S02.E01: The Pods Are Open!

[JTMacc99]

The Lacheys kick things off as the singles move into the pods, playfully connect and plan for the future. Meanwhile, a love triangle takes shape.

February 11, 2022

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

Trisha seems quite full of herself. The editors are doing a great job showing us that her female Podmates are not as impressed with her as she thinks they are. I'm not even 100% sure the guys like her as much as she likes herself.  I'm here for all the drama.

[HerkyJerky]

Shayne is such a tool with the most annoying laugh/giggle.  So, how can not one but TWO women be interested in him?

[Vanderboom]

I felt so bad for Natalie; her entire demeanor changed when Shayne called her "Shaina." I hated that his primary move was to get defensive and blamey. He didn't seem to understand that he needed to be more straightforward that Natalie was one of his two favorites instead of giving her the impression that she was The One.

[Empress1]

3 hours ago, HerkyJerky said:

Shayne is such a tool with the most annoying laugh/giggle.  So, how can not one but TWO women be interested in him?

Shayne (that Y is killing me) is so unappealing to me. Just not for me at ALL, in looks or personality - too bro-ish. He has a huge head. (I do feel bad for him losing his father, as someone who lost hers.) I see him more with Shaina than Natalie, but I don't see much there there with Shaina - it's all "what are you wearing?" flirting and no depth. (I think that would be true with anyone they were with - they just don't seem like very deep people.)

3 hours ago, Vanderboom said:

I felt so bad for Natalie; her entire demeanor changed when Shayne called her "Shaina." I hated that his primary move was to get defensive and blamey. He didn't seem to understand that he needed to be more straightforward that Natalie was one of his two favorites instead of giving her the impression that she was The One.

That would have been it for me, if I were Natalie (I wouldn't go for him in the first place, but you know). That response was severe and quick, and it was off-putting. He seems immature. "You think I'm a dick? Well, nyah nyah nyah! It's not fair!" And he was pouting like a toddler (though she couldn't see that).

I can't stand listening to Shaina talk. Her vocal fry is just irritating.

Nick seems really nice. Not cute to me, but I like his personality. Danielle seems nice too but she seems like she has work to do on her self-esteem.

I notice that there are plus-sized women this season but they're not being featured so far.

[Irlandesa]

On 2/11/2022 at 2:37 PM, Vanderboom said:

I felt so bad for Natalie; her entire demeanor changed when Shayne called her "Shaina." I hated that his primary move was to get defensive and blamey. He didn't seem to understand that he needed to be more straightforward that Natalie was one of his two favorites instead of giving her the impression that she was The One.

That made me feel very uncomfortable how he tried to manipulate her through defensiveness.  It's not that he's seeing other people; it's that the first words out of his mouth after misidentifying Natalie were "Shaina, I was hoping it was you."  Of course Natalie is going to be hurt by that because it indicates a level of interest in someone else that is pretty high.

I do not understand why they spent so much time on him and his love triangle and they didn't even reach a conclusion/proposal.  And the couple who did do a proposal was barely covered.  I certainly didn't have the feels for them that I did for Cameron and Lauren last season.

I also don't understand Danielle choosing this method when she has no frame of reference for a healthy relationship.

Edited February 14, 2022 by Irlandesa

[Zuleikha]

I wish they would keep things feel good. I didn't love the "let's laugh at the delusions" of the edit for Abhishek and Trisha. Maybe there will be some kind of redemption arc (Abhishek and Trisha? Oddly, I can actually see that working), but I like watching the connection. I don't want the producers mocking people who are in a weird, vulnerable situation.

The bit of connection between Deepti and Abhishek was interesting, though. I like when the conversations start to get to interesting topics. 

I feel like the whole season could be the pods. There were so many interesting people and not nearly enough time. I want to see more of Iyanne (? can't remember people's names) and how she navigated having to talk about her childhood with other people and Jarrett because his voice is lovely. 

Shayne and Natalie are interesting. I think there's more there than we were shown. His reaction was strong--like he was genuinely reacting to screwing up the relationship he cared about. I think he's killing time and having fun flirting with Shaina, but I think Natalie really was his #1. It is hard to understand what they see in each other. Shayne and Shaina seem like more of a match.

[ElsbethTascioni]

Shake and Trisha deserve each other. I hope Natalie run far far away from that clown, and if Shaina has any sense, she will too. He was so aggressive and hostile, and the fact that he immediately went into dismiss and gaslight mode was a whole pile of red flags. 

[weightyghost]

"if you're mad I called you another woman's name and said I wished it was her, then that's a little weird."

Go eff yourself bro. Showed all you need to know when it comes to how he deals with conflict. 

I always feel bad for the people who are on this show that just show up in the background. What's their story. Give me that tea.

[DearEvette]

First quick impressions during pods:

Kyle: He looks like an Elf.  Or a Hobbit.  He has the perfect face for casting in a fantasy tv series.

Iyanna is cute. Weird laugh, but cute. I liked her.

Jarette I liked him immediately.  Seemed very emotionally available and I was feeling his vibe with Iyanna right away.

Shake was so transparent about trying to weed out heavy set women.  Holy shit.  What a dirt bag.

Deepti.  Very pretty but didn't make much of an impression

Natalie I liked her a lot.  She seemed to have a lot of emotional intelligence.

Shayne.  Nope.  Disliked his energy and his laugh. His reaction to Natalie's upset. Honestly he seemed to gaslight her a bit there.  Not a good look for their future.

Shaina, tbh I felt she was like the female Shayne, but I wasn't as repulsed by her as I was of him. Maybe because she seemed much better with Kyle than Shayne.

Trisha.  Nope.  Disliked her energy and well, her.  All of it.

Nick.  I liked him almost instantly because of his reaction to Trisha.  LOL. I did like how he vibed with Danielle.

Danielle.  I liked her, but she is so down on herself and  her insecurities seemed to loom so large for her.  I did like how accepting she said she'd be of Nick no matter what.  If felt like she really was all in. Ditto him.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, weightyghost said:

I always feel bad for the people who are on this show that just show up in the background. What's their story. Give me that tea.

Me too. But I especially feel sorry for the couples who get engaged but are "dumped" because the show only follows a set amount of people.  I don't know if that happened this season but it happened in Season 1.  2 more couples got engaged and didn't get to go to Mexico. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

I am more interested to see if the plus-sized women are potentially going to be loved while blind and the aftermath of that than anything we've seen thus far.

Shayne seemed like a straight up tool, and not in a good way like Barnett from the first season. Not being able to recognize Natalie's voice, calling her Shaina and saying that he hoped it was her, and then getting obnoxious that she just might be bothered by it shows Natalie should run away fast and far. Pretty much any of the 13 available guys except for Shake would be a default better fit.

I wonder with shows like these how serious the contestants are. Like even with the best conceivable dates, I don't know if I could be like, "She's the one" after three days where there was, maybe, 10 hours worth of conversation with someone.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 2/11/2022 at 3:37 PM, Vanderboom said:

I felt so bad for Natalie; her entire demeanor changed when Shayne called her "Shaina." I hated that his primary move was to get defensive and blamey. He didn't seem to understand that he needed to be more straightforward that Natalie was one of his two favorites instead of giving her the impression that she was The One.

He was such an asshole

[LuvMyShows]

On 2/11/2022 at 6:48 PM, Empress1 said:

I notice that there are plus-sized women this season but they're not being featured so far.

On 2/11/2022 at 10:44 PM, Irlandesa said:

I do not understand why they spent so much time on him and his love triangle and they didn't even reach a conclusion/proposal.  And the couple who did do a proposal was barely covered. 

On 2/11/2022 at 11:21 PM, Zuleikha said:

I feel like the whole season could be the pods. There were so many interesting people and not nearly enough time. 

On 2/12/2022 at 8:14 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

I am more interested to see if the plus-sized women are potentially going to be loved while blind and the aftermath of that than anything we've seen thus far.

All of this.  The unique premise of this show is the pods, yet they will rush through showing us that, so they can get to what is actually just ordinary couples drama after they pair up and leave the pods.

On 2/11/2022 at 10:44 PM, Irlandesa said:

I certainly didn't have the feels for them that I did for Cameron and Lauren last season.

I liked them during the show but now that they are the "model" couple, I find them a bit smug, especially Lauren.

[P2C2E]

I've only seen this episode so far, and I know there's editing involved.

But Shayne is 100% the dude that wants a wife and a girlfriend. He wants the smart, have a connection, wife. And then the younger hot girlfriend that he sleeps with.

He'd absolutely cheat and then blame his partner for not meeting his needs enough. And think that was totally ok.

[Snapdragon]

On 2/11/2022 at 10:21 PM, Zuleikha said:

I feel like the whole season could be the pods. There were so many interesting people and not nearly enough time. I want to see more of Iyanne (? can't remember people's names) and how she navigated having to talk about her childhood with other people and Jarrett because his voice is lovely. 

 

I wish the entire season was in the pods as well.  The first season, I found the episodes in the pods really interesting and the second they left, it just became another drama filled reality show.  From what I've read in interviews, the pod experience was really intense for a lot of people since they spent hours talking to each other and getting into really deep conversations.  I'd rather just watch that and the participants reflecting on how they're feeling and what they're looking for in a partner than a bunch of drama over planning a slapped together wedding.

[Kiss my mutt]

They completely messed up the entire premise of the show by changing the format and rushing through to the reveal and bringing looks into the equation so quickly. There is very little invested between the couples, so someone’s looks are going to be front and center. I’m more interested in couples falling in love blind, and then seeing if they become more attractive having known them, especially if they’re not someone’s usual type. 
This feels like an Mtv version now and not what made it so popular to begin with. 

[Irlandesa]

5 minutes ago, Kiss my mutt said:

They completely messed up the entire premise of the show by changing the format and rushing through to the reveal and bringing looks into the equation so quickly. There is very little invested between the couples, so someone’s looks are going to be front and center. I’m more interested in couples falling in love blind, and then seeing if they become more attractive having known them, especially if they’re not someone’s usual type. 
This feels like an Mtv version now and not what made it so popular to begin with. 

I don't think they changed the format of the show. The pods lasted the same amount of time as the first season.

[Matty]

I can't get over Shayne's piano keys teeth. They're huge and bright, bright white and that's all I see when he is talking. Did he go to the dentist before the show filmed and get a full set of new teeth. They look terrible. Why are several of the women attracted to his "broey" voice and vocabulary?  I don't get it.