Crazy Bird Lady

Agreed: In fact, if Kate was as 'out of it' as Luke said during the honeymoon (when they apparently first had secret sex) --Luke was probably committing rape by having sex with a woman too intoxicated to consent!! ...And yes, Kate may actually have a "drinking problem," although I don't think she considers it so. Drinking to make emotional pain go away is a problem, and Luke has been causing Kate a lot of emotional pain.

Yes! to most of this: Me, too: This! :

This. Exactly! That's a big part of what A.J. got so pissed off about. (Yeah, I know, A.J. is a hothead, and a mean drunk, and he obviously crossed the line walking in with that bourbon and sarcastically asking why everyone was in 'his' house, then after getting drunk, making crude Puke jokes and even slapping the jerk on the ass.) But I STILL think A.J. (and Keith) had good reasons to be mad, when they'd been eager for some "alone time" with their wives. (In fact, I *don't* like the fact that Kristine was so OK with it --or that Luke was acting so happy they had no privacy!)

Yeah, but I think Kristine has decided he's not good enough for her. We'll see, on D-Day.

OMG, Kate! You act like people will keep your secret... and that isn't gonna happen.

I was just watching Puke and Kate again by the waterfall... the scene where she "chickened out" and *didn't* tell him the secret that she told the secret to Dr. Pepper. There is a reason why therapy is supposed to be a "safe" zone for people who seek help. Whatever a person says to their therapist is strictly confidential (UNLIKE anything that MAFS participants say to the so-called "experts" on this show)! Kate desperately wanted expert help in figuring out how to handle her situation. But imho, the best thing to do would have been to vent to a professional, discuss the best way to deal with it, and then never, ever tell Luke that she had discussed it with anyone!! There is nothing "safe" about talking to MAFS "experts".

As usual, Yeah No, I agree with most of what you say: Ironically, I think A.J. specifically buying that whiskey before driving to the the "mini-moon retreat" shows that A.J. knows he's a mean drunk. He might not admit it to a therapist, but it seems like he acknowledges it to himself, which is at least a small first step. Agreed. A.J. definitely shows signs of being financially successful. That's where I disagree with you, partly. You went on to describe a situation where you and your hubby went of a much-anticipated trip, found out the weather would be terrible, couldn't get your money back, and decided to go anyway. And you made lemonade out of lemons. (Good for you!) AJ. probably would have thrown a fit over not getting his money back --although, as a businessman, he would probably consider weather 'an act of God' (-or nature, or whatever-) and might have gone anyway, eager to have some alone time with his wife. What enraged A.J. was being "jerked around" (manipulated) by MAFS and (from his point of view) being "cheated" out of a special weekend alone with Stephanie. I think A.J. has major "issues" with being manipulated by others.

This isn't wrong... ...But it's a limited viewpoint, presumably based on A.J.'s being a drunken ass on the first night of the "mini-moon". I have said repeatedly that I think A.J. could benefit from therapy (probably for anger management [or whatever lies behind that anger] and for alcohol abuse). On the other hand, he seems to have done pretty well for himself in "real life," except in the romance department. (And that pressure-cooker contrived by Production and/or "the experts" was *not* "real life," nor was it a nice romantic "mini-moon".)

Athena's mom is a piece of work-- prejudiced against gay men, police, and white men! Why can't she just be glad that her daughter finally has a chance for a marriage that might work out?!

Well said: I agree completely. My point, earlier, had been that A.J. obviously *bought* that whiskey to bring along with him because he knew he was a "mean drunk"! He wanted the "liquid courage" to tell Luke what he thought of him, among other things. A.J. was completely fed up with all the intrusions of Production into his new marriage. He despised the way Puke treated Kate, and strongly disliked being around him. Most of all, he was furious at having recently been informed (at almost the 'last minute') that this season, couples would be cheated out of the "mini-moon" couple retreats that previous MAFS couples had enjoyed, and in fact, they would instead be forced to share one rather cramped house (and only 2 bathrooms) among four couples! I'm not saying that what A.J. did was right. It wasn't, and it was very unfair to all the other couples who had likewise been 'cheated' out of' a "mini-moon" retreat. But I do think he had good reason to be angry.

A.J. is an, angry, hostile, out-of-control drunk and I'm sure he knew he'd blow up when he chose to drink whisky. Not cool at all, even if it was his form of "protesting" the blatant lie by 'production' that the couples would be going on a "mini-moon," which A.J. had obviously been looking forward to --until he found out they would actually be forced to share a house with the 3 other couples! I agree with A.J., that it was blatant manipulation and intrusion into his marriage by 'production' (and maybe the 'experts,' as well). I don't blame AJ for being very angry about that --but his behavior definitely crossed the line. The demonstration that AJ obviously *knows* he's a violent and extremely obnoxious drunk, proves that A.J. (not Kate) is the one with a serious alcohol problem. I say this very begrudgingly: whichever 'expert' said that no therapist can make a person change --the client themself has to *choose* to change, was absolutely right. It reminds me of my favorite "light bulb" joke: Q: "How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?" A: "Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change. ...Right now, I really don't think A.J. wants to change. And that (unfortunatly) will end his marriage to Stephanie.

The interview provided by Treehugger9, above, proves that Puke is a lying liar who lies! I did note, however, that he is still getting quite a bit of the notoriety that fame whores all crave; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “I’ve absolutely had fans approach me!” he [Luke] said. “Despite how hateful the media reaction [to me] has been, the people that recognize me in the real world have been incredibly respectful. I’ve even had a few fans want to take pictures with me and I’m more than happy to do so no matter how they want to frame the moment.” Sigh...

As for A.J., Kate, and Luke: Help is available for many people with 'issues', but not everyone can afford it. A.J. could afford help, and I think he would probably benefit from it. ...Puke, on the other hand, is a lost cause. (I just hope that Kate hasn't become one, too.)

Per Dr. Jessica: "Emotionally abusive relationships often include some form of gaslighting. ...This type of covert psychological maltreatment can be damaging." "These are real marriages and even if we express our opinion that it's unhealthy, none of us can force a couple to separate...There is hope. https://www.thehotline.org " ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope may be available, but not everyone can afford it. A.J. could afford help, and I think he would benefit very much from it. Puke, on the other hand, is a lost cause. (I just hope that Kate hasn't become one, too.)

I actually regret watching this episode. Jazz is a "spoiled fairy princess" millenial who just got a brand-new vagina to play with and since she's a TV star, she wants an apartment on the beach --not a dorm room. Yawwwwn...

It's impossible to me to wrap my head around Luke's little game that he's playing with Kate. Why in the world, if he *really* felt that way about having sex with her, would he refuse to get a divorce when she virtually begged him to?!

...So it was really sex --not kissing-- that prompted Luke to say he felt "repulsed and dead inside." But he kept on doing it, anyway, so...!

I'm not even convinced his mom is buying it. (But I do think that is Puke's nefarious plan.)

Me too --melanoma. (I was very lucky, it didn't get past the extended margins.) I hope it's good news for you, @CONFIGDOTSYS.

I mentioned Keith's work in an earlier thread, but then I re-edited it to include your (very insightful) point about 10-hr. shifts. It does seem logical that if Keith is in an 'advanced education' nursing program designed to allow its participants to continue working, they might be 10-hr. shifts.

Seems to me like Ahmir might getting cold feet. He seemed pretty grossed out about the stomach lining...

I know. I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I can only assume that he probably took a semester off from school for MAFS, and was just working part-time doing dialysis while the show was filmed. Because you are right-- I don't think he could have been doing both. He could still be taking some of the required classes he'll need-- classes that aren't unique to his 'advanced nursing' program (maybe microbiology?) -- but Keith still would have had to get a semester off.

Dr. Pepper says to them that she thinks Puke and Kate's marriage is "unfair" to Kate. In exactly those words! But does she say, I think you two should separate, and eventually get a divorce?! OF COURSE NOT!!

This is interesting: However, I'm not as big a fan of Kristine the Queen as some other people seem to be. She is reasonably attractive (but has terrible hair!) --and she's charismatic, at least from what cuts the MAFS editors have shown of her. (I suspect she's gotten the "good" edit.) She also seems to have a pretty good job. But, as a (former) nurse myself, one who worked with dialysis patients on a regular basis, I have a pretty good understanding of how demanding Keith's 4-nights per week job really is (it may actually be full-time, if he works10-hr. shifts). Either way, that's hard work ...and you always have to be ready for anything to happen, so it's highly stressful too. Plus, Keith is not only a dialysis tech, he said he's also a student trying to get the education he needs to advance his nursing skills to the Dr. level. And "Queen" Krisitine sometimes acts like he's just a lazy couch potato!! Can't she give the dude a break? I mean, I think it's good that she encourages him to learn to cook. But to demand that he (at least) does "his half" of the cooking?! ...I'm sure Keith is ready to drop from total exhaustion after nights when he works -even if he doesn't have to study or go to school the next morning! So if Kristine throws out an ultimatum to Keith that he's not doing 'his half' of the cooking -- I think she's out of line. Marriage is supposed to be "until death," if you're taking it seriously, and even if Keith took a semester off to do MAFS, he'll soon be burning the candle at both ends again --between working as a tech and studying to get that Doctorate! Is Kristine just one of those TV diva wannabes who found a way to get on TV?! ...Or does she simply not want to wait for a man to improve himself through education?

I can only hope that the early "D-Day" is for Puke and Kate, and not Stephanie finally having had enough of AJ's frustrations and hot temper (as implied by last week's previews). Because AJ could get some help from a shrink... and the basis for a happy marriage between those two already exists. I'm cheering for them to actually survive all the BS of MAFS!