rebel2u

At this point, I believe Paige is fully embracing the role of martyr. Pastor Cal says she's a "ride or die" woman. If by this he is implying that Paige's sticking with Chris through all Chris's bullshit is a good thing, he's as dumb as she is. I thought Jacob was a little scary when he repeatedly called Haley a liar. I had thought of him as a quiet, thoughtful person but this was a new side to him. I might be keeping my guard up, too. Chris has the emotional maturity of a 15 year old. He couldn't keep that goofy grin off his face when he showed up while Pastor Cal was talking to Paige. I can't figure out what his end game is. To get 2 women pregnant? To keep stringing Paige along because he knows she'll stick by him if he just throws her a few crumbs now and then? So he can keep having sex with her and have his self image as a powerful man reinforced? I so dislike his face. I find him painful to look at.

Wow! Don't hold back! Meow!

Whatever happened to second chances? And loyalty? Chris has been the face of the bachelor franchise for well over 20 years, hasn't he? My impression is that he has served the franchise well. Couldn't TPTB come out with a statement that, in his interview with Rachel, Chris made statements that they didn't agree with, that they have discussed this with Chris and a statement from him will be forthcoming? And privately tell Chris that he is getting a second chance but there won't be a third? This cancel culture with the thought that one strike and you're out is, to me, ridiculous. And speaking of loyalty. . . Rachel was chosen to be the first Bachelorette of color. She wasn't their only option. To be selected is, in my opinion, a huge gift. As I understand it, she left her job as a lawyer in Dallas and now lives in LA and does a bachelor podcast with Becca. She also has done television work. I doubt any of these opportunities would have been possible without her exposure as the bachelorette. And she found her life partner on her bachelorette season. Biting the hand that feeds you comes to mind. We do need diversity in the bachelor universe. TPTB should be actively recruiting a Native American lead. Have we ever even had a Native American as a contestant? We've had leads from Canada and Venezuela and an Italian prince. What about a Hispanic lead? I would love to see Abigail as a lead. (She was adorable at 18, btw.) We also seem to be jumping on the South with both feet. I've seen it implied that Southern = racist. On my short street, we have 2 interracial couples and 3 additional households that identify as LGBTQ. There are no problems, we all get along and-- so far-- no crosses have been burned. The US in the late 1800's attempted to annihilate the Native American population. They were removed from the lands where they hunted and farmed and were segregated in reservations where the land was dusty and dry. They were hit harder by covid 19 than almost anywhere else in the nation. Many have no running water and substandard housing. My dad took a cross country trip a few years ago and said the reservations were the saddest things he had ever seen. I wonder, with Rachael being pilloried on a nationwide basis with such vitriol that the hatred expressed could follow her for a long time, do those who live in states with Indian reservations ever stop to consider the institutional racism in their own backyard? I'm tapping out of Bachelor Nation, thus this long rant. I'm usually a wrong reasons viewer and, as I've said before, those of you who are extra-snarkey and swear, thank you. You're my people. It was a lot of fun for years but less so now. And if it's not fun, why bother? My parting shots: Rachel, when you are in riot gear, everything looks like a riot. And the South is different from the rest of the nation. We have a legacy of slavery to contend with and essentially the only part of the nation that has had a war fought on her land. It's easy to stereotype the South but hard to understand it if you're not from here. And I hope we don't cancel Chris and Rachael when they deserve what used to be commonplace but is less so now---a second chance.

Maybe she'll take her van and go live down by the river after this humiliating turn on The Bachelor.

I think with all the things happening in the country (George Floyd, BLM, Rachel Lindsey's threat to quit the franchise if things didn't change), TPTB would have gotten a lot more flak had they not stepped up to the plate and made the choice of of a POC for bachelor/ette. It was either the covid "budget season" or no POC. Apparently it turned out to be a catch-22 for TPTB; they couldn't win either way.

@catrice2, sorry, did you say you don't watch The Bachelor?

Uh oh--The girls are being mean to Heather. Where is self righteous tattletale Katie when you need her?

I'm from Raleigh--we have a population of 500,000. Not quite the country hicks Matt makes us out to be.

Katie could not WAIT to tattle on the other girls to Matt last week but this week remains quiet when they wonder how Matt knew what they talked about. Voice of reason or self righteous twat? You're a contestant, Katie not the house den mother. STFU.

I agree! Pot-Kettle (shorthand for pot calling the kettle black}

Clara seems to be the sort that would just suck all the air out of a room. She's exhausting. She makes me think of children who were so doted on by their parents that they could do no wrong and grew up to be the life of the party and very confident in all they said and did. She reminds me of Elizabeth from the Charlotte season---both are extroverts and don't mind being the center of attention.

That's exactly what I was thinking from the beginning. Her explanation just sounded fishy to me.

It may be a problem with her blood pressure. When I was younger, I would feel faint and like I was about to black out if I stood in one position too long. She may have been on the verge of blacking out and they wanted her to sit down immediately. It, for me, had to do with low blood pressure--I think, although I didn't realize it at the time. And as we have been talking about families, it never occurred to me to mention this to my family. Not everybody has a family where you feel supported all the time. I guess I, too, would not cut it as a contestant as I wouldn't be able to say, "Family is everything to me!" which seems to be the preferred contestant response when anybody asks you about your family. And @saber5055, consider us your family, of sorts. We're here every Monday night for a good part of the year--it's more than I see my real (biological) family!

As my dad would succinctly say, "She ain't right." I have this mental image of Chris, Matt and Victoria secretly meeting with producers in some back room, shaking hands and laughing at the wonderful "entertainment" they are providing this season. Victoria must be a plant. She can't be for real. Right???

These dates are great! Is that gnashing of teeth I hear? Tayshia? Clare? Is that you?

Matt's inexperience with this franchise is showing. I had forgotten what it is like to have a bachelor far removed from the Bachelor Nation.

FInally! Someone has a family with traits somewhat similar to mine! I don't even think my parents would consent to being on the show. They're pretty private. At best, they might sit at the table with both wearing the disguise of fake glasses with the fake nose attached. If they thought of it, they would probably ask to have their voices scrambled, too. Yes, and with my siblings, we all come together in a crisis but not to critique each other's relationships. It they're happy, I'm happy. Interesting to see how the other half lives. It's foreign to me but it might be fun.

I didn't hear the podcast with Tayshia's ex. I know Tayshia has cited infidelity on her ex's part as a reason for the divorce. Has he said or implied that he does not want a biracial child and this is (at least) one reason for the divorce? Your friends may have had partners that did not want a biracial child, but, as far as I know, there is no indication that this was a reason for Tayshia's ex wanting a divorce. You've said, basically, I'm very interested in why he didn't want kids with Tayshia; maybe he was ok with a biracial wife but didn't want biracial kids. This, IMO. implies a possible racial bias where there may not be one and I don't think we should hang that on him without further information.

@saber5055 Hope you're having a great birthday and thanks for sharing it with us!

Bennett has gone from witty to asshat in one group date.

I wouldn't have recognized JoJo if they hadn't said it was her. Has she had a lot of filler in her cheeks? She just looks different.

Ivan, like, thinks, like, deep thoughts.

Maybe then Austin is like my Southern hometown, where the Yankees have moved to in droves and you can go all day and not hear a Southern accent. If that has happened to Austin, then I feel for the natives.

Tayshia seems to talk a lot without saying too much---a trait I actually admire. She mirrors the guys' speech back to them, repeating something they said or making a comment in response to a comment they made. She says things like "I love it" or "You seemed quiet at first but now you seem more relaxed," comments that are non-threatening and help the guys feel like she likes them, listens to them and is there to give all the guys a fair chance in this game of love, lol---something Clare never seemed to do. I think the ability to schmooze---in the very best possible way---is a great quality and she has it in spades.

How come they're in Texas, i.e. the South, and everyone talks with a nothing, mid-Atlantic accent. Hey, we all know tv shows represent true real life--all day, every day!! Amirite?? So accents, people, accents!