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AmyBre

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Everything posted by AmyBre

  1. That's funny Lennie. I tell you another related story that could only happen to a Law and Order superfan like me. Many many years ago, I was flying from either San Francisco or Las Vegas to New York and watched Green, Fontana and their Lieutenant Anita Van Buren walk by me as they came out of a plane I was taking back to New York. If you've lived in New York, it is very likely that you have seen a Law and Order episode being filmed. Very common as one can imagine.
  2. Lennie, this is for you. Once in the late 90s, I saw Jerry Orbach (the actor who played Lennie on Law & Order) at a corner of Madison Avenue and the 40s. He was at a light waiting to cross. I glanced in that direction and there he was. A tall and handsome older gentleman, with tons of presence. I looked at him and smiled and he smiled back and nodded. Super cool and approachable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TgJz3BDqS8 Let the video run to the end to see Mr. Orbach give a lesson on good acting.
  3. A bit on Socio Economic Classes in Dominican Republic: The attached summary shows that 57% (47 +10) of the population classifies as poor or very poor. Based on what we have seen through the series, based on the mother law degree and based on the education they show and that Pedro and his sister have and the job Pedro held while in DR, I'd say they fall between lower class and middle class, in other words, lower middle class. Lower middle class is also known in the US as the working class. People who live OK but have little or no savings and live paycheck to paycheck. Pedro's family may surprise you with a strong work ethic, as immigrants and poor people often do. I don't expect much from the sister since she's too caught up in herself to see pass beyond her nose. The mother, I get the feeling that when she's not acting for the cameras, she could be decent. Language will be a problem for them in Atlanta Georgia, but there are sub-economies that deal in Spanish only where they may find menial, low paying work. Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic which is where they live. Santo Domingo is not New York or San Francisco, but it is not a poor remote shithole country either. It is considered a "developing" country. Despite this, they may welcome the opportunity to start anew and to have more options. In other words, they may start a notch or two below how the live in DR, but the US has many other opportunities and your quality of life instantly goes through the roof, particularly when you come from a poor neighborhood. The US has real social mobility. A person may start working for a cleaning company and 10 years later, they own that company, 10 years after that, they own a couple of houses and have rental income. With that, they advance their education and that of their children or grandchildren. The whole setup drastically alters the family tree. In other countries, DR for sure, social mobility is very limited. You are born poor and you are very likely to die poor in that same neighborhood or less than a mile away from it.
  4. This is my first post about this spinoff and probably my ONLY one. In the past, I have submitted comments for the main series and I also swore that I wouldn't watch this train wreck because I have a theory that Chantel is doing all this to obtain a career in TV or show business. I believe that TLC has created this show for them to test if she's "bankable". In TV and movie parlance, bankable means that studios and production companies can invest money in her because she will generate enough views to gather advertisers to recover their expense and actually make some money. At higher levels, it also means that actual banks will insure them, which is a requirement for certain movies and shows. I digress, if you think Pedro calculated hooking up with Chantel in order to marry her, obtain a visa and ultimately obtain visas for his mother and sister, Chantel is miles away ahead of Pedro. She's the ultimate gangster in the group. She is letting this marriage charade play out so that other TV producers can see her face (exposure). I've seen careers launched and temporarily succeed on less. I also feel that her family, at least her mom, is "in" on Chantel's scheme. Chantel has spent between 20 and 40 thousand dollars on surgical improvements to her body NOT for Pedro, NOT for herself, but with the mere objective of obtaining a career in this racket. Set your clocks to it. I bet Pedro's sister is not that vile in real life and that most of her actions, as well as Mother Chantel are scripted/coached/manufactured. They both sound unnatural and can't even act their lines. It's like the producers see a possible conflict or something that could be a rub and quickly yell "Cut" and approach the person and say "why don't you say so and so?". Pedro is really bad at this because his choice of words and grammar is way too advanced relative to where his English is. An orchidectomy is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of one or both testicles. I'm sure Pedro had that done. Either out of immaturity or due to poor upbringing, he has no idea when to stand up or (worse yet) how to stand up. Poor guy, the absence of a father figure in his life is obvious. Sad. Pedro's sister is insignificant but she plays the bad sister, because all scripts require an evil person that makes you squint your eyes when you see her and just despise her. Similarly, Chantel's sister plays the good, bad luck, smaller sister. Someone already mentioned how Chantel salivated, almost had an orgasm, opening the investigation on Jah and ultimately breaking her sister down on national TV. But Chantel is the kind of person who will throw her own parents under the bus for the sake of "likes on facebook" or exposure on TV. I get a feeling that the first thing Chantel does in the morning is to practice her lines in front of a mirror. Now I'm calculating how I could have improved my career if I had had a boob job, my nose done and half of the galons of Botox and that Chantel and Karen are carrying. By the way, Chantel should have selected a slightly smaller size for her breast enhancement. I think she overdid it and that she already suffers or will suffer from back pain for carrying all that weight. Speaking of Chantel's mother, I used to like her in the beginning. Compared to the majority of the bottom-of-the-barrel participants and their families, She seemed like an educated woman and their connection to church reinforced my belief that there was more to them and that they actually truly cared about their daughter and wanted to protect their children. But lately, I get the feeling that most people on that cast are playing a game on each other and on us and that they all have an exit plan and are only there for the $$$. Years from now, they are all going to reflect on these shows and the private things they exposed to the world and regret every second of it. Unrelated but worth noting since I'm commenting on the show itself: I very much like the "Pillow Talk" spinoff where previous guests comment on present guests while in bed. The two black dudes are hilarious. Loren's and Darcey's jealousy is apparent each time Pedro and Chantel come up. I bet my first child that they are thinking that their own drama was better and that they should have gotten their own spinoff, as Chantel and Pedro have. Has anyone else detected the same whiff? Darcey might have been bankable because of all the moving parts in her life, but Jesse was despicable and as enjoyable as nails on a blackboard or doing your taxes. Alexi and Loren were just too normal and too decent for the trash these shows are. As a parent, and as a spouse, I could not think of enough money or fleeting fame that would make me go on national TV and expose my (and my families) personal affairs. Pedro is just unfortunate enough and Chantel's drama is just such that after more than 14 couples were evaluated for their own spinoff, they were the chosen ones. Proving once again that the world is coming to an end.
  5. I think her husband knew but didn't care. He seemed happy and settled into his upper middle class life and didn't need any disruptions. I liked the dialogue at the cafeteria inside Bergdorf Goodman where a simple burger costs $23 and a coffee 12 bucks. A friend explained that the pricing is done to keep the riff raff out. If you can pay that much for those staples, then you are one of us and get membership.
  6. So far, I absolutely love episode 1, 2, 4 and 5. Masterfully put together, just as Mad Men was, kudos to Mr. Weiner. Every episode plays like a movie and has enough effort and money put into it and that it feels like one. Look at the wardrobe, the house on episode 5 was to die for. Someone else commented on the music, both classical and popular. Casting for all characters on the 1st episode was perfect, as was that amazing apartment. I have been in apartments like that in New York and Paris and they are even more splendid in person. The aunt played the arrogant, self centered older lady to a T. Reminded me of my grandmother and her stories of old money when she was little, and her dignity and pose, despite being broke for most of her adult life. I looked up the actress and saw that she's been around for a while. The actress who played Hajar was beautiful without the scarf. Best line from the episode "even hypochondriacs get sick". I also felt that the 3rd episode was a waste of talent. The whole dream within a dream thing lost me. I think he slept with Hajar because he felt attracted to her because she was a truly interesting person. When Hajar and her mother come back with the news of the pregnancy, he's actually relieved that he doesn't have to deal with his high maintenance girlfriend. Girlfriend was nice looking but who needs all that drama. True, the racism was repulsive but it's meant as a backdrop for the aunt softening up later and for opening up to Hajar and eventually feeling such a connection to her that she bequeaths her most precious possession to her.
  7. I'm very impressed by the range of age, education, income levels and ethnic groups on this forum. I guess it's true that in the end, in our most private moments, we are all the same and for the most part want the same things. As messed up and clueless as most of the participants of this show may be, I always find something to reflect on, for myself or someone close to me. Other shows deal with interpersonal relationships, but none have the pressure cooker 90 day threshold thing. None have the legal and money related issues. Notice how there's no discussion of real issues between the couples. On some of the issues, I might be slightly smarter only because I have made the same mistake before. Marriage and having children are seen by many as the ultimate commitment and to watch people take the plunge "just like that". Jesus please, take the wheel!!! What makes 90 day so addictive? Why do smart people with their stuff together keep coming back to it? I thought it was entertainment but entertainment can never hold your attention for so long. Thoughts?
  8. Average salary for a Software engineer in Las Vegas, NV is $76,263.00. Colt lives with his mother (pays little or no rent). Drives a shit car fully paid for and worth $800. Dresses straight out of Goodwill. All in all a very frugal life, admirable but I have to wonder, where is Colt's money? Larissa may have smelled that money and figured that out and decided to take an exploratory vacation for 89 days to see if she can find it. Source: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Software_Engineer/Salary/20db5d08/Las-Vegas-NV
  9. This made me laugh because I often think of how low can men go. Copied from Google Images (not mine)
  10. About Colt and Larissa, I have a couple of friends who live in Las Vegas and absolutely despise the strip and all that neon and the tourists. Same for New York and Times Square. My friends in Vegas visit restaurants NOT on the strip and avoid that area as much as possible, unless they have to go to one of the hotels for work. By the way, Vegas is one of the best cities for immigrants and for young people starting out. Lots of jobs at all levels. Larissa should be able to find employment at one of the hotels once she's legal to work. But something tells me that TLC is going to arrange a modeling photoshoot for her. I bet $50 that before episode 4 there will be talk of modeling or a photo shoot for either Larissa or Fernanda, neither of which can pass for real models but who cares if the viewers can see some skin and get their hopes up. I could see them handing out samples of products at the mall or working the makeup counter, but not actually professional modeling. By the way Paola, dancing in reggaeton videos does not a model make. This reminds me of Leida being a beauty queen. Certain countries have a culture of etiquette and modeling academies for young girls. Many of these for-profit companies organize pageants competing with similarly fake "academies". These were very famous in the 90s and early 2000s until many were legally shut down. It is possible that Leida attended and participated in one of these pageants. I went to college with a girl who went through this and after being out of that world for many years and at 20 years of age, she still talked about having been the winner of a pageant when she was little. The very funny movie "Little Miss Sunshine" is built around a child pageant as well. All very interesting and sad and pathetic.
  11. It reminds you of previous participants because it's the same formula and TLC has a name for each of these characters. The characters are the same, the only thing that changes is the persons starring in those roles for the season, i.e., the cast. The forgotten/neglected woman (Darcey, Danielle, Nicole, etc) The manchild/momma's boy. The dark skin hustler (Jamaican dude, Nigerian Prince) The almost good looking guy (Jesse, Jonathan, Azan). etc. The clueless divorced older dude with a very young and almost pretty young lady.......TLC brings back the same characters because they work, they draw attention and they sell commercials. This program is a gold mine and I'd bet my first born that it's making TLC and Sharp Entertainment lots of money. Exactly. I can imagine Leida and her sister looking at the skyline of Manhattan as they were driving to Pennsylvania, with watery eyes.....
  12. The production company could be the ones driving the couples to use AirBNB. Mr. AmyBre manages rental properties in a large Metropolitan city and always gets approached by film companies. The process to obtain insurance for vacation rental is quick and easy and releases the filming crew from liability, should anything break. It also allows filming without disrupting the private space of the persons. Example, perhaps Kalani lives in a studio apartment -- remember Chantel and Luis -- and doesn't want her private space made public. I could see a privacy concern as well. What I couldn't understand is why didn't Eric and Leida have TLC/Sharp pay for a hotel or an AirBnB in New York City. Why put them through such a long flight and then 3 hours of driving? Why did Eric drive all those hours into NYC? If Leida is such as cosmopolitan woman of the world, why didn't she ask to be housed in New York?
  13. This is a "closer to the truth" physical comparison to Moana. But as we know, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
  14. Would this show have lasted for so long or have had as many spinoffs if people follow your extremely intelligent advice? It can't all be ill-advised internet hookups! ? This show only exists as long as the participants are not serious people. This show is fueled by immaturity, by sex-starved geeks in search of subsidized adventures and attention, of overlooked women (Nicole, Danielle, Darcy), older decrepit men with little or nothing going for themselves and their women who know full well that these men are not long term but barely a vessel to bring them out of poverty into the land of gold-paved streets. This show mocks poverty and hunger. It highlights the importance of education and how many are lacking and barely making a living in their poor countries. I almost want to tell my daughters to study hard and behave themselves or they'll end up at "90 Day Fiance". I don't do that but it crosses my mind. A couple of seasons ago there were "Matt and Alla". Alla seemed educated and a woman of principles. Matt seemed upper middle class and slightly intelligent. If you recall, aside from dumb comments from Matt's friend, there was little drama to their case. These cases are exceptions and, as someone else pointed out to me, not raunchy, not saucy and just normal people who no one will take time out of their Sunday night to see. The majority of the participants are train wrecks, not only in the pseudo relationships they put themselves in, but also in their day-to-day lives. TLC and Sharp Entertainment know that and are fully aware that those are the ones who create drama worthy of dissecting on forums like this. In the past, they included at least one couple that we rooted for. But lately, they've made it 100% circus. Let the court record reflect that that says a lot about us, the viewers and the contributors to this forum. My name is Amy and I'm an alcoholic.
  15. Jay is a clown. First, at 20 years old, he's probably been around the block a few times, but not enough to really know what a real woman wants. He's been with a few teenagers and perhaps a 20-something or two, but by the mere number of years, I doubt he has had time to truly learn about a deep intimate relationship. Note to all the Jays out there: the physical portion, though extremely important and nice to have, is only part of the equation, certainly NOT the whole thing. Second, a real man doesn't go around telling his private business and sexcapades. That is so off-putting and so high school, his grandkids are going to be ashamed of seeing those clips on YouTube. Jay is such an innocent dumb kid that he truly thinks that bedding multiple women is a sign of prowess and success.
  16. By the way, some people in this forum can really write and should look for career in creative. I won't mention names because I'll leave someone out but some of these posts are impressive and worthy of being on a magazine, a good magazine. I send you all a hug.
  17. That's offensive to Tracee Ellis Ross.
  18. I know models, real models (former Barbizon, Ford, etc). Believe me, Paola ain't no model. Anfisa much less. There's an exercise and a nutrition regime that I didn't see in either of these young ladies. For any profession, if you don't cover the basics of your profession, you are not going to make it. I had a friend in High School and I vividly remember when he told us in 9th grade that he had seen an accident and had ran to help the lady and her bleeding wound. I remember this kid explaining this as if was ready to walk into an operating room. He had that selfless desire to help others and repair the world (Tikkum Olam). Today he is a very good doctor. The people that I see succeeding in their professional lives have had that from very early age, those instincts. Paola and Anfisa didn't have that, much less exuded the confidence that real models do.
  19. Birdee, TLC spends a lot of times picking from the bottom of the barrel. People with issues, clingy people (Darcy, Nicole), crazy people (Paul). People with no prospects and no lives. Dumb men who go on a vacation/sex tourism and then come back so lovestruck that they fly back and propose, something that takes them years to do with women in their US cities. Larissa will soon run into money issues with Colt when she realizes that NOT all white men in America are loaded with money and disposable incomes. I assure you, this is the mentality of most foreign women looking for fat cats, perpetuated by instagram and Facebook feeds. A girl like Larissa, like Paola, has needs to go to beauty parlor, to get her nails done on a regular weekly or bi-weekly basis. But she hasn't talked about getting a job or covering her own expenses or contributing to the household expenses. These are things a real mature couple discusses before taking such a huge step. Colt cannot afford that sugar daddy lifestyle. They are not having a frank/adult conversation about money and priorities, and that will soon explode into an argument.
  20. Larissa is not wealthy. Wealthy people don't get married via 90-day visas. Wealthy people rarely get married out of their social circles or out of their parents' radars. If Larissa was wealthy and wanted to come to the US and be with a demented Manchild, she would pull out her own credit card and buy a ticket, spend a weekend and dance circles around him and then split and never see him again. In some countries where poverty is the norm and the majority of the people are poor or working class, those slightly above are often incorrectly labeled as "rich". These families may have a nicer car (often bought on credit) and may go on vacation to foreign places (often on credit as well). To the rest of the neighborhood, these families "appear rich" but in fact are far from it. Don't confuse "acting rich" or "appearing rich" with actually being rich, much less wealthy. On a related subject, Larissa is so immature she shouldn't be allowed to board a plane. I also think she's a sex worker or soft hooker in her beginning stages. Not as seasoned as Abby but on her way there. Give it a couple of episode and you'll see her true colors.
  21. That underwear in the drawer couldn't have been more staged. OK, let's analyze the scene. This young lady flies in at night and is tired and before going to the kitchen or taking her shoes off, even without opening her own luggage to start unpacking, she walks directly into that joker's dresser and the very first drawer she opens just happens to have some girl's red lingerie. Usually, after a long flight, people have a shower or something to eat or maybe a walk around the house, if visiting a friend for the first time. Joker has been anticipating this girl's arrival and couldn't clean/tidy up his place, but let's discuss that separately. Out of all the items in his apartment, she had to walk in a straight line directly to the dresser. I wish TLC and Sharp would put a little bit more effort into their scripting, out of respect for the viewers. I swear, the #1 reason I'm growing more and more disillusioned of this shit-show is because of the producers meddling and setting people up in fake situations just to prove cliches or create "wow" moments.
  22. You need to get your eyes checked. That girl is fugly and her personality doesn't help her at all. I've noticed that many American men and women, find ordinary faces "hot" or "very pretty" on account of them just being foreign. In her own country, Fernanda is a 5 at or a 6 at the most. In my opinion, she is not hot and rather "ordinary" as my mother used to say.
  23. Most Latin American cultures, it is customary to "live at home" until you get married. In my limited experience and exposure to other cultures, I have found that the USA is one of the few countries/cultures where children are pushed out after college. I'd argue that an adult is not yet fully formed or mature to live on his own when he comes back from college at 21 years of age. I'm all for supporting my children and keeping them close until they are independent or until they want to leave by themselves (whichever comes first) as long as they are not sitting on their butts and looking for work/being productive. Ximena's aspiration of being a soap opera actress do not necessarily collide with her living at home with her family. Irrespective of her desire to be an actress, she has that gold digger opportunist demeanor, which allowed her to easily be intimate -- trade bodily fluids -- with Ricky and forget she's just playing a part on a show. Ricky might be smarter than we think and may be using TLC to fund his sex tourism vacation. In the end, Ricky gets what he wants, Ximena gets some money and some TV face time, TLC gets material for a storyline and we get...... That's like comparing Barbra Streisand or Celine Dion to Snooky from the Jersey Shore.
  24. There was something about Ximena's demeanor that didn't add up. Her smiles and her camera-ready posture....all very Telenovela actress wannabe. She's a plant by the production team when the other person fell through. For those who don't know, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico have a huge Telenovela subculture and it impacts employment and education plans for young people (guys and gals). In other words, it is very common for young people to say when I grow up I'm going to have my own Telenovela...or I'm going to play the rich woman on a Telenovela.
  25. Exactly. This show is all about Sex Tourism. Keep in mind that Thailand, Brasil and Spain are the top 3 places for sex tourists. If you are one of these losers who can’t get a person interested in you, imagine standing at a plaza surrounded by poor, uneducated, attention-hungry people and screaming, not only do I have dollars to spend for 2 weeks, but there’s also a chance that I might marry one of yous. Who wouldn’t jump at that?
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