S26.E07: Week 7

[Andyourlittledog2]

There was a cinderella date in an earlier season where they went to a huge hall in Rome I think and the bachelor did not give the woman the rose and sent her home. He walked her out to the car and right before she got in he had to ask for the expensive necklace he had just given her back. It wasn't hers to keep and they stripped her of it right there on the street. It was both cringey and funny.

When Susie walked in to the date in that dress I kept thinking 'I hope you get the rose and they don't ask you to strip off the designer dress on the street before you get in the car.'  Luckily, she got the rose.

I think Clayton really likes Susie but she just seems so relentlessly fake and playing him to me. She is always moving in for a kiss even when he is about to say something. There is just something so pageant princess about her whole demeanor, like she was trained for this specific purpose and is performing on cue. And she says the word 'like' incessantly. It's makes her sound so stupid.

Speaking of which, I was hoping the psychoanalyst was really one because I got a kick out of watching her watching the different American couples (well Clayton plus one) talking in those sessions. Like, I want to, like tell you, like, how I feel, but like, like like....  Clayton was doing it too. They all sounded ridiculous. I kept wondering what that woman was thinking.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Andyourlittledog2

[chocolatine]

Finally, an A-list destination after so many years! I love Vienna. I was really jealous of the dates at the Schönbrunn Palace and the Belvedere. They're both spectacular. The fake therapist date was atrocious though. Sigmund Freud must be spinning in his grave.

Is Chris De Burgh so hard up for money that he has to perform on a reality dating show, or did he just go so stir-crazy during the pandemic that he accepted the first international gig he was offered? It was obvious that neither Clayton nor Susie knew who he was and couldn't even muster up the excitement people on this show usually show for the no-name faux-country bands who play on the US-based 1:1 dates.

I love Genevieve for not coming up with some fake, generic feelings for the "therapy" session. She clearly didn't think that Clayton was worth making a fool of herself on national television.

I love that there are two rose ceremonies in the episode. Finally the show is moving along.

Edited February 22, 2022 by chocolatine

[CrazyDog]

What a grim episode. The season isn't even bothering to show "relationships" developing.

I hope Genevieve got to see Vienna and to try to feel joy again. First Shanae, now forced therapy on national TV.

Run, Serene! She is way too normal for this show. But falling in love with Clayton? When?

Half the episode was about Mara being shown as the villain towards Sarah, because reasons, and the rest of the show was the other women suddenly calling out Sarah for being a villain. Mara was abrasive and annoying, but apparently not completely wrong. 

Tearless Sarah was pretty hilarious. She forgot her glycerin drops.

Is this a normal villain count for a season?

Rachel wearing a wedding dress to the rose ceremony, lol. Performative really is the best description for this entire season. Her deep therapy reveal was being part of the Bachelor is scary? She's goood.

Gabby: I'm ready to get it over with.

*audience nods in agreement*

Susie, the female Clayton, is killing her Bachelorette audition. Serene could be in the mix, if she'd gotten more than six minutes of airtime. 

I can't wait to watch Clayton interact with people he just can't kiss and grope, lol.

[nickp1991]

I hope Mara finds a husband and then gets put on a Real Housewives of ______ series

[gwen747]

Mara fell into that classic Bachelor trap of thinking that,  because she's slightly older, she somehow deserves it more or she's paid her dues, blah blah. Unfortunately,  chemistry, attraction, and love just don't work that way. 

On another note, Sarah was kind of obnoxious while standing at the head of the room chastising the group for trying to sabotage her relationship Clayton. I wonder if she honed those skills at her wealth management advisor position. 

[LakeGal]

I would never want to sit next to Clayton.  I would be slapping his hands away.  Even when he was breaking up with women he was groping their thighs.  Clayton would probably get handsy if he sits too close to a female family member at the family visits.  Keep your hands off Grandma!  

[nlkm9]

10 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Maybe she will smile after Clayton dumps her. Of relief.

It was so obvious to me she has not a bit of interest in him and couldnt wait to get out of there. This is not a good situation for someone like her and why she just didn’t walk out on her own is a-mystery but she let clayton take the lead, perhaps to keep his fragileego intact.- susie is sooooo annoying . I think anyone who got that date would have reciver a rose, he is so fickle .

 

[DEL901]

Just reading some recaps.   The shrink said “some of the women were being performative”.   Clayton acted as if she said one of the women.  Wonder who else she was referring to….   Could it be ALL of them, lol?

[phlebas]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Is Chris De Burgh so hard up for money that he has to perform on a reality dating show, or did he just go so stir-crazy during the pandemic that he accepted the first international gig he was offered?

Free trip to Vienna?  I'd go too.  

Air Supply only got to go on stage in California.

[seacliffsal]

One of the unintentionally funniest moments for me was when Genevieve wasn't really expressing anything during the "therapy" sessions and Clayton said let's go somewhere where we can just talk one-on-one and they left the "therapist."  However, the camera crew, producers, etc., all went with them so they could film the heartfelt moment.  So, in talking one-on-one, the only person left out was the therapist.  I am there with Genevieve-why would anyone share their most innermost thoughts on a national television show?

Probably my most favorite moment of the entire season was when even Clayton saw that Sarah was fake-crying.  I loved the fact that he called her out on it and she immediately stopped the fake-crying.  There are many times during many reality shows when I wished someone would call out the person who was fake-crying (while many of us identify it in our posts as we are eagle eyed viewers...).  I did find it hard to believe that the person to finally call out someone was Clayton.

I can't believe they got to go to Vienna!  Just lovely.  And because it was Vienna, I didn't fast-forward as much as I normally do because every background scene was just fabulous.

I think Gabby will be the next one out (no spoilers just opinion).

[Jax7917]

I never understood the term “ vocal fry “ but hearing Gabby speak , I think I get it now . She has such an odd way of speaking and her facial expressions are weird lol . But she seems like a good person with a good sense of humor . 
 

I’m just gonna say it . Rachel , please brush your eyebrows down . That look with girls brushing their eyebrows in an upward direction is so ugly . 

[Rainsong]

Did they tell us that Clayton is in medical sales?  Because ongoing encounters with him are akin to visiting his dental clients can every week. A fear of needles can be a problem at the dentist. Mara has no such fears, we think, as certain uneven facial terrain has been smoothed over thanks to the toxin-turned-tonic known as botulinum. However, botox can do nothing for the hands which, as Dame Joan Collins often notes, reveal the age more readily than the face. Mara may be Puerto Rican, not Italian, but she’s got some knobby knuckles that would make Rocky Balboa think twice about hitting a side of beef like a heavy bag.

The knuckles are visible as Mara self-soothes while the others speculate about Sarah’s fate – especially after the submarine Mara attempted to torpedo the good sloop Sarah. Mara is still moaning about Clayton’s single date choices and is unable (read: unwilling) to take the very large hint. We can be excused for starting to wonder a) if Mara is really 32 and b) what this ‘entrepreneur’ job description is all about and if it might involve other bachelors…as in parties.  The claimed age of 32 would make a cat laugh leaving us with b) as the only mystery and one we’re frankly not bothered with solving.

In a cruel irony, Mara celebrated the downfall of Shanae but has become her replacement as she sows discord. Small-but-mighty Sarah has dispensed with the tearful innocent routine and is returning triumphantly with a rose. She delivers a rather easily-decoded demand to know who dropped her in the soup with Clayton. The Unlucky Seven aren’t all that keen to participate in the inquest. They’re showing faces longer than Easter Island statues. Mara fesses up and she and Sarah attempt to kill each other with kindness.

Another rose ceremony has been shoved into the first act of the episode, leading the audience to wonder, justifiably, if the producers don’t view the ceremonies as dramatic™ enough compared to the producers’ contrivances.

Susie wants to ‘literally’ be invited into someone’s home although it’s unclear how one can be ‘figuratively’ invited (front door left open maybe?).  We don’t have the heart to tell her that Clayton’s home features a…pool table as one of the parlor fixtures. ‘Nice to meet you, dear. Now rack ‘em!’

We’ve overlooked some of the over-the-top dress choices with long slits and low necklines but Rachel’s rather ludicrous red number with a train that would embarrass Princess Di wrapped over her arm is worthy of a fashion police APB.

What’s the national drink of Croatia? Never mind – Mara is having her usual three fingers of vodka, consuming as much Dutch courage as possible as Sarah gives a disingenuous speech about being ‘grateful’ to sit in a room with 8 other women vying for the same boyfriend.

Clayton enters to declare that he’s ‘getting to a place where he needs to be.’ If that makes a lick of sense to you, you may have a future as an author of Hallmark Cards. It’s indecipherable to the rest of us but the women are suitably impressed. Or maybe the producers have locked their passports in a safe and the women are worried they can’t get out of the country if they don’t play along.

Serene has no choice but to be serene indeed and take short shallow breaths in that tight wrap dress. We can just about count her ribs. She’s clearly not partaking in the room service or catering. Or even the biscotti on the flight over. Clayton has presented her with a Mason jar with ‘fireflies’ aka string lights inside. ‘These are a trip, man. Like, you can’t see the batteries n’ stuff. It’s like totally rad, dude.’ OK he doesn’t actually say it but he’s thinking it. Despite the claimed mutual attraction, Serene body’s language says otherwise as she leans away. Their conversation continues to sound like a business meeting. ‘You were really listening to me. Thank you. If you stop at the front desk they’ll validate your parking.’

If Clayton is sitting ramrod-straight with Serene he’s practically curling up in Susie’s lap and purring. Who needs spoilers when you have eyes? Rachel is still giving the hard sell and medical rep Clayton doesn’t seem to notice the lines are canned.

Mara has taken pacing the floor one step further and is now angrily circling the building with drink in hand. Cruella isn’t going out without a fight and, in fact, is engineering the fight herself…with Sarah. The mysterious, uncounted, unnamed, ominous and probably fictional ‘some of the other girls’ are invoked – a phrase that always strikes fear in the heart. Mara, now reduced strictly to manipulation, is nevertheless advising against said manipulation. The other girls say they’re tired of drama but they can curtain-twitch with the best of them as they peek. This is the 21st century catfight: passive-aggressive, full of self-help balderdash and insincere advice. This just in: the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce have officially asked Mara to stop talking. ‘Our state’s reputation is bad enough’ they say.

The ceremony mercifully begins. Clayton is an easy target but the speeches are still increasingly strange and entirely self-centered. He sounds like a personal trainer motivating…himself. ‘I know I’ll be in love at the end of this. That’s what makes it all so worth it. By the way, I recommend this protein supplement.’ There are no surprises in the rose stakes, including Genevieve’s unbreakable black mood as she talks of ‘validation’ with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner finally getting fresh air…by working on a roadside trash pickup detail. Not even receiving the last rose can elicit a smile. The now-vanquished Mara is fairly sprinting across the cobblestones. She wants her person and is determined to get him even if she has to handcuff him to the radiator. Form an orderly queue, lads!

Vienna! Now we’re talking. Houston seems a million miles away and so does Hvar. Mozart’s music plays (loudly), of course, and steins of beer are imbibed, of course. The only Austrian cliches missing might be a glimpse of Arnold Schwarzenegger or the Von Trapp Family. Bed-flopping has advanced to bed-jumping. Susie, unsurprising recipient of a single date, has embraced the artistic vibe of the Austrian capital by painting her trousers on. ‘Uhmigawd!’ she declares and not for the last time.

Susie gets to visit a designer-to-the-stars and tries on a series of dresses with the happy confidence of a size 4.  If we’re honest the leather and thigh-high boots she wore in are her best look especially when the alternative is a pink Big Bird number. It makes us wonder why they bothered with the fashion shopping earlier in the day except the haul has another purpose: it will set some teeth on edge back at the suite.

Translated, the valet says ‘Good evening, I’m seeking Miss Susie.’ I knew that high school German would pay off one day. There is a very distinct Austrian accent even in the short sentence uttered. Susie is sitting idle in her undergarments, as you do, when yet another dress arrives. To use a Clayton-centric term, they’re just spiking the football now.  The show’s accountants have a 24-hour rate on the hire car and they’re determined to get every minute’s worth.

‘Allo? Is that Schoenbrunn Palace? May we use your national landmark for bit of reality TV taping? Ja? Danke!’ Next call to…Chris de Burgh?! Chris could be forgiven for saying ‘No, I don’t want to sing that damned song again even if I wrote it’ but the gig calendar has been lean during covid. What are the odds neither Clayton nor Susie have any idea who he is?

Actual Freudian Psychoanalysis involves a single patient. Long conversations. Multiple visits. Today’s sessions are airline-magazine, couples-retreat gibberish. Let’s call it Fraudulent Analysis. On an assembly line no less.  All the best psychologists have finger tattoos…don’t they? Was Gabby running late to the filming set or is her hair supposed to be that messy? Genevieve is instructed to ‘try to express what you feel.’  That feeling is… silence. And then an expletive. Oh dear. Not even the most insightful counselors can get blood from a stone. Genny was a bartender of few words but she did us the favor of sending Shanae home.

Rachel claims she didn’t see it coming. And nobody believes her. The psychologist doesn’t believe her inch-deep patter either in the session. Sarah manages to talk about Clayton at length without looking at him once. Our host declares that some of them have been ‘performative.’ Clayton looks alarmed at the word. Probably because he doesn’t know what it means.  He thinks it refers to someone’s 40-yard dash time.

Sarah is more sinned against than sinner but someone has to be the object of the insecurities so she goes. Clayton is downright angry when these separations occur as if he’s quickly running out of game tokens at Dave & Buster’s. Our big dumb jock is incapable of fair play and being conciliatory when it doesn’t work out. ‘If someone says they’re feeling insecure then…how does that become something that I need to fix?’ asks Sarah and for once we don’t have a snappy answer for her.  She’s spot on.

Grumpy Clayton is back talking about hometowns and a wife the way other people talk about placing an Amazon order for socks. The remaining women do plenty of performative frowning at being denied a rose but they’re secretly overjoyed at having skillfully and surreptitiously dispensed with another rival. Who needs ceremonies to pare the field down when you have whispering campaigns? Serene hasn’t quite managed to stay out of the drama but at least she’s not here tonight. Susie is floating above it all at 30,000 ft. The Witches of Eureka are just little insignificant dots on the ground below her.

The World’s Longest Job Interview resumes with Serene declaring flatly that ‘they’re building something comfortable and trusting.’ If you say so. Our partners prove incapable of being comfortable or trusting as they struggle with the waltz, possibly the world’s easiest dance step and rhythm. The Austrians call out ‘1-2-3’ – and in English – but it’s no help.  Surprisingly, we haven’t had a date involving ballroom dancing (always a Bachelor staple) but our couple obviously have four left feet between them so maybe that idea was nixed. Serene’s dresses are getting tighter and smaller, if that’s possible. Clayton is once again a fashion don’t with his cable-knit zip-up sweater and plaid sport coat. Suddenly thermal underwear tops don’t seem so objectionable.

A second rose ceremony is squeezed in before (all together now) hometowns. With two of the roses already secured, it means the witches’ coven will be broken up soon after its formation. Rachel’s a lock for a rose leaving just Gabby and Teddi, who’s been frowning so much the past week even Clueless Clayton has noticed.  Finally, Teddi’s frowns earn her a looooong coach-class flight home from Austria to California.

It looks as though each family has a designated inquisitor and it’s safe to say we’re on their side this time. Sic ‘em!
 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Rainsong

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

There was a cinderella date in an earlier season where they went to a huge hall in Rome I think and the bachelor did not give the woman the rose and sent her home. He walked her out to the car and right before she got in he had to ask for the expensive necklace he had just given her back. It wasn't hers to keep and they stripped her of it right there on the street. It was both cringey and funny.

That's funny.  It happened in the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" too

6 hours ago, gwen747 said:

Mara fell into that classic Bachelor trap of thinking that,  because she's slightly older, she somehow deserves it more or she's paid her dues, blah blah. Unfortunately,  chemistry, attraction, and love just don't work that way. 

I agree.  It's like how I feel at work.  LOL

[Ketzel]

13 hours ago, Amy Beth said:

I guess Susie had to choose a red dress or they’d have to fire the singer?

 

13 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess there aren’t a lot of songs with the phrase “lady in a giant pink puffy big bird dress” in them. 

Good thing the producers didn't decide on  "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain."

[TheFinalRose]

1 hour ago, Jax7917 said:

I’m just gonna say it . Rachel , please brush your eyebrows down . That look with girls brushing their eyebrows in an upward direction is so ugly . 

THANK YOU for saying this. She looked totally bizarre... like a real puppy dog.  

 

9 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

Rachel wearing a wedding dress to the rose ceremony, lol.

That was so weird. Where did she get it? Why did she pack it? Couldn't she tell she looked like a wanna-be bride? 

Genevieve for the win this episode. Considering that she was probably suffering from both jet lag and post-actress accusal syndrome she did not fake emote once on this whole episode. I hope she realizes that her instinct to self-protect via silence during the fake therapy skit will serve her well throughout her life, as real life does not require you to spill your innermost thoughts and feelings on a constant loop like this show does.  

 

Quote

Why oh why do these girls even care about “winning” this round of the bachelor. Clayton is far from being a prize. I find him Dull, and not too attractive, sloped shouldered on a big horse body. Can you imagine keeping that huge jaw jutting oaf, fed? 

Amen to all of this. There are so many better-looking, more camera-friendly rejects in Bachelor nation and they picked this guy who has zero going for him. You can tell too that  he's not really having that much of an effect on these women because the limo melt-downs are just not happening.  And whether or not Susie ends up as the F1, she'll be able to make way more money than Clay-en when this is over as an influencer. These women do not need a man to buy them designer gowns--she'll be able to afford them on her own. It's really ridiculous how much money they make on Instagram.  

Teddy is so cute and she left with such dignity. Hopefully we will see her on BIP. 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by TheFinalRose

[JenE4]

1 hour ago, Jax7917 said:

I’m just gonna say it . Rachel , please brush your eyebrows down . That look with girls brushing their eyebrows in an upward direction is so ugly . 

Listen, if this stunning beauty has one barely discernible imperfection, let her have it and give the rest of us average women a fighting chance. If you’re able to pinpoint something “ugly” about Rachel, the rest of us might as well give up and go live under a bridge like an ugly old troll.

 

[Alexander Pope]

14 hours ago, JenE4 said:

I’m truly surprised that Mara left it with, “I love you all” without adding “except for you, Sarah, you duplicitous bitch.” Loved that the producers made Sarah give the toast to set her up to celebrate Mara leaving. Since it’s the end of a travel week, isn’t Clayton supposed to toast and announce where they’re heading tomorrow?

ETA: Yes, yes, he was. Instead we just start off with the girls hollering, “Hello, Vienna!”

That was the most passive aggressive "I love you" I have ever heard!

14 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

The church that was shown and they walked by--when I was in Vienna 20 years ago, I heard all this glass breaking over and over again, and it was a remembrance ceremony of Vienna's Krystallnacht taking place in front of the church. (The broken glass was a recording.) 

This reminds me that it was pretty awful that they didn't tell the ladies why Freud left Vienna and lived the rest of his life in London!  

[Alexander Pope]

13 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Seriously!  I'm very pleasantly shocked. That was awesome and so unexpected by him.

I loved Sarah's retort when he called her out: "I HAVE NO TEARS LEFT!" LOLLLLLLLLL

[Back Atcha]

52 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

2 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

I’m just gonna say it . Rachel , please brush your eyebrows down . That look with girls brushing their eyebrows in an upward direction is so ugly . 

Listen, if this stunning beauty has one barely discernible imperfection, let her have it and give the rest of us average women a fighting chance. If you’re able to pinpoint something “ugly” about Rachel, the rest of us might as well give up and go live under a bridge like an ugly old troll.

I like those eyebrows.  Looking closer, I think she has very few "hairs," and is doing her best with the ones closer to her nose...the rest seems filled-in powder.  Really, I LIKE those eyebrows and look forward to a new style.

[Recyclorette]

Poor Clay-un, his mouth seems to be getting very weary at this point and he is now in "relay-ships." 

As for this season's dates, we've been spared the physical muck only to be mired in mental muck.

[SallyAlbright]

I love that he finally caught on and called out Sarah for her fake crying. She was very smug all the time (even before the other girls noticed) and her overfilled top lip was hitting her nose when she sneered and I found it very distracting! 

[EllenB]

7 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Probably my most favorite moment of the entire season was when even Clayton saw that Sarah was fake-crying.  I loved the fact that he called her out on it and she immediately stopped the fake-crying.  There are many times during many reality shows when I wished someone would call out the person who was fake-crying (while many of us identify it in our posts as we are eagle eyed viewers...).  I did find it hard to believe that the person to finally call out someone was Clayton.

This was almost as good as the hometown visit on Charlie O's season in which Big Sarah's father told him not to pick her because she was batshit crazy. That's my favorite Bachelor moment ever, but this was definitely a top 5, even if Clayton himself isn't otherwise a top Bachelor.

[Bluesky]

10 hours ago, nlkm9 said:

It was so obvious to me she has not a bit of interest in him and couldnt wait to get out of there. This is not a good situation for someone like her and why she just didn’t walk out on her own is a-mystery but she let clayton take the lead, perhaps to keep his fragileego intact.- susie is sooooo annoying . I think anyone who got that date would have reciver a rose, he is so fickle .

 

Do they let them say no, I won’t accept the rose?    I thought she was pretty clear that she wanted out.  Love how Clayton went back to the women left and acted like it was his decision to let her go.   

[Jax7917]

19 hours ago, tinkerbell said:

The "therapy" sessions pissed me off.

The woman is a psychoanalyst, performing for a TV show.  An actual therapist does not push someone to express deep feelings the first time meeting them. A real therapist doesn't attempt to do couples therapy with 2 people who aren't even exclusive yet.

How about a real therapist saying her client was acting performative ? Not only was that a producer fed line that was given to her to say , but that’s a great therapist , mocking someone’s emotions 🙃

[Kiss my mutt]

I’m not convinced Clayton actually caught on to anything. I think it had to be spelled out to him to the point that producers had him confront Sarah because I don’t see him doing anything unless he had explicit instructions. He’s kind of a ninny. 
Good riddance to Sarah. She could wipe her nose with her upper lip and it was grossing me out. Plus, she’s a bitch.

I don’t know how Genevieve even got that far on the show. I know absolutely nothing about her at all. Girl might as well have been sitting there with a lampshade on her head. 

[chocolatine]

12 hours ago, phlebas said:

Free trip to Vienna?  I'd go too.  

Air Supply only got to go on stage in California.

At least Air Supply got to play to a large studio audience. And they created a paradox that I'm still trying to solve to this day - if it's possible to make love out of nothing at all, how can one ever be all out of love?

Edited February 23, 2022 by chocolatine

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

22 hours ago, tinkerbell said:

The "therapy" sessions pissed me off.

The woman is a psychoanalyst, performing for a TV show.  An actual therapist does not push someone to express deep feelings the first time meeting them. A real therapist doesn't attempt to do couples therapy with 2 people who aren't even exclusive yet.

That part really pissed me off. ABC has ZERO__ business pulling that shit and putting those women through that. Am I the only one who feels it's none of anyone's business airing something that should be confidential between patient and Doctor. I felt bad that it affected Genevieve so much and I think the other women were very surprised and turned off by it all. Yea, what a fun date....

Edited February 23, 2022 by One4Sorrow2TooBad

[Starlight925]

I don't get the thrill over Clayton.  His block head, underbite, saying "like" every 3 words, sloppy kissing....he's just a big lug to me.  

And he needs a new haircut.  This reverse mullet thing gots to go.

[seacliffsal]

Okay, this is going to sound trite, but his continual tongue movements really bother me (around his teeth, etc.).  It's like he has continual dry mouth or something.  I know it's petty, but hey, he's the one who put himself on t.v....

[phlebas]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

At least Air Supply got to play to a large studio audience. And they created a paradox that I'm still trying to solve to this day - if it's possible to make love out of nothing at all, how can one ever be all out of love?

Air Supply had a whole room of people who didn't know who they were.  Chris de Burgh only had two people who didn't know who she was :)

As for the paradox, you risk that when you cover a Jim Steinman song.

[tinkerbell]

On 2/22/2022 at 6:30 AM, DEL901 said:

Just reading some recaps.   The shrink said “some of the women were being performative”.   Clayton acted as if she said one of the women.  Wonder who else she was referring to….   Could it be ALL of them, lol?

Performative?  Women competing to date a man on a TV show, asked to reveal their emotions to a "therapist" they just met, in front of a camera crew?   Everyone,  including the therapist, was putting on a performance. 

And that brings me to the reason this show doesn’t end up with many long-term relationships.  To "win", women are supposed to be bold, interrupting others so they get more time with the lead. They have to play sports, be filmed in skimpy outfits, engage in some sort of physical competition like wrestling or boxing, and be "vulnerable ", talking about trauma and pain in front of others. Oh, AND they have to be willing to have a make-out session , on camera, with a guy who was just making out with someone else. There's no room for women who are modest, reserved, or not "Performative. " 

There are no intelligent conversations about religion,  race, politics, just inane trite comments like " family is so important." The couples don't relate on an intellectual level, just boring conversations about their feelings.

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by tinkerbell

[DEL901]

I think there are some substantive conversations, but tptb choose not to air them because they think villains draw higher ratings. 

[EllenB]

Does anyone remember a show called "Average Joe," in which a group of very ordinary guys competed for a beautiful woman, then they brought in a group of hunks? I seem to remember some fairly good conversations, actual revelations on the part of some of the  hunks who realized they'd been kind of bullies, and the female lead dumping a guy after hometowns because he didn't have books in his apartment. Damn, I loved that show.

[Pj3422]

On 2/22/2022 at 2:39 AM, gwen747 said:

Mara fell into that classic Bachelor trap of thinking that,  because she's slightly older, she somehow deserves it more or she's paid her dues, blah blah. Unfortunately,  chemistry, attraction, and love just don't work that way. 

 

Oh, wow — just had a flashback to the first night of British Matt’s season: the doctor who said her eggs were drying up!

[ljenkins782]

On 2/22/2022 at 9:54 AM, Rainsong said:

The ceremony mercifully begins. Clayton is an easy target but the speeches are still increasingly strange and entirely self-centered. He sounds like a personal trainer motivating…himself. ‘I know I’ll be in love at the end of this. That’s what makes it all so worth it. By the way, I recommend this protein supplement.’ There are no surprises in the rose stakes, including Genevieve’s unbreakable black mood as she talks of ‘validation’ with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner finally getting fresh air…by working on a roadside trash pickup detail. Not even receiving the last rose can elicit a smile. The now-vanquished Mara is fairly sprinting across the cobblestones. She wants her person and is determined to get him even if she has to handcuff him to the radiator. Form an orderly queue, lads!

LOL, she's going to rope and wrangle one somehow. But as someone upthread pointed out, I don't see her and her red-lipped scowl being a Paradise favorite, though I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see her give it a try.

Funniest part of rose ceremony #1 was Genevieve's cleavage outshining Mara's last stand, the cameraman carefully framed each shot of Mara's growing desperation with Genevieve's headless, shiny silver cleavage right next to Mara's face.

Quote

Okay, this is going to sound trite, but his continual tongue movements really bother me (around his teeth, etc.).  It's like he has continual dry mouth or something.  I know it's petty, but hey, he's the one who put himself on t.v....

Yes! I hadn't specifically noticed what it was that bugged me, but that's it. And his affect has gotten flatter and flatter as the season goes on, he's not good at the "performative" elements of being the lead. 

This episode felt strangely rushed, after weeks and weeks of the Shanae show, suddenly 2 seeming frontrunners (Sarah and Teddi) go home, plus Genevieve's abrupt dismissal and Mara's inevitable demise after a brief step up to show villainess. It felt like more content in one show than in the last 5.

Also, the turn on Sarah seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean, *I* found her smug and obnoxious but didn't think she'd done anything in particular to the other girls that was reportable, despite Mara's best efforts. Over-confident girl who's getting her way is annoying to be around, but to try to drag her down would just make the others look petty, which most of them were savvy enough to see, so the show had to bring on the therapist to point the finger.

[Kerri Johnson]

On 2/21/2022 at 6:06 PM, JenE4 said:

What was that bit/persona that Gabby just put on when she said something like she’s not coming baaaaack? She like curled her lip under and put on a voice like she’s Jim Carey circa 1993 or something.

 

That was her attempt at being quirky/funny/different 

She did that same lip thing to Cassidy 

It’s working. Fans keep saying she’s a breath of fresh air. 

[Kerri Johnson]

On 2/21/2022 at 6:40 PM, Amy Beth said:

Susie isn’t a pageant girl? Because if yes, she’s definitely been around designer gowns before.

She’s also a former Disneyland Princess 

She’s used to wearing ball gowns, singing and acting for her former job

She played Clayton like a fiddle 

Edited February 23, 2022 by Kerri Johnson

[LuvMyShows]

On 2/22/2022 at 9:54 AM, Rainsong said:

This is the 21st century catfight: passive-aggressive, full of self-help balderdash and insincere advice. 

What a great summary of those type of 'arguments'!

On 2/21/2022 at 9:35 PM, Amy Beth said:

I think he got help from the producers again.

I think it was more than just help from the producers.  He was legit angry at Sarah, which is the first time we've seen him truly show that emotion.  He didn't even hold her hand when they walked out, and he was also walking several feet ahead of her.

On 2/21/2022 at 10:03 PM, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

It's like you can tell from the very  first night of The Bachelor,  certain woman chosen are basically just going to be "cannon fodder" those who are destined to be sacrificed away in the rose ceremonies. 

Yeah, but I thought Gabby was one of those women and yet there she is at Hometowns instead of Teddi or Sarah.  Color me surprised...although I don't think there's any chance she makes it to Fantasy Suites.

On 2/22/2022 at 1:43 AM, CrazyDog said:

Is this a normal villain count for a season?

No and it's been weird, because they've moved from one villain and just gone straight to another, sometimes without having laid the groundwork for the new villain, like with Sarah, and then they've made it confusing as to whether the person really is a villain or not, like Mara and Sarah.

On 2/21/2022 at 9:09 PM, JenE4 said:

Wow. After EVERYONE commenting on how Genevieve can’t smile, she can’t even muster the slightest bit of engagement, knowing that it’s make or break time. We got more emotion out of the dead ostrich Susie was wearing on her date.

So this may be an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely do think that Genevieve has issues; I think it's more than just her not feeling it for Clay-un and remaining mum about it.  Quite a few ex-contestants have said that they really did learn a lot about themselves from their experience on the show, and I imagine that when she watches back and sees herself, she will come to that conclusion.

[Stats Queen]

19 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

That part really pissed me off. ABC has ZERO__ business pulling that shit and putting those women through that. Am I the only one who feels it's none of anyone's business airing something that should be confidential between patient and Doctor. I felt bad that it affected Genevieve so much and I think the other women were very surprised and turned off by it all. Yea, what a fun date....

No you aren’t alone. It really pissed me off. 
 

So wildly inappropriate, destructive, misleading and unethical (which is the TPTB stock in trade)

[Diana Berry]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:54 PM, tennisgurl said:

Genevieve is eternally having horrible flashbacks to that 2 on 1, that’s why she looks like she’s always starring into the abyss. 

And when you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back

[Diana Berry]

On 2/22/2022 at 10:55 AM, TheFinalRose said:

THANK YOU for saying this. She looked totally bizarre... like a real puppy dog.  

 

That was so weird. Where did she get it? Why did she pack it? Couldn't she tell she looked like a wanna-be bride? 

Genevieve for the win this episode. Considering that she was probably suffering from both jet lag and post-actress accusal syndrome she did not fake emote once on this whole episode. I hope she realizes that her instinct to self-protect via silence during the fake therapy skit will serve her well throughout her life, as real life does not require you to spill your innermost thoughts and feelings on a constant loop like this show does.  

 

Amen to all of this. There are so many better-looking, more camera-friendly rejects in Bachelor nation and they picked this guy who has zero going for him. You can tell too that  he's not really having that much of an effect on these women because the limo melt-downs are just not happening.  And whether or not Susie ends up as the F1, she'll be able to make way more money than Clay-en when this is over as an influencer. These women do not need a man to buy them designer gowns--she'll be able to afford them on her own. It's really ridiculous how much money they make on Instagram.  

Teddy is so cute and she left with such dignity. Hopefully we will see her on BIP. 

 

 

I still follow Greg, Andrew, Dr. joe , Michael, Mikey, Ed , Bennett ( but he’s in love now with a gorgeous yoga insnstructor)  - I think they were all from Katie season ( maybe Taysha ) .  Any one of them would have been great  

[queta]

On 2/22/2022 at 12:43 AM, CrazyDog said:

What a grim episode. The season isn't even bothering to show "relationships" developing.

I hope Genevieve got to see Vienna and to try to feel joy again. First Shanae, now forced therapy on national TV.

Run, Serene! She is way too normal for this show. But falling in love with Clayton? When?

Half the episode was about Mara being shown as the villain towards Sarah, because reasons, and the rest of the show was the other women suddenly calling out Sarah for being a villain. Mara was abrasive and annoying, but apparently not completely wrong. 

Tearless Sarah was pretty hilarious. She forgot her glycerin drops.

Is this a normal villain count for a season?

Rachel wearing a wedding dress to the rose ceremony, lol. Performative really is the best description for this entire season. Her deep therapy reveal was being part of the Bachelor is scary? She's goood.

Gabby: I'm ready to get it over with.

*audience nods in agreement*

Susie, the female Clayton, is killing her Bachelorette audition. Serene could be in the mix, if she'd gotten more than six minutes of airtime. 

I can't wait to watch Clayton interact with people he just can't kiss and grope, lol.

Grim episode indeed. It looks like a hostage situation. "Blink three times if you are being held against your will."

This season is a train wreck! Clayton is nice enough I guess, but way too fragile and needy to navigate this situation in any sort of responsible way. 

[dizzyd]

9 hours ago, Kerri Johnson said:

She’s also a former Disneyland Princess 

She’s used to wearing ball gowns, singing and acting for her former job

She played Clayton like a fiddle 

Good for her. I’d nominate her as the next bachelorette on her performance. I mean seriously, surely they can find 30 better men than Clayton. Even any jerky villains will be more entertaining than this guy. 

[limecoke]

Genevieve wanted out of this thing. Smart lady. This is the weirdest season since Ben but I love seeing Croatia & Vienna so there’s that. 

[Hip-to-be-Square]

It doesn't surprise me that Suzie was a Disney princess performer- I bet birds dress her and a baby deer delivers tampons to her doorstep every month!  

Edited February 24, 2022 by Hip-to-be-Square

[IDreamofJoaquin]

I loved this episode.  It had an unknown singer in it.  It's always a great time for me to fast forward and and get this shit over with.

[deSchenke]

46 minutes ago, IDreamofJoaquin said:

I loved this episode.  It had an unknown singer in it.  It's always a great time for me to fast forward and and get this shit over with.

Chris de Burgh is the original singer/songwriter of Lady in Red. That song was really popular in the 1980's. But most of the viewing audience is too young to remember - and probably not even born yet!

[Starlight925]

The whole Chris de Burgh "Lady in Red" thing shows just how staged all this is.

That designer showed all those beautiful dresses, which Susie looked terrific in, and the red dress just "happened" to be the one that showed up at her door.

Perfectly tailored to fit her exact measurements, height, etc.  A dress like that almost always needs some alterations, even if they did have her exact measurements beforehand.

She did the whole "Oh my gosh, I Never dress like this!!" shriek.  So. Staged.

[JenE4]

27 minutes ago, deSchenke said:

Chris de Burgh is the original singer/songwriter of Lady in Red. That song was really popular in the 1980's. But most of the viewing audience is too young to remember - and probably not even born yet!

I have to admit that I was amazed that “this guy” sounded just like the actual singer. I don’t know why, but I just always assumed that was like Peter Gabriel or some other such singer back in the day. It never dawned on me that it was a one-hit wonder. (Was it?? Did this Chris guy have other hits?) But I also didn’t think they’d fly someone all the way out to Croatia!! I just thought it was like the Paradise Prom where they had a local band perform the 80s hits. I was thinking to myself this Croatian guy sounds just like Peter Gabriel!! But I was wrong on SO MANY accounts!! Add one more: They we’re in Vienna for that date, not Croatia. Oh, well, The Lady in Red guy, whomever he is and wherever they flew him to still sounded just like he did like 40 years ago!!

Edited February 24, 2022 by JenE4

[Hip-to-be-Square]

3 hours ago, deSchenke said:

Chris de Burgh is the original singer/songwriter of Lady in Red. That song was really popular in the 1980's. But most of the viewing audience is too young to remember - and probably not even born yet!

 I'm disappointed, but not surprised that Clayton and Suzie didn't know who Chris De Burgh is.  I love Lady in Red- such a classic hit! I'm a 33-year-old fan of 80's TV, movies, and music and I exercise exclusively to my collection of 80's exercise VHS tapes.  The music selection and fun red dress combo made my night 😄!

Edited February 24, 2022 by Hip-to-be-Square