S05.E07: Reflections Of The Past

[OnceSane]

The couples reveal their childhood traumas. Then, they release their aggression during an activity session, and Nikki and Juan Pablo clash.

[druzy]

Nikki just make up a story (not like J Wow's story from Couples Rehab or you getting lost in Walmart) if your life was so perfect. I believe you that you had a great life, your pretty, had the perfect family, and you are a gifted athlete. You always got what you wanted and now that you are not getting what you want you are throwing a tantrum like a spoiled brat. Welcome to the real world! 

Edited October 23, 2014 by druzy

[ghoulina]

I came away from this episode with two thoughts:

 

1. Jenna and Treach had some seriously fucked up childhoods. Wow. 

 

2. Nicki is a wretched human being. Point blank. She is spoiled, entitled, rude, and completely lacking self awareness. 

 

I mean, was she for real saying she was traumatized by being lost in a fucking Wal-mart??? Seriously?? After others just shared their stories of abuse, gang rape, and parental abandonment? Going on and on about what an awesome athlete and popular girl you were?

 

I'm with Jenna. I'd stab the bitch in her eyeball. 

 

And what was all that crap about Andi? I find it a little weird that they're still friends. It wasn't like Andi was just some girl he happened to not pick. She had some very strong opinions about him, and it didn't really end well. So yea, I get JP having issues with that. He clearly has trust issues to begin with, stemming from his bf scooping up his ex. So appearing to take sides with someone who doesn't really care for your man is just going to continue to keep himself at arm's length. 

 

Then....THEN....then....Nicki gets mad at JP for not sticking up for her with Cicely. But you don't stick up for him with Andi!!! Like I said, no self awareness. 

 

Cicely makes me laugh. 

 

Deena and Chris are going to run right out and get married when this is over, when they realize how normal and sane they are.

[bren70]

 

Deena and Chris are going to run right out and get married when this is over, when they realize how normal and sane they are.

Haha, yes!!!  

[druzy]

Does anyone know if Nikki & JP are still together?

[leighdear]

I think they have to contractually stay together until the end of the show.  I dunno, they may go for years making each other miserable. 

[panthergirl13]

Jenna's imitation of Nikki was worth the price of admission. 

[Neurochick]

I can't stand Nikki but I'm not with Jenna on this one:

 

I mean, was she for real saying she was traumatized by being lost in a fucking Wal-mart??? Seriously?? After others just shared their stories of abuse, gang rape, and parental abandonment? Going on and on about what an awesome athlete and popular girl you were?

I'm with Jenna. I'd stab the bitch in her eyeball.

 

Here's the thing.  Not everybody was gang raped as a teen, or abandoned as a child BUT that doesn't mean that their trauma isn't traumatic for them.  Sure it sounded silly to me, after hearing Jenna and Trech; but I think about my friends and I.  Most of us weren't gang raped as teens or joined gangs, some of my friends never experienced death as children the way I have, but I don't roll my eyes at them if they're sharing with me their stuff, because I know it's just as hurtful to them.  I mean what was Nikki supposed to say?  

Edited October 23, 2014 by Neurochick

[ghoulina]

Here's the thing.  Not everybody was gang raped as a teen, or abandoned as a child BUT that doesn't mean that their trauma isn't traumatic for them.  Sure it sounded silly to me, after hearing Jenna and Trech; but I think about my friends and I.  Most of us weren't gang raped as teens or joined gangs, some of my friends never experienced death as children the way I have, but I don't roll my eyes at them if they're sharing with me their stuff, because I know it's just as hurtful to them.  I mean what was Nikki supposed to say?

 

Well, in group, I understand why she brought up how things had always gone her way, and that's why she was having a hard time with JP not giving her what she needs. But she could have expressed that without going on and on about how damn popular and amazing she was. It was overkill. 

 

And then, when she mentioned the Wal-mart thing, that was later. That was not part of therapy. They were just sitting around, eating....probably decompressing from an intense situation. And it was like she was scrambling for her own traumatic story, so people would feel badly for her as well. It just came off really petty. No, not everyone has a traumatic past. But after hearing people bear their souls like that, you don't bring up how you were once lost in a Wal-mart. 

 

I just think the chick has no empathy or self awareness. Look at Deena and Chris. They likely had nice, normal childhoods. They didn't have some horrible, traumatizing story to tell. That's fine. But I liked how Deena was really listening to the others, and she connected how Jenna immediately retreats and isolates herself with what she went through as a kid. She tries to relate to other people, without making it all about her. Nicki can't do that. She's all about herself, all the time. 

[Neurochick]

Well, in group, I understand why she brought up how things had always gone her way, and that's why she was having a hard time with JP not giving her what she needs. But she could have expressed that without going on and on about how damn popular and amazing she was. It was overkill. 

 

And then, when she mentioned the Wal-mart thing, that was later. That was not part of therapy. They were just sitting around, eating....probably decompressing from an intense situation. And it was like she was scrambling for her own traumatic story, so people would feel badly for her as well. It just came off really petty. No, not everyone has a traumatic past. But after hearing people bear their souls like that, you don't bring up how you were once lost in a Wal-mart. 

 

I just think the chick has no empathy or self awareness. Look at Deena and Chris. They likely had nice, normal childhoods. They didn't have some horrible, traumatizing story to tell. That's fine. But I liked how Deena was really listening to the others, and she connected how Jenna immediately retreats and isolates herself with what she went through as a kid. She tries to relate to other people, without making it all about her. Nicki can't do that. She's all about herself, all the time. 

 

I didn't think it was overkill; I think she was just sharing.  It didn't bother me that she was popular; in a way I found it sad because it meant that maybe high school was the high for her and now everything else pales in comparison to that time.

 

I still don't get this "self-awareness" stuff.  Isn't it "co-dependent" to always be so concerned about someone else's feelings that you can't have your own?   

 

I think Jenna is the one who has an issue with Nikki simply because  Nikki doesn't have a traumatic past.  Jenna reminds me of people who love to be around people who had fucked up childhoods because it's something she knows about.  Being around people who grew up in healthy families probably scares the shit out of her, and maybe that's why her relationships fuck up.  

 

Like I said, I experienced a lot of death when I was a child, but I realize that not everybody experienced that as a child, and I don't go around hating on people who had better childhoods than me.  

 

I did feel for Jenna when she said that when her mother died, her life seemed to turn upside down, that she didn't go to her mother's funeral, that even now she doesn't know where her mother is buried.  Maybe her father felt a funeral would be too painful for a child; a lot of parents, especially decades ago, felt that "just not talking about it" was better and healthier for the child.  

Edited October 23, 2014 by Neurochick

[Wings]

I don't see Nikki as a spoiled brat.  I see a woman experiencing the pain and frustration of unrequited love.  It is torturing her.  She doesn't have the words to express this to JPG and I am not sure there are any that he will hear.  He is annoyingly flip and dismissive and hides behind his culture as an excuse for his behavior.  

 

There are more episodes but I am surprised that they have not done the basic communication exercises that are routine in couples therapy.  They walk around triggering each other and have no knowledge of how that works, what that means and how to break out of it.    

 

If JP's culture is so ingrained/important to him maybe it would be better to find a Venezuelan woman who understands him. I hold no hope for this couple. 

[Primetimer]

If there's a better way to deal with childhood trauma than destroying a bunch of props with a baseball bat, Couples Therapy has never heard of it.

Read the story

[Drogo]

Is anyone entertained by JP and Nikki? I know I'm supposed to be, but I can't stand either one and not in a "good television" way. Add in womanhating Dick and I'm just crossing my fingers for a sinkhole under the building.

[ghoulina]

I still don't get this "self-awareness" stuff.  Isn't it "co-dependent" to always be so concerned about someone else's feelings that you can't have your own?

 

I think one could find a good balance? I'm definitely not saying that Nikki should be co-dependent, but I don't think she pays much attention to how other people feel or how she comes across to others. 

 

And I don't think you need to have a brutal past to have an issue with Nikki. She'd drive me mad in about five seconds flat. 

 

If JP's culture is so ingrained/important to him maybe it would be better to find a Venezuelan woman who understands him. I hold no hope for this couple.

 

I would actually like to see that, because I too feel like he uses the culture thing as a scapegoat. Is his daughter's mother Venezuelan? 

 

FTR, I don't think JP is some saint, a victim being abused by evil Nikki. I think they're both ridiculous and this is a double-sided toxic relationship. 

[leighdear]

JP's baby mama IS Venezuelan.  

 

http://heavy.com/entertainment/2014/01/carla-andreina-rodriguez-juan-pablo-ex-camilas-mother-girlfriend-galavis/

[SunshineOnMe]

It's interesting to me that JP's problem was a gf from his childhood, and not his daughter's mom. Or.... maybe it's the one and the same?

[MsPH]

I didn't think it was overkill; I think she was just sharing.  It didn't bother me that she was popular; in a way I found it sad because it meant that maybe high school was the high for her and now everything else pales in comparison to that time.

 

Well I guess that would explain why she still acts like a teenager at 27 or whatever.

[Palomar]

Nikki really just needs to face reality. Yes, she met JP on The Bachelor and the winning couple is supposed to fall in love, marry and live happily every after but the track record of the show proves much differently.  If she met JP in a more normal manner they would probably date for a while before either one of them declared their love.  I seriously think her problem is that she is just not getting her way and that she told him she loved him on national TV and she is embarassed he won't publicly say it back.  Of course he might never say it because he doesn't feel it.  She just needs to move on if saying it now is so important to her. 

 

I think he is staying with her because he has already been declared a jerk and he probably figures people will hate him even more if he dumps her.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Palomar

[leighdear]

JP must have had a very sheltered childhood if the most traumatic thing for him was a buddy dating his ex-girlfriend AFTER JP broke up with her.  Since he said it was his first girlfriend, he must have been a young teen. 

 

He'd be absolutely catatonic if he was a teen today, and that happened.  Most teens change gf's/bf's as frequently as they change their clothes. 

[ghoulina]

JP must have had a very sheltered childhood if the most traumatic thing for him was a buddy dating his ex-girlfriend AFTER JP broke up with her.  Since he said it was his first girlfriend, he must have been a young teen.

He'd be absolutely catatonic if he was a teen today, and that happened.  Most teens change gf's/bf's as frequently as they change their clothes.

 

It did say kind of silly when he first said it....but I'd be curious to know more. How old was he? How long did they date for? He said the guy had been his best friend for his whole life up until that point. So even if the relationship with the girl wasn't that serious, it would definitely make me question the guy. That's still a pretty shitty thing to do. 

[MsPH]

JP must have had a very sheltered childhood if the most traumatic thing for him was a buddy dating his ex-girlfriend AFTER JP broke up with her.  Since he said it was his first girlfriend, he must have been a young teen. 

 

He'd be absolutely catatonic if he was a teen today, and that happened.  Most teens change gf's/bf's as frequently as they change their clothes. 

 

My thoughts exactly. He couldn't have been that in love with her, since he's the one who broke it off. What made him the victim?

[eteffi]

I loved the earnestness with which Cicely asked, "Well, is it disrespectful to keep it real?" 

Edited October 23, 2014 by eteffi

[xls]

I can't stand Nikki but I'm not with Jenna on this one:

 

Here's the thing.  Not everybody was gang raped as a teen, or abandoned as a child BUT that doesn't mean that their trauma isn't traumatic for them.  Sure it sounded silly to me, after hearing Jenna and Trech; but I think about my friends and I.  Most of us weren't gang raped as teens or joined gangs, some of my friends never experienced death as children the way I have, but I don't roll my eyes at them if they're sharing with me their stuff, because I know it's just as hurtful to them.  I mean what was Nikki supposed to say?  

Nothing would be a start.How about "Nothing that bad ever happened to me"?

I think it was insensitive of her to brag/whine about her perfect charmed life after the monstrous things that happened to Jenna. Rubbing someones nose in how wonderful your life was compared to theirs was bitchy.

[LoLo]

While I think Jenna is a difficult person, I totally agree with her about Nikki. I could not tolerate being around her. She's a brat. I would probably only talk to Dick Jenna's guy (forgot his name), Deena & Chris. The rest are too much for me. Dick's ex is basically a mute. Deena has become the voice of reason, who would have thought Meatball #2 had it in her? She's sweet & seems to really care about everyone.

If there's a better way to deal with childhood trauma than destroying a bunch of props with a baseball bat, Couples Therapy has never heard of it.

http://previously.tv/couples-therapy/it-was-a-therapeutic-smash/"> Read the story

Thank you. I thought the same thing. My mother-in-law told me when I was first married that if I got mad at my husband I should break his things. I thought to myself what does that solve? I get built up anger & frustration but breaking things doesn't do it for me. It doesn't solve the problems nor is it an answer for how to deal with things in the future.

Well, in group, I understand why she brought up how things had always gone her way, and that's why she was having a hard time with JP not giving her what she needs. But she could have expressed that without going on and on about how damn popular and amazing she was. It was overkill. 

 

And then, when she mentioned the Wal-mart thing, that was later. That was not part of therapy. They were just sitting around, eating....probably decompressing from an intense situation. And it was like she was scrambling for her own traumatic story, so people would feel badly for her as well. It just came off really petty. No, not everyone has a traumatic past. But after hearing people bear their souls like that, you don't bring up how you were once lost in a Wal-mart. 

 

I just think the chick has no empathy or self awareness. Look at Deena and Chris. They likely had nice, normal childhoods. They didn't have some horrible, traumatizing story to tell. That's fine. But I liked how Deena was really listening to the others, and she connected how Jenna immediately retreats and isolates herself with what she went through as a kid. She tries to relate to other people, without making it all about her. Nicki can't do that. She's all about herself, all the time. 

I agree about Deena. She listens to everyone & seems to be a very caring person. 

[RedheadZombie]

While I think Jenna is a difficult person, I totally agree with her about Nikki. I could not tolerate being around her. She's a brat. I would probably only talk to Dick Jenna's guy (forgot his name), Deena & Chris. The rest are too much for me. Dick's ex is basically a mute..

 

I understand Jenna's anger with Nikki, but it seems like she's enraged by her.  It forces me to psychoanalyze - which I think is fair game on this show.  I wonder if Jenna resents what she may see as Nikki's easy life.  At Nikki's age, Jenna was well into porn.  Maybe Jenna isn't as content with her past in porn as she thinks she is.  When you have it rough, I think it's very natural to resent someone who brags about their own wonderful life.  It must feel like salt being rubbed in the wound.  They kept breaking from Nikki to Jenna - who seemed almost in shock at what she was hearing.

[pasdetrois]

The fact that this tired show is still handing people sledgehammers so they can stomp around and whine about their childhoods is laughable. The cast seemed to be zombie-walking through the motions.

 

Jenna is extremely competitive with women. She resents Nikki's youth and charmed background. Guess what, Jenna, some people haven't "suffered" as much as you; get over it. At this point in her drug-addled life, Jenna is a sucking black hole of need and demand.

 

My working theory on JP is that he is 1) gay and 2) a sociopath.

 

ETA: I'm not denying that Jenna has suffered; I think she's suffered a lot. But she's learned to use her suffering to make money (sell books, appear on this show) and probably to justify her substance abuse (in her own mind and to addiction therapists). At this time she does not appear to be pursuing enlightenment and sobriety.

Edited October 24, 2014 by pasdetrois

[Neurochick]

Nothing would be a start.How about "Nothing that bad ever happened to me"?

I think it was insensitive of her to brag/whine about her perfect charmed life after the monstrous things that happened to Jenna. Rubbing someones nose in how wonderful your life was compared to theirs was bitchy.

 

 

I would agree that she say nothing, if Jenna and Nikki were friends and Jenna was sharing, but that's not what happened, they're in "therapy."  Nikki has the absolute right to share.  It's not Nikki's fault that nothing bad happened to her.  But it doesn't mean that she's not damaged on the inside (which I think she is).  I think Jenna resents Nikki because nothing bad happened to her, and Nikki's young and blonde.   Nikki has just as much right to share as Jenna.  It's not about keeping score as to who had the more fucked up life.

 

Jenna is extremely competitive with women. She resents Nikki's youth and charmed background. Guess what, Jenna, some people haven't "suffered" as much as you; get over it. At this point in her drug-addled life, Jenna is a sucking black hole of need and demand.

 

 

Yes, I agree with this 100%.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Neurochick

[ghoulina]

If Jenna resented Nikki simply because she didn't have a traumatic backstory, she would resent Deena and Cicely as well. Neither one of them shared anything. I still think it was HOW Nikki went about it that rubbed her wrong. I definitely think there's something about Nikki that triggers Jenna, childhood aside. I can see her being resentful that Nikki had a nice, normal life. If I was raped, abused, and basically orphaned at the age of 4 I'd probably feel that way too. But Nikki is so braggardly about it. So pompous. It's really grating. I realize not everyone sees her that way, but that's how she comes across to me.

[txbowler]

This show is demonstrating what happens when you get couple from different upbringing, cultures and such into the same therapy. Which I believe doesn't happen in real life. Nikki would not ever socialize with the people on this show. The friends she has, probably have similar upbringings and can relate to Nikki's life.

Nikki & Jenna together are a fight waiting to happen. They are from such diverse backgrounds.

It's like the regular public trying to understand what it is like to be a celebrity. Yes some of them are ultra rich. But they cannot leave their homes without someone following them with a camera trying to make a buck off them. We have no clue. Nikki cannot conceive what Jenna's life has been. Jenna think's NIkki's life has been a piece of cake. Well to Jenna's it is. But to Nikki, it is real and has issues. To the real world, yes they may be petty, but to her they are real.

[Wings]

One time JP said that when you love someone it means you feel like you cannot live without them.  I don't think that has come up on this show yet and I forget where I read that. 

 

That is an unhealthy thought, of course. Two independent people come together knowing they can "live" without the other but prefer to not to!  

 

This is the crux of the problem.  Nikki is having justifiable anger and frustration which JP reads as "I can live without that!"  Of course he can and so can she.  

 

He does not understand how relationships work.  Without commitment and love expressed they are doomed to failure.  The commitment is not always forever but it has to be there for it to move forward so you can SEE if it a long term deal.   

[Neurochick]

If Jenna resented Nikki simply because she didn't have a traumatic backstory, she would resent Deena and Cicely as well.

 

 

I think it's more than Jenna sees herself in Nikki; both women are blonde, all American type girls (maybe blue eyed as well).  I think Jenna sees Nikki as, "that's how my life should have been."

[LoLo]

I understand Jenna's anger with Nikki, but it seems like she's enraged by her.  It forces me to psychoanalyze - which I think is fair game on this show.  I wonder if Jenna resents what she may see as Nikki's easy life.  At Nikki's age, Jenna was well into porn.  Maybe Jenna isn't as content with her past in porn as she thinks she is.  When you have it rough, I think it's very natural to resent someone who brags about their own wonderful life.  It must feel like salt being rubbed in the wound.  They kept breaking from Nikki to Jenna - who seemed almost in shock at what she was hearing.

I would be annoyed with Nikki as well & I didn't have a past like Jenna's. Nikki is very self absorbed. Jenna's father, if you've read about his was a real scum. I remember he tried to sponge off of her & be involved in her porn career. He was asked in an interview (I think it was on Stern) if he watched his daughters porn & he said "yes" & that he "could pic her vagina out of a lineup". This was many years ago when she was just getting famous. I was totally grossed out. She was also raped again around 17 by her boyfriends uncle or father. I can't remember. 

[RedheadZombie]

I would be annoyed with Nikki as well & I didn't have a past like Jenna's. Nikki is very self absorbed. Jenna's father, if you've read about his was a real scum. I remember he tried to sponge off of her & be involved in her porn career. He was asked in an interview (I think it was on Stern) if he watched his daughters porn & he said "yes" & that he "could pic her vagina out of a lineup". This was many years ago when she was just getting famous. I was totally grossed out. She was also raped again around 17 by her boyfriends uncle or father. I can't remember. 

 

Who says something like this?  He sounds like her first abuser, rather than her father who was a cop.  Absolutely revolting.  Jenna drives me crazy, and I think her high intelligence helps her get away with a lot of manipulation.  I think it would take a really great therapist to deal with Jenna's manipulation and control. This last episode showed she is still completely raw, like she's never worked through these issues.  That, along with the fact that I think she's clearly on something, makes me feel for her children.  She's in so much pain, and it has very little to do with her relationship.  I don't think she's an appropriate candidate for this show.

[Sheenieb]

 

Nikki really just needs to face reality. Yes, she met JP on The Bachelor and the winning couple is supposed to fall in love, marry and live happily every after but the track record of the show proves much differently.  If she met JP in a more normal manner they would probably date for a while before either one of them declared their love.  I seriously think her problem is that she is just not getting her way and that she told him she loved him on national TV and she is embarrassed he won't publicly say it back.  Of course he might never say it because he doesn't feel it.  She just needs to move on if saying it now is so important to her.

At this point, Nikki is probably just trying to save face. It is embarrassing that she pours her heart out to JP, and he comes back with his befuddled 'it's a cultural thing' act. Even if you're not aware of The Bachelor, JP comes across as a douche. We all see it, but maybe she's thinking that she can change him. That never happens. Plenty of women have tried, and it's a fail every time. I'm getting secondhand embarrassment watching them have the same conversation repeatedly. The other psychiatrist nailed it when he said that everything comes easy to her, and she's struggling over this because she has to work too hard. Nikki is clearly light years smarter than JP, so it must sting even more that she's so desperate for his love.

 

In regards to her going on about her charmed life, I can see why it came across as humble bragging. In group, it would've been best if she said "I didn't experience anything traumatic growing up, and fortunately, I had a great childhood." But listing off your achievements after hearing those soul crushing confessions was tone deaf.

[ramble]

This show is hard to watch at times. Jenna & Tretch need to be in serious counseling off camera to deal with their issues. Jenna exhausts me watching her. I think John is far more patient than I'd be. I understand her life has been horrific at times but she also truly enjoys putting on the drama hat, or in her case glasses, & stirring crap up.

The destroy triggering junk exercise at the haunted house was ridiculous. I'm going to hope that there was some actual therapy afterwards. I can't imagine that it didn't stir up a lot of things that needed to be dealt with. If I was there I would've had to leave because I have flashback issues with extreme displays of anger & I would not feel safe & my issues don't even tie into my childhood. These "therapists" sometimes seem to forget basic needs of therapy so much of the time.

Nikki is making me feel sorry for Juan Pablo & that is not acceptable! I prefer to despise them both. I get the feeling Nikki peaked in high school & can't figure out what to do now. She won The Bachelor contest & seems disappointed in her prize. She was supposed to get a trophy & a crown & be voted best bachelor contestant ever!

[OnceSane]

Just a quick correction, y'all, it's Treach.

[Wings]

Nikki's instagram tells us the conclusion of this mess. 

 

http://instagram.com/nikki_ferrell

[leighdear]

It would be weird for them to split before the end of the show.  There's usually contractual requirements for these folks in order to get paid.  And I refuse to believe that the money isn't the most important thing for Juan Pablo. 

[Decider]

According to Us Weekly, they may have split up, but it is only speculation at this point.

[trimthatfat]

 

And then, when she mentioned the Wal-mart thing, that was later. That was not part of therapy. They were just sitting around, eating....probably decompressing from an intense situation. And it was like she was scrambling for her own traumatic story, so people would feel badly for her as well. It just came off really petty. No, not everyone has a traumatic past. But after hearing people bear their souls like that, you don't bring up how you were once lost in a Wal-mart. 

 

ITA. The Wal-mart thing made me particularly annoyed because she said it  very casually when everyone was coming down from an emotional high. She didn't sound like someone who was legitimately traumatized by that situation. Sounds like she was just talking to hear herself speak.

 

Nothing would be a start.How about "Nothing that bad ever happened to me"?

I think it was insensitive of her to brag/whine about her perfect charmed life after the monstrous things that happened to Jenna. Rubbing someones nose in how wonderful your life was compared to theirs was bitchy.

ITA. The fact that she went on and on about how everything was perfect and hiw she was so popular was very insensitive. She could have easily said that she had a relatively comfortable childhood and left it at that. I felt like Nikki lacked self-awareness and maturity in that moment.

[leighdear]

All the media outlets seem to have the breakup story.

I'm thinking it's going to piss off all the other contestants/participants/patients of this show.  I'm wondering who is going to be the first in social media to say "I KNEW they were just in it for the money!"

[Wings]

In Nikki's defense, a producer is always there when the cameras are rolling and they could have requested she talk about Walmart.  Very little conversation caught on camera is spontaneous.  

.  

[LoLo]

Who says something like this?  He sounds like her first abuser, rather than her father who was a cop.  Absolutely revolting.  Jenna drives me crazy, and I think her high intelligence helps her get away with a lot of manipulation.  I think it would take a really great therapist to deal with Jenna's manipulation and control. This last episode showed she is still completely raw, like she's never worked through these issues.  That, along with the fact that I think she's clearly on something, makes me feel for her children.  She's in so much pain, and it has very little to do with her relationship.  I don't think she's an appropriate candidate for this show.

Yes, Jenna has many issues & I agree it isn't about her current relationship. I can't remember her boyfriends name but he is VERY tolerant of her behavior & supportive. Almost an enabler. I feel bad for him. I do believe she is on medication. I saw some videos of her at her home before her split from Tito & all she did was sleep all day & drink from a bottle she kept behind her nightstand. She said it was water, but who keeps water on the floor behind their nightstand? The videos show her ex being a parent, dressing them & being awake etc. She then found out about the cameras & smashed them. I know Tito has full custody so she definitely has some major issues that I don't think can be resolved in a 3 week program.

[DangerousMinds]

Nikki's instagram tells us the conclusion of this mess. 

 

http://instagram.com/nikki_ferrell

What an annoying twit.

[CottlestonPie]

My heart seriously broke when Treach told his story about saving up his money to buy the silk tie for his father, only to find out he had moved away without telling him.  You could really see the pain in his eyes and for some reason, his story really got to me.  From his ranting whille he was smashing up the house, it seems like his dad used Treach to do things for him?  My guess is they weren't strictly legal things, either.  Did I see correctly that his dad is going to be on the show this week?  I mean... is that wise??

 

Nikki is a brat.  While I totally agree it's not her fault she had a good childhood, and she should not feel guilty about that, she also didn't need to go on at length about how awesome and popular she was, either.  That whole Powder Puff story made me want to vomit; I can't even imagine how it made Jenna feel (who, by the way, needs WAY MORE help than this show can give her).

[Wings]

We cannot go around in life editing our stories to save another from themselves.   It is not Nikki's responsibility to lie or withhold the truth so Jenna won't feel bad. Yikes!  This is a venue where they are supposed to expose themselves.  And you know damn well there was a producer there requesting she talk about her good life.   

 

The instagram message from Nikki was in response to JPG posting a pic of himself with his arm around another woman on a boat ride in San Francisco.  Sure, she could have ignored it but I don't fault her for firing something back.  What do you suppose his motive was?  Nothing good.  

Edited October 28, 2014 by wings707

[Sheenieb]

I don't think the issue is about her holding back, but a lack of tact. We all edit ourselves daily, so Nikki should've read the room. I don't think she meant to be insensitive, but that's how it looked.

[BusyOctober]

I just don't get the "me so ANGRY! me SMASH!!" therapy.  The anger management "specialist" kept telling them to get mad! tell X how his/her behavior made you feel! swing the hammer! break it!....and after all that raw pain,emotion and adrenaline is exposed, the patient is supposed to "let it go! it's over!".  Whaaa? 

 

And while I agree Nikki's tales of perfection are annoying and can't compare to the trauma others suffered, let's not let JP off so easy either.  His teenaged friend dated his teenaged ex after teenaged JP & the girl broke up...THAT created life-long trust issues??  No, JP, the reason you can't say "I love you" has nothing to do with the PTSD of puppy love gone sour.  The reason is you are an opportunistic immature loser & you never had any intentions of meeting "Mrs. Right" on a stupid tv show.  Thank God their ridiculous charade of dating is over. No one, include the two of them, ever thought it would work out.  I just feel bad for JP's daughter.  I hope her grandparents have more influence on her than her dumb ass dad.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I don't think the issue is about her holding back, but a lack of tact. We all edit ourselves daily, so Nikki should've read the room. I don't think she meant to be insensitive, but that's how it looked.

 

But it's an [alleged] therapy situation, where it shouldn't be her responsibility to read the room.  It's up to the therapist to set the framework in which people can process through their issues.  Which is obviously the problem here.