Hum well after meeting both Ricki and Alex. No she does not have a crush on him. It is all business and making money. This is what I saw with them. Remember we love to quilt. They and a few other big name quilters have made quilting into a big business. Ricki is in a very commited relationship and Alex is a typical Califorina girl. Simply Quilts was a great show but she had little control over it. It was definitely Station run. So she was really restrained on the show. These are my humble opinions on the subject. I find the shows and magazines all work hard to get beginners into quilting. The seem to forget that solid intermediate and advanced quilts exist! Have a Happy Day People!