girlplease

This was wonderful. I can't wait for more!

I understand that, but they all seemed to fan their bakes at the end when I can't recall that happening for any other bread challenge. They know how much time is left in the technical even if they aren't given specific timing on the bake. Especially strange as I believe a few contestants mentioned that they thought their fougasse might be underdone (Selasi comes to mind) but I think he was fanning along with the rest of them...

I'm guessing this had to do with the humidity in the tent as it was raining that day - Benjamina mentioned it, and it can indeed affect the height and crispness you can get out of a meringue. I wondered why all the contestants fanned their fougasse at the end of the baking time - rather than giving them an extra few minutes in the oven (which several of them really could have used!). The recipe doesn't seem to indicate...

I like this idea.

In the same clip, though, they showed David, *still standing at the altar*, telling someone "oh yeah, she's great to hang out with, super easy to talk to" or something along those lines. They couldn't have said much more than "I do" to each other at that point! He needed to slow his roll even on day one - that's what's coming off as scary (to me, anyway). He only got more delusional as the show went on. I liked Neil all right at the beginning of the season, but by the end, he seemed just as withdrawn as Ashley. I didn't see any of his vaunted quirkiness - and whatever they mistook for quirkiness in Sam was just brattiness. Tres and Vanessa, sadly, are boring to me. I don't think they'll make the six month mark - Tres bit off more than he can chew with this "experiment", and doesn't seem ready for marriage. It seems like he wants to be ready for it, at times, and goes through the motions, but he gets a scared look in his eyes whenever things aren't light and easy. Vanessa knows what she wants, but seems a bit young, too - and I think being matched with someone who's ambivalent about marriage really drew out her insecurities. Poor girl. Hopefully they break up and she finds a better match.

Aw, I'm nearly 40 and I love festivals :) If you're not prepared, though, they can be a nightmare! Definitely looked like Liza and Josh made some rookie mistakes. The casting on this show continues to surprise and impress. Such an odd role for David Wain, but I love seeing him on my TV!

They definitely deserve each other.

Well, and that's the thing. We can say that David is objectively decent looking, and she's being shallow or too picky. But attraction is so subjective. You could put Idris Elba on this show and I'm sure someone would say "ehhhhh". (Not me, but still.) Now imagine it's someone you're not really feeling attracted to, and they keep trying to touch and kiss you. They start to look like Steve Buscemi real quick. (Love Steve, no shade, just trying to think of an example :D) I don't like to say this, but he's too good for her.

But affection is something that should be given, not taken. I feel for him that she's not responding the way he would like, but he's being pushy about the physical stuff IMO - that tackle, for instance, was not cool. Just because they've been together x number of days/weeks doesn't mean he's "earned" a kiss, hug, etc. They are so uncomfortable to watch. It's like a terrible first date that just will. not. end.

Wow, that Sam interview is unbelievable. I mean I literally don't believe a word of it. #FreeNeil

Where's the thread for last week's episode? I liked Monet with the painting guy. I think she's insecure about her appeal to the opposite sex, and falls back on the friend thing when she feels uncomfortable

Agreed with all of the above, but I like Lauren for some reason! She's textbook trying too hard, or something.

That's fair. But what's the better footage - a silent dinner with Ashley and David, or David checking his watch, stressing, draining another beer? That's my thought as well. Hoo boy, is she in over her head. And having someone pay your bills for six weeks isn't nearly worth the stress of being filmed and having to deal with that person day-to-day - even if it is just for scheduled shoots. Making the meal isn't controlling - expecting the person to read your mind and then getting salty when they don't is what red flagged it for me. I can't imagine coming home after a long day of finals and someone guilting me for being late because they had something planned I didn't even know about. There's a lesson for David in there too - if he really wants to be married to a nurse, irregular schedules are something he's going to have to learn to deal with. And goodness, no, I don't think she should have been matched with Neil for his looks. (I don't think they would have met with her approval either.) But he seems to have a much calmer manner and she might have actually opened up a bit with someone less pushy. Like most of you, I can't quite figure out why Ashley went on this show! But I'm not mad at her for not acting in the ways we would hope or expect. It's making this dumpster fire of a season slightly less boring. :)

Eh, even if she thought she would be home around 7, it didn't seem like she knew there was a special dinner planned - I don't think it's entirely fair to blame her for being late for something she didn't know was happening. (And I think it's yet another instance of David being controlling, but that's a tangent for another time.) I'm leaning more and more toward what Vinyasa said above - this show is scripted. I wish they would find more interesting scripts for Tres and Vanessa. I'm also wondering - why didn't they match Ashley and Neil?

Ugh, seriously. Vomit. re: The Dots (dun dun dunnnnn), it occurred to me that while Liza is probably a perfectly experienced texter, she probably wasn't doing a lot of "waiting with bated breath" texting prior to her relationship with Josh. She might never have noted The Dots of Indecision before this. I'm glad this silly little show is back :)

I think this kind of speculation is fun, but wildly afield from what we actually know - that Ashley is freshly out of a nine-year relationship. She's more likely looking back at it with rose-colored glasses, and David just doesn't measure up to the comfort and familiarity of her previous relationship. And as for the theory that she must be a lesbian if she's not into David....well, call me Ellen if that's the case. I understand David's frustration in part, because Ashley is just soooo not into him. (In which case, I think she's right to stay cold and not give him any ideas - as someone mentioned above, he'd just run with them.) If this is any indication of how he acted in previous relationships that weren't moving quickly enough for him, I can understand why he says in the credits voiceover that he's not good at "the dating thing". He assumes a lot simply based on the fact that they are technically together. Note that he never said "Ashley and I agreed we'd have dinner at 7" or "Ashley is always home at 7 on Tuesdays and said she would be home at 7 tonight". He thought she'd be home then - despite the fact that she had a final - got all worked up making a fancy dinner and then getting to play the neglected husband when I bet she wasn't even aware of his elaborate plans. Was she supposed to text him back during her final?

I don't think hustling and being tough/abrasive/controlling are at all the same thing, though. Lots of professional women doubt themselves, suffer impostor syndrome, over-apologize, etc. Just because you TCB doesn't mean you're a jerk, it just means you might have to be conscious about the situations in which you need to completely reverse your usual MO. For instance, if you're used to paying for yourself, you probably pull out your wallet at the end of the date. Not because you're trying to emasculate the dude, or trying to control the situation, but because it's a reflex.

Meh. (I'm like Cynthia, I can't fake it. Ha!)

I kind of think they have the same issue, in a way - neither knows when to call it quits. David keeps on selling even though no one's buying, and Ashley stayed in a relationship for nine years that apparently went nowhere. They both seem to have an inability to read the opposite sex and not enough oomph to break those patterns.

I also think that men can be boggled a bit by successful, together women because it somewhat restricts their opportunities to show off their own success, to treat, to get that feel-good sensation of "being the man". As Empress noted above, if you aren't particularly looking for the economic support, but want the emotional connection, it's hard to deny one and still get the other - men aren't taught to value the emotional support as much as being the financial provider. It can be hard to reconcile that "ok, gotta hustle, no one's gonna take care of me but me" upbringing with "ok, now I have to be a delicate flower and let someone else pay the tab/open the door/hail the cab". If you were taught that you could not rely on men, it's hard to deprogram that to allow yourself to rely on them in the small but meaningful ways that create trust and connection. Cynthia is just plain not ready to date yet, and probably shouldn't throw herself out there for a while. She will find fault with every man who crosses her path....until she's ready.

Aw, I'm still watching, Empress1! I found the episode really relatable too - also raised to take care of myself and to focus on my career (my dad always says "make sure you've got some 'fuck you' money in the bank" - ha!). What I wasn't taught is how to be vulnerable, that I don't have to do everything myself. I read somewhere that when you have a very independent personality like that, you're actually denying others the enjoyment of doing something kind, and it makes it harder for them to get close to you. People like to help! Tennesha, honey. I was hoping she'd give Errol a more...manly task in getting ready for the party? Helping move some furniture or something. Instead she's critiquing his pepper slicing technique. OK then. I still think they're cute together. I don't see Monet as desperate, necessarily? Maybe she gives off a different energy in person, but she just seems bubbly and outgoing to me. Poor Antonio, didn't see it coming (and she was pretty oblivious that he was into her). So Jae clearly didn't know the rest of the women beforehand - but I thought Monet or Tennesha also mentioned something about "getting to know the others" through the workshop? They all seem pretty comfortable together so it seemed like an odd comment.

I think it's more interesting that she's hiding her ring hand.

I think just to demonstrate the lineage - you know how people say things like "oh, you look just like your grandmother at that age"?

My thoughts exactly. He seems pushy to me, and even if Ashley went in with the best intentions she might have gotten freaked out by his omg my wifey routine. Yes, they all signed up for this, but I'm not mad at any of them who want to take things at their own pace - whether that's consummating the marriage on the first night or not wanting to hold hands after two weeks. It's up to the individual and what they're comfortable with. I think we all acknowledge that the "vetting" and "experts" are totally flawed, so I'm not sure why we expect these cast members to act any better than the production. ralph, I like your idea! They do seem to throw these folks to the wolves, and more structure in the experiment could be a good thing.

^^^ I agree with a lot of this! David doesn't seem to be ready for a partner with her own wants and needs separate from his own - he's exhausting Ashley with constant yammering about minutiae or handwringing about their two week relationship. I got a weird sense of entitlement from him in his speech about the high-fives - that he was going to keep high-fiving Ashley because that's the only physical contact he "gets". Dude, no matter how nice you are to someone, they don't owe you ANY physical contact. He's that guy who complains about doing "all the right things" and still getting "friendzoned" - not realizing that you cannot buy or force affection, trust, or attraction. As it turns out, women are actual human beings, not vending machines. The boasting about his potential income (lol) and the offer to pay all the bills was creepy too - that's a control thing. Where's my youindangergirl.gif?