Sweet-tea

Agree Baltimore Betty. I did read your other post about this. Sorry for not acknowledging you!

There is such a stigma in society about being menopausal. It is bad enough going through all the physical and emotional symptoms and feeling dismissed by the world. I don’t need to hear women on these shows mock it, especially women I don’t like. (Off topic but there’s a 60 Minutes Australia episode on YT with Paulina Porizkova and Justine Bateman talking about aging. It’s really good!0 On another note, Candiace looks really good in her TH with the outfit that looks like a swimsuit top. Alexia doesn’t look good on this show to me. Porsha is amusing me the way she is calling about Leah. Marysol is more entertaining than she is on Miami, at least the seasons I’ve watched. I cannot stand Leah! If a guy talked about women the way she talks about men, he’d be considered a creep. I thought she was an obnoxious drunk but she’s not much better sober. I told myself I wasn’t going to watch because she was on this season, but I got sucked in. At least a few of the others are giving me some relief. I have only watched a few seasons of SLC, so I didn’t see the big fight between Heather and Whitney. After hearing them yelling constantly about it, I don’t plan to watch it!

This episode was hard to watch. I’m so irritated by Daisy. Yes, Billy is joyless but it must be tough for him staying sober around all the drinking and drugging. I’m glad he hasn’t relapsed. But Daisy was so reckless this episode that the crash was inevitable. It’s close but I give her the edge for being more irritating. I take back my earlier favorable comment about her husband. He’s horrible! I must’ve been blinded by the first glimpse of him. I can’t believe he bailed and was going to leave her for dead. Agree with others about the Daisy/Billy relationship not working. I don’t see the chemistry. I only see bickering and angst, longing looks from Billy aside. There is something intangible that happens when two actors have real chemistry. It somehow translates to the screen and jumps out at the viewers. I am not feeling it with Daisy and Billy, no matter how many fights they have. I didn’t even feel it in their big kissing scene. Watching Daisy singing drugged out makes me want to look up some Fleetwood Mac videos to see if there are any of Stevie Nicks out of her head. The band members were all indulging pretty heavily in the ‘70s so maybe the footage is out there. I remember reading about them doing lines during shows or… wait. That might have been the Eagles. Maybe it was both! Ah, the 70s…

Watching the Peacock documentary helped me understand some things a little better. There was a lot more about Claudia and Isabella’s part in it, which was disgusting. I can’t believe it took that guy six years to get Larry evicted from his apartment! I still don’t understand why he let Larry stay there rent-free from the start. I must’ve missed something. And he waited a lot longer than I would to get fed up about what Larry was doing to his apartment. I know Larry is in jail now. The story I read said Isabella has 60 days to report, which would mean sometime in late April. Another thing I noticed that I didn’t see at first is how much weight Felicia lost during her ordeal. She looked frail and haggard. It was horrible watching Larry torture these people. I had to turn away at times. The video with Larry using the tool on Dan’s tongue. So awful! Larry was not just a narcissist. He was a sadist. It must’ve been gut-wrenching for the parents to arrive and try to get their daughters back and have them refuse to leave.

I like Riley too but am not thrilled with Daisy. I get a Stevie Nicks vibe from Daisy when she’s on stage and swinging her arms open with her vest flowing. Not sure if the show is intentionally doing this or I’m just reminded of it because I’m a Fleetwood Mac fan. I’ve read several books about them and watched some documentaries. I saw Riley in an interview clip and was surprised to hear she had no singing experience before this. She said she and Sam went to “band camp” to prepare for their roles. They were the only ones out of the cast that didn’t have a musical background. They are both doing a great job! But it still bothers me how old Billy looks in the scenes when they’re supposed to be young.

Yes! I like hearing them talking about the show. I didn’t realize it was ok to break the fourth wall on the UGT shows, but it was refreshing hearing them talk about their experiences. Is Peacock owned by Bravo or a separate entity?

She looks heavier to me. I noticed it right away and wondered if that’s why they have her wearing the long coat in so many scenes. I didn’t realize she was pregnant until I looked it up.

I noticed she looked slimmer in the last episode when she was wearing the yellow dress. Her face also looked thinner. It’s weird but her chin and jawline didn’t look as prominent in the ATFR, which made her look softer and more lovely to me. During the season, I didn’t think Gabi looked that great but it was mostly due to little to no make-up, humidity and poor styling. I know how bad my hair looks in humid climates so I certainly understand! Overall, I think they are all very attractive. In my opinion, I’d put Ariel first, then Kaity a close second, then Gabi. Kaity and Ariel are so close they could be switched. I hope Gabi is doing ok. I’m concerned about her mental health. She seemed to take the rejection really hard. I know a lot of them have, but even later after some time had passed, Gabi didn’t seem to have bounced back on ATFR.

I’m in the minority, but I don’t want to see Gabi as the Bachelorette. I think she’s too emotionally fragile. I didn’t understand why they gave Gabi so much time on stage, and it was painful at times watching her try to articulate how much she’d been hurt. She looked stunning though. I loved her dress, make-up and hair. I don’t think Charity was the right pick either, and I don’t plan on watching her season. The brother stunt made me roll my eyes. Why does he need a costume? None of the men know him and I doubt most would remember seeing him briefly on Zach’s season. At least get a more realistic costume if you must use one. I had forgotten what Zach’s occupation was so I looked it up. He used to be an account executive for Oracle. Ah, now I get it. Some of his mannerisms make sense now including the people-pleasing. He strikes me as similar to salespeople I’ve dealt with in my HR career. My preference would be a 40+ Bachelor season, so we could get mature (hopefully) adults, perhaps with grown children, so maybe these contestants are starting a new chapter of their lives. Given the women are always younger on this show, they’d be in their 30s. If I was casting I’d have a guideline to try not to cast any women who are more than 10 years younger than the lead. Hopefully this would eliminate a lot of the squealing and uptalk, but there’s no guarantee. Maybe they’ll cast Ariel as Bachelorette in a future season. I hope so.

At first I couldn’t figure out why Gabi looked so different and better than she did on the show. I thought it was the makeup and styling, but you’re right, she also lost weight. She looked really good. I thought Ariel looked beautiful and was composed and well-spoken. I didn’t think she was cold or robotic. I found it refreshing to see one of the rejected women speak her mind without crying and getting emotional. I know it probably isn’t as good TV but I appreciated her poise. I still wish she had been picked for the Bachelorette. I doubt I’ll watch Charity’s season. I like that they gave Gabi a lot of time to speak her mind, more so than I’ve remembered in the past. She struggled at times (according to my husband in the next room, it was challenging to hear) but she managed to get it out. Zach really had no option other than eating crow, which he did fairly well. I don’t believe Zach was torn. The bachelors always say this to prolong the suspense. I think Gabi’s gut instinct was right. He knew it was Kaity pretty early in the process and just didn’t want to say it, probably due to producer pressure. I like Jesse. I think he comes across a bit more insightful and compassionate than Chris Harrison. I wonder if Zach and Kaity will make it to the altar. 2025 is a two year engagement. Understandable given their rapid courtship, but many couples haven’t made it this long. I CANNOT see Ariel on Bachelor in Paradise! She is too classy for this show. Please let it not happen!

Me too! Swoon! He is adorable. I wish Camila was with him instead of Billy. He would treat her much better.

Me too. What a horrible thing to do to her. I wish they had shown what happened. I needed closure!

Just popped into say wow, the difference in Lisa’s face from seasons 1-3 to 4 is startling! She should’ve left well enough alone. Adriana also looks a lot different, but maybe it’s just the lighter hair color and a little weight gain. Speaking of Alexia, she is pretty but I wish she had chosen a different shade of blonde. I don’t think the yellowish blonde is flattering. Glad she is engaged to a nice guy. I hope it works out with his relationship with her son. I’m surprised they brought Marysol back. I didn’t find her that interesting in the previous seasons. I was surprised to see Joanna gone but not Karent or Lea. I don’t miss Lea’s cackle. Oh and Ana is gone too. Gosh, they really culled the cast from S3 to S4. I think it was rude of Julia to flirt with Adriana in front of Martina, especially at a party with a lot of other people around. I’m mostly watching to see what happens with Lisa and Lenny, although maybe it goes down in season 5?

I don’t know this blogger so I’m not sure if this is true, but here you go. Not sure what Denise did to her face but she looks odd here.

I got some Stevie Nicks vibes from Daisy’s performance in Oahu. Also thought it was rude of her to come in early and unannounced, but I guess they’re setting up some strife in the band. Broke down and bought the book, because there was a 14 week wait at the library.

Some of these couples aren’t married, but gosh a lot of them are. I had no idea there were so many from BIP who got married!

Me too! I'm distracted by his hair! It seems thicker and healthier than it did twenty years ago, which doesn't make sense. He looks so much better in these scenes that I don't even like watching him in the flashbacks. I was cringing!

I noticed this too. Billy looks rough and much older than the others. He looks better supposedly 20 years later. I enjoyed the first episode. I like the nostalgia of the 70s and loved the Laurel Canyon documentary I saw about it (can't remember the name but it was multiple parts and excellent), so it made me want to watch this. I didn't read the book but I might now. Irish Mermaid, thanks for pointing that out. I was wondering about the six title. I kept counting and there are only five!

Agree. She is so poised, mature and interesting. I think she was too much for Zach. He didn’t connect with her on an emotional level, although he was physically attracted to her. Perhaps he wants someone who seems to need him more. I also couldn’t see him living in NYC and he didn’t seem comfortable with her family. I guess they just weren’t the right match, but I still wish Ariel had been picked as the next Bachelorette instead of Charity. I don’t know if I’ll even watch Charity’s season. I’m looking forward to hearing Ariel’s comments on ATFR, assuming she’ll be there.

I disagree. I think Jesse is really good on the show. I don’t even miss Chris Harrison. I do think Chris was treated badly though and shouldn’t have been fired.

What was lost in all this for me was Ariel. If Zach was so determined to be honest with the women, then why didn’t he also tell Ariel what he did? She was dispensed with pretty quickly and without much angst on his part. I think there are better things in store for her than Zach, but I still didn’t like seeing her come in such a distant third. I wonder how she felt watching the playback. Zach was pretty rude to pick Gabi second again, knowing how she felt about it. He could have easily given her the first rose. I wish Kaity had told him to take a hike.

I was surprised. Gabi seems this shy of neurotic to me, and I find her the least attractive of the three women. I figured Ariel was out when he didn’t have sex with her. I don’t think he was emotionally invested in her. Nice to see her drive off and maintain her poise and composure though. No tears. No angry ranting. I really like her. I thought Kaity was the one but now I’m questioning that it might be Gabi. Why would he have sex with her otherwise? He was adamant about not messing things up with the final one.

Either Hilary is wearing a bad wig or she needs a serious hair makeover. It distracted me this episode. The only character I really like it Hilary’s boss.

I don’t know what happened, but the five-month break certainly didn’t help this show. I’m having trouble staying interested. Hilary Swank is pregnant right? Eileen looks heavier and is always wearing a coat. I was interested in this show first (I grew up in Anchorage and worked for the Anchorage Daily News), but it’s losing me now. I have a hard time warming to Eileen and the other characters aren’t compelling. I don’t know. I’m having trouble putting my finger on what’s missing.

Agree. I really wanted it to be Ariel. I was disappointed they chose Charity. I’m wondering which of the 3 Zach slept with in the fantasy suite!