KatieBear

Three more thoughts I had: 8) The lobster scene was not shot in sequence (look at the background - day time, sunset, darkness) so any looks or reactions or even comments to certain Whitney remarks should be taken with a grain of salt. One thing is for sure, when Whitney said she would feel better about going to France if they were all behind her, no one except Heather approved. Maybe Ashley but I think Ashley speaks more on what she thinks Whitney will do rather than what Whitney should do (at least in this episode). 9) Worrying about the FM being able to find someone else now that restrictions are lifted is a new mention from Whitney. She is very insecure about his like for her, despite previous episode confidence about love and sex. It screams desperation, but in a different way than before. Regardless, she's still only got one oar in the water! 10) A vacation without a physical challenge was unsatisfying. Nothing like hobbling over a finish line in Hawaii or screeching in abject terror in Alaska while repelling to keep a viewer interested. There is just not enough action content this season, too much talking and laying around. Seems counterintuitive when you are trying to launch a fitness app. When most of the comments focus on dental info, you know this show has gone downhill.

My thoughts: 1) Whitney is a very lonely and depressed person when Buddy stayed with her. When he left, we began to witness how kindness from a foreign stranger warped itself into romantic interest. I don't think for a second that FM intended to come, nor that he was at an airport or airport hotel (a la Todd's theory) at which point I view FM as "well-meaning friend" to "what is his motive other than TLC money?" It truly is sad that rather than avoid past mistakes and working on herself, Whitney is still throwing herself at any man willing to talk to her. 2) Heather supporting this trip to France is outrageous but I see the (understandably?) selfish direction from which she is coming. Rather than Whitney going home after Maine and either a) wallowing in her bed or b) needing another friend to temporarily move in with her or c) both of the above, send her to France to "follow her heart". You aren't going to stop her anyway once her mind is made up (Hawaii 8k anyone?) so may as well join the support bandwagon and get some peace in the meantime. 3) If I were a potential No BS Active app subscriber, I would be reluctant to spend my money on an app after seeing Whitney's priority list this episode. It's one thing if you didn't know what you were missing, but if that app starts with anything less than the original content Whitney said it would have, I would feel like I'm not getting my money's worth. And her reliability is seriously questionable, something you don't want in a trainer or an app! 4) Tal and Hunter looked so peaceful sailing. They really looked like they had a good time. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. 5) Whitney having that moment of breakdown alone in front of the cameras on the balcony seemed very real, which is all the more scary. I know there is a lot of talk about what we see and don't see on this show but I believe she feels like this most of the time when she is by herself. She is right in one thing; she really shouldn't live alone, and she should really be focusing on how she can make herself feel better rather than find a man to make herself feel better. She's been getting free therapy and support from her friends, family and business partner but I think we are seeing the end of those people's effectivity on her mental health. 6) I think Ashley carries most of her weight in her stomach and Whitney mostly in her legs & butt (the apple v. pear). When TLC shoots them from the waist up, Ashley looks the same size. But whenever it is a full body shot, Ashley is definitely smaller than Whitney. Also, I have Ashley's bathing suit in black and it is the most comfortable thing ever, and extremely flattering! I think I like her teal color better. 7) I speculate that the next episode is the last one and I think the final scene will be Whitney flying on the plane to France. There will be no FM meet and greet this season; it will be left as a cliffhanger for (gag) the next season.

This. This is my main problem with this season. We are an order of magnitude beyond previous seasons when it comes to the crazy. Whitney's statements and actions are so outrageous even Barnacle Nation is giving the side-eye.

My thoughts on tonight's episode: * Maine is absolutely gorgeous. I need to add Bar Harbor to my bucket list. * I feel sorry for... (1) Whitney's friends; they so did not sign up for a trip "all about Frenchman". To take time off work to go on this vacation and have it turn on its head like this must be really disappointing. I think maybe Heather is trying to be positive because as a divorced mom of two kids myself and not getting to ever go on a "friends without kids" vacation, I would also encourage my friend to think positive (even if I thought there was no chance in hell this will work out) so that we could go back to having a good time. (2) Hunter; it must suck to be the only sane person in the boat (3) Babs and Glen; Whitney is responsible for herself but some of what they are dealing with is the result of nurture and it must be hard to be staring that in the face everyday (4) The boat tour guide; he probably had "Frenchmen Bay" throughout his memorized tour speech and had to constantly think about calling the location "Freedom Bay" (5) Those chairs on the hotel room deck (6) Big Girls everywhere; your role model for No BS should not be someone who can barely climb up a hill without wheezing then plopping down to cry about how disappointing her life is when she is having experiences most of us would die for. How awesome would it have been to do a workout at the top of that mountain with that gorgeous scenery in the background? This episode was just sad all around. TLC isn't remotely trying to make this believable. And what's more, they don't have to because the haters will continue to hate watch and Whitney's fans will love her even if she pushes someone off that mountain. When will we all learn? 😔 Winner this episode: Buddy. The man managed to escape. Finally, he can live his life with his lady and not have to worry about being a caregiver, because he sure as hell is more than even with Whitney financially supporting him through his addiction after his emotional support contribution last season. He should be guilt-free. Fly Buddy. Spread those wings and fly. TLC money ain't worth it.

I think this episode is when the wheels finally fell off the bus. Whitney, IMHO, is showing the signs of a mental breakdown. Regressing (even further) to teenager tendencies (excessive use of the the word "like", the childish argument with Hunter, the exclamations about having sex), pushing away from friends (Ashley and Todd are no-shows, Buddy out), outrageous (even for her) behavior with planning (No NS Active, Maine)....it all seems very bi-polar/manic-depressive. What is most concerning is the alarm on most of her friends' and family's faces when she discusses any plans (Frenchman coming to Maine, lip fillers, No BS Active) this episode. I am aware we don't know all that goes on in Whitney's life with a 1 hr weekly TV show so I look to body language and what I'm seeing has me genuinely concerned there is a severe breakdown in-progress and everyone (except for Hunter) around Whitney being too scared to say or do anything for fear of making things worse. I'm reminded of Will once telling Whitney, right before he let her go as a client, that she doesn't have the willpower to resist temptation in the moment so she needs to plan ahead. Much of her actions this episode do not appear to be proactive solutions to known problems. For example, Heather clearly on the fence about becoming a surrogate, Whitney acknowledging the problems with mixing of friendship and business (Ashley/app), but then coming to the bizarre conclusion that it will all work out without making any changes to the plan based on prior discussions and lessons-learned. Same with No BS active: acknowledging the difficult timeline, Jessica stating that they lose a week because of the trip to Maine (which, was Jessica even invited to that?), and then not calling off the Maine trip to set up a long-term and possibly lucrative business, but instead take a vacation (from what?!?!)! On the way to the airport, with Hunter riding shotgun with Whitney driving, I am reminded of similar scenes with Buddy in the front. Whitney goes over her bizarre plans and Buddy languidly agrees with said plan. Hunter (when did he become the voice of reason?), rather than state "no, you have nothing to worry about" says "yep, you're right - this could all go to shit". Whitney keeps looking at him for reassurance and all she keeps getting is "nope, you're right, you're fucked". Whitney has always been a narcissist but this episode slammed home for me that she is still reeling from the fallout of COVID, Chase, business failures, Buddy leaving and whatever else that isn't shown. I sincerely hope she is in therapy and getting some desperately needed help before she has a psychotic break because that girl is ON THE EDGE and her friends, family and business associates are clearly concerned.

Ok, there was about 6 good minutes in this episode. The first 30 minutes was Whitney recapping her "Frenchman doesn't want to date me because of the potential for social media hate" with her mom, then Heather, then Buddy. We are treated to a "yay I am making eggs" doctor's appt somewhere in-between and the episode ends with a chit-chat session with Chase at a brewery, where we are supposed to be enticed into watching the next episode because "what is Chase going to announce?" when we already know from previous clips that it is his engagement to his baby mama. The (barely) watchable parts: Ashley laying the smackdown on Whitney for the App replacing her job function. First, I call BS that the App has to take Ashely's job; Whitney is paying somewhere between $80k and $250 for the app (standard fees, depending on functions) and you can't tell me that for that kind of money you can't opt out of some services. It's definitely a choice to let Ashley go, not the only option. That said, Ashley should have seen this coming. If she didn't have a written contract with Whitney, and with all her "business knowledge", then shame on her (although I do still feel bad for her because I do like Ashley). Best lines of the episode were in this scene as Ashley says "what you meant was you wanted me to help you until you didn't anymore and then I'm going to fire you during a pandemic". So awesome and loved Whitney's silent, stunned face. Second (barely) watchable part was the salon discussing the surrogacy. Hell yeah Heather is having second thoughts; she never thought Whitney would actually remove eggs. And it would likely be a year or more, with her knocking on 40, before doing the actual surrogacy so there's that to consider along with the emotional attachment issues they discussed. But the best, again, was Ashley, actually cutting off Princess Whitney saying giving a baby that she carried away to Whitney would be too much for her to handle. And damn Whitney, how dare you look mad that Ashley wasn't ready to pony up and offer her uterus to you. You just fired her ass! Honorable mentions: continued passive-aggressiveness from Whitney (Buddy and Goosie Girl not recognizing her, Chase and the "you would know about pregnancy comment").