phlebas

I expect Rome doesn't care much about Gabe or Caroline because neither of them are Rome.

If Sam is trying to make sure we know he sucks, he's doing a great job

Do we have an epi pen to help with Blake Moynes withdrawal? :)

So they take a year off and come back with a bunch of fresh faces we're already sick of by that point? Let me set the DVR...

At the top of my long list of complaints about this show is how hard they work to not do simple background checks on these people. I remember thinking production HATED Becca Kufrin to surround her with guys like that, but learned later all they needed was a glamor shot and proof that they're not married.

I wish they were still doing live reunions so they could ask Venus about this https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/survivor-46s-venus-vafa-is-feuding-with-the-empire-state-building/

After 25 days, I imagine Liz was happy to get back to the mother ship and open the hermetically sealed gravity pods of her friends and family.

The “Ben is a secret master strategist” argument is one I didn’t see coming. Of course Liz is buying it

Yeah, I hadn’t watched the episode at that point and my source lied to my face :) just call me Reality Phleb!

(NOTE: I posted this before actually watching and had been told by a friend who is STILL LAUGHING AT ME that Daisy won. I am surprised about Jenn, and I’m happy to see some Asian representation. Unfortunately all I remember about Jenn is that she doesn’t care about drones.) "Rules"? I think it was always going to be Daisy from the moment they knew Joey wasn't going to pick her. I'm not happy about it either. She's got a pretty smile, but isn't otherwise all that dynamic on TV. I don't want to sound overly cynical or push conspiracy theories, but they got a chance to get a woman with a disability, and one that's not all that challenging for the audience. I doubt ABC was interested in going deep into Lexi's endometriosis because that about girl parts. Maria may have been #2 on the list and may have beaten Kelsey for it if Daisy had gotten the final rose. I think Lexi falls to at least #4, maybe drops below Rachel. Or maybe I really am overly cynical and people like Maria and Lexi turned it down. Maybe Daisy wasn't their first choice. We'll probably never know. I'm going to miss having Kelsey on my TV.

Charlie has The Blessings of the Taylor upon him. Voting him out is tantamount to heresy. No one expects the Taylor Swiftquisition!

I enjoyed Charlie baptizing himself in Taylor Swift's name in the challenge. Did anyone ask her if she's forgiven his sins?

I don't think they can cook the fish yet

They will ALWAYS pass on making someone interesting the Bachelorette. That's as true of Maria as it was with Ariel. At least they get partial credit with Gabby. I think our next Bachelorette is still in the show at this point.

Busy week, but finally got caught up with Fantasy Suites. Rachel seems great, but Joey talks to her with the same passion you would have while going over references with a potential new dog walker. Also, do not let her enter water from more than about 5 feet away. On that jump where she messed up her jaw, she went in feet first but head down -- she basically belly-flopped with her face. I trust her nurse friends have been giving her endless grief about that all week. In contrast to the Domestic Help Interview energy Joey brought with Rachel, getting within five feet of Kelsey forcibly time-jumps him back to puberty. (Same here, TBH, though her consistently incorrect use of "Joey and I" has a "sliding naked down an ice chute" effect on me. But that is my problem, and one Joey doesn't share.) ABC got their money's worth from Leslie (?) when she was trying to break Kelsey's mind. Well done. I don't think that note will amount to anything, but you can tell they were eager to have a cliffhanger. (That will get resolved before the WTA next week, right? Then quickly move to the rose ceremony and WTA can also include the new dog wal--... um... the third place finisher.) Anyway, I'm fully on the Kelsey Train. Her ears stick straight out from the side of her head and she DGAF and I love it. I don't know what to say about Daisy. They seem to have the same date every time. She has a very pretty smile, which is good because smiling is her go-to move. Daisy seemed to be talking herself into falling in love with Joey, which is exactly how love works, as we all know. I do wonder if somewhere during their marathon smile sessions she's clued into a potential roadblock between them. Religion or politics or a tall girl from New Orleans with excellent handwriting. At least two of those, ABC wouldn't air at gunpoint. The third they would resolve in a thunderdome. Anyway. WTA is likely to be annoying to watch but I'm curious to see all the BiP auditions.