Dish pointing bell expressvu

I (34M) found out my wife (35F) had what would be classified as an emotional affair but I find myself not quite being able to pinpoint everything because while so much of it is the typical story youd read about there are a few small details that my brain can’t grapple with.
We’ve been together for a decade and recently moved to a new city where we don’t know anybody and so we’re getting our lives set up. Prior to that we lived someone far too rural and for 2 years I don’t think she had any friends or really much human contact. That didn’t do too well for her mental state.
Part of that involves gym memberships where after a few months my wife had a new friend circle. This isn’t new, she is fantastic at making friends. Also not new or bothersome there is always some light flirting, I do it too. I only point this out because many reddit subs (don’t know here) are rather rigid. Nothing of these friends is hidden from me and she tells me plenty of stories about them and in general,all of that too is normal. One dude kind of stands out and I take slight notice of it but not super conscious about it.
Then about a week ago she started being just a little different, nothing too much. Half a week she was gone two long for two nights in a row and I ask her about it, just checking up to make sure everything is ok. Just work stress was the response which too, has happened in the past from when we lived too rural. Ok, we talk a bit and the next day she seems a bit better but this bell was going off on my head so I looked at her texts and of course there they are with the dude from earlier.
It escalated very quickly from normal to slightly/fairly sexual. No pictures, no hard sexting, things like imagining a person nude. Minor hints of touching yourself to the thought of the other and then oddly enough, it ends just as quick when a kind of: I feel like I came into this gym and ruined any chance of having a good training partner, we shouldn’t be doing this, etc, and both agree to it.
I confront her about it and that colors the above story a bit but is basically the jist. The last few nights she had felt sick because she knew what she was doing was wrong and so she put an end to it. I can 100% (fine, 99.9999%) nothing physical besides her slapping his ass at the gym happened. It happened because I’ve been too distant lately (new job and seriously sick mother) and somehow it didn’t occur to her I may have been struggling.
There is only slight trickle of things that come out. I asked point black about sex when I found out and got a repulsed no. Took a bit to the confession of masturbation which kind of contradicts the repulsed look but to her it’s because that line would never be crossed. Nothing physical in her mind also didn’t include butt slaps.
We’ve talked pretty much constantly since then and the normal things you’d expect to happen. No going to that gym, no contact with that dude, she needs to right herself on why anything got to where it did and how it will never happen again, how does she ever regain my trust and a few others.
Which leads me to here and now, a confused state where it feels like she “got carried away” as dumb as that sound and self fixed but then I am here with broken trust and unable to look at the situation as a whole. Part of that is I need time as would anyone but part of it is while it is so typical my brain says “but just untypical enough” that I can’t get past there onto any other processing so I type this out here half for sanity and half for other views.

Lately my boyfriend has been staying with me and I’m not sure if I’m just getting sick of him or if I’m just seeing how he truly is. He started staying with me about two months ago, because his parents are going through a rough patch. The first few weeks I kind of enjoyed taking care of him, I felt like a mom, but it really didn’t bother me. He would leave his clothes on the floor and towel after he showered, leave dishes in my room, sleep all day, and rarely take out the trash for me if I asked. It got old quick. Whenever I ask him to do something he acts almost incompetent and if I ask him why he’s acting like that facing a simple task he will be like oh I was high, even when I know he wasn’t.
He will watch me struggle lifting things and suggest to help but then just sit and watch. I’m just kind of getting sick of him. He will tell me his mom’s being crazy and being so mean and then I read the texts to send an apology for him and he’s completely in the wrong and being mean. His mom also points out that he’s lazy and he will rant about how she has such high expectations but I kind of agree with her. He recently started applying for jobs because I was nagging him and he was acting like he was too good for all the job listings. He got hired at a bakery and only applied to do part time because he just graduated and he wants to “enjoy his summer”. He sleeps all day and just complains that he isn’t rich, I tell him he has to get up and work to make that happen and he’s like i know i’m just kidding but it’s almost annoying. i feel like he does absolutely nothing, and if his mom asks him to do something he won’t do it and then I just have to write apology for him and he treats her like shit. He graduated very late, he’s 19, and I feel like i’m two years younger than him and he needs to get going and start taking care of himself and wanting to make money. also recently he’s just been very unattractive to me, he’s kind of a bum and also he’s just very insecure.
I know that’s mean to say and not his fault, but he’s embarrassed to do almost everything and he’s kind of no fun to hangout with. he regularly makes comments about how there’s more attractive men out there or how he’s ugly and he’s obviously seeking a compliment. We got in a fight the other day because I told him he needs to take care of himself if he lives with me and that i can’t take care of him and he needs to help out more and he removed all my stuff from his instagram and was going to break up with me because I don’t care about him, he said I only care about myself. I panicked and felt like I was being abandoned so I did all i could to try and make amends begging him to stay with me even though when I really thinking about it I don’t think our life goals align. He’s literally sleeping in my bed right now, after again doing nothing today, same with me but I was only tired because I worked 40 hours.
I know he’s depressed but I try to help him and he just sulks and feels bad for himself. I initially started dating him because I had a similar problem with my ex and felt like he was going nowhere as mean as it sounds, I don’t want to end up like my mother, investing herself into a deadbeat man and than going nowhere in life. I thought that my he was more driven than the other guy, but now i’m not starting to think so.

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I’ve been trying to forget my Ex after we split up around 2 months ago but this has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life. For context: we dated for 2.5 years and we did everything together. We were also basically each others first everything. We began dating senior year of highschool and now are going into our junior year of college together. We also lived together in an apartment for a year as SHE was the one that insisted on it while I wanted to live with my friends. We ended up getting the apartment together but slowly and surely started to face problems and small disagreements. It first started with me not doing enough around the apartment, which I did not think was true as my parents always instilled in me to treat our relationship as 50/50 give and take and I truly tried to respect her and not take advantage of her. Often times I would wake up an hour earlier than her to make her breakfast and also shower and get ready so she could sleep in and take her time getting ready without having to make herself breakfast. I also would usually end up making us dinner around 3-4 nights a week and was usually the one who would wash the dishes and clear our apartment, bathroom, and make the bed each day. My parents also payed for all of our groceries all year and I would drive us to school 95% of the time. After around 5 months and her bringing up probably once a month how somehow I was not doing my part, I decided I had enough and stood up for myself. This ended in a huge argument and I told her I was done being in a relationship with her and she stormed off. For some odd reason even against my sisters advice which I usually always go to, I ended up buying her chocolates and flowers and apologized for our argument and agreed I would help more. After this argument things were going great, or so it seemed for the spring semester of us living together, although i feel at this point I was doing about 75% of the cooking and she stopped helping even more around the apartment. I was exhausted physically and mentally and could barely keep up with my school work while she was able to do whatever she needed, while always making me feel bad about “needing to do my part”. However I was happy that we weren’t arguing and it seemed we were getting along better then ever. She even expressed how much she was grateful for me and being one of her only support systems and that she wouldn’t be able to survive college without me and that she was looking forward to living together again about a week before we broke up. The night we broke up all started because I simply asked her if she could put a fucking microwaveable pizza in the oven for us as I had been studying for 8 hours for an exam I had the next day and was mentally and physically exhausted (while giving her a back massage!) She then blew up on me and told me that I didn’t respect her and her time and that I was trying to take advantage of her somehow. Without trying to argue I just simply got up made the pizza for us myself and did all the dishes. After I ate and she finished what she was doing, she came over and tried to act like nothing happened but never apologized to me. I did not allow this and simply got up and went to my friends apartment. I came back around 2 hours later and it was almost 12 o clock. I noticed she was in the shower so I turned off all the lights and decided to go to sleep. When she got out of the shower she turned on the lamp and started to read a book. I was not having this and simply got up and turned off the lamp so I could sleep. She again got mad at me and said “I’m not doing this shit tonight”. So I literally slept on the floor with just a sleeping bag and my pillow giving her the entire bed to herself. The next day I got up super early to give us both space and also so I could study for my exam while still leaving her the parking pass so she could park her own car without having to worry about getting a ticket. When I got home after my exam my full intention was to just move on so we didn’t have to argue. However she was waiting for me and decided it was time to break up. Of course I begged and pleaded for her not to and promise I would change and even give even more of my attention to her while she basically said she didn’t have fun with me anymore and didn’t see a future with me. After this I decided to give up and just see out the last month of us living together and then go our seperate ways once summer started and our lease ended. However the next day when I got home from school she started crying and telling me how she thought she might of made a mistake breaking up with me and even wanted to look for an apartment together, however I was strong and suggested it was probably the best if we just moved on. Throughout the next month of having to live together, (where at first I was totally prepared to never speak to her again) we seemingly became closer again and started talking and spending time together. I did set boundaries however and stated I would not pay for her groceries or cook for her anymore. Soon however we were back to cuddling at night and going on dates together “just as friends” and eventually ended up having sex a few times (I originally tried to shut us down having sex but eventually gave in as it was too good) she would go on to tell me she still wanted to give it a try next semester with us living separate and promised me she would still want to go on dates and be with me. Even on my last day while moving out she was bawling her eyes out trying to get ever last bit of kisses and cuddles possible before I left and even said that I shouldn’t be sad as she knows she’ll be back with me again. She also suggested we take a class together next semester and of course I agreed. I suggested we go no contact for the summer to give ourselves both a chance to heal and decide what we really wanted and we agreed. Since then however she has deleted almost every photo of us on Instagram except for two and potentially has followed a couple of guys (I’m not certain as I’m trying not to stalk her IG too much and am not going to go through every person she follows. Her brother also unfollowed me and everything even though I thought we were friends. I explain all of this to my sister and she thinks my ex is a bitch and I should just move on with my life and she’s most likely trying to keep me around as a back up option if her next relationship fails or if she just wants attention. My other person I talk to however thinks I should give her a chance when we go back to college in the fall since I did agree to take the class with her and am bound to run into her again if she is willing to make the necessary changes herself. However I am so conflicted to what I should do as it seems like she’s trying to move on from me and appear single on all of her social media. I don’t want to appear needy and have been strong with not contacting her as it’s been 30 days and I intend on keeping that up. I can’t tell if everything she told me after we broke up is true as I really want to believe it is, and every day am fighting the urge to txt her. I need an unbiased outsiders opinion on this matter as I have no idea what to do anymore. The only thing saving me is my sister from texting her. I know only time will tell and eventually we will have to see eachother again and the ball is totally in her court, however I truly am confused about the whole situation and how she acted after we broke up. Any advice?

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This is going to be a long post. I suggest anyone who wants to give me advice should set aside some time to read this complicated situation.
I will add my family's race because it is relevant to the situation.
My family and I are Asian.
My Boyfriend's parents are conservative Americans in the way that they want Boyfriend to be the sole earner for his future family, but I would still have the freedom to work or become a housewife. A few weeks ago, my Boyfriend has told me that his mother has been making joke disguised hints about wanting grandkids from him. Today, he has told me that his parents are urging him to propose to me soon, in around 2 months.
My Boyfriend recently has been telling me how his parents has been wanting grandkids soon, but I did not expect that they wanted it THAT soon. I really respect his parents and they consider me family. As much as I want to please them, my Boyfriend and I both agree that we are not yet ready for marriage for reasons I will detail later in the post. My initial reaction was surprised, and we went into a detailed discussion after that.

1. The reason behind the suggestion of proposal.

My Boyfriend has told me that each of his parents both want for him to get married and start a family with me soon, but they both have different reasons behind it.
My Boyfriend has half-siblings from his father's first marriage. Boyfriend is the only child of his father's second wife, and the youngest out of his siblings. The age gap between him and the youngest half-sibling is almost 10 years.
His father is on borrowed time, as he was diagnosed with an illness relating to his nerves. He has expressed that he would like to see my Boyfriend get married and have a grandchild before he passes away. Boyfriend's grandfather died before meeting the youngest half-sibling, and Boyfriend's father wishes for that situation to not happen to him before he dies.
His mother's reason is simpler. Boyfriend was his mother's only child, and misses having a child present in her life. He has summed it up as her being ready to become a loving and involved grandparent.

1. The problems behind the suggestion and our reaction.

Boyfriend and I both live with our parents. Me living with my parents is more of the woman living with family until they are married and for financial reasons, while Boyfriend's living situation is just for financial reasons.
We had a tough time midway in our traditional college education and got delayed. However, we got back up and we are working towards a different path in education. We are now both currently working in jobs that don't pay enough to live on our own while we attend college in different degrees that would eventually get us high paying jobs in the oil industry. This will take the both of us at least a year before we can start making serious money.
The problem is that we both don't have a stable career at the moment, and it will take us at least a year to start making the kind of money enough to support us until retirement.
This is a problem both of us have brought up in the discussion and agree this is the main obstacle to what his parents are asking.
His parents proposing for us to get married and have kids involves money and living space both of us don't have yet. From what boyfriend has told me, they have proposed solutions to these problems, but he believes them to be not as well thought out as they have given him a barebones version of their so-far solution.
Their solution to marriage costs is to have a backyard wedding ceremony, with each family's wedding invite being a dish for everyone to eat. To be fair, they do have a very large and nice backyard, and I have no problem with backyard weddings if done very nicely.
Their solution to the living situation/kids is to have me move into their house. Boyfriend's parents have explained that they are willing to cover housing, living, and grandkids cost, to only worry about working/education so that we can save and earn as much money as possible.

1. My reaction and my family's possible reaction.

Right now, my family knows nothing about this situation. Only me. This happened just today during an outing. The only family members I will allow on being involved in this situation to support me are my parents (47F/51M). I have a younger brother (22M), and my guess is that he would be as clueless as I am in how to navigate this. I'm not expecting much from him in this situation anyways, but I know he will be there for me when I want to let anything out to vent and seek his opinion on.
As stated in point 2, in my culture, daughters live with their family until we are married. My parents also believe that an unmarried woman should never visit a man's house/family house as they think it is improper for a woman to do so. Contrarily, they don't think it is improper for a man to visit a woman's house/family house. The point is that they have conservative views on relationships and marriage regarding me, the only daughter. For those wondering, no they do not hold these same views with my brothers.
Based on this information and point 2, I believe my parents would be against the suggestion of me getting married and moving out of the house at this point of my life. Especially my father, as he has told me in occasion on how worried he is about living life away from family and would decide if I am ready to start life away from the family or not.
Personally, I also believe that I am not ready for marriage, but from a financial standpoint. I always ask myself if my finances can support any decision I would make. In this case, no. My current job isn't enough to fund a wedding or support a child. I know his parents are the one insisting on covering all living expenses, but it would make me and my boyfriend uncomfortable for them to do that in fear of strings being attached to it and feeling ashamed in not being able to provide all of this ourselves.

1. Did I give the "correct" response to how this situation with his parents should be handled?

At the end of the discussion, I told my boyfriend to let his parents have a discussion with my parents. This is a situation that involves differing beliefs between 2 families. I believe that it warrants a discussion between my Boyfriend, I, and both sets of our parents so that there is no conflict. Boyfriend has expressed that he is unsure if this discussion would change as his father's mind, as he has told me that he is a stubborn person. He is as unsure as I am in how the whole situation would turn out.
Was this the correct move on my part? This was my initial response at the beginning of the conversation, and still is after going into a long discussion. Please feel free to share me your perspective on this situation and your advice.
I will be updating this situation in the future for further advice since; to be honest, I have no clue whether what I do next would be the most "correct" action to this situation. I would like non-biased guidance along the way. Thank you for your time.

I expected to have this posted very soon after my trip, but time got away from me! Even the prospect of writing this out is kind of daunting lol so props to all of you who post your trip reports (and I greedily read every word!). Whenever people say stuff like “this is so long, I don’t expect anyone to read this!” I’m always like “of course I’m going to read every word and love it!” But now I am the one telling you guys, this is very long and I can’t imagine who out there is going to read this lol
Thursday 5/16 - Travel Day
Flew to Naples where my friend lives. Plan was to stay two nights with her before we headed to Orlando for one “girls night” before my solo trip began.
Saturday 5/18 - Travel to Disney!
Left at 6:30am to drive to Orlando. It was her and her two girls (age 11 and 5). We had reservations for one night at Beach Club. We bounded as princesses (Tiana, Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine). We walked to Epcot at 11:30am and that short walk was INCREDIBLE. I can’t believe how close the park is!!! Beach Club is amazing for location alone! Here are the things we ate and experienced:
~~Toasted Pretzel Bread (Germany): 20/10 This was absolutely delicious and over the course of the week I think I ate it like 5-6 times lol
~~Raspberry Radler (Germany): same as above, LOVED
~~Harvested a Pearl (Japan): This was seriously THE BEST experience! We all got them put in necklaces. One of her daughters got a gray/blue pearl and it was gorgeous. Lots of attention when she showed mine bc it looked big and she kept moving it up the sizing plate. I ended up with an 8.5mm pearl! It was very exciting and lots of celebration by the workers and crowd. They said it was the largest of the day. Honestly, I recommend this to ANYONE. It was less expensive than I expected, $29 to harvest the pearl, then I think I spent $23 on a cage for it, and I chose to buy a necklace for it to wear right away and that was $26. I am 100% doing it again in September when I go back for my 40th birthday (and I told my hubby he is doing it too and will love it!)
~~Lemon Drop Shandy (The Citrus Blossom): 7/10 good! nothing exceptional, I liked the radler better
~~Cinnamon Roll Bites (Brunchcot): 6/10, I was so excited for these but they were just average. I think maybe if we had a batch that had more frosting it might have been better. They weren’t bad, just not outstanding. Loved the bacon crumbles though!
~~Guardians of the Galaxy: the only reason this is making it into the notes is bc of my Reliefband. I get motion sickness. I tried Guardians last fall (after 2 dramamine) and still had to sit for about an hour afterward to chill and not be sick. I decided to purchase a Reliefband (classic version, Amazon, $129) to try out this trip and see if it would work. I was very skeptical. But I am here to say it worked 1000000000%. I was so blown away. Absolutely ZERO feelings of motion sickness during or after the ride. Kept my eyes open the whole time (it’s the visual speed that usually gets me, screen rides get me too). I am not a big thrill ride person, so incidentally this time around I realized this isn’t the ride for me. I just don’t enjoy it that much, BUT the big deal is to find out that is my ride preference and has nothing to do with motion sickness. It was so liberating not having my motion sickness control me! Ooooo, also, I was absolutely ecstatic that I got the song I’ve always wanted!! Everybody Wants to Rule the World!
We left Epcot at 4pm and went back to the resort to check in. First of all, it’s so gorgeous there. The room was wonderful, the lobby is beautiful and smells amazing. I wish we had the money to always stay deluxe bc I get why people love deluxe resorts so much!
Dinner at Ale & Compass (Yacht Club): 7/10, again, food was decent but nothing exceptional. Actually the Parker House Rolls were 1000% worth the hype, I got the NY Strip Steak though, asked for medium rare and I think it was more medium and that ruined it a bit for me (also taste was just meh)
We spent about an hour and half swimming at Stormalong Bay after dinner. That pool is seriously incredible. I never want to experience anything but a sand bottom pool again. The. Absolute. Best.
18,525 steps
Sunday 5/19 - Girls Leave and Solo Begins
We checked out and then had a Beaches and Cream reservation at 11:30am. We shared the Bacon Ranch Totchos (7/10 tasty but too much topping for me), Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (grilled cheese 9/10, tomato soup 6/10), aaaaand the Kitchen Sink Sundae (9/10)! Was it smart for us to get this with only two adult women and two children? Probably not. But boy was it fun and delicious and we put way more of a dent in it than I thought we would lol. A little siren goes off in the restaurant when one is brought to a table and there is a back and forth with kitchen staff and customers (they say something about a “whole can of whipped cream” and customers answer back as a group) and it was a very fun vibe! In fact that is one of the reasons I rate it a 9/10 haha, bc I think there is just too much whipped cream and a lot of the ice cream is just buried.
We swam at Stormalong bay for 2 more hours before they dropped me off at All-Star Movies and they headed home to Naples.
Magic Kingdom (solo)
I got into my room at All-Star Movies (Love Bug building 6) and tbh I didn’t mind its distance to the bus stop, maybe bc it was just me, but I didn’t have a problem with it, I thought the walk was quick enough. I was in Magic Kingdom by 5:30pm.
6pm PeopleMover (walk on) 5 min posted
6:30pm Pirates of the Caribbean (walk on) 10 min posted
6:45pm Thunder Mountain (10 min) 15 min posted
7:10pm Enchanted Tiki Room (10 min) 15 min posted
7:40pm Haunted Mansion (20 min) 20 min posted
8:25pm Got the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle sandwich at Sleepy Hollow: 7/10, the taste was great, I don’t like spicy stuff but this wasn’t too spicy. The only con is that the bottom of the waffle was kind of soggy and I didn’t really eat that part.
8:55pm in spot for HEA
9:40pm Peter Pan’s Flight (25 min) 10 min posted
Spent a lot of time in gift shops and doing photopass on my way out of park
11:10pm On bus back to resort
19,626 steps
Monday 5/20 - Animal Kingdom
6:45am On the bus to AK
7:22am Scanned into the park
7:32am Nav’i River Journey (6 min) 10 min posted
8:05am Kilimanjaro Safari (18 min) 25 min posted, was off the safari at 8:45am
9:05am Pongu Pongu - tried the Pongu Lumpia! I know this snack is controversial, it seemed like it was up my alley, but others have said the same and didn’t end up liking it so I was expecting to ultimately dislike it. I enjoyed it! 8/10 would eat again!
9:15am Gorilla Falls Trek, walked for 20 mins
9:45am It’s Tough to be a Bug - this was my first time, honestly, I think I have read articles and seen so many vlogs calling it startling and scary that I think I was expecting the worst so much that it wasn't….that….bad? I didn’t mind it? (side note: the ONLY time this entire trip that I wore tennis shoes was the morning of Animal Kingdom. My feet were hurting by the time I went into this show, so while it was going on I switched to my flip flops and my feet took a complete 180 degrees. I wore flip flops the rest of the trip and had zero issues with sore feet. I guess I’m just a flip flop girly???)
10:15am Feathered Friends in Flight - was actually heading to 11am Lion King but a CM I passed was announcing to people that the bird show was starting at 10:30 so I decided to detour there. It was great!
11:00am Maharajah Jungle Trek, walked for 20 mins, this was the most beautiful trail for me, absolutely lovely!
11:30am Eight Spoon Cafe - got the BBQ pork MacnCheese, found a spot to sit down by Drinkwallah and that is my go-to spot now. It is shaded and the carved tables and chairs are so pretty. I really like that little (hidden?) sit-down area!
12:00pm Discovery Trails, walked for 10 mins, then looked around shops in Discovery Island and Asia
12:50pm Rafiki’s Planet Watch (5 min) I did not get off the train, at this point I needed a break but I did not want to go back to resort, so I sat on the Wildlife Train and drank lots of water, I went around the circuit twice, got off at 1:30pm
1:45pm Festival of the Lion King, got in line for 2pm show, this was my first time…it BLEW MY MIND, absolutely loooooooved this. So so much. It was wonderful!
3:00pm Dinosaur (5 min) 15 min posted - first time! Honestly, I have heard so many disparaging comments about this ride I expected it to be terrifying, painful and just not fun. Again, I had an opposite experience! I love dinosaur movies (like Jurassic park) so I really enjoyed this one. I hope it is still there to ride when I am back in the fall!
3:30pm Nomad Lounge (added myself to waitlist on app, there was no “wait” got the text pretty much immediately) This was such an important break out of the heat. I spent an hour here to recharge. I drank a lot of water, had a delicious cocktail Lamu Libation 10/10, Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl 8/10, and Churros 10/10. I was able to charge my phone in an outlet at the bar. It was the perfect break!
5:00pm Left AK and headed back to resort
7:20pm Scanned into Hollywood Studios, walked around, looked through gift shops
8:20pm Catalina Eddie’s: got the Toffee and Coconut Blondie to take with me into Fantasmic! You guys…this is an absolute favorite of mine! My friend got it at NYE and forced me to try it (I didn’t want to bc I am not a coconut fan) but I fell in LOVE. Definitely a 20/10. I was so excited to get it again this trip. If you don’t love coconut, I find it very mild, you should definitely give it a shot.
9:00pm Fantasmic!
10:00pm Got on the bus to All-Star Sports instead of Movies bc in the gift shop at my resort the worker had told me I could find the pin I was looking for at the Sports gift shop. It was the 30 yr Anniversary pin of All-Star Resorts. I bought that and walked all the way back to my building, was back by 10:30pm
31,437 steps
Tuesday 5/21 - EPCOT
10:00am Scanned in at Epcot - kind of embarrassing…I was “that person” to hold everyone up. The past two days I did not need a park reservation, so I didn’t even think anything of it, but they told me one was required this day and he was setting one up for me on his ipad but then it kept erroring out, I felt TERRIBLE.
10:25am - Living with the Land (5 min) 5 min posted
10:50am - Nemo and Friends (15 min) 15 min posted
11:15am - Journey of Water walkthrough
11:40am - bought the Spike’s Pollination Exploration Scavenger hunt, it was nice bc it was 30% off with the rest of the F&G merch and I got my 20% discount on it. I mean it was only $10 regular price but I was still pretty happy lol
11:50am - got food!!! Toasted Pretzel Bread and Raspberry Radler (Germany) still 20/10, Frushi (Japan) 8/10, Fruit Punch Ale (America) 8/10 good but I would get the radler over this every time
1:00pm Frozen (40 min) 60 min posted, I got splashed a lot more than normal this time for some reason! Sat next to a girl who was videoing on a go-pro, asked if she was a vlogger but she said no and then we chatted for a min about our love of Disney vlogs, it was nice!
2:10pm Kringla Bakeri - Viking Coffee, 9/10 excellent!
2:30pm The Honey Bee-stro - Liquid Nitro Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake, 10/10 LOVED, the cheesecake was smooth and creamy (even while “frozen”) and the tart blueberry compote that comes with it is a perfect pairing. Plus I was able to Pixie Dust someone here! There was a young girl in line in front of me by herself, she was maybe 13? Anyway she was trying to scan her magic band for payment and the CM told her the band was not authorized to be used for payment, she seemed a bit surprised and embarrassed and I stepped in and started scanning my magic band. It was honestly only $6.50. She tried to tell me no and that she would go get her mom, but I just overrode her and said “It’s Disney! Let me!” with a smile. We were both at the window to pick up our items together and when she got hers she unexpectedly leaned in and gave me a hug and thanked me again. I was so surprised and heartwarmed (and also felt bad that I was kinda sweaty lol). But anyway it was a wonderful moment!
2:45pm Bought the Spaceship Earth cookie jar that I have been wanting so badly! I got it with my gift card I got for “mothers day” from our pets :D
2:55pm Spaceship Earth (walk on) 5 min posted
4:00pm Bus back to resort for a break and shower bc it was a very hot day!
6:40pm Scanned back into EPCOT
6:45pm Spaceship Earth (walk on) 5 min posted
Walked around to find Spike for scavenger hunt
7:35pm Toasted Pretzel Bread and Raspberry Radler (again! lol)
8:00pm watched Garden Rocks concert
More Spike hunting!
9:00pm Luminous
9:10pm Started heading out of park
This was my toughest day of my whole solo trip for several reasons. 1) I don’t think I did enough sit down things, I was on my feet a ton 2) I was not being “park smart”. Epcot is huge enough in the first place but I was not navigating the park in an efficient way and ended up walking WAY more than I should have. Around 7:30-8pm I started to feel something pulled in my leg (after googling later maybe a mild issue with adductor tendon?) it was high up in my inner thigh, I decided to leave the park only 10 mins after Luminous started bc I really wanted to not push myself, the next day was going to be my Magic Kingdom day and that is my favorite park and would likely be a long day and I just didn’t want to ruin it.
29,183 steps
Wednesday 5/22 - Hollywood Studios (not Magic Kingdom!)
Woke up before 7am and decided to pivot on my plans bc of my leg. I decided to stay in the resort room until midday to rest my leg, and due to that decision I switched my park day from MK to HS. I figured if I was going to be in a park for less hours of the day I would rather sacrifice time in Hollywood Studios than Magic Kingdom. I bought Genie+ and bought an ILL for Rise of the Resistance for 1:40pm. This ended up being THE BEST decision I could have made. By the time I left my room, my leg was feeling 100% better and I did not have any issues with it for the rest of the trip!
1:15pm Scanned into Hollywood Studios
1:30pm Frozen Sing Along - I love this fricken show, I always want to see it every time I go to HS, I could watch it a million times, I am always impressed by the Arendelle Historians bc they are so funny, and while they will make jokes in a similar vein, they still have so much variety that you don’t see the same jokes when you watch shows with different historians. A++, this will always be one of my faves.
2:15pm Rise of the Resistance ILL - full A mode, also…bc I was wearing my Reliefband I was able to keep my eyes open during the drop with the simulation of flying through space. It was great!!!
3:00pm Smuggler's Run (G+) - okaayyyyyy, I have never been on this (due to motion sickness fears) but I decided to take the plunge. I got all the way to sitting in the seat and tbh I was terrified. I was by myself, I didn’t know exactly what to expect and I was not so much scared that I would be sick, I was confident in the Reliefband, but I was worried I would hate the simulated feeling of flying. That kinda freaks me out. So then, the ride doesn’t actually start and they tell us that a CM will be in to let us out bc it has malfunctioned and we will be given a LL back. I was quite literally SO RELIEVED. I will try that ride, but in September when I am with my husband!
3:30pm Woody’s Lunchbox - Adult Lemonade 10/10 and Raspberry Lunchbox Tart 7/10. I ended up getting two more Adult Lemonades throughout the night bc I thought they were delicious!! The tart was fine, it tasted “good” but nothing unique or outstanding.
4:00pm Beauty and the Beast Live
4:35pm Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (G+)
5:15pm Toy Story Mania (G+)
6:00pm Baseline Taphouse - Charcuterie Board 9/10 and Blood Orange Hard Cider 7/10
6:30pm Frozen Sing Along - I am not kidding about how much I like this show lol
7:10pm Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (40 mins) 45 min posted
8:20pm Rise of the Resistance (used the anytime pass I got for Smuggler Run going down) this time around we ended up having to walk down a hallway bc there was a technical difficulty with the 2nd pre show (where you enter the craft and get pulled in by the first order) we skipped that part and walked down a hallway straight into the storm trooper room. Everything else worked except for Finn.
8:45pm Ran my ass through Toy Story land (picked up an Adult Lemonade!) and hightailed it to Fantasmic! This ended up being a very good lesson for me. Getting to Fantasmic! just as it was starting was NOT a good idea. I was in the bleachers in the last section at the top, like with the walkway in front of you. You can hardly see anything back there. I will not make this mistake again. I left just as the floats started bc I could not even see them at all.
Browsed a lot of gift shops!
10:20pm Got on bus back to resort
I go back and forth on whether G+ was worth it today. Ultimately, I side on yes bc I didn’t even get to the park until 1pm, got to walk the park a ton, I did the most photopass spots here than I did on any other day, so Genie+ allowing me to just hop on 3 rides with no wait gave me the time to do all of that (and watch Frozen twice and B&B show), and I had the time to wait for Runaway Railway standby again. Also, bc the Smugglers Run malfunction allowed me to use a “LL” on Rise again, that alone made it worth it!
20,264 steps
Thursday 5/23 - Magic Kingdom
Wooooohoooo! My favorite park! I decided to get G+ today and get an ILL for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for 7:40pm
9:10 Scanned into MK
9:25am Thunder Mountain (walk on) 10 min posted, this ride has never gotten to me in the past (motion sickness) but I was in the second to last cart and that made this ride feel faster and “dippier” and I did not care for it lol
9:40am Westward Ho - Crispy Chicken/egg/pepper jack breakfast biscuit, 9/10 would get again!
9:55am Pirates of the Caribbean (10 min) 15 min posted
10:25am Enchanted Tiki Room (walk on, got there just as they were ushering people in)
10:45am Enchanted Tales with Belle (12 min) 20 min posted
11:20am Little Mermaid (G+)
11:35am Mickey’s Philharmagic (10 min) 15 min posted
12:20 Carousel (15 min) 5 min posted - tbh this one pissed me off lol, bc I would have never gone on it had I realized I would wait 15 mins, 5 mins was a cruel trick haha
12:50pm Winnie the Pooh (G+)
1:05pm it’s a small world (G+)
1:35pm PeopleMover (8 min) 15 min posted
2:05pm Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (G+) - I didn’t remember thinking this ride was this hard! But after having just done Toy Story Mania the day before, I did not find this one to be as easy to “play”, I prefer Toy Story Mania!
2:20pm Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (17 min) 10 min posted
3:05 Peter Pan’s Flight (G+)
3:25pm Pecos Bills - slugged some water, had a coke (12/10 refreshing!) and nachos (4/10, I did not remember these being so spicy, I mean I don’t like spice so I am probably a wimp saying this but I did not enjoy these bc of the spiciness, will not get again)
4:00pm Stopped in Columbia Harbour house which was not too busy and found an empty table next to an outlet to charge my phone
4:45pm Haunted Mansion (G+)
Walked to First Aid station for Tylenol (headache)
5:20pm Pirates of the Caribbean (G+)
5:50pm Sunshine Tree Terrace - I tried the I Lava You Float, and I was sure it was going to be too sweet even though I have read many people’s reviews who loved it. I LAVA THIS FLOAT! 10/10 very much looking forward to getting again in fall!
6:05 WDW Train (Frontierland) (6 min) 10 min posted - I felt like chilling for a bit again so I did a full circuit and then went on to Fantasyland
7:05 Mickey’s Philharmagic (5 min) 10 min posted
7:35pm Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ILL - felt the same way about this one as BTM earlier, I was in one of the last carts (row 8) and it felt faster and dippier than in the past, no thanks!
8:10pm PeopleMover (20 min) 5 min posted - this should have been a walk on, but the ride went down as I was in line, I kept debating back and forth about leaving the line and coming back, but I just kept sticking it out a few more mins and a few more mins. Some people in line behind me were speculating if someone had puked on the ride bc of the workers going up. Not sure, doesn’t really matter, PeopleMover is the BEST at night!
8:50pm Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (35 min) 35 min posted - Listen, I wasn’t expecting to be on this ride during HEA, I was just trying to hop in line while everyone was waiting for fireworks bc the wait would be shorter, but the fact that I actually got on it in perfect timing to see fireworks?! Let me just say it is just as cool as everyone says it is! Also, they put me in row 8 again, grrrrr, is that the designated solo rider lane?
9:30pm TRON - I tried getting a boarding group at 7am and didn’t get in. So then my plan was to get in at 1pm but I totallyyyyyyy forgot about it and I remembered at 1:55pm and I was like “crap! I guess I will see if I can still buy an ILL”. I was about to do that and then I thought to myself, “maybe I should just see if the VQ is still open?” AND IT WAS! So I literally got a boarding group at 2pm, an hour after the VQ started, I was shocked and thrilled when I got one! Plus TRON is always so gorgeous at night. I actually have yet to ride it in the day lol And LISTEN, I get that most people prefer Guardians to TRON, I really do get it. BUT bc I am not that much of a thrill ride person, I like easier going coasters. I seriously love TRON so much. It is such a horizontal coaster that it’s like my ideal. You get the thrill from it being fast and a little dippy, but nothing crazy. It’s a fave for me!!!
10:30pm Casey’s Corner - French fries and coke, both 10/10 refreshing and needed the pick me up!
10:45pm Main Street Confectionary - It was on my to-do list to get the popcorn mix from here. I chose Butter Popcorn, dark chocolate sauce, pretzel pieces and snickers. 10/10 definitely recommend. Will be getting a mix again in September!
11:10pm Got on bus back to resort
Friday 5/24 - Bonus Day?!
This was supposed to be my travel day back home. My flight was set to leave at 5pm, but in the morning my husband told me about storms in the midwest and I got an email from the airline about “adverse weather conditions”, so I called and changed my flight to the next day at 7am. (It ended up being the right choice bc my original 5pm flight out of MCO was delayed multiple times until it was finally canceled at like 10:30pm) I was thankfully able to book another night at All-Star Movies and could stay in my same room. I quickly formed the plan to go back to Animal Kingdom to see Festival of the Lion King again bc I had enjoyed it so much earlier in the week and then go to EPCOT to finish the final 4 Spikes that I had not located yet for the scavenger hunt!
11:00am Scanned in at Animal Kingdom
11:50am Mr. Kamal’s - got the Chicken Dumplings that were on my list to try but I did not get the chance to on Monday, also went back to my favorite spot by Drinkwallah, the dumplings were like a 6/10. Idk just pretty average for a potsticker that you can get anywhere, I probably would not get them again
12:15pm walked around Dinoland to really soak it in just in case next time I come it is walled off!
1:pm Festival of the Lion King - man, this is just fantastic! Be Prepared is my favorite villain song and I get so pumped when they do that part!
1:50pm Satu’li Canteen - got the wood-grilled chicken protein bowl, with rice and black beans and the creamy herb sauce. Literally OH MY GOD, this was so flipping good! 20/10!!! Best thing I ate hands-down all week. I wasn’t sure I would eat the slaw in the bowl but that was delicious, the creamy herb sauce was amazing and those little boba balls that add the citrus burst?!?! So so good. I have already altered our plans for September to include two meals here so I can get this bowl twice next time lol
2:45pm Took bus back to Resort
5:30pm Scanned in at EPCOT
5:55pm Living with the Land (walkon) 10 min posted
6:15pm Awesome Planet (walkon, went into theater immediately and show started) This was my first time checking this out, I really enjoyed it! I will def watch again especially in the heat of the day when I just need to sit somewhere cool for a bit!
6:45pm Found Spike (1 of 4 left) by the Butterly Landing!
7:00pm Found Spike (2 of 4 left) in France
7:10pm Checked out the Annual Passholder lounge in Restaurant Marrakesh
7:35pm Gran Fiesta Tour (walk on) 5 min posted
7:50pm Found Spike (3 of 4 left) in Mexico
8:00pm Got another Toasted Pretzel Bread and Raspberry Radler from Germany (dont judge! lol)
8:10pm watched Lit at Garden Rocks concert (who doesn’t love “My own worst enemy”!?!?!?)
8:35pm Found final Spike in Japan!!! - this one was my ultimate nemesis. I had searched Japan on Tuesday, I had searched Japan (twice?) earlier on this day and I was all set to give up bc I couldn’t find the Kokedama garden. I just hadn’t looked up the stone path to the left of Japan. Finally saw it when it was dark out and got my final Spike!!!
8:50pm Journey of Water walkthrough (always better at night!)
9:05pm Shoutout to the photopass guy who I stopped by on my way out of the park, those were the most awkward poses I have ever done in front of spaceship earth but you tried your best and the photos make me laugh every time I see them!
29,941 steps
Overall Thoughts
10/10 Amazing Trip. I found out about people going on solo trips here on reddit late last year and I was immediately certain I had to book one. While I can be a very social person, I am also a loner in the fact that I do enjoy spending time in my own company (not everybody does) so I knew a solo trip was right up my alley. It was everything I hoped for and more. I didn’t have to consult anyone else, I could do what I want, when I want. Also, (not to brag….shhhhhh…I’m not bragging I swear) but I am not a complainer. The heat usually doesn’t affect me too much, I have a good amount of endurance so I get tired of course but it takes a lot. I’m pretty unflappable because I’m just happy to BE AT Disney World. Others I’ve gone with are not like this so much lol so it was nice to just be in my own company in the sense that I was always in a positive mood and didn’t have anyone dimming that? If that makes sense?
Safety
I am a petite woman. I am 4’10” and 118lbs so I am very aware of my size in terms of my safety. I can honestly say though that I felt safe throughout the whole trip. The one time that I got off the bus at All-Star Sports at 10pm to go to the gift shop and then walked all the way to Movies, that did worry me a bit but only as I was walking through the parking lot sections.
And I did get the crap scared out of me at the resort due to the requirement of a “visual check”. I had not ever heard of this, but I was in my room for a midday break and I had a knock at my door by housekeeping. I thought it was odd bc I had my “room occupied” sign out the whole time bc I didn’t feel the need for housekeeping, it was just me in the room. I said “no thank you” and they knocked and announced housekeeping again. I said “no thank you” louder. (internally I was thinking, can they not hear me through the door????) and they did it again! I finally went closer to the door and I heard the person mumble something about a “visual check” and I very sternly and loudly said “no!” bc I didn’t know what the heck they were talking about. I peeked through the curtain at my window and watched the guy walk past holding a phone in his hand. I think he was wearing a uniform shirt but I couldn’t totally tell. I decided to call the resort in the event this was someone trying to pose as housekeeping staff. They ended up relieving my fears by telling me it was legitimate. Apparently, you have to have your room checked at some point in your stay (I was staying 5 nights) if you choose not to get housekeeping. He explained this has to do with the Pulse Nightclub shooting. I guess they had stockpiled guns in their hotel room and kept not letting housekeeping in. He explained that is why they do the visual check, for the safety of all resort guests. I was 100% supportive once he told me that and I felt bad for yelling at the guy. But also, I am a solo woman and I had no idea what the hell was going on, and to be completely frank, I had just showered so I was in a tshirt and underwear which made me feel even more vulnerable bc I was not fully dressed! I was not letting that person in my room. The guy on the phone totally understood that and apologized for alarming me. I told him to have the guy come back and do the visual check. I apologized to him when he came in. He was in my room for all of 10 seconds and that was it. But it was certainly a crazy ordeal!
Walking
I was doing 20-30k steps each day and other than hurting my leg on Tuesday I was honestly fine. I had shin splints too but again, they weren’t terrible and by Thursday they were gone. I brought tennis shoes and flip flops intending to switch on and off throughout the week in order to prevent my feet from getting sore but that never happened. I spent 3 hours in the shoes on Monday before my feet started hurting and I never wore them again. I had 2 different pairs of flip flops the whole time. I guess that is what my feet like!
Backpack vs Loungefly
I typically wear a normal size backpack to the parks, but also I can usually share wearing it with my husband. I didn’t really consider how hard it would be to wear a backpack alllllllll day long. And it wasn’t even heavy, I didn’t put much in it at all, but still it wore on my shoulders and made them sore. On Wednesday I ended up getting a Loungefly even though they have never really been my thing. It honestly ended up being perfect. It felt different on my shoulders and I wasn’t getting sore like I was with a regular size backpack.
Waiting in Lines
I have often read that one of the things that bothers solo travelers the most is waiting in lines by themselves bc it’s boring and they have no one to keep them company. I thought I might feel this way too but waiting in lines was not bad at all to me. It’s so easy to be on your phone that whole time. I was looking at my photopass photos, browsing reddit, and inputting trip notes. I felt like waiting in line was not a hardship for me as a solo traveler.
Photopasses
This trip exceeded my expectations with photopasses! The number of photos each photographer took and the variety of positions and magic shots was awesome. I am assuming part of that is because I was solo? I am not sure but I just felt like the quantity and time spent at each photopass location was better than normal. Special shout out to Hollywood Studios, that day in particular was just awesome. Every photographer was awesome, but especially the ones in Galaxy’s Edge. I was having such an amazing time getting them!
Total Photopasses each day:
MK - 6 photopass spots
AK - 2 photopass spots
Epcot - 3 photopass spots
HS - 7 photopass spots
MK - 6 photopass spots
AK and EPCOT - 7 photopass spots
I can’t wait to do it all again in September with my husband!

Hello, I come in somewhat desperate need of help when it comes to my relationship. Some things have come up that have legitimately started making me question my relationship with my GF of ~3 months.
This comes from a throwaway account, so I'll refer to myself as Shelly, and I'll refer to my GF as Phoneix.
A bit of backround first:
I'm 16 and a half, and I'd describe this as my first "real relationship", I do have Aspergers, so it kinda makes it hard to properly communicate my feelings towards anything, but I don't hold these feelings in either. I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to school and I achieve the highest grades I can, as I was a sophomore last school year (now technically a junior, due to the end of the 23-24 school year). I strive to be successful in my future. I had just moved to a new town where I still reside (I moved in August).
As for my girlfriend, (like I've said, I'll refer to her as Phoenix), she's recently turned fifteen in February. She, unlike me, does not have any conditions that could hinder anything in her life. She is a bit shy when it comes to talking with new people, she also strives to be successful, but hasn't been receiving the best of grades in her ninth grade year (as of now, shes technically a sophomore because of ghe end of the 23-24 school year). She's been in this town all of her life.
As per how we met... We had a class together in the 23-24 school year, it was Theatre-Art Studies, but we didn't actually meet until we were about 3 weeks into the class. Eventually, we met as we were assigned a project about emotions in the class (which was a one on one project), she seemed reluctant to talk to me at first, but as we progressed throughout the project, she seemed more eager to speak with me.
We actually had a funny conversation about each of our families, and she then thought I was a senior, when I also thought she was a junior (because she's really tall, I assumed she was a junior). We cleared it up, and when she found out I was a sophomore, she kinda smiled and told me "You're cute for a sophomore", which completely gave me a shock. (This is because I would never think a girl would call me cute or anything). All I could really say was a simple "thank you", and I told her how shocked I was hearing that. We had been talking so long at that point we realized there was about 5 minutes kept of the class (there's about 41 minutes in each class, and we started five minutes in class). So we rushed the project and turned it in to be looked at the next day.
The next day, I asked if I can sit a seat behind her, Phoenix said it was fine and she exclaimed how much of a nice conversation she had with me and said "I thought I'd never had a good conversation with a boy again, but you proved me wrong". (This will be examined later, as I've had no knowledge of her past at the time). I questioned her on it and explained that it wasn't something that needed to be talked about.
Over the next week, we got more close with each other, and on a Thursday, we were assigned a project about building a movie set with Legos. Being the planner I am, I wanted to construct a plan with Phoenix (as we chose our own partners aside from being chosen by the teacher, who we'll call Mrs. Ness, she'll be important later). I (very awkwardly) asked her for her phone number, and she accepted, and Phoenix began scribbling her number on a torn piece of paper, she gave it to me, and this is how we started talking out if school.
We passed with flying colors on the project, but anyways...
During March, after we had met over two and a half weeks ago, she wanted to talk to me about something, and she asked me if we could sit and talk in the back of our auditorium (where this class usually was held), and we started talking and she said she's had a crush on me since we met, (In reality, I had also developed feelings for her). She admitted all of this to me and said "I wanted to tell you this, and it's okay if you don't like me for doing this" (something that WILL be brought up later). I said that I didn't hate her for doing that, which she kinda refused to believe, but when I said I had feelings for her too, it looked like a wave of relief hit Phoenix's entire body. So we were sitting there, and she says "A lot of people hate me, especially boys in my grade, but you are one of the few that care about me". To which I said I always strive to treat everyone with trust, equality, and respect.
So... as of that day in early March we began dating! But we kept it secret from anyone else, as we communicated mainly over text, we fell for each other FAST. I found her personality to be sweet, she is a genuine, passionate, and beautiful girl. She finds me dreamy, cute, nice, and respectful. So we have love there
One day Phoenix admitted to me over text (and later on in person) that she had at least 9 breakups since 6th grade, which I felt was strange but I pressed her on the topic, she said that was one of the reasons she disliked boys. I later learned that she had (when we had just met) been suffering through her ninth breakup, and she promised to herself that she'd never date again, that was (as she says) until she met me during that emotions project.
As a person who's had poor experiences with girls in general in the past, I legitimately felt the same way about dating, and I had a back of mind thought of "What If I can't date anyone?".
We had a minor fight in April, but all turned out well in the end, but the way it happened (looking in retrospect) really raises a red flag for me. We were just texting one day when my parents came home and I had forgotten to do the dishes, which they had told me to do, so I went to let Phoenix know that I might be a bit doing chores, she accepted the response. At the same time my parents got home they also brought home groceries, which caused me to take longer than expected, then I got finished with everything.
I hurriedly ran to my room to begin texting her again, she was happy at first, saying she was worried for me, but then began saying "How long you took was sus" (and I'll be completely honest, this was the first time I heard this word, so I didnt know what it meant definition wise), so I asked her what it meant, and she basically reiterated that I was suspicious for being gone that long. I told her that my parents brought in groceries and I had to also do dishes, which was something she didn't believe, as she kept insinuating that I was trying to "keep away from her". Which was not what I had expected. But around thirty minutes later, it was all resolved.
This is one of a few things that make me question the situation I'm in right now...
We began having "spicy" conversations, but not adult-themed conversations, we were essentially saying how much we loved each other and we started talking about kissing, in which she asked "Could we have a kiss?", and me being me, I jumped to saying yes. She says "This could be your first real kiss, Shelly". That just made me excited, then the topic of French Kissing came up, and we were actually going to go through with it, that was until Phoenix's mother looked through her texts and advised Phoenix to "simmer" these conversations down. The next day in person, Phoenix said that her mom did not like me and her exactly being together, (which later changes), but she still gave her permission to talk to me (In reality, this was both of our faults because we got too carried on with a rather passionate conversation).
During our relationship, she had said that her bullies treated her really poorly, and she thought that everyone in her grade disliked her, and even suggested her exes hated her too. She said that her previous ex (I'll call him Max, was a freshman), and her former friend (I'll call her Abby, she was a senior) were her main too aggressors when it came to her bullying. Max was her ex, and Abby (like me, has autism) had a following, and would constantly tease Phoenix to the point of her eating habits being absolutely destroyed. Phoenix said that Max had usually said "I wish your past health issue was bad", and that she was ugly and nobody loved her.
Oh, I forgot to mention that she also had a major health issue in the past, but I would not like to talk about it.
However, on a very hot night in early May, the topic of Phoenix's bullies came up again. It seemed like the usual complaint at first, but she... she kept getting more aggressive over text. It was nearing eleven o'clock at night, and as I had taken a three hour nap that day after school, I was nowhere near tired.
She later went on to say that she'll start a fight with Max, and "win it", which immediately tipped me off that something was wrong, and it rose a large red flag and alarms basically blared in my head (later on, she later also detailed how she would also fight two others as well, both of whom I did not know). The things she said were terrible to hear (I'm a pacifist, and I would EVER only fight in self-defense), I kept telling Phoenix to stop, and to reconsider. (I have text records, and... looking at them now... it's very hard to look at.) I literally begged her to reconsider what she was doing, and she said "I'll win this for you, cutie😈", and after I told her to stop again, she said "I'll only stop after today, and just for you".
I was legitimately scared at this point, and I sought to end the conversation, which ended successfully, but that was when I said "Phoenix, if you continue to go through with this, you are breaking my trust, my morals and values as a person will be broken. I know how to fail your plans, even if I won't get physical". This was my warning to her.
It was around midnight now, and I actually got on a text hotline and reported her behaviour, and provided as many details as I could (I swear, this is making me stressed as I right this now). They ended their report and info collecting at one o'clock, and feeling deathly scared, I tried sleeping. I don't know how I got any sleep that night.
It's the next morning, and Phoenix texts me at around 7:40, saying "Hey cutie, sorry I came in late this morning, but I'm going to for sure win that fight. I'll talk to you later, Shelly". I told her, as a last warning, "Phoenix, please don't do this". That would be my last text for the next thirty minutes.
At around 8:10, I got a text asking "Did you report me?!?!" And I spilled absolutely everything on her. I told her that going through with this, she was breaking my trust and every value I had as a person, and yes, I did indeed report you. I told you I could foil your plan (I was saying this as a reference to my previous text to her that night). She said that she hated me, absolutely hated me.
Okay, look, I was very scared here. I was legitimately scared that she was going to do something to harm me.
This is my lunch period, my fourth period, and I immediately ran in to tell my friends to NOT talk to Phoenix at all costs, and I told them a summary of what happened, they all sympathized with my side of the situation.
Now, I'm very fortunate to have Mrs. Ness as one of the lunch supervisors, so I pulled her off to the side and explained everything to her, I even said that I felt completely unsafe and that I didn't know what she could do to me. She asked if we were "an item", but when she defined it for me, I denied anything relating to the sort, but now I care about being safe, and she said that she would help to protect me at all costs. We were presenting our final projects in the class those next few days, and I asked her if I could sit the closes I could to her while staying far away from Phoenix, she absolutely agreed and promised to have my back. (Thank Jesus).
In class, when she presented that day, I absolutely refused to look at her, and since our tables faced one another in the classroom (we were in a classroom to present these final projects), I felt trapped, I quickly glanced at Phoenix a few times, ans I caught her looking at me. She looked absolutely sullen, and I refused to look at her during her presentation, but instead looked at the ground the entire time while she was presenting, it felt like ages. She was done and I finally felt safe.
After school, I received a text "I don't know if you've blocked me or anything, and I don't know if you hate me. But I'd like to apologize for everything and I want to talk with you in the morning". I reluctantly accepted, and when she came up to my breakfast table in the morning, I still felt scared, but I managed to walk with her to my class, where she would hand me a letter (she knew that I loved her writing, it's still adorable to this day). I read it later on and she said she saw she made a mistake, and that she would like to restart our relationship. I didn't consider ending the relationship there, but it was a stark reminder that I was on the fence about absolutely everything.
I love this girl to death, and in the letter she promised me she wouldn't do anything like this again (which she still keeps to this day), and she said she saw how wrong she was for going as far as she did. I later texted her that I'd take some tike to think about us being together (I was being genuine, and Phoenix accepted)
That Friday, she sent me another text, but with different meaning and wording about the apology and clarified that I did the right thing, and she was in the wrong, and she took fault for that. She just didn't want me to hate her (surprisingly, I wasn't finding myself angry or hateful of her, but rather... deeply disappointed.). I guess that made me decide that I would restart everything with her, and I guess we hit it off again. I felt safe again in her presence, and we resumed our normal routine like nothing had happened. At this point, she was a lot more friendlier towards me than ever before. I let Mrs. Ness know that we had made up and said that she was glad we made up.
Phoenix then invited me to have ice cream at a local parlor, and I'm like "sure, I'll absolutely go". We went on June 1st, which was very convenient as a Saturday and after the last day of school. We were enjoying ourselves, I paid for the ice cream, absolutely everything went well. I even met her mother (at this point I had legitimately forgotten that she once looked through our "spicy" texts), she met my mom and they hit it off well, talking about the town we were originally from, to how our futures would pan out living there, to potential future visits. I legitimately like her mom, she's a sweet lady.
Communication actually became better after this, on a phone call, she demonstrated a sweet French voice, and I called it hot, but she called me sexy, which also shocked me, and I was speechless the entire call. We also started calling each other baby/babe like a few days before. We actually talked more than ever before.
Now, my most latest concern comes on June 8, where I had another "You're sus" incident, this was about our third incident since April, where she accused me of not wanting to play Roblox with her (in reality I was forced by my parents to play a board game with my brothers, which turned out to be fun in the end). She then accused me of hating her, just like her exes, and she accused me of saying that I liked her as a fake confidence boost so I could "later pull her down and destroy her". My mom wanted me to get off her phone for the night (my service on my ohone was shut off June 2nd, so I had to use hers) and I responded "Look, Phoenix, I don't hate you, I love you, and I want you to have a sweet night babe" I don't know if she ever responded to it, since it was quite early (like seven o'clock at night, she usually ends her convos at ten).
Now... now I'm stuck on the fence, and I'm questioning absolutely everything about our relationship. I love this girl to death, and I know her past with this kind of stuff before, but I don't want to be treated the way I am, K don't want to be treated like I'm suspicious, and I don't like the way she puts herself down around me. I absolutely love this girl, I really do, I could say it a million times over and I could still say it some more. I just don't know what to do, can I get some needed advice here?
Thank you for reading this long post, being typed out for about two hours straight in the middle of the night. I hope I can get some outsider perspective on this, because I really need it right now.... thank you!

Really wanted to share this cuz I’m obsessed.
I recently had a dream that was essentially a crossover between the episode “Brain Scratch,” and the Lupin III Part II episode “The Devil’s Bell Calls For Lupin,” where Lupin, Spike, Jet, and Ed attempt to save Jigen, Goemon, and Faye from Lavinia (the antagonist from “The Devil’s Bell Calls For Lupin”), who is using the comatose Rosny Spanngen (aka “Dr. Londes”) to control an entire town’s worth of people into becoming her mindless drones.
Some Highlights * Lavinia has Spike and Jet tied up, with Jigen and Goemon holding them at gun point/sword-point in order to threaten Lupin. Goemon slashes Jet’s throat, though a quick intervention from Ein prevents it from being fatal. However, Jet’s now left with a huge gash in his throat that he’s struggling to keep closed while he’s tied up. He spends some time tied up in this dingy basement where he and Spike are trapped, trying to keep the wound closed, and later begins running around with a tourniquet wrapped around his neck. * No dogs are allowed in the town because they can hear the hypnotic frequencies being emitted from Rosny’s equipment, as Ein demonstrates. * One of Lavinia’s goons throws Ed over his shoulder and takes her away kicking and screaming after trying to save Ein. * Jigen (#106), Goemon (#107), and Faye (#105) are living together as a polyamorous couple, but Jigen is still the housewife of the relationship. Faye, of course, is only pretending to be hypnotized in order to collect the bounty on “Londes,” and is only barely tolerating the genuinely brainwashed Jigen and Goemon while trying to play the part of their female partner. Jigen and Goemon eventually catch on to Faye’s deception and have her backed up against a wall with a “busted” look on her face. * On that note, Faye also has pictures of an NSFW interaction between Jigen and Goemon. I think she was trying to use it as blackmail. * Ein steals the Zantetsuken from Goemon, forcing the samurai to chase him through a crowd of violent townsfolk. * Ed reenacts that one scene from Regular Show. You know the scene. * Spike and Jet fight off violent townsfolk left and right. * Ed re-enacts the Mrs. Nesbit scene from Toy Story with Faye at some point, complete with Jigen’s hat and apron. * Faye hides her Glock 30 between her boobs. She holds Lavinia at gunpoint in the church, revealing that she was never hypnotized and plans on taking her in to collect the bounty on her head. Faye proves she’s not messing around when she shoots Lavinia in the foot, but doing so alerts Lavinia’s henchmen, who take her away. * Faye is locked up with Ed, who seems to have gone on to embrace the Mrs. Nesbit role-play. Annoyed, Faye smacks Ed in the face, causing her to snap out of her own little trance. * The day is ultimately saved when Ed hacks into Lavinia’s equipment and replaces all the hypnotic frequency files with I Wrote This, by Patrick Star. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
Yeah, this is the stuff my brain conjures up when I’m not conscious.

Disappointed. Website doesn’t match what is offered, no liquor license, nobody answers the phone (called twice). I love Japanese food, spent a couple weeks in Japan a while back. This food was bad. Got katsudon with scrambled eggs on top, the katsudon was wet and slimy on the outside (thought panko breading meant it would be crispy- it was not) Dry and tough inside. Takoyaki and sunomono were good, curry tasted much like the boxed curry. Water cups smelled like soap or cleaning spray. Tea was fine. The servers were nice, but not very good. Slow, had to ask twice for items, brought the wrong food, small plates weren’t brought for shared appetizers, etc. The garden is very nice, although the mosquitos were coming out by the end of the evening. We were told ~20 minute wait when we checked in, and I knew immediately that was not going to be right due to the number of people waiting. It was about an hour wait. If a place makes a point of not offering seasonings, wasabi, soy sauce, etc at the table because they want you to appreciate the flavor of their dishes, they better be able to back it up. Then to send out water cups that reek of cleanedetergent…. Nah, man. Soup Nazis have to bring it, and this place is lacking in almost every aspect. My partner was reasonably satisfied with his curry, fwiw. Huge portions, prices are low for the amount of food you get. I wish it was better.

I’m really struggling. I can’t stand still to do daily tasks anymore without feeling awful. Cooking, dishes, etc. I’m having panic attacks left and right because I feel like something terrible is going to happen to me.
I get lightheaded, dizzy, my heart pounds, PVCs, blood pooling, head throbs, I feel antsy and short of breath. It’s taking a huge toll on my mental health, and giving me intense panic attacks. I keep thinking I must be dying, or it’s going to trigger a stroke or something from my blood pressure getting so high.
Drs. say it shouldn’t be causing me any symptoms, which has me so confused. My PCP said it’s abnormal, but the cardiologist said it’s nothing and gave me no further info.
It’s gotten to the point where I can’t stay home alone anymore because I’m afraid of an episode and subsequent panic attack. It feels so urgent and like I’m having a real medical emergency and need help. I end up taking my xanax to calm down
In addition to symptoms from standing in place, I get heart palpitations from eating and extremely lightheaded and dizzy after exercise.
I don’t know what to do anymore. If I knew what was going on, I would be less scared that I was going to drop dead from it.
Does anyone have any advice?

WOH Month 6 Week 2
…..
New WOH World Champion Charlotte Flair enters the arena to a chorus of boos.. She has the title strapped around her waist and a huge grin on her face. Commentary notes that she is not flanked by the rest of the Standard.
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is, I, your Queen. I told you at Anarchy I would take the title off of Jamie Hayter, and I did!! Now I'm telling you that I will hold this title forever, so I will!!”
……
Non-Title
Sky Pirates vs Club Venus
We open the matches with a rematch between our Tag Champions Io and Kairi and their friends in Club Venus Mariah and Mina. We see a good match between the two teams. Mariah catches Io in a pinning predicament but she missed Kairi's blind Tag a few moments before.
Kairi's Insane Elbow catches her completely off guard and it leads to Sane picking up the victory minutes later. To show no hard feelings, Club Venus invites the Sky Pirates to join them in the ring for a crowd pleasing dance routine!!
…..
Afterwards, Sam Leterna is in the ring with the champions and asks them what's next on their agenda. It shouldn't come as a surprise, but the Sky Pirates become the first wrestlers to declare for a spot on the Forbidden Door PPV!!
The Sky Pirates barely get their declaration out, when suddenly ‘Crown Imperial’ begins to play!! Everyone is Stunned when former WOH and CURRENT WWE tag team the IIconics step through the curtain!! Jessi and Cassie announced that they are accepting the challenge that was just laid out and they can't wait to show why WOH should never have let them get away.
…..
Non-Title
Tegan Nox vs Kamille
International Champion Tegan Nox once again showed her vicious side in a victory over Kamille. From the outset, Nox took control with a barrage of high-impact maneuvers, demonstrating her technical prowess and ruthless aggression. Kamille, known for her strength and power struggled to fend off Nox's relentless attacks.
The turning point came when Nox executed a brutal Shiniest Wizard, stunning Kamille and leaving her vulnerable. Seizing the moment, Nox delivered a series of punishing blows that culminated in a decisive pinfall. This victory not only highlighted Nox's vicious streak but also sent a clear message to her competitors about her rising dominance in the wrestling world.
Kamille was seen holding her head carefully as she left the ring and slowly made her way up the rampway, as a pair of medical personnel come to check on her.
……
Backstage a few minutes later, the early medical report is NOT promising. It is being reported that Kamille is most likely being diagnosed with a severe concussion! Other reports are stating that Kamille is quitting WOH !!!
…..
GM Salina de la Renta can be seen with the doctors treating Kamille.. she is getting more and more furious by the moment. She attempts to speak to Kamille, but she is rudely rebuffed!!
…..
Rhea Ripley vs Kylie Paige
In a dominant display of power and skill, the debuting Rhea Ripley secured a decisive victory over Kylie Paige in their first ever matchup. From the moment the bell rang, Ripley asserted her dominance, using her superior strength and agility to control the pace of the match. Paige, despite her best efforts, found herself overwhelmed by Ripley's relentless offense. A series of punishing moves left Paige reeling and unable to mount any significant comeback. A devastating Rip Tide sealed the deal quickly.
This victory quickly announces Ripley's presence in WOH, leaving fans and competitors alike in awe of her impressive performance.
…..
Rhea grabs a microphone and goes to speak. The crowd chants her name and she smiles. She tells them she couldn't wait to come to WOH when the opportunity presented itself.
She knew she would be the biggest badass in the company and very few people could stand up to her. As the crowd listens to Rhea they are distracted when ‘Certified Strong” plays on the loudspeakers and Jordynne Grace arrives !¡!
“I hate to spoil your debut Rhea, but there is only ONE badass in this company and that is ME! So, if you are looking for a much bigger challenge- why don't you step up against me?”
…..

I work night shift at a restaurant that has a self serve salsa bar for people to grab as much as they need. The cost of it has increased and since April we have downsized the serving bowls and stopped making one of the more expensive salsa’s. It still gets remade every now and then but for the most part we do not have it. This place has a lot of regulars who are mostly very nice and friendly. The other day one of those regulars came in and he seemed put off that I couldn’t remember his order, mind you he’s usually here in the morning so I’ve seen him maybe 3 times in my time working here. At the time that he arrived there was 4 other bigger tables who were all helping themselves to the salsa bar as normal. When he went, there was no more corn salsa, carrots or limes. He let me know and I brought out more for him, except for the corn because we ran out of it. Eventually everyone left but him and that’s when he decided to start letting me know that the salsa bar not being full at the time of his arrival was a big issue for him. He explained to me how it was the only reason he came because “there’s other places to go.” He continued by saying I wasn’t giving the bar as much importance as I should, this as I’m picking up dishes and wiping tables down. I tried my best to ignore him and told him I try to refill when I can and his response was that it’s my job. At this point i’m just trying to ignore him and finish cleaning up. After some silence he tells me that the red salsa is “nasty” and that it does not meet his expectations. By what he is telling me I can understand that he is confusing it with the salsa that we no longer make so I try to explain that it’s a different one and he said I was just making excuses for myself. I don’t make the salsa..He proceeds by saying he talks to the owner a lot lol and that the salsa bar is the cheapest thing to maintain and that he knows that because he is in the restaurant business. I didn’t say anything to him, I quite literally am just a cashier and I don’t know what he wanted from me. I went back inside the kitchen as he was still speaking because I could not take him anymore. I’m just wondering how to react to situations like this because I felt like this was a bit uncalled for.

My friends and I rented out a cottage on the beach for a few days. We were planning on having fires and spending all day on the beach, but it’s cold and has rained 2 out of the 4 days so far, with no sunshine coming up. All plans completely soiled. It put a damper on the weekend. My friends are annoyed by the rain, but otherwise seemingly having a good time. But I just can’t see the point if it’s not nice out. I just want to go home. Im trying really really hard to “make the best of it”.. but I literally can’t!
Im also struggling being in a new place I don’t know. Dishes are in the “wrong” spots, utensils in a drawer I don’t like, pots and pans are disorganized and hard to take out. Everything in my apartment is organized with easy access. My whole routine is thrown off and I didn’t realize how difficult it would be for me to deal with. I’m also running out of socks.
My body hurts so bad. I have hypermobility and tendinitis in my feet. My tendinitis has been bad lately and affecting my mobility. The amount of stuff we’re doing during the day is exhausting me. I need more breaks but Im not being given them, so I have to tap out really early into the night because Im so overstimulated I feel sick, then I end up missing out.
I feel like a mother. I’m the one planning and organizing everything. I don’t get to turn my brain off and relax. The most relaxing I got on this trip has been the hour I got to watch Hell’s Kitchen. I’m cooking, cleaning, gathering things we need, packing lunches, getting us out the door on time because nice weather before it rains is little.. and if I didn’t do this stuff it wouldn’t get done. Then we would be going to the beach without towels, sandwiches/snacks, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen.. etc. I’m so tired. This is no different than my routine at home. The mental load on top of the physical is draining me.
I just want to relax and have fun! Why is this so easy for NT people to not care and “make the best of a bad situation”? I’m doing the same thing I do when I’m at work to make the time pass faster, i dissociate, but I’m not going to make memories that way. I want to be present but it’s painful to be. But I think the worst part is the lack of understanding from everyone. Maybe a movie night might not be fun for you, but it would be fun for me. Considering that I’m pushing myself through the pain to just walk and shop with you guys. Sand is an actual nightmare but I’m still out there with you guys. I like to see my friends enjoy themselves. So instead of music and drinking with games tonight.. how about a movie? We brought popcorn, it would be fun! Even if it’s just fun for me, it’s one movie. Its not overstimulating, it’s not painful, it’s not tiring. I could turn my brain off and sit with my friends and watch a movie. I could relax on my vacation.
How do I just chill out?

This is the actually first time I am going to be 100% transparent without making jokes about what happened in my life, or try actually. Uh hi I have 15 years and I'm making 16 this year, I already learned English very early because of my Access to the internet, but even so my life has been a hell. Since I was younger my parents always argued, and sometimes my dad throw something's at my mom, never hurted her but me and my sister always saw everything, they argued and got back together, they were always angry and that's why they discounted everything on me and my sister. When my mom got a job she barely appeared at home, like my dad, and she didn't make that much of food, she would be in her phone sometimes and ignore me and my sister, and sometimes she just said she hadn't had time to make, my sister was young and had to clean all the house and take care of me, and by the time I was already felling pretty miserable, one day my dad and my sister had a fight because my dad was angry because she didn't came back home from her boyfriend but he didn't told her the time to come back, and then I saw he hit her in front of me, than my grandma came and did nothing, she always defend my dad even if he is wrong... Then things got complicated with my mom and my sister, my dad moved out of the house, and I was getting worse, the my mom kicked my sister out of the house, my mom barely was at home, I didn't wanted to go to school, and it kinda clicked I had depression, my mom was in her mom's house and my dad was taking care of me, he took me to the medic and after some weeks he didn't really cared about what I felt, I thought that living with him was going to be better then living with my mom, because she didn't noticed I wasn't well and focused on her job, and didn't made food, sometimes I had to make something for me to eat or she would ask a fast food, something like this. When I started living with my father everything started went well, I don't know where went wrong, my dad has a very bad angry problem, he see the minor mistake I make and he puts an argument, I had to clean all the house and when he got home he didn't helped me with anything, I understand he go to work but he don't even wash a bowl or a fork, and even in the weekends he doesn't help at all, and when I forget to clean one thing he gets mad and says he cleans everything, and when I told about my sister about this, she defended him, even though I showed I was uncomfortable with this, I don't think talking with him about it will help it, it something he do since I was born, he isn't going to change, the only moments he doesn't argue with me is when I am sick, so I pray I get terrible sick and eat less, and as a bonus my depression got worse because nobody was taking me to therapy, and I was getting worse like I was getting when I was with my mom, and he though it was laziness, and one day he argued with me and I was completely done, and how "lucky" I am, to add even more fears, I had the luck to be born in a place to have a flood, I never expected it to happen, I lost almost everything, spend a month with my mom in an apartment where I couldn't even leave, it was a hell, without energy for one month, and now I came to visit my house and I don't even feel like that's my house anymore...
Coming straight to the point: If I live with my mom, she will do some things wrong sometimes, but she don't argue with me and care about my wellbeing, and she was the only one who noticed how much I was sleeping and not eating properly, maybe I am sick, but if I stay with her, my dad will be sad I left him because I said some time ago I wanted to be with him, and my sister will be pissed because I choose to be with my mother, me and her are like opposites, my mom traumatized her more and our dad traumatized me more
But if I stay with my dad, I am going to clean all the house for him, even put his clothes in his closet, it's the point that he really does nothing because his mom make his bed, and he has only 40, and I'm going to lead with him arguing with me everyday, but at least my sister will be happy.
This is my point of the view, I know my dad is not evil, he went through a lot but he doesn't need to discount everything on me, I can help in the house, I will help, but if he just clean his dishes I will be happy
My sister is not bad too, she was traumatized by my mom, that's why she doesn't like her, she doesn't understand my side so it's difficult to talk to her
my mom is not a saint, she did a lot of things wrong, but she is trying to get better, I am conving her to go to therapy and do what makes she happy
And I am not going to say I am 100% innocent, I could be a lot better, I am not a saint
Honestly what I am going to do now? Sleep and hopes tomorrow will be a better day, probably in the future I will do an autism test because I apparently may have autism along side with anxiety and depression, I swear to god, if there's a bingo I'm going to complete it, give me the price please ☝️
(Btw that's not the whole story, there's other things that happened too, like divorce, my mom freaking out, my freaking out in school, fight with my aunt and my mom and other things)
Who know, I might write a book 🤩😍🥰
Take care everyone, if I'm going through that, you can too, you guys are amazing, you guys are stars, continue to shine ✨

Previously, on Hell’s Kitchen…
The final 7 participated in the presentation challenge, but this time, it was every chef for themselves, as they competed for an incredible reward: a black jacket and immunity from elimination. It was a closely fought contest, but in the end, Lauren cemented her frontrunner status by taking the win with a dish that impressed Chef Ramsay and the former winners who had stopped by to guest judge. Not only did Lauren earn her black jacket early, but she also got a photo shoot with Epicurious, and a dinner with the former Hell’s Kitchen champions. While Lauren was riding high, everyone else was left behind to clean up the mess from several weeks of dorm life.
In service, both teams had their share of issues, and although they each managed to fight through it, Ramsay wasn’t content with choosing a winning team, and instead had both teams nominate one chef for elimination. At elimination, the choice seemed to be an easy one, as Grace and Ramona found themselves in front of Ramsay yet again. But in the end, it was Grace who fell just short of obtaining a black jacket, which saw her dream of becoming the next head chef of Gordon Ramsay Steak go up in flames.
The final six have overcome each obstacle Ramsay has thrown at them, but are they truly ready for what lies ahead? FInd out tonight, on Hell’s Kitchen..,
https://reddit.com/link/1dbjm6p/video/uyknwqndlg5d1/player
And now, the continuation of Hell’s Kitchen…
The final six were in a celebratory mood as they sprinted down the hallway and excitedly exchanged high fives and hugs. Lauren said in her confessional that they were really here, to the part of the competition that mattered most, and best of all, Grace was finally gone. Thomas was equally glad, as he said in his confessional that it was another weak chef removed from his path, though he wasn’t really worried about anyone here. Ramona was absolutely ecstatic, saying in her confessional that not only did she get a black jacket, but she got to see Grace walk out the door. With the chefs seemingly celebrating being rid of their biggest nuisance as much as getting their black jackets, Michael pointed out that Ramsay had mentioned the black jacket lounge, and the chefs eagerly entered to find it decked out with a bar, a banner congratulating them, and several bottles of champagne on ice, with a note telling them to enjoy.
Michael said in his confessional that he knew the booze was always a trap, but that wasn’t gonna stop him, as he popped open a bottle and poured himself and Faye a glass. The others were equally willing to indulge, as Melody said in her confessional that right now, it was time to let all that tension roll off their shoulders and just enjoy this moment with Lauren. The two of them drank a couple of glasses until Melody finally said they should save something for tomorrow, as she laughed in her confessional and said someone had to be the voice of reason here. Michael had no such inhibitions as he quickly downed more than enough to get him in a relaxed state, while Faye teased him about how well he could hold his liquor. Thomas said in his confessional that he was definitely going to regret that tomorrow. The chefs continued to celebrate well into the night before finally getting what little sleep they could.
Challenge
The black jackets were awakened early the next morning, however, and went downstairs to meet Ramsay, who asked them if they enjoyed their reward last night, to which Michael replied that they did, and Ramsay said he could tell just by looking at them. Michael admitted in his confessional that he still felt like shit, and just hoped the challenge wouldn’t be too difficult. Ramsay said he hoped the chefs had saved a little pep in their step for today, because Hell’s Kitchen was opening tonight for a very special occasion: A 20th anniversary reunion night where all of the guests would be chefs who had appeared on past seasons of Hell’s Kitchen. Ramsay emphasized that he wanted to see this team at their absolute best during service. Ramona groaned in her confessional and said today of all days, she didn’t need to be dealing with a hangover. Regardless, Ramsay said that for now, he wanted them to focus on the here and now, and that meant today’s challenge. Ramsay briefly went over how much food had been wasted throughout the history of Hell’s Kitchen, to which Melody prayed in her confessional that they wouldn’t have to do any dumpster diving. Ramsay went on, though, saying that one of his favorite challenges to revisit was designed to test the chefs’ ability to work with leftover ingredients. He told the chefs that they had 45 minutes to prepare a stunning dish using leftover ingredients from last night’s service, and their time started right now.
The final six rushed into the kitchen and began rummaging through the pile of leftover ingredients. Thomas was confident as he said in his confessional that he could make a five star dish out of any ingredients, fresh or not, and already had a plan in mind. Meanwhile, Faye said in her confessional that she needed a win in this challenge to get herself back into the running, and was determined to put her best foot forward. As most of the chefs got to work on cooking, at least one chef still seemed undecided in their ingredients. Melody said in her confessional that she wanted to take her time and plan out her dish mentally first. As Ramsay called out that 10 minutes had passed, Lauren wondered in her confessional what Melody was doing, and said she needed to get a move on. Finally, Melody chose her ingredients and joined the other chefs. Ramona was determined to get it right, as she said in her confessional that she needed a win here badly, and was hoping to come up clutch again as she had during Cook For Your Life. Michael was doing his best to stay focused given his partying last night, as he joked in his confessional that hopefully he cooked even better hungover than sober. Lauren was full of confidence after having been the first to earn a black jacket yesterday, though admitted she was also feeling the after-effects of last night’s celebration. With all six chefs working frantically to wrap up their creations in the allotted time, Ramsay counted down the final seconds, then told them to stop and bring their dishes up to the pass.
Ramsay announced that since this was the 20th anniversary of Hell’s Kitchen, it was only right for a legendary judge to help him score this contest. That was why he had invited the one and only…Wolfgang Puck. A choir of voices sang his name as the iconic chef walked through the door and stood by Ramsay’s side. Melody gushed in her confessional, as she could not believe she was standing just feet away from Wolfgang Puck himself. Ramona was suddenly very nervous, as she said in her confessional that if she had known Chef Puck was going to be voting on these dishes, she would have put in 100 times the effort. Nonetheless, with the introduction out of the way, Ramsay now called on Faye to bring her dish up first.
Faye presented her pan seared halibut over pea puree with sliced vegetables. Puck examined the dish carefully, noting that the presentation could have been a bit better, though he did enjoy the taste of the halibut itself. Ramsay said it was a nice tasting dish, though unfortunately, he did get the sense it was made from leftovers, as nothing really seemed to pop, which Puck agreed with. The two chefs were ready to give their scores on a 1-10 scale, and both Ramsay and Puck gave her a six, for a 12/20 score. Faye kicked herself in her confessional, as she felt that she had played it far too safe, and it backfired on her. Next, it was Ramona’s turn to step forward, as she presented a plate of chicken breast over turnip puree with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Again though, Ramsay commented that he wasn’t feeling a wow factor, and said it had a decent taste but one that was distinctly more like leftovers than fine dining. Puck also pointed out that the chicken was a bit undercooked for his liking. Ramsay was still willing to give it a six, but Puck felt it only earned a five, giving her an 11/20 score and leaving Faye in the lead. Ramona was upset with herself in her confessional, as she said she couldn’t believe she screwed it up right when she needed a big challenge win the most. Ramsay urged the chefs to step it up big time, as this wasn’t what he was expecting at this stage from the black jackets. Third up was Melody, who expressed anxiety in her confessional after seeing both Faye and Ramona struggle, and knew she had to get this right. She presented her herb-crusted salmon with buttered caper sauce, and Puck noted right away that it was a big step up on looks alone, which Ramsay agreed with. The chefs tasted the dish and came away just as impressed, with Ramsay saying this was the first standout dish of the challenge by far. Puck gave his score first, saying that deserved a nine. Ramsay agreed completely and also gave it a nine, for a strong 18/20 score.
Melody was thrilled in her confessional to have gotten such a strong score, but knew Thomas, Lauren and Michael were all good enough to potentially take the win. Lauren went next, saying in her confessional that Melody had raised the bar here, and it was now up to her to keep pace. She was hoping to do so with her filet mignon with red onion and tarragon relish. Ramsay had praise for the presentation, as he noted it was simple, but appetizing. Once they sliced the filet, Puck was pleased to see it cooked beautifully, and both chefs praised the taste of the meat. Puck did express that the garnish could have been a bit better, but Ramsay said they had a very tough decision on the hands. Ultimately, both felt it wasn’t quite on the same level of Melody’s dish, and each gave it an eight, for a score of 16/20. Lauren was disappointed to have come up short, but said in her confessional that she hoped Melody could hold on for the win. Next was Thomas, who expressed confidence in his confessional despite the tall task in front of him, as he said he continually demanded perfection of himself and expected nothing less here. He presented his John Dory with orange glazed endives, which earned strong praise from both Ramsay and Puck for its clean and modern presentation. Both also praised the flavor of the dish, though both noted the orange glaze was a bit too sweet for them. Ramsay was willing to overlook this though, considering how strong of a dish it was, and gave it a nine. Puck…said it did take the dish down a peg for him, and he could only give it an eight, giving Thomas a 17/20 score and leaving Melody with a narrow lead. Thomas showed some frustration in his confessional, as he was getting tired of always coming up just short in challenges. Finally, Michael was the only one left to take on Melody, and he said in his confessional that this was finally his time to take home victory in a challenge. He presented his lamb chops with butter fondant, morels, peas, and a balsamic reduction, which again earned high marks for the presentation, as Puck said the chefs were definitely putting forth their best in this challenge. Ramsay agreed, and said the dish looked nearly perfect, with only one problem…the lamb looked as if it might’ve cooked about half a minute too long. Michael kicked himself in his confessional, as he said he had been so focused on not serving undercooked food, that he had overcompensated. Despite this critique, though, both Ramsay and Puck enjoyed the dish and said the flavor was excellent.
Ramsay said this was a very tough choice, but even with the slight overcook on the lamb, everything else was good enough to earn it a nine. With the deciding vote in his hands, Puck said in addition to the lamb, he also had a bit of a problem with the garnish not adding as much as it could have, and that was why he could only give it an eight, leaving Michael with a 17/20 score, and giving Melody the win in the challenge.
Reward / Punishment
Ramsay congratulated Melody on running the gauntlet, as this was one of the closest challenges in recent years, and she absolutely earned the win. And as a reward for that win, she was going to be treated to an afternoon of surfing lessons from 2024 Olympian Carissa Moore. Melody was nothing less than giddy in her confessional, as she said this day couldn’t get much better, but Ramsay wasn’t finished, and said that a reward like this shouldn’t be spent alone, and she should bring one of her fellow chefs along. Without hesitation, Melody told Lauren to get her stuff packed, because they were going surfing. Lauren was pumped up to get a reward with Melody and have an opportunity to spend personal time with an Olympian. As the two embraced and rushed off to get changed, Ramsay told the remaining four chefs that today’s punishment would be anything but the breezy fun Melody and Lauren would be experiencing, as the kitchens needed to be cleaned and prepped, and the dining room appropriately decorated, for tonight’s 20 year Reunion Night service. Lauren wondered in her confessional why both kitchens would need to be prepped, but Faye said in her confessional that she had a sneaking suspicion about what Ramsay was up to.
While the four losing chefs got to work on their grueling punishment, Melody and Lauren went back downstairs and left Hell’s Kitchen together, eager to get started on their day in the sun, where they saw that an appropriately stylish top down convertible would be taking them to the beach. After a scenic drive through the city, they finally arrived at their destination and stepped out onto the beach on a perfect sunny afternoon. There, they were greeted by an enthusiastic Carissa Moore, who congratulated them on winning the challenge and said she hoped they were both ready to catch some waves. Melody admitted in her confessional that she didn’t actually know surfing was an Olympic sport, with Moore saying it had been added only a few years ago, and giving them a bit of her backstory on how she got into surfing and became an Olympic athlete. Lauren said in her confessional that it was a huge inspiration to talk with an Olympian, as they shared the same dedication to their respective crafts, and she felt that she and Melody could learn a lot from this in addition to having a great time. With the introductions out of the way, Moore took the chefs out on the water, giving them basic tips on riding a board and eventually to standing. Melody kept falling, much to Lauren’s amusement, as a sheepish Melody said in her confessional that nobody was perfect. However, after a long afternoon of practice and a lengthy spell of trial and error, both chefs had improved somewhat, with Melody beaming in her confessional and saying she was having the time of her life right now, a sentiment which Lauren agreed with, as she said in her confessional that there was nowhere she’d rather be than here and now. After a deeply enjoyable afternoon for both chefs, they finally said goodbye to Moore, who wished them all the best going forward, and returned to Hell’s Kitchen just in time to witness the restaurant’s transformation.
While Melody and Lauren enjoyed a day of sun, fun and relaxation, the four remaining black jackets were left with the task of turning Hell’s Kitchen into a stunning venue for the 20th anniversary reunion. Michael was particularly disappointed, as he still felt like crap thanks to his hangover, and also had come up just short in the challenge, saying in his confessional that some time outside of Hell’s Kitchen could’ve really done him some good. Thomas was still upset, as he said in his confessional that Melody and Lauren could have all the fun they wanted, but he was going to work his ass off and make sure he stood out in service. Faye and Ramona were also disappointed in their performances, though Faye said in her confessional that Ramona seemed to be taking it the worst, and she tried to encourage the younger chef to bounce back in service. Ramona was still feeling down on herself though, but said in her confessional that Faye was right, and the best thing she could do now was get locked in and try to move on from her performance in the challenge. Once the chefs had finished cleaning the kitchen and dining room, it was time to start decorating. Faye tried to keep the mood light by saying this was going to be the prettiest Hell’s Kitchen dining room in its 20 year history, getting a smile from Ramona. Meanwhile, Michael was struggling to get the decorations right and constantly asked for help. Thomas told them to focus as they didn’t have much time and still had to prep the kitchen, and said in his confessional that he felt like a babysitter right now.
Pre-Service
Melody and Lauren returned to Hell’s Kitchen to find their fellow chefs wrapping up prep. Ramsay then gathered all six black jackets in the dining room and told them that for tonight’s service, not only would they be serving a dining room full of former Hell’s Kitchen chefs for the restaurant’s 20th anniversary, but they would also be competing against a handpicked team of chefs whom Ramsay held in the highest regard. With that, Ramsay announced that the first chef cooking in the blue kitchen tonight was…Season 21 winner Alex Belew. The chefs watched in awe as the door to Ramsay’s office swung open and Alex walked down the stairs. Lauren said in her confessional that Alex was an amazing winner and she couldn't wait to compete against him. Following Alex were Season 19 winner Kori Sutton, Season 20 winner Trenton Garvey, Season 16 winner Kimberly-Ann Ryan, Season 13 winner LaTasha McCutchen, and Season 12 winner Scott Commings. With the six former winners now lined up opposite the black jackets, Ramsay assured his current proteges that he was not going easy on them in the slightest, and tonight was all about showing how far they had come as chefs and leaders when stacked up against elite competition.
Thomas was excited for this opportunity in his confessional, as he said he thrived off going against the best of the best, and he hoped the past winners were ready to pass the torch to the current chefs after tonight. Lauren was similarly excited, and said this was the perfect chance for her to prove to Ramsay that she was more than good enough to join the ranks of the champions. The winners themselves were equally pumped up, with Scoot saying in his confessional that after over a decade away, it was great to be back in Hell’s Kitchen for such a special occasion. Kori said in her confessional that these rookies might put up a good fight, but she and her teammates were winners for a reason. Alex expressed similar thoughts aloud, as he teased the current chefs by saying they could learn more from defeat than victory. Faye warned him not to speak too soon, while Michael said that this was their kitchen now. With both teams appropriately fired up and ready to go, Ramsay told them that tonight, he wanted to see two perfect services, as their fellow chefs deserved nothing but the best, then dismissed them to their respective kitchens.
Finally, Ramsay called Marino over and told him to open Hell’s Kitchen for its 20th anniversary reunion night.
Dinner Service
The doors of Hell’s Kitchen opened for this very special service, and as a sea of familiar faces streamed into the dining room, Ramsay told the chefs that everyone here was a VIP, and urged them to give their fellow HK alumni a night to remember. The former chefs were seated, with Ed from season 7 saying it felt strange to be back here again and not being the one getting yelled at. Rochelle from season 12 was already having a great time with the former chefs at her table, as they were all laughing and looking forward to their meal. Soon, tickets began to work their way back to both kitchens.
In the red kitchen, the black jacket team had Thomas and Ramona on appetizers, Melody on fish, Lauren on garnish, and Michael and Faye on meat. Early on, Thomas had no issues serving up his capellini on schedule along with Ramona’s risotto and Melody’s scallops, and the black jackets got off to a good start by getting their first table of appetizers out with no hiccups. The black jackets would settle into a rhythm from there, as they were able to keep a steady flow of appetizers going out into the dining room to pleased past chefs, with Declan from season 19 saying he was loving it so far, while Carmen from season 22 joked that it could use some more salt. Back in the kitchen though, the kitchen started to slow down thanks to Ramona serving up two bland, undercooked risottos, and dragging on all of her orders. Thomas was getting annoyed and said in his confessional that he didn’t have time to be constantly cleaning up after Ramona’s mistakes, as they were all supposed to be elite chefs at this stage. Despite his frustration, though, he helped Ramona with her risottos and impressed Ramsay with his leadership from appetizers. Melody was able to communicate well with him and served nicely cooked scallops throughout the night. Ramona served up another bland risotto though, and Ramsay schooled her for still not paying attention to the fine details at this stage of the game. She was finally able to recover with her next attempt, and the black jackets began firing entrees while still wrapping up appetizers.
In the blue kitchen, the winners were hoping to make their comeback to Hell’s Kitchen a successful one with Kori on appetizers, Trenton on fish, LaTasha on garnish, Alex and Kim Ryan on meat, and Scott acting as a floater. Early on, Kori and Trenton were able to get into a groove with their apps, sending out beautifully cooked risottos, capellini and scallops, as Trenton said in his confessional that it was just like riding a bike, and he hoped the rookies were ready to take a whooping tonight. The former champions did hit a snag though as Trenton and Kori got a bit mixed up on their times, and Trenton ended up falling behind on his scallops. Meanwhile, Kori served undercooked risotto, and Ramsay schooled them both for making such basic mistakes. Kori said in her confessional that it was time to stop messing around and get back on track. Trenton was still dragging, and Scott said in his confessional that nothing pissed Ramsay off more than a backed up kitchen, and he moved over to help out. With an assist from Scott, Trenton managed to catch up on his scallops, and the blue kitchen once again began sending out appetizers at a solid clip. Out in the dining room, the past chefs watched the teams competing with a mixture of amusement and secondhand anxiety, as Steve from season 20 said it was fascinating to see everything unfolding from the sidelines.
Back in the red kitchen, with the teams still neck and neck, the black jackets started firing off entrees. They got off to a rough start on their first ticket though, with Faye serving up undercooked lamb on the first table, while Michael was sluggish and still seemed out of it. Communication issues also arose between the meat station and Lauren on garnish, as she was ready well before they were. The overall energy in the kitchen seemed down, which Ramsay called out, as he told the chefs again that everyone was a VIP, and they needed to get their asses in gear. Michael said in his confessional that everything felt disorganized right now and it wasn’t helping his headache in the slightest. He did try to power through it though, and was finally able to get on the same page with Lauren, as he started to get back to his usual energetic self again. Meanwhile, Melody managed to serve up nicely cooked portions of John Dory and salmon along with scallops for the remaining appetizers, though she did get in some trouble for firing two halibut on a ticket where it wasn’t needed, but she bounced back quickly. Lauren continued to be vocal and drive tickets from the garnish station, while Michael did start getting it together, and after Ramsay praised his Wellingtons as being cooked perfectly, he said in his confessional that it was just the boost that he needed. Faye got in trouble again though for serving undercooked ribeye, and Lauren served a cold sauce for it. Ramona, who was still wrapping up appetizers, sent up a table of overcooked capellini and consistently dragged on orders. The black jackets fought through their problems, and finally managed to settle down into a solid groove and serve their remaining tables. Out in the dining room, Will from season 9 said that it was great to see the rookies not letting their heads go down and keeping up with the winners.
In the blue kitchen, the former winners were ready to begin firing entrees alongside their appetizers, with Alex and Kim Ryan on meat driving the tickets along with LaTasha on garnish. The winners had no troubles on their first table, as they continued their momentum from appetizers, but Kim Ryan sent up raw ribeye, and got mixed up with LaTasha on their timing. Trenton, who was now working both apps and entrees, said in his confessional that the ladies needed to get their shit together, because he was not going to let anything ruin this reunion night. Thanks to Scott stepping in to call out times for the vets and help Trenton on fish, food once again began to leave the kitchen at a steady pace. Meanwhile, Kori was able to continue sending out appetizers without any issues, and the champions seemed to be on course for a smooth service. Alex had an unexpected mistake, though, as he served up overcooked Wellingtons, which he kicked himself for in his confessional, saying there was no excuse for screwing up a dish they had cooked every night in Hell’s Kitchen. Alex was able to bounce back quickly, and along with Kim Ryan, got the meat station back on track. LaTasha, meanwhile, had success calling out times and keeping the kitchen running from garnish after the earlier communication issues, as she said in her confessional that everyone here was a pro, and they knew how to close a service out. Sure enough, the winners seemed to only get stronger as the night wore on, talking to each other and sending out entrees to satisfied Hell’s Kitchen alumni. In the dining room, season 18 winner Ariel joked that she was enjoying the show and getting some great food out of it too. With the vets now firing on all cylinders, they managed to finish sending out the rest of their entrees.
Ramsay told both teams to clear down, then had them join him in the dining room.
Post-Mortem
Ramsay started out by telling the chefs that tonight was all about honoring the storied past of Hell’s Kitchen, and despite their struggles, both kitchens had managed to do that by finishing strong and delivering what he hoped was a great service. At this, the guests in the dining room applauded and cheered loudly. Ramsay then said it was time to turn to the matter of the winning team, which would be decided by customer satisfaction cards handed out in the dining room. After tallying the scores, Ramsay said there was one team who had the edge. First, he read out the score of the returning winners. Their tables had given them a 93% satisfaction rating. Next, he turned to the current black jackets, and said that their tables had given them…an 87% rating. This made the past champions the winners of service, which they took with huge smiles as their fellow chefs, including the current black jackets, applauded them. LaTasha got a bit emotional in her confessional and said that it felt great to get one last win in Hell’s Kitchen, on the 20th anniversary no less, while Scott said in his confessional that being able to deliver a great service to their fellow chefs meant just as much as winning had. Lauren was disappointed in her confessional, but had to hand it to the returning winners, as she said they simply performed better and deserved the win.
With the results announced, Ramsay told the black jackets to say goodbye to the past winners, and to everyone else in attendance. Once the crowd had cleared out, Ramsay brought the chefs back into the kitchen and had them line up like normal, telling them that it was close, but close would no longer be good enough, and there were still too many inconsistencies here given that it was supposed to be the best of the best. With that said, he instructed the black jackets to have a good, long discussion about which two they felt should be on the chopping block tonight, and dismissed them to the dorms.
Back in the dorms, the discussion began with Thomas saying that Ramona had been the clear weak link on apps, and it wouldn’t be right for anyone to go up before her. The others quickly seemed to agree, with Lauren saying that she still seemed to get overwhelmed, and it was clear by now that she wasn’t ready to take the next step. Ramona admitted she had the worst service, but announced Faye and Michael as her nominees given that they had been inconsistent on the meat station. Michael argued back that he may have had a bit too much to drink last night, but he was still vocal and fought back. Thomas agreed with Faye going up, though, saying that by this point, it wasn’t about your experience in Hell’s Kitchen, but what you did with it. Faye agreed that she could have done better, but still felt that Ramona was their weakest chef, as much as she hated to say it. Ramona became frustrated, saying this same routine had been going on for weeks and she was tired of hearing it, as she went off to the bedroom, and Melody went in after her to try to offer some comfort. Melody told her that she had been a fighter throughout the competition and not to give up on herself now.
Elimination Ceremony
The black jackets entered the dining room and lined up, and Ramsay started off by saying that he had expected more from his top six, especially given the occasion, and it was frustrating to watch at times when he knew that their potential was much higher than what they were showing. With that said, he asked Melody for the black jacket team’s first nominee and why. Melody announced that the black jackets had decided to put up Ramona, due to having struggled the most in services to this point. Ramsay asked for the second nominee and why. Melody seemed to hesitate a bit, but finally announced that Faye was the second nominee, due to having problems on the meat station. Ramsay accepted the nominations and called Ramona and Faye forward.
Deliberation music
Ramsay first asked Ramona why she should stay in Hell’s Kitchen.
Ramona: “Chef, I’ve had a long journey in this competition, from signature dish to where I am now. I didn’t always have this belief in myself, but having been through it all, now I know that I belong here, I deserve this black jacket, and I believe I have the potential to be the head chef you’re looking for.”
Ramsay moved on to Faye, asking why she should stay in Hell’s Kitchen.
Faye: “I'm disappointed in my performance tonight, chef, and I know you are too. The important thing though, is that I don’t let those mistakes get to me. I feel like I have the composure that Ramona maybe doesn’t at this point, and I think that’s what sets me apart. I expect a lot better from myself, and if you give me another chance, I’ll show you.”
Ramsay struck a thoughtful pose, as he said that he had a very difficult choice ahead of him, but at last, he was ready to make it.
Ramsay: “My decision is…”

Ramsay: “Faye…I expect a lot better too. And I need to see it soon, because I can’t go on much further. Back in line!”
A relieved Faye rushed back to rejoin the other black jackets, while Ramsay turned his attention to Ramona.
Ramsay: “Ramona…step forward, darling. I think we both know that you are not quite ready to become the next head chef of Gordon Ramsay Steak.”
Elimination music
Ramona stepped up and handed over her jacket.
Ramsay: “Let me tell you this: you do have potential, a lot of it. I could see that from your very first dish. Unfortunately, it’s consistency and leadership that I’m looking for, and I haven’t seen enough of it. What you’ve got to do now is keep going. Don’t stay down. Fight back, and become the chef I know you can be.”
Ramona thanked Ramsay as he hugged her, and she waved goodbye to her fellow chefs before leaving Hell’s Kitchen.
Ramona’s comment and montage
Flashback to signature Signature Dish challenge
Ramsay: ‘Your name, young lady?”
Ramona: “Ramona, chef.”
Ramsay: “Ramona, that dish is absolutely stunning, it’s a clear five.”

Ramona: “It’s been one hell of a ride here in Hell’s Kitchen. I’m young, I don’t have the experience of some of my fellow chefs, and that was an obstacle I had to overcome.”

Flashback to various services
Ramsay: “Good god almighty…RAMONA! It’s still raw!”
Ramsay: “Hey, you, take a look at that, what the fuck is that?! Do you want to go home right now?”
Ramsay: “Oh come on, Ramona, this is your course, they need to hear you!”

Ramona: ‘Was it a struggle to work with my fellow chefs at times? Oh hell yeah. But I never backed down.”
Flashback to chefs in dorms
Grace: “So you’re gonna stand there and say you deserve to be here more than me after that service, really?!”
Ramona: “Hey, look, I served my tables, I owned my mistakes! And guess what? I work with the team. T-E-A-M, honey, I know that doesn’t mean anything to you!”

Ramona: “If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from all this, it’s that being a head chef is a lot harder than I thought it would be. You have to work your ass off, and I did. Even though I’m walking away empty handed, Chef did recognize my potential.”
Flashback to various services and challenges
Ramsay: “Beautifully cooked, Ramona! Keep the bar up there!”
Ramona: “Yes, chef!”
Ramsay: ‘The immunity pass goes to…Ramona, well done, young lady, that dish was fantastic.”
Ramsay: “Ramona, great sear on those scallops!”

Ramona: “He may not think I’m ready now, but I know that one day, I’ll get there.”

With Ramona’s elimination, Ramsay remarked that there were just five left standing, a fourth of the original field of 20, and while they had held their own against the winners and given them a decent run, their services going forward needed to be even better if they wanted to become the next head chef of Gordon Ramsay Steak. With that, he told them to go back to the dorms and rest up, because the competition was just going to get more and more intense with each passing day, and each of them now had a one in five chance of reaching their dream.
As the chefs went back upstairs, each of them had a confessional. Michael said that from now on, he was fully locked in and done with partying until his door opened, as he had a restaurant to win, and nothing was going to get in his way. Lauren said that even small mistakes could get you sent home at this point, and she would simply have to trust her skill and composure under pressure to carry her through. Faye said that she had just had another close brush with elimination, and knew she needed a Texas-sized comeback tomorrow to show Ramsay that she was far from done. Melody said that she could never have imagined getting this far when she first walked in, but now, she couldn’t imagine walking out with anything less than a head chef position at Gordon Ramsay Steak. Finally, Thomas said that with Ramona gone, it was down to the five truly strong chefs, but he was completely confident that whatever challenges Ramsay threw at them, he was the best equipped to handle them and take home the prize.
Placement
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