Arkay

I was a teensy bit afraid when Matt slammed himself on top of Sarah as she lay moaning piteously in bed. Not that he'd injure her, but that she was in danger of falling victim to the Dale curse ( I want you and only you and I'll do anything). And now look what's happened to Dale and Clare, inevitably.

So Dale broke up wth Clare. They're "on a break" while they "figure things out." Surprise, surprise. Allegedly because he wants to pursue a life and career in NYC, and she is rooted in Sacramento. I only feel 2% bad for her because she's in Sacramento to take care of her mother, but it never would have worked. She rushed impulsively as always, and he doesn't want "BABIES!!" yet.

There are a lot of things I do like about Matt, and I'm relieved to have someone new as the lead, but I don't think he really has the personality for this show. I do agree that, just like all the other leads, when the Bachelor/ette zeroes in on someone, it doesn't really matter what the others say. He clearly wanted to be around Sarah. Not in a blinders-on way like Clare with Dale, but in the way that he was all on her side. He didn't interrogate the women about what was going on, just like he didn't about Marylynn. He wants to be with whom he wants. I liked Sarah a lot last week, and I understand she's emotional about her dad, but if he has WEEKS left, why did she come? I'm not a Katie fan, but she was very fair and compassionate with Sarah. So Ashley I., famous virgin and cryer, is the MC for an erotic reading, now that she's a married lady? Also I just hated that date. I don't remember Chris having written a soft-porn book, but that sounded amateurish and awful. Serena seemed perky on her one-on-one. New girls are a-comin' so I guess they needed to amp up the drama factor. I think the alleged escort is one of the new girls, not Victoria.

I was really looking forward to this coming back. I don't remember if Kat's son-in-law recovered from the disease that was circulating last season, candida auris or something? I know they had to address Covid, but they dropped the other deadly virus without referencing it at all. I was kind of disappointed. They did do a good job of showing what Covid has done, but it still felt trite to me for some reason. I also don't remember...is Nic pregnant? I do want to see AJ and Mina together so that part was nice.

Interesting how we all see things. I don't see any of the above except the Tracee Ellen Ross. The only resemblance I saw to anyone is that Bri, fleetingly when she smiles, reminds me of Alicia Keys. But only slightly. i do like a lot of the women so far, but one that I don't is Khaylah (spelling)? That is, I think she's the one who at the beginning of this episode was the overwrought type. "I may not have time with Matt and if I don't I'll die, it will kill me." I know that's not verbatim, just paraphrasing, yet I just hate that when they don't know him at all. Of course I know this is the standard trope, but so early and so intensely is irritating.

During the one-on-one with Bri, I felt that she and Matt really connected over their fatherless childhoods. Then during his conversation with Lauren, I felt they connected well. Then I felt that again on the one-on-one with Sarah, so I guess I'm easily manipulated. I do think Bri seems to have emerged well from what could have been a hellacious childhood. Sarah has already sacrificed her career for her father, as well as moving back to her hometown and taking care of him, so I don't begrudge her for taking this opportunity for herself. I'm sure her father is being taken care of by her mother and possibly siblings or professional help. However, I imagine the fainting spell could be a result of the pressure and maybe guilt that she feels. Or not. I wish the previews didn't show us that Q.V. is still around. Can't bring myself to even name her, her act is so heinous. Matt's friends should have given him more of a heads-up on how this game is played. Right now, Matt meeting with Q.V. feels to me like, "Hello Lamb, meet Slaughter."

I like Sharleen, I do read her blogs and appreciate her writing style and fashion insights, but it is a fact that she's made a lucrative career from being a Bachelor insider. Also, though I'm sure she was a respected singer in the opera world, being on the Bachelor definitely raised her profile. She may be higher-class, but she's benefited as much as any Bachelor Nation influencer.

Ugh, I'm retching. I can't imagine this was a producer idea because I believe that would be crossing a boundary. Some kind of sexual harassment. And if anything, it may have been a limo-exit gimmick, but she literally carried it and referenced it all through the show. Sex with ghosts. Please leave.

I like Matt more than I expected. He seems humble, confused and a little overwhelmed. It's been a long time since we've had a rookie, even though he's Bachelor-adjacent. I loved that he started with a prayer and a Bible quote, and that he spoke about his biracial background right out of the gate. His body is impressive but I don't think his face is so gorgeous. He's got his mother's strong features. Ugh, even though I know there are always the loonies, I just couldn't stomach the vibrator girl or the queen girl. Overplaying their shtick. That girl with the short dress is beautiful but way too self-involved. Thanks to the poster who said that her mother is Cynthia Rowley. I didn't know that, so I can see now she's a very specific type of NYC rich girl. I love that the deaf girl got the first impression rose. It seems to be genetic in her family and that is something for a potential husband to consider, so I hope it's not a stumbling block. Some extremely beautiful women, but I'm in love with that chateau. So much more grand than the regular mansion, not to mention La Quinta.

Whoa, Zac and ex-Mrs. Zac. I wouldn't recognize him.

This one time, I would like this fairy tale to be happily ever after. I'm not a believer in Bachelor Nation, but after the year we've had, two extra people on Earth being happy would be good. At this point I'm more of a Zac fan than a Tayshia fan. If she is so religious she wouldn't have participated in some of the activiites on this show, and she would have incorporated her faith into her story. Maybe subtract 5,000 mentions of her divorce and substitute some about her faith. I agree with those of you who said that conversation with Ivan was just to give her an out.

I did notice this, too. When you're a recovering addict you cannot ever even dabble in any kind of substance with which you formerly struggled. It's just a non-starter. I see the swagger and wit in Zac, and I find that very appealing. But I would be afraid of a relapse down the line. Unfortunately I've seen that happen with a relative of mine, and it happened to me, too, but with cigarettes. I quit for 14 years and went fully back to smoking after I just wanted a puff on a cigarette that my friend was smoking. Not the same as drugs, not mind-altering, not illegal, but a terrible habit I wish I had never restarted. We will see tonight, but there was definitely a difference in Tayshia's reaction to being told by Ivan and Zac that they were in love with her. She was like a teenager with Zac. "I love Zac and Zac loves me!" Still wish it had been Brendan at the end, but I'm glad he stopped short of being forced into a proposal.

Brendan's been my favorite from the beginning. He probably told his producer that he wasn't sure about proposing; ergo, he gets the lousy Neal Lane date. Then he can be shown to gulp while staring at engagement rings and wedding bands. I'll bet that if Brendan had that fun art date, he would have stayed for the Fantasy Suites. That said, from what we are shown, Tayshia's relationship with Zac seems the most sensual. He has a better sense of humor than the other guys, and seems more down-to-earth than Ivan and Brendan. I'm not crazy about Ben coming back. It also couldn't have been a surprise to Chris, because he said "I heard you had something on your mind," or something like that. Sometimes Tayshia strikes me as so beautiful, but at other times she makes a certain expression that really makes her large jaw very noticeable. Overall though I think she's one of the prettier Bachelorettes.

I like carnivals, too, but I think it was more that there was nothing about Brendan's date that distinguished anything about his hometown. I know he said it's a small town, but that carnival could be from anywhere. He should have had something, anything---banners from the high school football team, or anything unique to make his hometown more specific. I guess Ivan's date didn't focus on his hometown either, but at least it had the Filipino aspect of his family. Zac and Ben are respectively not from NYC or Venice Beach, but they live there now and tried to incorporate some aspects of that. ETA: I loved Ivan's dad, too. Courtly old-school gentleman. I was concerned for him because it looked like he was in some pain and held himself very stiffly. We know he's had serious health problems.

I just read a review that blasted the toppings at the "bagel store" that Zac had as part of his New York style date. I'm a lifelong New Yorker and it's true...NO NYC bagel store would have gummy bears and all those other frozen yogurt kind of toppings. Zac joked around with Tayshia for putting a blueberry on her bagel, and while there are stores that sell blueberry cream cheese, I don't know anyone who would order that. I know this is all set up by production assistants, so my question is, is anyone here from California? Are these typical for a Californian bagel store? I'm just wondering if it's even a thing. It certainly doesn't represent New York, though.