S24.E04: Week 4 - Cleveland, Ohio

[Madding crowd]

Peter is rude to the women with the constant walking off and ignoring the group for one drama or another. He just seems to have no personality and goes whichever way the wind blows.

And Victoria being so weepy and upset about her ex being there. She implied he begged her not to do the show and he is saying they barely dated. Very immature. I do think we set a world record with the likes and ands tonight!

[angelamh66]

Peter suffers from the recency phenomenon. He believes the last person he talks to. This is why he is all over the place. 

Victoria F can miss me with her indignation about Alayah. Alayah isn’t being manipulative. She just told the truth. 

And Victoria P uttered my least favorite phrase ever... “my truth.” What a cop out. This isn’t really what happened, but it’s “my truth” so it’s ok. Seriously, who started this my truth nonsense. 

[Mu Shu]

I just realized I have the same haircut as Peter.

Both Victorias are whacked. The dull looking one is excruciating to watch. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

18 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

Peter is rude to the women with the constant walking off and ignoring the group for one drama or another. He just seems to have no personality and goes whichever way the wind blows.

And Victoria being so weepy and upset about her ex being there. She implied he begged her not to do the show and he is saying they barely dated. Very immature. I do think we set a world record with the likes and ands tonight!

Is that what she said?  That Chase begged Victoria not to do "The Bachelor"?
There was a lot of whining and crying and I couldn't follow any of the plot.

[Arkay]

I'm curious as to why the crowd at the Chase Rice concert was yelling out, "We love you, Victoria!" If the show was being filmed and not yet aired, then how did they know her name? It's just more shenanigans. 

Oy. This carrying on by Victoria F., like she is revealing a secret affair to her husband of 40 years. Also the childish histrionics about going on the plane. If she's so afraid of heights, why was she eager to go to the amusement park at all? Or if you're truly afraid, you're an adult, stop with the whining and the foot stomping and the hysterical fits. Or decline to go altogether.

I knew Peter would be an awful bachelor. I knew he was a spoiled child who thinks he is the world's only pilot. I knew he was of only average looks and intelligence. But this--this is awful on another level. As others have said, he is swayed by the most recent thing he's told. He was like that with Horrible Hannah Brown and he's like that with every woman there. I'm imagining his mother watching these shows and lying prostrate on the floor, sobbing over her little boy and his confusion. Even if he ultimately has a good outcome. 

What was his stupid word for today? Did he say something about his sense of "secureness" when he meant "security?"

 

[Refresh]

So when you date Peter, you have a choice of 3 dates: shopping, contact sports or flying. Maybe with a dash of bad country music. Whoop dee doo. 

I don't want to make it sound like I'm defending Victoria, but if that was me and I was taken to a show of some guy I had a ONS with, I'd be awkward too and feel a duped by producers. Plus if you don't know the guy that well, you may not want to admit to one night stands so soon in a relationship (or ever because noneofyourbusiness), let alone on TV. 

Oh and UNC Chapel Hill folks, backstage when Chase is talking to Victoria he's drinking out of a He's Not Here cup. 

[tinkerbell]

Victoria:  Chase is my ex-boyfriend, he begged me not to go on the Bachelor. 

Reality:  After a one night stand, Victoria tells Chase she's going on the Bachelor.  He says, "bummer'  and has no idea what her name is. 

[tinkerbell]

Peter has a "special surprise"  for the women - he's going to make them play FOOTBALL!   in CLEVELAND!   WOO HOO!  

Every girl's dream date, right? 

ETA:  the "reward"  for playing football is a cocktail party with Peter, where he ignores them completely.  

this season is worse than I expected. 

Edited January 28, 2020 by tinkerbell

[dvr devotee]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Is that what she said?  That Chase begged Victoria not to do "The Bachelor"?

She said Chase "didn't want" her to go on the show. I was so disappointed that Peter didn't ask the follow-up questions most adults would think to ask, such as "When did you date him?" and "How serious was it?" And when she said that she "wasn't interested in his lifestyle," the natural follow-up would be "then why would you get involved with a touring musician to start with?" All of these questions might get you one step closer to actually figuring out for yourself if someone is there For The Right ReasonsTM.

I did greatly enjoy when Victoria went to confront Alayha with red wine teeth. Now that's how every self-absorbed, shallow woman wants to see herself on TV! Totally serves her right.

All the girls going "I'm so exhaaaaausted from this!" Yes. I too am exhausted by you all just recycling the same drama forever and ever.

Peter when he gives the rose to Alayha, speaking to all the women: I'm following my heart, so after this, it's the end of this drama, alright?

Peter the next night, when they all have something to say about it all: Please, don't let all these ladies leave on me!

I sincerely wish some of them would have quit bitching and just left. Oh and when one girl was telling the story to Victoria F in the hotel room and said "he gave his rose to her," and another girl cut in with "no, he gave our rose to her!" I was just like, omg, you are all insane. I mean, I knew that already, but that one got an extra eyeroll.

I hope next week the drama isn't solely focused around Alayha. I mean, it looks like they turn on Sydney next, which is fine with me. Another week of the same Alayha bullshit and I don't think I'll be able to even hate-watch this season anymore.

Edited January 28, 2020 by dvr devotee

[Jeanne222]

1 hour ago, tinkerbell said:

Peter has a "special surprise"  for the women - he's going to make them play FOOTBALL!   in CLEVELAND!   WOO HOO!  

Every girl's dream date, right? 

ETA:  the "reward"  for playing football is a cocktail party with Peter, where he ignores them completely.  

this season is worse than I expected. 

I thought the same thing!  Why did they choose Peter?  Not that good looking, no swagger and he just can't carry the show!

I keep wondering if any of the women will just leave saying "sorry he's just not for me"!  Then I remember they signed contracts so they are stuck with Peter til the final rose!

Ugh just ugh!

[Andromeda]

6 hours ago, leighdear said:

Wow, these children have all really embraced the 80's high-waist jean trend.  Sorry bitches, I've still got some of the originals.  You're all just wannabes....*LOL*

Clark Kent was raised in Smallville, Kansas.  WTF Peter?  

I know exactly where Peter got that idea -- from a giant sign in the airport. The writers were apparently living in Cleveland when they invented the character.

I would have left. Even if Peter decides he's into me, I'm not into indecisive, oblivious, rude jerks who gravitate to drama queens. I had to laugh when, right after a girl tells him he spends too much time on Alaya, he announces he has to go talk to her again. 

I spent a few hours in a historic building on that square, and in the square, for a company meeting.

[nittany cougar]

These women are so immature.   I felt like I was watching a bunch of 17- year old mean girls.  

I think Peter is too agreeable and unassertive for this show.  After he was talking to Aliyah, there was a talking head where he looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole.  I felt bad for him at that moment.

The football date was idiotic, degrading, and possibly dangerous.  Several of the women said they had bruises after that.  I am not sure why these women are staying on this stupid shit show.

And how many women cried to Peter in this episode?  There were sob stories from Victoria Whichever and the blond chick from Iowa.  That shit was laughable.

Edited January 28, 2020 by nittanycougar

[DEL901]

So, all the women were bitching about Alayah and the group date rose but only 2 really spoke up in front of Peter.   Wonder who will be at the top of Peter’s list to go home?

[nlkm9]

9 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Yaaaas! These women are pissed!! I hope half of them quit the show! That’s the “twist ending”—no one’s left!

noone will leave because they are there to be famous, not for Peter. too bad.

[nlkm9]

7 hours ago, SHD said:

I couldn’t tell if the women were underwhelmed by the Cleveland announcement or just had no idea where that was. I wouldn’t rule that out for some of these women.

Peter is such a bad actor. Everything is such an exaggerated “Whaaaaa...?” during the drama. They need to powder him up better, too. He’s always so shiny.

it reminded me of Chris Soules season when the girls were killing themselves to tell Chris how much they loved his home town. Oh yay Cleveland. Still cannot beleive he picked Kelsey for a one on one date after the champagne "finasco". I just dont like her.

[reggiejax]

7 hours ago, Arkay said:

I'm curious as to why the crowd at the Chase Rice concert was yelling out, "We love you, Victoria!" If the show was being filmed and not yet aired, then how did they know her name? It's just more shenanigans. 

The crowd was obviously told ahead of time the name of the woman who would be on the date.

Crowd manipulation to be sure, but to be expected. After all, no one, including the crowd, was there for any other reason than it was a Bachelor event (sorry, Chase Rice).

[ClareWalks]

Peter is a shitty Bachelor because he is focused on turning this entire season into his Dancing With the Stars audition tape.

[alexa]

Shortly after I posted a while back about how boring it was --  I think it was when those two girls that know each other were explaining themselves to Peter--I asked myself, why am I watching this?  Honestly I just think there is no movement forward in Peter's bachelor season.  It is just one boring drama after another.  I then decided screw it, and rented Downton Abbey movie on Amazon, and watched that instead, lol.  

I will probably watch the first 30 minutes of each episode, see if it is the same old stories and then turn it off if nothing is happening.  I can't bear it any longer. 

[GonnahearmeRoar]

I feel like so many of the women are sitting stagnant. Appears Peter has a preference for white women. Most of his 1 on 1’s and roses are given to white women although several black women are there.

All gorgeous women that don’t seem they would’ve a hard time getting a date. Just wonder if the black women feel left out or notice his preferences and talk about his choices in dates/roses. 

I would rather be sent home or not picked to be a contestant than stringed along to have diversity in the contestants.

Edited January 28, 2020 by GonnahearmeRoar

[Bobcatkitten]

I have never loved anything more than watching these women tear Peter a new one. He is like a small child. Wishy washy and he doesn't think through his decisions. 

He has repeatedly ignored women on group dates to deal with some drama - including Hannah. And Victoria P was lying so I'm not surprised he wanted to give Alayih another shot. But giving her the rose? When she didn't even participate. What an idiot.

So I'm confused. Did Chase and Victoria F actually date or just hook up one night? 

[TheFinalRose]

I'm left scratching my head and wondering which one of these dingbats could drive Mamma Webber to tears and implore Peter to "bring her home?"

[valen]

9 hours ago, leocadia said:

This alone makes me side-eye his protestations about being upset that the producers put him on Vic F's date.  He knew she was going on the show, he's been on reality tv, did he really think that wasn't going to happen?  I'm sure he was thrilled that he got exposure beyond being the bland musical guest on the date.  I also question Peter's supposed ignorance about the set up.  TPTB had to tell him to pick Vic F so he must have known something was up.

I was right there with the girls on the reaction to Cleveland, but it was awesome seeing Cedar Point get some love!  So many memories of fun times at that park.  I wonder if they actually closed the park for the day or if they filmed on a September/October weekday when the park is only open on weekends. I would kill for no-wait access to the rides for a day!

So much drama from these women!  Whether she meant it or not, they all should have responded like Chelsea. They are 100% in the right, but bitching about others is usually the kiss of death.  

I don't think he's that good of an actor.

[JudyObscure]

9 hours ago, angelamh66 said:

And Victoria P uttered my least favorite phrase ever... “my truth.” What a cop out. This isn’t really what happened, but it’s “my truth” so it’s ok. Seriously, who started this my truth nonsense. 

Yes!  It can only be used about feelings, "Like I'm afraid of cats, it's my truth."  You can't use it to make up facts.  You either only knew Alayah for 3 hours or you spent days with her.

17 minutes ago, TheFinalRose said:

I'm left scratching my head and wondering which one of these dingbats could drive Mamma Webber to tears and implore Peter to "bring her home?"

It could be the pony-cow from the first night, the important part is the opportunity for  tearful drama.  Peter could take a huge leap in maturity if he would admit one thing to himself -- pageant girls are fake drama queens and that includes his mother.  Alayah explained it last week to Hannahann from her big bed of wisdom -- pageant life teaches the women to be dramatic because gigantic tears, squeals of delight and sob stories are what  wins tiaras.   If Peter would cut all the pageant girls on the next rose ceremony it would be a huge step forward.

Of course most of the others are faking, too. Victoria F is  not afraid of heights.  I am, and the one time I let someone talk me into a roller coaster ride, I kept my eyes shut the whole time while I clutched the bar and prayed.  I was white as a sheet, terrified  and angry. But then, I would have refused to get in that little plane, refused to dance on a platform in front of people without at least two large drinks first, and refused to play contact football with a bunch of clumsy women who don't know the rules about how and where to hit people.

 Why were we talking about how hard it was for Peter to "hurt someone" regarding Alayah's ouster when there were three other girls who didn't even get an exit interview?  

How many women has he hinted promises of "my wife" stuff to?  Kelly, Hannahann, Victoria F, Victoria P, Alaha, Kelsey, Sydney, Madison -- I know I'm leaving someone out.

I feel so cheated when I stay awake for this whole thing and don't get a Rose Ceremony.

[ClareWalks]

Just watched the clip during the credits, Victoria and Peter are shooting hoops and Victoria yells out "KOBE!" while Peter is shooting. Got a big Yikes Face from me there, Editors.

[waving feather]

Peter's season is really a mess and it is all down to how spineless he has been acting. Every season has crazy women or men and that's part of the drama of the Bachelor series, so at some point, the Bachelor/Bachelorette has the right to ask them all to stop or leave if they can't accept it. Plain and simple. But here, Peter is acting as if HE is the one vying to stay. And he should be clever enough to know that majority of the ladies will NOT walk out because they want the screen time and that's why they came onto the show. For goodness sake, I wish the producers talked some sense into him. He is the extreme opposite of Hannah B. Hannah will yell at the guys even when they are not bringing drama to her and talking among themselves.

Victoria P is, plain and simple, a liar. There's no two ways about it. I don't know why Peter didn't call her out on it. When she is caught, all she could do was whine about how she has told Peter her deep dark secrets and cry hysterically, playing the victim. Damnnn, she reminds me of Caelynn (from Colton's season) with her habit of lying. What happens in the pageant world that make these girls such bold faced compulsive liars? It is quite scary.

And Victoria F, well, she acts like a sweet girl, but she couldn't hide her nasty side when she confronted Alayah. I get her annoyance that Alayah was up in her business but there is no reason for such a nasty verbal attack. It really shows her true personality. Both Victorias are horrid.

I don't think Alayah was truly in the wrong in any of it but she has the problem of not knowing how to behave to calm the drama. Immaturity.

Edited January 28, 2020 by waving feather

[b2H]

9 hours ago, calpurnia99 said:

Horrible non-entertaining show, with horrible people who act like children. I did something I've never done before, I stopped watching and deleted it. I mean Peter is acting like a 4 year old girl. The rest of them are just stupid and whiny and the voices. I just can't with this. ENOUGH. 

I had a flight last night that prevented me from watching, but on my drive to the hotel, I was talking to dear hubby who couldn't decide whether to watch or not.  He was telling me what was going on.  I'm pretty much out and he won't watch if I don't, so that's two of us.

We did miss the fiasco with the music guest though (we picked up in the second hour).  That's atrocious.

But I bet the ratings are still strong.  As long as they are, this will continue to get worse.

[Bobcatkitten]

3 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Just watched the clip during the credits, Victoria and Peter are shooting hoops and Victoria yells out "KOBE!" while Peter is shooting. Got a big Yikes Face from me there, Editors.

I think it was amazing. This is something a lot of people grew up doing and it was wonderful to see how it will live on. 

[b2H]

9 hours ago, Arkay said:

If she's so afraid of heights, why was she eager to go to the amusement park at all?

Probably not the case that it was her choice.  It's a known fact that the show asks well in advance the things the contestant likes and what they don't like.  When a one on one date is planned, it's surefire going to involve anything the contestant said they were afraid of.  Yay for causing psychological pain, show.

[ClareWalks]

2 minutes ago, Bobcatkitten said:

I think it was amazing. This is something a lot of people grew up doing and it was wonderful to see how it will live on. 

That is a valid point, I just thought this terrible, stupid show wasn't the appropriate venue for a simultaneously half-assed and opportunistic Kobe Bryant tribute.

[thejuicer]

I was only half listening to the Alaya/blonde Victoria fight, but it looks like Victoria is a big liar. And why? I don't get why she had to hide the trip to Vegas. Did it not jive with her "I had to share half a potato" sob story? Did anyone care enough to listen carefully?

[luvbadtv]

1 hour ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

I feel like so many of the women are sitting stagnant. Appears Peter has a preference for white women. Most of his 1 on 1’s and roses are given to white women although several black women are there.

I was trying to remember if he has kissed any women of color.  I think Sydney, but that may be it.  Does anyone have a kiss count for him; I can't keep track?

[alexa]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

I feel so cheated when I stay awake for this whole thing and don't get a Rose Ceremony.

Well, this helps me to know I made the right decision by abandoning the episode.  lol.  But seriously, they have to get back to some structure.  Rose ceremony every episode and then start fresh.  If they keep having one long drama after another without breaks, this will never work.  I will say the public feedback isn't great--I read through the facebook comments again, and people are just not happy this season at all.  

[GonnahearmeRoar]

45 minutes ago, luvbadtv said:

I was trying to remember if he has kissed any women of color.  I think Sydney, but that may be it.  Does anyone have a kiss count for him; I can't keep track?

That is exactly my point. Can name several white women. Kinda feeling bad for the non-white women giving up their lives to be there. 

[Cornhusker12]

Regarding blonde Victoria vs. Alayah, I think they are both just absolutely terrible at articulating anything and they both are probably describing the same thing from their own perspectives.

I'm pretty sure Victoria's original story was that she didn't understand why Alayah asked her not to tell anyone they knew each other, but it wasn't a huge deal because they didn't know each other very well in the first place and had probably only spoken to each other for a total of 3 hours. Now it turns out they both went on some type of Miss America group trip to Vegas, but that still doesn't mean they actually spent a lot of time together, and it's very possible they went on the same trip as acquaintances but didn't spend a lot of time one on one. But in a complete reversal from her original stance, now Alayah WANTS it to seem like they were close friends before the show because all that matters is who spoke to Peter most recently because he's got the mind of a goldfish.

Anyway, since people don't know how to express their thoughts on this show we're left with Peter's little brain is trying to figure out whether they either didn't know each other at all or were lifelong best friends.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Cornhusker12

[Captain Asshat]

My thoughts:

• They mention "rockin' good time," and they have the girls pose outside the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Episode has zero actual rock and roll. There is country and polka.
• What is this show's deal with country music?
• Victoria F. is wigged out over her "ex" being there and is afraid Peter will be upset. How grownups handle it: "Really? He's your ex? Do you still have feelings for him? No? Awesome. Let's finish dinner."
• Alaya (or however you spell it) vs Victoria was completely stupid. Peter, this is going to be every conversation you're going to have with either of these girls -- whiny, crying, overreacting. Get rid of them both. Now.
• I honestly fell asleep and came into the forums to see how this ended.

[tinkerbell]

2 hours ago, TheFinalRose said:

I'm left scratching my head and wondering which one of these dingbats could drive Mamma Webber to tears and implore Peter to "bring her home?"

I stand by my theory.  Peter's mom saw one of those stories about a rescued dog in another city. She implores peter to fly there and "bring her home."

It wouldn't  be the first time the previews were set up to mislead us.

[Cornhusker12]

In general this episode was by far the most consistently bizarre two hours I've ever seen on this show. Every second was completely insane. I only saw the last couple eps of last season and I came away thinking Peter would be a nice lead, maybe a little wholesome and corny but a good guy to follow on this "magical journey." Basically Ben Higgins 2.0

I was so hilariously wrong about that haha he is the least equipped Bachelor I've ever seen, even Juan Pablo was a douche in a way that made the show funny because you actually ended up rooting against him. Peter just gets steamrolled in every situation, tries and fails to speak Bachelorese to get him out of every conversation including when the women are staging a mutiny against him, and is just so aloof and clueless that he can't pretend to have even the spark of a connection with more than 2-3 of them and leaves the others sitting around by themselves for hours at a time. It's incredible really.

[Zahdii]

1 hour ago, b2H said:

 It's a known fact that the show asks well in advance the things the contestant likes and what they don't like.  When a one on one date is planned, it's surefire going to involve anything the contestant said they were afraid of.  Yay for causing psychological pain, show.

I've heard that reality shows try to find out as much as they can about the participants as possible, at least when it comes to how to manipulate them.  If someone were to force me on such a show, I'd lie and say that I was deathly afraid of puppies and kittens, I'm a vegan that can't stand chocolate, and I love opera and subtitled foreign movies.  I'd say that I've been accused of being a sloppy drunk, get offended too easily, and are too quick to argue with people, but I think that the people who've said that are just too boring or are jealous of me.

I'd lie about everything I could, because I'd want to be kicked off as soon as possible.  I can't imagine wanting a man who needed a TV show to find him a wife, because it's all so fake.  But in the meantime I'd enjoy being forced to take part in a campaign to find families for shelter pets, tour a chocolate factory, and talk or sleep through a boring movie.  Once something came up that I simply refused to do, I'd pack my bags and wait to be eliminated.

[Meowwww]

If only ONE good thing comes out of this season, I hope it’s the contestants watching themselves and working to eradicate the word “like” out of their vocabulary. 
Drives me crazy.  Every. Third. Word. Is “like”. 

[Alexander Pope]

52 minutes ago, Captain Asshat said:

My thoughts:

• They mention "rockin' good time," and they have the girls pose outside the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Episode has zero actual rock and roll. There is country and polka.
• What is this show's deal with country music?
• Victoria F. is wigged out over her "ex" being there and is afraid Peter will be upset. How grownups handle it: "Really? He's your ex? Do you still have feelings for him? No? Awesome. Let's finish dinner."
• Alaya (or however you spell it) vs Victoria was completely stupid. Peter, this is going to be every conversation you're going to have with either of these girls -- whiny, crying, overreacting. Get rid of them both. Now.
• I honestly fell asleep and came into the forums to see how this ended.

I always assume they choose country music most of the time to appeal to what they think is a "heart land" demographic.  And BTW, Cleveland and the Midwest have the warmest and most loving people in the world, and they all love country music!

[Rainsong]

Disclaimer:  with many friends and some family in Northeast Ohio, all jokes about Cleveland, its weather, its people, its cityscape and its football team – especially its weather – are delivered in with all due appreciation and affection for a frequently unfairly maligned and even more frequently misunderstood place.  On the other hand, when the roads are like minefields year-round and February temperatures flatline at 10 deg with an icy cold wind off the lake for an entire month the city is deserving of some good-natured opprobrium.  And mocking the hapless football team would be like bringing sand to the beach.

Deandra delivers the daily Mental State Of The Bachelor address before a joint session of, er, cameramen and sound technicians.  It seems this duty falls to a different female each week and for some it’s the only camera time the poor dears are granted.  Deandra sounds level-headed and observant, prompting the question:  what the hell is she doing here?  She speaks of the previous night’s activities ‘bleeding’ into others and into today.  Thanks to her for unknowingly extending the metaphor of long knives, most of them wielded by Sydney (Sadney?) who has learned to juggle them in order to carry her wine glass as well.

Good old Chris is hard at it trying to apply a coat of shiny new paint to the still-smoking train wreck of this season.  A roomful of girls who were sold on Making A Connection™, Finding Love™ and My Wife Is In This Room™ instead express their anxiety and Chris offers the cold comfort of with ‘I don’t want you to think Peter’s giving up on this.’  Morale remains low despite the pep talk.

But soft!  What light through yonder window breaks?  It is the East and Juliet Ohio is the sun!  Conductor, cue the staccato strings!  Signal the tubular bells to be rung!  They’re going to…where?  Mexico?  Argentina?  Bora Bora?  Bakersfield?  Nothing so predictable or cliched, ladies.  You’re going to – it’s hard to get the words out – Cleveland!  For anyone unclear on the definition of ‘nonplussed’ (a great word by the way) you need only look at the girls' faces.  They’re waiting on a punchline that never comes.  A beat passes, then two.  Hello?  Is this mic on?  A somewhat less-than-giddy reaction finally comes.  They have one hour to pack.  Do they need a passport?  How about snow boots and parkas – two items they likely didn’t bring?

Deandra, still sensible, declares that Ohio and romance aren’t often found in the same sentence.  She’s right, you know, unless you’re an Allstate agent from Van Wert watching the Buckeyes on a Saturday.  Savannah, you’ve got a cheek mocking Cleveland when you hail from Houston, which is one large oil depot surrounded by hurricane fencing, barbed wire and gravel roads.  Hell even Gilley’s was torched long ago.

Like patient filmmakers painstakingly waiting for sea turtle eggs to hatch in the middle of the night to capture the miracle of nature, an advance video crew have been sent to Cleveland and instructed to wait for a clear sunny day.  After keeping a vigil for six long months, a freak upper atmospheric pattern never before observed in the region allows the sun to peek through for 15 minutes.  Residents puzzle over the strange ball of fire in the sky.  The crew springs into action, getting beauty shots of, uh, the Cuyahoga River and a rusty railroad drawbridge.  Meanwhile, the first-unit video crew are with Peter in the Flats – and he’s leaning on a railing!  Drink!  Apparently all railings shown onscreen have magnetic properties that cause the leaner’s brows to knit together, making the individual appear deep in thought.

The girls do their level best to praise the city and pose on its landmark(s).  Obligatory jumping on hotel bed follows.  It may be the first and only time the empty football stadium and murky Lake Erie have been described as ‘beautiful.’  Suitcase Kiarra speaks of seeing her boyfriend.  Who would that be then?  Do the others know about him?

Score a point for your humble scribe who predicted (without benefit of spoilers) that Victoria F would get a single date, putting her dark horse credentials into serious doubt.  She’s worried it will be a skydiving date but when the choices for landing spots are the open waters of one of the Great Lakes or possibly downtown Akron she needn’t fret.

Vic F has worn her best bandanna tied off at the waist – a meager amount of material means the shy (*ahem*) Vic has plenty of cleavage on display and don’t think our vision-tested pilot doesn’t notice.  Brenda Lee's title of Little Miss Dynamite has been appropriated by Victoria F who also does the catch-in-the-voice thing.  Pete loves his flying but even he may notice that the producers are taking the mickey in getting his services for free.  Either that or only pilots – or possibly astronauts - may be eligible to become The Bachelor in future.  Quarterbacks and racing drivers are SO last decade.  A flight from the lakefront to Sandusky might take all of 10 minutes.  Viewers may note that the gray cap (to use Scott Turow’s phrase) has descended on the region again and that it’s been raining at Cedar Point.  Vic has her act very well-rehearsed, frequently covering her face and batting her obsidian eyes.  We’re calling him Petting Zoo Pete on this date because she’s got him absolutely eating out of her hand.

Despite the park being closed, a gaggle of females with mobile phones surgically attached to their hands have been bused in.  An equal number of lawyers have their own bus where they force the fans to sign non-disclosure agreements and prevent any photos from being posted on social media.  Someone named Chase Rice (me neither) has been booked to perform.  Chase is a lanky bloke who nevertheless opts for what we in the biz call a parlor guitar which looks like a toy in his hands.  Not since Tiny Tim and his ukulele has there been such a size mismatch between player and instrument.   In a cosmic coincidence, Chase is the ex-boyfriend of Vic – or this is a carefully-planned stitch-up.  Bet on the latter.

Chase gamely plays his part but his green eyes are made greener with envy.  Green is also the color of the bass played by his sideman who sports a mohawk.  The band serves up the appalling but familiar mishmash of boyband melody, hip-hop cadence and put-on twangy accent that is bewilderingly still referred to as country music when it’s about as country as Central Park.  Petting Zoo Pete is oblivious as to how and why Vic knows all the lyrics – it ain’t from Googling them.

And what lyrics they are.  We’ve descended from the iconic:

I shot a man in Reno/Just to watch him die

to this insipid banal doggerel:

It could be AM, PM/It could be middle of the week or the weekend

It might be time to buy a Chase Rice album so we can hear all about his trip to the supermarket to buy a gallon of milk.

The gamine Victoria continues to economize on clothing with a pink dress covering only her top half.  Peter, who is understandably conditioned to think that the world’s female population is infatuated with him, is gobsmacked to hear he’s got competition and that his rival just played a gig in front of him while he frugged away in the dark.  A good rule of Bachelor thumb is if she walks away from the table she will be pursued, comforted and given a rose.  If she stays it’s 50/50.  So keep the shoes on, girls!

A brief interlude for the group date announcement includes Madison’s hope that there won’t be drama among the big group tomorrow.  Has she been sleeping through her own Bachelor season?

Vic has Pete sit up, beg, roll over and speak – all in the confines of a darkened utility room.  Not since Kubrick filmed Barry Lyndon strictly by candle have we had such extended scenes in such low light.  A random cellist in a suit is playing on the sidewalk.  Who said Cleveland wasn’t classy?  Most cities just have bums in fatigue coats beating mindlessly on five-gallon buckets for tips.  So there.

Next day, the football date is overseen by Hanford Dixon.  The Bach and the girls are probably not up on their NFL history but Dixon is the very individual who coined the term Dawgs and gave rise to the Dawg Pound and in turn to an entire fan subculture and a brand identity that a thousand marketing agencies working for a thousand years couldn’t devise.  When you’re the Browns there is a kind of sad urgency about finding a more interesting nickname to replace the less-interesting nickname of Browns.

Speaking of the Browns, they’re in the Browns’ stadium with the Browns’ colors all round, working with ex-Browns players.  ABC/ESPN have rights to NFL games including the Browns' own.  Why, then, are all the Browns’ logos blurred out – even those on clothing?  Either that is some insanely strict and/or expensive licensing or the legal department are just paranoid.

The football-firing device is known as a Jugs Gun.  Insert anatomical Bachelorette joke here.  40-watt bulb Victoria P declares she will be on injured reserve for this game – which conveniently puts her full-time on the sideline alongside Peter.  Maybe she isn’t that dim after all.  Just kidding.

The evening date begins with a shark swimming amongst a school of fish.  Also, there’s an aquarium in the building.  They aren’t remoras in that tank but Pete has his own suckerfish attached to him in the form of Victoria P who desperately continues spinning her fantasy by talking about her kids playing football.  We kid ol’ Pete and the other Bachelors but if he opts for Vic P and her Crayola-sized box of 64 different neuroses he will get exactly what he deserves.  Sin in haste, repent at leisure and all that.

Penance arrives unexpectedly in the form of Alayah.  Who just happens to be in…Cleveland?  Any debate about of who-goes-next is cut off immediately.  Between Vic F’s chequered past and Alayah’s sudden reappearance any rational person might start to suspect producer high jinks.  But Pete’s head is spinning like a Cessna prop and he has no time for contemplation. 

Vic is SPRUNG and the sights and sounds are delightful.  The voice breaking.  The sniffling.  The pleas for sympathy.  Peter, finally fed up, says to hell with that.  Let’s have a cage match.  Alayah is the clear money line favorite – biker jacket trumps spaghetti-strap cocktail dress.  Vic repeats the phrase ‘my truth’ – which, of course, means no truth at all.  Alayah displays remarkable self-control by not biting Vic’s finger off.  She can wipe her own tears, thanks.  Alayah has played this like an old pro.  When Peter inevitably offers her a place in the harem again it’s all she can do not to grin like a jack o’lantern.  Instead, she offers a demure downcast look.  Victory achieved.  With high heel now squarely on throat, she wants some concessions:  her record expunged and future blanket exemption from The Drama™.  The vast roomful of bored Bachelorettes are now a vast roomful of glum ones.  Alayah has parachuted in and taken their rose.  Victoria involuntarily shakes her head as she watches her plan and her man sublimate from solid to wisps of vapor all in the course of an evening.  It would take a heart of stone not to laugh.

And yes, that’s Alayah actually smelling the rose as she delivers a Sanctioned Spoiler and reveals the Victoria F/Chase Rice news which she knows will spread rapidly throughout the hotel suite.  Symbolism anyone?  Apparently drama cards are just fine with Alayah as long as she’s dealing.  A sly one to be sure.  Alayah’s pageant personal statement is:  ‘If you’re going to play the game make sure you win.’  OK, I made that part up.  But I’m probably not wrong.

Duty compels the chronicling of the Kelsey date even if she’s dull as ditchwater.  They walk past Cleveland’s Fountain Of Eternal Life – in this context it refers to the never-ending cattiness among the girls and to Peter’s inability to see through the fog of negative emotions that surround his season.  Cut to a tandem railing shot!  Drink!  Actually, do two shots because we’re going to get another tearjerker – this time from Kelsey who is a child of divorce, which means she is one of approximately 30 million persons in the same predicament.  Quite rare then.  Alarmingly, she claims ‘a lot of [her] character traits come from [her] parents’ divorce.’  Uh oh, that doesn’t sound promising to Pete.  It wasn’t fun for most of us either, Kels, but we got on with it.

Peter is now convinced that The Mistake By The Lake refers not to Cleveland, OH but to his decision to take this band of grumpy mopes and misfits on the road.  Anywhere.  They would probably pout at a party on the beach pavilion at Papeete.  The wind on the river must be quite brisk as Pete cries tears that magically evaporate seconds later.  A rose is offered – perhaps because he fears being chucked into the frigid Cuyahoga by an enraged Kelsey.  And then they’re back to the railing!  Drink!  Oh wait the bottle’s empty.  It's been a long night.

Fireworks are launched from the shore.  Baffled locals reach for the calendar.  Is it July 4?  It’s only 40 degrees out there.  ‘That doesn’t mean much to us’ reply the locals.  Fair one.

Victoria F has cast the unconvincing shrinking violet routine aside to angrily confront Alayah about the Life & Times Of Chase Rice.  ‘You’re fake and I’m not!’ shouts Vic, who conveniently forgets that just yesterday she managed to fake her way through an entire concert performed by her recent ex-boyfriend while dancing with her prospective new boyfriend without telling him.  Oh yes – she is genuine.  Emphasis on wine.

The episode is bookended by still-sensible Deandra who delivers a lecture on being underrecognized.  We’re not sure what that word means but she’s got the hump so we’re staying out of the way.  The perpetually angry Mykenna juts her jaw and nods along as she envisions punting Peter in his privates as punishment.

Lord deliver us as we flee another tantrum from Victoria P.  Hey that rhymes!  And it’s a hell of lot better than It could be AM, PM/It could be middle of the week or the weekend. 

The brushing-hair-from-face moves are getting very tiresome as are the quivering voice and tears.  ‘You wanna take a seat?’ asks Peter.  ‘I can’t sit,’ says Vic, who promptly sits down.  One suspects that Vic is one of those people who writes her banking password on a Post-It Note attached to her monitor.  Vic’s been vulnerable.  It seems to be her favorite word.  But doesn’t that apply to the rest of them as well?  Vic’s been ‘nothing but honest’ – but didn’t she confess to lies of omission and commission when Alayah returned?  Is her memory that short or her morality that malleable?

It’s only episode 4 but the first suspended Rose Ceremony arrives as 12 angry (wo)men, justifiably sick of being cooped up for days on end while living out of suitcases, hurl angry accusations and allegations.  Episode 5 looks to be comprised of a Lord Of The Flies group date and the appearance of a Bachelor staple as familiar as roses and champagne – an ambulance.  ‘I’m so tired and so exhausted!’ wails Mykenna.  Sigh...we feel the same, diddums.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Rainsong

[SallyAlbright]

12 hours ago, tinkerbell said:

Victoria:  Chase is my ex-boyfriend, he begged me not to go on the Bachelor. 

Reality:  After a one night stand, Victoria tells Chase she's going on the Bachelor.  He says, "bummer'  and has no idea what her name is. 

I love that he said "She's a cool chick, from what I know of her."

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Meowwww said:

If only ONE good thing comes out of this season, I hope it’s the contestants watching themselves and working to eradicate the word “like” out of their vocabulary. 
Drives me crazy.  Every. Third. Word. Is “like”. 

I barely even hear "like".  I think it's the way I grew up or something.  Meanwhile hearing these women using "literally" as a device to get through every sentence makes me want to murder people.  

3 minutes ago, SallyAlbright said:

I love that he said "She's a cool chick, from what I know of her."

Dammit!  I should have put on the captions because this sounds hilarious.

[Cornhusker12]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I barely even hear "like".  I think it's the way I grew up or something.  Meanwhile hearing these women using "literally" as a device to get through every sentence makes me want to murder people.  

I usually don't notice people saying "like" but this season it has become a true problem haha. It's absurd.

[Bobcatkitten]

Seems clear the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame Turned down a filming request. Because going to Cleveland and not having any part of a date there makes no sense. 

[Gregg247]

Last night was another home-run episode of The Bachelor!  I laughed myself hoarse watching this idiot and his insipid "dates" flailing around searching for camera time -- I mean -- Love. lol

Peter seems like a very nice young man, but he's such a Momma's boy.  These women are pushing him around like crazy, and he's unable to do anything about it.  He's the star of the show; he should be taking charge of the situation.  Instead, he keeps getting dragged into all the drama and making terrible decisions.

He caught Alayia in a bald-faced lie last week.  He caught Victoria P. is a bald-faced lie this week.  Yet both of them exclaimed to him at various points, "I've been nothing but honest with you!" and he didn't dispute them.  Did he simply forget?!?!

He had a group date with 13 women.  He talked to 2 of them, then Alayia showed up and, apparently, hours later, he sent everyone back to their hotel.  Those women were mad, and with good reason.  We don't get to see contestants bad-mouthing the Lead on-camera very often, but it was awesome last night! haha  If it wasn't for the cameras, every one of those women would have been out of there.  No one has any respect left for this guy.

Back in the old days of this franchise, the Bachelor would have some of his friends show up midway through the season to "help him out" by interviewing the ladies and choosing the one-on-one date participant.  I think Peter definitely needs this!  Surely he has some friends or coworkers who could give him a little perspective.

[b2H]

3 hours ago, alexa said:

I will say the public feedback isn't great--I read through the facebook comments again, and people are just not happy this season at all.  

Until the ratings reflect that, nothing will change.

I assume, based on the previous comments, that no one was sent home this week?  No rose ceremony?

Edited January 28, 2020 by b2H

[Kendra143]

Does anyone wonder how Alayah knew about Victoria and Chase?  I call producer shenanigans as this would not have been on TV while she was out of the mansion, nor would it have been on social media yet, right??

[Cornhusker12]

3 hours ago, Cornhusker12 said:

I'm pretty sure Victoria's original story was that she didn't understand why Alayah asked her not to tell anyone they knew each other, but it wasn't a huge deal because they didn't know each other very well in the first place and had probably only spoken to each other for a total of 3 hours. Now it turns out they both went on some type of Miss America group trip to Vegas, but that still doesn't mean they actually spent a lot of time together, and it's very possible they went on the same trip as acquaintances but didn't spend a lot of time one on one. But in a complete reversal from her original stance, now Alayah WANTS it to seem like they were close friends before the show because all that matters is who spoke to Peter most recently because he's got the mind of a goldfish.

I just realized something so I'm quoting my own post, forgive me haha. But isn't it possible that Victoria's "lie of omission" about the Vegas trip was to somewhat HELP Alayah?

- Alayah asks her not to tell anyone they knew each other
- Peter asks Victoria if there's anything weird about Alayah
- Victoria says 'yeah there's this one thing, she asked me not to tell anyone we knew each other and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but we don't know each other well we have only talked for a total of 3 hours'

So in that moment isn't it possible she was trying to protect Alayah from seeming even weirder? As in "I'm going to tell Peter the truth but if I tell him we were on a group trip to Vegas as part of Miss America, then Alayah will seem like a total liar, so I'll just give him this vague answer because I don't know why he's asking about her"

And now Alayah is throwing it back in Victoria's face as if she was the one who wanted to pretend they didn't know each other in the first place. Anyway, my point still stands: If these people could articulate their thoughts at all this wouldn't have blown up the way it did.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Cornhusker12

[SoWindsor]

12 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I thought the same thing!  Why did they choose Peter?  Not that good looking, no swagger and he just can't carry the show!

I keep wondering if any of the women will just leave saying "sorry he's just not for me"!  Then I remember they signed contracts so they are stuck with Peter til the final rose!

Ugh just ugh!

They aren’t stuck. They can leave voluntarily if they’re not feeling it with him.