnamon roll or red velvet or putting fruit loops on top like at Voodoo Donuts. Just fry some goddamn dough and get out of the way! Donuts are perfect the way they are. You think Krispy Kreme made a billion dollars because their donuts were fancy? They got rich because their donuts were donuts.
In any case, Lee Anne is finally gone so we can get down to the nitty-gritty. I’m happy that I happened to catch her on a good day (her upside down cake was honestly life-changing and I don’t even like dessert) but she seemed to screw something up every week. My hunch says she wins Last Chance Kitchen and finds a way to return yet again, and then in the finale gets her foot run over by the production van or something. Then has to return next season.
6. (-1) Stephanie Cmar
NBC Universal
AKA: C-Monster. Aka Underdog. Aka C-Truffle.
Stephanie started the episode making excuses for why she couldn’t think of a bean dish (maybe the trees were out to get her like in The Happening?) which is never a good sign. Not that it’s easy to come up with a bean dish as a main course. She eventually came up with a bean hamburger, and promptly got busted down to the bottom three.
In the elimination challenge she cooked up a “breakfast salad,” which is apparently some kind of hash concoction with eggs and bacon and bread and cheese and stuff. Which earned her reviews like “this is like something I’d make for my toddler” and “it tastes much better than it looks.” Eh, I love a hearty dish that looks like throw up on a plate but tastes amazing, especially for breakfast, so I’m forced to respect it. It was also the only one of 14 dishes to include eggs so it probably saved them from a riot. She also made biscuits for the biscuit queen and got rave reviews.
All of which means… decent performance for C-Monster this week? So why do I still feel like she’ll be the next to go home?
Last week, the Leprechón shattered all expectations and looked like a frontrunner running the front of the house. This week, he returned to the middle of the pack. He began with a bean-bacon puree served with jalapeño, grilled underneath burning pine needles — a typically impish idea that didn’t win him any raves from the judges. In fact, Padma all but armpit farted at the very notion. Nonetheless, he stayed out of the bottom three.
Not so in the elimination challenge, where Shenanigans managed to monopolize the tomato sauce, half the eggs, the steak, and chorizo for a chorizo-shrimp stew that took two hours and still came out flavorless. This after he planned and then abandoned a shakshuka. Shakshuka sounded like a bad idea to begin with — I’ve never been to Isreal but it’s only ever been bland when I’ve had it. Plus, Kelsey landed on the bottom for it the last time it showed up on the show, when she tried to serve it to that finicky manlet of a country star. In the end, Squirrely ditched it and his chorizo stew turned out bland anyway.
Lucky for him, Shenanigans was saved by his other dish — steak with hollandaise sauce — which everyone loved. Still, the dude had half the ingredients in the pantry and managed to finish in the bottom three. Unless there’s another challenge that involves hypnotizing investors or conspicuously bare ankles it’s not looking great for Grandpa Fancy.
4. (+2) Karen Akunowicz
Nicole Weingart/Bravo
AKA: Good Witch. Aka Glenda. Aka Aunt Kitty. Aka Rosie The Triveter
Karen conceivably could’ve gone home last week if Big Kev hadn’t martyred himself for his failed plantation food scheme, but this week she totally redeemed herself. First she cooked up some top three beans (white beans and kale) and then she did it again in the elimination challenge with corn cakes and grits. I do love some corn for breakfast. She also proved Lee Anne’s worries misplaced when she easily made pancakes to order, and even gave appetizer cakes to the moms waiting in line. Moms love not having to wait for food.
I’d love to make a joke about Karen being at home cooking for a horde of Karens, but honestly, Karen isn’t very Karen for someone named Karen. She seems more like a Sarah or maybe a Melanie to me. Anyway, Karen is back to looking strong but just behind the favorites, which is basically where she’s been all season.
3. (even) Bryan Voltaggio
NBC Universal
AKA: Flatbill Dad. Aka Bry Voltage. Aka Kyle Shanahan. Aka Linkin Clark Griswold.Aka Family Bry.
Bry Guy is extremely Bry every week but this week took the cake. Has there ever been uttered on this show a phrase more dadly than “No beans about it, I want to win!”?
Simply incredible. A slow clap for that one. Family Bry Voltaggio belongs in the Dad Joke Hall Of Fame. Yet he landed in the bottom three of the quickfire yet again, for once again cooking a really good dish that didn’t fit the challenge. He made steak with beans, trying unsuccessfully to convince the judges that his bean marinade made the steak a bean component (how much can you even marinade in 30 minutes?).
Bry stayed on-brand in the elimination challenge, chuckling to himself as he said: “I love it when a plan comes together, ha ha ha!”
He gets a slight dad point reduction for not turning to the other contestants right after and saying “The A-Team! Come on!” A true dad identifies the source of his quotes.
In a mom-feeding challenge, a pure dad like Linkin Clark Griswold was obvious eye candy for the hungry horny moms, and he exploited this advantage — serving up some white tablecloth-worthy roasted carrots and a potato shallot cake with bacon (I made potato pancakes last week. Underrated food.). Potatoes and bacon? Yes, exactly. Of course, he ended up winning. I don’t know if this mean’s he’s turned it around for good, but it’s a good sign.
2. (even) Melissa King
NBC Universal
AKA: Zen Master. Aka Dimples. Aka Shutterstock.
Romaine? No, mane. Yes, it was a rough week for Melissa. She overreached in the quickfire, during which her bean dumpling didn’t quite come together. I would excuse it by saying a dumpling is an extremely high degree of difficulty in 30 minutes, but Lee Anne did win with a bean empanada.
Then in the elimination challenge, Melissa played it passive, choosing from the leftover ingredients. Which led her to the disastrous decision to make a damn romaine salad — looking barely dressed and garnished with sad grapefruit. Salad for breakfast? Oh hell naw. I don’t even want to see lettuce on the same plate as my eggs. You ever go to a breakfast place where they try to give you mixed greens with your eggs instead of potatoes? That’s a place I won’t be going back to. Couldn’t she have at least grilled the romaine? Melissa is the leafy green grilling master! I don’t get it.
Thank god she also made a ham congee that everyone seemed to like. Despite this bad performance, I’m chalking this episode up to Melissa being slightly too nice and keeping her at number two. Hopefully this will be an important lesson, a wake-up call to stop trying to make friends and start throwing elbows. Box those fuckers out, Melissa! You gonna let Shenanigans take all the beef? Hell no, that’s your beef. Beef is for closers. (Melissa, if you’re reading this please let me be your pump up guy).
Gregory opened and closed with a top-three finish. What else would you expect? The man is a magician. He cooked up a roasted mushroom and tomato dish that initially he was going to serve with an egg but ended up swapping it out for spinach. Spinach! That was a move that would’ve gotten any other contestant sent home but in Gregory’s hand almost got him the win. His other dish was… a damned fruit salad. Even Tom refused to “wax poetic about a fruit salad,” yet there Gregory was in the winner’s circle.
With eight episodes released and two more episodes to come, ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary is still generating a great deal of discussion, both during and after the program airs. Anticipation is exceptionally high for the climax on Sunday, May 17 but, if fans of Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls are still looking for more content after the marathon, 10-hour documentary concludes, the good folks at Disney are providing another hour of programming.
On Thursday, it was announced that ABC would air a prime-time special called After the Dance with Stephen A. Smith: A SportsCenter Special, and the follow-up program will hit the air on Tuesday, May 19 from 8-9 pm ET. While the 10-episode series primarily airs on ESPN in the United States, ABC makes logical sense for this kind of expansion and, in theory, it could open things up to a new audience under the network umbrella.
As far as the programming is concerned, Smith is arguably ESPN’s most high-profile on-air talent and he brings an audience by himself. In addition, Los Angeles Lakers legend and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is scheduled to appear and, even beyond that, the announcement teases “surprise appearances by other NBA legends.”
Though it is undeniably strange to have this kind of coverage of a documentary event under normal circumstances, The Last Dance is already driving the news cycle in a way that has never occurred in the sporting landscape. ESPN has enjoyed success with Scott Van Pelt anchoring SportsCenter immediately following the weekly airings and, while that is still scheduled to happen after the ninth and tenth installments air, Tuesday evening will have an all-new look and a new network home for the series.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
