neural-plasticity

I didn't watch Jojo's season after the first two or three episodes because I felt like almost all the guys were fake or... blah. So it's not surprising none of them were chosen. Still, I'm surprised that Nick is the next bachelor and honestly, I'm not sure if it's good or bad. I didn't watch Andi's season, but I did watch him on Kaitlyn's and he was really made out to be the victim. I've really liked him on BiP, though, so I'm tempted to watch.

Honestly, I think the show has been prepping viewers for the last couple of seasons as Maddie at times was rarely ever around because of all the job opportunities. I actually thought it was quite refreshing because we got to see other girls at the top of the pyramid and get a little more recognition than they otherwise would have if Maddie had danced. It will definitely be different not having Melissa or Mackenzie around, though. I'm hoping the show is over, honestly. I barely watched this past season at all. With how spiteful the moms are and with Abby being constantly on the brink of a serious mental breakdown that might end up in homicide, it's painful to watch.

I'm not sure if blindsided is the right word, but I do understand where JoJo was coming from when she felt that way. I understand she knew that Ben loved Lauren too, but I think when you have feelings for someone like that (and they tell you they couldn't imagine their life without you), you would probably convince yourself that he just has to like you a little bit better, though. I think that's probably just a natural way to cope with the situation you're in. I liked Ben this whole season. I wasn't able to do much reading on this website up until now (busy schedule), and I see that some of you guys are not fans of him at all haha. Honestly, though, the one major thing I saw Ben do that really put me off was after dumping JoJo and crying about it, he then turns around like it's nothing, calls Lauren's dad, and starts jumping up and down like a little girl when he got the approval from him. If I had just had that much emotional turmoil from dumping someone I was "in love with" and "couldn't imagine my life without," the last thing I'd be in the mood for is proposing to someone else. I read the spoilers before the show started, so I knew that Lauren was going to win the whole time, but regardless I think it was pretty obvious that she was going to win. Like everyone else has said, he often went out of his way for her. He said things like, "I feel like I'm not good enough for you," which he didn't say to any of the other girls. I really wanted to like Lauren, too, but from their very first one-on-one, I just... couldn't. She knew that he liked her. She knew she had it in the bag from very close to the beginning. It was like she knew that she could find someone better than him but she was soaking up her time on television. I completely understood where Ben's mom was coming from. You could tell she was worried about Lauren and Ben's relationship (moreso than she was JoJo and Ben's). Lauren seems immature enough that when things do start getting hard in their relationship, she'll think she's better than having to deal with that (in my opinion). I didn't watch the Jimmy Kimmel interview, but honestly, it doesn't surprise me at all. I'm not sure in what context she said those things, but in my opinion, even if you're being provoked to kind of harp on your significant other, you don't harp on those things, especially to the nation. He prays too loud? Wtf is that?? If I felt my husband prayed too loud (when we were first dating) I wouldn't announce that to everyone I know. That's just my opinion though, and it makes me like her even less. I'd be curious to see how long they last. I'd be surprised if they stayed together for more than a year or two.

I did think it was interesting - I briefly watched a Bates episode where Michael was preparing for the wedding, and she mentioned her wedding party, yet didn't mention Jana was in the wedding. It was like this elephant in the room. I'd be interested to hear if Jana was even shown in the episode. Producers are obviously pretty good at making sure she's not.

Not sure exactly where the Dillards are in SA, but I thought about them on my way home as I was listening to NPR today. Brazil and some other countries in the continent are having some serious issues with the Zika virus and are urging pregnant women not to travel to those places, as the virus can cause some birth defects, particularly microcephaly. Hopefully Jill's not pregnant/trying to get pregnant and if she is, she's being really careful down there!

We also can't forget the last season of BIP when there was the clip of someone (probably Ashley I?) who was crying because she thought she was pregnant. I pretty much continued to watch for that reason only! Ep 3 is a pretty safe bet I think.

I had no idea Olivia was only 23! She looks SO MUCH older than that (I noticed a lot of the girls looked much older than their age). I agree with some who have posted negatively about the age range this season. There's no reason a 23 year old should expect to be engaged to someone after 2 months of barely spending time with them (especially ALONE).

I actually grew up close to that area. My hometown is an hour away and my high school was in the same conference as his. I also have family that live there and my college I went to was about half an hour away from Warsaw. There are a lot of really pretty lakes in that area. The great thing is you can get those types of houses for relatively cheap compared to other places. It wouldn't surprise me at all if that was their house in Warsaw. Also, they edited Warsaw to look much more country than it really is. Although there IS farmland there, there's also a decent size town with some things to do. I would say the majority of the people who come from that town are NOT farmers, including him.

I also noticed/thought the same thing for some of the girls. Although I thought they all were pretty when getting out of the limit, once they were all sitting around there were a few that I thought weren't nearly as attractive as the others (& honestly, Lauren B was one of them... when she was sitting on the couch talking to Ben I noticed it, but that's just my opinion too). Whereas some, like Lace and {another one that got barely any screen time} I thought were just naturally stunning. Which, speaking of Lace, I don't think she'll last long. Not sure if RS has posted any specifics about her yet, but based on the season teaser at the end and just how naturally psycho she is, I can't imagine Ben dealing with her for any longer than the producers make him. It looks like she hits someone in the eye then goes home!

I thought Michaella was a safe bet too. She's been married for a couple of months now so she's due for one.............. *sarcasm*

Priscilla has a face that (I think) will look better the more she ages. I actually think she looks pretty in that picture, especially compared to pictures of them when they first got married. Or the lighting just made her look good (haha!)

Wow, he really does look more like Izzy now. It's crazy how fast he changed!

The only thing Jessa and Bin have going for themselves is the fact that when 19 Kids and Counting was on, they smiled, said nice things, etc. That's where they got their fan base from. If they had to completely start from scratch like most Evangelicals who aren't raised being on national television, not nearly as many people would be interested in listening to their doom and gloom rants.

This cult brain washes everyone into thinking any minor "slip up" is bad, that honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if her blog is just referring to the fact that she drank. Maybe smoked weed. It's like Jinger saying she was this God-awful sinner when she was 7. They make everything so much more dramatic than what it needs to be. I highly doubt she was into drugs, but I don't doubt that she partied. I also can't believe how OLD she looked/looks.

I agree with a lot of this. The only other thing I'd add is maybe she didn't have a guy whom they didn't approve, but the guy called it off and her parents blamed the severed courtship (possibly to someone of high status in their cult) solely on her (and her "spirit?") and shipped her off. Who knows.