S05.E01: So, You're a Recent Cheater

[LuvMyShows]

It doesn't look like there's a topic yet for the Season 5 premiere, so I've created one!  

Description: Optimistic seekers from Houston settle into the pods, where some quickly bond over shared interests -- while others rub their dates the wrong way.

[LuvMyShows]

As usual, at this early stage, I wish that we saw more people's experiences in the pods, and not yet going into such depth. The woman whose date was so bad that she was banging her head into her notebook? Show us that date! All those other people who we see hanging around in the living area?  Show us those dates? 

I wish that Ouche had been able to simply say something to Aaliyah like, "I need some time to process what you've told me. Thank you for sharing something so difficult with me. Let's call it a day today and talk again tomorrow." While I thought Lydia did a good job comforting Aaliyah, I thought it was weird that she kept saying how alike they were. Lydia definitely did not seem to be picking up on the lack of reciprocation from Izzy when she made quite a few strong statements, in their next-to-last visit. And good for him for not letting it go on longer once he had clarity about how he felt.

Does anyone else think that Taylor looks and sounds a lot like Micah from season 4?

[HerkyJerky]

When Lydia was comforting Aaliyah, what was in the foreground? A foosball table? In the WOMEN'S quarters? WTF?😏🙄

[NeenerNeener]

Lydia and Jonni are really...extra. I suppose that's how you get airtime, though.

I don't remember the name of the woman who almost immediately contradicted everything she'd just said to her male podmate (Uche?)...like she was currently living overseas but planning to move back to the States. Then when he asked when she was coming back she said she was already living in Houston. She came off as such a flake.

Edited September 24, 2023 by NeenerNeener

[snarts]

3 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

I don't remember the name of the woman who almost immediately contradicted everything she'd just said to her male podmate (Uche?)...like she was currently living overseas but planning to move back to the States. Then when he asked when she was coming back she said she was already living in Houston. She came off as such a flake.

I think that was Miriam. 

Interesting that they actually post a full cast list when we never actually see or hear anything about the majority of them.

Someone on Twitter posted how sad it would be to have been cast but not featured. You'd take the time off work, tell your friends/family about it, and then be relegated to a brief profile shot in episodes 1&2. Like the man who loves fishing. 

IMHO, the minimum age limit should be 30.

[LuvMyShows]

4 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

Lydia and Jonni are really...extra. I suppose that's how you get airtime, though.

I don't remember the name of the woman who almost immediately contradicted everything she'd just said to her male podmate (Uche?)...like she was currently living overseas but planning to move back to the States. Then when he asked when she was coming back she said she was already living in Houston. She came off as such a flake.

Oh yeah, I meant to post about her.  It was impossible to follow the contradictory things she said. She also came across as weird as f*ck, with her lotion or potion or whatever it is that is “not dermatology but offering a distinct composition”.  From sleuthing around, she apparently founded a plant-based, eco-friendly skincare brand called Zack & Lucy.  The website basically looks like soft-core porn in terms of the photo of the female models and the male model.  

[topanga]

1 hour ago, snarts said:

Interesting that they actually post a full cast list when we never actually see or hear anything about the majority of them.

Agreed. In the introduction, the producers chose to show "dramatic" clips from later in the season--many of which were quite spoilery. I tried to fast-forward through those scenes. 

Contrast that with Season 1, when the introduction featured the voices of the participants talking about how they were looking for love, looking for marriage, etc. Even from the beginning, I felt I got to know a good bit about the characters. The main cast, anyway. 

This year's cast seems a little boring and basic -- but maybe that's because I don't know them yet, and their personalities aren't distinct. (Except Lydia). Are these participants showing us curated personalities just to boost their social media presence? I don't want to be that cynical. I don't want that to be true. 

[topanga]

 

5 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

Lydia and Jonni are really...extra. I suppose that's how you get airtime, though.

Lydia seems like a person I'd be friends with IRL. But I see how her energy and strong personality might turn off some potential partners. Still, there's a pot for every lid. I just don't know if her lid is in these pods. 

Johnie: I don't have an impression about her, good or bad. I am curious about her facial structure. I notice some facial asymmetry and slight slurring of her speech. Did she have a stroke as a child? Did she have a cleft lip/palate repaired (I don't see a scar)? Or is it nothing? Of course, it's none of my business--HIPAA and all. But I'm curious. 

Milton is interesting. He's kind and easy to talk to, but he's less traditionally handsome than some of the other guys. I wonder if that will be significant if he gets engaged? 

I've heard bloggers complain that all of the LIB contestants have been traditionally attractive with similar body types. They called for more diversity in casting. 

But would it be fair to contestants -- on both sides -- to match contestants with someone whose appearance is far outside of the "normal" bell curve? i.e. should contestants have to accept if their fiancé is super-obese or a little person, for example?

[SoMuchTV]

4 hours ago, topanga said:

Agreed. In the introduction, the producers chose to show "dramatic" clips from later in the season--many of which were quite spoilery. I tried to fast-forward through those scenes. 

Haha, one benefit of having a bad memory and borderline face blindness. Maybe as it gets closer to the end I’ll go back and rewatch the intro. (And don’t even think of changing your hair. I would not be able to pick you out of a lineup!)

For some reason, I’m finding these people less annoying than the past two or three seasons. We’ll see if that holds up. 

Will they ever have a season where the women are the ones who propose, I wonder…?

Edited September 24, 2023 by SoMuchTV
Adding a thought

[Mercolleen]

On 9/23/2023 at 10:05 PM, LuvMyShows said:

While I thought Lydia did a good job comforting Aaliyah, I thought it was weird that she kept saying how alike they were. 

It sounded almost like a threat! 

[Empress1]

I have a second date tomorrow night and I’m going to ask the fuck/marry/kill breakfast carbs question. As someone who loves breakfast food, I would be completely charmed by it. (A guy I dated a few months ago asked me to rank the days of the week and that was a fun question too.)

Lydia’s accent isn’t that strong to me, but maybe that’s because I hear accents like hers and stronger every day. I felt bad for her when Izzy rejected her; rejection stings.

Aaliyah’s conversation with Uche was intense, and I found him to be pretty condescending and judgmental. Like, of course she shouldn’t have cheated, but the way he went in on her was uncomfortable.

[DearEvette]

I am finally getting around to watching this.  Took me a bit to get into this episode and then something clicked and it got interesting.

General impressions:

Right off the bat I was loving Uche and Aaliyah.  Her espeically.  She seemed so chill... growing up a military brat in Japan, anime-loving, painting, poetry writing, guitar playing, Love Jones stan... yeah she seemed really cool.  I really liked how they were vibing.  And then he turned it sour.  Yeah I get it, she cheated and that could be a deal breaker.  But he came off as really condescending and self righteous about it.  He seemed to have taken it very personally.  And way to encourage someone to be open and honest and then turn on them for doing just that.  Man...  I was so bummed.

Also my husband kept calling Uche the 'guy with the Scottie Pippen head'

On 9/23/2023 at 10:05 PM, LuvMyShows said:

I wish that Ouche had been able to simply say something to Aaliyah like, "I need some time to process what you've told me. Thank you for sharing something so difficult with me. Let's call it a day today and talk again tomorrow."

Exactly!  He sounded like he was cross examining her, for goodness sake.

Lydia:  Hmm... she was A LOT.  I was not feeling her.  There was something about her that just felt very put on for the cameras.  I know that people can have big personalities, but hers came across as artificial and was trying really, really hard to be A Personality.  So much so I did not feel super bad for her when Izzy 'broke up' with her.  I feel like I really missed something with their dates where she was so in love and felt he reciprocated.  I liked her a bit more when he was comforting Aaliyah.  But then that took a pretty weird turn...How many times did she mention "we are the same' and 'You are just like me' and 'I am you'... I dunno.... just weird.

Chris: I felt really bad for him when he was talking about being sexually assaulted at 17.  I agree there is a lot of stigma and misunderstanding about women sexually assaulting men especially since he was young and a virgin.  I liked him quite a bit.

Izzy had nice teeth.  Also I don't se why women would be turned off by him being bald.  On him it looks like a fashion choice, not necessarily an awkward type of male pattern baldness you try to hide with a comb over.

JP and Johnie didn'

t register with me much.

On 9/24/2023 at 6:55 AM, NeenerNeener said:

don't remember the name of the woman who almost immediately contradicted everything she'd just said to her male podmate (Uche?)...like she was currently living overseas but planning to move back to the States. Then when he asked when she was coming back she said she was already living in Houston. She came off as such a flake.

Miriam! What the hell… everything she said seemed cagey.  She never answered anything directly.  And why was she hemming and hawing around skincare?  Did she invent something and didn’t want to reveal it on Netflix?  Does she have an NDA about her own life?  Like what...?  LOL.

Milton.  He;s cute but comes off as very young.  He was vibing with Lydia but i felt the age difference.  I know 24 to 30 isn't that huge of a gap, but it hits different to me than say 30 to 36.  Also 24 feels like you should still be out exploring a bit, not on a show designed to get you married right away.

Onto the next ep...

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Also I don't se why women would be turned off by him being bald.  On him it looks like a fashion choice, not necessarily an awkward type of male pattern baldness you try to hide with a comb over

I like bald men! And it looks good on Izzy. I don’t know if he shaved it because he’s losing it, but it looks good. (I always think it looks better when men just let it go.)

[sainte-chapelle]

On 9/23/2023 at 10:05 PM, LuvMyShows said:

As usual, at this early stage, I wish that we saw more people's experiences in the pods, and not yet going into such depth. The woman whose date was so bad that she was banging her head into her notebook? Show us that date! All those other people who we see hanging around in the living area?  Show us those dates? 

I wish that Ouche had been able to simply say something to Aaliyah like, "I need some time to process what you've told me. Thank you for sharing something so difficult with me. Let's call it a day today and talk again tomorrow." While I thought Lydia did a good job comforting Aaliyah, I thought it was weird that she kept saying how alike they were. Lydia definitely did not seem to be picking up on the lack of reciprocation from Izzy when she made quite a few strong statements, in their next-to-last visit. And good for him for not letting it go on longer once he had clarity about how he felt.

Does anyone else think that Taylor looks and sounds a lot like Micah from season 4?

Yes! I came here to say the same thing. I immediately disliked her, which isn’t fair.

Lydia crying over some dude she talked to a couple of times? She seems extra, not a fan.

Miriam seemed to dodge every question. He whole life could be a lie for all we know.

Uche is a jerk. People make mistakes and learn from them. He isn’t perfect. Two years ago is a long time in reality TV world. 

Edited September 28, 2023 by sainte-chapelle

[Kiss my mutt]

I didn’t understand the whole “you’re like me, we’re the same” line of comforting Lydia did to Aaliyah. I like Lydia but she’s full on and emotionally needy which might scare some dudes off and probably has. 
 

I thought Renee was wearing a bathing suit until I saw her pants. Taylor reminds me of Micah too so I prepared not to like her, but she seems sweet. 

Stacy annoys me. She’s full of herself. 

I understand why Uche was upset with Aaliyah cheating but he came across very judgemental and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s he’s generally a judgemental person. 
 

I feel so sad for Chris. That’s a momental thing to carry around and isn’t as well understood as female sexual assault and to the point some people don’t think it can happen. Johnnie seems like a flake and I hope she at least honors the fact that he confided in her. Her upspeak drives me crazy. Does she use this in her law practice, like, I Object?

I like Milton, he’s got a Lionel Richie vibe going on

 

[Snapdragon]

Finally got around to watching this with my husband last night.  We both felt so bad for Aaliyah.  I get how her cheating in the past was a red flag for Uche but as others have said, he should have told her that he was going to need a day to process and decide if he wanted to continue with their relationship.  He seemed to take her cheating personally, which makes me wonder if he's been cheated on in the past.  He was just so angry about it that I feel there has to be more going on there.  Also, I feel that he should have asked about the cheating thing earlier, if he was going to view it as a dealbreaker.  

On the Chris reveal, this is why I do not understand people who let their minor children go on trips with no adult supervision.  Why were he and his friend in Mexico by themselves at that age?  There is no way in hell I'd let any of my kids do that.  And yes, it is crazy to me how often sexual assault on males (and just sexual pressure in general) is often overlooked.  

[Snapdragon]

On 9/24/2023 at 9:47 AM, snarts said:

I think that was Miriam. 

Interesting that they actually post a full cast list when we never actually see or hear anything about the majority of them.

Someone on Twitter posted how sad it would be to have been cast but not featured. You'd take the time off work, tell your friends/family about it, and then be relegated to a brief profile shot in episodes 1&2. Like the man who loves fishing. 

IMHO, the minimum age limit should be 30.

Honestly, I think the ideal would be that you came on the show, met someone, got engaged but then were deemed not interesting enough for the show to want to continue filming you, which would free you and your new significant other to explore your relationship without all the cameras and married in four weeks timeline.  

I think 30 is a little old but I'd be fine if it was 25 and up.  I feel that 25-35 would be the best age range for this show.  Old enough to have some life experience and an idea of what you want in a partner but young enough that you can still have kids.

[Lindz]

Lydia really ignored the signs and chose to live in la la land. He asked her about her other dates & connections & didn't reciprocate what she said about him being her #1 & all that. Hope she learned from that. She was definitely too much.

[Lindz]

Burp guy is GROSS!!! Learn some manners! NEXT!!!

[Chicago Redshirt]

Late to the party, but I have some sympathy for Uche. It's not (overly) judgmental to say "I don't want to be with someone who would cheat on somebody who had been in a two year relationship and was willing to cheat on her partner and refused to be honest about it after the fact." Though it sucks that her ex probably found out through either watching this or through the grapevine once this came out.