MsPH

Someone who's supposedly known Sean for years posted somewhere else that he's a pathological liar, who goes around telling people he's a doctor among other things. They didn't know he was actually a nurse until the show. Apparently he also lies about stuff no one really cares about anyway or is impressed by, so it's kind of comical. I don't know if any of this is true, since people can post anything on the internet anonymously, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Oh and apparently he's also lied about telling people off, when in reality no conversation even took place, so the person was laughing at the supposed hotel confrontation. I guess he likes to pretend he's a tough guy or something. I also find it interesting that while Sean name dropped Doug, who's best friends with Sean's bother I think, Doug hasn't acknowledged him at all since the show began. He's not even following Sean on Twitter, while he does follow Ryan D. And he wasn't on the dinner with Jason and all the guys from this season. Makes me wonder if Doug doesn't like Sean either. And if Doug doesn't like his best friend's brother, then you know there's something dodgy about him.

Yeah, the argument that plenty of women are with douchebags like Ryan is like the cherry on top of all this ridiculousness. The women in such relationships chose those men themselves, or decided to stay once their douchiness was revealed. Jessica had no choice! She put her trust in these experts to match her up with a nice guy and they knowingly married her off to some jerk who will never admit to being wrong or doing anything wrong ever, because it's too "tough" for him to even consider. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him or something? I think everyone barring sociopaths has some good in them, but I don't really care if it's buried underneath all kinds of nastiness. Dr. C is a clown. He seems like a socially awkward nerd on camera too, so I guess it's not surprising that common sense isn't part of his toolbox. Oh and if your instruments can't determine maturity, then here's a suggestion: Look at their instagram accounts! That would've revealed Ryan's manchild status in 2 minutes.

Thanks for bringing that over, crazychicken! Oh wow, so they were well aware of Ryan D's anger issues, but since he was aware of them too, they thought putting him together with a sensitive moody woman would fix him? Alrighty then. Seems like a recipe for disaster, but what do I know. You'd think these people were being matched by 20-year-old women with a bad boy fetish instead of qualified professionals. This isn't a romance novel, this is real life! Or so they keep telling us. I think we all saw since episode 0 that Ryan D has some growing up to do, but his immaturity came out of nowhere to the experts? Right. The whole "we cannot predict how they'll react once in the experiment" is such a cop-out. They can basically use that excuse to justify anything. "It's not really him, it's the experiment!" No way do I believe that Sean's lack of listening is atypical behaviour for him. Seems like part of his personality to me. His urgent way of speaking, sometimes over other people, was a yellow flag for me since early on. And aren't narcissists known for acting calm and collected and being able to easily fool other people? It's also pretty likely that someone with anger issues will react badly to being stuck with a stranger they may or may not like for 6 weeks. It doesn't seem surprising to me at all. Stressful situations aren't known for calming people down.

Britt looks like a total mess and I'm pretty sure that is her actual prom dress. Kaitlyn at least looks like she's from this century, even if that isn't the most flattering picture of her either. I love the mossy green dress.

And apparently he's crappy at that too. I was tickled when she said something about expecting more.

He wasn't distracted when she was telling him though. He was looking her in he eye listening and even said a quick "Really?" while she was talking. That was his only response though, so she tried again by saying "Isn't it cool though?" and he just turned away and started fussing about gloves. It seemed like he was intentionally ignoring her, so I don't blame her at all for being taken back by it. They're supposed to be getting to know each other and he's showing very little interest unless the discussion involves sex. I think the reason they even showed it is because it'll be a recurring theme in their relationship. They added a bit of extra about the sleigh incident online: http://www.aetv.com/married-at-first-sight/video/sean-misunderstands-davinas-tears I do think Davina was asking too much there, since it did seem like she was simply happy. And he did acknowledge the tears, even if it was in a joking manner. I have a feeling that he won't be much better dealing with her sad tears though, judging by how uninterested he seemed while she was opening up about her childhood.

I guess she's paying homage to her Indian roots with the thick black eyeliner. I didn't even know she was half Indian before this episode. What was the other half?

Actually when Dr. Pepper was talking to Jessica before the matches were made, Jessica mentioned being moody because she's a Cancer sign. Dr. Pepper laughed and said she doesn't use astrology. I guess that would be just crazy compared to assessing a stranger based on a 10-minute talk.

The fact that they picked a guy with self-admitted anger issues says all about their "instruments" to me. That is something everyone deserves to know before marriage, not on their honeymoon. You can't make someone unwittingly marry a ticking time bomb. He may have his anger under control for now, but there's no guarantee it'll stay under control, especially when going through such intense life changes. I would really like to hear Dr. C's justification for putting Ryan D on the show. If you're still reading this forum, Dr C., then feel free to state your case!

Exactly. And the experts keep describing him as nurturing and sensitive and caring, when I haven't really seen any sign of those traits in him. He seems to talk about his own issues and past a lot with tears in his eyes, and Davina's always very empathetic, but when she starts opening up about her past he looks so disinterested and closed off. I wonder if he sees that as a competition too? Like who had the worst childhood. Maybe he likes his role as the victim and the one to be pitied and is threatened by Davina growing up with similar issues. The experts thought they'd bond over their difficult childhoods, but I think the opposite might happen.

I fail to see the difference between saying facial piercings and lower back tattoos are trashy and calling her piercing and tattoo trashy. Same thing to me. Insulting to her and telling of his attitude. I also tend to trust her word more, because he strikes me as the kind of guy who'll deny deny deny regardless of what really happened. Wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a cheater too.

I had the same thought about Sean. Not that anything condones bullying, let alone physical assault. I mean clearly the bullies were even bigger jerks than him. However, not all bullying is based on superficial matters, sometimes it's the personality of the victim that ticks people off and I suspect that was the case with Sean. Still wrong but nonetheless may say something about him. He said the people bullying him were his "friends". I think Davina was bullied for superficial matters. She was an Indian kid in a small town. Sounds like regular ignorance and racism to me.

Davina may have a history of looking for red flags, but you don't even have to look with Sean, they're all over him! He keeps being exactly the kind of guy I thought he was after last week's episode. I don't think he really sees or hears the people around him, because he's too focused on himself. He just wants someone to give him love and attention, but he's not able to reciprocate and show actual interest in the other person. It wasn't just what happened on the sleigh ride, I could give him a pass for that as well, though it did kind of seem like he didn't know how to deal with her emotions so he just ignored her. It's things like not knowing how she drinks her coffee after four days together, not having any comment about Davina's mom being on the ski team with only men, which is pretty fascinating, and asking her what her most romantic date had been just as a setup for his cheesy line. It's all about him and when she says something unrelated to him he blanks her. So annoying! If that makes her needy then most people are needy. Maybe that's why Sean used to be an outcast. Ryan D is a total dick. There are plenty of people who think facial piercings and "tramp stamps" are trashy, but 1) you don't say that to someone you supposedly care about who has them, 2) he needs to take a good long look in the mirror! He's hardly some classy sophisticated guy himself. I felt so bad for Jessica, when she told him that her ex's parents didn't think she was good enough for him and you could read it on his face that he felt exactly the same way about her. I'm not buying anything that comes out of his mouth, because his actions say something else. I've yet to see any sign that he actually cares about her. He's mostly just complaining about her being a chicken and sensitive, while she's trying her best to make him happy. Run, Jessica! Ryan R and Jaclyn are my favourites by far. They at least both seem capable of caring about another person and are somewhat sane all around. Ryan is a good guy and Jaclyn can see it. That's a great start really. Seeing the good in each other and focusing on that is what it's all about. I like how he took some control back with the golfing. She was clearly impressed.

Not to mention that according to my calculations it's been 5 or 6 years since the breakup with his former fiancee. Why is he still "crying" about it while supposedly engaged to the love of his life? Are they all forced to play the sympathy card this week, even when it makes no sense? Because I don't understand why he couldn't just focus on the positive and his new found "love". It just left me confused. As did his dancing. He really needs to learn to finish his movements, because it looks like he's still learning the choreo while on stage. I thought Nastia and Derek were amazing. Might be because I love Dark Eyes and it really fit the dance. I think they're doing a huge disservice to the dancing with all those pop songs that don't really fit the style at all. Not to mention it makes it a lot harder for an amateur to get the timing right. Rumer danced beautifully again. It's sad how much she's had to hear about her looks growing up, but plastic surgery or not, she looks great now. I also think Willow was really in jeopardy since they went crazy with the scores. It's like they wanted to make sure that she stays around next week. I did enjoy the dance, but I also lost her in the crowd a few times. Way too much going on. I love watching Robert and Kym. He really loves being on the show and learning all these dances and it shows. I watched both of their rehearsals last week and he's getting really good. They spent more time refining his movements than learning steps and that's a good sign. He nailed it.

There are only 2.8 million Americans of Indian ancestry, so saying there are millions of fully Americanized Indians is a bit of an overstatement. It's also likely that most of those with western values are women, because it's usually the representatives of the gender in a better position that cling to old traditions (AKA men). In addition to that, there are more than 2,000 ethnic groups in India and countless different religions, so it's not like you can pair up any two Indians and expect them to have the same ethnicity and religion. A bunch of white Americans doing the matching seems like a potential minefield. From what I remember, Davina said she's only dated Caucasian men, both Jews and Christians, and is attracted to men who are tall, dark and handsome. She also said she would shy away from any eastern religions, which I find reasonable, since she doesn't practice them herself. It did make me raise an eyebrow the first time she said it, but I don't think it's a matter of hating every single Indian man. Her requirements for a mate are just likelier to be found in Caucasian men. I'm sure there are some Indian men with values as western as hers, but they are few and far between compared to western men with western values. They are the majority after all. I simply fail to see what bit of extra his Indian ethnicity would bring to the table, when she wants him to be fully Americanized on the inside. Seems a bit racist to me to expect people to marry within their own "race" simply for the sake of it. What is the difference between and fully Americanized Indian and a white American except one has Indian ancestors and the other is a lot easier to find? I also think there's a difference between being bullied by ignorant white kids with racist parents in a small town and being shunned by your own people due to things that are out of your control. The former is ignorance and racism and present in all cultures to a certain extent, because it's based on an innate human trait. The latter is cultural and speaks of values that are hard to stomach for a liberal western woman.

I guess they'll only be abroad for 2 episodes, since doesn't it go from 8 to 6 and then 6 to 4? A lot more traveling than Chris's ladies got though! Wonder what the next pit stop is.

I believe they said 7,000 applicants nationwide. Not sure what happened to all the people outside the NY metropolitan area though.

I just wanted to leave this old picture of Ryan here: http://www.justthewayyouare.com/ab2/i/ryan.gif

Good post, Stinamaia! I detest the idea that everyone should be proud of the culture they were born into regardless of whether or not they themselves feel they can accept all the aspects and practices of said culture. If someone truly loves their native culture then good for them, but most people have the ability to question things and everyone has the right to choose what they are accepting of. It's not self-hate to me, it's being rational and analytical. And no, this isn't about thinking any certain culture or race is superior. It's about everyone having the right to choose what's right for them regardless of their skin colour or genes. I would hate to be a Somalian woman who's escaped mutilation and be told I hate myself if I don't want to marry a Somalian man. Not saying Davina's case is that extreme, but the point is that cultures don't evolve unless people question them and horrible practices don't cease to exist if everyone's blindly proud of their own culture. Davina seems to me like a very confident successful woman who is willing to take risks despite her family's disapproval. I fail to see why she's in need of therapy just because she wants to be integrated into a majority rather than living the rest of her life in a small minority she doesn't feel connected to and has bad experiences with. She's not bleaching her hair or changing her name to appear white. She's not trying to be white (like say Michael Jackson). She just feels like her core values and thoughts are more Caucasian than Indian and that seems to be the case based on everything she's said and done so far. So she wants a man and in-laws whose values align with hers and thinks she has a better shot with white men in the regard. It's up to her as far as I'm concerned. I saw much more self-hate in Jamie last season with her trailer park past, but I understood her as well. It wasn't just about the trailer park, it was about her experiences there having lived with a drug addicted mother and various dodgy stepfathers. Much like her, Davina has a reason to dislike her background. It's not some irrational dislike born out of self-hate or white people worship. And yes, I think it is a cultural matter rather than ethnic, because she's not trying to appear white.

I still don't see what's self-hating about not wanting to marry into a certain culture or religion, if you yourself don't identify with it. Screw ethnicity. Seriously. That's just a useless thing to base your identity on, IMO. Reeks of nationalism and racism to me. Davina clearly knows both Indian and non-Indian culture and happens to prefer and connect more with non-Indian culture. Yes, she might find an Indian man who is as Americanized as her, but when you marry someone, you don't just marry then, you get in-laws as well. This is especially true in Indian culture, where family is everything. What are the chances of the man's parents being totally Americanized as well? Pretty low, I'd say. Of course it's possible, but since Davina isn't specifically attracted to Indian men, she has no reason to seek them out. So she doesn't want to have an all Indian family. What exactly is the problem with that? I just fail to see it. Now if she were to prevent her future kids from having any contact with Indian culture or their roots, then that would be a problem. However, she herself is an adult woman and can choose who she dates and marries just like anyone else without being called a racist or a self-hater. We all have the right to choose what we want to surround ourselves with for the rest of our lives.

No shit. And I miss the days when this show was about random rich but ugly businessmen looking for a trophy wife. Now it's all D-list celebs I don't care about. Yawn. Too much plastic surgery in every episode too. Painful to look at. Patti's mangled face is plenty enough.

I just think it's a huge leap to assume she hates herself. From what I've seen of her, she doesn't seem to think or act Indian at all. So even if she hated Indians (which I've never heard her say), then doesn't that exclude her, since she doesn't identify herself as Indian? I mean image if she was adopted and hadn't been exposed to Indian culture at all. Would you still expect her to see herself as Indian first and foremost and anything else is self-hate? I think she has her own identity that isn't tied to her ethnicity, but is closer in thoughts and actions to white Americans than Indians. I see no problem with that. What I know of Indian culture, from talking with Indians who actually live in India and are proud of being Indian, is that individuality is frowned upon. You live to make your family and community happy and shy away from anything that may cause them shame. That's probably why her mother was shunned too. She was the shameful black sheep just because she was a single parent. Davina has first-hand experience of what happens when you go against the norm in an Indian community and it's not pretty. If she were to marry an Indian man, she would also get Indian in-laws and there's a very high chance of them being just as traditional as the people who shunned her mother and her. They would always have a say in what goes on in her family and how she should treat her husband and raise her kids. Knowing what an independent woman she is, I can totally understand her wanting to avoid that at all cost. That doesn't mean she hates everything Indian.

I don't know if it's that simple. I do think it's alarming when a person turns their back on their own culture, but Davina seems to have grown up in western culture surrounded mostly by white people, so why should she force herself to identify with the Indian culture? It's not really her culture. It's her parents' culture and one of them was useless and the other got shunned by the Indian community. Why must she identify with people she has little in common with except her genes? I think that's a bit racist too, putting people in boxes based on their appearance instead of how they feel inside. And I think everyone has a right to choose which religions they want to be subjected to, especially when they're planning to raise a family with the person. If Davina doesn't practice any eastern religion then why should she marry a man who does? If she has mostly bad experiences with Indians, why should she marry into an Indian family? I don't really see what she would benefit from that. Of course if she were to meet the man of her dreams who just happens to be Indian then it would be sad if she dismissed him based on his ethnicity. But no reason to specifically seek out Indian men, if you have no affinity towards them. Knowing the experts of this show, they'd stick her with the only Indian man in the pool of applicants just because they're both Indian. I think that's what happened with Vaughn and Monet anyway.

I'll just echo what I said last week: Jaclyn needs to get her testosterone levels checked. Calling your new husband dude, bro and brother? Um...no. You can really tell why she's been single all her 20's. That kind of behaviour does not attract men. Ordering for him in the restaurant was just beyond ridiculous. She is the most entertaining person in this bunch though. I just hope Ryan R learns to open his mouth when something bothers him. I guess he's scared about disturbing the peace this early on, but if he lets her walk all over him now, it's hard to change the dynamic later. I like that he's at least acknowledging the weirdness in Jaclyn's behaviour instead turning a blind eye to everything because he's attracted to her (à la Doug). Don't even get me started on Ryan D. He's so immature! There's being playful and then there's being inconsiderate. He's the latter. Why ruin your spouse's enjoyment of everything for your own amusement? That is not funny to anyone but you. When you care for someone you want them to be happy. You don't want to intentionally upset them and make them uncomfortable. Gentle teasing is OK, but he went beyond that many times IMO. Maybe someone would find his behaviour funny, but someone as sensitive as Jessica doesn't need her buttons pushed constantly. I really hope he takes a hint soon, but I doubt it. He seems like the type who thinks everyone should find him hilarious or they have a stick up their ass. Still not a fan of Sean. There's just something off about him. I don't think he's gay though, I just think having grown up weak and bullied has made him overly appreciative of his current self. What I mean is that, once he became attractive and successful and the girls who never looked his way when he was a teenager were suddenly interested in him, his head grew a few sizes. Now he secretly thinks he's God's gift, but at the same time he can't shake that insecurity he used to live with. Because of that he has this constant need to prove his worth and to be in control. I know the type, since I've been around former nerds a lot. The ones who turned attractive in adulthood and found success are usually insufferable to me. I still have a crush on Davina, she's so pretty! I like how she's approaching this so far.

I think she does have something to lose. The guys are bound to be pissed about Nick joining the group or at least question her. Half the fans can't stand Nick either, so it certainly doesn't make Kaitlyn look good in their eyes.