You don't have to cut it off as the colour stays in them for quiet a while. It won't harm the plant if you do, and pups should appear shortly.

They both have a fading bloom, the blue flowers are gone. They both also have fairly good sized pups. Will the original plan bloom again or will the new pups be the only ones that will bloom?

If they are at least 1/3 size of mum I would take them off. Keep the mum, as you should get a couple more pups.
Up to you if you cut the flower off.

The pink will still look good even if the blue buds have faded. It (the mother plant) will not bloom again so there is no hurry to cut the stem off. Just a matter of when you tire of it. The pups will have the next bloom. From what I can see it looks like it could be Aechmea fasciata.

tj

This post was edited by tsugajunkie on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 19:21