Watching Rachael Ray

Monday
Hey, Can You Cook?!

The final three cooks in the competition head to a casino where they’re racing to make a meal fit for music superstar Michael Bublé! With tempers running hot, who will stay and who will hit the road? Then, Jarod’s back with new wild animals, and Rachael’s combining a Philly classic with the Sloppy Joe for one delicious supper!

Tuesday
Gayle King

We’re playing a little game of “Truth or Dare” with Gayle King, who’s talking about Oprah and the reality behind the tabloid rumors. She’s also bringing along their brand new cookbook, which you can enter for a chance to win! Then, it’s a wedding edition of “Splurge vs. Save” with unbelievable tips for planning the day of your dreams on a budget.

Wednesday
Patricia Heaton Sings?!

You know that Emmy winner Patricia Heaton is hysterical on TV, but did you know she could sing too? See what happens when she steps up to the mic! Then, Colby’s got one last chance to kick his snoring problem for good, and he’s giving our cameras complete access as he goes under the knife and then back to his bedroom … will it work?

Thursday
Supernanny Jo Frost

She dishes out tough love on her hit show, but now kids are turning the table to put Supernanny Jo Frost in the hot seat! Then, she’s got a huge surprise for a soon-to-be mom of three. Plus, Rachael’s getting chatty with Gossip Girl hottie Penn Badgley before she cooks up a simple chicken and potatoes dinner.

Friday
Clay Aiken & The Ace of Cakes

The big American Idol finale is almost here, but we’ve got one of your favorite idols right now! Five years after Idol, what does Clay Aiken think about the show that made him famous? Then, he calls himself the Ace of Cakes, but can pastry superstar Duff ace of one Rachael’s challenges? Plus, tennis champ Venus Williams talks about the one victory that meant the most to her.

Patrick Dempsy is here, and not only did her staff dress up - Rachael did too! Finally, a dress I can get behind this week! Yay! After the Sizzle Reel, McDreamy shows off his hidden talent as he Juggles out of the garage with the Flying Karamazov Brothers, showing off and working up a sweat already. (What a dork. Aren’t dorks the CUTEST?) They catch a ride over to the Kitchen table, where Patrick talks more about the juggling - he was actually ranked number 2 when he was in jr. high! Nice - though he admits to breaking 11 plates while filming the juggling scene in the new movie, Made of Honer.

He talks about filming in Scotland, and that hilarious little kilt he wore. He confirms what we all know - they wear Kilts traditionally. He, however, didn’t. Chicken. He brought his family and his daughter got to learn to ride a horse and it was a great summer vacation for them.

He says he learned a lot in the movie - and I learn something new! I had TOTALLY not put 2 and 2 together, that he was the kid in Can’t Buy Me Love! Of course the minute I saw the picture I was like OH! OMG! It IS him! in such a fangirl way I embarrassed myself. I know. You’re totally picturing me doing that now, aren’t you? You’re welcome.

He also has young twin boys who are 15 months old now, Sullivan and Darby. He admits that his wife is the tough one when it comes to the kids, but they try to be consistent, and he makes sure to take the ‘listen to your mother’ role. His wife, Jillian, is a hair professional and cuts his hair, and he says it’s time for just the two of them to reconnect, and then they get flirty and stuff and… yeah. Heh. She’s a global colorist, and are always creating new colors. McDreamy Calogne is in development, too, and he loves working with Avon and alongside his wife, in there “sniffing away”.

And what would a segment with Dr. McDreamy without dishing about Grey’s Anatomy? He says Erik (McSteamy) makes him laugh a lot, and then admits he wants Meredith and Derek to get together, and he says he thinks the back and forth will end when something happens at the end of the season. He does hope Derek joins Meredith in therapy. Ha! He also admits that his surgery scenes are all involved with small movements, so he can put his lines in there in the medical medical medical talk. During the round table read, they actually put “medical medical medical, how are you?” and then they put the correct terms in at the last minute. He says he’s dyslexic and it’s like a trainwreck, but still fun as he learns to cope with that. He writes them out, and also looks it up to see what it means and help solidify it all. Though the downside to it is now when he gets a headache he’s prone to saying “what’s going on, omg, I need an MRI stat!” and join everyone in x-raying themselves. (haha!)

He says working with Grey’s cast is like winning the lottery, there’s chemistry, writing, and great music too. Rachael shows off his cover of J. Crew from 11 years ago when he did a modeling stint. Then the audience got to ask a couple questions. Erika asks her what secret rituals or superstitions before getting onto the race track. He says he always does something different, and not to have any, not to get into his head, just to breathe. Tracy asks when the last time he watched Can’t Buy Me Love, and he says he can’t remember for sure, but it was a very special movie for him, his first turning point. He does like to watch it on occasion and laugh at himself. Kerry asks about his new cancer clinic, and Patrick can’t talk about it - his mother is the inspiration for it, but it’s too emotional and he has to stop himself, but manages to come back and say it’s the Dempsey Center for Cancer Help and Healing, and they’re revamping the website to make it user friendly and put the information within easy reach.

Next up, they play “Ray’s Anatomy” which has nothing to do with Rachael’s body, she promises. They show a piece of a picture of a famous person, give a clue, and he guesses who it is. He does pretty well, and the one he didn’t miss a beat on was Tina Turner’s legs. Like anyone could miss those!

Next up, another Superstar mom, Denise Jonas, the mom of the super popular Jonas Brothers! She says that it’s an interesting journey - but her third son was born singing. Nicholas was singing at the hair salon, and the ladies would take up a collection for him -he learned to love getting the money for singing, but then also swept up the hair. Mama Jonas works to keep her kids grounded, though she says it’s a challenge. They have strong faith and values and have taught them to be thankful and work hard - they know nothing comes easy. She says the hardest part is the schedule, but they remain a family unit, and she’s still mom, dad’s still dad, and they stick together. She admits to being a sap though, she cries every night when they perform. She remembers that she was washing dishes the first time she heard them on the radio, and even now she loves it “Turn it up!”

The boys surprise her by wishing her a Happy Mother’s Day via video from the road. She says they do good on Mother’s day, as hubby makes sure they give her a card every year, and then they pay attention and when she points out something that she likes, they take note and make sure to make it happen. Good boys! Of course it backfired once when she said she should get some anti-aging wrinkle cream. Whoops!

She’s also helping run a contest to find a mom’s craziest breakfast story, and they’ll be giving out great prizes - including tickets to see the Jonas Brothers.

All of this and dinner to? It’s a Spring Shephard’s Pie.

….isn’t that just an audience of women?

And also, hi Molly! My favorite suxtor gave me a shoutout on the Rachael Ray Sux site once again. She makes me laugh, she does, and is proof that not everyone over there is a bitter ole queen! I love it when I get shoutouts over there, though some people aren’t quite as happy about it. To me, hits are hits and I like visitors! They even send me some folks like Charlie, who happily shared his “Meeting the Rach” story with me. Check it out!

Anyway, back to the kitchen were we start this show, where Rachael is jazzing up store bought biscuit mix so that she can make an Italian eggs Benedict, because hollandaise (sp?) is too hard to make. (…can’t ya get that in a can too? just wondering…) She also makes Mom a Peach Bellini to drink alongside, to “make mommy blush”.

Anyway, moving on to the rest of the show. She’s wearing another one of those gathered shirts that I love, though I’m not a fan of the ‘belt’ on this one. She welcomes her favorite star mom, Valerie Bertinelli to the Kitchen table, where they gush with each other for a bit. Valerie has brought her favorite Mother’s Day gift, including the plate Wolfie made for her in kindergarten. Rachael asks if she’s hard to buy for, and she says she didn’t think so. She shares a couple favorite gift ideas to help some kids out though. She loves the Amazon Kindle - an electronic paper display that stores up to 200 titles, like a ipod for books as well as the Walk Vest.

They move on to talking about Valerie’s mom and how they spend mother’s day on the phone - usually her mom calls first since Valerie is awful at remembering phone calls. Rachael surprises her with first a video, and then of course Mama is there and joins them at the table where they dish about Valerie as a little girl. She shares the story of Valerie’s police report from when she was three years old (her brother and her were in the car, he let lose the ebrake and they rolled back into a tree. heh.) as well as her Easter Coat that suffered blood splatter with a bloody nose she got watching some neighbor boys playing baseball - she was sporting a lovely black eye!

Valerie says Mama never says anything bad about anyone - she denies that Valerie said she hated her when she was a teenager, and Val remembers it clearly. Mama Bertinelli jokes that she forgets a lot, though!

They end the segment with a preview of the new commercial for Jenny Craig where Mama joins Val - it apparently brought tears to Papa’s eyes (in the front row) but er.. I am not sure why. It was cute, but not that cute. But Valerie is uber sweet as always, and her parents are cute too. Click here for exclusives backstage with the ‘rents, and with Valerie.

Next up - Eric Mabius from Ugly Betty is on, and after a clip he joins Rachael on the couch and talks about his family too. He spent the Writer’s Strike spending time with the family, especially with his 22 month old son, sledding and making snowballs. He loves working on Ugly Betty, because his work family is the most ego-free group of people. He loves going to work with all the wonderful people, including Selma Hyack, who Rachael invites over anytime, of course. He and America Ferrara celebrated their birthdays forever, and Rachael says her voice is scratchy because of her Kareoke machine in her living room, and she teases him for not getting up there and belting it solo in front of his co-workers. Says Eric “I spend the week making people laugh at me, why do it on the weekend?”

Rachael talks about his dedication it’s the reason many women are angling to make him their spouse. She shows off the T-shirt that’s sold all over the UK, that says Mrs. Eric Mabius on the front. She gives it to his wife who’s joined them in the front row. And just so there’s no confusion, they made one for Eric too, that says Mr. Ivy Sherman. Ivy says that people wouldn’t recognize Eric at home - he’s 100% with Max and in the bottle, changing diapers, and is way into the dad role.

Turns out he and Ivy went to High School together, so have known each other a long time. Their so excited, having found out 2 Sundays ago that they’re expecting baby number two. They’re invited to come back and show off the new addition when s/he arrives, and then we’re off to the Kitchen for dinner - Sweet Red or Yellow Drunken Pasta and Fried Goat Cheese Salad.

Today, Rachael takes us all backstage on one of the biggest nights of her life - Café Uno Notte. I’m totally distracted by those big ass earrings… and the fact that her shirt is tucked in and the pants a little tight. But anyway…

She brought together five teenage chefs and President Clinton together to help her with the first annual charity event for Yum-O! and to launch the new Yum-O! Cookbook. Pretty daunting task for these kiddos, who not only cooked, but created their own menu. Rachael pulled them from all over the country to New York two days before the event.

Rhianna 17 says that she likes to make people happy with food. She was picked on in Jr High for being “the fat girl” and learning to cook helped chang her life. She wants to be a culinary teacher. Brett, 18, has been cooking since he was 11 and he loves to cook for his family, and teaches his younger brother helping him to open up to Brett and enjoy the meal at the end of the day. He’s also an assistant at the Young Chef’s Acadamy. 17 year old Aria is called the cake girl. She started her wedding cake business at 13, and is pleased to clear up misconceptions of how young she is by brandishing her portfolio. Bernie, 16, has been cooking as long as he can remember as his dad and grandparents are all professional chefs, and he wants to open his own restaurant. Chloe, 15, says she’s like an artist, plates are her canvas. She loves watching people discover new flavors - seeing their face as the taste explodes in their mouth is worth it.

They thought they were coming to New York to help Rachael cook something, but they discover upon arrival just who they will be cooking for - they’re the chefs, and will be running the kitchen with the help of Iron Chef Michael Symon.

With 24 hours to prep and create a menu,, Michael Symon takes them on a shopping trip through New York Markets and discover some of his favorite places to taste and work together to pull off a menu worthy of a president. Aria is tagged to make a big fancy cake, and Michael pairs up those with a little less experience with the more confident ones to even out the nerves a bit.

With 8 hours to prep and cook, they check over the finalized menu, and everyone gets their own Chef coats. The menu sounds fantastically yummy. They’re off and cooking, and the nerves are high, as they hope they don’t cut their fingers off, or stick to the meatballs, though Symon doesn’t leave them alone, there to help wherever he’s needed. Then disaster strikes with Aria and the cake! The third layer crumbled as she tried to place it on the cake, so now she has to go with two tiers instead of three, and she is struggling to not cry and says it’ll be fine, it’s all good. Hang in there Aria!

Out in the dining room, KC is on hand to take over the decorating of the entire tent, including framed pictures of the young chefs highlighted on the walls along with a chalkboard filled with their sayings. She shoes off to the kids, and they’re thrilled with the look and the way they’re showcased. Everyone gets an Enviro-Tote with Yum-o! on it too. She shows Rachael around when she arrives, and then President Clinton arrives for a tour of the kitchen as well.

The kids are shocked and amazed to meet President Clinton in the kitchen. Brett says he almost blacked out, but said some great things - to have someone that big give you the time of day is amazing. Rachael and President Clinton are shocked at how good the food looks - in a good way. President Clinton talked about their families with them, and Rhiannon says it’s mindblowing to think that someone like him thinks of her as a role model.

The dinner went off fantastically, and when it came time for desert - Aria’s cake - Rachael surprises each of the kids with a $10,000 scholarship toward their first year of collage, no matter where they want to go. Yum-o! wasn’t forgotten either, as they raised $200,000 for the charity during an auction. Everyone agrees that it was a fantastic evening, and it was topped off by Carly Simon giving a little mini concert - bringing many of the folks to tears. (..I don’t get it. But then again, I’m not a fan. Heh.)

To finish off the show, it’s dinner time, with Ratatouille.

Rachael joins us from the elevator today, and she’s in another of the gathered shirts that fit her so well - she should totally wear these every day. (…is it just me or is she doing just that this week? *L*) They’re really flattering. Anyway! She welcomes Elizabeth Hasslebeck to the show, who’s got a shirt/dress thing that’s… awful. Over leggings. Or something. Sure, she’s a stick, but ugh, ugly. ANYWAY! She declares that the ladies of the View watch her every day, and there is mutual butt kissing and congrats for awards and shows, etc.

They talk about the View, of course, and Elizabeth says it’s like being a relaxed family, and it’s a special thing to be able to sit and talk to your friends about everything. She says that they do talk about the Hot Topics before hand, but if the energy is really there, they stop and save it for the show. It’s never as good unless they save it for the table. Rachael says sometimes she’s scared of them when they get heated, and Elizabeth says yeah, it makes her nervous sometimes because everyone looks at her like she’s crazy, but she never gives up. She admits that she can’t remember any time when the ladies changed her mind about something.

She’s been on the view for Five years now - she says “Long enough to get knocked up twice!” She is thinking of having more kids, but right now she’s got to learn to handle the two she has. She doesn’t want to be outnumbered yet, because right now she fears her three year old daughter who runs the house. She’s thrilled when Rachael explains how to make the perfect hard boiled egg.

And Elizabeth’s favorite things? Her running shoes, and baby wipes - the latter of which I TOTALLY agree with. Baby wipes are good for EVERYTHING - even cleaning glass! Love them! The third is her paint chip wheel. Oookay… She also gives some parenting advice behind the scenes, if you’re of a mind to care. Heh.

I’m kind of disappointed that there was no mention of Rosie, since she was just on the show last week and talked about the View as well. Sigh. Way to softball the interview, Rach. (For the record - I didn’t even like Elisabeth when she was on Survivor. But that’s just me. Heh.)

Next up, further proof that today’s show is just not for me. I own two pairs of shoes - three if you count the winter boots my daughter wears more then I do. I don’t get the shoe fixation of women, but whatever, I’m no fashion diva on a good day. Heh. Susan Discorfano-Caiafa, however, has so many shoes that they live in every single closet in her house - even in her teenage son’s room. So Gretta, of course, takes her to Zappos.com Warehouse, and send her on a shopping spree. She just had to pay for her new shoes by giving 10 or more pairs per new pair to charity. Susan got some fantastic new shoes (I can appreciate a sassy shoe - on other gals!) and thinned her collection from over 350 pairs down to 180 or so. Still a lot. But whatever.

You can also go and pledge to donate a pair of your shoes to Soles 4 Souls, and enter to win a chance for a qvc gift card to get a pair of shoes from Gretta’s new collection.

Then Jennifer, a librarian at Eagle’s Landing High School in GA, says that she’s the Deen Brothers’ biggest fan. She’d love to have a signed cookbook for her school’s library - so Rachael brings he to New York to get said cookbook, from Jamie and Bobby Deen themselves! They donate all of their cookbooks to Jennifer’s library. The Deen boys then join Rachael in the kitchen to make Pimiento Cheese & Celery Sticks which is one of the first recipes they did when starting the business out of the house with Mama Deen. Click here to win a copy of their new cookbook. The boys also brought Rachael a fluffy robe with matching slippers. Awwww.

And hey - what’s for dinner? Thai-licious Turkey Sliders.

We started with a recap of last weeks competition, as we all know any reality competition thrives on the recaps. From start to Chrissey’s leaving, and a reminder of the prizes at stake - its finally time for this weeks Competition to begin!

The first challenge is Meatball Makin! Everyone has the same ingredients, and they have 90 seconds to mix and make golf ball sized meatballs. The most at the end gets the advantage. The ladies take of their rings, one puts it in Pete’s pocket and they admit his nickname is “Sweet Pete.” Awww. Hey, can they cook? Prove it! The stopwatch goes off, and they start mixing and rolling - the meatballs are flyin! (Ok, not really, but how exciting can a recap of meatball making be? I know, right?)

The winner is Pete with 15 meatballs! Whoo! (… oh hush.)

Next up is part two of the challenge. Rachael mentions her express meal concept. Each of the sacks of groceries has 6 ingredients, and they can use 4 from the pantry. They’ll have a time limit of 30 minutes. Rachael names off all the ingredients that are in the bags, and Pete, as the winner, gets to dole them out as he sees fit.

Angie: smoked ham, bell peppers, frozen corn, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, low fat sour cream
Pat: turkey bacon, ground turkey, asparagus, artichoke hearts, instant polenta, hearts of romaine
Pete: fresh pork sausage, vine-ripe tomatoes, snow peas, couscous, spinach, Parmesan Reggiano
Suzanne: spicy smoked sausage, mushrooms, green beans, yellow squash, whole wheat penne, radiccio.

The celebrity chef for this week is Ming Tsai. Ming tells the contestants that he’s looking for originality, presentation, and balance of flavor and nutrition. Rachael asks them if they can cook - hits the stop watch and they’re off to the kitchen to start the challenge.

While they are busy, Ty Pennington is on hand at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show conference in Chicago where he checks out the latest and greatest in new appliances, showers and baths. From refrigerators that dole out shaved ice, to naked people in showers “Wow, this is awkward!” There’s baths that turn into steam saunas, tubs that automatically cut off before overflowing, whole chickens that cook in 10 minutes in a new oven, a shower that tans you and fights wrinkles while you get clean and colors everywhere.

Ty joins Rachael in the studio next, and shows off some new gadgets in person. He admits that he tried to smuggle the fridge, but it wouldn’t fit in his bag. Heh. He does show off some cool stuff though: a set of drawers that opens by itself, just using a knee, foot, fingertip, whatever, and it closes just as easily. He has new recyclable counter tops that he loves to use, and bamboo sinks that are beautiful. There’s also a pizza oven that sits on a counter top, that mimics those used in the big kitchens. Nice! I want one of them!

They talk then about Extreme Home Makeover, and how it’s changed Ty as a person - he jokes he was a terrible child, so that worked out. He also talks about his magazine, and how he is something of a control freak, but loves to bring his friends and family in - even if it means pretending it’s Christmas in August.

He shows off some of his new furniture line - including pieces that include docs for all those things we carry in our pockets - cell phones, ipods, and such. He’s all about the little details to add function while still looking pretty. A lot of them come in mix and match forms, so you can design your own take on the piece as a whole and create your own look. Nice!

Time to check in with our kids in the kitchen! Pete is making Spinach Salad with shallot and orange dressing, with snow peas and cous-cous cake with sausage. Pat made a turkey burger with a sauce - a fork and knife burger. Hers is already done! Angie makes a quick Sunday Supper, and Suzanne did a ragout over penne, and a tri-colored salad. No one is even breaking a sweat and Rachael teases them about the judge being fantastic chef and they all admit they’re worried. Everyone finishes with time to spare - now it’s time for the judging.

While Mink is making his decision, we’re off to the kitchen where Rachael makes dinner - Ham and Cheese Mac.

Then - it is judgment time for the Hey Can You Cook contestants. Cue Spooky Lighting! Chef Ming told Angie that the Sunday Supper idea was nice, the texture differences were great, but the sweet potatoes were crunchy and needed some seasoning. She’s in the bottom two. Suzanne is told there was a lot of positives - it was hot, well seasoned, the pasta was al dente, the only one to do two dishes, but the portions were huge and he says it is an American problem. People are just eating too much, but Rachael points out that aside from that she made healthy choices and Ming agrees and declares her today’s winner.

Sweet Pete is up next, and Ming says it was the healthiest dish by far, and the presentation was the best - he might be working at Blue Gingers soon. However, the Couscous was dry and needed seasoning. He’s still in the competition and takes his seat at the table.

Which means Pat is also in the bottom two. Ming loved the sauce, says it was well seasoned and beautiful, as was the salad that had great balance. But the Turkey burger - she didn’t try it, which is mistake number one. It was cooked through.. and through and through and through. The problem was the polenta, and it absorbed all the moisture from the turkey so it was very dry. And because of it, Pat is the one to be eliminated this week, as Angie takes her seat at the table.

That’s it for today - we’ll see ya when we see ya!

Monday
Hey, Can You Cook?!

It’s week two of Rachael’s competition, and the battle to survive is heating up! See who the celebrity chef deciding their fate will be, and which aspiring cook will have to head home. Then, are you desperate for a kitchen facelift? Extreme Home Makeover’s Ty Pennington shows you the latest gadgets and appliances in futuristic kitchens that you won’t believe!

Tuesday
Elisabeth Hasselbeck

The View co-host and mother of two is sharing her top three “mommy must-haves” and her secrets for staying slim. Plus, do you think your shoe addiction is out of control? A woman with 358 pairs needs major help kicking the habit … so why is Gretta enticing her with her latest creation? Then, the Deen brothers fulfill the dreams of their number one fan, and Rachael has a new spin on mini-burgers.

Wednesday
President Bill Clinton

You’re invited to a star-studded gala for Yum-o! See what happens when five aspiring teenage chefs get the experience of a lifetime as they prepare dinner for celebrities including President Bill Clinton, Larry King and Mariska Hargitay! Then, get a rare musical performance from Carly Simon during this incredible one-night only event.

Thursday
Valerie’s Mother’s Day Surprise

Rachael pulls off the ultimate Mother’s Day surprise to an unsuspecting Valerie Bertinelli! See what leaves her in tears, and get her tips for planning the perfect celebration on the special day. Then, you know him as Ugly Betty’s loveable playboy, but you won’t believe Eric Mabius’ real-life love story! And for dinner, it’s Rach’s Drunken Spaghetti - a simple Italian dinner with a huge wow factor.

Friday
Patrick Dempsey

It’s the moment we’ve been McDreaming about all season … Grey’s Anatomy’s Patrick Dempsey is coming to the studio! He’s a hot doc, a new dad … but see if he can he handle a round of a new game called “Ray’s Anatomy.” Then, the Jonas Brothers are tearing up the music charts, and now they’re sharing a special Mother’s Day message for the woman they love.

Today’s the day - Rosie Day! Rosie O’Donnell is taking over the Rachael Ray show for a full hour of fun and confetti! Yay! They even start off the show like Rosie used to do on her daytime show, with an Audience introduction, and they even have John McD on hand to play the piano, and a curtain on stage - she loves the curtain, and Rachael was uber excited to be introduced on the show. Rachael looks lovely today - I like the shirt she’s wearing and think she looks fabulous.

She chats with John McD, and he says he’s been doing a lot of musicals and is a new daddy - and shows the picture of his baby - Beaureguard, a 5 month old Boston Terrier. CUTE! They joke about him being a deduction on his taxes. Beau can come over and play with Boo anytime! John plays her over as they spin their way to the kitchen. Cue the sizzle reel!

The Queen of Nice is in the house! She joins Rachael at the Kitchen table for a sit down, and the crowd goes wild! Rosie misses the ‘hug’ of an excited audience and jokes that after the show she made her kids do the standing applause every time she entered the room for 6 months. She says if you need a celebrity fix, hit the mall - you’re loved there! Rachael asks about some of her guests on her show - who were some of her not so faves? Apparently Robert DeNiro doesn’t like to speak, and Keanu Reeves was the same way. She had to lean over and said “Hate to tell you this, it IS a talk show - you have to talk!”

The one guest she wishes she could have gotten was Johnny Carson, though she appreciated his ability to step out of the limelight and live his life privately after fame. Rosie Jokes “It’s hard for most people - it’s like a drug. I’m going to go home and life with my kids and… is Rachael Ray free, because I’m available!” She loved the familiarity that she had with her fans with the talk show, and how she’d have so many conversations about things in the store.

They talk about her kids not watching TV - apparently the school they send them too has a no media policy. The system believes that the amount of media and images we’re pummeled with deadens the ability to learn. They have a movie night every week, and it’s part of why she wrote the book Crafty U - people kept asking what she did with her kids, and that book is the answer. Rachael says she’s crafting challenge, and Rosie admits to being cooking challenged. She made a grilled cheese for Vivi (5) and she exclaimed “I didn’t know you could COOK mama!”

The point of the book is that you don’t HAVE to be good at it - it doesn’t matter. You’re building memories, nothing else, so it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look like what is in the book - go to her website and see what they REALLY look like. All that it is, is going to the craft store, spending 10 bucks and making what you can from it.

They talk about the View, and Rosie said she loved the experience right up until the last three weeks. What she learned, though, was it is always better when she’s the boss. She didn’t get to choose topics, and “then there was that little republican and whatever…” She has nothing but respect for Barbara Walters, and considers her a feminist hero. They did a little mother/daughter dance, where she’d get her feelings hurt and Barbara would be “why is she crying?!”

She talks about visiting Martha Stewart in prison, and how she’s really just one of us - What did she miss most in prison, Martha? “the flavor of lemon” - it’s not an act! Funny stuff!

There was SO MUCH that went on in this show - if you love Rosie even a bit you should hit up the official site and see all of the behind the scenes clips, and show clips! They even did some crafting, with a project from the book, and finished off with a song and dance number! CONFETTI!!

All of that and DINNER TOO! Go Greek Fried Fish with Roasted Veggie Greek Salad.

We’re back to Rachael’s obsession with Dancing with the Stars with today’s first guest - Carrie Ann Inaba! How cute is Carrie Ann? They talk about how great this season is, but Carrie Ann refuses to say who she thinks will win. She only admits that Kristi Yamaguchi has set the bar so high that it’s hard for everyone else. Because of that, though, the growth of the teams is increasing so fast that it’s very exciting! Of course - it’s always exciting, but yeah!

Since DWTS is all about the dancing couples, they showed some pictures that we don’t get to see very often of Carrie Ann’s former life (does anyone else hear the judging announcers voice say her name every time I type it? Just me? ok then…). She, back in the day, danced with Madonna’s crew - and was even bald! “Everyone thinks Brittney shaved her head first - but I did! And? They all think she was the first to kiss Madonna on stage? I got to kiss her every night!” Rachael asked how it was, and Carrie Ann gives Madonna Kisses a TEN! Like there was any doubt…

Carrie Ann doesn’t actually practice her reactions, but in her little black book that she takes notes in, she has a list of 100 adjectives that she says before every show so that she has them available for her reactions since it moves so quickly. She says that when she’s shopping for shoes she gets that tap on the shoulder where people are demanding to know why she gave someone a bad score. She says even if they tell her off, she gets giggly about it, and likes it. It keeps her in check too, because it’s just opinions and they can help her see things in a different way.

Next up - some fun, Dancing with the Staff! They videotaped the staff dancing at a recent staff party, and Carrie Ann gets to judge their moves. Jason’s up first, and gets a 7 with his bouncy style, shoulder wipe and pulling the rope. Carrie Ann called him spunky and cute and reminded her of back in the day as a Fly Girl.

Hallie and Steff net themselves a 9 for having actual chorography - that they busted out in just 15 minutes. Carrie Ann is giggly and impressed with what they did in that time.

Doan is up next with a very white boy routine that made me laugh out loud - he busted out some pushups and a floor spin and for pure entertainment, Carrie Ann gave him a 10 and the trophy, calling him a bad mamajamma like she never seen.

Next up, it’s Bear Grylls, of Man vs. Wild. My kids LOVE that show - I can’t watch it, too many creepy crawlies. He’s actually a very shy guy, seeing out of place as he joines Rachael on the couch to talk. She says no one could pay her enough - and I agree! He says it’s kind of what he’s done all his life - he started doing such stunts when he was a kid and was “quite difficult” for his parents. He loves it - says part of him spends a lot of time cold, wet, scared, but he gets home and he loves it all - he says it’s a priveledge. Rachael isn’t sold on the deal and wonders how his wife kisses him after he drank his own urine. He admits that he doesn’t tell his wife the details - else he wouldn’t be let back in the home, let alone the bed!

He says his kids are somewhat adventurous as well, and he tried to repress it a little bit, but it’s irrepressible. He tells them no, you have to have a proper job! Bear admits that he’s quite scared of something - big cities, and interviews. Rachael laughs “You eat bugs, and I’m scary?!”

Rachael puts him to the test with some ‘floor of the minivan’ findings. He even gets her to much on an old French fry - though she isn’t the most willing. He also jokes that the melted chocolate in the jean pocket isn’t really chocolate…

He ends the segment by giving some tips for women surviving with some things that we have on hand in our purses. The edge of a credit card can double as a knife to cut food, use a tampon as kindling to start a fire, and your bra can be used to filter drinking water - better then a dirty sock, right? He demonstrates the bra technique, and admits that it tastes a lot better then using his sock!

My man Colby’s in the house next with some super nifty summer products:

Blue Lizard Sunscreen - stronger then US sunblock, and the bottle changes colors to let you know when you’ve been out in the sun too long!

Top Tag Pet ID - it’s a little usb tag that has all your information stored, so can be plugged into the computer to get all the instructions for your dog for dog sitters, or boarders, kennels, vets or even if you lose your pet - they can find all the info right in the tag.

Oakley Split Thump MP3 Sunglasses - cool shades with your tunes and headphones built right in. My son wants these REALLY BAD…

Davis Key Buoy - a little key fob that has a buoy built in, and if you drop your keys in the lake as your wake boarding, it triggers the buoy and they float to the top of the water so you can find them again - perfect for people who love water sports, and hate losing their keys!

Hey, what’s for dinner? Sausage and Onion Kabobs on Roasted Pepper Salad.

We are starting today’s show in the kitchen, because the Wedding Season is upon us, so Rachael is showing us three easy party bites to serve with Champagne! Fancy Puffy Party Poppers: Wild Mushroom Smear, Asparagus and Ham Poppers, and Smoky Bacon Bites. Yum! Too bad I can’t say the same for that dress - ugh. Flattering shape, but I never will get used to her love of weird patterns. Anyway, moving on!

Time for the first guest, Jennifour, is a proposal planner with Go Get It Events and Proposals. After seven years, David is ready to propose to his girlfriend Minta. They are going to send her on a romantic scavenger hunt. He says it’s great to have someone to tell him what to do, because otherwise he’d be lost. The first clue is on the ipod, then she’s loaded into a limo, as David and Jennifer race off to place and guard the next clue - hidden in a book in the travel section, a picture that will tell her wear to go next. When Minta gets lost, Jennifer steps in and pretends to be an employee, helps her find the clue then races off to the next location. The photo booth now holds a love letter, that will lead her to the top of the ferris wheel, which will distract her long enough to help David set up the beach finale.

Minta follows a trail of roses, and finds Daviid on the beach where he’s got a ring and says he’d like to play the role of her husband, and gets down on one knee and asks to play that role for the rest of their lives. With an excited Yes, it’s time to break out the champagne for the happy couple.

Jennifour joins Rachael at the table and talks about setting up romantic occasions as the theme for her clients, which lead into the proposal experience. It can cost anywhere from 500 - to thousands, depending on the add-ons. The biggest tip for a perfect proposal is to make it the woman’s perfect proposal - not the mans! If he loves Hockey and she loves horseback riding, the latter is the key to his woman’s heart.

Jenifour also advises that you should start with your own love story -which is what Matt does as he plans the surprise for Danielle, who is in the audience. After getting over the shock of seeing their relationship on screen, Danielle is stunned to see the studio transformed into a romantic Italian garden, with musicians and lemon trees! Surrounded by their family, Matt appears with ring in hand and pops the question. After she says yes (who wouldn’t say yes?!) Rachael presents them with a surprise trip to Italy. Awwww!

Next up, Maria Shriver joins Rachael at the kitchen table. Maria, from an early age, wanted to prove herself as a journalist, instead of resting on the fame of the Kennedy fan. As the first lady of California, she’s shifted gears to raising their family, as well as being an author. She’s there with her new book, a very personal book. Maria had a big of an identity crisis as she was constantly trying to figure out who people wanted her to be and realized she should stop that and be who she wanted to be. If it was her moment of truth, what is her truth?

As she wrote the speech for a high school graduation, she was in transition and realized that others would benefit from the words of wisdom she uncovered, so she turned it into the latest book “Just who will you be?” (click here to read an excerpt) Don’t ask what the world needs, but what brings you joy. Do what brings you joy - what the world needs is more people doing what brings them joy!

Maria admits that she’s still figuring out how to be a First Lady for California - she asked for a book, but there isn’t one! She looked at what others had done, and is learning on the go. The job is a title, and the best thing to do is what she wants to do - giving service to the country. She’s gone out to see what is needed, and what will fit her. Once she threw out her own ideas of what a First Lady does, she was able to move into the job successfully, and put her own spin on the office. She helps build playgrounds all over California, and has her kids and friends help, despite how much they roll their eyes at her. Her best advice for all the starlets is “be of service!”

The audience asks some questions, Ashley asks her who is the tougher parent - Maria or Arnold. Maria says they’re strict about different things - he insists on laundry being done and clean rooms, and Maria is very big on Manners. The Jury is still out on that - she thinks she probably is though. Lisa asks if the children are involved in politics or student council - and they’re not. Maria is ok with that because she was raised believing if they’re not president what are you DOING with your life?

She brings her own philosophy to her kids, who they haven’t pushed into the political arena. She wants them to know that she loves them for who they are, not for what they will achieve.

And the Shriver exclusive - she makes ice cream! They’re launching a new company, Lovin Scoopful Ice Cream - and part of the profits go to support Special Olympics. Maria just gives up on the scoop and eats it with her fingers, and everyone laughs. Go to your store and ask for Lovin Scoopful today - eat ice cream and be of service at the same time.

What’s for dinner - shared with Rosie, of course? California Pasta with Artichokes and Almond-Citrus Pesto.

As with all Mystery Taster days, we start off in the kitchen, and I LOVE the top that Rachael is wearing today - very flattering. Today it’s a comfort food turned into a snack - Individual Chicken Pot Pie Pockets!

It’s time for the first questions for the Mystery Taster! This time the questions have a reality tv twist…

1. If your on dancing with the stars - partner with Darrell or Cheryl? Darrell.
2. Project runway - scarf for winter, or California beach days bikinis. Wants to design bikinis, but would do scarves - so is from New York
3. Teenage song for American Idol? The Mystery Taster sings in reply - the Beatles.

So we have a female who thinks she can’t dance, but can sing the Beatles, and is from New York. That’s it for now - we’ll get back to the Mystery Taster in a bit.

Next up - a lot of us feel guilty for being a working mom, but what if your man was running for president? Rachael meets the Obama’s out on the campaign trail. Who isn’t impressed with Barack’s bid to lead the country? His two young daughters. When he tells them of his day, speaking to 35k people, they act like it’s boring, and not at all interesting! They do like to see daddy on campaign posters and t-shirts, and probably see more of them that way then in person as they remain in school. Michelle says they try to sneak in family time when Barack can take a short break with family night, or game night or occasional even a date. He prefers the movie, she prefers the dinner because then they can talk - but they’re both too tired to fit in both.

Michelle talks a bit about the way she feeds her kids, and how she reads labels, and how they always make their kids eat their vegetables, as well as learning to stop eating when they’re full, but that means no desert! The youngest started saying “Mommy, I’m full of DINNER…” which is something my own youngest tried to pull!

Time to discover who our Mystery Taster is! Rachael sets up a plate of the chicken pot pie minis, and gets back into her corner for more questions!

4. In the Amazing Race, does your passport have a lot of stamps in it? Do you travel a lot for work? The reply is “Which passport? Which version?” And when asked where she’s been “Afganistan, North Korea”

5. Are you some sort of Journalist? “Some sort…”

And Rachael totally knows who it is - Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America! And - by the way, it was the best Oliva Newton John, not the Beatles! Diane admits to not liking the cold in New York, but is thrilled with comfort food, and digs right into the Chicken Pot Pie. Diane says anytime you’re at a party - no matter how dressed up you are, doing something with your hands makes everyone happier.

Diane Sawyer was Rachael’s first guest on the show, and she ditches the questions just to chat. The same day Diane was on, they showed the jumping from the plane segment and they agree to do it together. She says she’s never slept completely through a show, even though her alarm goes off at 3:45 am. She has a back up system of people that call to make sure she gets to work on time, making it difficult to oversleep - no matter how she wants too.

They dish a bit about fashion, as well as watching the Democratic Primary season as Clinton and Obama duke it out. Diane declares it the most physically hardest thing to watch people do. In May, GMA is repeating a popular series from the show - doing the 7 wonders again, but only in the United States.

In the middle of all this, Diane is celebrating her 20th anniversary with her hubby Mike Nichols. Rachael decides to give her a special gift, who - after her husband teased her about her sweats at home - is presented glitzy black sweats that have “Mrs. Nichols” in silver across her bum. Diane loves that they’re lowkey - as she laughs - and says Mrs. Nichols is a very happy girl. She says the sweats will be perfect for a cozy celebration where they’ll likely end up doing nothing at all, together.

And what’s for dinner? A recipe from the brand new Yum-O cookbook! Que Pasta Mexican Mac-n-Cheese.

And on the count down to Rosie - she’ll be on Friday! - they’ve been sending dinner - and the above meal was there and little Blake says thank you Rachael Ray! Awwww…

The competition starts now! Whoo! It’s day one of the competition, and they’ve promised to crank up the pressure. The challenges will be every Monday for the next 4 weeks. So let’s meet our contestants!

Angie, from New Jersey, impressed with her fish and orange sauce, but it was the cooking class for kids that had Rachael feeling the love.

Pete, from Washington DC is the only man to make it to the finalist round, and his son even got to talk to Rachael on the phone. They loved his crabcakes, and his son Bruno who was his helper in the video.

From Missouri, we have Pat, who was speechless and teary like the rest of them as she received her phone call. Her submission video included smoked corn beef! Yum!

From Ohio, we have Chrissy, who appealed to Rachael’s love of all things Italian with Italian Meatloaf!

And from New Jersey, we have Suzanne who made a rissoto with everything in a stuffed artichoke! And her 6 month old puppy, gorgonzola, couldn’t be cuter hanging with mom in the kitchen.

They all size up each other on the limo ride to the hotel, where at least one of them - Angie - totally has her game face on. (In fact, she looked a bit.. well, bitchy.) Colby is there at the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel to great them, and tell them they’re in the presidential suite. After a champagne toast, where Angie loosened up a bit, Rachael shows up on screen to welcome them all to the competition - ending with “turn around, I do better in person!” Everyone is excited to meet her, and looking forward to the night of relaxation before they have to hit the challenge trail! Click here to see Scott Owen prepare their welcome meal, and here to learn more about the contestants!

The first challenge is the Amazing Taste - which Rachael finds completely hysterical. It’s a two-part challenge, and it’s time to see who rose to the occasion and who crashed and burned. Colby meets them all in Time Square, where they’re told there is a secret location of their first challenge. First task - find it. They’ll get messages from Rachael, leading them to three restaurants that are known for representing part of the city’s culinary culture. At each restaurant, they’ll have to complete a task to get their new clue. They get their clue and 70 bucks to cover transportation, and they’re off!

The Tavern on the Green restaurant is the first stop, and Brian Young has them shuck and plate 6 oysters. Suzzanne is first and manages to cut herself pretty bad because she’s trying to go too fast, Pete is next, Angie pulls up third but is showed to the kitchen instead of the challenge spot but finds the right place as the Pat and Chrissy arrive as well. Pete finishes first, hires a pedicab and heads off to Dean’s Pizzeria. Angie is lost trying to find the cab, as other’s get to their cabs and head off. Pete is there first, and starts making his pizza dough, which he’s pretty confident for. Pat joins him, and starts on her own - Pete has to ask for another dough, as Suzzanne arrives as well. Angie shows up in last place.

Pat is first done, and heads over for the third spot on the list in Chinatown. Pete is still having problems - Suzzanne finishes, Pete goes from first to last, and follows the rest to Chinatown -a bit confused on how it all happened like that. Flour and water should be easy, right? Ha!

Ricky Tsoi, of Congee Bowery Restaurant and bar greets the contestants with some traditional Chinese dishes. They have to taste them and identify the delicacies: cold jellyfish, clam sashimi, goose intestine, duck tongue and chicken feet. After identifying all of them, they open a giant fortune cookie which directs them to Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport! Pat finishes first and is off to the final stop - after she manages to stop a taxi. The rest of the ladies are there, working on identifying the dishes as Pete gets there and starts as well. The women finish first, but Pete isn’t far behind as he races through the challenge and heads off to Pier 17.

Pat gets there, and can’t figure out where’s she’s going for sure, as others are racing all along looking for the correct place of the challenge. Everyone is lost - there’s no telling where they’re supposed to be going, but they find Colby finally - Pete gets there FIRST beating Pat to the punch. Pete gets the advantage for the challenge. Suzanne is third, Chrissy is fourth, with means Angie comes up last - and worries that she’s going home, but says she won’t give up.

It’s time for the main challenge! They’re aboard the Atlantica, which will be filled with die-hard Rachael Ray fans. The challenge is to create sample platters of hor d’oeuvres in 45 minutes, using three main ingredients. Pete gets to choose the ingredients for himself, and assign the rest to the competition. He chooses Ground Turkey, whole grain white bread and roasted red peppers, and assigns Pat the chicken breast, whole wheat English muffins, and frozen peas, Chrissy gets shrimp, scallions and pound cake, Angie gets phyllo dough, smoked turkey sausage and green olives and Suzanne is left with the sliced hard salomi, chick peas and tortillas. They also have full use of the pantry in the galley, but only 45 minutes and MUST use all their three main ingredients.

And they’re off. Chrissy Cinnimon Apple Poundcake Squares, Sweet and savory shrimp, and fresh yogurt dip. And she’s off to get her Apples in the oven right away. Pat makes English muffins with chicken and pepper peas, with chicken and bbq sauce, with chicken and cranberries. Suzanne makes chunky hummus, salami strips on tortilla, stuffed mushrooms and salami and cheese quesidillas. Pete makes Mediterranean meatballs, no press panini with mozzerella and roasted red pepper. Angie is making jambalyla salad boats and two-faced pizza.

Suzanne preheated the oven, and someone turned it off - Angie says there may have been a rumor that she did it, but she didn’t have time to do such a thing. Colby lets them know they’re halfway there - everyone is running around trying to get things together in the small space, and Suzzanne almost burns Angie, who gets snippy. Poor Chrissy is nervous and seasick on top of it all. Time is running out, and everyone tries to put things together and Chrissy cut herself as well!

Times up! Time to get the food upstairs and see what the fans have to say. Pat says she thought her plate looked the worst, Angie agrees in secret. Pete seems to be getting a good feedback from the fans, but people seems to think that Chrissy whimped out by just cutting up some veges to fill the plate. Suzzanne is confident, as Pat says it all looked overdone, while singing the praises of her own plate - naturally.

Rachael says she’s kinda scared of some of the contestants - they’re a bit more competitive this year! All the fans from the ship are in the audience to see who was the winner.

Next up - we’re in the kitchen, before we get to the big finish - Mario Batali joins to help Rachael with two big announcements. Mario laughs and says “I’m pregnant! and Rachael’s the daddy!” Then admits that he’s there to announce a new contest, Mario’s Ultimate Grilling Challenge. Submit a 3 minutes demonstration of the favorite grilling recipe - and the winner gets to work with Mario and Rachael tailgating at Nascar! Then, from his new book, Italian Grilling, he shows everyone how to make Grilled Portobellos with Rucola and Prmigiano. Also - for every entry - a dollar will be donated to Food Bank New York.

Dun dun dun.. cue the creepy lighting - it’s time for Elimination! Who will walk the plank and leave the competition? Four will be invited to sit at the table - one will be handed a doggy bag and told to go. Pete - his fans loved the flavor combo, but thought the meatball was too greasy. He didn’t win, but was declared safe and sent to the table. Susanne - the fans said the quesidillas were good, but everything else was bland and/or too salty overall. She didn’t win, but was declared safe and sent to the table. Angie - fans loved the jambalia, but the salad boats were too simple - but she’s the winner of the first elimination challenge! She takes her seat at the table with a grin and is declared a spitfire from Rachael.

Angie - fans liked the poundcake squares but thought the shrimp lacked flavor. Pat is also in the bottom two, and the fans thought all of her offerings were too dry. Who is the first person eliminated? Chrissy is the first to go. Click here to hear Chrissy’s final thoughts as she heads back home.

Monday
Hey, Can You Cook?!

Rachael’s cooking competition is back, and this time the stakes are higher, the challenges are tougher, and the cooks will do anything to win! Out of thousands of hopefuls, five will be chosen to go head-to-head … but only one will be left cooking by Rachael’s side.

Tuesday
Mystery Taster

It’s our final Mystery Taster of the season, and it’s one of Rachael’s favorite TV legends! Then, can you imagine raising two girls while your husband runs for president? Michelle Obama can! Rachael gets to know the Obama family, and then she’s got a healthy take on mac and cheese that the kids will love.

Wednesday
Maria Shriver and Spectacular Proposals

California’s first lady sits down for a candid interview about how she found a whole new life for herself after 50, and then heads to Rachael’s kitchen to make Arnold’s favorite treat! Plus, a look at the latest trend of producing wedding proposals to the tune of thousands of dollars, and we’ve got a huge in-studio surprise for an unsuspecting bride-to-be.

Thursday
Dancing with the Stars’ Carrie Ann Inaba

Carrie Ann Inaba is judging our very own “Dancing with the Staff” competition! Meet Rachael’s staffers and see who will dance away with the trophy. Then, get ready for summer as Colby reveals his favorite must-have gadgets, and see if Man vs. Wild’s Bear Grylls can survive our mom-made challenges.

Friday
Rosie O’Donnell

Rosie returns to daytime! For one hour, she steps back into the spotlight and nothing is off limits as she talks about Martha, The View, and even does a special song and dance number with Rach! Plus, don’t miss her crash course in crafts and your chance to win a free copy of her new book.

We start off with Rachael talking about going to play celebrity Password and how much easier it is to play the game at home instead of on stage. Meanwhile, Regis comes down the elevator and joins Rachael at the kitchen table. Regis gives her a hard time for not cooking for the guests, and she says she cooks for the audience, the people - certified chefs cook for the likes of Regis!

They talk some more about playing Celebrity Password - and how hard it was for Rachael to give clues and talk without using her hands, she enunciates everything with her hands! Regis admits that he’s never actually played Password, and they will be having a showdown with Regis and his wife against Rachael and John.

Did you know Regis is in the guiness book of world records? He’s done 16,000 plus hours of television, and the record gets bigger every day. He loves the game shows, and saved ABC with Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and now is working on Million Dollar Password for CBS. They talk about who they’d want to guest star, and then about Regis’s favorite impressions of himself. He says Ben Afflack does a great Regis impression.

Regis and Joy have been married for 38 years now, and his secret is one word - patience. Rachael says that in her house its “food”, and Regis is surprised that she cooks at home every single night. She prefers to stay home, and cooks herself. Regis doesn’t believe her, until she says John does the dishes for her. She says again that it is just something that gets her going to see a man doing the dishes, and Regis gives her a hard time “Some women prefer they’re men in the BEDROOM…”

After a break, we see a clip of Rachael’s stint on Million Dollar Password on CBS, then they decide to add a wager to their little game of password, Team Regis vs Team Rachael - the losers cook dinner for the winners at their house - also at stake a framed letter from Notre Dame. The audience gets to get gift cards.

Lots of laughter as they pick on each other and play the game, but Rachael and John are excellent at it, while Regis complains their words are easier. They’re tied up, so they switch the clue givers and receivers. Regis tries to cheat, and Joy sets him straight, and John and Regis switch cards to make it fair all the way around - Regis and Joy come out on top by one point, though, and take home the prize - the letter and dinner at Rachael’s.

Next up, G’s on hand with Summer Steal vs. Splurge. Gretta has side by side comparisons of the top trends that we can get for less. Go here and click through the images to see if you can tell the difference in the cut-out swimsuit, clear beach tote, gladiator sandals, then some kid stuff - a plaid shirt, denim mini skirts, and summer dresses.

And hey, what’s for dinner? Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake.

Today’s show takes us inside Leah Remini’s home, where she struggles with raising her daughter in some ways. She was tough as nails on The King of Queens, but admits to being a complete pushover when it comes to her daughter. She is very consistent, she says - she gives in. She let Rachael and the crew in the house for help - of course “We don’t know what the hell we are doing!” She declares that she was shocked when they just let her go home with the baby without a test, just some diapers and a crappy diaper bag. She also wanted to help humanize actresses, because they’re real people, just like us. She laughs at the way she used to be - how she was always annoyed by other peoples kids, now gets mad at others for not wanting their makeup done by her three year old, I mean really, would it KILL you? hahahah!

Leah describes her daughter, Sophia, as a very smart, witty, pain in the ass, love muffin. The biggest problem is that Sophia is still on the bottle. They hear it’s not good for her, but haven’t really tried to wean her, and knows they should. Angelo, her husband, says she’s a fantastic loving mother, but that’s also why they’re in their predicament, because he does it over love. Leah says Sophia gets away with a lot, because she’s everything to her.

She shows us the set up for the night - six aqua babas (water bottles) three for each side of the bed, and pull-ups because drinking so much water causes her to wet the bed. Sophia sleeps with them, and they hand her a bottle every couple hours, then she wets the bed, so it’s diaper changes too, and they never get a good nights sleep. Leah and Angelo’s bickering is pretty funny and cute to watch, actually.

After seeing the tape, Leah says it is like torture, but she feels bad if she’s doing something wrong too, but the bottle brings joy and why would she take it away, so it’s hard. Dr. Ari Brown is on hand to help Leah out. The bottle weaning is common problem, though usually between the ages of 1 and 2. Also on hand is a viewer who has three kids of her own. Stacey says straight up that Leah isn’t going to like what she is going to say - Sophia needs consistency, and a bit of tough love. Let the weaning begin!

The first night of tough love, they gave Sophia bottles with no lids, but ended up giving in after a tantrum after a few hours. Stacey consoles her and reminds her you can’t break a habit in one night, but it will work. Sophia is smart and knows what is going on, but you have to know that it’s not killing her, and you have to endure. You can see Leah in the web series “In the Motherhood” as well as at her site Leah Remini.com. And check out the behind the scenes minutes with Leah and Angelo too!

What’s for dinner? Thai Burgers.