Sweet Tea & TV

Designing Women S4 E7 Extra Sugar - Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker

Throughout “Designing Women”, we’ve heard the Bakkers referenced more than a time or two. That’s Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, to be exact. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, they were two of the most famous televangelists in the United States, until their empire came crashing down under scandal in the late-80s. We’ll talk about the highs, the lows, and their remaining legacy in this week’s segment.

Designing Women S4 E8 - The Bannister Buffs of Atlanta

You know what they say: "Well-behaved women rarely make history!" With a little prodding, our Julia made history this week when she became the first person to stick her head through a (not-quite-so-real) bannister in the most famous house in Georgia. And she did it all for the ‘gram! At least, the old point-and-shoot-and-take-to-Rite-Aid-to-print-it-out-5-to-7-business-days-later version.

And come back later this week for “Extra Sugar.” You didn’t think we were going to sleep on that massive Georgia Governor’s Mansion reference, did you? NO WAY! We’ve got a whole “Grits Blitz” in store for ya!

Designing Women S4 E8 Extra Sugar - The Mansion to Rule Them All

In this week’s “Designing Women” episode, a relatively-rare Julia mishap landed us square in the entryway of the Georgia Governor’s Mansion for nearly the entire episode. Which, of course, means it’s time to deep-dive into that one (and a few others) - and why not throw in a “Grits Blitz” while we’re at it?

Designing Women S4 E9 - EXCUSE ME!

Some of us go to the dealership down the road for a new car; not Suzanne! She heads to the manufacturer’s home country! And takes Julia along for the ride. We’re in for a “trip” as the duo heads to Japan. And we finally get a Mary Jo/Anthony madcap adventure in the form of some overpriced phone calls (AKA an 80s reference we need to talk about!) Somewhere along the way, we’ll also “Salina’s Sidebar” about snow days. Ah, memories.

 

And come back later this week for “Extra Sugar,” where Salina is going to honor the cool-looking hotel the ladies find in Japan by taking us on an audio tour through some unique stays around the world.

Designing Women S4 E9 Extra Sugar - Unique Stays, Travel Tips, and Stories

Oh lawd, Suzanne and Julia stayed in a capsule hotel and now Salina may never emerge from looking at every unique place to stay on the planet. Why? Because the Internet is a dark hole from which we can never escape, but also because there are just sooooo many fascinating places to go! Tune in for this chat about staying everywhere from a replica of Dorothy’s house in North Carolina to your own library shelf in Tokyo. We’ll wrap up with some travel tips and stories.

Designing Women S4 E10 - Old Widow Shively

Suzanne and Mary Jo are the team up we didn’t know we needed. They’re on the prowl to find Mary Jo a man – and armed with the newest, hottest dating how-to book – nothing’s gonna stop ‘em now. Nikki also sidebars on funny notes left on cars.

Come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” taking a closer look at trendy dating guides.

Designing Women S4 E10 Extra Sugar - A Guide...to Dating Guides: Sheesh

This week’s episode reminds us that the media loves a few things: 1) to publish scary stories that scare the bejeesus out of women and 2) sell them something to remedy whatever they scared them with in the first place. Also, have y’all looked at dating advice over the years? Weird stuff, friends. Weird. Stuff. We’ll talk about it. 

You may also want to listen to these unintentional companion episodes:

• S1E5, “1986 Called and It Wants Its Jokes Back” where we discussed the now infamous Newsweek article during the “Extra Sugar” 
• S3E6, “A Virtual Smorgasbord of Women” where we talked about the history of dating

Designing Women S4 E11 - Remember Me Any Way You Like

Suzanne gets bullied at her high school reunion for gaining weight, while Anthony, Julia, and Mary Jo go on a two-day fast to raise awareness about world hunger. We miss Charlene. (tear emoji)

 

So where are we on world hunger in the 21st century? We’ll sidebar on it. Then come back Thursday for an “Extra Sugar” dedicated to Suzanne’s plot line including how this episode came about in the first place.

Designing Women S4 E11 Extra Sugar - Fat Shaming, Body Shaming & Body Acceptance

“They Shoot Fat Women, Don’t They” was a seminal moment in Designing Women’s history and simultaneously a denouement to the media and public’s relentless obsession with Delta Burke’s weight. 

In this week’s “Extra Sugar”, we’ll talk about what was happening behind-the-scenes, and then we’ll pivot to talk about concepts like fat shaming and body shaming. Why do they matter? And what can we do to take care of ourselves and each other?

Designing Women S4 E12 - Would You Like Fries with that Child Support?

Ted strikes again. He’s behind on child support, so Mary Jo finds herself slinging burgers and fries. And before the episode is over - all of Sugarbakers is doing the same. Except for Charlene – who is having a baby IRL. Suzanne is absent. (shrug emoji)

Salina takes on “Nibbles” to talk about the art of fast food. Come back later in this week for a very special “Extra Sugar” where Nikki deep dives on the fabulous, Ms. Annie Potts.