S19.E01: Week 1

[mom2boys43]

I am showing my age, but Nicole looks like a perfect Doppelgänger to Courtney Thorne-Smith over Amy Adams.  I do see the resemblance to both but it was like looking at Courtney in the 80's and early 90's.

 

Edited to say:  Maybe I have the wrong name, the Courtney Thorne-Smith look alike is silver dress, onion gal.

Edited January 9, 2015 by mom2boys43

[Andromeda]

I thought Tissue Saleswoman might have done something clever with her cooler e.g. reveal beer or champagne inside but instead we got a glimpse of something revolting even if a prop.

That woman is an idiot. It would have been much better if she popped open the container to display a plastic heart toy with a smile on it. That's what I would have done. Non-threatening, not gross, and cute! What could be better? Plus, he could have it as a gift.

 

 

He wasn't thrown off by Kara being in her early 40s? Her claiming to be 25 on network television MUST be an FCC violation. It must.

LOL! I didn't even notice her, so I didn't see her age (or age appearance). Don't think the hubby was noticing ages, either. I just wish the show wouldn't let them get away with lying about their ages. There was one season when they removed the ages and Bachelor Nation (gah, hate that expression) complained loudly, so they put them back on. Probably removed in the first place because the participants don't want their ages up there and are prone to lie about them.

 

Yes, even I admit Chris's farm operation is way remote. I think Waverly is the closest city of consequence. Still an hour each way if his dearly beloved were a teacher or nurse. More likely, a person who can work from home is the ideal wife. That's my situation, and I'm not interested in shopping or city life, but I tell you, it's a big mental relief when I get to even a small-town Dollar General after weeks of going nowhere other than the pasture/barn.

Hubby Google Mapped it last season -- so far from any center of employment or shopping, or dining, or just getting a cheesburger at a drive-in. Do these women really get that? I'm a suburban woman, but I lived in a small town at the start of my career, pop. 9,000. It still had its chain stores, and wasn't ridiculously tiny -- I drove a half-hour to a good-sized mall. But sometimes for work I also had to travel an hour to a tiny berg of 400. It was awful, I would never ever live in a place that isolated and tiny. I interviewed some residents for a feature, and not all of them loved it, either. There's also a small-town mindset, that everyone's business is yours and yours is theirs. That took getting used to, and as an introvert, I can't say I miss it. Edited January 9, 2015 by Andromeda

[Bugs Meany]

I just wish the show wouldn't let them get away with lying about their ages.

 

Or at least not lie so egregiously. Seriously, Kara is least 40. Her claiming to be 25 is like a 17-year-old getting a fake ID that says he's 34, instead of a safer 21 or 22.

[saber5055]

 

That woman is an idiot. It would have been much better if she popped open the container to display a plastic heart toy with a smile on it. That's what I would have done. Non-threatening, not gross, and cute! What could be better? Plus, he could have it as a gift.

No kidding. When she opened the cooler, I expected to see some funny and clever thing, maybe a heart box of chocolates. Anything but the gross real heart in there. Ugh, it was nasty, even for a farm boy.

 

I just wish the show wouldn't let them get away with lying about their ages.

To say nothing of nasal-voiced Whitney. I swear she looked 40 at the minimum, not that 40 is ancient. But she just looked worn out and haggard, too old to be staying up all night for a reality tv show.

 

Bo, the plus-sized model, was featured on some show last night, either Extra or something. She was interviewed saying it was a major achievement for her to even be accepted to go on TB and she was thrilled with the little bit she was on. The show said she "didn't make it past the first round," although I don't remember her being sent home. But I guess she was. She is a model now but used to be a professional surfer, and the show showed her surfing. The segment was a lot about body image, that most of TB women are size ZERO while the average woman is a size 14. They showed her clip of her telling Chris she needed to eat all the things he raised on his farm so she could keep her plus-sized curves. Anyway, she came across as very likeable, honest and a good person happy with herself. You know, everything TB is not about!

Edited January 9, 2015 by saber5055

[reggiejax]

Edited to say:  Maybe I have the wrong name, the Courtney Thorne-Smith look alike is silver dress, onion gal.

 

 

Onion girl is named Ashley. Referred to as Ashley S. on the show. I kind of see the Courtney Thorne-Smith comparison. It was really bugging me who she reminded me of during the premiere. At first I thought she kind of looked like Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive. They kind of had similar hairdos. But that didn't seem quite right. Then it hit me. And her doppelganger goes back even further than Courtney Thorne-Smith. She looks like actress Eve Gordon. Eve Gordon was a minor actress whose prime years were the late 80's/early 90's. She is best remembered, if at all, from her role on the short lived NBC sitcom, The Powers that Be. Though I personally like to remember her from David Chase's even shorter short lived CBS drama, Almost Grown, which aired in the 1988/89 season. I always thought Eve Gordon was gorgeous and always wished she had become a star. At least now I get a reminder of what attracted me to her way back when. At least until Chris dumps Onion girl's crazy ass.

Edited January 10, 2015 by reggiejax

[Alapaki]

I just wish the show wouldn't let them get away with lying about their ages.

Or at least not lie so egregiously. Seriously, Kara is least 40. Her claiming to be 25 is like a 17-year-old getting a fake ID that says he's 34, instead of a safer 21 or 22.

To wit, I am once again compelled to remind all that "Bachelorette ages" are sort of like dog-years.  As a general rule I think you have to add at least 7-9 years to each contestant's stated age.

 

Same for Josh last season. I think a lot of contestants (understandably) put on weight during filming, so it could be that. Nicki Sterling from Ben's season (I forgot to include her in my elite Bachelor beauties pantheon) looked quite different when she left as F3.

 

 

I seem to recall that last season luggage was either lost or delayed so the finalists were borrowing suits.  Apparently the travel that season was all screwed up because of the bad winter weather.  That's why we ended up with the ridiculous stop in Connecticut.  (you know, the one where Andi killed Eric).

[Mu Shu]

I remember being a kid and watching Miss America pageant with my Aunt,  and being shocked that the contestants weren't her age, 40, but rather late teens and early 20's.      I guess it was the big, fussy hair, and troweled on make up that gives them that perma -forty air.    Even using that as a reference,   I find it hard to believe that any of these girls are south of thirty.  

 

So, ole squinty eyes was in a seven year relationship, and broke it off because it was "good, not great"?    I think our farmer has unmeetable expectations.   He doesn't want a working partnership, He wants the "fairy tale".   Yes, I just puked in my mouth.   No matter how well off he is, it's going to be a huge culture shock for anyone who didn't spend time in a small, isolated town,  and that's going to take compromise.    Seven years of good sounds pretty damn promising to me.     Why did he string her along for seven years?      I have a feeling we have another Blob or Flapjack on our hands.

 

ETA:   Since we have so many doppelgangers this season, I just figured out who Chris is, IMO:  Puddy from Seinfeld. 

Edited January 9, 2015 by Mu Shu

[saber5055]

 

I just figured out who Chris is, IMO:  Puddy from Seinfeld.

Oh, no, I like Puddy!

 

Where is there an article about Chris's seven-year relationship? His "good, not great" makes me now think he is on the show for all the right reasons: Famewhoring in sunny California, and maybe YOPO! on Bach Pad/Paradise beach.

[Armchair Critic]

I just figured out who Chris is, IMO:  Puddy from Seinfeld.

 

LOL! But is he sponge worthy?

[crgirl412]

LOL! But is he sponge worthy?

LOL!!  Only if he does something about those sideburns! 

Edited January 10, 2015 by crgirl412

[Andromeda]

Where is there an article about Chris's seven-year relationship?

it's actually in the official bio on his website. ITA about the "good, not great" -- what exactly is he expecting, some princess to sweep him off his feet and carry him away from the farm to the excitement of Hollywood? Because I'm not convinced he doesn't intend to ditch the farm if offered enough enticement.

[Wings]

 

 

So, ole squinty eyes was in a seven year relationship, and broke it off because it was "good, not great"?    I think our farmer has unmeetable expectations.   He doesn't want a working partnership, He wants the "fairy tale".   Yes, I just puked in my mouth.   No matter how well off he is, it's going to be a huge culture shock for anyone who didn't spend time in a small, isolated town,  and that's going to take compromise.    Seven years of good sounds pretty damn promising to me.     Why did he string her along for seven years?      I have a feeling we have another Blob or Flapjack on our hands.

 

 

 

I think this was just a nice way of saying why he broke it off rather getting into details.  There has to be more than that after 7 years, but he wanted to be respectful to his ex and chose those words in the moment to move quickly past the question.   It is hard to come up with the perfect answer on the spot in the interview.   This wasn't the best reason to use, I agree, but not bad for on the fly.  

[nutty1]

Here is a deleted scene where Tara gives Chris a bracelet. At least this explains why he kept her, she was quite sweet here.

 

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelor/video/VDKA0_wq7xyzis

[Wings]

Here is a deleted scene where Tara gives Chris a bracelet. At least this explains why he kept her, she was quite sweet here.

 

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelor/video/VDKA0_wq7xyzis

 

 

Ahhhhhh, now it makes sense why he gave her a pass.  We saw him fishing with his dad; he is clearly an outdoor guy so I think he really likes this.   I also love that bracelet even though I don't fish.  I eat it a lot though!  Just did a quick google on them and was unable to see this exact one.  The ones I did see were not close to this one.  I am going to keep looking though.  I honestly would love this exact one!  

 

I think he was also impressed with how she dressed out of the limo, too.  I wish she wouldn't have changed.  It would be refreshing for more of them to dress differently, maybe in something that reflected an aspect of their lives.  This show could use some tweaks and that would be an interesting one.  They will get many chances to dress up, as we know.  Groan.  

[Ketzel]

It would be refreshing for more of them to dress differently, maybe in something that reflected an aspect of their lives.  This show could use some tweaks and that would be an interesting one.  They will get many chances to dress up, as we know.  Groan.

Oh, I LOVE this idea, at least for the Bachelor. You just know all the women would turn it into an exaggerated Miss America experience. "Hi, I'm Julie, a teacher from Vermont" dressed in a maple syrup bottle costume. "And I'm Liz, from Hawaii" . . .

Edited January 10, 2015 by Ketzel

[crgirl412]

 

 

Oh, I LOVE this idea, at least for the Bachelor. You just know all the women would turn it into an exaggerated Miss America experience. "Hi, I'm Julie, a teacher from Vermont" dressed in a maple syrup bottle costume. "And I'm Liz, from Hawaii" . . .

The name Julie makes me want to rewatch Burning Love!  If any of you haven't seen it, Google it!  It's a parody of the Bachelor/Bachlorette.  Hysterical. 

 

And Lz from Hawaii would be dresses as a pineapple or in luau skirt and coconut top!! 

[saber5055]

Thanks, andromeda, for reminding me about Chris's bio. I read it but the engaged part did not stick in my mind. This really sticks in my craw: Heartbroken, Chris ended that seven-year relationship just months before he expected to walk down the aisle. WTH? He waits a freaking SEVEN years, THEN breaks it off before he has to make an actual commitment? The heck. I'll bet his ex has plenty to say about Chris, and I'll bet ABC (or Chris) has already paid her to keep her mouth shut.

ITA about the "good, not great" -- what exactly is he expecting, some princess to sweep him off his feet and carry him away from the farm to the excitement of Hollywood? Because I'm not convinced he doesn't intend to ditch the farm if offered enough enticement.

I was all about Chris wanting a wife to live in Iowa and raise a bunch of kids on the farm, but now I agree with this. He's had a taste of the good life on the D List, plus, his farm is such a big business, like a corporation, he can still keep his farming $ coming in while he rides that loaner Harley around southern California for the next few years, going from talk show to DWTS to Celebrity Whatever, all while he can.

 

And now Andi is free for that FS night he missed last season!

Edited January 10, 2015 by saber5055

[MsPH]

Yeah, that bit about his previous engagement surely didn't endear him to me. I guess the ex might've cheated or something, but that's hard to imagine in a town of 400 people and after 7 years of waiting to finally walk down the aisle. Now if it was a relationship that started in high school then OK, I can give him a pass. Young people rarely know what they want. But if it was an adult relationship, then you'd think he would've realised it wasn't good enough at some point during those 7 years, preferably before proposing and planning a wedding. Perhaps at the beginning of the relationship she looked like one of the bachelorettes, but by the end like one of the women from Arlington who attended the premiere. Just a thought.

[saber5055]

Yes, MsPH, it would be interesting to know just when that seven-year relationship/engagement was. And as for the "good, not great" thing, how many people who have been married seven years can say their relationship is still "great"? Marriage is hard work, to keep yourself up and happy and still pay attention to your mate. Everyone, and I mean everyone, gets on your nerves if you spend too much time with them.

 

Maybe Chris H. needs to Nikki-grill Chris S. about why that relationship failed.

 

It could have been so many things, including Chris's sisters saying, "Hey, dump Susie, we can get you on The Bachelorette and then you can escape this Hell Hole that is Iowa."

 

I've gone from liking Chris (because I can relate to him as an Iowa farmer) to thinking he's just another famewhore. Although I'll be there every Monday night just to prove myself right in my new evaluation of him!

[reggiejax]

Wasn't liking her at first, and I didn't think the attached deleted scene was going to change my mind, but god help me, Kaitlyn has moved up a bit in my estimation. Her attempt at rocking the mic is certainly a huge step up from the last Bachelor contestant who tried to rap, Emily O'Brien from Ben's season. I believe in the Urban Dictionary, Emily's photo is part of the entry for "lame white girl rap". 

 

"http://abc.go.com/embed/VDKA0_wyphgcs3" 

 

And while it is obvious that this other deleted scene is intended to give us a nice little taste of Ashley S.'s special kind of crazy, god help me again, I think I may love her now. 

 

"http://abc.go.com/embed/VDKA0_ftgrso7j"

Edited January 10, 2015 by reggiejax

[Wings]

Wasn't liking her at first, and I didn't think the attached deleted scene was going to change my mind, but god help me, Kaitlyn has moved up a bit in my estimation. Her attempt at rocking the mic is certainly a huge step up from the last Bachelor contestant who tried to rap, Emily O'Brien from Ben's season. I believe in the Urban Dictionary, Emily's photo is part of the entry for "lame white girl rap". 

 

"http://abc.go.com/embed/VDKA0_wyphgcs3" 

 

 

Love this.  

 

And this deleted scene puts her higher yet, in my book.  An oh boy, onion girl is definitely not connected.  To what I am not sure but crazy as Chris admitted on Kimmel. 

 

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelor/video/deleted-scenes/VDKA0_ftgrso7j

Edited January 10, 2015 by wings707

[lulee]

 

To wit, I am once again compelled to remind all that "Bachelorette ages" are sort of like dog-years.  As a general rule I think you have to add at least 7-9 years to each contestant's stated age.

Except the 21 year old with the toddler. She's 21 ... unless she's younger. She could have fit right in at a high school homecoming dance last fall.

Edited January 11, 2015 by lulee

[lulee]

I've decided that ChrisS looks like if Matt LeBlanc and Matthew McConaughey were morphed.

[aenea]

Thanks, andromeda, for reminding me about Chris's bio. I read it but the engaged part did not stick in my mind. This really sticks in my craw: Heartbroken, Chris ended that seven-year relationship just months before he expected to walk down the aisle. WTH? He waits a freaking SEVEN years, THEN breaks it off before he has to make an actual commitment? 

I'm not a fan of Chris, but I actually give him credit for that.  Especially when you're younger and in a long-term relationship relationship and feeling 'settled' with someone marriage seems like the obvious next step, and sometimes just the act of getting engaged and planning a wedding points out flaws in a relationship that everyone had ignored, or thought they could live with.  

 

A good number of my friends and parents' generation have gotten divorced, and it's not that uncommon to hear one or both people in the couple say that they had very cold feet and reservations, but went ahead with the wedding anyway.  I think that it's less painful for everyone to break up before the wedding, than later in life when you're sharing kids, mortgages, more years, and also may have a more difficult time finding someone else. 

[Zahdii]

A good number of my friends and parents' generation have gotten divorced, and it's not that uncommon to hear one or both people in the couple say that they had very cold feet and reservations, but went ahead with the wedding anyway.  I think that it's less painful for everyone to break up before the wedding, than later in life when you're sharing kids, mortgages, more years, and also may have a more difficult time finding someone else. 

 

I agree.  I know a woman who is now about 60, and she said that although she and her first husband dated for 3 years before marrying, the closer to the wedding the more he changed into his father, who was short tempered, verbally abusive to women, and had iron-clad rules about how women and children should behave.  She said she knew a the day before her wedding that it was a mistake when her father and her future husband had a minor disagreement about something silly, like where to go to breakfast.  After her father left, her future husband turned on her and told her that he almost beat the crap out of her 'old man' but didn't because he didn't want any problems with the wedding. 

 

She was young and didn't want to disappoint all the people who were coming to the wedding, some from long distances.  But within 6 months she was in the hospital with a broken arm and that was the end of it.

 

People, pay attention to your inner voice.  It might be telling you that you're not ready for what's ahead, and it might be telling you that you're getting in a bad situation.  (And if your inner voice constantly screams at you whenever you're about to do something new, you might want to consider counciling to see if you're afraid of change.)  Whatever, pay attention to your instincts.

[Mu Shu]

Seven years is a long damn time.  Few people date for 7 years before marrying.   I wouldn't call that following your instincts, I'd call that being completely brain dead.   A person who is truly fucked up (sociopath, narcissist, etc.)  can't keep up the charade that long.    Someone who spends almost 25% of his life figuring out that he's with the wrong person is not a catch in my book. 

 

For every person who panicked and broke it off, there are others who didn't panic, rode it out, and are happily married.   They're usually mature and not famewhores, though. 

[saber5055]

Mu Shu, will you accept this rose? (No commitment required or expected, of course!)

[Mu Shu]

Mu Shu, will you accept this rose? (No commitment required or expected, of course!)

Only if it's a yellow rose.   Or a pomegranate.     

[cereality]

This. Grain farmers are outrageously busy in spring and fall, planting and harvest. Winter is spent either repairing machinery and buldings or drinking coffee at the local grain elevator/cafe. Summer is spent mowing grass and keeping their yards and houses immaculate. Others go to Florida/Arizona over winter to get away from ... winter. Many farmers gave up livestock as being too much work (year 'round) for not much profit, although some still have feedlots if they have excess grain to spare.

 

Today while I was outside in multi-layers of clothes, gloves and boots, pitching hay and feeding livestock in -35 degree weather, falling face down in a foot of snow on a few occasions after tripping on things under the snow, my one thought was, if I had Chris's opportunity to get the H*LL out of Iowa, I'd go for it, too.

 

While Chris H. was grilling Nikki to say something bad about Juan Pablo, I kept wishing she would have said, "So Chris, how's YOUR marriage coming along?" Who hasn't dated someone for a period of time, then broken up for whatever reason? Juan Pablo was hilarious in those clips when he was on B-ette and the boys got him to say things in his heavy accent. I know I appreciated that humor, AND his legs on the football pitch.

This. He has a 6000 acre farm. I get that it's in a 400 person town in Iowa in the middle of no where, but why is he and ABC make it sound like he's out there personally harvesting crops? That kind of farm has tons of employees and managers who get the work done. Chris has got to be involved on the finance side -- bank loans; commodity markets to hedge price and weather shocks; payroll; leases; sales contracts to make sure there are buyers for his goods etc. If he were to find a sweetheart from Florida or Vermont or wherever, he could do that work from there and fly out to the farm every month or two if he so chose. Then if the engagement did turn into marriage, he could continue working remotely or he could sell of his share of the farm to his dad/brothers in law/third party or if it's a rental -- he could hand it back to the landlord -- and pursue other work either related to agriculture or not, since he does have business experience and a college degree. Yet he's standing there playing the whole -- OMG I hope harvest goes ok without me angle. 

 

He's obviously told ABC that while he prefers to return to Arlington, it is not a REQUIREMENT. If it was a requirement, I feel like ABC would have had to put more effort into making it so that at least 50% of the girls were from his background -- farm girls raised in the middle of no where, so they'd have some chance of accepting life in his 400 person town -- or had jobs that could be done remotely -- think medical billing or customer service or some kinds of IT/software work. I'm sorry but if it's a requirement that she returns to Arlington with you, no news producer from Washington DC or specialized nurse is falling for you. He's not that great that someone will give me an interesting/exciting career that they've studied for years for in order to live in a 400 person town where it seems like the nearest small city -- meaning the nearest strip malls, hair salons, restaurants and malls -- are over an hour away.

 

For those of you who lived in/know of those kinds of towns, would a guy like Chris have friends in his hometown? Obviously he went to high school there, so it's possible that high school friends could settle down there with his families -- but do a significant % of young people stay or do they leave to go to Ames or Cedar Rapids or Davenport? It was an ABC set up obviously, but I was kind of surprised when he went to that bar/diner to have coffee and there was no one at that table under the age of 50; surely some of those farmers have sons who have entered farming, who'd be joining such outings, no? Or is it that the sons really do try to get a college degree and get a regular job in a bigger city and leave the old farm to mom and dad?

[Mu Shu]

It seems to me that people form small towns tend to have more friends, and keep up with the people they went to school with.   And those sons who get college degrees aren't getting them to work in Ames for the most part, they're getting them because a big farm is a real business that takes a lot of guts and brains to make it work.     While it's relatively easy for someone to switch careers from say education to medical admin,   Chris or Chris and his family has a shit ton of money invested in that business.    Walking away could cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more.     Not as easy as people make it sound.

 

Leaving the "old farm" to Mom and Dad isn't happening in this case.    This is a big operation, not 20 acres they're scratching a subsistence out of.  

 

I think having only the old farmers coffee klatching was a stereotypical choice the producers went with, much like the hefty women with bad hair.    

Edited January 11, 2015 by Mu Shu

[cereality]

It seems to me that people form small towns tend to have more friends, and keep up with the people they went to school with.   And those sons who get college degrees aren't getting them to work in Ames for the most part, they're getting them because a big farm is a real business that takes a lot of guts and brains to make it work.     While it's relatively easy for someone to switch careers from say education to medical admin,   Chris or Chris and his family has a shit ton of money invested in that business.    Walking away could cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more.     Not as easy as people make it sound.

 

Leaving the "old farm" to Mom and Dad isn't happening in this case.    This is a big operation, not 20 acres they're scratching a subsistence out of.  

 

I think having only the old farmers coffee klatching was a stereotypical choice the producers went with, much like the hefty women with bad hair.    

Interesting. I just think that his farm is a big enough operation that it has lots of others involved even if ABC doesn't want to show that -- if he's not there, he can leave his dad in charge to oversee the managers, employees etc. while he's off romancing some girl in LA; seems like a big enough business to where he could opt for a finance/investment role in the business which he handles remotely, while leaving day to day operations to others. It just doesn't seem like the case of a typical farm, where if you don't put in the work, you're not eating this year.

[Mu Shu]

A CEO has plenty of people under him, but can't afford to be away from the business that much.   Think of Chris as the CEO.   He does need to be on site most of the time, but does have some disposable time in winters.     His profit margin probably  doesn't allow him to live comfortably and pay someone to do his job.     If he weren't living on the farm and had to pay not only his replacement, but also living costs, he wouldn't be making much at all. 

 

Some years are better than others, and there's a ton of debt invested in machinery.   That equipment has to be  maintained, fuel is expensive,  outbuildings have to be maintained,  the people who work for him need to be paid,   his house looks fairly big, and heating costs in the winter are high, as are cooling in the summer.  Iowa gets over 100 degrees in the summer.    Once the monthly nut is paid, there isn't as much left as you might think.   Enough for him to live well, but not enough for him to move away and let someone else run it. 

Edited January 12, 2015 by Mu Shu

[shok]

 

People, pay attention to your inner voice.  It might be telling you that you're not ready for what's ahead, and it might be telling you that you're getting in a bad situation.  (And if your inner voice constantly screams at you whenever you're about to do something new, you might want to consider counciling to see if you're afraid of change.)  Whatever, pay attention to your instincts.

 

Amen. In far too many instances it's the wedding and all its foofoo that's the big deal to the participants rather than the marriage they're going to be living in.

 

Once the monthly nut is paid, there isn't as much left as you might think.   Enough for him to live well, but not enough for him to move away and let someone else run it. 

 

Chris is rich folks, he's very rich. He's not eking out a subsistance on a prairie leasehold. His sisters said a couple of times on his home town date that Chris was very very very very successful  business man. He has a lot more going on than just the farm. Several of the guys on Andi's show said the same thing, that he's being advertised as just a farmer but in reality he was far and away the richest guy that had been on the show in a long time.

[cereality]

Amen. In far too many instances it's the wedding and all its foofoo that's the big deal to the participants rather than the marriage they're going to be living in.

 

 

Chris is rich folks, he's very rich. He's not eking out a subsistance on a prairie leasehold. His sisters said a couple of times on his home town date that Chris was very very very very successful  business man. He has a lot more going on than just the farm. Several of the guys on Andi's show said the same thing, that he's being advertised as just a farmer but in reality he was far and away the richest guy that had been on the show in a long time.

What does Chris have going on besides being a farm? I agree he's rich, but how do we know what his sisters meant? Couldn't they have meant that he was rich as compared to other farmers - I mean 600 acres and honestly maybe he's good at finance and has been able to hedge some of the shocks in the fuel markets, commodity prices etc; they could have been comparing him to the other farmers in Arlington who have 20 acres or whatever -- and frankly they just sounded like they wanted to impress Andi re their brother. I wonder if he's an investor in other businesses as well -- that would make him even richer -- be it farms or other agri-business companies like equipment/tractor cos etc.

[shok]

I wonder if he's an investor in other businesses as well -- that would make him even richer -- be it farms or other agri-business companies like equipment/tractor cos etc.

 

Bingo!

 

Plus playing the hedge and futures game can make someone every bit as rich as the stockbrokers on Wall Street.

[Padma]

I'm not a fan of Chris, but I actually give him credit for that.  Especially when you're younger and in a long-term relationship relationship and feeling 'settled' with someone marriage seems like the obvious next step, and sometimes just the act of getting engaged and planning a wedding points out flaws in a relationship that everyone had ignored, or thought they could live with.  

 

A good number of my friends and parents' generation have gotten divorced, and it's not that uncommon to hear one or both people in the couple say that they had very cold feet and reservations, but went ahead with the wedding anyway.  I think that it's less painful for everyone to break up before the wedding, than later in life when you're sharing kids, mortgages, more years, and also may have a more difficult time finding someone else. 

I agree. Without knowing any details I give Chris and his ex a lot of credit for not giving in to pressure to get married in that 7 year period and for really wanting to not just "have a good relationship" but be the kind of couple that should get married. I'm sure there was a lot of pressure to do that, but imo, there shouldn't be. "Engaged" says you're serious and committed but if you don't want to actually spend a life together--with all that entails--they it's good to get out rather than trying to please other people by doing something you don't really feel. 

 

That said, no wonder there aren't many "late 20s" (and no "early 30s") b-ettes on the show. 7 years isn't too long for an engagement when you're in your early/mid 20s but by the time you're in your 30s, you might be sorry to be "out of the market" all those years, just to wind up breaking up anyway.

[Shugardrawers]

Ok...once I got engaged to Mr. Drawers I was all in and it was time to plan a wedding BUT....had there been the slightest hesitation (like I had with the 1st Mr. Drawers when I thought at the alter "I give us 2 years" and I was right by 23 months) I really wish one of us had voiced our reservations.  I can't fault Chris for doing that.  Sounds like a marriage that would have only ended in divorce after a few years.  At least he had the guts to call it off before it was too late.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Shugardrawers

[alexa]

I agree with a couple of others above that aren't finding fault with him ending his engagement.  There is a probably a reason why he felt it wouldn't work out, and he is not going to tell the media all of the details of the relationship--which is how it should be.  There are plenty of people in long engagements that don't end up getting married.  It is almost like people seem to think that because he says he wants a wife that he should just take anyone open to marrying him.  In the end, it is all about finding the right person, and for whatever reason the previous relationship didn't work out.

 

As for the farm, regardless of his exact role, farmers are pretty serious about their work and being involved.  Even if he mainly oversees the operations, he has to be there most of the time...he has a lot invested in it, and it is his job.  I felt like he was sincere when he said it was very weird for him to leave during harvest time, as if he didn't really like being away even if there were others there to help him.  Plus it seems like a family obligation, so he feels a responsibility to be present.

[Zahdii]

I agree with a couple of others above that aren't finding fault with him ending his engagement.  There is a probably a reason why he felt it wouldn't work out, and he is not going to tell the media all of the details of the relationship--which is how it should be.  There are plenty of people in long engagements that don't end up getting married.  It is almost like people seem to think that because he says he wants a wife that he should just take anyone open to marrying him.  In the end, it is all about finding the right person, and for whatever reason the previous relationship didn't work out.

 

The bio didn't say how long he'd been engaged, only that the relationship lasted for seven years.  However, any time it takes seven years to walk down the aisle I always wonder why.  It could simply be that he eventually realized that he viewed his ex only as 'girlfriend' and not as 'wife'.  Knowing only what the bio says, I think it's best that he called off the wedding rather than go through with it and regret it.  I hope his ex-fiance thinks so, too.

[JenE4]

We don't have any timeline on this right? For all we know, they could have been high school sweethearts, dating since 15 and engaged to get married at 22 right after graduating college and regognized that they have a lot of growing up to do first. To me, that seems like a more likely scenario than being an "adult" dating all of that time and then calling off the wedding at, say, 33 years old.

[FamilyVan]

I don't know, I think it was more a "welcome to the family" style interview.  The ATFR with her and Juan Pablo was so antagonistic and off-putting, this felt more like the welcome from Chris H and PTB for Nikki.  I was happy that she did not entirely toe the company line while selling out JP.  I see her making the next Pad-style Bachelor iteration.

 

 

It was.  Did you notice at the end of the interview Chris Harrison said "Welcome back to the Bachelor Family", as if her loyal solidarity with JP got her ostracized, but now that they have broken up she is allowed to be welcomed back into the fold.  I had the same thought - oh now that she is no longer associated with JP she will be allowed for consideration in Bachelor Pad.

[truthaboutluv]

We don't have any timeline on this right? For all we know, they could have been high school sweethearts, dating since 15 and engaged to get married at 22 right after graduating college and regognized that they have a lot of growing up to do first. To me, that seems like a more likely scenario than being an "adult" dating all of that time and then calling off the wedding at, say, 33 years old.

 

Yeah I think that was the situation Nick talked about with Andi. That he and his ex were together 7 years but they got together at 18 and those 7 years included a lot of breakups and getting back together because in many ways they were still kids figuring out who they really were. So while 7 years is certainly a long time, if it's 7 years that started when they were mostly kids, I can see how it didn't eventually end in forever because it's likely they just grew up and grew apart. There is a reason many people don't end up with their high school sweethearts (even though I'm well aware quite a few do). 

[Wings]

It was.  Did you notice at the end of the interview Chris Harrison said "Welcome back to the Bachelor Family", as if her loyal solidarity with JP got her ostracized, but now that they have broken up she is allowed to be welcomed back into the fold.  I had the same thought - oh now that she is no longer associated with JP she will be allowed for consideration in Bachelor Pad.

 

 

I think he meant back to all the single people in the family.  

 

It is easy to pick apart words spoken on the fly.  He was just being friendly to her, nothing more implied from where I sit. 

[Wouldofshouldof]

Where is there an article about Chris's seven-year relationship? His "good, not great" makes me now think he is on the show for all the right reasons: Famewhoring in sunny California, and maybe YOPO! on Bach Pad/Paradise beach.

YOPO?  . . . You only propose once?

[saber5055]

For those of you who lived in/know of those kinds of towns, would a guy like Chris have friends in his hometown? Obviously he went to high school there, so it's possible that high school friends could settle down there with his families -- but do a significant % of young people stay or do they leave to go to Ames or Cedar Rapids or Davenport? It was an ABC set up obviously, but I was kind of surprised when he went to that bar/diner to have coffee and there was no one at that table under the age of 50; surely some of those farmers have sons who have entered farming, who'd be joining such outings, no? Or is it that the sons really do try to get a college degree and get a regular job in a bigger city and leave the old farm to mom and dad?

Great post, cereality. Very well-thought-out. Yes, Chris has to have an entire group of friends his own age, both male and female. ABC just wants to play up the teeny-tiny town aspect where no one lives except old guys sitting around a cafe. Poor Chris, he really needs him a woo-man. I know plenty of big-time farmers, family farmers. I live right in the middle of them, my neighbors are corn/bean fields. Like Cheers, this is a place "where everyone knows your name." And business.

 

Most kids who grow up in small-town farming communities stay to work the family farm, if they are so inclined to that life. It depends on how they were raised, and how easy Dad is to work for, and what they want from life. But to speak in generalities, small farm town kids grow up together and remain friends forever. The majority of Americans have an "Aw, shucks" view of the hayseed farmer. There are posts here that prove that. Overalls, a straw stuck in the mouth, dirt-kicking feet, straw hat, hands in pocket. "Git out the pitchfork and shovel some manure, Mabel." That's how America views farmers. And they are so wrong.

 

That's not what farming is about any more if one is in the farming BUSINESS as opposed to the hobby farm where one keeps a few bucket calves, hammer pigs and a dozen chickens. I got a kick out of the coffee-shop scene where the old guys are discussing grain futures and Chris is the only "young'un" there. Before the elevator burned down here, I'd go in to buy grain and there'd be a bunch of good old boys sitting around drinking coffee, hashing over world views. That's a small farm town's Starbuck's.

 

Chris is a wealthy man. He's involved in real estate besides grain futures, plus hogs. Soules Farms also has a state-licensed trucking company, named "G."  One acre of tillable Iowa land can cost more than $5,000, and Chris's operation has 6,000 of those acres, whether owned outright or rented on shares. His farming operation is as much a REAL business/corporation as Trump's towers and golf courses.

 

Of course he feels a guilty about being gone during harvest. Combines are in the fields from before dawn to WELL after dark. Fields can only be harvested when the moisture content is right on both corn and beans, and ground cannot be wet or equipment will sink to its hubs. It's a roulette game to get harvest finished before Mother Nature screws you.

 

Multiple combines and crews are needed to harvest that amount of land. Just getting one combine to one field takes at least three people: One to drive the combine, one to drive the truck/trailer carrying the corn head, one to drive the grain truck. Better two grain trucks if the elevator is slow unloading, so that's four people per combine just to get to the field. I'm sure Chris is hands-on during that season, but if his being gone WERE a big deal, he would have negotiated TB's contract and appearances to a different time period.

 

Face it, TB is really worn out so having "Prince Farming" is a hook for middle America to tune in. Just like Emily was paid more, ABC is making it worth Chris's time. I'm positive.

Edited January 12, 2015 by saber5055

[saber5055]

 

I was kind of surprised when he went to that bar/diner to have coffee and there was no one at that table under the age of 50; surely some of those farmers have sons who have entered farming, who'd be joining such outings, no?

This just occurred to me: Sitting around the cafe or feed elevator is sort of an old-guy thing. Their 30-something sons are all back at the farm, repairing equipment, mowing grass, taking care of livestock, yada yada yada. It's true!

[OnceSane]

YOPO?  . . . You only propose once?

YOPO= You Only Paradise Once

[Mu Shu]

YOPO= You Only Paradise Once

Is that because of the antibiotic resistant strains of, um, VD?    I think I watched BP once and felt the STDs burning through my TV screen.    TB is cheesy and gross, but BP is sleazy and grosser. 

[JenE4]

Great post, cereality. Very well-thought-out. Yes, Chris has to have an entire group of friends his own age, both male and female. ABC just wants to play up the teeny-tiny town aspect where no one lives except old guys sitting around the cafe.

Well, there was that woman in the audience a few years YOUNGER than Chris who looked like she couldn't have been younger than 47, so maybe those old guys are his age, lol.

[saber5055]

 

TB is cheesy and gross, but BP is sleazy and grosser.

You are behind the times. Bach Pad was two years ago. This summer we got Bachelor in Paradise. Hence, YOPO.

 

Well, there was that woman in the audience a few years YOUNGER than Chris who looked like she couldn't have been younger than 47, so maybe those old guys are his age, lol.

Too funny, and maybe true! Good one, JenE4. Those could have been Chris's HS classmates at that cafe!