Here Kitty, Kitty!

Episode 5 recap: “Meowza!”

Will and Jessica return to the Dog House, and the remaining groomers all seem shocked to discover Amber is no longer a part of the competition. Malissa continues to argue with Jonathan and Kathleen, and is particularly miffed that Kathleen took over her dog during the Fashion Show Grooming Challenge. “It was slap in the face,” she explains, but Jonathan and Kathleen have no intention of making any apologies.

The next morning, Nemo shows up in what appears to be lifeguard gear, and when the groomers follow him to LAFD Fire Station 29, they find out why. Jai is on hand along with Denise Fleck, an expert in the field of pet first aid and safety, and that’s exactly what the focus will be for this week’s Quick Sniff challenge. After receiving a tutorial from Denise that covers everything from treating cuts and stabilizing broken legs to administering CPR properly, the groomers find out the details for the Quick Sniff. Using stuffed, “stunt” dogs (sort of like the animal version of the CPR dummy Annie!), they will tackle three “situations” – first, they will have to tend to a long-haired dog with a nipped ear that is bleeding profusely. Next, they must muzzle and splint a German Shepherd who fell off the grooming table. Finally, they must resuscitate a dog that has stopped breathing. The groomer who completes all three tasks properly with the best time wins. As a reward for winning last week’s Grooming Challenge, Jasper is told he’ll get to shave five seconds off of his final time.

Artist sets the bar with a time of 2:27. Malissa makes it a point to say that she does indeed know the difference between stuffed animals and real animals (thank goodness!), but doesn’t come close to beating Artist’s time. Jorge and Jonathan do slightly better, but it’s still Artist who’s on top until Jasper gives it a try. His quick thinking and smart choice of using a toilet paper roll to splint the stuffed dog helps him breeze through the challenges, ending up with a new best time of 2:03, which drops down to 1:58 once his bonus 5 seconds are shaved off. Will moves like molasses and when hits the 4 minute mark, Jai tells him not to bother. It’s up to Kathleen to knock Jasper out of first place, and though she moves through each element confidently, she comes in a 2:04 so it’s not enough. Jasper wins the leg up to use during tomorrow’s Grooming Challenge.

Back at the Dog House, the stress of living under one roof seems to be taking its toll on the groomers. Jonathan and Jorge talk more smacks about Malissa, who meanwhile has decided to treat Kathleen like a ghost until she apologies. Jorge and Jessica snip at each other, and Jorge ponders putting a muzzle on Jessica to curb her comments. I think EVERYONE needs a nappy poo right now!

The next day, the groomers gather in salon and Jai introduces them to special guest judge Donna Eisenberg, who is an expert on today’s breed. Jonathan wonders if it will be some sort of rare breed, while Artist thinks it might be a raccoon or a horse and Malissa hopes for a monkey. None of their guesses are on target – this week, the focus is actually on cats – long-haired Himalayan cats to be specific! Jasper gets first pick of the litter as his Quick Sniff reward, and Donna gives the groomers a few kitty pointers, emphasizing the importance of staying calm. Jorge likens his approach with cats to his approach with women, which involves pleasing them and telling them what they want to hear to get them to do what you want. Oh, so that’s the trick? Good to know!

With just two hours to groom, everyone gets right to work. Dr. Karen makes the rounds, noting that the key is going into the task with a certain amount of confidence so the cats don’t sense any stress. Between the water, brushing, and various loud noises, none of the cats seem too psyched about the entire process, though Will, Jasper, and Kathleen seem to be faring the best so far. Artist’s cat makes his feelings very clear, peeing JUST as Artist is finished drying him, and adding insult to injury by, as Artist puts it “boo booing” on the table, leaving “chocolate truffles” behind. Let’s just say this is not the kind of “candy” you want to give your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.

Malissa’s cat is also less than cooperative, though she boasts once again about her “seventh” sense – perhaps it needs a tune up? Jorge and Jonathan then spot Malissa cutting her cat’s whiskers, which had been deemed a big no no by special guest judge Donna. Apparently Malissa misheard her, but regardless, Kathleen seems truly appalled by her obvious gaffe, saying, “She should not have been in this competition to begin with… she is an insult to my gender.” Yikes – guess you two won’t be sharing one of those broken heart “Best Friends Forever” necklaces anytime soon?

The judges examine the groomers’ work, assessing their ability to keep their clients calm while showing their cutting expertise. It doesn’t take long for special guest judge Donna to spot Malissa’s errors, but when she questions her about it, Malissa claims she scissored the face like she was asked to do. Donna immediately sets her straight, saying, “No, I said DON’T scissor the cat’s face,” and so begins Malissa’s back-peddling full of hems and haws. She of course ends up in the bottom two, along with Artist, whose serious lack of confidence doesn’t bode well with the judges.

The J’s – Jonathan, Jorge, Jasper, and Jessica – are declared safe. Will and Kathleen earn this week’s highest honors, with Will getting praised for his successfully tackling an extremely matted kitty, while Kathleen earns mad respect for her overall skills and approach. Ultimately, they crown Kathleen the overall winner.

Back to the bottom – will it be Artist or Malissa who is sent packing? While the judges all shake their heads at Artist’s display of unusually low self-esteem, its Malissa’s lack of skills that ultimately bring about her demise. Joey even goes so far as to say that her performance is more reflective of someone who has been out of the business for years and is just getting ramped up again.

When the verdict is revealed, Malissa emotionally breaks down and though Artist tries to comfort her, she pushes him away. During her exit interview, Malissa makes it clear that she doesn’t think she deserved to go home – but who does? I mean really, I doubt anyone would ever say something like, “Yep, I deserved it - the judges were spot on! Kudos to them!”

Thankfully, though, before her final curtain call, she finally realizes her “seventh sense” goof – maybe now it will start serving her better!

What did you think about the episode? Who do you think should have gone home? Leave a comment and give me your two cents!

Comments

[Sherri Echols]

I have been a groomer for over twenty years. My mother owned a grooming salon my whole so I grew up around it. After watching these so called "americas top groomers" Any insecurities I had about my grooming abilities has disappeared. I'm glad to know that all groomers have problems with grooming cats as well as chows not just me. Where I groom, we charge extra for cats and chows just because of the danger factor, and I feel good that I will groom both those breeds while some groomers won't even touch them. As far as the guy thats the groomer to the stars, all it takes is being in the right location, it's not because he is any better than most other groomers. I groomed in a suburb of Dallas, I lived and worked in a town where Terry Bradshaw, the football player lived, as well as LuLu Roman from Hee Haw, and another professional football player who played for Denver. I groomed their dogs, not because I was well known, but because my shop was near them, I did a good enough job that they kept bringing their dogs back to me, but I don't think I was extra special or anything. I feel like if I lived in Hollywood, I would probably have a few customers that were movie stars too, simply because my shop is close and convenient for them. So I'm not really impressed that whats his name is a groomer to the stars, he probably is just a good groomer who lived in the right location for stars to bring their pets to.

There is one problem I had with one of the judges, the one that owned the school. He got onto one of the groomers for cutting a poodles top knot too far back. It's one thing if you are doing show cuts on poodles, but I have found that ordinary dog owners either can't or won't take the time to brush their dogs in between visits that would allow groomers to do show cuts on thier dogs so groomers have to groom dogs that fit the lifestyle of the customers. If I didn't cut my poodles top knot back a little, the customer would complain that it grows over their eyes too quickly. Most of the time breed specific cuts aren't what most owners want or if they do, they can't do the necessary brushing and combing in between visits that allows you to give them the proper breed specific cut. For the most part I groom dogs according to their breed, but with minor altering. Ninety percent of my shit zue's are cut short because the long haired ones would be way too matted in the six weeks after they were brought into be groomed. So I have to tell the customer that they will be charged a ten dollar matt fee or that it's too matted and will only hurt the dog if I try and get the mats out. I was just wondering if other groomers feel the same way or run into the same problems as I do.

[Sherri E]

I have been a groomer for over twenty years. My mother owned a grooming salon my whole so I grew up around it. After watching these so called "americas top groomers" Any insecurities I had about my grooming abilities has disappeared. I'm glad to know that all groomers have problems with grooming cats as well as chows not just me. Where I groom, we charge extra for cats and chows just because of the danger factor, and I feel good that I will groom both those breeds while some groomers won't even touch them. As far as the guy thats the groomer to the stars, all it takes is being in the right location, it's not because he is any better than most other groomers. I groomed in a suburb of Dallas, I lived and worked in a town where Terry Bradshaw, the football player lived, as well as LuLu Roman from Hee Haw, and another professional football player who played for Denver. I groomed their dogs, not because I was well known, but because my shop was near them, I did a good enough job that they kept bringing their dogs back to me, but I don't think I was extra special or anything. I feel like if I lived in Hollywood, I would probably have a few customers that were movie stars too, simply because my shop is close and convenient for them. So I'm not really impressed that whats his name is a groomer to the stars, he probably is just a good groomer who lived in the right location for stars to bring their pets to.

There is one problem I had with one of the judges, the one that owned the school. He got onto one of the groomers for cutting a poodles top knot too far back. It's one thing if you are doing show cuts on poodles, but I have found that ordinary dog owners either can't or won't take the time to brush their dogs in between visits that would allow groomers to do show cuts on thier dogs so groomers have to groom dogs that fit the lifestyle of the customers. If I didn't cut my poodles top knot back a little, the customer would complain that it grows over their eyes too quickly. Most of the time breed specific cuts aren't what most owners want or if they do, they can't do the necessary brushing and combing in between visits that allows you to give them the proper breed specific cut. For the most part I groom dogs according to their breed, but with minor altering. Ninety percent of my shit zue's are cut short because the long haired ones would be way too matted in the six weeks after they were brought into be groomed. So I have to tell the customer that they will be charged a ten dollar matt fee or that it's too matted and will only hurt the dog if I try and get the mats out. I was just wondering if other groomers feel the same way or run into the same problems as I do.

[KC Carter]

GROOMERGUY: Ah, so... cats are like birds? (no, I'm not being sarcastic) I mean, I know when birds start freaking out or you want them to be quiet, you should throw a sheet or something over their cage and then they calm down. Also, people used to (maybe still do?) put blinders on horses so they can't freak out about weird things on either side of them. I suppose considering the amount of animals who do calm down when they can't see anything (alligators/crocs being another one), I probably should've thought about it a bit more. I mean, no matter how much I love animals and want to protect them, I still shouldn't compare their reactions to those of humans.

So, yeah, sorry for the ignorant comment earlier, I was just assuming that if an animal was already freaked out, depriving it of its primary sense would probably make it worse, but looking back on other evidence I can see how I could possibly be wrong. Plus, of course, groomers know more about cats than someone who's never owned one! :op (not that I hate cats, I'm just allergic) So yeah, sorry bout that. Thanks for the info.

[groomerguy]

KC CARTER : About covering cats eyes...it is in fact true that when frightened cats eyes are covered, they do settle down and kitty muzzles are designed to go over the eyes as well as the mouth. It may sound strange, however it does calm them. Its not like a dog muzle which goes around the muzzle, its more like a mask.
As far as boycotting the show...or the sponsors...the grooming community is a small spec in the total viewership of animal planet. And I think people are over reacting..its entertainment, its a show first, competition second. The animals are just like the ones we see in shops and there has to be some edge to it, lighten up. I laugh every day when i read some irrate person overreacting. The show is dramatic and I like it.

[KC Carter]

Mindy is right. In fact, I'll go one further and say that the whole season has probably already been taped awhile ago (I get this idea from the fact that, at least for Meerkat Manor, the "current" season has been shot, like, what, six months earlier? Or something like that). Of course, if you meant the same thing I'm saying when you said "spliced," then I'm sorry (English is my second language, so sometimes I'm not sure what people mean). So, yeah, if people try to sign a petition to get this (current season of the) show cancelled, you'll probably fail, since they've already invested so much time and money into it. The best you can hope for with your petition idea is to get any subsequent seasons cancelled.

Mindy also brings up a good point with her husband's band and that competition thing. Sometimes shows just like to create controversy. I mean, isn't this obvious? Look at all of the mistakes Malissa made before getting booted off. They kept her on so that people would have some sort of reaction. And Jon? And Amber, too? I still don't think that the reasons they got kicked off the show for were all that fair (Jon: giant puppy of DOOM, Amber: backstabbed by her teammates). But again, this is all done to create a reaction in the audience, and apparently they've succeeded. That's the whole point of reality TV shows.

CORONA GROOMER: I've seen some of the cat muzzles (someone posted a link to one somewhere on this blog), and it covers their eyes, which is probably why you said "if they cant see you your ok." Personally, if *I* was blindfolded (or had my eyes covered like that muzzle does) and some strange person I didn't know and couldn't see started touching me and doing weird things to me, I know I'd definately freak out and probably claw the living crud out of whomever it was, especially if I couldn't understand what the person was saying to me (cats do not speak human!). So... I dunno if that's the greatest idea ever, but hey, what do I know, right?

[corona groomer]

I would like to see a grooming show that takes place in grooming shops there is so much drama and funny stuff that goes on.does any one agree I know my place of work is crazy and funny we never have a boring moment in our shop.Or if the really want this show to go on get real life normal groomers not ones that own trailers or there own shops just groomers that are groomers.I I hate that one judge whats his name he makes me sick.he is trying to be a copy cat of the idol show guy.Jonathen should win he is the best in that group.The cats should of had muzzles I will never trust a cat they are crazy!!!!!!if they cant see you your ok.

[Mindy]

Don't blame the contestents and the judges, blame the producers!!

I have commented on this series once before and upon further contemplation have determined that my views are about as significant as an ant on the plain to the producers of this program.
I have been a pet groomer for 25+ years and once again am extreamly dissapointed by this series.
To prove a point- My husband is in a well known band and last year participated in a national network band compitition.What a joke that turned out to be! The group was soley recruited to be a laughing-stock for the judges to come down on, although they are extreamly talented and very loved by their following. After all was said and done they were pulled aside by the very judge who gave them the worst indorsement and told by him that he actually loved the act and they could "Play for him anytime".
Americas groomers need to just let go of any ideas of canceling this seasons show. It has already been bought, paid for, spliced, and is "in the can". All the contestents and judges are under corperate contract, about an inch thick, to keep their mouths shut. The winner has aready been crowned and has received his or her ill-gotten gains.
The only comments I have now are to safety. It seems ironic to me that in the cat grooming episode the contestents were instructed to muzzle the CPR dog to avoid being bitten but apparently cat muzzles were not supplyed. There are humane cat muzzles available and I will not groom a cat without having one in reach just in case i need it. I hope and pray that Artist received the proper medical care he needed for his puncture wound.
On this weeks episode I pray that no one gets seriously wounded.
One more thing-- If Americas groomers want to protest this series the most effective way in my opinion is to boycott the sponsers. Send E-mail to each and every producer of products advertised during the show declairing a boycott on their product and someone will get the message.

Peace and Happy Grooming

[J]

Haha! I think a few of you misunderstood Jessica's comment.For those of you unfamiliar with the phrase that she used- she did not mean an "ugly person" as in the way they look, but an "ugly person" as in the way they act. Maybe that is just a southern thing.....we say "don't be ugly" when we mean "don't be an a**hole". She essentially is saying that jerks don't deserve good things just because they have talent.

[Robin]

I can't read about this show anymore. It is absolutely horrible. Animal Planet needs to cancel this show ASAP. Who the heck cares about the grooming of these animals. They are suffering. I know the public unfortunately gets excited at another person's shame or watching how dramatic a grooming session can be for both the groomer and pet, but really! After the cat episode, I am totally done and am starting a petition to CANCEL THIS SHOW!

[KC Carter]

Re: whiskers debate

As I (and others) have posted in different entries, whiskers do, in fact grow back. I made the example of how amputating an animal's leg may be extreme (yet sometimes necessary), but the animals (including cats) still learn to live without the leg. And legs, unlike whiskers, do not grow back. So I think that if animals can learn to adjust to life without a leg or a tail or an ear or what have you, then they can adjust to the temporary loss of their whiskers.

Not that I'm condoning Malissa's actions (I mean, just look at some of my other posts and you'll quickly realize that I REALLY don't like her), I'm just playing devil's advocate here. And possibly explaining why the SPCA people didn't swoop in to stop the "abuse" of the cat. Yes, I am aware that cats need their whiskers, but like I and others have said, they can adjust. Heck, I even saw an episode of Animal Cops where a cat had been set on fire and its whiskers had been burnt completely off (not just trimmed), and the cat went on to have a good life (again, I'm not trying to excuse the actions of the people who set the cat on fire, I'm just giving a rather extreme example). I'm not sure if that cat's whiskers ever grew back (depending on how serious the burn, hair-type things may not grow back at all).

Just offering some sort of middle ground here. I guess in this sort of thing, agreeing to disagree is the best option, as long as the people who say that cutting the whiskers was not a big deal don't start doing those kinds of things on purpose.

Anyway, I think the bigger picture (at least in terms of the show) is that Malissa deliberately went against the cat groomer judge's SPECIFIC (and easy to understand) instructions NOT to use scissors on the cats' faces. Almost every episode, she'd make some sort of incredibly big (and stupid) mistake, and try to pass the blame onto somebody else, or just deny that she did anything wrong at all. Blah, people who can never accept the fact that they are wrong drive me absolutely bonkers.

[Jessi]

Poodlestar: I have to respectfully disagree. Cats may have good night vision, but they also rely on their whiskers to navigate. Their whiskers help them with their sense of balance and to know if an opening is big enough. The whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect a change in breeze which helps them to know where obstacles are in a room based on airflow. Cutting their whiskers messes up all of that and is detrimental to the cat.

[poodlestar]

again as i said on the last post.. cuttin a cat's whiskers is NOT a big deal. It takes a day or so to adjust and they do fine... yes you should avoid it, but it is in no way detrimental to the cat's well being, especially couch potatos like himalayans.

and a mild sedations!! AHHH!! you just don't DO that. now you have a stressed out kitty who CAN'T fight back, so they're poor little hearts race faster. Just do the cat... keep calm... if they are way too bad, or start to pant (Panting in a cat is a serious sign of stress) they go home, and have to be completely knocked out to me groomed.

and remember that editing can make things look way different than they are... she never actually SAYS KATHLEEN is the ugly one who doesn't deserve good things. Maybe she's telling a story about how someone said that to HER... Maybe not, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions till we see the show.

[Jessi]

I have to ask- why did the Humane Society Representative not step in as soon as everybody realized Malissa was cutting the cat's whiskers? If that had been either of my cats, I would have had a few strong words to say to her about her skills and her "seventh sense." I thought their job was to make sure none of the animals came to any harm. Cutting a cat's whiskers definitely qualifies as harm and I am very disappointed that this was not stopped.

[rosie123]

Cats given a mild sedative for grooming? Where in the world do you groom? With the cats at our shop we are as kind and careful as we can be, but let's face it; there are so few cats who actually enjoy being groomed! I wish i had a dollar for every cat i've seen 'relieve' him or herself on a table or in a tub! We get them done as quickly and cautiously as possible only booking a small number each day to ensure quality work. I'm sick of hearing people whine about animals being 'exploited on the show'. It's a grooming show for heaven sake! Animals will be groomed!! It's not like they took the most matted nastiest cats in the world and made the groomers shave them. Now THAT would have made for some interesting tv.

[KC Carter]

Ah... K, well, in the comments to a previous blog entry, someone mentioned that they knew some (rather good) groomers who auditioned for this show, but they were (apparently) told that their lives weren't "dramatic" enough for the show (for those people who are wondering how the groomers were chosen). As I've said before, this is a reality TV show above anything else and as such, the purpose of the show is to show the conflict and drama between the contestants first and foremost, and the best way to get this coveted drama is to put people who would clash together in the competition (this is exactly why all of them are in the same "house" (actually looks something like a 3-room apartment but eh) together, WITH ONLY ONE BATHROOM. It's these subtle manipulations that create the tension that people love to watch. I mean, if you take a real close look at all of the contestants, they all have some... "oddball quality" (to put it nicely). I won't go through all of the contestants, cause even I don't want to make this post that long, but here are some examples: Lisa, the "part-time, this is my hobby, not my real job" groomer (obviously will make the more serious groomers feel vaguely insulted that she thinks their passion is just "a hobby"). Jon (I really don't need to say anything about him except watch his audition tape (STRANGE!) and how he had a meltdown when he got kicked off). Malissa, winner of the "I'm an Immature [not-so-nice word that rhymes with stitch] Who Never Takes Responsibility For My Own Actions" award of the year. Kathleen, self-proclaimed "I work in the back because people don't WANT me talking to the customers" (she tells it how it is, and is not afraid of how others will feel or react when she does this). Jonathan and Jorge, the two "dog stylists to the celebrities!" (what was that quote from that one movie? "There can be only one!!") and both of them are brimming with confidence (I'm sure the producers of the show were hoping these two would totally hate eachother (which they did at the beginning, mind you, but now seem to be friends)).

OK, that's enough analyzing the contestants, but I think you get my point, ne? They were all chosen for a reason. Please don't think that I, like, hate all of the groomers on the show or something, because I don't (honestly, I think Kathleen (she is good, and good with animals), Jonathan (very good groomer), or Jorge (generally amusing guy, and good groomer) should win). I'm just trying to point out the little details that some of you may have missed that show why these people are on this show.

In regards to all the complaints about Xavier: Yes, I agree he can be a bit of a [another name for a donkey], and I do agree that he's trying to be like that [also donkey-type thing] judge from American Idol. HOWEVER, you are missing some vital details: He doesn't ALWAYS treat ALL the groomers like garbage. Besides the whole "judge from American Idol" act, I think he is just one of those people who don't try to lie to avoid hurting peoples' feelings, and only gives a compliment when it is rightly deserved (i.e., when he told Jonathan that he would bring his dogs to Jonathan to be groomed (pretty high compliment, don'tCHA think?), and when Will redeemed himself he actually acted like he was proud of Will). But like I said, I still don't like him. :op

Final comment for this post (why do my posts always end up novel-length?): I was trying to avoid mentioning the Jessica comment in the previews for the next show, just in case it was (possibly, but highly unlikely) taken out of context, but... when I first heard her say that, my mouth literally dropped open. After a couple of silent, shocked seconds, I uttered, in complete disbelief: "That is THE MOST shallow thing I have ever heard ANYBODY say ever in the history of mankind! Holy crap... it's like... she's so shallow I could stand in a puddle of Jessica and not get my feet wet..." ^x__x^ That comment (I assume it was made in reference to Kathleen) was on par with Malissa's "Just because (Kathleen) has won more awards and ribbons and stuff, that doesn't make her a better groomer than me," which is kinda like, uh, yes it does, helloooo?? That's like me saying "Yeah, just because so-and-so has won an Olympic medal in running some race or other, that doesn't mean that they're a better runner than me!" Eheh... suuuuure... Plus, it's not like Jessica's some sort of beauty queen (in my opinion, at least). Also in my opinion, Kathleen doesn't look all that bad, especially considering she's, like, 48 or something. ^O__o^;; I'd like to see how Jessica will look at 48 years of age, providing she doesn't invest in a ton of plastic surgery...

[/rant]

[Diane]

I am not a groomer, but just by using common sense, it was apparent to me that Malissa was not very good. I wondered how she even qualified for the show. They were correct to drop her. It is a very interesting show to watch.

[Sandra]

So I am groomer and I so want Kathleen to win, she is clearly the most skilled and has the experience to back up what she says. I have grooming for about 11 years and hope when I am her age I have awesome stamina and skills she has.Jessica says ugly people like Kathleen do not deserve good things to happen to them. This a competition on skills not a beauty pagent, if it was then Johnathon would win. I hope to see Johnathon at the very end too, because he is an awesome groomer too.

[janet]

well I can't agree more with most of the comments I am so glad Malissa is off. What a whining, immature twit! She makes error after error and it's not her fault. They point out she destroys the poodles topknot and look and she says "I think the eyes are important to be seen". Then she totally lies about cutting the cats whiskers.

If the previews are true then the next whining twit is Jessica who should have been booted off instead of Amber. In the previews she's b**ting about Kathleen who is one of the few who is showing any signs of maturity, skill and intelligence!

[Voice Of Reason]

I'm not sure of where to post this comment, but I think that Xavier is waaaayy too full of himself! I don't typically participate in blogs, but after watching him (arrogant!!) I had to say something! If you don't believe me, take a look at the online clip of him doing a "walkthrough" during the poodle grooming. He purposely tries to "invent" problems which do not even exist, only to give him opportunity to speak to the groomers in a condescending, harsh manner. He is obviously trying to be the "Simon Cowell" of this show. But, it isn't working. It is painfully obvious that he takes himself way too seriously, and that he treats all the groomers like something stuck to the bottom of his shoe! One thing I will give him, since this show is on Animal Planet, he does qualify, since he is the part of a horse you see when you lift its tail!

[Rose]

As a long time volunteer working with cats at a local shelter I am appalled that cats were exploited for this show. It was obvious several of the cats were terrified and stressed. One cat was pooping it was so scared. I am shocked Animal Planet who is supposed to care about animals allowed this to happen.

I realize cats do need to be groomed, esp long haired cats but often they have a mild sedation first.

[rosie123]

You know, i think the only thing worse than constantly making mistakes is not acknowledging your errors; Malissa; "i didn't deserve to go home" - really? Come on! Oops! I forgot to clean the powder out of the dogs ears - Ooops! I cut the poodle head too high; it's only hair it will grow back - Ooops! I cut the cats whiskers off- If it were me, i'd be ready to hang up my grooming tools making that many errors after being a groomer for 5 years. I think Kathleen is right- she didn't deserve to be in this grooming competition to begin with. Sorry Malissa; but you can't argue with the facts. Excuses or no excuses.
Good question!! How were to groomers chosen?

[Steve in Georgia]

I think the judges did a good job this week of relieving Malisa from the show. And what she did to that poor cat? Inexcusable. That poor kitty will be handicapped until the whiskers grow back. I don't know if that's something taught in grooming school but it is cat knowledge: the kitties need their whiskers! It seemed that every week she was whining about something:
My dog was uncooperative.
My table was rickety.
The air conditioner was blowing too softly.
Everyone else was too loud.
My scissors aren't sharp enough.
I had the dirtiest dog/toy/whatever.
Ok, there may have been some problems, maybe, but continually blaming others for your own incompetence shows lack of maturity. (Perhaps more yoga and less whining?)
When the going gets tough? The tough get going. None of the others have really complained that I can remember. There were some expository statements but nothing like her. Jonathan (sp?) may not be the nicest guy but he is competent and does not crack under pressure. None of the others seem to be cracking either... except maybe Jessica and that may not be the competition itself but more a personality clash with everybody. I wonder how some of the previous entrants would have handled the various "quick sniff challenges" that they were booted off before they could do them?
I couldn't tell if the "7th Sense" thing was real or just a put on. I hope it was a put on.
One thing I would love to see is the unedited footage. The stuff left on the cutting room floor. That would be interesting.
One question: how were the groomers chosen?

Good luck to those still left and good luck to those gone.