S30.E13: The Final Skeleton

[pakalolo]

It had to be scary and severely violent. If it wasn't, we would have seen it. And if it was just "a screw up" Nicole would have brushed it off. She didn't. And she makes a point of it. Something scary happened there.

That's my theory, anyway. And I believe Nicole wants to never see Jason again and is hurting by that feeling. Something big happened. I don't know what but, it was huge. And it scared her to her core.

In the past few seasons we have seen such inappropriately violent or disproportionate reactions to such minor things that have happened, I honestly don't even remember what the impetus was for most of the angry reactions or fights that have occured in just this season alone. They have blown so many things so far out of proportion that it's entirely possible that Jason barely lifted a finger against her or went all the way up to nearly killing her, who knows? It's impossible from their reactions for me to guage just how serious it was.

[OnceSane]

Nicole wasn't one who flipped out over the little shit, IIRC. So I think it was something big, not just a simple above that potentially could be shrugged off.

[pakalolo]

Nicole wasn't one who flipped out over the little shit, IIRC. So I think it was something big, not just a simple above that potentially could be shrugged off.

Huh, well I just don't know why they would choose not to show the footage if was such a big deal then. No commentary from any of the roommates about what exactly happened, no reason given for not showing what they obviously have footage of, no description from Nicole at any time of what happened...it's all so odd. MTV obviously was proud to show us the senseless fights and violence from previous seasons and even previously in this season,going so far as to make it the centerpieces of the episodes. If this really was some sort of earth shattering event for Nicole why couldn't MTV back her up by showing the footage? They salivate over that kind of stuff as a ratings booster so it's confusing they would just choose not to show it with no explanation why.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Pakalolo

[shelley1234]

Huh, well I just don't know why they would choose not to show the footage if was such a big deal then. No commentary from any of the roommates about what exactly happened, no reason given for not showing what they obviously have footage of, no description from Nicole at any time of what happened...it's all so odd. MTV obviously was proud to show us the senseless fights and violence from previous seasons and even previously in this season,going so far as to make it the centerpieces of the episodes. If this really was some sort of earth shattering event for Nicole why couldn't MTV back her up by showing the footage? They salivate over that kind of stuff as a ratings booster so it's confusing they would just choose not to show it with no explanation why.

 

There has to be a legal reason why they didn't show it.  We know it wasn't a moral or ethical one....mainly because MTV has none.  Now what that legal reason is, I have no idea.  I do wonder if Nicole was so upset that she threatened MTV to sue or something (even though I am sure her contract would make it so she can't) or some other reason and they came to an agreement as long as MTV doesn't show the assault on tv.  Someone got MTV to not milk that for all it is worth (and stuff like that is sadly their bread and butter), so there has to be a legal reason for it IMO.  YMMV.  

[MissMel]

This is where my thinking is coming from, too. We didn't see the Tonya incident, either. Nicole downplayed and diffused situations. "Dead to me" makes me think something big happened. I could be wrong but that's what I'm feeling.

I don't think mtv or the production company is going to open themselves up like they did with whatever may or may not have happened with Tonya. They certainly can't be stupid enough to say anything that even resembles "it was her fault" again. Even if that's true, it doesn't look well on them.

I think that's what is happening, "cover your ass and keep your mouth shut." Especially if there is no reunion or "shit they should have shown" episodes. They want this to go away as soon as possible, it seems.

[choclatechip45]

I remember during  Real World Austin Rachel was involved in a confrontation with Nehemiah and Wes and we didn't see it. I remember it was inferred that it turned physical.

[gunderda]

Do you think maybe Nicole requested that it not be shown?? Some have said that it embarrassed her that she wasn't as tough as she acts.  So maybe she was shown the footage and requested it not be aired? 

[pakalolo]

I'm pretty sure if any of the roommates on this show were able to ask for embarrassing footage not to be shown we wouldn't have a show. I thought when they signed up they signed their rights away to all of the footage shot as well. I read elsewhere that a RW producer or someone tweeted it was an "editing" issue and they just didn't have the time to show the fight, ugh, like they couldn't cut out all of the pointless shots of the cars driving up to pick up each roommate leaving and other unnecessary fluff.

I keep wavering back and forth with each post but I am almost certain if there actually was a physical fight they would have shown it or they would have made a big production out of the fact that it existed but because of their impeccable morals they chose not to show it. I just don't believe they would have footage and would intentionally choose not to air it with no explanation whatsoever. If there was some legal issue with someone going to the authorities regarding the fight I believe they would have just scrapped the footage altogether rather than get in the middle of it by showing altered footage and commentary that have been edited for their own storyline.

I don't even believe any of the accompanying audio that we hear because we don't see anyone's mouth saying the words during the scene. I am pretty sure in the episode that Violetta kept saying "byyyyeeeeeeeeee" she really did not repeat it that many times and her original audio was just being replayed, they never actually show her face or mouth moving during any of the times she is heard to say it during the last half of the show.

[choclatechip45]

The Real World has been known not to show important footage. They never showed Brynn throwing the fork at Steven even though we had endless shots of "the fork". I also remember them including things in the This Season on The Real World/Challenge and never showing it.

Edited March 16, 2015 by choclatechip45

[MissMel]

I agree about the editing and I don't believe the audio if I don't see the lips form the words, either. I also don't think anyone has had any control of the footage in many years. Maybe with a few exceptions but not for the most part. (Like having a woman's towel/shirt ripped off her body or a man getting "pantsed" without consent. But have consensual sex or intended nudity? That's fair game)

I think intent and legal consequences are what guides things most. Not so much for the roommates but for the show. They showed us the squeaky-voiced blonde chick get pulled to the ground by the neck, from behind. Repeatedly and in slow motion, as well. We also saw the aftermath of that. This is different. Nicole is clearly scared. Jason is too, I think he scared himself. This didn't feel like either person has been in that position before. But I think the show/ production/ network, has. And THEY don't want to be.

I don't remember names very well but we saw a housemate get his eye socket crushed by a person on the street. We also saw CT damn near kill Adam. On Jersey Shore, we were showed Snooki get socked at least one time but that is gone now in the replays. I don't know where the line is but it seems to be a little clearer between people of the opposite sex, on the show together. Look at Nia. I think it was pretty safe to say she was going to come unglued but I think the show got caught off guard when she went after both men and women.

I certainly don't know what happened and it's very possible I'm totally wrong with my theories. That's just how things look from where I'm sitting. YMMV

Edited March 16, 2015 by MissMel

[pakalolo]

I honestly don't know why I care so much about this lack of footage other than I just didnt give much of a shit about anything else that happened other than the bizzare meeting between Jason and his sleaze bucket father. I wanted to care about Madison and her heroin addiction but other than her chirping "I did some really bad stuff" over and over we didn't get much from her about it. Violetta, eh...not much there after she shows off her "thug life" tattoo, Sylvia was unmemorable to me too and I kept getting Bruno and the other white guy confused. Who is left? Nicole...bleh, I laughed when she started off an episode asking if we missed her while she was away when I had no idea she was even gone and her faked accent hurt my brain, I guess props to keeping up that charade all season though, that's some kind of dedication for something so dumb.

[MissMel]

That's pretty sad that the only interesting thing to happen this season, didn't make it onto the show. I wondered why I spent so much thinking about it, too. I think you nailed it!

[NikSac]

I hope it doesn't end here, either. I still have season 1 and 3 on my DVR because I've been watching from the start with my sister. (Who has since passed so...)

My guess about not showing Jason pick Nicole up is because he didn't pin her to a wall. When the camera cut away, they were on the interior balcony area. I suspect he picked her up there and was damn lucky he didn't drop her off. It's the only reason I can think of for not showing it. They have shown almost everything else.

Plus, I think if he just "jacked her up", she would have forgiven him. He scared her to her core. And I think that balcony/walkway had something to do with it.

 

The balcony/walkway thing was the first thing I thought of when I heard her yell "put me down."  My mind knew that obviously if something severe (physically) had happened to her it would've been all over the news by now - Real World cast member breaks limbs/paralyzed/killed in house fight wouldn't have been kept quiet. But my heart dropped and I gasped when I heard her say it. I was picturing him flinging her over the railing just like they've thrown luggage, nearly thrown mattresses, etc.  (and I didn't even catch Madison's "he's flipping her" - that makes it even worse). 

 

I think she was completely out of line when she approached him, and hopefully she's learned to back off instead of getting in an angry drunk person's face, but whatever he did to her seems pretty clearly awful and unacceptable. I can't tell if it's so bad they decided not to show it, or somehow the cameras inexplicably managed to miss the worst of it. It did seem to show the camera people running upstairs, so maybe they didn't get there in time to catch it? 

 

Either way I wish they'd go back to sending people home for this kind of stuff, and in some cases I wish the assaulted person would press charges. This goes for Madison on an earlier episode too. I don't care if they can't sue MTV, and I don't think they should be able to anyway, but they should be able to pursue an assault charge through legal channels.

[Nena]

The balcony/walkway thing was the first thing I thought of when I heard her yell "put me down."  My mind knew that obviously if something severe (physically) had happened to her it would've been all over the news by now - Real World cast member breaks limbs/paralyzed/killed in house fight wouldn't have been kept quiet. But my heart dropped and I gasped when I heard her say it. I was picturing him flinging her over the railing just like they've thrown luggage, nearly thrown mattresses, etc.  (and I didn't even catch Madison's "he's flipping her" - that makes it even worse). 

 

I think she was completely out of line when she approached him, and hopefully she's learned to back off instead of getting in an angry drunk person's face, but whatever he did to her seems pretty clearly awful and unacceptable. I can't tell if it's so bad they decided not to show it, or somehow the cameras inexplicably managed to miss the worst of it. It did seem to show the camera people running upstairs, so maybe they didn't get there in time to catch it? 

 

Either way I wish they'd go back to sending people home for this kind of stuff, and in some cases I wish the assaulted person would press charges. This goes for Madison on an earlier episode too. I don't care if they can't sue MTV, and I don't think they should be able to anyway, but they should be able to pursue an assault charge through legal channels.

 

Based on how the scene was cut, we go from the two of them, to security running in, to Jason being carried back and 2 or 3 more security guys struggling to pin Nicole down while she's trying to go beat the shit out of Jason.  I think the real answer is more practical - the security goons probably got in the way of the cameras, possibly even pushed them out of the way, and that the footage they have is of cameras being bounced around by security instead of pointing at what's going on.

[pakalolo]

I suppose that could be a possibility.

I would still have to rate this season a meh, and I think I may have figured out why. I like to watch the progression of the relationships between the roommates throughout the season and liked watching the ebb and flow of things as they "got more real" with each other. The shorter time periods of filming, more focus on drinking and fights, and the introduction of exes and skeletons and whatnot has taken all that away.

We barely got to know these guys before they started dropping in other people from the past, not just people from the past but "enemies" and other anxiety inducing guests, did they really think these people were gonna be able to relax and let down their guards enough to form "real" relationships with each other in that kind of atmosphere?

All I can remember are fights, yelling, angry people, confrontation and drinking. Maybe we can have the next season in a weed-legal state and get a bunch of stoners in there instead of alcoholics, they can have endless deep conversations about the meaning of the previous conversation they had with another roommate and drape themselves on top of the furniture instead of throwing it around the room and rageing about every perceived slight. I would totally watch that.

I also hope Carla saw herself on television and realized that deep wine lipstick was awful, she really looked better without a lot of dark makeup. Speaking of Carla, why does it seem like nearly everyone on the RW gets into relationships with others for no other reason than they think they are hot or the other person was simply the one that allowed them into their bed. Why don't we ever see them finding out how many interests they have in common or doing things together and finding they really enjoy the time they spent with them?

Lastly, what happened to the vacations? Did I miss it or have they stopped doing that?

Edited March 17, 2015 by Pakalolo

[choclatechip45]

 

Lastly, what happened to the vacations? Did I miss it or have they stopped doing that?

I think the last cast who had a legit vacation was RW Las Vegas 2 and they went to Cancun. They stayed in the suite RW Cancun stayed in. I think the last cast before that was Hollywood when they  went to Mexico. Brooklyn was the first cast that had no vacation even though they went to Gettysburg and Atlantic City, but I think the cast planned them.

Edited March 17, 2015 by choclatechip45