Nancybeth

Amy: Have you been sent from the future to destroy me? BECAUSE IT'S WORKING! (I identify with Amy so very very much.)

I can believe they got 7,000 applicants. They probably first eliminated everyone that wasn't somewhat attractive and had a decent figure, based on photos alone. I also am pretty sure they counted out everyone that had been married before or had children, because that brings up a whole host of additional issues they didn't want to deal with. They probably brought in a few hundred for interviews with producers and eliminated a sizable number who weren't charismatic enough for TV. Then the psychological testing started, and I'm sure they were able to identify people who just weren't going to be able to handle this experiment. I'm guessing they had a final pool of about 100 when they began filming the audition process and the "experts" got involved, and probably whittled that down to no more than two dozen, from which they had to make three decent matches. And I'm absolutely certain that the producers have way more to do with the matches than the experts do.

This was a couple episodes ago, but as someone who writes speeches and other wordy things for a living, I'm still laughing about this line: Dan: "It would be nice to have some content in this speech. This is just noise-shaped air." Also, Amy's "If anyone is looking for me, I'll be outside screaming into the night," was perfection. Oh, and someone (Mike, maybe?) from last week: "This thing has gotten too big. It's like my mom's cat."

I tend to think Jessica doesn't cook for him because she doesn't want Ryan to be critical of whatever she makes and snarky and mean. I also think she's one of those people who, when asked a question, is all, "I don't know, whatever you want to [eat][do][buy] is fine," but it's really NOT fine and she's passive aggressive about it. I have friends like that and it's super-annoying. I mean, everyone occasionally has one of those, "I just can't make a decision," moments, but you can't be like that all the time.

I felt like Ryan D. was threatening to tell some big secret about Jessica or reveal something on camera that she didn't want revealed...the whole, "Oh you want to go there, let's not go there, you don't want me to say it." Admittedly it was kind of hard to sort the fight out and they were talking over each other, but it was weird. And I hated HATED his "Are you gonna cry?" and making fun of her for it. He's a terrible person and I wish she was better at standing up to him. Jessica just gets SUPER passive-aggressive.

I'm glad to hear they're moving on to another city (Atlanta) but agree that geography is going to be a problem almost anywhere you try and film it. You need a large metro area with a generous population of single folks in the right age range. Most big cities are surrounded by extensive suburbs. If, for example, they wanted to do DC/Baltimore, you could end up with a couple that has a 2 hour + geographic spread. But here's the thing. IT'S SIX WEEKS, two of which (or possibly more) are tied up with the wedding and honeymoon. You can make almost any living situation work for a month!

I really thought Sean and Davina were Jason and Courtney 2.0 at the start. Now I'm pretty sure they're a Vaughn and Monet redux. The issues on each side are different, but they're going to barely make it through the six weeks and make an easy decision to divorce. Also, um, I think they're actually living in an IKEA showroom and not a real apartment :) Ryan D. and Jessica are turning into one of those couples where everything becomes a fight, but then they make up and forget it ever happened and exhaust everyone else around them. Including me. And man, Ryan R. and Jacquelyn (Jacklyn?) are totally winning me over. I didn't really like either of them at first, but I think they're genuinely trying very hard and compromising and all the things you need to do when you find yourself married to a perfect stranger. It IS a little forced , but also necessary to make it work, I think.

I like Cameran, but I also kind of agree that she's playing a role. Reading some of the comments in this thread remind me of the "Cool Girl" passage from "Gone Girl."

I'm reallllly curious about the level of producer involvement in the matchmaking process. Like, they had to know that Jaclyn would be good TV...so maybe they pushed the matchmakers to include HER in one of the couples, instead of another participant? And I agree that 6 weeks is too short...3 months would give them a little longer to know each other and see what marriage is really like. You can put up with almost anything for 6 weeks and fool yourself into thinking it'll work long-term! The show's announcer says Jaclyn's name in the oddest way. It comes out sound like "Jac-QUA-lyn."

Someone upthread mentioned that they kind of glossed over Erik's mother being a nun. I have no idea what the real story is, but my aunt is an Episcopal nun. She joined an order after she and my uncle divorced. So yeah, it's possible that she's divorced or widowed, and also, nun doesn't necessarily mean Catholic nun.

Nadine and Erik DO look like they could be brother and sister! Also, am I hallucinating, because I could have sworn when we were introduced to the couples in the first episode, Erik said he had been married once before and had a daughter. I thought there was even a picture of him with said daughter (she's 6-ish, maybe?) but we haven't seen or heard of her since. Am I mixing him up with someone else? And interesting to note that Laura and Kirk may have first hooked up when he was married!

Maci is soooo thin. I noticed it on the episode and in the photo someone linked up-thread of her and her boyfriend. She doesn't look healthy!

Nadine looks SO familiar to me and I can't figure out why. It was driving me nuts! They have, undoubtedly, the stupidest fights on the three couples. She seems really passive-aggressive.

I thought it was awfully convenient that they conducted a "nationwide" search and ended up with 6 participants that all apparently live in the NY/NJ area. I mean, it would almost HAVE to be that way -- let's say they had someone from California that they really wanted to match with a New Yorker. One of them would have to give up a job (even just temporarily) and relocate across the country which would definitely "affect" the outcome of the relationship, you know. That's a lot of pressure. That being said, I think it would be interesting if they picked a different metro area for next season -- DC, LA, Chicago, etc. Or even had couples living in different cities. It would add a new dynamic. I kept getting confused because Ryan R.'s brother looked a LOT like Ryan D. Jaclyn probably would have liked the brother better. There's something a little off about Ryan R...not sure if it's the teeth, the hair, the voice or some combination thereof. I'm putting $ down now that Sean and Davina will be the most successful couple. I don't think it will be EASY for them, but I think they have potential. Did the experts talk this much last season about race and religion?

Kim Dickens was, hands down, the best part of "Gone Girl." She was also great in HBO's "Treme." I hope she returns for the next season of HoC. The writer dude (Thomas Yates) I have no real feelings for. Did Frank know that Doug had gone to take care of the prostitute? It certainly seemed like it from his rant to Claire about people doing their jobs. And was I the only one who was expecting Doug to turn the van around and run down Rachel? Maybe he did, it was unclear.

The boyfriend and I watched the first 8 or 9 episodes on Friday and then I finished up the season this weekend. Overall I thought it was hysterical, but things definitely hit a speed bump when we got the trial. Hopefully they've finished up that plot line and won't revisit Indiana or Richard Wayne Gary Wayne again, except in flashbacks (which are generally pretty funny). I ended up watching the first four eps twice, and there's so much you catch on the second go-around. I'm going to have to rewatch them all. And dammit, the song is stuck in my head.

Yeah, I don't have first-hand experience, but I can't see that being married to a firefighter is going to be a walk in the park either! Don't they work kind of unusual schedules/shifts and long hours? I mean geez, Courtney, he's coming home every night and there is a finite amount of time he'll be doing this academy thing, so let's not act like it's the hardest thing EVER. And y'all are probably right about Jamie's mom...she may be more interested in the cameras than in actually making up with her daughter. But I think Jamie could put her foot down and just refuse to film stuff with her mom, so I think at least some of it is her desire to have a storyline.

Jamie sure went from 0 to Stage 5 Clinger in no time flat, didn't she? Quite a change from most of last season, when she wasn't sure if she could trust him and didn't want to give up her apartment. It makes me a little suspicious. Also, her mom was at the wedding, and came to dinner and indicated a desire to see them for the holidays. It seems like she's TRYING, and Jamie doesn't seem particularly receptive. I guess it's hard to forgive and forget after years of a parent's misbehavior, but again, I suspect its a ploy by Jamie for more camera time, or maybe the producers are pushing for a better storyline. i never got the idea that Courtney was earning a living as a makeup artist...I think it's something she does on the side (maybe for the burlesque group, among others) and she clearly had a full-time office job that was paying the bills. The reason for her being "nicely laid off" was a little weird. Maybe they're not thrilled with her doing the show?

So in last week's episode we watched a good 5 minutes of Tori shopping at the "antique" store and fighting with Mehran about what to buy, but we get NO FOOTAGE of her somehow obtaining a 5-day-old piglet on the same trip?? Where the fuck did that animal come from? Did she steal it? I don't understand! Mehran didn't want her to buy a Smurf bus, but clearly the pig was just too much for him and he gave up. That was maybe the most bizarre subplot in this entire season. I really don't get why Tori thinks doing this show is actually a good thing...for her, for her kids, for Dean and their marriage. Because it's clearly not. It's compounding all their issues. She started off by telling us how great things were at the beach over the summer -- does she realize that's when the cameras werent there and they had privacy? She should just be honest and say, "We need the money." Because this idea that the show is a good and noble venture is insane.

Setting aside the issue of Candy for a moment, what I don't understand is why, if it stresses her out so much, Tori invites Mary Jo to the kids' parties? I mean, other than Jack's party, obviously. MJ has no connection to her four kids with Dean. I know why Jack is invited but I feel like having Mary Jo come is just making things worse for all parties. Do they really need to be BFF? Dean doesn't seem to want that. I think it's important that they have a good relationship because they're co-parenting, but I see no reason to invite her to every family social event.

Amy is an only child. She and Danny have shared religious beliefes (Christian, possibly evangelical/Pentecostal, not Mormon) because they met attending a Christian college in Australia. I feel like I read somewhere that it was associated with Hillsong Church - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsong_Church If I had to make some assumptions, I would guess her parents are upper middle class and probably well-educated (i.e. money didn't seem to be a problem in her mom coming to the US, only the Visa). In addition to Danny's 50 siblings that showed up for dinner, there were a few friends sprinkled in there, including one interracial couple. So I'm hoping Amy has developed more of a support system there than just his sisters. I'm also hoping that she's really not sitting around in that house alone every day! There are seemingly enough friends and family in the area to arrange outings and visits and events to keep her busy at least some of the time. They all seem very welcoming of her, unlike Justin's family.

For god's sake, Galesburg is, like, 3 hours from Chicago, tops. And since Chelsea doesn't even appear to have a JOB there, why wouldn't you move to a bigger city that offered more opportunities for both you and your future husband? Even if he doesn't have success performing, I would think he would be more comfortable in a big, diverse city with a sizeable Latino population, rather than stranded in the middle of nowhere. Aughhhhh. She kills me. Daya and Brett would do themselves a world of good if they stopped referring to her as an "InstaMom." Cassidy has a mother, and it's clear she doesn't spend that much time with Brett. Daya just needs to form a relationship with Cassidy for starters. Cassidy needs to respect Daya, and do what she tells her, because Daya is an adult, but they don't need to have an instant Mother-Daughter bond. That kind of thing takes time! I found it incredibly ironic that Jason proposed to Cassia in front of a SHARK TANK. And he seemed soooo uncertain that she would say yes. The clock has started on their K-1 visa, so don't they kind of have to get married, or she'll be deported??

Chelsea and Yamir are also living in a small town where there's a college, so I assume a lot of customer service and entry-level jobs are probably being filled by students. Her family didn't look particularly well off. Galesburg has some nicer neighborhoods, but it looked like they lived outside town and really are perhaps a farm family. I think she was in in Nicarauga due to the Peace Corps, maybe? I think her mom also thought that it would be nice for Yamir to meet other Spanish-speaking locals, and that working on a meat packing plant would put him in touch with some? I'll assume, for now, she had good intentions.

I would like Ben's outfit a lot better if they had gone with a white shirt instead of a grey one. But I like the coral bow tie, and the way it matched the flowers in her bouquet. I'm dying to see the bridesmaid dresses!

I DVR'd "My Online Bride," but haven't watched yet....looking forward to it!! I definitely don't get the sense that Myla Vox is the N'Sync (or NKOTB, depending on your age) of Nicaraugra. I'm guessing Gabriel can find another Yamir pretty easily. But if Chelsea has a good command of the Spanish language, I would definitely think she could find a job and they could stay there for awhile...maybe even afford hot water!