S12.E17: Real Life Starts Now (Decision Day)

[ECM1231]

I'm watching Erik's proposal and thinking that VirGINia just said yes because she was eyeing that champagne 🍾 on the table.

[Rae Spellman]

28 minutes ago, princelina said:

Vinnie calling Brianna "rude" - didn't he leave her the night before decision day with a comment along the lines of "Smell you later"?

He certainly did. This was an entertaining yet disappointing season. I'm rooting for Clara, Virginia, and Brianna. But, I'm not rooting for any of these couples. 

[humbleopinion]

PO$ is addicted to the camera....not buying the humble act....what a jack hole.

Paige why are you addicted to his dick?

[qtpye]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Me, too.  I was audibly rooting for them to decide to stay married just because I think they deserve each other. 

 

You left out shiny, which also didn't help, but it's a feature that shouldn't be overlooked.  All that AND she had to tug at it when she was sitting.  I think there is literally not a single not-gross thing about that dress. 

It was some of the cheapest material I have ever seen. It looked like a leftover Party City showgirl outfit from Halloween.

I bet Chris is going to be texting Paige for booty calls and sadly...I bet she will eventually say yes.

[eyelash]

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

It was some of the cheapest material I have ever seen. It looked like a leftover Party City showgirl outfit from Halloween.

 

It reminded me of a costume I had to wear during a summer waitressing job on the Alaska Railroad where we portrayed Klondike Gold Rush Girls while serving tourists.

[NowVoyager]

Just when I think I'm out, the Paige & Chris shit show pulls me back in.

She is One. Dumb. Bitch.

Attractive, accomplished, educated, successful, but---- DUMB AS HELL!!! How many times does a piece of shit man have to put you down, play you to the side, act a rude ass aggressive fool towards others for you to realize that you can do better? She fell for them fake ass DRY ass tears!?***** Girl, BYE! I wanted to stab something when she was cheesing/smiling at the least little compliments from him! Paige, girl, has life been that hard for you?! She didn't need to be on MAFS, she should have been on Iyanla Vanzant or something. Thank! God! I think Pastor Cal & the producers behind the scenes talked her out of looking like a total fool. They tried. But, I didn't believe it. I guran-damn-tee you, she fucked Po$ Chris that night.

All the other couples were as expected, except Erik & VirGINia. I mean, I wasn't shocked but they are a ridiculous couple. His willingness to put up with a non-conservative, immature alcoholic is giving me lil dick/2 minute man energy. It's something. Because otherwise there's no way he would be the male version of Paige.

*****I don't believe Mercedes had a miscarriage. I would be sympathetic to that. I believe the whole pregnancy story was faked. PO$ saw Paige from jump, didn't like the way she looked, and concocted a storyline to get out of the marriage and get a social media boost .

Off to read the comments!---

Edited May 14, 2021 by NowVoyager

[Kdawg82]

7 hours ago, buttersister said:

100% done with Paige. Where is her family??!! I imagine her friends told her to run after they met Chris at the wedding. Can’t decide if she’s A)Had a breakdown, B)Delusional, C)Gaslit,  D)Without any self-esteem whatsoever

E) All of the above

No... * E) In on it as well as he is & just taking us all along for a ride on her & Chris's TV show payday

 F) all of the above

G) none of the above 

[Polliwollidoodle]

Ok confession here. I didn't watch the whole season and def missed a few episodes, but I agree with  @NowVoyager and was questioning the miscarriage. I mean I will feel horrible if it did happen, but somehow it just seemed too contrived and too right for TV.

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Ryan's  bow-tie makes him look like a kid. 

Or a ventriloquist's dummy.  But kid works too!  I am having a hard time being happy that Clara said yes to staying with him given his lack of saying "I love you" and no intercourse.  She says she's willing to wait months or however long for him to come around.  Girl, if he's not that into you after all this time, either something is really wrong with him and he needs therapy or he's never going to be that into you.  If that changes soon, fine but I still have my doubts.

11 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Jakeandeggs, I know you're butt hurt, but that was a dick move not even holding the door for her as you two walked out.  

Jakeandeggs, LOL, haven't heard that one before, brilliant!  I thought he should have stood up when Haley walked past him.  Even dirtbag Chris stood up for Paige.  Jake looked like he was wearing a turd on his face the entire time.  I see both sides in that situation.  Both of them suck and it's no wonder they're both still single.

[Jeanne222]

9 hours ago, buttersister said:

100% done with Paige. Where is her family??!! I imagine her friends told her to run after they met Chris at the wedding. Can’t decide if she’s A)Had a breakdown, B)Delusional, C)Gaslit,  D)Without any self-esteem whatsoever

E) All of the above

Or just a very good actress!

[Hangin Out]

11 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Haley and Jake:

So she's dressed for the club she'll be high-tailing it to ASAP.

Decision: Haley, no. Jake, "We've had eight weeks, so, you know." Translation: No. 

I was interested in one couple .. Haley and Jake.  I thought just maybe she would come to her senses and say yes and try for a few more weeks.  She came on so bubbly and happy.  Then, the cloud came over her and she got that fuck face she usually gets when she’s disgusted and hates on him.  I don’t know what she’s looking for as she is a spoiled sourpuss.  The thing that’s bothering me all night is the fact why she gave her Mother the bracelet BEFORE even meeting him.  Was the bracelet not to her liking, or was she changing her mind of getting married at all?  Maybe she wanted to get out before going down the aisle.  To get rid of any doubts, she even tried sleeping with him the first or second night, but it didn’t work for her.  I don’t think Jake was too upset at the end.  Like he said, he knew it wouldn’t work on day four.  I had zero interest in the rest of them.  The twelve thousand commercials disgusted me.

[Hangin Out]

8 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Or just a very good actress!

Yep.  Seems like they both were auditioning for a part on t.v.  Unbearable and Fake.

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I think I just heard that Chris’s previous girlfriend miscarried the baby. (You mean he caught her getting her period and so she had to drop the ruse). What is wrong with these experts? One of them should have been the one to go out the door behind him and find out what’s going on. Why ever would they allow him to play another game with her head? What’s the bet on him trying to get her back? She made money. Baby Momma didn’t. 

I don't think the pregnancy was the Mercedes' ruse, it was Chris' ruse, and he got her the car to pay her off for playing along.  I think he thought the baby would be his get out of jail free card to get out of the marriage with Paige.  When the alibi backfired and he realized he looked like a dirtbag anyway, he dropped the baby ruse by claiming Mercedes miscarried and professing his newly found appreciation for Paige.  It was all done to try to reform his image in the eyes of the experts and public. 

I never believed his former GF was pregnant.  I thought it was an easy made up cop-out from the marriage from day one.  He thought that everyone would just say "OK, you go and do the right thing by your baby" and think he was the noble father for it.  But that's not how real life works.  He didn't factor in that it's not that easy to get out of it when you're really MARRIED to someone.  When he realized that what he did only made him look like an even WORSE dirtbag than before, then he changed his tune to be that the GF miscarried and he really now appreciates Paige so much more.  Only no one's buying that either.

I don't know what's up with Paige.  That girl needs to get her head out of her ass and stop buying into the BS.  Could she be that desperate that she is hanging on to any thread she can that this guy might be legit?  I can't believe what I'm seeing with her.  I thought she had more self respect.  I think whatever religion she is buying into is making her think she's doing "the right thing" but it's not the right thing.  I hope she wakes up before too much damage has been done.

4 minutes ago, Hangin Out said:

Yep.  Seems like they both were auditioning for a part on t.v.  Unbearable and Fake.

I thought that too.  But I really thought Paige would be above that kind of thing.  Now I'm not so sure.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Yeah No

[Baltimore Betty]

1 hour ago, Polliwollidoodle said:

Ok confession here. I didn't watch the whole season and def missed a few episodes, but I agree with  @NowVoyager and was questioning the miscarriage. I mean I will feel horrible if it did happen, but somehow it just seemed too contrived and too right for TV.

I for one do not believe there was a pregnancy or even a purchase of a car, Chris was dancing as fast as he could to create an exit strategy.  Most people that are so excited they are having a baby they buy the mother of the child a car show a sonogram picture maybe even a photo of the car they bought. When Paige met with Chris and Mercedes she asked how far along she was and Mercedes answered maybe 3 weeks or something, not the usual answer for a pregnant women, most know exactly how far along they are, she was even too early to see the gyno, he is a liar who lies.

Chris knowing that Paige was believing the crap he has said from day one decides to string her along, gives her a crumb, keep her unsteady up to the very last minute, basically it was her that allowed his behavior, she needs help.

When Chris showed up at the after DDay party (it was like Michael Scott showing up at Jim's party or Jill Zarin showing up at Ramona's girl trip on Scary Island) he cannot read a room but there we had Paige smiling like the village idiot, she needs help.

[Hangin Out]

12 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I don't think the pregnancy was the Mercedes' ruse, it was Chris' ruse, and he got her the car to pay her off for playing along.  I think he thought the baby would be his get out of jail free card to get out of the marriage with Paige.  When the alibi backfired and he realized he looked like a dirtbag anyway, he dropped the baby ruse by claiming Mercedes miscarried and professing his newly found appreciation for Paige.  It was all done to try to reform his image in the eyes of the experts and public. 

I never believed his former GF was pregnant.  I thought it was an easy made up cop-out from the marriage from day one.  He thought that everyone would just say "OK, you go and do the right thing by your baby" and think he was the noble father for it.  But that's not how real life works.  He didn't factor in that it's not that easy to get out of it when you're really MARRIED to someone.  When he realized that what he did only made him look like an even WORSE dirtbag than before, then he changed his tune to be that the GF miscarried and he really now appreciates Paige so much more.  Only no one's buying that either.

I don't know what's up with Paige.  That girl needs to get her head out of her ass and stop buying into the BS.  Could she be that desperate that she is hanging on to any thread she can that this guy might be legit?  I can't believe what I'm seeing with her.  I thought she had more self respect.  I think whatever religion she is buying into is making her think she's doing "the right thing" but it's not the right thing.  I hope she wakes up before too much damage has been done.

I think they both need their heads examined, seriously.  Too much air time for these crazies.  What a waste of our time for eight weeks.  Fake Drama.  Stupid question, but, could the show have been in on all of this ????

Edited May 13, 2021 by Hangin Out

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Viv works as a server at a tapas restaurant.

Or she's auditioning for a new Lifetime movie on the life of Carmen Miranda.  All she needs is the hat with the fruit on it and the outfit is complete.

[Hangin Out]

16 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I thought that too.  But I really thought Paige would be above that kind of thing.  Now I'm not so sure.

Some people would give their eye teeth for money or a part on t.v. to be famous. Chris was a master manipulator.  From little I saw of both of them.  I fast forwarded when they came on.

[Yeah No]

12 minutes ago, Hangin Out said:

I think they both need their heads examined, seriously.  Too much air time for these crazies.  What a waste of our time for eight weeks.  Fake Drama.  Stupid question, but, could the show have been in on all of this ????

Based on what it looks like they've done in the past, I wouldn't put it past the show to be in on some kind of ruse on all of us with these two (Paige and Chris).

[Hangin Out]

39 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Or just a very good actress!

I’ve never seen anyone talk so slowly like Paige.  It’s like you want to pull the words out of her.  Very annoying.

[Hangin Out]

3 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

Just when I think I'm out, the Paige & Chris shit show pulls me back in.

She is One. Dumb. Bitch.

Attractive, accomplished, educated, successful, but---- DUMB AS HELL!!! How many times does a piece of shit man have to put you down, play you to the side, act a rude ass aggressive fool towards others for you to realize that you can do better? She fell for them fake ass DRY ass tears!?***** Girl, BYE! I wanted to stab something when she was cheasing/smiling at the least little compliments from him! Paige, girl, has life been that hard for you?! She didn't need to be on MAFS, she should have been on Iyanla Vanzant or something. Thank! God! I think Pastor Cal & the producers behind the scenes talked her out of looking like a total fool. They tried. But, I didn't believe it. I guran-damn-tee you, she fucked Po$ Chris that night

All the other couples were as expected, except Erik & VirGINia. I mean, I wasn't shocked but they are a ridiculous couple. His willingness to put up with a non-conservative, immature alcoholic is giving me lil dick/2 minute man energy. It's something. Because otherwise there's no way he would be the male version of Paige.

*****I don't believe Mercedes had a miscarriage. I would be sympathetic to that. I believe the whole pregnancy story was faked. PO$ saw Paige from jump, didn't like the way she looked, and concocted a storyline to get out of the marriage and get a social media boost .

Off to read the comments!---

Chris and Paige pulled you in?  They both pulled me out whenever they came on. I’m reading what happened with them and I agree with you on everything.  I also had my doubts about the pregnancy.  Now I’m wondering if the experts thought the same, being they are experts.

[seacliffsal]

Very few surprises.  If Clara is happy, then I am happy for her.  She is fun and I would love to be her friend.  I don't know what image Ryan is trying to present.  He is very confusing to me.  I could never get through all of the mini-lectures he gave throughout the season (like Clara, I would just start eating the donuts...).  His look at DD also confused me.  But, heck, if they fall in love and are happy then all is good.

No surprises with Jake and Haley.  Haley was her consistent self as she came in presenting herself as the fun-loving life of the party until Jake mentioned that she changed her seat on the flight home and then her countenance changed (as it consistently has) and her anger was barely held in place.  Oh, and no surprises with Jake who gave non-answers and only showed up to get his well-deserved paycheck (finish decorating your house Jake!).

Eric's desperation was showing again and I will admit that one of the few surprises of the evening was that Virginia said yes.  They may work out as Erik is gone about half of the time and that may allow Virginia all the drunk passing out that she wants. 

It wasn't surprising that Brianna and Vinny said yes, but it is surprising to me that Brianna is willing to put up with someone who seems to degrade her at every opportunity (she's rude, her tone, etc.).  However, Vinny may be doing just enough to satisfy her (cheesecake!).

Sigh.  Chris and Paige.  I lost any sympathy I had for Paige earlier in the season and I stand by that decision.  Chris continually tries to manipulate every situation and every person he encounters.  Dr. Viv was right in what she was saying to him and I resented Pastor Cal for trying to get Viv to stop.  However, upon reflection, I think Cal was right-Viv was only going to rile Chris up (which we saw when he declared that he wasn't going to let them control him [no, he's the only person who is allowed to control others]) and Cal just wanted this to be over.  I hope that Pastor Cal told the others "I told you so about Chris" a billion times.  For whatever reason Pepper found Chris to be a catch (and even said so on an early episode of Unfiltered).

When Paige shared at the gathering that they were there for 6 hours I couldn't believe it.  They worked with her for 6 hours to get her to understand that she needed to walk away.  And yet at the gathering Paige was happy beyond belief because she believed that Chris was there FOR HER!  No, he wasn't.  He was there to control and manipulate all of the cast members one more time.  It was bad enough when Paige walked in and controlled the party with her Eeyore act, but then for him to come in and control the party with his "as successful as I am, I need to work on things" baloney.  Oh, and the final scene of the season was Paige and her 'we'll see what happens' spiel which means she is totally willing to be with Chris.  Don't care.  Haven't cared.  Won't care.

[Hangin Out]

50 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Or she's auditioning for a new Lifetime movie on the life of Carmen Miranda.  All she needs is the hat with the fruit on it and the outfit is complete.

I LOVE Carmen Miranda movies in color with Don Amechi.  Beautiful costumes and nice dancing and Tito Puente.  My girls gave me a Build a Bear doll dressed like her with the fruit and outfit.  I’m going to try and put the picture on here.

[bichonblitz]

11 hours ago, MyTwoCents said:

Dr Viviana’s dress is horrible!!

She's wearing black hose and black patent leather shoes to complete the outfit. Horrific!

I'm so mad at Erik because I loved him so much in the beginning. They agree on nothing. Where to live, dog dicipline, sleeping with the cats, having kids, getting drunk and not coming home at night, having kids. WTF is wrong with these two that they think they should stay married? I think Erik is afraid and embarrassed of failure. 

Can't stand Vincent. He will never get over Bri's 'bossiness". I hate that she wants to try to change for him. She said she won't change for anybody, this is who she is but I don't believe her. 

Something happened in Paige's life that caused to be so damaged. Poor thing needs deep therapy or her next man will treat her the same as Chris. She and Chris will continue to bump uglies for a while until he finds someone else that is better looking. Mercedes must have dumped him right after the miscarriage. How dare he argue with Dr. Viv. Smug asshole. 

Haley is gross. No accountability for the demise of the marriage. It's all Jake's fault. She really, really tried, ya'll! 

Clara, the thick shiny red lipstick has got to go. It looks like it's going to drip right off her lips. It's all I can see. It accentuates her man jaw and is not a good look. Same with the dark roots and platinum blonde. It takes alot of maintenance to keep hair that color. I would like to see her with honey blonde highlights and a lighter lip color. 

I CAN NOT wait for the reunion. It's gonna be epic because that host (Kevin?) does not hold back, I've seen him before. He goes in hard and takes no shit. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by bichonblitz

[Booger666]

Regarding the pink ring Erik gave VA.  It looked like a silicon ring.  Lots of active people wear them because they don’t hurt if they get caught on anything.  I noticed Erik wore one all season.  Perhaps VA liked his and asked him to get her one.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I for one do not believe there was a pregnancy or even a purchase of a car, Chris was dancing as fast as he could to create an exit strategy.  Most people that are so excited they are having a baby they buy the mother of the child a car show a sonogram picture maybe even a photo of the car they bought. When Paige met with Chris and Mercedes she asked how far along she was and Mercedes answered maybe 3 weeks or something, not the usual answer for a pregnant women, most know exactly how far along they are, she was even too early to see the gyno, he is a liar who lies.

Chris knowing that Paige was believing the crap he has said from day one decides to string her along, gives her a crumb, keep her unsteady up to the very last minute, basically it was her that allowed his behavior, she needs help.

When Chris showed up at the after DDay party (it was like Michael Scott showing up at Jim's party or Jill Zarin showing up at Ramona's girl trip on Scary Island) he cannot read a room but there we had Paige smiling like the village idiot, she needs help.

Maybe Chris offered to buy Paige a car if she played along with him and she figured "What do I have to lose?"

Or if not that he made other empty promises to her for the future if she hangs in there with him even if she ends the marriage, just to keep her on the hook so in his demented mind he might look better to the public if he looks like a victim and she is willing to believe him.  She went for it either because she fell for it, or again is thinking "What do I have to lose?"  Actually at this point she is not thinking straight because she does have something to lose:  Her self respect and the respect of the viewing audience. 

[suzeecat]

Say what you will about the Chris/Paige shitshow, it kept us entertained. 

I have always assumed that Decision Day occurred on the same day for all the couples.  However, we see Clara/Ryan, Jake/Hayley and then Chris/Page take us into the nighttime.  Next thing we see is the experts talking about "last night" (while still wearing the same clothes), and they continue with the last two couples.  I'm wondering if the Chris/Paige segment totally took production off the rails (Paige mentioned 6 hrs.), and they had to call Eric/Virginia and Vincent/Brianna to postpone until the following day.  If so, did the last two couples get to be together, or did they have to spend another 24 hrs. in limbo?  And, I hope the cheesecake was refrigerated! 

I loved the backyard scene with everyone!  Laughed when Chris entered and the mood totally tanked.  I hope Paige watches the show.  In hindsight, I think she will see things much more clearly.  If Ryan doesn't tell Clara he loves her soon, I think they will/should split.  If you're not going to tell your *WIFE*, then you're just not capable of it and it's cruel to know that's the one thing that Clara wants so you're going to play some kind of "make me" game.  If he can say it, they will be great. 

Looking forward to Australia next!

Edited May 13, 2021 by suzeecat
spelling

[Elizzikra]

I have so many questions:

1. Does Chris get the car back from Mercedes since she is no longer pregnant?

2. Did both Chris and Paige have a growth spurt after their outfits were tailored? His pants and her dress were both much too short.

3. Did Virginia say yes just for the free champagne?

4. What was in the box that Chris brought to the reunion party? And who invited him anyway?

5. Why is it so important to Haley that Jake "learned something" during the marriage?

[Retired at last]

What a mess. Let's see. . . Haley looked nicer than she has ever looked, but was obviously dressed to go out and party as a single lady. I do feel bad for Jake. He deserved much better than her sour puss on the few times they spent together. 

I resent the fact that we had to spend half of the show on Chris and the equally awful Paige. She is either too dumb to be unsupervised or a willing participant. I just don't think she is that good of an actress. I would be happy to never see her again, but, of course, she is going to get her Eeyore time on the reunion show(s), as well. I wonder if they were wearing one of those step trackers so every time one or the other walked out, they get points. Ridiculous.

I also think that the producers were going to pretend that this was all shot on one day, which is why they had to wear the same hideous clothes for Day 2. But, then Viv had to announce how SHE demanded they stop after Chris and Paige and come back the next day. I couldn't believe that they allowed C/P to take 6 hours of their time filming that crap. I wonder how they explained that to the two remaining couples.

Was the after-party at Jake's house? And, whoever said that Paige was all giddy because she believed that Chris came to the party to see her, was right. I am willing to bet they got together that night - because, you know, they were technically still married.

I did not like Vinnie saying that Briana was rude. She is better than he deserves and I hope he appreciates her.

Any bets on how often either Chris or Paige walk out of the Reunion special next week? I wonder if they pulled the same crap and that is why the reunion is also in 2 parts. I just don't see Kevin Frazier going after Chris to try to get him to come back. He has too much class.

Really really bad season.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, suzeecat said:

I'm wondering if the Chris/Paige segment totally took production off the rails (Paige mentioned 6 hrs.),

I think it did, and I bet production hates Chris. Six damn hours?! I liked Viviana (whose outfit was horrible) basically saying he was pulling stunts and shows for clout. Chris is just a terrible person, and my tide has turned on Paige. I feel bad for her, but as Pastor Cal said, he can't dislike Chris more than she does. Like, if that's what she thinks God wants for her, OK, but if I were her friend I'd have told her to stop telling me about Chris's bullshit long ago because Chris is always going to be on some bullshit. I've been on both sides of the "I don't know what you want me to say. We've already had this conversation. You know I think he doesn't treat you right so ... [shrug]" conversation.

I don't think Virginia and Erik are a good match but I'm not surprised they stayed married. As I've said before, I don't see "I love you so much, you are my person" between them at all - there's nothing about their interactions that we've seen that indicates that they're in love. They aren't even particularly physically affectionate with each other. I think Erik needs this to work to not have two failed marriages on his books and Virginia is just kind of going along with things because she doesn't quite realize that she doesn't have to.

Jake and Haley might be the worst match I've seen on this show in terms of compatibility. Chris is horrible but at least I can understand why, on paper, he was matched with Paige (faith, career aspirations, desire for kids, etc.). Jake and Haley are ... I don't know. Both white? I can't remember why they were matched but they have nothing else in common.

Clara needs a makeunder very badly. At least blot the lip color! I hope the reunion host asks them point blank if they've consummated the marriage yet. Not surprised they stayed together (really, there were no surprises here).

I could get with being proposed to with dessert. I thought the cheesecake was cute. Briana is by far the best person this season - friendly, funny, pretty, and has a good attitude. (Her "we livin'" response to Chris asking how everybody was was just dripping with subtext and I loved it.)

This was not a good group of people overall - I wonder if the pickings were slim because of the pandemic.

Edit: I didn't realize there was a new crew in July. I'm definitely down - I like the premise of the show even when the cast is wack.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Empress1

[Devvie]

13 hours ago, me5671 said:

And Pastor Cal should STFU with his equivocating bullshit.  "They've both pulled each other back and forth so many times..."  No, dude.  That's not what happened at all.  It was more like Chris pushing her away and then pulling her back in at will.  Like he was playing with a yo-yo.

AMEN.  That's exactly what I was thinking.... "How DARE you imply, let alone state, that she "pulled" him.  That is a LIE... shame on you "Pastor" Cal.  If I remember correctly, LYING is the 9th commandment and perhaps, you should go back to remedial Christianity class!  

[Rae Spellman]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I am having a hard time being happy that Clara said yes to staying with him given his lack of saying "I love you" and no intercourse.  

If she's comparing her relationship with Ryan to her past relationships and the relationships of Haley/Jake and Paige/Chris maybe her bar is so low that this is enough. Elsewhere on the internet one of my favorite podcasters wrote:

Quote

Paige and Chris’ relationship is the most obviously sh*tty, but the pity Clara and Virginia have for Paige is… rich. Like girlies… y’all doubled DOWN.

Clearly something has gone wrong over the course of Clara's dating life if this eight weeks with Ryan is the best ever. Also these "experts" are not to be trusted. Viviana said that they were "so thrilled" with the way Erika and Virginia handled themselves. She followed up with being glad that they chose themselves and chose love when that is absolutely not what either of them did. 

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I thought she had more self respect.  I think whatever religion she is buying into is making her think she's doing "the right thing" but it's not the right thing. 

Religion could be the excuse rather than the reason she's accepting less. While Paige's spouse treated her the worst, half the less religious cast members are also accepting spouses who very controlling and/or telling them that being themselves is off-putting. 

It's brutal out there for some folks. Paige is young and this series of bad decisions is on television for everyone to critique. But, plenty of people, including people critiquing her have made disastrous decisions, too. It's not too late for her to mature, grow, and find a good dude. Especially if she gets away from the folks like the folks on this show who are blowing smoke up her butt telling her she's the strongest, most beautiful, most wronged person ever, accepts her part in this and realizes in a more real, less bs way that she can do better if she does better. 

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Eric's desperation was showing again and I will admit that one of the few surprises of the evening was that Virginia said yes. 

Erik said he wasn't sure that she'd say yes. So asked her father for permission to marry her and proposed to see if she had enough fight in her to say no. Again, he may not be Chris-level manipulative. But, he's definitely on the manipulative spectrum. Her yes after all that didn't surprise me. I'll be surprised if they are still together this time next year.

5 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

3. Did Virginia say yes just for the free champagne?

4. What was in the box that Chris brought to the reunion party? And who invited him anyway?

5. Why is it so important to Haley that Jake "learned something" during the marriage?

3. Hopefully. Or, she eyed the champagne and figured that she'd ride this out till the reunion and the drinks she'll get at the reunion.  Then she can figure out an escape off-camera. Or settle for Erik because being an aging single drunk isn't necessarily more awesome than being married to Erik. 

4. MAFS absolutely invited him for the drama/ratings. Episodes ago, I mentioned that I'm watching this show like a soap opera and there are at least three cast members who annoy me more than Chris. So, found Chris' special appearance entertaining enough and didn't think the others and their bad decisions necessarily deserved a Chris-free celebration.  

5. If Jake didn't learn anything he may find himself hoping to find a marriage that takes before he turns 45 or 50. Hopefully, he learned something and just didn't think he owed it to Haley to share it with her. 

[Nancybeth]

Chris is a sociopath, in my (totally non-professional) opinion. BUT. I believe that Paige has basically been brainwashed by her the particular brand of Christianity that she was raised in. From the beginning she has been so focused on the fact that this relationship is ordained by God. I'm sure she also has a healthy does of "the man is the head of a household" belief. She's let herself be fooled into thinking that she has to put up with Chris' nonsense because an obedient woman is a Godly woman. 

Say what you want about Viviana's outfit, but I felt like she was the only expert who was like, "Hold up, this is madness" and tried to talk some sense into Paige!

I think Erik and Virginia will be the first ones to split, post-Decision Day.

 

[psychoticstate]

Episode MVP is very clearly Dr. V, who SO ISN'T HERE for any of Chris's revisionist, con artist, whispery, fake crying bullshit.  She also wasn't here for any of Paige's woe-is-me, so wanting to continue to be Chris's victim nonsense.  

So let's start with these two twats.  Why were they even present on Decision Day?  Wasn't their decision day like a month ago?  Actually, wasn't it pretty much when Chris decided Paige was too ugly for him and he took off for Chicago from Vegas?  

Anyway, did Chris inflict himself on us only so that we could hear that Mercedes's fake pregnancy ended in a fake miscarriage and he could fake cry on tv and have a fake panic attack and then fuck with Paige all over again because Paige showed up looking good and happy?  And Paige, who needs therapy more than any person I've ever seen on my tv, thinks Chris has turned some corner and now she's doubting her decision to divorce (again).  Girl, the only corner Chris is turning is the corner of Let Me Fuck You Over and How Stupid Are You.  

Honestly, I'm not surprised this fuckery went on for 6 hours since Chris has a limitless capacity for bullshit and Paige has a limitless capacity for being dumped on.  

Moving on.  Clara looks great and is still under the non-dickmatized delusion that she and Ryan have the best marriage EVAH so of course she says yes.  Ryan, looking like some Howdy Doody like ventriloquist's dummy with that ridiculous bow tie (which was nearly bigger than his head), has an expression that I assume I would have should I ever encounter someone in the woods wearing a potato sack over their head and carrying a bloody kitchen utensil.  He does not look happy.  He stutters all over himself before saying that sure, yeah, he wants to stay married too.  The experts pop the champagne -- maybe because they all need to get drunk (I know I do after watching this episode.)

Jake and Haley are basically a waste of time, other than Haley wearing her "fuck you" outfit and Jake wearing his "I see through your bullshit" glasses.  Jake looks nice but I'm not going to lie.  Part of me was wishing he had worn a neon 80s style shirt just to mess with Haley.  And maybe some tennis shoes for once.  Ha.  No exposition is necessary to know Haley's decision because girlfriend can't even be bothered to wear her wedding ring to decision day.  

Haley tries again to get on our good sides by pointing out how much work she did in the marriage -- I mean, I'm sure it took time, y'all, to call her mother in 'Bama to get the bracelet back -- and even conceded that their wedding night was fun.  But she can't help herself and she has to make her stupid faces and eye gestures when Jake is making his statement for pain and suffering.  

So both say no, to the relief of us and the experts, and then exit stage left with Jake not even holding the door open for Haley.  Ha ha.

So we already know what EriK's decision is going to be.  He pretty much told us two weeks ago.  So drunken antics, allergies and 50 animals in bed with him and Virginia be damned, that boy wants to be married that badly.  He's sweating bullets though because he honestly has no idea what Virginia is going to say.  Neither do we, EriK.  That's how drunks roll.  

EriK not only says yes but he "proposes" to Virginia with what looks like a Jelly ring.  It is red or orange to remind Virginia to phone home?  Or at least call an Uber when she's preparing to pass out drunk on a friend's sofa?  

So Virginia is practically chewing her lip off and will soon start on her chin if the experts don't press her for a decision (did she miss breakfast?).  She fairly quickly and irrationally says yes and then is super happy because that means that bottle of champagne is going to get opened!  EriK is thrilled and happy at the prospect of being a lifetime designated driver.  

Brianna and Vincent.  Brianna is dressed to kill and Vinny looks like Vinny.  Both of them start out by saying what annoyed the shit out of them about the other.  Bri is a strong woman and nobody is going to put her in a corner, even if they are a good dog daddy and are teaching her Spanish.  Vinny doesn't like Bri's tone (but he probably likes her paychecks.)  So even after not liking that Vinny doesn't like her strong personality, Bri decides she likes who she's becoming with Vinny and her answer is yes.  Vinny has something to say to her before he makes his decision and it's a cheesecake proposal, with the cheesecake under his seat (hidden probably because Vinny is scared of cheesecake, since he's scared of everything else).  Bri says she'd rather have a cheesecake than a ring (girl, we need to talk) and everyone is happy.

So there's still something like 15 minutes left to the episode, even with the ridiculous amount of commercials.  It's so the MAFS-ers can meet up for us one more time.  Haley brings Sophie as her "date," but we can all see that Sophie would rather be with Jake.  Jake sits pretty much as far away from Haley as he can and still technically be on camera, counting down the seconds before freedom.   No one really asks what their decisions were because DUH.  I mean, Bri asks Sophie but Sophie has the good sense to say nothing.

Paige shows up solo and tells everyone that she and Chris are getting a divorce (DUH part 2.)   She tries to explain some of the outright lies Chris was feeding her, about how she was the best thing he never had, and Virginia wants to know what in the sweet hell she' talking about (because drunks have no filter).   Paige puts on her little girl voice and says it's Chris's place to spill what he's already spilled on camera and the rest of the group look anywhere but at Paige and drink.  

Then Chris shows up and everyone looks surprised.  Someone must have invited him - or told him he couldn't collect his paycheck unless he showed.  He's still on his Apology Tour of 2021 and apologizes to everyone present for subjecting himself on them during the season.   EriK shakes his hand (wash it later, EriK.  20 seconds) and Clara slams a bottle of beer versus actually having to make eye contact with that male Succubus.  

Chris congratulates all the couples who didn't get their exes pregnant (fake) and bail on their new spouse at the airport and says he really wishes he could turn back time and move into the apartment with Paige.  I'm sure the "experts" wish they could turn back time and boot your sorry ass out of the auditions, Chris.  

So everyone gets up to leave and, of course, Paige and Chris are all smiley with each other and leave somewhat together.  Because Paige is glutton for punishment who will never learn.

The only thing I want to know is if Chris got that new Benz back once his baby mama wasn't going to be his baby mama. 

Reunion is next week and I frankly hope we will see Jake let loose on Haley.       

Edited May 13, 2021 by psychoticstate

[Crashcourse]

3 minutes ago, psychoticstate said:

Reunion is next week and I frankly hope we will see Jake let loose on Haley.       

And I hope she busts him in his steak nuts.

[humbleopinion]

The Shallowest Post...

Eyes are windows to the soul...

For Paige her hair is a barometer to her mental state.

She looked confident and beautiful in her honeymoon braids.

At the grueling 6 hours Decision Day (literally in their case) her hair part was way off, she was hiding behind strands of stray hair...Where the Makeup and Hair crew to fresh her up? To straighten her wig? She looked beat down.

Anyone else wanted to snatch RyRy's curly Q  'stache right offa his lip...he dresses like he is a cartoon character..a badly dressed one. The Park Ranger wants his hat back.

Clarabelle, If you're going to wear garish, bright lipstick then learn to apply a clean edge.

Her inability to draw a smudgeless lip is especially glaring on HDTv.

Rough edges looks like you just finished with Sidepart's wakeup nooky.

Don't get me started on lipstick on teeth...

Eric's quilted puffy bomber  jacket at the Backyard Kids' Klub was too shiny and looked stupid on a grown ass man.

Ginny, to give her full credit dressed simply and cleanly, her face washed, her hair washed, twitching to a minimum. Kudos.

Vincent...noom

Hate to say this but Jake has lost his Joie de Vivre about dressing 80's.

He dresses like he is interviewing by Zoom for a new job....

A clean shaven face may serve him better.

 

 

[Devvie]

And that's a wrap.  Things pretty much turned out the way I figured. And that's unfortunate in a couple of cases:  V&E and C&P (it would have been wonderful if Paige had issued a statement and not met with him). 

BTW you need to find the article where Chris states the baby "made a dramatic exit".  Who says that about a miscarriage - regardless if there was a real pregnancy or not?

Chris was NOT crying.  He makes the sounds and puts his head down because there are no tears.  And then she chases after him.  Message to Paige: I guarantee you that everyday you decide to not see him or talk to him or take a text... you will grow stronger and more confident.  And that soon no one will be able to manipulate you ever again.   

So I just deleted MAFS from my DVR.  This season was the worst and the way the "experts" allowed Chris to manipulate and abuse a woman is unforgivable in 2021.  I will not be manipulated to watch this anymore.  I feel it would be hypocritical and a disservice to women to tell advertisers that I support this.  Yes, I sound very dramatic but to not take the opportunity to educate is negligence on the part of the producers.   

But, this forum has been a blast!!!!!  Loved, loved, loved reading everyone's contributions.  

[seacliffsal]

What with Jake and Haley calling it quits (well, calling it quits one more time so they can get their paychecks) and other couples potentially breaking up before I finish this post, the ones I actually have sympathy for are all of the dogs who really grew to love the new spouses.  It warmed my heart when Ryan was talking about what his decision would be the next day that Mischa was staying with him at his house rather than spending the night with Clara.  Haley's dog will really miss Jacob as she consistently chose to cuddle with him over Haley.  Virginia's dog really responded to Erik and it seemed that Cookie liked Vinny.  Why are there always innocents who will get hurt?

Maybe Jacob's corgies have the best insight into human nature as they didn't want anything to do with Haley and Sophie.  Hmmmmm...

[JocelynCavanaugh]

It’s delusional, I know, but I am hoping this is the last season where they make a plot point out of whether someone will say “I love you” by the end of, what is it, two whole months? How much could it truly mean at that point? I do not care to sit through another iteration of this non-problem. 

Ryan and his stupid mustache aren’t into Clara and never will be. She needs to get a keratin infusion and a hair color that might conceivably occur on someone with dark brown eyes and start over. She could find someone who appreciates her and is suitably fast and loose with the L-word.

Does Virginia have an alcohol problem AND the name of a liquor within her name? I hadn’t noticed. We definitely should’ve made more of an effort to caps and bold that hysterical coincidence every single week. 

This show was actually a huge blessing for Jake, because now he is certain to nab one of the many women who evidently do not see anything nasty, self-centered, tiresome, contrarian, or detached from reality about the way he lumbers through the world. He will be up to his narrowed, dismissive eyeballs in ladies! Mazel. 

Haley looked fabulous, actually. She didn’t seem dressed for clubbing, IMO, just wearing a nice dress that fit her well. I don’t get the sense that she’s trying to prove much to anyone, so much as thrilled to be done with explaining herself six ways from Sunday while tiptoeing around the whole “he was so bad in bed I’ve been full-body cringing for seven straight weeks” thing to spare a toxic ego. She’s not the kind of person I’m normally friends with, but I hope she and her best basics had a great time getting her groove back, however shallow the groove may be. 

Perhaps the greatest mystery of the season is how someone as smart, pretty, and accomplished as Bri could be over the moon about a big, mumbly crybaby. But if she’s happy then God bless. I never once saw her live up to that cruel “bossy” misnomer her “friends” and “family” slapped on her. Misogyny sure is a delight, especially when it’s coming from inside the house. Hopefully Vincent is capable of growth enough to see how accommodating she really is. 

And with that, I have covered every couple on this show. There were no others and nothing else happened, except that one infuriating yet mind-numbingly dull fever dream I had about two silly trolls playing Itchy and Scratchy in ill-fitting costumes. I’m glad none of you had to experience it. It was awful and would NOT have made for good TV. 

23 minutes ago, psychoticstate said:

that male Succubus.  

That’s called an Incubus!

[bichonblitz]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

5. Why is it so important to Haley that Jake "learned something" during the marriage?

Loved it when he said NO. Once again he shut Haley down. He isn't going to sugar coat anything, he's a straight shooter and that's what I like about the weirdo. Unlike Erik and Ryan who pretend they are happy and want to stay married. 

[bichonblitz]

17 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

At the grueling 6 hours Decision Day (literally in their case) her hair part was way off, she was hiding behind strands of stray hair...Where the Makeup and Hair crew to fresh her up? To straighten her wig? She looked beat down.

Whyyyyy is her face alway so shiny and greasy? Powder down, girl. 

[Palomar]

8 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

 

*****I don't believe Mercedes had a miscarriage. I would be sympathetic to that. I believe the whole pregnancy story was faked. PO$ saw Paige from jump, didn't like the way she looked, and concocted a storyline to get out of the marriage and get a social media boost .

Off to read the comments!---

I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing. And the alleged baby Momma just went along with the scenario for $$$ or the Mercedes mentioned.

[Lurk]

4 hours ago, Hangin Out said:

I’ve never seen anyone talk so slowly like Paige.  It’s like you want to pull the words out of her.  Very annoying.

I worked with someone like that before. It was so infuriating that I had to hold myself back from whacking him on the back of the head to knock the words out.

[Hangin Out]

On 5/13/2021 at 9:18 AM, Hangin Out said:

I LOVE Carmen Miranda movies in color with Don Amechi.  Beautiful costumes and nice dancing and Tito Puente.  My girls gave me a Build a Bear doll dressed like her with the fruit and outfit.  I’m going to try and put the picture on here.

Dr. Vivianna.  Flemanco dancer in second job.  Moonlighting.

Edited May 14, 2021 by Hangin Out

[Hangin Out]

As you see, I still don’t know what I’m doin with these pictures.  (Above).  Carmen Miranda.  (Dr. Viviana) (Moonlighter).

Edited May 14, 2021 by Hangin Out

[Empress1]

42 minutes ago, humbleopinion said:

[Virginia's] face washed

And her makeup looked good. Every time I see her wedding picture, I am shocked all over again that she really got married with makeup that bad. Her makeup for the decision looked really nice - she looked like herself, but better, which is what you want for a daytime makeup look. Whoever did her makeup for the decision should have done it for the wedding.

Chris's "I can't give you an answer" was so dumb. They're already married, so "no decision" = "staying married." It actually highlights why the concept of decision day is dumb - it's not like they can't get divorced down the line, as several of the couples who decide to stay married do. It's not like if they don't split up now, they can never split up. They should have been like "so y'all are staying married. Well, good luck," referred them to a therapist not associated with the show, and just not had the champagne celebration that they did with the others who stayed married (because this marriage is nothing to celebrate).

[athousandclowns]

You all covered the ridiculous aspects of the show and these so called couples so very well.  . I fast forward the best I could through Chris so I didn’t notice the change of clothes.  I watch the therapist Stephanie that someone posted a link to years ago and I guess she saw all 6 hours and said lots left on the cutting room floor.  I’m sorry I will not bank on that Chris will be a successful business man of any kind. I find him mentally slow. I don’t think he can even follow what he’s saying or said 2 minutes ago. 
Ryan is full of crap and I very sorry for Clara for hanging around this long. If they are doing everything but intercourse what’s the point? This isn’t 1950 and you’re not a teen in the backseat hanging onto your virginity. 
I predict none of the couples will be together by the reunion. I hope they are all deep in therapy. 

[Ilovepie]

2 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Why is it so important to Haley that Jake "learned something" during the marriage?

Exactly! So what if he learned nothing? Other than the fact that his current wife is not the one for him? She actually sounds pretty fake and insincere spouting off about all she learned from this when she is exactly the same person who walked in on day one and she tried her worst to force her spouse to change to suit her expectations.

I think he's just over this nonsense and it's his quiet way to refuse to play their game any longer. I think him saying he learned nothing is a lot more honest than Haley's answer or any of the bullshit that Chris or Paige spouted.

[Rae Spellman]

2 minutes ago, athousandclowns said:

I watch the therapist Stephanie that someone posted a link to years ago and I guess she saw all 6 hours and said lots left on the cutting room floor.  

Thanks for mentioning Stephanie Lee's recaps. I haven't watched them in a few weeks but will check this one out. I wondered why MAFS didn't just move on to the other couples, leave Chris and Paige's shenanigans on the cutting room floor and just give a voice over wrt what happened.

Vivianna really annoyed me this episode. It was important to her to redeem herself and get her zingers in when talking to Chris and when talking to Erik and Virginia about how they rose above being impacted by "other couples" when she advocated for matching the disastrous duo #1 in the first place. Also, Erik and Virginia are disastrous duo #2.

[Empress1]

17 minutes ago, athousandclowns said:

I predict none of the couples will be together by the reunion

The only couple I could see NOT being together at the reunion, depending on when the reunion is, is Erik and Virginia, but I would guess they are. (They should have broken up last night but I wasn't surprised that they stayed together - I was on the "they shouldn't stay together, but they will" train about them.) I do think Erik and Virginia will have a tumultuous relationship with a lot of arguing no matter how long they stay together.

I could see both Erik and Virginia and Briana and Vincent splitting up a year or two down the line when they start planning for the future they want and realize they want different things, like the Miami couple Lily and her husband whose name I can't remember. They got to the "where is the relationship going?" point and realized they wanted different things (though that was obvious during the show), and broke up, as they should have - doesn't mean they didn't care for each other, just means they weren't a good fit. 

I'm not sure Clara will follow through on her "if he hasn't said he loves me and/or we're not having sex after six months, I'm out" rule, though IMO she should. And in her shoes, I would need A LOT of information about the fact that apparently he's gone years without sex when he's been in relationships. She's said this is "by far" her healthiest relationship, so I think she'll cling to it. And Ryan just seems really passive, so I could see him "for sure, for sure"-ing for literally years, just going with the flow. I could see them lasting a while, though I do think if they have kids, the church thing could be a deal-breaker.

11 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I think he's just over this nonsense

I said last night that Jake clearly couldn't wait to leave the group get-together. I don't think he enjoyed much about the experience.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Empress1

[Ilovepie]

1 hour ago, Devvie said:

AMEN.  That's exactly what I was thinking.... "How DARE you imply, let alone state, that she "pulled" him.  That is a LIE... shame on you "Pastor" Cal.  If I remember correctly, LYING is the 9th commandment and perhaps, you should go back to remedial Christianity class!  

I have to say I understand what PC means - she had so many opportunities to kick him to the curb but she either runs after him (like last night) or accepts him back or supports whatever bullshit is flying out his mouth as apologies for bad behavior, or talks him down in with her religiosity and baby whispers. She has enabled him to continue to pull his stunts and spew his lies.

She had so many opportunities even going back to the day after the wedding when he said he wasn't attracted AFTER HAVING SEX WITH HER! to just be like "nope, I didn't sign up for this. I want out and I don't want any contact with him." But instead she has given him chance after chance after chance. In any other situation, we would be Team Paige, but her own behavior has been so frustrating I don't like either one now. By Decision Day, she is at least partly to blame by continuing to give him a platform.