S16.E02: Week 2

[JenE4]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Many of these guys seem to not know who Claire is, so I’m going with they did not know who they would be dating. Of course they are mostly wrong reasons, but they would show more interest if the Bachelorette was 25. 

Clare was on Juan Pablo’s season waaaaaaay back in January 2014, so coming up on 7 years ago. What are the chances ANY of these guys were big Bachelorette fans when they were like 21 years old? I can see if you’re considering applying, then watching the current season. But unless these guys grew up watching the show with their mom, there’s no way they know who she is other than whatever clips/articles they can unearth by Googling. Her “shows” aren’t available to watch anywhere! This is exactly the same thing that happened with Arie. All the middle-aged female viewers remembered they thought he was hot, but like a decade later, the contestants and newer viewers were all, Who’s this poor man’s Mr Rogers?

27 minutes ago, Kiss my mutt said:

Yes! I want to know how he scored the best room there. I guess a Harvard degree does open some doors! 
 

This episode with the therapy session reminded me of when Juan Pablo’s family was trying to warn Claire about him and she smiles and acts like that sounds wonderful! Her sister Lara seems like a bitch but she may be the only one that has Claire’s number when it comes to her history with men. 
 

It looks like next week, Dale gets the roasting of his life as the pissing contest continues. 

Bennett might be paying the difference for a suite. Or maybe it was just a setup for the joke because he’s rich and fancy—then they moved him to another room. Yet, he seems the type to insist he can only stay in a suite and pay for it.

[Alexander Pope]

14 hours ago, CindyBee said:

I know they are stuck on some stupid resort in the middle of summer in the heat of the desert but man, couldn't they figure out something fun to do besides Jason having to go on a therapy session!?   

I'm just sticking around to see Yosef loose his sh*t about a date he wasn't even on

Yosef is clearly a douche, but I have to say that all his criticisms of Claire during this episode have been quite sensible! which is why he is probably going home stat.

[OnceSane]

Reminder:  If your comment references something that did NOT air in this episode, it is a spoiler and must be under a spoiler tag in this thread.  

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

13 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Wasn't there some guy a few seasons ago who refused to participate in some sport? Seems like all the guys ragged him about it and maybe he got sent home, I don't remember. I think it was beach volleyball.

You may be thinking of Nick Viall's season and his disastrous volleyball game in St. Thomas: there were six (I think) women left and they were divided into teams of three each to play volleyball in front of Nick. The winning team was going to spend more time with him that evening whilst the losing team would be sent back to the hotel. But Nick's fav Vanessa (aka The Black Hole of Charisma) was on the losing team and started in with her regularly scheduled "I don't know if I even wanna BE here anymore" crying jag, so Nick let everyone stay on for the evening. Bad move. The winning team, who'd busted their butts for the victory, was now wondering why they'd even bothered, the other two members of the losing team knew they were only there because of Vanessa, and Vanessa herself was still inconsolable.

13 hours ago, reggiejax said:

She was cast before Covid did its number on the show. At the time, this season was going to be business as usual. The real reason she was cast was because not a single woman on Peter's season was deemed suitable. And they weren't wrong. That and they felt an older lead would be a welcome break from the legions of 24 year old influencers infesting the show. But while Clare certainly has the years, she and maturity have never been in the same zip code. 

One of the producers (not sure if it was Harrison) said they considered each season with a returnee contestant as the new Bachelor(ette) to be a direct sequel to the last season; when they don't cast anyone from the previous season, it's basically them pushing the Reset button.

32 minutes ago, NaughtyKitty said:

I really wanted to like Dale. He is good looking,  but I don’t care for his voice and he isn’t articulate.

Worst franchise dates EVAH

Every time Clare looks at Dale, she's obviously starstruck. Dude could be reading the phone book and she'd think it was the greatest thing ever.

Someone please tell me these dates are going to get less lame as the season goes on. Yes, I know they're quarantined, but there is stuff to do around La Quinta that wouldn't involve exposure to COVID.

[StatisticalOutlier]

15 hours ago, rebel2u said:

Can't she relax for even a minute?  I'm exhausted already just listening to her.

I watched only into some of the therapy one-on-one, but I was saying, "Oh my god, would you please stop talking!"  I don't know if it's just the amount she talks or what, but yeah--it's exhausting.

 

15 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

There are plenty of men who like older women.  I don’t think it’s these guys though.  

As someone who was 41 when she met a 31-year-old Mr. Outlier, I'll opine that the reverse 10 years at that point in people's lives is not insignificant, but definitely manageable in the right circumstances. 

But I doubt these are the right circumstances, and going much beyond 10 years at these people's ages is really pushing it.

 

3 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Then we had Jason's therapy session.  His parents should sue the show for telling the world their marriage is so bad both sons are ruined. 

I don't have the words to express just how awful I thought that was.

 

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I hate [Dale]. His ears are too small and his voice/manner of speaking is SO bad. I feel like she has the hots for him simply because he's tall, which I get it but girl open your eyes/ears!

I don't hate him, but I definitely don't find him attractive.  I don't like big heads, and I especially don't like big heads on top of big necks, like a lot of football players have.  Add to that the small ears, which just make everything else look bigger, and that's a big nyet for me.

Edited October 21, 2020 by StatisticalOutlier

[JudyObscure]

1 hour ago, waving feather said:

She even did that to her parents, if I recall correctly,

Oh yes!  That had slipped my mind, if ever there was evidence of a brat so spoiled she had her parents frightened of her it was that threatening glare.

1 hour ago, NaughtyKitty said:

Clare said ”Dale and I’s relationship”.  She is semi-dead to me now.

She also said, "Him and I" several times. 

[Arkay]

27 minutes ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

 

Someone please tell me these dates are going to get less lame as the season goes on. Yes, I know they're quarantined, but there is stuff to do around La Quinta that wouldn't involve exposure to COVID.

I wonder if they can. If they quarantined for two weeks before their Covid tests and two weeks after, I don't think they could or should interact with anyone outside of their bubble. They can't go to a restaurant or the typical date of being surprised by some country singer and swoon-dance and kiss among the crowd.

So if one of the wrong-reason incentives of international travel has been eliminated, that just leaves self-promotion, Instagram followers and becoming part of Bachelor nation with an eye on future TV and podcast opportunities. I'm trying to guess where Dale lands on this scale. Instant true love with Clare, or Dancing With the Stars? 

I agree with the poster above who said they're surprised to like Bennet. Same. The first week he seemed very Harvard elite cocky. Now he's playing it for the joke. I'm wondering if that's Chris Harrison's room which they employed for that set-up, but it was very amusing with the facial treatment , "one of my fireplaces," etc. 

[TVMovieBuff]

The kind of conversation Clare likes where they bare their souls, is exactly what guys HATE. That poor guy who got sent home just because he didn't come up with something incredibly profound about why he wanted to come on the show & meet Clare. 

[OnTime]

49 minutes ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

Someone please tell me these dates are going to get less lame as the season goes on. Yes, I know they're quarantined, but there is stuff to do around La Quinta that wouldn't involve exposure to COVID.

Chris Harrison said they were not allowed to the leave the resort.  Ok, they can't go bungee jumping and helicopter rides but they can do way better things than love languages with verbal affirmation with her standing on a balcony and that dodge ball game.

Why will I not be surprised when the dates get worse?

[TVMovieBuff]

Years ago, this is how the Bachelor & Bachelorette used to be. They didn't travel the world. 

[tinkerbell]

4 hours ago, phlebas said:

I think he mispronounced "burned."  Was that thing suede?

more likely it was microfiber fake suede.

3 hours ago, OnTime said:

I think her age is definitely part of the reason but she won't shut up about it either.  Also, I get the impression that she wants any guy and all guys to worship the ground she walks on.

I'm sure the producers did it, but why burn the dress and not donate it? If she hated it, why did she keep it for six years? but who knows if it really was the same dress.

It seems to e she expected the guy to recognize the dress, "Isn't that the dress you wore for the final rose when you were on the bachelor?"  because she expects these guys to be as obsessed with Juan Pablo rejecting her as she is.   Which is insane, because she was ENGAGED since then - how long do you stay obsessed with your ex when it was a few exes ago?

[leighdear]

4 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I feel like a fool for thinking the Clare Show would be a nice change with a mature woman,  forgetting that maturity is not a number.  What a hot mess she turned out to be, and it all showed up in one episode.

I'm right here with ya.  We really had a lot of pre-show interest, but it's sadly waning because of her discombobulated, frantic and over-emotional weirdness. 

She's just being downright weird.  That's the only word I can use.  

[tennisgurl]

Clare burning her dress that Juan Pablo rejected her in was just embarrassing. I think they were trying to recreate some of the catharsis of Becca's season when they did a bunch of stuff destroying things to move on from Arie, but that was a super different context, considering Becca getting dumped just happened and it was fresh on the audiences mind still, it really was a really dramatic dumping that really seemed to hurt her, and even then it was nothing as melodramatic as setting a dress on fire. Juan Pablo was ages ago, why would anyone care? And her stuff with him was WAY less dramatic than what happened with Arie and Becca, so the whole gesture just seems ridiculous

Edited October 21, 2020 by tennisgurl

[tinkerbell]

2 hours ago, waving feather said:

Why are these men walking around carrying their junk in their hand? Ew. I know the jock strap exposes a lot, but I would not want them touching things around the house before some good hand wash with SOAP

Hannah Brown is the younger version of Clare. Hannah Brown also had that almost spiteful look in her eyes before she went in on someone during her season. She even did that to her parents, if I recall correctly, because they were doubtful about Jed, her F1. And both are ALL about forcing the men to "open up" about their "ugly/dark side" unnaturally. Hannah was berating Luke P. during their first date just because he wasn't opening up his deepest and darkest desires to her.

I was left wondering - what happened to the clothes they were wearing when they went to the dodge ball place?  why couldnt they let them change back?   Yeah, I get it, lots of comedy movies and TV shows have scenes where someone is locked outsde their hotel room naked.  But this is a dating show, and these are real people not actors, being humiliated, not only in front of the other guys, but in front of family, friends, co-workers who are watching on TV.   BAD MOVE, bachelorette! 

Clare wants guys to open up about their deepesst, darkest secrets on a first date?  Hey, if that is how first dates are supposed to go, who in the real world would EVER get a second date?  First dates are about making a good impression - we open up to people gradually, over time, after trust has been built up.  

[Thumper]

40 minutes ago, TVMovieBuff said:

The kind of conversation Clare likes where they bare their souls, is exactly what guys HATE. That poor guy who got sent home just because he didn't come up with something incredibly profound about why he wanted to come on the show & meet Clare. 

I missed seeing the first guy, but saw the second guy.  I am not a longtime viewer of these shows.  Was he supposed to have researched her?  I thought the point of the show was to get to know each other.  I did not understand that conversation.

[Kiss my mutt]

I was hoping for a rose ceremony last night just to cull the herd so I can remember who’s who here though her little hissy fits have and obsession with Dale has precluded her getting to know anyone. 
 

I was reading info on the cast in Marie Clare (no pun intended) and it cracked me up because of there use of “apparently” in reference to the bachelors’ occupations, like Chasen is “apparently” a tech consultant and Joe Park is “apparently” an anesthesiologist or Robby “apparently works for Stahl insurance like they weren’t sure. 
 

I’m glad we can have a virtual viewing party here so I have someone to watch this with. 

[waving feather]

8 minutes ago, tinkerbell said:

First dates are about making a good impression - we open up to people gradually, over time, after trust has been built up.  

Yeah, imagine someone like Jason telling you he is "manipulative, selfish, can't love, insecure, cold and mean" on the very first date. I'm eating my food fast and getting out of there.

I feel that Clare is someone who not only needs therapy but enjoys it. She was gleeful when she was getting Jason to confess his "demons" and also confessing hers. If I'm Jason and I'm not picked at the end or get any benefit out of the experience, I would be highly embarrassed and pissed at myself for agreeing to reluctantly share all those dirty laundry about my family on national TV. Some of her group date and cocktail party talks are also like mini therapy sessions for her.

[Arkay]

16 minutes ago, tinkerbell said:

I was left wondering - what happened to the clothes they were wearing when they went to the dodge ball place?  why couldnt they let them change back?   Yeah, I get it, lots of comedy movies and TV shows have scenes where someone is locked outsde their hotel room naked.  But this is a dating show, and these are real people not actors, being humiliated, not only in front of the other guys, but in front of family, friends, co-workers who are watching on TV.   BAD MOVE, bachelorette! 

Clare wants guys to open up about their deepesst, darkest secrets on a first date?  Hey, if that is how first dates are supposed to go, who in the real world would EVER get a second date?  First dates are about making a good impression - we open up to people gradually, over time, after trust has been built up.  

Clearly these guys had to do the Walk of Shame because, you know, they lost a dodgeball match. 

Also, since Clare has no time to waste, first dates=30th date conversations. 

[Bluesky]

42 minutes ago, TVMovieBuff said:

Years ago, this is how the Bachelor & Bachelorette used to be. They didn't travel the world. 

So these guys have no real incentive to get a rose.  Because I would think the travel was big incentive for a lot of contestants.  
 

The way Clare was immediately all over Dale is something a teen or college student would do.  Oooh, he’s hot!  Let’s hook up!  Definitely not the way a 40 year old woman looking for a husband acts. 

[leighdear]

25 minutes ago, Bluesky said:

So these guys have no real incentive to get a rose.  Because I would think the travel was big incentive for a lot of contestants.  

True, but for the "under-employed", with plenty of free time and no place else lined up to sponge off family or couch-surf with friends, being just appealing enough to Clare to stay there for a month isn't a bad deal. 

When not emoting, crying or sharing with her, they get fed, sleep in a comfy bed and have pools, etc. at their disposal.  That could be enough for some of them.  Enough to counteract the nearly naked sports.  

[waving feather]

If I were the guys, I would prefer the strip dodgeball than the other love language date. I would hate doing forced/fake love affirmations to someone I don't really know, touching or finding a random thing trying to give meaning to it to give Clare. That is personally more challenging (and dull) to me than playing a ball game and then stripping as a group. At least I wouldn't have to bold-face lie and the humiliation is shared.

Edited October 21, 2020 by waving feather

[Dehumidifier]

If I were Clare I would have been glad that the guy didn't research me. In fact, I would be hoping that none of them had. I don't recall any details of her previous stints on the shows, like the Juan Pablo thing, but I do recall always thinking that she is a bit wacky. To be fair, though, many come across that way on the B shows, and when you see them later in a different setting, they seem fine.

[OnTime]

1 hour ago, tinkerbell said:

It seems to e she expected the guy to recognize the dress, "Isn't that the dress you wore for the final rose when you were on the bachelor?"  because she expects these guys to be as obsessed with Juan Pablo rejecting her as she is. 

She also expects these guys to be completely obsessed with her and to be able to read her mind.

She thinks so highly of herself. Why?  She has been on four other bach shows.

[saber5055]

5 hours ago, OnTime said:

I'm sure the producers did it, but why burn the dress and not donate it? If she hated it, why did she keep it for six years? but who knows if it really was the same dress.

And what was she wearing when she and Benoit got engaged? No one seems to mention him, not Clare, not the guys, not the show, no one.

And yeah, if Juan Pablo had picked her, she would have just been dumped later, when the camera was no longer on her. She needs to thank JP for getting her this gig and the four other ones she's had on this franchise.

[Mu Shu]

There’s something wrong with Clare. I don’t like her and think she’s creepy. Why would a guy in his twenties just starting life want to be saddled with a 40 yo woman who is weird and creepy, and will cost income they don’t have in invitro, and add in all the bitching about not being into her.Sorry, she’s not a prize. 

[thehepburn]

I see that I am not the only one who got Deanna PTSD watching this episode. Deanna was my most hated Ette by a mile bc she was so whiny and entitled and her temper tantrums were something else. Yes, those were temper tantrums and this episode was temper tantrums. If a 9 yr old acted like that, she would be sent to her room. But I guess since Clare is 39 instead, what she did was being "strong". 

 

I cant wait until Clare leaves.

[JenE4]

37 minutes ago, OnTime said:

She also expects these guys to be completely obsessed with her and to be able to read her mind.

She thinks so highly of herself. Why?  She has been on four other bach shows.

I think it’s because she’s been on so many spin-offs that she’s convinced she’s a “TV Star.” The producers probably buttered her up about being a “fan favorite” that Bachelor Nation has been clamoring for. And I’m sure she probably has enough social media followers that she’s an “Influencer” on top of being a “TV Star.” There’s a whole new realm of “fame” nowadays. All of my 12-year-old’s favorite “celebrities” are YouTubers. I’m sure Clare was SHOCKED that these suitors don’t know who she is. She wants to believe that they all came for HER, but she’s been around this show long enough to understand that a portion of these people are Here for the Wrong Reasons or signed up hoping for it to be someone else. (Though they did specifically recast for her and/or  COVID.) Then again, she’s such an old-timer that back in her day, being There for the Wrong Reasons meant having a girlfriend at home and not trying to become an Influencer.

[Haute Messe]

18 hours ago, Ripley68 said:

Wow.....her whole story about how she came to Bachelor franchise didn't have a single "like" or "um" in it.  I think I'm going to repeat that every week.  Its so refreshing to hear people who can be articulate and have an actual conversation.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, let the producers learn a lesson from this and encourage intelligence and good conversation

While I am extremely relieved that we don't have to listen to a bunch of insipid conversations overflowing with "like",  I don't find anything terribly intelligent about Clare or her horrific grammar with the repeated "him and I " or worse, "him and I's"

15 minutes ago, thehepburn said:

I see that I am not the only one who got Deanna PTSD watching this episode. Deanna was my most hated Ette by a mile bc she was so whiny and entitled and her temper tantrums were something else. Yes, those were temper tantrums and this episode was temper tantrums. If a 9 yr old acted like that, she would be sent to her room. But I guess since Clare is 39 instead, what she did was being "strong". 

I cant wait until Clare leaves.

Totally. I was having Deanna flashbacks throughout this episode. 

I also think that the producers have a lead foot on the gas pedal this season and it is not making for better viewing. Count me as another one baffled by the Dale love. I don't get it.

[CindyBee]

33 minutes ago, lizajane said:

I also think that the producers have a lead foot on the gas pedal this season and it is not making for better viewing. Count me as another one baffled by the Dale love. I don't get it.

Rachel Lindsey said on The Ringer's Bachelor Party Podcast after the premiere that Clare really, really, really, really delved into Dale's social media from March to July.  And she really, really, really, really liked what she saw. 

99.9% of Dale's Instagram is probably all puppies, working with special Olympics, his family, blah, blah, blah so its not a surprise that Clare liked what she saw as anyone out there trying to garner a following is going to have a very "clean" social media presence.     So add in the fact that he's tall and an ex football player, Clare has created this PERFECT guy in her mind.    Time will tell just how perfect he really is.  

[Lemons]

3 hours ago, leighdear said:

True, but for the "under-employed", with plenty of free time and no place else lined up to sponge off family or couch-surf with friends, being just appealing enough to Clare to stay there for a month isn't a bad deal. 

When not emoting, crying or sharing with her, they get fed, sleep in a comfy bed and have pools, etc. at their disposal.  That could be enough for some of them.  Enough to counteract the nearly naked sports.  

Don't they all have to stay there until the a certain date?  Plus I'm sure TV has an appeal for some of them.  I don't think too many of them are there for Clare.  She hasn't been great with first impressions.

[SassyCat]

I thought i was really going to like watching Clare this season. I guess I was wrong. She is WAY too intense. She used to have a kind of endearing wackiness to her, but now she's just plain whacked!

I hated the exploitive dodge ball game. That was not right.

She seems like she's acting fake with her constant big smile that melds into just teeth showing to appear smiley. She speaks like everything is a pronouncement. Also her giddy girlishness is better off used by girls. Teen girls.

She's one scary chick! Now I see why she's not been lucky in love. She's TOO much of everything sane men run from.

I think she was mean to Brandon too. Heaven forbid you don't have the right answers to her "what about ME ME ME?" questions on your first sit down conversation with her, and are there to be on the "journey" of  maybe hitting it off with the main contestant. She made him feel like a jerk. 

I'm not liking Clare at all.

Bennett, on the other hand is turning out to be my fave. He seems like an intelligent and funny guy who likes the good things in life, and certainly doesn't need a basket case like Clare in it.

[Alexander Pope]

28 minutes ago, SassyCat said:

I thought i was really going to like watching Clare this season. I guess I was wrong. She is WAY too intense. She used to have a kind of endearing wackiness to her, but now she's just plain whacked!

I hated the exploitive dodge ball game. That was not right.

She seems like she's acting fake with her constant big smile that melds into just teeth showing to appear smiley. She speaks like everything is a pronouncement. Also her giddy girlishness is better off used by girls. Teen girls.

She's one scary chick! Now I see why she's not been lucky in love. She's TOO much of everything sane men run from.

I think she was mean to Brandon too. Heaven forbid you don't have the right answers to her "what about ME ME ME?" questions on your first sit down conversation with her, and are there to be on the "journey" of  maybe hitting it off with the main contestant. She made him feel like a jerk. 

I'm not liking Clare at all.

Bennett, on the other hand is turning out to be my fave. He seems like an intelligent and funny guy who likes the good things in life, and certainly doesn't need a basket case like Clare in it.

Agreed! by the time we reached that part of the show, I wanted Bennett to make me a martini!

[seacliffsal]

Clare has been overly dramatic (IMO) during every season in which she appeared.  However, I think the producers love it because she is so dramatic there will be footage they can use to create a storyline to draw in viewers.  There is still talk about her raccoon therapist from Bachelor in Paradise, and her sex in the ocean with Juan Pablo was a first for the series.  Of course, she interpreted that to mean that Juan Pablo was "forever" hers and he interpreted it as she was "easy."  Even in the others series in which she appeared, she would act frustrated if others were not acting the way she thought they should act (i.e. fall in instant love with her).  I'm hoping that the roadrunner that they keep showing can talk some sense into her.  

I agree with others that she seems far more into Dale than he is into her.  Again, I think she has an expectation of how others should feel/act and doesn't really read the signs of how they are feeling.  I was quite surprised how she went after that guy who didn't watch her seasons-she has an expectation that all of the participants have watched her, know her, and want her.  

I really did not like the strip volleyball.  I will also state that I don't like the situations in which they have placed many of the participants.  Someone above mentioned the nude charity photos-I agree!  I also don't like the boxing matches (poor Ames), polar bear plunges, or any other activity that humiliates or endangers the participants.  But, then again, everyone should know which show they are applying/signing up for in order to start their journey for true love.

Having said all of that, I do appreciate that she can put sentences together.  See?  I wrote something positive...

[call me ishmael]

8 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Clare was on Juan Pablo’s season waaaaaaay back in January 2014, so coming up on 7 years ago. What are the chances ANY of these guys were big Bachelorette fans when they were like 21  11 years old? I can see if you’re considering applying, then watching the current season. But unless these guys grew up watching the show with their mom, there’s no way they know who she is other than whatever clips/articles they can unearth by Googling. Her “shows” aren’t available to watch anywhere! This is exactly the same thing that happened with Arie. All the middle-aged female viewers remembered they thought he was hot, but like a decade later, the contestants and newer viewers were all, Who’s this poor man’s Mr Rogers?

Fixed it for you

[leighdear]

18 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

 her sex in the ocean with Juan Pablo was a first for the series. 

Sorry, but Ben & Courtney had sex in the ocean in Puerto Rico, 2 seasons before Clare & JP.  

The dodgeball didn't bother me.  And they guys were in a CLOSED resort, walking about 500 feet from the gym, back to the gathering room where the rest of the guys were. 

On Chris's season, they made the girls drive tractors, in bikinis, bouncing their way down a public street in LA, in the middle of the afternoon.  Lucky Ashley I won that fabulous competition. 

Andi had the guys do a strip tease on her season, with a few contestant friends.  Marcus I remember best.  

Humiliation is a given, and these folks know it full well.  EVERY.SINGLE.SEASON

None of that crap they do is abuse.  Consent is the word and it's always been given by these famehogs.   

Edited October 21, 2020 by leighdear

[seacliffsal]

I couldn't remember if Courtney and Ben were first or Clare and JP, so I took a shot...  Courtney and Ben could have influenced Clare in that Courtney was Ben's #1 for however long they lasted.

Edited October 22, 2020 by seacliffsal

[nlkm9]

7 hours ago, Thumper said:

I missed seeing the first guy, but saw the second guy.  I am not a longtime viewer of these shows.  Was he supposed to have researched her?  I thought the point of the show was to get to know each other.  I did not understand that conversation.

He told her he applied to be on the show because it was specifically her and it was obvious he was lying !

[plotpointer]

After watching these past two episodes, I think the producers should have realized that Clare is not mentally stable to be the Bachelorette.  I'm not talking cooky crazy, but I'm noticing enough mental instability to understand that this isn't the right fit.   

Clare seems to have gotten quite a bit of therapy.  She says all the right catch phrases, affirmations, and mantras.  But for all her proclamations of security, I actually see a boat load of insecurities.   What's worse, she can't just live in the moment.  Clare is constantly try to predict the future -- as if she's clairvoyant (no pun intended) -- instead of just enjoying the ride.  Yes, we all rely on our gut, our instincts to some extent, but there's no way to completely avoid failure or being hurt.   I think she's been hurt so much in the past that she's trying to take complete control of her future -- but of course that's impossible.

 

  

[ramble]

Well that was gross. This franchise never fails to lower their standards. Eww and no. Disrespectful really isn’t a word that holds much weight when talking about any of these shows but I found the boy’s bare balls disrespectful - to the guys, the unfortunate crew, and the viewers, especially the right reasons one (that’s not me) that want to believe that true love can be found. Claire put your eyes back in your head, guys pull up your pants and no one do the naked hug. 

Is time passing completely differently in the quarantine thunderdome? Hang out with a guy in a group and make small talk and then go on a date and demand that all he share all his deep, dark secrets and issues that in the real world would come up only after a few months of therapy. That’s the opposite of trashy fun TV. 

I can not tell these guys apart. Somehow they all look remarkably the same. It’s like someone took a Ken doll mold and made only minor changes as each was taken out of the mold. Add some stubble there, give that one some glasses, press on a tattoo. I know Dale because Claire just met her husband y’all! I know Bennett because he has the sweet suite. And I know the anesthesiologist because when he got out of the limo my daughter was walking through the room and was skeptical that an anesthesiologist would be on this show. She has a friend who’s dad is one and pointed out that he makes amazing money, has smarts, and, if he wanted, has the opportunity to meet all kinds of singles. So now I think of him as the “anesthesiologist.”

ETA:  Shout out to those of you referencing “Ess ok” in your comments. It never fails to make me giggle. My kids and I still say that to each other when we really mean whatever, shut up  

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by ramble

[tinkerbell]

I'm stunned that any of these guys are seriously interested in clare.  She's nice looking, but it's clear she would be very high maintenance as a girlfriend, in terms of needing a guy to use ALL of the 'love languages ' to prove their worthiness on a regular basis.  Surely these guys have other options.

Sending Brandon home early was weird . He wasn't able to tell her what she wanted to hear,  to praise her spirit, so she has no interest in getting to know HIM.  Is she even interested in finding a guy thats a good match for her? Or just a bunch of guys to worship her, so she can reject them all?

Edited October 22, 2020 by tinkerbell

[Jax7917]

9 hours ago, Thumper said:

I missed seeing the first guy, but saw the second guy.  I am not a longtime viewer of these shows.  Was he supposed to have researched her?  I thought the point of the show was to get to know each other.  I did not understand that conversation.

Clare came off looking really bratty , arrogant, immature And insecure this episode , particularly when she sent a guy packing because he said he came on the show because she’s absolutely beautiful and wanted to get to know her more . According to her logic , he should have admired seeing her tell Juan Pablo off and tell him he’d be a terrible father because he rejected her , which is literally the basis of the show . You send 25 packing and get engaged to one at the end . But she can NEVER handle rejection , so Juan Pablo just had to be told off because she’s a “strong 🙄 “ woman . 

And then all the guys are rude for not jumping to steal her instantly , but she’s not rude at all for interrupting the one suitor who’s actually interested in talking to her by cutting him off mid sentence to say that she can’t believe the other guys didn’t jump to steal her away ( when really she only cared about the fact that Dale didn’t ) and gets up and walks away from him only to leave with Dale instead of going back to that guy after . 
She thinks she’s so strong But she’s coming off as an insecure and needy whiner . 

[Arkay]

I had written a longish post that disappeared into the ether, so I'll do a TL;DR version.

If I were a guy in my 20s or 30s that was truly looking for love,  I would grab my face mask and hitchhike out of there. It's a no-win situation for all but Dale. She's branded him with "HUSBAND" and therefore none of the rest can do right by her. For instance, the one who couldn't come up with any reason to be there other than she is beautiful. She was so scornful that he hadn't praised her strength or whatever. Yet if he'd done that instead, she'd probably be pissed that he didn't think she was pretty. 

I can imagine them sticking around if just to bro' out with the guys and have some  fun in a mid-range California hotel. If any of these young men are sincerely looking for a wife and family, they'd better really love Clare. Unfair it may be, but she doesn't have much time left to conceive naturally. That's fine and there are options, but for a young man, why bother with a high-maintenance, inflexible drama queen when the world is still their oyster and there are young, beautiful, fertile, intelligent women on every corner?

Someone earlier posted that they should have had divorced, 50-ish men as contestants. That is so true. 

[GracieK]

Clare is a weird combination of too needy, too picky, and a horrible judge of character. She desperately wants a man to fawn all over her but when they do she loses interest. She was into JP, and then the dude on Winter Games who was a jerk while Benoit was giving her the attention she craves - she shunned him. Only to announce her engagement to Benoit because I guarantee she liked the “story” of it more than the man himself. And now with Dale, his disinterest couldn’t be more obvious. 

This is why you’re still single at 39 Clare. The therapy hasn’t helped you.

And it’s a shame because she is in many other ways more mature and articulate than we’ve had in a Bachelorette in awhile. 
 

Edited October 22, 2020 by GracieK

[Kiss my mutt]

I think Claire has some daddy issues. 

Does this show pay their contestants to be there and the longer you stay, the more money kind of deal?

[lynxfx]

So is the goal to throw up as many red flags as you can and see how many guys ignore them and stick around? Clare is way too self absorbed.

Her chat with the guy that was sent home is all you need to know about her. She came in thinking she was some celebrity that every guy should be a crazed super fan. She hasn't provided a fresh reason for anyone to want to get to know her. Everything is about her past and really only the past as ot relates to this franchise. Kudos to the guy for not researching her. You are supposed to get know each other on the show. (Equally bad that she apparently googled all the guys ahead of time) Now where he did fail is not even having an answer or thinking on his feet to say something like he wanted to be fresh and learn everything about her in person. He kinda started with talking about where she was from but got cut off. 

I don't know, this whole season is just awkward and cringy. So of course I'm going to still watch it for the train wreck it will be. 

Clark Kent is my favorite. He even sports a superman curl in that closing clip. 

[MoonMountain]

She is so caught up in her "strong woman" narrative. Certainly there is nothing wrong with being strong, but you can be a strong woman and a kind woman at the same time. She's scolding these guys for not living up to her expectations, when they don't even know what her expectations are because half of them have never even spoken to her. She is super uptight, and seems a little neurotic (I'm neurotic myself, and this season is not doing a very good job of distracting me from my own issues). 

And she was just nasty to Brandon, in my opinion. In normal circumstances, if a guy went on a date with a woman and admitted he'd googled the crap out of her and knew her entire life story, she'd call him a stalker and run the other way. But Clare seems to think unnecessarily highly of herself, her ego is a bit inflated. This whole season so far just seems so DIRE. I can't imagine anyone is having a really stellar time at this point.

This show in general has been trending toward the idea that anyone on the show is automatically in love with whoever the lead is. I think I really started noticing it around Jojo's season, my friend and I used to yell at the TV, "HOW CAN THEY TELL YOU ALL OF THE THINGS THEY LOVE ABOUT YOU, THEY DON'T EVEN KNOOOOW YOU!!!!" And it's only gotten worse from there. I suppose we have social media to thank for that. It would be interesting if they reformatted the casting to be new people every time, or at least if they stopped announcing who it was ahead of time, and literally waited until the first episode with the limos to do the reveal. That might not be sustainable long-term, but I bet they could get viewers hyped up about a "mystery" Bachelor....

 

[waving feather]

2 hours ago, MoonMountain said:

That might not be sustainable long-term, but I bet they could get viewers hyped up about a "mystery" Bachelor....

They do this 99% of the time on the Australian franchise. The viewers would know from the media but the contestants don't know who it's going to be until they step out of the limo. Granted, that show is also going down the hill these past seasons but they mostly cast "new" Bachelors and Bachelorettes. No demerit points were given if they knew nothing about the lead and the lead certainly doesn't mind if no one knew them either.

Clare has a big and a fragile ego, the worst combination. Clare is so pretty and she seems charming and bubbly when you first get to know her but she loves the drama, so eventually it will come. When people were excited about Clare finding true love before the season started, I'd already guessed it's going to be a trainwreck based on what I saw on Winter Games. She was hot and cold with that one German dude. And then settled with Benoit after for a minute. She said she knows what she wants. I doubt it based on how she's been acting. 

[nittany cougar]

13 hours ago, CindyBee said:

So add in the fact that he's tall and an ex football player, Clare has created this PERFECT guy in her mind.    Time will tell just how perfect he really is.  

Seeing how vain and immature Clare is, I I think former NFL player and the body are key to her "falling in love" immediately with Dale.  I was in line next to a former NFL quarterback once at the airport, and his body was impressive, very tall and all lean muscle. It definitely stood out compared to regular people, even guys who work out. I would imagine Dale's form would be similar.

Edited October 22, 2020 by nittanycougar

[Wandering Snark]

I'm so glad y'all saved me from watching this week! I checked out at the concept of each individually praising her when they don't even know her. Talk about unrealistic expectations. To hear of the therapy date and naked dodgeball? Yeah, I'm glad I bailed when I did.

I'd also not quite grasped that all 'dates' etc. would be on the grounds! What a very limiting factor compared to the usual. I bet the guys would be going stir crazy after a few weeks. I wonder if anyone will try to make a break for it and an alarm will sound and he'll be hunted down by dogs.

[DEL901]

50 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

I'm so glad y'all saved me from watching this week! I checked out at the concept of each individually praising her when they don't even know her. Talk about unrealistic expectations. To hear of the therapy date and naked dodgeball? Yeah, I'm glad I bailed when I did.

I'd also not quite grasped that all 'dates' etc. would be on the grounds! What a very limiting factor compared to the usual. I bet the guys would be going stir crazy after a few weeks. I wonder if anyone will try to make a break for it and an alarm will sound and he'll be hunted down by dogs.

And add to that timeline, two weeks of quarantine.