S05.E05: The Truth Is Out There

[Tara Ariano]

A trust expert arrives and shakes up the couples.

[leighdear]

I have decided that I love Dick.  Yep, I said that.  He's absolutely got everybody's number on that show.  For whatever he did or whoever he was before, I like the guy he is now, on this show. 

 

And for whatever Jenna wrote, or whoever she was, I really can't stand her.  Though I imagine Dick's reveal hit home with her pretty hard.  Sex industry folks have to deal with that possibility every day.

 

And I can't stand Cicely either.  She will never trust Treach, no matter what happens here or in the future.  She's got more control issues than the approach tower at LAX. 

[Brooklynista]

If Treach says " YES! , I fucked all of the Tri-State area" will Cicely be happy then? I think Treach is right, she just wants to win. She just wants to be able to say "I knew it!".

And then what Cicely? Once he admits to being the whore she already knows he is, will she leave? Or will she just stick around to say " I knew you were cheating all along" and keep beating him over the head with that. He'll never win with her.

[ramble]

Drive by impression: Nikki, I'm going to say this slowly... He's just not that into you. Accept it or bail. Either way please shut up.

[pasdetrois]

So Jen blathers on and on throughout this series that the therapy process should be respected and she's trying to provide a safe place...and production brings in a former law enforcement consultant who treats the patients like suspected criminals, eyeing their body language and triumphantly pronouncing their "tells?"

[radiochik]

My opinion of Cecily completely changed during this episode.  LIke others have said, I agree w Treach -she doesn't want to fix anything between them. She just wants to be right.  She will only accept one answer: Yes, I cheated on you.  And then she'll crow about knowing it all along.  Whether he cheated or not, I don't see how she can ever trust him again. They should just call it a day. 

 

I do not like Nikki.  But I agreed with her that whatever secret Dick had was none of their business and the speculating wasn't getting them anywhere.  Cecily tried to make it all about her: I'm closer to him than the rest of you - this affects ME.   Well, I'm sure she cares about him but it really doesn't affect her. 

 

I'm torn about Nikki and Juan Pablo.  He's still a d-bag.  And I don't think he loves her.  But I was a bit bothered by Nikki saying "I don't speak Spanish.  Those words mean nothing to me."  Maybe she should learn some Spanish.  Take an interest in his culture.  English isn't his native language but he knows what it means when she says I love you to him.  I'm also concerned when he says he will leave his daughter to move to LA with her. I didn't watch The Bachelor so I have no idea of his relationship with his daugher.  But Nikki spends so much time saying she doesn't want to leave everyone that she knows loves her yet doesn't seem to blink an eye at the thought of him leaving his daughter.  I guess I've come to the conclusion that they are both unlikable people. 

 

I wish Jenna wasn't on the show. She needs so much more help than the show can give her and I don't enjoy watching her drama. 

 

I've always been an Evel Dick fan.  I don't know why but some reality stars that people love to hate I actually like.  Dick and Jeffrey Sebelia from Project Runway come to mind.  Maybe it's the whole tattooed rock star looking thing that makes me give them a pass (and probably explains all the dating/relationship mistakes from when I was younger!)  but either way I never hated Dick.  The funny thing is, even though he seems to love being a reality show villain, he seems to be the most real person there.  (And I still don't know why Deena and her man are there.  They seem like a normal couple who maybe need a bit of counseling to decide if they are ready to take the next step.  They aren't a mess like all the others.)  Stephanie, on the other hand, is a piece of work.  I get that she was intimate with him before the diagnosis but this issue is mostly HIS issue.  She seemed more concerned with how she was going to look on tv and what others would think about HER.  Meanwhile, he is just agonizing over keeping this secret.  I was hoping she would just leave after saying there was no chance they would get back together if he spilled the beans. I don't believe for one minute that she suddenly had a change of heart after talking w Dr. Jenn.  That secret was coming out with or without her so I guess she had to go along with it to save face?  (Although having read what others were saying on here about Dick being engaged to another girl during BB13 and questioning his and Steph's relationship, I'm not quite sure what to think.)

[ghoulina]

Juan Pablo and Nikki are really taking me on a roller coaster ride. Last week I couldn't understand why JP hadn't thrown himself out of a window yet, as Nikki was coming across as the epitome of an insufferable bitch. But this week I want to throw HIM out a window! (Although, I still find her to be an insufferable bitch.) What's all this BS about "If only you were Venezuelan you'd understand"? Do they not say "I love you" in Venezuela? EVER? I agreed that it sounded like a cop out. 

 

And here's the thing - you don't HAVE to love her. You can't help how you feel, and no one should feel forced to say something they don't feel. But it's quite clear that Nikki loves him, and no one wants to be in a relationship where the love is one-sided. At this point, if he isn't in love with her he probably isn't going to be. So he should let her go. Sure, she could just walk. But I feel like he fucks with her mind by saying that he wants to live with her and such - giving her hope. 

 

I really don't know what his deal is. Because then at the end of the show, when Dick revealed his secret to the group, JP immediately starts crying. So I'm just like, "He can't be a total douchebag". But what's his agenda with Nikki??? 

 

 

And Dick....I just don't get his deal with Stephanie. Others have shown that this is NOT the girl he was with when he originally got the diagnosis. So clearly we are being played here. It was odd that last week she was so adamant about not sharing the secret. And then this week, after a private with Dr. Jenn that we conveniently never saw, she's totally chill about it. I just find their whole thing to be shady. His story is very real, and very serious - but if this isn't a real relationship, why is he here? To get back on TV? I'm sure that's the case for many of them. But it just makes me feel like he's using his disease to be relevant, and that makes me feel kind of squicky. 

 

 

I think Cecily should just leave Treach. It's clear that her trust is completely shot. It wouldn't have mattered what that FBI chick said, she was going to be upset either way. It did seem like she was trying to prove something - like she wanted that lady to say, "He's totally lying". And then Cecily could be all, "Aha! I knew it". They will never be in a good place. She needs to just let it go. 

 

 

Jenna seems like just a terribly loathsome person. I just don't think I could like anything about her. She strikes me as someone who is always right, plays the perpetual victim, and is super high maintenance. I mean she had to miss a group activity because she's still upset that Dr. Jenn "yelled" at her? Please. I'm looking forward to seeing John blow up on her. 

 

 

Why are Deena and Chris even here? LOL! They seem so milquetoast compared to the rest. 

[Neurochick]

And I can't stand Cicely either.  She will never trust Treach, no matter what happens here or in the future.  She's got more control issues than the approach tower at LAX.

 

 

If I saw this show a year ago, I would agree with this and be upset with Cicely.  But after reading this book, I kind of see her point.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Neurochick

[leighdear]

I read the synopsis and reviews of the book.  However, I don't understand what those concepts have to do with Cicely.    She's not a college-educated, professional woman who is dating "down" from an economic and social level that she has earned.  She's the 7-year girlfriend of a successful artist & actor who gave birth to 2 of his children, out of wedlock.  

 

In no way do I demean her role as a mother, but if she wants more from the relationship than she's been getting, then maybe she needs to do more than just accuse him of infidelity.  

 

I don't think she's even brought up the subject of them not being married, unless I missed that.  

Edited October 9, 2014 by leighdear

[poeticlicensed]

Cecily has been lied to by Treach so many times. He can say she just wants to win,but unless he comes completely clean, she will never trust him. Unless he has never cheated and she is deranged because she believes it's true, then it's his responsibility to build the trust by being completely about everything he has done. 

 

I am over Nikki. Go home, he doesn't want you. 

 

Jenna has some serious issues that she cannot get help for on a reality TV show. 

[ghoulina]

Cecily has been lied to by Treach so many times. He can say she just wants to win,but unless he comes completely clean, she will never trust him. Unless he has never cheated and she is deranged because she believes it's true, then it's his responsibility to build the trust by being completely about everything he has done.

 

I just think the trust has been irrevocably broken. I bet that even if he gave her complete control over his phone, email, social media and let her follow him around everywhere he goes, up to and including when he takes a shit - she still wouldn't be able to trust him. There's no doubt in my mind that he created this situation - by his constant lies and betrayals. But she is the ones choosing to stay. I just really don't know what could be done to fix their issues at this point. 

[Sittee]

 

At this point, if he isn't in love with her he probably isn't going to be. So he should let her go. Sure, she could just walk. But I feel like he fucks with her mind by saying that he wants to live with her and such - giving her hope.

 

 

I think Juan Pablo is a total bag of dicks, and Nikki is also insufferable. However, Nikki's "I Love You" quest has hit a nerve with me. My boyfriend is a wonderful, affectionate, native-English speaking guy who is unlike JP in almost every way EXCEPT it took him over a year to tell me he loved me. We're in our 30s, we were in a committed relationship, he only wanted to be with me and he saw his future with me. But he refused to tell me those three little words until he was ready.

 

At the time it was really hard for me. It created a lot of emotional instability from my perspective and it sucked, so I get where Nikki is coming from. But eventually he told me, and now he tells me literally multiple times a day. So there you go. Maybe JP just needs some time. And to be fair, they haven't been together all that long. I mean they dated six weeks on the Bachelor and they live in separate cities. 

 

Are these two idiots going to make it? No way in hell. But I don't think it has anything to do with the fact he hasn't told her those three little words yet. 

[pasdetrois]

I think many of these people are in the relationships for money and/or fame. I think Jenna's guy is riding her tattered coattails; he seems quite detached from her and she's very easy to manipulate. I think Cecily's wants the income. I think JP believes that from a business perspective he's better off with Nikki than without her, because they get attention for being a couple. Also, he may want a nanny for his daughter. I'm pretty sure Dick needs income, and the "girlfriend" is part of that strategy.

 

Deena and Chris are riding out their fading TV fame.

[Primetimer]

Dr. Jenn introduces four of the couples to the human lie detector. (Jenna and John are excused because Jenna is, somehow, still pouting about Dr. Jenn being so mean to her.)

Read the story

[Neurochick]

I read the synopsis and reviews of the book.  However, I don't understand what those concepts have to do with Cicely.

 

 

The book spoke about "man sharing" which is what bothers Cicely.  She knows that Treach has more opportunities than she for meeting new partners.  She probably feels that if she doesn't get everything she can, then someone else is getting it.  I think she should leave Treach and ask herself what kind of man she thinks she deserves.  

[Palomar]

Dr. Jenn introduces four of the couples to the human lie detector. (Jenna and John are excused because Jenna is, somehow, still pouting about Dr. Jenn being so mean to her.)I

 

I think this was introduced strictly to provide drama (like Evel said....a Jerry Springer tactic).  It has nothing to do with therapy and if anything pretty much made each situation worse.  It is hard to take this show seriously as any kind of therapy.  Except for the Jersey Shore couple, the couples really do seemed doomed.  The same issues are repeated time after time that really don't seem to have resolutions for Nikki/Juan Pablo and Treach/Cicily and Jenna is too pissed off at Dr Jenn to even listen to anything she says anyway.

[EVS]

My impressions:

I never saw The Bachelor, but I agree with what everyone here has been saying about Nikki and Juan Pablo. Nikki wants him to say he loves her, but he won't because he doesn't. However, he dangles the possibility in front of her like a carrot on a stick. She's never going to catch the carrot, so she needs to give up and move on with her life.

Treach and Cecily have serious problems. Besides the fact that she will never trust him, I get the feeling that he can't stand her. He just oozes contempt whenever he talks to her. From an earlier conversation about her acting career, I think maybe he feels like she's just using him. I have no idea why they stay together.

I think Dick came on the show specifically to reveal his secret. I'm not sure why Stephanie didn't want to reveal it to the group. After Dick revealed it to Dr. Jen, it was going to be on TV anyway.

Jenna manages to be both horrible and sad. I think her boyfriend will eventually come to his senses and realize that he can never make her happy. I don't think anyone can because she has too many issues.

I thought Deena was being mature and logical when she suggested they stop speculating about Dick's secret. Cecily seems really self-centered.

Edited to correct a typo.

Edited October 9, 2014 by EVS

[SunshineOnMe]

EVS I think your post is sadly accurate. This show actually makes me sad. Jenna needs help, and it's horrible to see that and know there's nothing being done or can be done in that setting that will help her(it breaks my heart because I also had deep abuse growing up.)

In the meantime, she is acting out, and that type of personality can be super toxic to be around.

You nailed it with Treach. I don't see love there, but disgust, really on both of their parts. Again, heartbreaking. It looks like their days of counseling are long past.

Nikki and Juan want different things. He's just not that into her, but he's happy if she will be happy and not take the relationship so serious. I'd feel more sorry for her, but her attitude can be very difficult, and she is demanding love. Ugh.

All of it's just so sad.

Edited October 10, 2014 by SunshineOnMe

[Thula]

Apparently Stephanie's real longtime BF is a former WWE wrestler who went by the moniker "Eugene" (look them up on google images, there are a ton of pictures). I don't know how she knows Dick, but it's likely they are both on the show for $$$. I think it is abhorrent if he used his disease to finagle a spot on this show. The body language expert can't be all that great if she didn't pick up on that. Stephanie isn't even a very good actress - she shows NO emotion nor does she offer any emotional support while Dick is choking back tears telling everyone of his HIV status. She actually looks pissed.

[bosawks]

I think Nikki just wants JP to say he loves her, she doesn't actually want him to love her. 

 

It's more like "Can you say you love me so we can bookend this motherfucker and peace out of each other's life asshole."

 

As to Jenna I actually think she can only remember and process acts of "betrayal" so we need someone to step up and mobilize against her so she can move off of this "Dr." Jenn nonsense and obsess about the last "betrayal".  Come on John take one for the team!

Edited October 10, 2014 by bosawks

[ghoulina]

Stephanie isn't even a very good actress - she shows NO emotion nor does she offer any emotional support while Dick is choking back tears telling everyone of his HIV status. She actually looks pissed.

 

She probably is, if she thought she was just coming on to play Evel Dick's girlfriend, not the girlfriend of a dude with HIV. I wonder if he even told her that he planned to reveal his secret before coming on the show. 

[choclatechip45]

I feel like Dick went on this show to profit from his HIV status and that is something I can't get behind. If he was on this show with his ex fiancee Amy I would feel different. It's like he went on Craigslist and hired someone to play his girlfriend.

[JustKillingTime]

I have to admit that the build up to Dick's disclosure was kind of driving me crazy. Dude, HIV is no longer the death sentence it used to be, nor does it carry as heavy a stigma. "This may be the last relationship I ever have"?  If that is the case, don't blame it on your HIV status, but rather that you are an insufferable fame whore. I have three very close friends who are HIV+, two of whom have been positive for around 20 years. They live full lives. Granted, they have to monitor their health more carefully, but are not doomed to empty lives devoid of love. Sure, it takes a while to wrap your head around it, but he's had three years. Plus, he's in LA where I'm sure there sources for not only treatment, but support. So yeah, I give major side eye to his stated reasons for being on the show. 

Edited October 13, 2014 by JustKillingTime

[fib]

Wow.  Nikki and JP.  He's awful to her and self-centered, and she's a cranky pain-in-the-butt. Its amusing that they came on the show to repair their reputations, because, wow is that not working.  She should clearly walk away if he doesn't love her 9 months in.  But mainly, they seem incredibly poorly suited to one another.  He's easy-going, she's high-strung and demanding. He's willing to see how things go overtime, she wants answers now.  He's relaxed, she's ambitious.  But mostly, he's unwilling to compromise  to account for their differences, while she seems to be at a point where she has compromised a lot from what she's comfortable with (another reality show & more fame, accepting a relationship with no ring and no 'love') and can't bend much further without breaking. He seems to have no idea that she's near her breaking point.  He just moans, "its hard". 

 

I'm new to this show, but find the pacing really awkward.  I'm always surprised when the show is over … is this normal for this show?

[sunrisepink]

I'm new to this show, but find the pacing really awkward.  I'm always surprised when the show is over … is this normal for this show?

 

Yes. I'm not sure why they insist on making each and every episode a lame cliffhanger but it's definitely unnecessary.

[MsPH]

Wow.  Nikki and JP.  He's awful to her and self-centered, and she's a cranky pain-in-the-butt. Its amusing that they came on the show to repair their reputations, because, wow is that not working.  She should clearly walk away if he doesn't love her 9 months in.  But mainly, they seem incredibly poorly suited to one another.  He's easy-going, she's high-strung and demanding. He's willing to see how things go overtime, she wants answers now.  He's relaxed, she's ambitious.  But mostly, he's unwilling to compromise  to account for their differences, while she seems to be at a point where she has compromised a lot from what she's comfortable with (another reality show & more fame, accepting a relationship with no ring and no 'love') and can't bend much further without breaking. He seems to have no idea that she's near her breaking point.  He just moans, "its hard".

 

I think this was filmed 6 or 7 months in, but still, it's not looking good on that department. You summed it up quite perfectly. They are just a poor poor match. I hope Nikki's not buying into the "opposites attract" nonsense, because while that may be true, rarely does that attraction lead to a happy relationship long term. They just don't get each other and I doubt she can take it much longer.

 

I don't know what to think about Dick. If he dragged a fake girlfriend on the show just so he could announce his big secret on TV, then that's royally messed up.

[jenifaohjenny]

I was thinking that maybe Jenna was either strung out and couldn't participate - or they are not allowing her to use so he is in withdrawal. There is now way they would allow her to just not take part in activities because her feelings are hurt. Please.

I agree that Dick made an agreement with his "girlfriend" to come on the show and reveal his status so he could get himself back into the limelight. I don't dislike him, I just do not think this is genuine at all. She can barely muster an emotion and is the most boring therapy participant ever. At least she could try!!

Deena and her boyfriend just want money. This is a really boring season!!!

Edited October 13, 2014 by jenifaohjenny

[fib]

There is now way they would allow her to just not take part in activities because her feelings are hurt. Please.

I don't know whats going on with Jenna, but I figured its possible that she's so upset with the therapy process that having a human lie detector turned on her would just push her buttons even more.  She and her SO don't seem to have issues of honesty the way Nikki & JP, Cecily & Treach, & Stephanie & Evil do.  I don't think it would benefit her relationship, and it could further hamper the process of therapy so maybe they would give her a pass in this instance. 

That said, she doesn't seem to need couples therapy, she seems to need therapy before she can even begin a relationship - I feel bad for her SO, who has been coming across like a nice enough well meaning guy. 

[BusyOctober]

I can't look at Jenna's over worked face any more.  It is a horror show.  I am not familiar with her "work", but I have been assured by a few male friends that "back in the day" she was a beautiful woman.  I just don't get why women do those God-awful lip implant things.  Plumping up your lips with ass-fat for the "pouty" sensual look is one thing, but having a synthetic slug-shaped device surgically inserted into the lip looks beyond ridiculous.  It must cause the "duck mouth" problem because every woman I've seen with this stupid implant looks like she can't control her upper lip from rolling out and curling up under the nostrils.  Soooo attractive.  Do people find that look sexy??? I can achieve the same hideous distortion by holding Pringles chips in my mouth.  It provides the same stupid outcome and it's much cheaper.

 

Juan BLAH-blo is a user and a loser but Nikki keeps hanging around for more, so she's the bigger part of the problem IMO.  Pet names for you BF/GF are OK, but it makes me crazy that JP calls Nikki "Baby" every time he speaks to (at) her.  I think he sees her as child-like and she needs his manly guidance to survive.