S25.E04: Week 4

[Arkay]

Did anyone else shudder at the obstacle course when the sign said "squirrl" instead of "squirrel?" That makes me crazy. Someone wrote that, others saw it, and no one corrected it. 

Other than that, the obstacle course looked fun. (I think it's the pandemic isolation talking). 

There was maybe one shot of Anna tonight where she looked sort of pretty. I'm sure she's unaware/unable to keep herself from making that snarling face. Not a good look. I also highly doubt Anna is so informed about the activities of some other girl in Chicago. I'm a lifelong New Yorker, and I literally do not know the occupations of any of the neighbors on my floor, except for one nurse. 

[Just Carol]

Nm

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Just Carol

[Just Carol]

3 hours ago, EllenB said:

Katie's dildo schtick is tiresome, but she needs to stay around just for her takedowns of Victoria.

Katie is a manager at a bank, yes?  I think she is demonstrating very good "people" skills here, perhaps from experience of handling different personalities in the workplace.  In addition, she also seems like a lot of fun.  I would love to work on her team.

[TomGirl]

38 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

39 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

And Kit, speaking as someone who lives in Chicago, we have millions of people here and all girls don’t know each other. She may be stylish but doesn’t seem too bright.

I think she’s just incredibly young.  She’s what, all of 21?

[CrazyDog]

Still watching, but Matt looked like a young, tall Steve Urkel wearing that helmet. Their date looked like a lot of fun though.

Victoria is vile. Anna is vile. Damn. How are people comfortable going back home and saying "Yeah, I said that about the new girl. Awesome, right?"

I love the girls wailing that they've been there for weeks. Yeah, and they've probably spent about 2 hours with Matt. Slow your roll, ladies.

There's a Pieper there?

MJ saying it's disrespectful that Michelle got the date. So Michelle forced Matt to pick her? Is MJ mad at Matt? Sigh. 

Apart from a couple of girls like Katie, I'm team New Girl already. 

ETA:  The irony of Victoria saying Katie would wake up with a black eye, lol.

Edited January 26, 2021 by CrazyDog

[Sessa]

“Tonight on an explosive and dramatic episode of The Bachelor, dumb ass women are shocked to discover they signed up to be on a manipulative reality show” 

[Rainsong]

A flawed hero at the center of conflict. Warring ethnicities. Warring cities and nations. Warring sexes. Warring religions. Warring classes.

Peaky Blinders you ask? Oh, I watched that too. But I was speaking of The Bachelor. Actually, Bleak House would be a more appropriate title but that one was claimed long ago by a minor writer named Charles Dickens.

It should be clear to all that catfighting, with or without boxing gloves and headgear, has become the main event with Finding Love and Getting Down On One Knee and Finding My Person and Completing This Journey pushed well down the undercard.

Keen-eyed viewers will note that, for all the opprobrium directed at Mike Fleiss, The Bachelor’s descent into drama and drudgery coincided with Chris Harrison being elevated to producer. Fleiss, for all his faults, apparently tried to sell The Bachelor – person and concept – as a budget-conscious James Bond-type with fast cars, big wristwatches, seaplanes and waterfront mansions. Everything, perhaps, except a license to kill. Those Bachelors, including the ones who ended up on the raunchy Bachelor Pad, loved the curvaceous female form first and foremost.  And they had plenty of curves and knowing smiles to choose from while recent crops of Bachelorettes look and act like adolescents with the odometer rolled over.  Vulnerability and relationships had naff all to do with their personal laws of attraction however shallow and animalistic they may have been.

Harrison-era Bachelors have been of the Sensitive New Age Guy type, blubbering about developing feelings, meeting his mom, meeting her mom, blubbering in front of both, then ultimately blubbering when he made his choice, made the wrong choice, attempted to reverse making the wrong choice or made no choice at all. The presence of abdominal muscles without a spine to anchor them was a medical novelty but CH managed to recruit several specimens of this type.

Matt is the latest in this latter-day line of squishes. It’s taken only until episode 4 to get…the Railing Shot (TM)! Drink! Matt is pensive, leaning and sitting on the balcony’s wrought iron. Matt’s lodgings look like your middle school built with 80s architecture.

Cowardly Victoria has moved from her Rocky Balboa look (one red, swollen eye) to more of a Walking Dead zombie look replete with dark circles. Katie, quickly climbing the charts on personality and perception, has Victoria pegged. Victoria careens between juvenile insults and ham-fisted attempts to sound measured and reasonable but those are merely a ruse to disarm the opposition. And there is plenty of opposition.

We get a jarring transition from day – or even morning – to night and Matt is back with the second wave of bachelorettes. Mari employs the horrible cliché that ‘everything happens for a reason’ – a cliché made much worse through its use as a poor disguise for hindsight. It functions as self-protection for bad outcomes. Blaming fate is much easier and safer than blaming oneself. MJ is selling it harder than she’s sold any cut and color package at the salon. Not a spoiler but I think Matt has a ‘tell’ – when he’s with a girl who isn’t a contender he licks his lips a lot and presses them together. The faves get smiles and that goofy open-mouth expression.

Pieper is a bit of a tryhard. Andshetalkswaytoofastmostofthetime. Then. She. Pauses. Andstartsupagain. The effect is similar to alternating between pressing the gas and brake pedals. Chelsea’s solution to her struggle with her hair was to ‘liberate’ herself from it. Or perhaps it from her. Either way, she’s cropped now and we now have the not-so-enervating backstory.

Knuckle-Duster Katie and Voluminous Vic just happen to be in the same room of the lodge and just happen to be at opposite ends of a couch where the camera crew just happen to be. Other than that, it’s a completely random encounter. Yes, Victoria has the brass neck to complain that someone is being rude to her. Victoria has two charming means of communicating: threats and complaints. Katie swats both of them away and she hasn’t even put on the boxing gloves yet.

Another Matt ‘tell’ on the group dates is his insistence on identifying those who placed 3rd and 2nd that day before awarding his rose. It could be a producer’s instruction but it’s unintentionally cruel and therefore hilarious stuff, especially because the ladies get excited to hear their names mentioned but quickly discover that it's only a consolation prize.

The timeline is twisted further as we move from the end of the group date to the beginning of the cocktail party with nothing in between. ‘The girls climb the red carpeted steps in their finery’ shot has already been worn threadbare.  And it's a bit cruel given the number of steps to scale in high heels.  Kaili is wearing one of her hostess dresses with large cutouts that offer much more than a mere window into the soul. Anna is still gritting her teeth and still making an unconscious fist. Could come in handy later.

After several rewinds in a futile attempt to understand what Pieper is saying, one is tempted to enable the captions until one decides that her dime-store 'strong woman' feminism isn’t all that interesting. Kit has her well-rehearsed art-exhibition champagne-and-canapes expression pasted on. Matt is no engineer but he’s managed to identify Katie as a house lightning rod. Bri has the equivalent of a Disney FastPass – no need for her to stress out like the others.

Eeyore – sorry, Victoria finally gets her moment and decides the weepy approach is best. Uh oh, Matt’s doing that thing with his mouth again. Vic’s moment is mercifully brief as CH interrupts. Victoria, displaying the unsexiest cleavage you've seen since you once watched your great aunt bend over to use a dustpan, still has her silly fur jacket on, making her look like Margaret Dumont, snooty dowager of Marx Brothers films.

Matt is being rushed to the front door. Is the tip of CH’s nose growing out and down? His profile resembles Gonzo from The Muppet Show. All that’s missing is a trumpet.

The new arrivals are a mixed bag. BriTTany emerges first. Two Ts for TTacky as she swallows Matt’s face upon being introduced. Actually, let’s save one T for Tape as in the double-sided stuff keeping her dress in place. Minnesota Michelle has some odd underbite thing going on - her chin always looks in danger of colliding with Matt’s. ICU Nurse Kim has pushed the hospital occupancy percentages up by abandoning her post during covid. She’ll be back quicksmart, patients, cos Matt isn't keen. Catalina is named after an island but hails from a different one. A clash of tiaras with Victoria The Vindictive is guaranteed.

The off-putting innovation known as the mid-episode rose ceremony takes place with snap decisions required on the new lot and the odds cruelly ratcheted up on the oldsters. Anna had better hope the recipients were chosen in advance because she looks like an outtake of Faye Dunaway doing Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. The ceremony concludes with…Catalina giving the toast? Why? Ah well, it doesn’t matter since she mentions the ‘journey’ anyway. Drink again!

Ben Higgins, who managed to lose Jo Jo to his eternal shame, is here to dispense what can only be bad advice. The girls arrive in designer jeans, boots, sweaters and jewelry – not quite the outfit suitable for getting wet and dirty. Magi is a trained pharmacist but can’t grasp the basic physics of a kayak paddle – namely, that the paddle blade must enter the water to propel the craft.

Victoria can barely conceal her delight at having Anna join her in the cat club as they hiss about the others but mostly about Brittany. We’ve had many fakers, frauds and people who shaded the truth about their backgrounds and occupations but have we had a lady of the evening before? According to Anna, we have one now. For the first, say, 2/3 of the show’s seasons there were highs and lows and flatlines. In the Chris Harrison Drama Era there are few, if any highs. Most of it is flatline with some rather deep troughs – for example, telling your peers that one of your other peers is a tart as everyone stares at the floor.

Michelle has bolted from the far outside gate to ride the rail - all before the first turn. They’re doing horrible things with their boots to that putting green but needs must. The other girls have been conveniently provided with binoculars to watch the balloonists. Those are Mr Hardy’s antique vehicles – the look but don’t touch rule is being violated here! Michelle demonstrates an impressive (?) memory of slogans from those cheesy 90s Successories posters that appeared in every office.

One hardly knows how to describe the boxing contest. Ill-advised might be a start. These girls have no idea about protecting themselves. The celebrity guest certainly isn’t stressing it. And the headgear isn’t an adequate substitute, as we soon learn. This is no genteel sparring session – these women are swatting for all they’re worth. The horrified expressions of the onlookers are genuine for once. Matt is Rachael’s yo-yo. A flick of her wrist, a tug on a string and back he comes. Michelle, you may be wife material but Rachael is trophy material. Will Christian Matt honor his spouse or worship a graven image?

 

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Rainsong

[Adeejay]

I am a bit upset that they didn’t choose Victoria for the boxing date. I would give anything to see her getting punched in the face.  Talk about a missed opportunity. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Adeejay

[eyelash]

5 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Toastmasters was the best. Every human should be required to take at least one year of it before the age of 15. I don't even think they have Speech in schools any more. Or English classes.

Toastmasters?  Is that like cheersing a lot?  (Kidding!)

[chocolatine]

Matt: "Five more women were added to the equation. Now my head is spinning."

Me:

4 hours ago, TheFinalRose said:

Ben has a book coming out, which is probably why he was game to come on the show. Here is the title of his book, and I am not making this up: Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection When You're Seen But Not Known. 

 

4 hours ago, EllenB said:

Guaranteed to cure insomnia if it reflects the author's lack of personality.

Ben's not even the real author. The book has a "with" byline, which means that person did most, if not all, of the writing.

4 hours ago, JenE4 said:

I like Matt and Michelle together. Her “sob story” is just wanting the best for the kids she teaches.

That's nice, but then why did she leave them during the school year? During such a difficult time for most kids, no less.

Mia St. John used to be so pretty but has had too much work done and now looks scary. The women on this show should take note.

[Back Atcha]

1 hour ago, Rainsong said:

The Bachelor’s descent into drama and drudgery coincided with Chris Harrison being elevated to producer.

EXXXXAKKKKLY!  Chris Harrison has lowered himself to the shelf beneath Andy Cohen's.  

1 hour ago, Rainsong said:

Harrison-era Bachelors have been of the Sensitive New Age Guy type, blubbering about developing feelings, meeting his mom, meeting her mom, blubbering in front of both, then ultimately blubbering when he made his choice, made the wrong choice, attempted to reverse making the wrong choice or making no choice at all.

Lest we forget the vulnerability, vunerability, vunerable, vulnerable...at all costs, one must dig deep, deep, deep to find vulnerability in a partner and be vun...vuln...you know, oneself.  Chris Harrison has had one too many therapists.

1 hour ago, Rainsong said:

ICU Nurse Kim has pushed the hospital occupancy percentages up by abandoning her post during covid. She’ll be back quicksmart, patients, cos Matt isn't keen.

I was hoping you would critique Nurse Kim's regrettaable Havana "bandage" dress worn at the Rose Ceremony.  Wonderful writing, Rainsong.  I wish I knew you personally!  VERY enjoyable.

[Back Atcha]

4 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Mia St. John used to be so pretty but has had too much work done and now looks scary.

She will be 54 in June.  If I read that she'd be 64+, I wouldn't blink an eye.  WHY, Mia...WHY???

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Just Carol said:

Katie is a manager at a bank, yes?  I think she is demonstrating very good "people" skills here, perhaps from experience of handling different personalities in the workplace.  In addition, she also seems like a lot of fun.  I would love to work on her team.

She definitely had "handling a difficult client" down with Victoria.  I liked how she was direct, unapologetic and yet not vicious when confronting Victoria.  You could see that it threw Victoria because I don't think "calm but assertive" is a quality she expects to come across in many young women. Let's face it, it's not really a skill many young women are encouraged to sharpen because too many are still told it's associated with "bitchy." Some have it from a early age.  Some develop it as we age and give fewer damns about being perceived as bitchy for being  strong and direct. And some never do.

Her approach was in contrast to what happened in earlier episodes when Victoria was being mean. Unless a person came on with the express purpose of being catty, most of the women are in the "want to come off as nice" mode to be seen as "worthy" of Matt.  It's why the drama Victoria stirred up in earlier episodes usually ended with the people involved in the drama trying to smooth things over with the very-much-in-the-wrong Victoria. 

I applaud Katie for trying to ward off any potential whisper campaigns against some women in the house but unfortunately, going to Matt probably doomed her.  Matt is the one person they might listen to that could change their behavior but by putting it on him, it's almost like she approached her boss or a parent. 

[AllyCat7]

4 hours ago, EllenB said:

In Bachelor/ette terms, let's have a cheers to Katie! I love anyone who stands up to or outs bullies and mean girls. There are always a few producer plants and natural rotten apples on any season, but this bunch has gotten out of control really fast. Good for Katie for speaking up and trying to be decent.

You can't blame them entirely. The producers introducing 5 new people was probably partially designed to piss the girls off...and maybe to give Matt more options, too. But this has never been done on a normal season before. We should try to empathize with them, too. This is not an easy environment to be in--at all. I do think they took it a bit far. And the gossiping & rumors are uncalled for. But I do understand why they would be upset by the producer manipulations (adding new people without warning), not being able to get time with Matt (the show is notoriously bad at letting girls get equal time during the first few weeks), and allowing girls to cut in on their convos with Matt (including what Sarah did last week). It's just a recipe for hurt feelings, frustration, and anger. I think if there wasn't the possibility of being chosen as the next Bachelorette, BIP, or Instagram fame, more of the girls would just walk off. I wish they would. But you could tell many of them really want to at various points.

I also think Katie is playing devil's advocate. When a lot of the girls are rightfully upset about something, she uses that opportunity to take the opposite position to strike a balance. But she has gotten upset herself. When Sarah interrupted her last week she got rightfully peeved. It's only when a lot of the other girls also got pissed with her that she backed down and chose to play the other side as devil's advocate. I wouldn't be surprised if the girl is a Libra. Just saying lol. My point is, ALL of these girls have a right to be upset with some of what goes down on this show, because a lot of if is manipulative and even sometimes abusive. Should they bully someone for no reason? No. But they have the right to express frustration, sadness, and anger when they feel it. I often feel it right along with them at home...and my EQ is decent. Most of the time they are upset for valid reasons.

[EtheltoTillie]

9 hours ago, EllenB said:

Does anyone else think he looks like a perv when he's bending down to embrace the shorter women?

Yes and also when he paws their knees. 

[EtheltoTillie]

The boxing match was one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen. That is all. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by GussieK

[nutty1]

6 hours ago, Rainsong said:

Victoria, displaying the unsexiest cleavage you've seen since you once watched your great aunt bend over to use a dustpan,

This made me spit out my coffee, I’m laughing so hard!

[nickp1991]

I think the real villain of this episode was Anna 

[Laurie4H]

So how would Anna hear rumors about Brittany.  The show hadn’t aired yet so it not like people saw her and started texting Anna .  Did she text a pics to her friends and ask if anyone knew her?  Did they have mutual FB friends?  Did she make it up?  Did the producers script it?  Funny how Chris Harrison said that they had such a huge response to him being the Bachelor that they had to bring in 5 more girls.  The things that they try to pass off as true and how many people actually believe it is interesting.  

[Bluesky]

9 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I think it was great that Katie said something even though the messenger always gets blamed. Calling Sarah trash and making up rumors as well as telling women to get out is bullying and ridiculous. The new women had no say on when they were brought in, so why not yell at Chris Harrison instead.

And Kit, speaking as someone who lives in Chicago, we have millions of people here and all girls don’t know each other. She may be stylish but doesn’t seem too bright. Matt and Michelle seemed to get along great but I wonder why he was immediately drawn to her; she is average looking. Nothing wrong with average but something interested him enough to want a one on one date. I almost wondered if they had already met but since she is from Minnesota it isn’t likely. I really hope Victoria is sent packing next week.

If the Chicago girl was one of those types seeking local fame, who hung out in high end clubs and restaurants she would be well known to people who do the same. Kit probably knows that type in NYC and forgets there are millions of other people living in the city too.
 

I think Michelle is very attractive.  She seems more comfortable than most of the women.  And she’s not reciting the same worn out phrases the rest of them do.  There was definitely a comfort level there that doesn’t seem to come easy to him. 

[JudyObscure]

9 hours ago, Bluesky said:

Shut up Katie, you signed up for a reality show where women were chosen based on looks.   No one likes a tattle tale.   Its ridiculous to be hostile to these women but it is pretty much a competition.  It’s not cool to call someone an escort, especially based on rumors,  but who appointed Katie Girl Scout leader? 

Yeah, Victoria and Anna are both nasty pieces of work, but I can never get behind the amateur therapists like Katie who use sad conditions like "low self-esteem," and "insecure" as insults.  Defend Brittany?  Great, but she could have told her to stop it and reminded everyone they didn't know the woman, without going into a holier-than-thou lecture when Katie herself hasn't been exactly perfect on this trashy show.

Katie's combination of psychobabble plus sex enthusiasm is reminding me of Dr. Ruth.

The boxing thing was shocking.  It's bad enough when they do it with the men.  Wasn't one hurt pretty bad a few seasons ago?

[Jax7917]

Not sure if this has been said , but minus the very different hair , Katie looks a lot like Jenna Fischer . Anyone else see it ? 

[seacliffsal]

How poorly Matt dresses really hit home for me when Ben Higgins came out and showed Matt how to dress for outside activities.  And, that love fest was fun (because I didn't have to do it...) especially when compared the "fight for love" fest.  I don't understand why the producers like the violent dates (I still remember Ames getting injured way back when).  I also don't understand why the producers keep trying to make Wells happen (potentially the most successful contestant ever due to his engagement to a real actor/star).

I continue to believe that the producers only realized how boring/dull Matt was after they made a big deal about selecting him as the Bachelor and therefore had to come up with various "drama" angles to keep the season going.

As to recycling the lead, I remember the early seasons of the show when the Bachelors were all "new" to Bachelor Nation and most of them were really fun and memorable (cheers to Andrew Firestone...).  It's not imperative that the lead has been on the show before, but it IS imperative that they have a personality.  I also think it is essential that they really do seem like a "catch."  I remember how fun it was to have a real Prince (Lorenzo?) as the Bachelor although he himself was not that fun (there are tons of minor royals in Europe who do not have wealth or castles-just a long-forgotten title).  Now we're down to leads who generally don't have enough of a job to prevent them from going on multiple seasons of multiple versions of the show.

Positives from the most recent episode?  The scenery.  It is a gorgeous location and they have all of the fall colors in their glorious peaks.  I do think the producers intentionally show the hotels and resorts in the best way possible in order to keep being able to get some really great locales.  I was one of the few who seemed to like the beauty of the desert and the La Quinta last season and I am blown away by the beauty of this resort.  It was a bit sad though when they showed some of the women sitting and talking in front of a swimming pool that had a cover over it.  No pool parties this season.

There is a part of me that wonders if Tyler didn't set his "best friend" up and is just laughing during the whole season.  "No, Matt, the producers really want you to find love and will do everything to give you serious and amazing women to meet.  Me?  No, I'm just, um, you know, like...too busy.  Yea, that's the ticket, I'm just too busy.  You really should be the Bachelor..."

[JudyObscure]

56 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Ames getting injured way back when

That's who I was trying to think of!

[atlanticslide]

7 hours ago, AllyCat7 said:

You can't blame them entirely. The producers introducing 5 new people was probably partially designed to piss the girls off...and maybe to give Matt more options, too. But this has never been done on a normal season before. We should try to empathize with them, too. This is not an easy environment to be in--at all. I do think they took it a bit far. And the gossiping & rumors are uncalled for. But I do understand why they would be upset by the producer manipulations (adding new people without warning), not being able to get time with Matt (the show is notoriously bad at letting girls get equal time during the first few weeks), and allowing girls to cut in on their convos with Matt (including what Sarah did last week). It's just a recipe for hurt feelings, frustration, and anger. I think if there wasn't the possibility of being chosen as the next Bachelorette, BIP, or Instagram fame, more of the girls would just walk off. I wish they would. But you could tell many of them really want to at various points.

I also think Katie is playing devil's advocate. When a lot of the girls are rightfully upset about something, she uses that opportunity to take the opposite position to strike a balance. But she has gotten upset herself. When Sarah interrupted her last week she got rightfully peeved. It's only when a lot of the other girls also got pissed with her that she backed down and chose to play the other side as devil's advocate. I wouldn't be surprised if the girl is a Libra. Just saying lol. My point is, ALL of these girls have a right to be upset with some of what goes down on this show, because a lot of if is manipulative and even sometimes abusive. Should they bully someone for no reason? No. But they have the right to express frustration, sadness, and anger when they feel it. I often feel it right along with them at home...and my EQ is decent. Most of the time they are upset for valid reasons.

You can't blame the women for being annoyed or frustrated by this development, but there's literally no reason for them to be pissed at the new women. I can even understand having an initial coldness towards the new women because they were shocked at the development and didn't really know how to handle it, but at a certain point the vitriol and possessiveness just gets weird and over the top. Anna's level of anger and nastiness towards the new women - does she think these women made the decision on their own to sit out the first three weeks of the season and then show up suddenly? 

And I disagree that Katie is simply playing devil's advocate. During one of the mean girl group convos, Katie was looking visibly uncomfortable before she finally asked them to give it a rest. And she seems to be one of the few "OGs" to actually sit and talk with the new women (though obviously there's a ton of stuff we're not seeing, so she may not have actually been the only one). She got upset about Sarah interrupting her conversation with Matt, but she behaved like an adult about it - spoke to Sarah about it directly, expressed her frustration with the situation, and then moved the fuck on. A lot of the other women this season don't seem to know how to do any of that. This is a bizarre situation that just got even more bizarre for everyone, so it's understandable for them to be thrown, or to be emotional, but there's a very big difference between confronting the issue head on and talking things out calmly, and gossiping, spreading rumors, talking trash, and bullying. Especially when the latter is all directed at people who've done nothing wrong.

[funnygirl]

Matt is SO BORING. So boring. I'm a champion for fresh meat being chosen as Bachelor/Bachelorette - as opposed to recycling contestants we've seen before - but next time add a personality test to the vetting process... or something. lol 

I like Bri and Michelle and Chelsea. 

I don't get the Rachael hype. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by funnygirl

[saber5055]

11 hours ago, Rainsong said:

The presence of abdominal muscles without a spine to anchor them was a medical novelty but CH managed to recruit several specimens of this type.

"This is gold, Jerry. GOLD I tell you!" --TM Kenny Banya

[Alexander Pope]

15 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

Michelle is super pretty.

She looks like Hillary Swank I think.  Who has always just edged on masculine-looking to me, part of her charm.

[Jax7917]

Anna’s face looks similar to young Jojo Siwa with a mouth like Miley Cyrus . 
 

Why are these girls so bitter about new girls coming in and them getting time with Matt ? They applied , quarantined just like the others did and can’t control when Chris Harrison says “ ok you’re up now .” 
 

I know I’m being shallow but MJ being 23 is insane . She looks double that plus some . 

[Alexander Pope]

14 hours ago, DEL901 said:

So has Matt kissed all the women except a couple of the new ones....and Victoria.  

Victoria has mauled him several times, as I recall.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Alexander Pope
edited for spelling

[SassyCat]

15 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Remember The Fly when Jeff Goldblum merged with the fly?  Too bad they couldn’t have merged Matt and Ben and maybe ended up with a guy with 1 whole personality.  

Anyone remember the ORIGINAL "The Fly" movie in black and white? (A clue to how long I've been around) I've never forgotten that movie or that voice saying "Help me! Help me!" I think that part was creepier than the new remake with Jeff Goldblum. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by SassyCat

[TVMovieBuff]

This is described as a "romance competition" show. Last night I watched, and I wish there was more emphasis on Romance, rather than Competition. 

I would say "they are almost beating each other up" then that very thing happened.

[TVMovieBuff]

So far I have only seen part of the first night, and last night. Lauren seems the most normal and nice of all of them. 

[rebel2u]

16 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

Victoria just said Brittany lacks class. Like they say, it takes one to know one.

I agree!

Pot-Kettle

(shorthand for pot calling the kettle black}

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by rebel2u

[AllyCat7]

2 hours ago, atlanticslide said:

You can't blame the women for being annoyed or frustrated by this development, but there's literally no reason for them to be pissed at the new women. I can even understand having an initial coldness towards the new women because they were shocked at the development and didn't really know how to handle it, but at a certain point the vitriol and possessiveness just gets weird and over the top. Anna's level of anger and nastiness towards the new women - does she think these women made the decision on their own to sit out the first three weeks of the season and then show up suddenly? 

And I disagree that Katie is simply playing devil's advocate. During one of the mean girl group convos, Katie was looking visibly uncomfortable before she finally asked them to give it a rest. And she seems to be one of the few "OGs" to actually sit and talk with the new women (though obviously there's a ton of stuff we're not seeing, so she may not have actually been the only one). She got upset about Sarah interrupting her conversation with Matt, but she behaved like an adult about it - spoke to Sarah about it directly, expressed her frustration with the situation, and then moved the fuck on. A lot of the other women this season don't seem to know how to do any of that. This is a bizarre situation that just got even more bizarre for everyone, so it's understandable for them to be thrown, or to be emotional, but there's a very big difference between confronting the issue head on and talking things out calmly, and gossiping, spreading rumors, talking trash, and bullying. Especially when the latter is all directed at people who've done nothing wrong.

I wrote in my previous post that their bad behavior is uncalled for. I was merely speaking about their FEELINGS and trying to validate them (which I felt was lacking a bit on these threads). Of course they could be channelled better. But even though they are misbehaving, we should empathize with them a bit because of the situations they are put and thrown into--it's all so unnatural and designed to make them upset/frustrated. At the same time, we can call out their bad behavior, for sure.

Also, I am still not 100% sold on Katie. Her inappropriateness and rudeness with the vibrator makes it hard for me to take her seriously. Also, when your friends or family are pissed, it's standard to usually try to empathize with them first before lecturing them or playing devil's advocate. But Katie goes straight to lecturing without empathizing or commiserating. It's not a way to bond with people or show empathy with them. I know people like that and they tend to make awful friends--always taking the side of people or situations you are upset at without ever hearing you out. In her quest to be balanced, she is actually being more unbalanced towards her "friends." Just saying.

[neece26]

Quote

So how would Anna hear rumors about Brittany.  The show hadn’t aired yet so it not like people saw her and started texting Anna .  Did she text a pics to her friends and ask if anyone knew her?  Did they have mutual FB friends?  Did she make it up?  Did the producers script it?  Funny how Chris Harrison said that they had such a huge response to him being the Bachelor that they had to bring in 5 more girls.  The things that they try to pass off as true and how many people actually believe it is interesting.  

If people were sending Anna messages telling her to watch out for Brittany before the show started filming, then wouldn't Anna have been curious that Brittany wasn't even there in the OG group.  If she was smart, she might have figured out that more women would be coming.  

I understand why the women were upset when the newbies showed up because they all think that if they could only get more time with Matt then they would fall madly in love.  Realistically though, if Matt wasn't feeling it with somebody at that point, adding new women into the mix isn't going to change anything.  

 

 

[Mu Shu]

14 hours ago, Arkay said:

Did anyone else shudder at the obstacle course when the sign said "squirrl" instead of "squirrel?" That makes me crazy. Someone wrote that, others saw it, and no one corrected it. 

Other than that, the obstacle course looked fun. (I think it's the pandemic isolation talking). 

There was maybe one shot of Anna tonight where she looked sort of pretty. I'm sure she's unaware/unable to keep herself from making that snarling face. Not a good look. I also highly doubt Anna is so informed about the activities of some other girl in Chicago. I'm a lifelong New Yorker, and I literally do not know the occupations of any of the neighbors on my floor, except for one nurse. 

What was that? Chicago has a small social scene? Chicago covers a large area and has millions of people. I think what the girl with the reverse Pekingese teeth meant to say was that the sugar baby scene is small, and that she too is a sugar baby, and that’s how she knows the sexy one is a sugar baby/ho. I don’t know Jack shit about the Miami sugar baby/ho scene, because I’m too old to be in it.  Only sugar babies/hos know who the other sugar baby/hos are. 

[Jax7917]

It Finally came to me who Anna looks like . She looks so similar to Elaine Hendrix - the mean woman In the parent trap . She even has the same expressions . 

[atlanticslide]

14 minutes ago, AllyCat7 said:

Also, I am still not 100% sold on Katie. Her inappropriateness and rudeness with the vibrator makes it hard for me to take her seriously. Also, when your friends or family are pissed, it's standard to usually try to empathize with them first before lecturing them or playing devil's advocate. But Katie goes straight to lecturing without empathizing or commiserating. It's not a way to bond with people or show empathy with them. I know people like that and they tend to make awful friends--always taking the side of people or situations you are upset at without ever hearing you out. In her quest to be balanced, she is actually being more unbalanced towards her "friends." Just saying.

She didn't go straight to lecturing, though. During the Sarah situation it wasn't until after the big group confrontation that Katie went to speak with Sarah privately, and then talked to the other women about it afterwards. And with the new women, the vibe was immediately hostile during the first cocktail party, and I think Katie was the one who pointed out to the new women why there was tension in the room, which to me was a perfectly reasonable expression of empathy for both those who were struggling with the new arrivals and those who'd just arrived. It wasn't until things had apparently been going on for several days and gotten really nasty that Katie spoke up to the others. She did hear them out, and at a certain point, there's only so much "lol, these new chicks are whores and trash and fuck them for showing up late, this is our turf" that any sane, rational person can tolerate before telling them to cut it out. And since when are any of these people her friends? She's known them for 3 weeks. Why should she show them any more loyalty than the women who've just shown up, especially when she's seen first hand how vicious some of them are. Who in their right mind would take Victoria's or Anna's sides in a situation like this?

But then, I didn't see anything inappropriate or rude with the vibrator, so I think we're just not going to see eye-to-eye on Katie. 

[MMLEsq]

17 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I don't know who any of the women leaving are. But now I know it's Anna who can't fit her teeth inside her lips. And when she does, she looks just like Grumpy Cat. Man, her face would get old but quick IRL. Because it already has on this show.

 

17 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Seriously, is there a smell that Anna can smell that no one else can smell? Why is her face doing that? 

 

16 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I think Anna has adopted that stink face as a habit....someone needs to hand her a mirror. She’s a pretty girl but it makes her look really unattractive. 

I'm not trying to be mean -- really, I'm not -- but there were times when the left side of Anna's face looked almost paralyzed.  I was actually wondering if she might have had a stroke at some point or a medical issue.  Either that or her face is REALLY not symmetrical at all. 

 

15 hours ago, Bluesky said:

Shut up Katie, you signed up for a reality show where women were chosen based on looks.   No one likes a tattle tale.   Its ridiculous to be hostile to these women but it is pretty much a competition.  It’s not cool to call someone an escort, especially based on rumors,  but who appointed Katie Girl Scout leader?   

From what we were shown, Katie didn't out anyone by name to Matt.  She simply gave him a heads' up about what was going on.  In my view, Katie quickly realized that being bitter and catty isn't a good look.  Sometimes I think the people on these shows get so caught up in the "drama" that they forget what it must look like to viewers.  Except for Victoria, who I think is definitely playing the self-absorbed, cutting "Queen bee" on purpose for the show, but -- as others have noted -- she's not pretty or likeable enough when she's with Matt to make it seem even at all plausible that he's keeping her for any reason other than the producers are making him.

Edited January 26, 2021 by MMLEsq

[Crashcourse]

6 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

 Funny how Chris Harrison said that they had such a huge response to him being the Bachelor that they had to bring in 5 more girls.  The things that they try to pass off as true and how many people actually believe it is interesting.  

When Chris said that whopper, I was expecting his nose to grow. 

[tennisgurl]

I appreciate that Katie tried to talk to the other women about their catty behavior to the new women before she said anything to Matt, and that even when she went to Matt, she didn't seem to name names or throw any individual person under the bus, she just let him know that things at the house were bad and that bullying was happening, which is totally true. Granted, we don't get to see everything that is going on or the whole picture, but it seems like Katie is the only person who is even really talking to the new women, everyone else just seems to be sitting around laughing about them being hookers or whatever, and is the only person who is bringing up that being really mean isn't helping anything. That whole situation sucks, and I don't blame the original women for being pissed about them bringing in new competitors out of nowhere, and I don't even blame them for not welcoming the new women with open arms. I do blame them for being really mean and spreading childish rumors and bullying the new women, who's only crime is signing up for the show and being on it. Again, I know that we don't see everything that happens, but the house just seems so miserable right now, all anyone ever does is talk trash or get trash talked, it seems like a miserable situation that needs to stop.  

Edited January 26, 2021 by tennisgurl

[SassyCat]

I'm sure Anna has never seen any extended footage of herself in the past, because I'm sure there isn't any! Her horrible stink face expression really reveals what she's thinking, and it ain't pretty. Like wearing your heart on your sleeve, Anna wears her thoughts on her face, unbeknownst to her. When she sees herself on this "journey" when it airs, she will probably be as horrified as we are looking at that negative x1000 expression that reveals her inner thoughts.

[NoWhammies]

18 hours ago, GracieK said:

It’s almost as if she’s on the spectrum. Like Aspergers. 

I suspect she's just an asshole. 

[saber5055]

19 minutes ago, SassyCat said:

I'm sure Anna has never seen any extended footage of herself in the past, because I'm sure there isn't any!

While I'm sure she has a ton load of videos of herself, and she loves every image of her ever recorded. She is perfect in her own mind so will cherish every view, memory, video, recording of her time on this show. I also expect her to appear in future Bach Nation segments. CH loves her type. DRAH-mah you know.

Has anyone else given thought to how long Boring Matt would have lasted on Clare/Tayisha's season if he hadn't been yanked to be The Historic First Black (and Most Boring) Bachelor?

[Adeejay]

44 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Has anyone else given thought to how long Boring Matt would have lasted on Clare/Tayisha's season if he hadn't been yanked to be The Historic First Black (and Most Boring) Bachelor?

I have been watching the Bachelor since Shannon stepped out of the limo in Season 1. So, I believe I am qualified to say with the utmost confidence that Matt is not “the most boring Bachelor ever.”  He is not even close.  I would hate to have to name names.

[Jax7917]

Every season , everyone wants a particular bachelor and then when he is the bachelor , he gets labeled as boring , dull , no personality and a terrible bachelor . Every . Single . Season .
 

Maybe the leads aren’t boring . Maybe the premise of the show is . 🤷🏼‍♀️ 

[TiredMe]

29 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

I have been watching the Bachelor since Shannon stepped out of the limo in Season 1. So, I believe I am qualified to say with the utmost confidence that Matt is not “the most boring Bachelor ever.”  He is not even close.  I would hate to have to name names.

Why not? Go for it

[Jax7917]

16 minutes ago, TiredMe said:

Why not? Go for it

I don’t think Matt is anywhere near the worst bachelor , but I can practically see the mutual split announcement a month after the engagement . That’s not a knock on him , it’s just aside from Arie and Sean , that’s par for the course . The show is just full of phonies and I sense he fits right in as one . 
That being said , he has a really , REALLY bad group of girls ( yes girls , not women .) I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a bad group of contestants on this show , and i’ve been watching since Sean’s season . 

[mamadrama]

The girls acting shocked when new ones arrive..

You're on a show literally fighting each other over a guy in a yellow turtleneck only to MAYBE wind up in a relationship in which you have no control over the longevity. 

The resort is beautiful but is sitting around and talking all day really the only thing they can do?

By the end of every date Vic looks like she just crawled out of bed with her stringy, greasy hair and no makeup. I get, girl, I do. No matter how much effort I put into my looks, after about two hours I look like I simultaneously have the flu and have been riding rollercoasters all day.