S25.E01: Week 1

[Arkay]

I like Matt more than I expected. He seems humble, confused and a little overwhelmed. It's been a long time since we've had a rookie, even though he's Bachelor-adjacent. I loved that he started with a prayer and a Bible quote, and that he spoke about his biracial background right out of the gate. His body is impressive but I don't think his face is so gorgeous. He's got his mother's strong features. 

Ugh, even though I know there are always the loonies, I just couldn't stomach the vibrator girl or the queen girl. Overplaying their shtick. That girl with the short dress is beautiful but way too self-involved. Thanks to the poster who said that her mother is Cynthia Rowley. I didn't know that, so I can see now she's a very specific type of NYC rich girl. 

I love that the deaf girl got the first impression rose. It seems to be genetic in her family and that is something for a potential husband to consider, so I hope it's not a stumbling block. 

Some extremely beautiful women, but I'm in love with that chateau. So much more grand than the regular mansion, not to mention La Quinta.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Arkay

[tinkerbell]

dildo-girl (that's her name, right? it is now) definitely looked like Vanessa Bayer.  And I thought it was very inappropriate.  If a guy brought a sex toy to show the bachelorette, it would be sleazy and crass.  And then she keeps it with her all evening, talking about it. yuck.  and we get a black box, everyone else had to look at her dildo.  

And the "queen" gave him a bracelet she had made.  It looked like something she made for her best friend in 4th grade.  

I don't see why they can't come up with some way to insure that the lead gets a few minutes with each person, instead  of having them "steal"  the lead from each other.  

[SallyAlbright]

So many long, wavy heavy hair extensions, makeup, fillers and big teeth. Most of them are attractive but in an "instagram face" way that I find really boring. So many of them looked alike that I had a horrible time trying to remember names and occupations, so I didn't envy Matt that job! The handful with short hair, curly hair or some other defining feature really stood out in a good way. 

Vibrator girl and messy drunk Queen girl can both go. Not cute, not funny, not interesting. I keep trying to imagine if a male contestant acted like either of those two towards a Bachelorette, and I can't imagine he'd last the first night. 

Matt seems relatively normal and nice, I hope these "ladies" don't eat him alive! 

[adore]

48 minutes ago, Arkay said:

I like Matt more than I expected. He seems humble, confused and a little overwhelmed. It's been a long time since we've had a rookie, even though he's Bachelor-adjacent. I loved that he started with a prayer and a Bible quote, and that he spoke about his biracial background right out of the gate. His body is impressive but I don't think his face is so gorgeous. He's got his mother's strong features. 

Ugh, even though I know there are always the loonies, I just couldn't stomach the vibrator girl or the queen girl. Overplaying their shtick. That girl with the short dress is beautiful but way too self-involved. Thanks to the poster who said that her mother is Cynthia Rowley. I didn't know that, so I can see now she's a very specific type of NYC rich girl. 

I love that the deaf girl got the first impression rose. It seems to be genetic in her family and that is something for a potential husband to consider, so I hope it's not a stumbling block. 

Some extremely beautiful women, but I'm in love with that chateau. So much more grand than the regular mansion, not to mention La Quinta.

I really liked Abigail. I was watching the season preview and didn't see her on any of the highlighted romantic dates. I hope this doesn't mean she leaves earier than expected (and the newbies and crazy drama queens dominate for several weeks!).

[tinkerbell]

8 minutes ago, SallyAlbright said:

So many long, wavy heavy hair extensions, makeup, fillers and big teeth.

I forgot to mention that -  the hair extensions!  When women get those super-long extensions, it seems they just CANNOT STOP petting, stroking, patting, twirling, their hair.  

[TomGirl]

From Wikipedia re: Kit and her mother, Cynthia Rowley:

Rowley's first husband was photographer Tom Sullivan, who died of brain cancer at the age of 32 in 1994.[20] Rowley married William Keenan Jr., a Brooklyn sculptor, with whom she had a daughter, Kit Clementine Keenan(1999). Keenan released her own line of clothing in 2018, titled KIT. In 2019 Cynthia and her daughter Kit created a podcast together called Ageless.[21] After Rowley and Keenan Jr. separated, she married William (Bill) Powers, an art dealer, owner of the Half Gallery in Manhattan's Upper East Side, and writer, on September 17, 2005, at the home of photographer Peter Beard.[3][22]

[Blueberry Snobal]

According to Big Blonde Hair, Kit was wearing one of Cynthia Rowley’s designs.

[chocolatine]

My first impression of Matt is that he seems a bit dull, but I hope it was just nerves and we'll see more of his personality over the next few weeks. The chat with his mother about vulnerability was painfully awkward, and her makeup was like a train wreck from which I couldn't look away.

I liked most of the women; notable exceptions being vibrator girl and the "queen." The latter has to be a producer plant. She's so unattractive that I'm sure she would not have made the first cut otherwise if she had applied on her own.

Mari looks a lot like Courtney Robertson, the "winner" of Ben Flapjack's season. I think she'll go far, along with the Deaf lady, the half-Persian, and the lady who brought the pickup truck.

3 hours ago, dizzyd said:

There were two girls wearing the same dress. 

And TPTB made them stand one behind the other at the RC so that they'd always be in the same shot. They never miss the opportunity to humiliate.

The location looks fantastic; if I were Clare or Tayshia I'd be seething right now.

[nickp1991]

this season of the bachelor looks good

[seacliffsal]

(small voice) I actually liked the La Quinta in the previous season-it's just that they were there during the summer (!!!) and that none of the "dates" were that creative or off of the property.  Okay, now I'm moving on... This property was also beautiful-I really appreciated the lushness of it.  However, the elegance of the property did not translate into an overall elegant selection of contestants.

Am so over all of the gimmicks, but Matt seemed to appreciate them.  I agree with an above poster that Matt looks very different in different scenes.  I think that his beard line is too high on his cheeks.  I also found him to be kind of boring-I wonder if he is used to getting by on his looks.  And, as a model, it seems like he should be more comfortable in front of the cameras.

The laugh out loud moment for me was when Chris introduced Matt and said "America here is your bachelor" and the mics picked up...crickets. 

I am always amazed by the women who do not attempt to speak with the Bachelor and then lament that they might be going home.  Do they think that they are so very special that he will seek them out?  Or, do they decide they're actually not interested and therefore want to ensure being sent home.  I was really surprised that the ballerina did not seek him out as I initially thought she was there for the exposure (because of her dancing in the hallway, etc.). 

I think this will be a true train wreck as the women seem almost overly invested in him and the drama that will result from this will be amazing.  I actually hope that Matt finds someone he loves and will be happy with this experience journey (sorry, had a temporary memory lapse).  His mother also seems really nice and sincere.

[Laurie4H]

The prerequisite to be a contestant seems to be nice body, decent face, and really white teeth.  “The Queen” didn’t seem to have any of them.  Also she was shiny and sweaty looking when everyone else is powder fresh.  Are we supposed to believe she is a legit contestant and Matt gave her the rose by his own choice?  You think the dildo girl came up with that schtick or did the producers give it to her?  Or maybe they give the ideas and leave it up to the women to choose who does what.  Everything is so predictable now.  As soon as they started introducing us to Matt I said first clip will be him running with his shirt off.  And it was.  

[TVMovieBuff]

Some of these women looked HARD. Especially that blonde. At first look. After a few minutes, I could pick some out who didn't look rode hard and put away wet. 

It is the times, but I liked the Bachelor in the old days when they had some real-looking women on. Someone like Ashley Hebert or Holly Durst would never be on today.

[watchingtvaddict]

13 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Matt’s really laying it all out on the table right away, saying a prayer and talking about his history being biracial right on night one. I can appreciate that, especially if faith is such a big part of his life and is important to him in a partner, that’s something to talk about right away in a dating pressure cooker like this. 

Can we take a shot every time he mentions his ethnic background/ being a POC/ race relations in America? I'm here for some light hearted entertainment I don't want to think about serious things... 

[meatball77]

Ok, so the queen was obnoxious but she wasn't wrong when she told those women they needed to get up and go see Matt.  It was actually good advise.  Then they're whining because they didn't get to speak to him so they aren't getting a rose.  I do wonder if some of the gals that don't go talk to the bachelor don't bother because they just didn't feel it with them.  Maybe his prayer turned them off (which is fine) and they didn't make an effort on purpose.

 

[vmcd88]

Loving this season already.   It will be a real dumpster fire.    Vibrator girl could have been funny if she knew when to quit.  I don't get how the women come all the way there to meet the guy and end up not even having a conversation with him.  It's the first night.  You know how this thing works. Go tap him on the should and and steal him for a moment.  No way he chose that Queen chick on his own.  Producer pick for sure.  I already want to know...who makes Matt cry? 

[eyelash]

11 hours ago, tinkerbell said:

dildo-girl (that's her name, right? it is now)   

Yep, forever and always.  Her family must be so proud!  If she ever marries, just think of the wedding toasts --whoops, I mean the "cheers" the groom will endure.  Not to mention any eventual kids being confronted with Mommy's moniker.  

[TVMovieBuff]

I may or may not even watch this whole season. I will make up my mind when the show comes on. Last night I only saw the last 45 minutes. That was enough to get the idea. 

I want it to be a brainless dating show. I don't need a racial/ethnic seminar with everything I watch. 

[Recyclorette]

12 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Matt's okay, but he's no Taye. 

Needs more swagger, less hesitancy. 

Homegirl from Carolina seems to have a leg up, as it were. 

Agree.  I hope he can dig down into that gorgeous body and pull out a bit of personality.  

[TiredMe]

2 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

  You think the dildo girl came up with that schtick or did the producers give it to her?  Or maybe they give the ideas and leave it up to the women to choose who does what.  Everything is so predictable now.  As soon as they started introducing us to Matt I said first clip will be him running with his shirt off.  And it was.  

Well according to twitter dildo girl was posting about needing sex on tiktok and having sex with ghosts over the summer before this was taped so I think this is how she gets followers. Prob all her idea.

[Dottie D]

I needed mindless fluff so I had the television on in the background.

My thoughts:  Were these women actually screaming in anticipation of meeting Matt?! Grow up!

Bra and panty girl:  crass and inappropriate

Vibrator girl:  crass and inappropriate

The Queen:  girl, go home!  You're truly not all that. You know he was told to pick her.

When all the women were grouped for the rose ceremony, I swear i was watching the evening gown competition of a beauty pageant.  There were way too many contestants.

My favorite part is always the rose ceremony where the look of desperation overcomes the women.

 

[Dehumidifier]

1 hour ago, vmcd88 said:

... I don't get how the women come all the way there to meet the guy and end up not even having a conversation with him.  It's the first night.  You know how this thing works. Go tap him on the should and and steal him for a moment. ..

I think some of them think it will be fun but then they get turned off by the whole scene -- the horde of women, the neckline competition, the cattiness starting at the cocktail party (or maybe before) and decide they'd rather head home.

[Dehumidifier]

Kitt's dress was notable not just for being short. It didn't have a low neckline. Granted she didn't appear to have much to show off in that area, but it was a refreshing difference.

[EtheltoTillie]

The Queen chick was like that crazy girl in your college dorm. 

[Kiss my mutt]

3 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

The prerequisite to be a contestant seems to be nice body, decent face, and really white teeth.  “The Queen” didn’t seem to have any of them.  Also she was shiny and sweaty looking when everyone else is powder fresh.  Are we supposed to believe she is a legit contestant and Matt gave her the rose by his own choice?  You think the dildo girl came up with that schtick or did the producers give it to her?  Or maybe they give the ideas and leave it up to the women to choose who does what.  Everything is so predictable now.  As soon as they started introducing us to Matt I said first clip will be him running with his shirt off.  And it was.  

Lol and of course the obligatory shower scene! 
I couldn’t get over the Asian girl’s stank face when she was complaining she didn’t get to talk to Matt during the rose ceremony. The blonde girl with brown eyes who kinda looked like JoJo as she looked at him with her pleading puppy dog eyes and quivering to pick her looked like she was gonna pee her pants in anticipation. 
I’m pretty curious to know what happened with Matt’s father and if he was ever with them at all. 

[Crashcourse]

14 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

That’s so funny that you said that. I just told my husband a Few minutes ago that I find this to be one of the worst looking batch of contestants that I can remember . I’m sure that’ll change as the season goes on though . 

Yeah, I agree.  I think I saw about five that are really attractive, but most of them are just average-looking with a pile of hair and makeup.   

[Arkay]

1 hour ago, TiredMe said:

Well according to twitter dildo girl was posting about needing sex on tiktok and having sex with ghosts over the summer before this was taped so I think this is how she gets followers. Prob all her idea.

Ugh, I'm retching. I can't imagine this was a producer idea because I believe that would be crossing a boundary. Some kind of sexual harassment. And if anything, it may have been a limo-exit gimmick, but she literally carried it and referenced it all through the show. Sex with ghosts. Please leave. 

[saber5055]

11 minutes ago, Kiss my mutt said:

Lol and of course the obligatory shower scene! 

I HATE those. It reminds me of Sean Lowe's season, where the camera person came into the shower with him to film, and yes, he says he was totally naked but it was okay because the camera woman was a lesbian. *sigh* This show ...

About everyone looking alike: Jimmy Kimmel's wife always does her picks for finals and winner the first night of every season. Last night she ended up with five photos of women who looked exactly alike, same hair color, same hair part, same hair extensions. She even commented on it, and had to read names off the back of each picture since she couldn't tell them apart either.

That's why I like Kitt with the different short non-glittery dress. And some seasons ago, a b-ette actually had bangs so I could tell her from the others.

I guess I'm at the table for one because my guy doesn't have to have 12-pack abs, and I don't find them all that attractive.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Does Mari remind anyone of newsperson Bianna Golodryga, who used to be on ABC?  These pictures don't really do it justice ... I saw the resemblance more during the show.

Victoria is the type of woman who even a horny guy at a bar would say "No, I think I'll pass."  Ewww.

I also appreciated Kit's look and her dress and boots. Refreshing and fun. She is too young though.

Abigail and the kisses were so sweet. I really like her and them together.

I also like Magi from Ethiopia.

Kudos to whoever brought the stool to stand up next to Matt. I would have said, "Do you mind if I stand on this step?" to accomplish the same thing. Your neck has to really hurt if you are petite to look up to him.

 

 

[Rainsong]

It’s been some time since any contact with the Bachelor ecosystem – not least because the ecosystem resembles an EPA Superfund site with poison, radioactivity and, er, glass from broken mirrors, smashed phones and wine goblets littering the ground.  It was inevitable that a critical mass of alumni over enough time would make “news” (quotes intentional) as they carried on with life and relationships.

The media have meticulously blurred the lines between publicity – as in press releases from reps reprinted verbatim – and actual newsworthy events such as a wedding or the birth of a child.  Some so-called celebrities subsist entirely on PR disguised as news.  The public’s interest in and affection for a Chrissy Teigen, for example, is in inverse proportion to her actual merit, charisma and talents.  Yet a hapless alien visiting this planet might conclude she was president, empress and pope based on the volume of coverage of her spectacularly unspectacular and repellent personage.

But, as we know, social media is the gasoline of celebrity culture.  Its toxic fumes benumb the powers of reason and convince many that more, more, more is always better.  Both the Bachelor producers and the participants claim they can pour petrol on their little tinder pile of publicity and control the resulting blaze but secretly both parties hope for a wildfire of social media posts and stories worth a fortune but for which they don’t have to pay a cent.

Snark could be defined as cynicism combined with humor as demonstrated across these pages but in Anno Domini 2021 participants in The Bachelor franchise are cynical to a fault with no discernible humor involved.  These people take themselves VERY seriously, steeped as they are in the self-esteem culture.  Pensive poses, the odd monochrome shot and the surfeit of treacly cod philosophy in scripty font (eg ‘Be the best version of yourself’) are a substitute for originality and genuine sentiment.  Like Linus Van Pelt standing in a pumpkin patch, we may seek sincerity but after all this time we have given up on finding any.  Bachelorites of both sexes don’t seem to grasp that ‘empowerment’ is marked by a prefix denoting an external locus of control ie they are obtaining it from an outside source.

This is all a long way of saying that the newer crop of contestants all have tongue planted firmly in cheek as they mug knowingly for the Steadicams.  Their dreams are not of ‘finding love’™ but of Instagram follower counts spinning up like a car’s odometer.  Why be a [insert occupation here] when you can be an influencer?  They don’t want their phones to call Mom, they want to check likes and follows.  Vulnerability is a premeditated means to an end.  They know very well that, despite the constant exhortations and attempts to compete for The Bachelor’s attention and to reach the final, playing the role of Maleficent or Snow White and leaving in earlier weeks can raise one’s profile just as readily – not least because they know so many of the engagements and even marriages have failed (quickly) once the klieg lights are off and the vapors have dissipated.

In most foreign iterations of the franchise none of the persons involved from producers to participants are under any illusions that ‘finding a wife’ is the objective and therefore they don’t even try.  Points for honesty and realism there.

In sum:  if they’re not going to take it seriously then we aren’t obligated to either.  Comments about their dress, appearance, utterances, actions may seem cruel or gratuitous at times but if Fleiss, Harrison and their PR machine treat the whole thing like a coarse pro wrestling circuit with 2-D designated heroines and villains then we are entitled to respond in kind with a clear(er) conscience.  I, for one, am not a misanthrope or a sociopath but laughing at the human condition has always required a cold, dry eye and a thick skin.  So be it.

 

And now….here’s Matt.  A Tar Heel now a New Yorker.  Memo to Matt:  your compass is pointed in the wrong direction, mate.  He’s a commercial real estate broker?  In New York?  This is akin to operating a beer truck outside the Salt Lake Temple.  It may seem like there’s a lot of business out there but it’s an illusion as the city empties out, perhaps permanently.

I suppose it was bound to happen – TB’s base of operations is a place I know fairly well, having visited numerous times.  The Laurel Highlands are beautiful and offer a drastic change in elevation (from the Monongahela Valley) not usually encountered in the Eastern US where mountains are typically preceded by rolling terrain and foothills.

You may have seen the iconic red circle logo of 84 Lumber signs or stores.  Founded by one Joe Hardy, 84 became a behemoth in the construction trade and Mr Hardy became a VERY wealthy individual although one still genuinely humble and hilariously profane even as he reaches his 97th birthday (!).  His daughter Maggie has assumed command and is equally minted.  Nemacolin is his playground, hewn out of some very rough terrain.  I should have sought out Maggie to buy her a 200 year old single malt Scotch the last time I played golf there.  She could be the first Sugar Mama.  Ring me, Maggie!  

The recently deceased Pete Dye was the most in-demand architect of golf courses in the world for several decades (TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island et al) and contracted by Hardy to create a course at Nemacolin Resort.  Dye surveyed the site and saw hundreds of huge boulders the size of houses strewn across the property.  Dye reported to Hardy that constructing a course would be impossible since the rocks would have to be removed at prohibitive cost before the first shovel of dirt could be turned over.  ‘How much to remove them?’ Hardy asked.  ‘Forty million dollars at least,’ replied Dye.

The boulders were removed.

The rest of the resort is equally of the spare-no-expense variety.  It features its own airstrip and the private planes arriving are a damned sight newer, faster and more expensive than a biplane.

Fair play to Matt for playing DI football as a Demon Deacon but fairer play to Matt’s mom!  Crikey.  Lean and lithe and all the more striking with the silver hair.  Leather pants aren’t for the faint of heart or the fullness of leg.  She need be concerned with neither of these.  That also appears to be a very large stone on the third finger of the left hand.  Neil Lane, eat your heart out.  Single mom perhaps but not a single woman!

The girls ‘don’t know what to expect’ and that’s, well, expected when being flown into SW PA.  Pittsburgh’s airport, with its dozens of darkened, abandoned gates due to a lack of air and foot traffic, is a somewhat depressing welcome.  One wonders why they weren’t flown directly to Nemacolin but then one remembers that coach airfare on American fits the production budget a hell of a lot better than a NetJets booking.

Speaking of budgets, filming locations at beauty spots in the West and in foreign nations have often involved some fairly spartan accommodations even with the tit-for-tat promotional deals.  But there are no spartan rooms at Nemacolin.  Mr Hardy wouldn’t have it.

Alicia is a NY ballerina dancing inexplicably in an elevator lobby.  Given the dim long-term prospects for live performance in NYC she can be excused for dancing in semi-public elsewhere.

Abigail is deaf…and plucky…and has smartly found an excuse to flee Portland’s ills.  Australia/New Zealand Bachelorette Lily was also hearing-impaired but had a huge personality.  She was so entertaining on the first go on The Bachelor NZ that she was brought back as a (planned) co-Bachelorette NZ for her own season and easily outshone her co-star, not least because her co-star was an indecisive drip.

Kristin’s a lawyer.  Bachelor lawyers are often a bolshy handful. 

Magi arrives just a week past the Christmas season and robs us of the opportunity to make bad puns about the Three Wise Men bearing gifts.  She’s an Ethiopian pharmacist – a background the casting agents probably couldn’t devise even after several bottles of wine.

Chicago Anna is the person you dread sitting near on a flight.  Too much, too loud.  Sarah is dealing with her father’s ALS.  It’s not clear if quarantine is taking place at the resort but the stir-crazy behavior including dancing alone indicate this is the case.

Matt is in a dinner jacket and bow tie.  A classic look.  He wants to talk to CH before meeting the women?  Doubtful.  Matt doesn’t know what to expect?  Equally doubtful.  I believe the term we’re looking for here is padding as in ‘we’ve got 2 hours of airtime and 1.5 hours of footage.’

Bri says she’s heard so much about TB but…she doesn’t know his name?  Odd.  Georgian Rachel makes it 2-for-2 in the emerald dress parade.  She’s either a Hannah Sluss pure-and-innocent type or she’s a maneater prepared to claw and scratch as needed.  Sarah TV is sequined, Jessenia is already issuing demands.  Chelsea is from Brooklyn and almost as tall as Matt.  Mari’s dress is cut down to the tops of her stripper heels.  All have obviously been rehearsing their chat-up lines in their isolation but the deliveries are uniformly awkward.

The second limo always seems more fun, doesn’t it?  Given the real-time delays of shooting and reshooting entrances (we’ve seen some late ‘nights’ in which the rising sun appears) it must mean the second wave of girls are making good use of the free prosecco.

Magi reappears – he won’t have a prayer of remembering your full name, love, sorry.  Full marks to Sydney who eschews cheesy doggerel and declares Matt the hottest.  Simple and direct.  But Kristin breaks the spell quickly with her groan-inducing lawyerese.  Oh no, it’s Anna again and oh no, she’s brought props.  Khaylah has probably spent half her life correcting the spelling of her name.  She arrives in an old Ford pickup for reasons unknown as the background music changes self-consciously to generic honky tonk.  North Carolina?  With 11 million state residents, what are the chances (cue rolling of eyes) of two of them encountering one another elsewhere?  Serena C wears heels through airports, jetways and narrow aisles every day at work but trips climbing a single step.  Good ice breaker though.  Serena P may need to strap the footstool to her back for future use.  Alicia is going to beat us over the head with the ballet thing, isn’t she?  I can see that getting very old very quickly including among her peers who might smack her with a toe shoe.

Are we meant to call Saneh ‘Goat?’  ‘Hooves?’  ‘Nanny?’  Alana is from Canada also.  Isn’t the border closed good and tight?  It should be to spare us from a Lady & The Tramp sketch.  ‘It was playful…it was cute.’  If you say so.  Kaili arrives half naked.  She’s a hostess (ahem) from Chicago.  With the hip tattoo and the fearless wearing of lace undergarments we can be excused for thinking her gig may be at Tiffany’s Cabaret near O’Hare.  The cats are meowing now.

Abigail, Corrinne are anodyne enough.  Marylynn lays it on heavy and thick.  Emani seems distracted.  ‘I just want you to know’ seems to be the default preamble and Lauren delivers her version.  How many jokes in school did Pieper have to endure about the spelling and connotations of her name?  Seems to me I would drop the first E at the first opportunity.

Things I’ve learned about hair stylists:  they are fun.  They are flighty.  They are a bit crazy.  The right brain dominates so creativity & unpredictability come in equal measure.  But I would never say so when they're moving around the head and neck with a straight razor.  MJ, then, seems to be a stylist meeting all of these descriptors.  The lameness of the pizza ruse was salvaged by its disastrous execution.  Katie presents a glowing sex toy, as you do, requiring the hasty reappearance of the blackout box before we’ve even seen any revealing swimsuits.  Also revealing is that none of the others are all that shocked to see such an implement.

A silent cheer for Serena P who accurately labels the increasingly elaborate and silly arrivals as ‘gimmicks.’  If Bachelorettes really wanted to win and had really done their homework they would quickly ascertain that the more quiet and mysterious the introduction, the more interested TB becomes.  A slinky walk, a bit of eye contact and a short hello are worth all the props, costumes and cars combined – especially when the props include a tandem bike, a foam fish and a football helmet.

Kit’s go-go dress is a nice departure.  ‘Queen’ Victoria may be unaware that sedan chairs faded away in England about the time the real Queen Victoria acceded to the throne.

Kit already scoring points with her disdain for Vic.  Others are similarly unimpressed.  Let the hissing and scratching commence.  But first – a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it montage of the principals in floods of tears.

Wake Forest is a Baptist institution.  Is the group prayer a first for the show?  It’s a nice touch although it may wrong-foot any atheists in the room who sensibly keep mum for now.  ‘I’m gonna cry’ says one.  But why?

Rachael is giving a very strong Ashlee Frazier vibe.  Ashlee just had her second baby and is well domesticated now but at one point Ashlee was like an obsessive, possessive rattlesnake - beautiful markings and venom in equal measure.  It took a very brave, very lucky Bachelor to pick her up safely by the tail but a nasty bite was always lurking.

Every stilted conversation with Kristin sounds like a job interview.  Matt is saying ‘like’ so often the girls will never match the frequency.  But they’ll try, God help us.  We’re back to Rachael who needs no prop dog bowl – she’s got Matt eating straight out of her hand.  She’s agreeing with everything he says, tilting and bobbing the head, flipping the hair, and leaning in.  Body language 101.  As Mark Twain wrote of Tom Sawyer:  ‘The fresh-crowned hero fell without firing a shot.’

A quick game of chess?  Oh those quirky Canadians.  ‘Pressureful?’  Dunno, Mari, we’ll have to ask the judges on that one.  And Mari should have said ‘Touch my bare skin with a faux phallus again and you’ll have it jammed into your earhole.’  Katie seems unfamiliar with the concept of keeping a joke brief.  Victoria interrupting Kit with the queen/princess line is lame and obviously scripted.  But then so is Victoria.

A first impression rose and multiple kisses for Abigail?!  Get in there, girl.  And nobody would blame you for turning off your cochlear implants around Victoria, who talks entirely too much and too quickly.

Mercifully, the RC arrives but not before a dozen out-of-context shots of girls turning their heads, making them all look furtive.  Is that the first utterance of ‘journey?’  Someone keep a running tally please.

Matt really keeps things suspenseful by making Rachael wait to be the…second person given a rose.  Ah, well, he tried to make it look good.  Kaili’s exposed-skin gambit pays off although she is now clothed.  The Agonies Of Marylynn finally conclude.  Katie?  Ugh.  Anna?  Ugh ugh.

Interestingly, the rose recipients seem to have been chosen in the exact order of preference.  Nothing random about it, especially the tail-end inclusion of Victoria who is such an obvious producer’s plant that she should have to wear a nametag.  To be fair, Alicia was a VERY large red herring with all the video lavished on her in this episode.

The so-called twists presented in the season’s trailer are quite a bit less twisty when tests and quarantine are required for close contact.  People just can’t drop in unannounced so the surprises obviously aren’t surprises.  And there’s a mandatory ambulance shot!  An appropriate conclusion given the times.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Rainsong

[Bluesky]

3 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

Can we take a shot every time he mentions his ethnic background/ being a POC/ race relations in America? I'm here for some light hearted entertainment I don't want to think about serious things... 

Well it is historical, that’s what they keep saying.  The first black bachelor!   Never mind that he is as white as he is black and was raised by his white mother.  Did anyone really expect them to find a nice black family ?  No, they had to stereotype and find a family where the father abandoned them and the white mother is the hero.  He’s not so great that they just had to have him.  

[JenE4]

23 minutes ago, Rainsong said:

It’s been some time since any contact with the Bachelor ecosystem – not least because the ecosystem resembles an EPA Superfund site with poison, radioactivity and, er, glass from broken mirrors, smashed phones and wine goblets littering the ground.  It was inevitable that a critical mass of alumni over enough time would make “news” (quotes intentional) as they carried on with life and relationships.

The media have meticulously blurred the lines between publicity – as in press releases from reps reprinted verbatim – and actual newsworthy events such as a wedding or the birth of a child.  Some so-called celebrities subsist entirely on PR disguised as news.  The public’s interest in and affection for a Chrissy Teigen, for example, is in inverse proportion to her actual merit, charisma and talents.  Yet a hapless alien visiting this planet might conclude she was president, empress and pope based on the volume of coverage of her spectacularly unspectacular and repellent personage.

But, as we know, social media is the gasoline of celebrity culture.  Its toxic fumes benumb the powers of reason and convince many that more, more, more is always better.  Both the Bachelor producers and the participants claim they can pour petrol on their little tinder pile of publicity and control the resulting blaze but secretly both parties hope for a wildfire of social media posts and stories worth a fortune but for which they don’t have to pay a cent.

Snark could be defined as cynicism combined with humor as demonstrated across these pages but in Anno Domini 2021 participants in The Bachelor franchise are cynical to a fault with no discernible humor involved.  These people take themselves VERY seriously, steeped as they are in the self-esteem culture.  Pensive poses, the odd monochrome shot and the surfeit of treacly cod philosophy in scripty font (eg ‘Be the best version of yourself’) are a substitute for originality and genuine sentiment.  Like Linus Van Pelt standing in a pumpkin patch, we may seek sincerity but after all this time we have given up on finding any.  Bachelorites of both sexes don’t seem to grasp that ‘empowerment’ is marked by a prefix denoting an external locus of control ie they are obtaining it from an outside source.

This is all a long way of saying that the newer crop of contestants all have tongue planted firmly in cheek as they mug knowingly for the Steadicams.  Their dreams are not of ‘finding love’™ but of Instagram follower counts spinning up like a car’s odometer.  Why be a [insert occupation here] when you can be an influencer?  They don’t want their phones to call Mom, they want to check likes and follows.  Vulnerability is a premeditated means to an end.  They know very well that, despite the constant exhortations and attempts to compete for The Bachelor’s attention and to reach the final, playing the role of Maleficent or Snow White and leaving in earlier weeks can raise one’s profile just as readily – not least because they know so many of the engagements and even marriages have failed (quickly) once the klieg lights are off and the vapors have dissipated.

In most foreign iterations of the franchise none of the persons involved from producers to participants are under any illusions that ‘finding a wife’ is the objective and therefore they don’t even try.  Points for honesty and realism there.

In sum:  if they’re not going to take it seriously then we aren’t obligated to either.  Comments about their dress, appearance, utterances, actions may seem cruel or gratuitous at times but if Fleiss, Harrison and their PR machine treat the whole thing like a coarse pro wrestling circuit with 2-D designated heroines and villains then we are entitled to respond in kind with a clear(er) conscience.  I, for one, am not a misanthrope or a sociopath but laughing at the human condition has always required a cold, dry eye and a thick skin.  So be it.

 

And now….here’s Matt.  A Tar Heel now a New Yorker.  Memo to Matt:  your compass is pointed in the wrong direction, mate.  He’s a commercial real estate broker?  In New York?  This is akin to operating a beer truck outside the Salt Lake Temple.  It may seem like there’s a lot of business out there but it’s an illusion as the city empties out, perhaps permanently.

I suppose it was bound to happen – TB’s base of operations is a place I know fairly well, having visited numerous times.  The Laurel Highlands are beautiful and offer a drastic change in elevation (from the Monongahela Valley) not usually encountered in the Eastern US where mountains are typically preceded by rolling terrain and foothills.

You may have seen the iconic red circle logo of 84 Lumber signs or stores.  Founded by one Joe Hardy, 84 became a behemoth in the construction trade and Mr Hardy became a VERY wealthy individual although one still genuinely humble and hilariously profane even as he reaches his 97th birthday (!).  His daughter Maggie has assumed command and is equally minted.  Nemacolin is his playground, hewn out of some very rough terrain.  I should have sought out Maggie to buy her a 200 year old single malt Scotch the last time I played golf there.  She could be the first Sugar Mama.  Ring me, Maggie!  

The recently deceased Pete Dye was the most in-demand architect of golf courses in the world for several decades (TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island et al) and contracted by Hardy to create a course at Nemacolin Resort.  Dye surveyed the site and saw hundreds of huge boulders the size of houses strewn across the property.  Dye reported to Hardy that constructing a course would be impossible since the rocks would have to be removed at prohibitive cost before the first shovel of dirt could be turned over.  ‘How much to remove them?’ Hardy asked.  ‘Forty million dollars at least,’ replied Dye.

The boulders were removed.

The rest of the resort is equally of the spare-no-expense variety.  It features its own airstrip and the private planes arriving are a damned sight newer, faster and more expensive than a biplane.

Fair play to Matt for playing DI football as a Demon Deacon but fairer play to Matt’s mom!  Crikey.  Lean and lithe and all the more striking with the silver hair.  Leather pants aren’t for the faint of heart or the fullness of leg.  She need be concerned with neither of these.  That also appears to be a very large stone on the third finger of the left hand.  Neil Lane, eat your heart out.  Single mom perhaps but not a single woman!

The girls ‘don’t know what to expect’ and that’s, well, expected when being flown into SW PA.  Pittsburgh’s airport, with its dozens of darkened, abandoned gates due to a lack of air and foot traffic, is a somewhat depressing welcome.  One wonders why they weren’t flown directly to Nemacolin but then one remembers that coach airfare on American fits the production budget a hell of a lot better than a NetJets booking.

Speaking of budgets, filming locations at beauty spots in the West and in foreign nations have often involved some fairly spartan accommodations even with the tit-for-tat promotional deals.  But there are no spartan rooms at Nemacolin.  Mr Hardy wouldn’t have it.

Alicia is a NY ballerina dancing inexplicably in an elevator lobby.  Given the dim long-term prospects for live performance in NYC she can be excused for dancing in semi-public elsewhere.

Abigail is deaf…and plucky…and has smartly found an excuse to flee Portland’s ills.  Australia/New Zealand Bachelorette Lilly was also hearing-impaired but had a huge personality.  She was so entertaining on the first go on The Bachelor NZ that she was brought back as a (planned) co-Bachelorette NZ for her own season and easily outshone her co-star, not least because her co-star was an indecisive drip.

Kristin’s a lawyer.  Bachelor lawyers are often a bolshy handful. 

Magi arrives just a week past the Christmas season and robs us of the opportunity to make bad puns about the Three Wise Men bearing gifts.  She’s an Ethiopian pharmacist – a background the casting agents probably couldn’t devise even after several bottles of wine.

Chicago Anna is the person you dread sitting near on a flight.  Too much, too loud.  Sarah is dealing with her father’s ALS.  It’s not clear if quarantine is taking place at the resort but the stir-crazy behavior including dancing alone indicate this is the case.

Revisiting the concept of large boulders, let’s locate and navigate around the obvious ones now and leave them permanently behind us in the ATV’s rearview mirror – specifically, skin tone as the fulcrum of all existence, comment and thought.  It’s old.  It’s boring.  It’s trite.  We’ve seen the crossing of racial, cultural and religious lines so often on this and other reality shows that it’s like crossing train tracks.  We may notice the occasional bump but forget it equally quickly.  It’s largely meaningless – literally, lacking meaning.  If they are meant to judge a person as unique individual then why are they reaching any conclusions whatsoever before meeting that person?  Can’t have it both ways, I’m afraid, no matter how many catchphrases are trotted out.

Matt is in a dinner jacket and bow tie.  A classic look.  He wants to talk to CH before meeting the women?  Doubtful.  Matt doesn’t know what to expect?  Equally doubtful.  I believe the term we’re looking for here is padding as in ‘we’ve got 2 hours of airtime and 1.5 hours of footage.’

Bri says she’s heard so much about TB but…she doesn’t know his name?  Odd.  Georgian Rachel makes it 2-for-2 in the emerald dress parade.  She’s either a Hanna Sluss pure-and-innocent type or she’s a maneater prepared to claw and scratch as needed.  Sarah TV is sequined, Jessenia is already issuing demands.  Chelsea is from Brooklyn and almost as tall as Matt.  Mari’s dress is cut down to the tops of her stripper heels.  All have obviously been rehearsing their chat-up lines in their isolation but the deliveries are uniformly awkward.

The second limo always seems more fun, doesn’t it?  Given the real-time delays of shooting and reshooting entrances (we’ve seen some late ‘nights’ in which the rising sun appears) it must mean the second wave of girls are making good use of the free prosecco.

Magi reappears – he won’t have a prayer of remembering your full name, love, sorry.  Full marks to Sydney who eschews cheesy doggerel and declares Matt the hottest.  Simple and direct.  But Kristin breaks the spell quickly with her groan-inducing lawyerese.  Oh no, it’s Anna again and oh no, she’s brought props.  Khaylah has probably spent half her life correcting the spelling of her name.  She arrives in an old Ford pickup for reasons unknown as the background music changes self-consciously to generic honky tonk.  North Carolina?  With 11 million state residents, what are the chances (cue rolling of eyes) of two of them encountering one another elsewhere?  Serena C wears heels through airports, jetways and narrow aisles every day at work but trips climbing a single step.  Good ice breaker though.  Serena P may need to strap the footstool to her back for future use.  Alicia is going to beat us over the head with the ballet thing, isn’t she?  I can see that getting very old very quickly including among her peers who might smack her with a toe shoe.

Are we meant to call Saneh ‘Goat?’  ‘Hooves?’  ‘Nanny?’  Alana is from Canada also.  Isn’t the border closed good and tight?  It should be to spare us from the Lady & The Tramp sketch.  ‘It was playful…it was cute.’  If you say so.  Kaili arrives half naked.  She’s a hostess from Chicago.  With the hip tattoo and the fearless wearing of lace undergarments we can be excused for thinking her gig may be at Tiffany’s Cabaret near O’Hare.  The cats are meowing now.

Abigail, Corrinne are anodyne enough.  Marylynn lays it on heavy and thick.  Emani seems distracted.  ‘I just want you to know’ seems to be the default preamble and Lauren delivers her version.  How many jokes in school did Pieper have to endure about the spelling and connotations of her name?  Seems to me I would drop the first E at the first opportunity.

Things I’ve learned about hair stylists:  they are fun.  They are flighty.  They are a bit crazy.  The right brain dominates so creativity & unpredictability come in equal measure.  But I would never say so when they moving around the head and neck with a straight razor.  MJ, then, seems to be a stylist meeting all of these descriptors.  The lameness of the pizza ruse was salvaged by its disastrous execution.  Katie presents a glowing sex toy, as you do, requiring the hasty reappearance of the blackout box before we’ve even seen any revealing swimsuits.  Also revealing is that none of the others are all that shocked to see such an implement.

A silent cheer for Serena P who accurately labels the increasingly elaborate and silly arrivals as ‘gimmicks.’  If Bachelorettes really wanted to win and had really done their homework they would quickly ascertain that the more quiet and mysterious the introduction, the more interested TB becomes.  A slinky walk, a bit of eye contact and a short hello are worth all the props, costumes and cars combined – especially when the props include a tandem bike, a foam fish and a football helmet.

Kit’s go-go dress is a nice departure.  ‘Queen’ Victoria may be unaware that sedan chairs faded away in England about the time the real Queen Victoria acceded to the throne.

Kit already scoring points with her disdain for Vic.  Others are similarly unimpressed.  Let the hissing and scratching commence.  But first – a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it montage of the principals in floods of tears.

Wake Forest is a Baptist institution.  Is the group prayer a first for the show?  It’s a nice touch although it may wrong-foot any atheists in the room who sensibly keep mum for now.  ‘I’m gonna cry’ says one.  But why?

Rachael is giving a very strong Ashlee Frazier vibe.  Ashlee just had her second baby and is well domesticated now but at one point Ashlee was like an obsessive, possessive rattlesnake - beautiful markings and venom in equal measure.  It took a very brave, very lucky Bachelor to pick her up safely by the tail but a nasty bite was always lurking.

Every stilted conversation with Kristin sounds like a job interview.  Matt is saying ‘like’ so often the girls will never match the frequency.  But they’ll try, God help us.  We’re back to Rachael who needs no prop dog bowl – she’s got Matt eating straight out of her hand.  She’s agreeing with everything he says, tilting and bobbing the head, flipping the hair, and leaning in.  Body language 101.  As Mark Twain wrote of Tom Sawyer:  ‘The fresh-crowned hero fell without firing a shot.’

A quick game of chess?  Oh those quirky Canadians.  ‘Pressureful?’  Dunno, Mari, we’ll have to ask the judges on that one.  And Mari should have said ‘Touch my bare skin with a faux phallus again and you’ll have it jammed into your earhole.’  Katie seems unfamiliar with the concept of keeping a joke brief.  Victoria interrupting Kit with the queen/princess line is lame and obviously scripted.  But then so is Victoria.

A first impression rose and multiple kisses for Abigail?!  Get in there, girl.  And nobody would blame you for turning off your cochlear implants around Victoria, who talks entirely too much and too quickly.

Mercifully, the RC arrives but not before a dozen out-of-context shots of girls turning their heads, making them all look furtive.  Is that the first utterance of ‘journey?’  Someone keep a running tally please.

Matt really keeps things suspenseful by making Rachael wait to be the…second person given a rose.  Ah, well, he tried to make it look good.  Kaili’s exposed-skin gambit pays off although she is now clothed.  The Agonies Of Marylynn finally conclude.  Katie?  Ugh.  Anna?  Ugh ugh.

Interestingly, the rose recipients seem to have been chosen in the exact order of preference.  Nothing random about it, especially the tail-end inclusion of Victoria who is such an obvious producer’s plant that she should have to wear a nametag.  To be fair, Alicia was a VERY large red herring with all the video lavished on her in this episode.

The so-called twists presented in the season’s trailer are quite a bit less twisty when tests and quarantine are required for close contact.  People just can’t drop in unannounced so the surprises obviously aren’t surprises.  And there’s a mandatory ambulance shot!  An appropriate conclusion given the times.

So glad you’re back for this season, Rainsong! Your eloquent, insightful, and humorous recaps are always top notch!

[funnygirl]

One thing I like going into this season is that this is the first time in awhile when the Bachelor (or Bachelorette) is someone fresh and new, having not gone through the process as a previous contestant. (I'm aware that Matt was poised to be a contestant on The Bachelorette) I just think it's more interesting when we see someone go through the journey without knowing how the ways of finding (or manipulating) love on reality tv work. I guess it makes things just a touch more genuine - or as genuine as this process can be. lol 

The location and setup for Matt and the ladies is so much better than what they did for Clare and Tayshia's Bachelorette season. 

Let the games begin! 

Edited January 5, 2021 by funnygirl

[Dehumidifier]

27 minutes ago, Bluesky said:

Well it is historical, that’s what they keep saying.  The first black bachelor!   Never mind that he is as white as he is black and was raised by his white mother.  Did anyone really expect them to find a nice black family ?  No, they had to stereotype and find a family where the father abandoned them and the white mother is the hero.  He’s not so great that they just had to have him.  

Bachelorette veteran Rachel's parents fit your criteria.  

Edited January 5, 2021 by Dehumidifier

[neece26]

Matt was a bit like a deer in headlights but he seems like a genuinely nice guy.  

Dildo woman and lingerie woman would turn off most men seeking a potential wife.  Less is more ladies!  

Victoria was so obnoxious!   I get that the Queen thing is her schtick to get noticed but even her occupation said "Queen".   Does she not have a career?   She is neither attractive or charismatic enough to pull it off.   

 

 

[LennieBriscoe]

1 hour ago, GussieK said:

The Queen chick was like that crazy girl in your college dorm. 

Like the one who would loudly claim to be the serial killer from the basement laundry room? Or spazzily try to imitate Joe Cocker? Or accidentally start a fire---and dorm evacuation---by bending a tensor lamp down over a stuffed animal? 

Oh, wait. That was me! 

Edited January 5, 2021 by LennieBriscoe

[Adeejay]

@Rainsong, glad to have you back.  Hope you stick around all season!

Two questions.  What is the name of the lady who arrived in lingerie and did the lady who "came all the way from Ethiopia to meet Matt" get a rose?  Thanks in advance.  

[RealHousewife]

19 hours ago, DEL901 said:

I wish they had name tags or their names on the screen at this point because I don’t know most names at this point and can’t be bothered to learn them until the numbers come down.  

This is me every season I've watched. 

First thought-wow the place is stunning, Matt is drop dead gorgeous, and so many beautiful women. But yeah, the names are a struggle...

[Rainsong]

 

1 hour ago, Adeejay said:

@Rainsong, glad to have you back.  Hope you stick around all season!

Two questions.  What is the name of the lady who arrived in lingerie and did the lady who "came all the way from Ethiopia to meet Matt" get a rose?  Thanks in advance.  

Cheers.  I hope I do too.  Don't let me down Matt!

Ethiopian pharmacist:  Magi

Tart with a heart:  Kaili

Both received roses.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Rainsong

[Soobs]

Vibrator girl is aggressively fun which is actually is the fastest way to be not fun at all.

Matt seems like a gentleman. He checks all the boxes: works with kids, has great abs, believes in "the process".

Vulnerable is the drinking word for the season.

[Crashcourse]

So far, nobody's "vunnerable."  Thank goodness.

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, Adeejay said:Two questions.  What is the name of the lady who arrived in lingerie and did the lady who "came all the way from Ethiopia to meet Matt" get a rose?  Thanks in advance.  

I too was impressed she came so far for the show and then I read that she has been in the US for 9 years.  

[funnygirl]

12 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

I too was impressed she came so far for the show and then I read that she has been in the US for 9 years.  

Magi had said that in her video package that she came to the US 9 years ago. I think her saying to Matt that she came here from Ethiopia for him was her being cute/cheeky. You know, trying to stand out from the pack like the rest of them and their schticks. 

I can't believe he cut Alicia the ballerina. Massive fail on his part. 

[Haute Messe]

22 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Dildo girl said let’s do a cheers.  Now she’s dead to me. 

That is what did it for you?

8 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

Can we take a shot every time he mentions his ethnic background/ being a POC/ race relations in America? I'm here for some light hearted entertainment I don't want to think about serious things... 

And how about being vulnerable?

I guess "marketing" is the new "pharmaceutical sales" job description of choice.  

Why are there 21 year olds on this show? 

Queen Vic is neither attractive, charming nor funny. Please be gone.

These are officially entered in the Bachelor lexicon (some old, some newer):

It's a lot

I love that

Let's do a cheers

"Like" repeated at least twice in every sentence

Him/her and I 's 

Vulnerable/vunnerable

Edited January 5, 2021 by lizajane
Grammar is important

[jade.black]

I see that I am aggressively on my own here, but Dildo Girl was my fave. I'd totally hang out with her.

Matt James does nothing for me, unfortunately, but at least I actually like him which is a relief after the agony of Colton and then, worse, Pilot Pete. He seemed really nervous, which is not what I expected from his appearances in Tyler Cameron's Insta stories. I liked that he seemed so introspective, articulate, and thoughtful about this, but I hope he becomes a little less reserved and more fun. He had dead eyes throughout the limo entrances, but it might have been him trying to keep it together under pressure. And hey, he doesn't need to be hot to me if he's doing it for these girls which seems to be the case. Why are they so YOUNG though?? I do not want to watch Tayshia/Clare's men in their mid-30s hitting on 24 year olds on BiP.

It's early days and never have I picked up on what I'd call a "winner's edit" before (at least not on the Bach night 1), but I'm calling Rachael (no spoilers). She was gorgeous too, I got Alexandra Breckenridge vibes.

[Koalagirl]

23 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Yeah, she probably wants a gig, like that opera singer on Juan Pablo's season.  

Opera girl is Sharlene Joynt who had lots of gigs before going on the Bachelor and is hugely loved and respected in the Bachelor franchise. 

[Stats Queen]

22 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Dildo girl said let’s do a cheers.  Now she’s dead to me. 

Me too!! 
It just annoys me so much. I’m making a toast- cheers to..., not making a “cheers”.

 

@Rainsong. As always, you are amazingly brilliant. You and @film noire on Previously TV are beyond brilliant.

[Crashcourse]

9 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

Opera girl is Sharlene Joynt who had lots of gigs before going on the Bachelor and is hugely loved and respected in the Bachelor franchise. 

Not by everyone, and certainly not by me.  I thought she was pretentious and held herself over the other contestants because she sang opera.

[Koalagirl]

17 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Not by everyone, and certainly not by me.  I thought she was pretentious and held herself over the other contestants because she sang opera.

That’s too bad because she is anything but pretentious. In comparison to some of the other contestants that season she was more dignified. Maybe that could have been perceived as pretentious.  But if you listen to her appearances on various podcasts and read some of the articles she has written for Flare magazine, as well as her recaps on her All the Pretty Pandas blog,  you might change your mind. 

[Crashcourse]

1 minute ago, Koalagirl said:

That’s too bad because she is anything but pretentious. In comparison to some of the other contestants that season she was more dignified. Maybe that could have been perceived as pretentious.  But if you listen to her appearances on various podcasts and read some of the articles she has written for Flare magazine, as well as her recaps on her All the Pretty Pandas blog,  you might change your mind. 

Well, she might be as nice as you say, but I'm not interested in keeping track of her (or anyone else) in publications or social media.  

[seacliffsal]

I agree, I watch and snark on the contestants while the season is on and then I forget about them.  I'm always so impressed with posters who remember so and so from many seasons ago.  I barely remember the leads... I will rewatch them when they are on BIP or some other iteration of the show.  However, there are many I actively hope to never have to see again.  I am soooooo not someone who will follow them after the show, so obviously I'm not the target demo as I do not follow any of these "influencers..."