Recyclorette

There was a couple (not Kenny and Mari or "Goose" and what's her name) who got married on BIP years ago and it later came out that it wasn't a legal marriage, so I've been wondering about this, too. The pressure put on Gerry and Theresa for this fast marriage would not have helped their relationship. I wish their families had talked them out of that and I hope that if this "Golden" show continues, they leave grandchildren out of it.

So true. It's amazing how classy this season was after all the past train wrecks. I really believe getting rid of Mike Fleiss has been a game changer. Joey and the women (except Sydney and Lea) really set a high bar which will be hard to follow. I agree, too, with a previous comment about how naturally lovely the women were. For years there were so many contestants with the same color ombre hair that we had trouble telling them apart, or we could count on everyone having crazy blonde hair extensions, boob jobs, and tarantula eyelashes. I hope the franchise continues to favor this natural look to reflect and affirm what real women look like.

It is sickening! I wish I could say I'm surprised but, sadly, I'm not. This type of behavior is a cancer destroying everything now. We can't even enjoy the escape of TV without it.

Do you think they're going to show the rest of last night's episode BEFORE the WTA? That way, the final episode would only be about the final 2, as usual, and the 3rd place gal could still be at the WTA.

It seems (IMHO) that the producers are less manipulative since Fleiss left. I really think Leslie's choice of words with Kelsey were all her own. Everything she said we've heard from her a thousand times before. She's a very negative person and I won't watch if she's the Golden Bachelorette, either. On a separate note, someone mentioned Leslie's hair. I think it makes her look even more dour. Long hair like that on an older woman drags her face down and makes her look older, not younger. I'm not saying their hair has to be very short, just that keeping the same style they most likely wore in high school is not the win they think it is.

I hope Joan isn't. These beautiful young women don't need to see an example of "Hey, grab him now or you'll have to do this to your face when you're older and single." Leslie also looked like she's aged 10 years since Golden Bach. Must have been the devastation of returning that 70K wedding gown. Do you think the vocal fry might be related to her hearing loss or adjustment to her implant? I've been wondering about that.

Maria also looks a lot like Jeanine Mason from SYTYCD and Grey's Anatomy.

I was feeling over these shows and wasn't going to watch this season. I'm not sure what made me change my mind, but I ended up binge watching and catching up to this week. Joey is an amazing bachelor. I've watched all but the first seasons of Bachelor and Bachelorette, and the bachelors have all driven me crazy with their inability to see through mean girl drama and manipulation. Joey has done both, and he has great taste and true emotional intelligence. How refreshing to not be yelling at the TV because a dumb bachelor is falling for hijinks! The show also seems to be much better edited than in Fleiss days. The dates are more interesting and the show seems to move along much faster. When Joey and Jess were rolling around in paint, it was just a brief part of the show. Fleiss would draw out all the boring junk like eating off each other and activities where contestants were beating each other up. All in all, I'm glad to be watching and I hope the improvements continue!

These are all good points. I still don't see Joan's appeal, though. Yes, she looks slim and attractive from a distance in her PR photo, but up close is a very different story. That's also some high maintenance to live with and, at the senior stage, are men really looking for that? If so, my guess is the relationship wouldn't last. I think Gerry's choice of Theresa proved that at this later stage of life, it's about genuine connection. I really hope the choice of Golden Bachelorette is someone healthy and genuine who can represent us all.

Funny that you mention taking out the recycling. 😆 Another neighbor who lives directly across the street from this woman told me that whenever her hubs sees her putting out the trash bins he says, "I'd love to take whatever she's taking!" Maybe some day we'll figure it out. We'll be an entire neighborhood of shiny happy people asking our trash collectors, "Will you accept this rose?" 🌹

Ooh, the neighbor! Actually, she's a lovely person, just one of those over-the-top constantly upbeat and happy people who are exhausting to be around for more than 5 minutes. She's also a former cheerleader and beauty queen, both of which are not taken seriously in our neck of the woods. Not sure why Jess reminds us of her, but there's something! 🤣 The hubs got a kick out of your message. Maybe your invitation to join Bachelor Nation will be more successful than mine!

My hubs never watches these shows, but he got one look at Maria and is smitten! He keeps asking me if Maria is still there. As for Jess, he got a glimpse of her weeping and said that she reminds him of our annoying neighbor. 😄

I actually find myself rooting for zip-it Kathy. I'm so sick of weeping, desperation, sob stories and falling in love at the drop of a hat. I think Kathy would be quite interesting, and I'd love to see how she'd handle the men! In the end, though, I'll probably watch anyone but Joan. I just can't with the frozen face and lackluster personality. Since she keeps popping up as a bachelorette contender, I was hoping to see an update to her look at the golden wedding. But no, not only did she still have that ridiculous mass of blonde hair, but the baby braid did me in. I just don't get these women who think they can still look 20 when they're in their 60s. Nor do I understand why anyone finds that attractive.

I agree about Kathy Lee. She was so annoying when her kids were little and she couldn't say one sentence without mentioning Cody or Cassidy, Cody or Cassidy . . . Ugh, I can still hear that in my head whenever I see or hear of her. 😏 On another topic, I just read that the top contenders for Golden Bachelorette are Leslie and Joan. Apparently this comes from Faith, who supposedly has inside intel and says she is also still in the running. Personally, I've never cared for Faith and I don't know if I can watch a season with Leslie or Joan. That's like a choice between Debbie Downer or an ageing plastic Barbie. I can't figure this franchise out with their picks. I'm starting to think they just like controversy and deliberately try to annoy us. They have so many great women to choose from and they're gonna go with either a woman who is never going to be marriage material or a woman promoting a ridiculous standard of female "beauty." I'm so very close to being over and out with all these shows.

Did anyone else think Zach looked sickly? Maybe it was because he was next to women with spray tans but, my goodness, he looked gray in the gills and ready to drop! Perhaps he'd just seen Rachel walk by. That could explain it. I hope Theresa felt like the most beautiful woman on earth. I just wish they'd not overwhelmed her petite frame with so much and chosen a simpler, more elegant look for her. She didn't look comfortable, either.

My reaction was to a comment about Charity being unfairly treated as a black woman. Since a Latina won, there was obviously diversity in the voting. By pointing out the many comments about Xochitl's win, it could also be imagined that she was being targeted for her race, if that was what someone wanted to see. Both women were consistently at the top of the leader board and, clearly, neither would have made it to the finals without the support of a solid fan base, so the accusation of prejudice seemed unwarranted. One just had more votes than the other.

The thing is, despite high scores from the judges and high placement on the leader board, some of those couples don't place as high as expected. It's all down to their fan base and votes so, in the end, the voters decide who wins.

Everyone has their favorite performer and freestyle preference. Jason also had a fantastic night. Whether Xochitl was someone's pick or not, it can't be denied that she is an extraordinary talent with a humble and uplifting personality that endeared her to many. Her win was certainly not a shock or undeserved. I still think all the controversy about her win is very suspect.

Just reading the last 2 pages here, I have to wonder. Regardless of having another favorite, Xochitl was amazing and the win could have gone so many ways. It feels to me like many of the comments lamenting her win are veiled, just by their sheer number. For reference, I'm not a teenager, Latina, or a TikTok or Marvel fan. I'm a senior, so Xochitl had a very diverse fan base.

Xochitl was amazing throughout and I think she deserved to win, regardless of any judges comments, which I FF through anyway. But racism? When a Latina won? I'm wondering about that reading the comments here, but it's not towards Charity, who is also going on the tour. And it's just my opinion, but I think Artem is the sexiest pro on the show.

If Leslie is so bitter and is accusing Gerry of all these big lies he supposedly told her in the FS, why is she being so loyal to him? The "in private" doesn't hold much weight if it was all lies. In this case, I believe it means I want the Golden Bachelorette gig and will use your curiosity to prolong my 15 min. of fame. OR I'm pretty sure I spotted her several times at the DWTS finale last night. It looked like she was with another contestant, Peggy, standing right behind the hosts. Maybe she traded all her secrets for an audition.

It may be that the only attention this woman wanted was from Gerry, in the form of revenge. Or it was a way to try to explain away her own shame at having been involved with a very recent widower. That's also up there in the ick department. I don't know how reliable the reputation of the HR is, but I found no solid proof of anything in that article and many contradictions. It even stated that the producers may have chosen to ignore inconsistencies in Gerry's past. I'm not a big Gerry fan, but this was all "she said" by a participating partner in this relationship who has at least one icky skeleton in her own closet.

This franchise counts on controversy to promote ratings. They claim to have a thorough vetting process but somehow always "miss" obvious transgressions such as racial faux pas. These keep them in the news from the end of one show to the beginning of the next. If nothing egregious emerges, there's always an ex to fall back on. Whether they're hunted down by magazines, TV shows, podcasts, revealed in chat rooms or come forward on their own, they keep the conversation going. Then these exes will be used again and again by the franchise. Charity Lawson just has to go to Paradise to "warn" another contestant interested in her ex that his ex "DM'd her" with dirt; yet we just saw Charity on DWTS sniffling and weeping over her ex while she's engaged to someone else. Then they regurgitate Katie Thurston to run a nasty roast of the BIP cast and create drama for Blake Moynes. It's all cruel and predictable and part of the formula which unfortunately works every time. Why any imperfect mere mortal would want to be the Bachelor or Bachelorette is beyond me.

It's not a matter of it making sense. This was an accusation from an embittered ex and, unless we hear such words from Gerry himself or someone has proof in writing, this is only pure gossip. Good Lord, because an attention seeking ex girlfriend decides to make some cash from interviews, this man has been accused of being a fat shamer and possibly a wife killer, based on absolutely no solid proof. That's not OK.

The format of this show is clear. If Leslie was truly broken before participating, that's not anyone else's fault. She's a big girl. I wonder how thorough the psych evaluation is for applicants. If it's decent and they thought Leslie was OK mentally, maybe some of her sob story was an attempt at manipulation.