S18.E01: Chicago Hopefuls

[Elizzikra]

Some of the usual gowns and tux selections and the cringey bachelor/bachelorette parties...

[VioletNevermind]

This season feels gross and pointless already.  I dislike most of the women with the exception of Emem, who seems like a classy lady.  As for David (Basement), I remain puzzled at the decision to cast him except for the obvious reason: drama.  I don’t know any woman who would feel comfortable dating a 35-year-old man who lived in his parent’s basement (yes, I’m absolutely judging), no matter how awesome his family seemed (which they really do).  I don’t see any of these marriages lasting and I think I’m getting too old for this show. 😂

Edited October 16 by VioletNevermind

[Elizzikra]

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I dislike most of the women with the exception of Emem, who seems like a classy lady. 

I like Emem and Camille. They are both gorgeous and smart and seem to have gracious personalities. But I know better than to go with my first impressions.

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I don’t know any woman who would feel comfortable dating a 35-year-old man who lived in his parent’s basement (yes, I’m absolutely judging), no matter how awesome his family seemed (which they really do). 

I'm trying to withhold judgement because housing is expensive (especially in Chicago) and David is a social worker (as am I). It's not a well-paid profession. If David really has been saving his money and has a good savings/retirement account to show for it, that's one thing. If he gets himself up and out the door every day without mom yelling downstairs; if he cooks and cleans and does his own laundry - fine. But if he is still living the life that he lived in middle school, subbing work for school, then yeah - that's a problem.

I have tried to like her but... Karla. I feel like she is a character, not a person. And not a particularly likable character.

[princelina]

First thing: I'm happy this is on Tuesday!  I have Survivor and Real Housewives on Wednesday and nothing else for the rest of the week!

I'm no "expert" but I'm going to predict that Karla has no business getting married.  I would say the same about the hairdo guy, but his wife seems to be asking for that crap so okay.

So far I have been turned off by the curly front man-pony, Camille's bid for extra camera time by pretending she might run away, and Juan's insistence that he can't find a mate because no one can understand his unfathomably complex American/Latino combination.  I'm an American who lived for a decent amount of time in Central America - it's really not that hard.  Tell us the real reason, Juan.

That being said, I'm liking them all, as I typically do, at this point.  My favorite part is after the wedding when they have their private champagne toast and get to know each other - I was disappointed we didn't get even one tonight.  I'll avoid the spoiler threads until they start making me angry 😄

[seacliffsal]

My favorite part of this episode was the bowling alley parties (although some of the contestants, er, wanna be influencers, er participants tried to still have a stripper pole...).

I actually like several of the participants although I'm sure that will change before too long.  But, I have doubts about Juan and am actively disliking Karla.  Watched a couple of minutes of the Afterparty and she started by stating that she was an introvert and then proceeded to totally dominate the conversation.  Just don't like her.

They really didn't feature the 'experts' at all except for Pastor Cal introing the episode/show.

And, superficially, I thought the flowers in the wedding bouquets were beautiful.

[Elizzikra]

I like the gift exchange and I wish we always saw them. Anyone know what specific Tiffany bracelet the blonde got from her wealthy husband? And what she gave him?

I thought the compass bracelet and the vinyl that Camille got were pretty perfect for her. That match seems good but given the show’s history, I’m not hopeful.

[Empress1]

Didn’t know this was back. It has no business being 2.5 hours; I fast forwarded through a lot.

Michelle says “like” every other word. David’s curls are gorgeous. Parents’ basement would be a tough sell for me though.

I think I like Ikechi. His friend talking about furries was hilarious. Emem is beautiful and seems like someone I’d be friends with.

Madison is a hard-looking 29 and her extensions are obvious. There’s no there there with Allen for me.

Juan is hot. If I were still on dating apps, I’d swipe right on him hard. I find Karla to be really annoying; the free spirit hippie chick thing is not my vibe. She also comes across as pretty dim.

Camille, too, has a nice head of curls. She seems like she might be too much for Tom. (My clothes are grouped by type too, and everything faces the same way in the closet.)

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

 

I think I like Ikechi. His friend talking about furries was hilarious. Emem is beautiful and seems like someone I’d be friends with.

Camille, too, has a nice head of curls. She seems like she might be too much for Tom. (My clothes are grouped by type too, and everything faces the same way in the closet.

Furry amputees no less!

I’m not sure I could be married to Tim but he is welcome to come organize my closet; my whole house if he wants!

[Meowwww]

30 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

I’m getting nauseous watching these guys fawn all over Joan.  What is it .. the long fake hair.  She’s kissing all of them and giving them hope.  The guys are acting like wimps.

I bet you meant to post this on The Golden Bachelorette thread 😃

So far I like the twin, but speaking from experience it’s very hard to live with someone who is rigid/has ocd like he seems.  I also like Allen, he seems kind… can’t stand his bride. 
Karla reminds me of Tigerlily on 90 Day Fiance and that is NO compliment.  And I can tell why Juan is single from six miles away.  
So it should be a good season!  

[Elizzikra]

2 hours ago, Meowwww said:

I bet you meant to post this on The Golden Bachelorette thread 😃

So far I like the twin, but speaking from experience it’s very hard to live with someone who is rigid/has ocd like he seems.  I also like Allen, he seems kind… can’t stand his bride. 
Karla reminds me of Tigerlily on 90 Day Fiance and that is NO compliment.  And I can tell why Juan is single from six miles away.  
So it should be a good season!  

I also like Allen and I think he is a catch. He’s plenty handsome, financially successful and seems like a nice guy. Again, tempering my expectations but…

[redpencil]

So far I like both Camille and Thomas; I hope they work out. Allen also seems nice, but I'm worried Madison is not going to be attracted to him (she's said all the right things about what she'll do if not immediately attracted, but we know how that sometimes goes). I think(?) I'm okay with Madison, but I really don't find her extensions attractive at all when her hair is down (I genuinely don't get this particular trend). I think she'd look much better with just her natural hair.

I don't really have a good read on Juan yet, but Karla is just too much to take.

Edited October 17 by redpencil

[kristen111]

12 hours ago, Meowwww said:

I bet you meant to post this on The Golden Bachelorette thread 😃

So far I like the twin, but speaking from experience it’s very hard to live with someone who is rigid/has ocd like he seems.  I also like Allen, he seems kind… can’t stand his bride. 
Karla reminds me of Tigerlily on 90 Day Fiance and that is NO compliment.  And I can tell why Juan is single from six miles away.  
So it should be a good season!  

OMG, 20 lashes.  Just came home from a neucular stress test and am discombobulated.  Sorry.

[kristen111]

Anyhow, I’m loving everything.  Love the hairstyles, gowns and flowers.  So far, so good.  No crazies yet.

[Elizzikra]

12 hours ago, kristen111 said:

Anyhow, I’m loving everything.  Love the hairstyles, gowns and flowers.  So far, so good.  No crazies yet.

I am shocked that, thus far, I like Karla's gown the best. I didn't expect to like much of her style but the dress we have seen her wearing in previews is amazing.

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So far I like both Camille and Thomas; I hope they work out. Allen also seems nice, but I'm worried Madison is not going to be attracted to him (she's said all the right things about what she'll do if not immediately attracted, but we know how that sometimes goes). I think(?) I'm okay with Madison, but I really don't find her extensions attractive at all when her hair is down (I genuinely don't get this particular trend). I think she'd look much better with just her natural hair.

I think that Madison is going to think she's a 10 and Allen is a 6 and that will piss her off. She does say all the right things but she just gives me that vibe. I also don't love her extensions. They are too ashy blonde and kind of wash her out, plus her brows contrast a lot with them, which I think ages her. I think if they were a little shorter and a little less "done" plus more of a golden blonde than a platinum blonde, they would be better. At least she seems to maintain them well. Last season's Emily gave me a headache with that mess on her head.

[Bees52]

I've been reading through the comments and thinking, "Who is that again? They did what? Didn't I just watch all this on Tuesday?!" I do remember Madison, Karla and Camille- who is the only one married at this point- probably because they were all on the Afterparty. Everyone else is a blur. 😟

Maybe things will all click together for me after all the weddings, and the honeymoon trip. That seems to be when all the couples' true personalities begin to emerge. Right now, I just hope all five couples make it to decision day.

[Kimboweena]

46 minutes ago, Bees52 said:

I've been reading through the comments and thinking, "Who is that again?

I keep a tab open on my laptop with the couple's pics, so I can remember who's who.  This is the one I have, but I'm sure there are others.

MAFS Cast

Edited October 19 by Kimboweena
The link is important.

[Elizzikra]

I remember Camille because of her gorgeous curls (though she had them pulled back for her wedding). I get the two blonds confused. I think Emma is very striking and I remember Karla because she rubs me the wrong way.

[Jodyj]

Thomas and Camille - He is not ready for this marriage. He is doing it out of FOMO and pressure. That doesn't bode well for him. Camille being so positive and ready only to freak out like that was out of character for her. 

Allen and Madison - He is in this for the right reasons and I feel like his heart is open. She is going to find him boring. She is a self proclaimed life of the party who wants to go out all the time and be the center of attention. He is not that. She is going to ruin this match in my mind. She won't accept him for him immediately. 

[Retired at last]

Another ready-to-settle-down groom with a life-of-the-party bride? Hmmmm, where have we seen this before? Oh yeah - on almost every MAFS season! Has it ever worked out? 

[kikicat]

On 10/19/2024 at 5:21 PM, Bees52 said:

I've been reading through the comments and thinking, "Who is that again? They did what? Didn't I just watch all this on Tuesday?!"

Apparently I missed half the show & forgot all their names, because I was also mystified reading the comments. Thanks to Kimboweena for posting a link that kickstarted my brain.

On 10/16/2024 at 12:02 AM, princelina said:

Juan's insistence that he can't find a mate because no one can understand his unfathomably complex American/Latino combination.

Hahahaha. He's so emotional and deep, like a mud puddle. Existential breakdown coming soon when he realizes that the cameras are catching his bald spot.

Yeah, as others here have already said, Karla is not authentic. Her little-girl mannerisms and cutesy gestures at the altar seemed so put-on. (I'm commenting from the future; too lazy to make a new post in the right thread.) Perhaps this means they'll be a great match, but I doubt it. Juan seems distant. But we shall see...

Is having brothers named Juan Felipe and a Juan Pablo a Latino thing, like Catholics with Mary Margaret, Mary Elizabeth, Mary Louise?

[qtpye]

Does anyone else feel like Karla is acting as a character rather than being herself?

I imagine that happens a lot on most reality shows, particularly since we now have 2 generations that are very comfortable being on a screen.

Not me though...I always look like a gargoyle.

[princelina]

On 11/2/2024 at 11:23 PM, qtpye said:

Does anyone else feel like Karla is acting as a character rather than being herself?

Yes 🙋‍♀️

[LuvMyShows]

On 10/16/2024 at 10:03 AM, seacliffsal said:

But, I have doubts about Juan and am actively disliking Karla.  Watched a couple of minutes of the Afterparty and she started by stating that she was an introvert and then proceeded to totally dominate the conversation.  Just don't like her.

Yeah, my dislike of her went way up from watching the Afterparty, but it was already up pretty high after her sex-preference-oversharing at the b'ette party. And that b'ette party confessional made her "I'm-an-introvert" thing all the more infuriating. It's like by saying she's an introvert, she was looking for that "You go gurl!" admiration for stepping out of her supposed comfort zone.

On 10/15/2024 at 10:02 PM, VioletNevermind said:

I dislike most of the women with the exception of Emem, who seems like a classy lady.  

I don't know why, but Emem seems like someone trying very hard to summon her better angels all the time, in everything she says and does, maybe to overcompensate for what her true nature or upbringing are. Her overdoing it with the "my man, my man, may man", and how at the b'ette party she said she would do anything for her man, just give me a clingy/desperate vibe that she tries to keep at bay. 

Part of why I'm thinking that, may be that in one of the clips of the coming season, it looked like Emem was going off verbally in a manner very similar to the epic unhingement of Michaela (of Michaela and Zack in Houston). And that would fit with being the flip side of the other stuff I had seen for her.

[kristen111]

I had hope for this season, but little by little, they all are unsatisfied, as usual.  It’s a crap shoot.  I would know the first minute if I could go forward. I’m 5-7.  I couldn’t go for a short guy.  I like them tall and fit, and that’s what I got, lol.  He was gorgeous.  Beautiful dresser, black hair, green eyes, and fresh, but I was fresher.  We clicked.

 

 

[kristen111]

On 11/18/2024 at 9:07 AM, kristen111 said:

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3 by kristen111