Spoilers and Speculation Discussion

[editorgrrl]

Actually, if you watch next week's preview, it's pretty clear that Faith's secret is that she's a virgin. And of COURSE Quinn is all about taking care of that!

 

Faith's virginity was discussed in the pilot:

Quinn: Uh, that's our, uh, horse-faced tearjerker.

???: And a virgin, right?

???: Yeah, but she is so shy about that stuff, and we have so many other angles on her, you know? Jesus freak, boob job…

[TomGirl]

The virgin thing wouldn't be a "startling" discovery for Rachel, as they've talked about this from the beginning of the show.

ETA: Oops, editorgrrl beat me to the punch!

Edited June 23, 2015 by TomGirl

[portfino]

This might be too dark even for this show, but maybe Faith's secret is that she's not a virgin. But due to the circumstances, does not acknowledge it.

[editorgrrl]

Considering the eating disorder and family tragedy, I think Anna's likely slated for a big, dramatic exit--attempted or successful suicide, hospitalization, or a physical attack on or by another girl.

 

Speaking of physical attacks, I've been wondering if Athena will come back and start a catfight—taking Jay's advice to "go big" like NeNe Leakes.

 

My speculation for season 2 (if the show is renewed): Rachel ends up with Adam and takes over from Quinn as executive producer. They'll probably end season 1 on a cliffhanger.

Edited June 24, 2015 by editorgrrl

[portfino]

Not that I'm really invested since the real drama is Rachel/Adam, but doesn't Faith being a lesbian turn Everlasting into a two person race between Grace and Anna? No way Mary is winning this, and we've barely heard from Shamiqua, Pepper, Maya, and Joy or Tanya(?).

[SourWolf]

Not that I'm really invested since the real drama is Rachel/Adam, but doesn't Faith being a lesbian turn Everlasting into a two person race between Grace and Anna? No way Mary is winning this, and we've barely heard from Shamiqua, Pepper, Maya, and Joy or Tanya(?).

Not necessarily because Faith being a lesbian kind of works in Adam's favor since he's not genuinely interested in forming a long-term relationship with any of these women. Picking Faith could actually be a safe choice for him since he knows there's zero chance of her getting emotionally attached to him. She might go along with it out of gratitude for being so nice to her after she came out to him.  

Edited June 30, 2015 by SourWolf

[xqueenfrostine]

She might go along with it out of gratitude for being so nice to her after she came out to him.  

 

Maybe even for more reasons than gratitude, since it'd give her grandmother a thrill.  Plus, if I were in Faith's shoes, I'd be afraid that the show might try to somehow reintroduce her sexual orientation into whatever episode she gets cut on, even if they can't use the original footage from their date.   The show might be more likely to protect her secret if she's perceived to be the likely winner in the end, since they weren't able to end the show with a happy couple last season.

[Irlandesa]

Not necessarily because Faith being a lesbian kind of works in Adam's favor since he's not genuinely interested in forming a long-term relationship with any of these women. Picking Faith could actually be a safe choice for him since he knows there's zero chance of her getting emotionally attached to him. She might go along with it out of gratitude for being so nice to her after she came out to him.  

Yep.

 

And this is complete speculation on my part but I could even envision a scenario where she's still around next season if Adam is still around.  They've left her home life up in the air.  The woman she loves doesn't feel ready to even commit much less go public.  Her grandmother wants to see her married (presumably to a man) and Faith worries she'll be rejected by her hometown. 

 

Meanwhile, Adam is opening the Everlasting winery with Chet and has shown himself willing to do anything to get it off the ground.  I could see Adam's investors arguing that it'd be good for business for him to be perceived to be in a successful match.

 

So if even one of Faith's nightmares comes true (family rejection or Amy chickening out), a friendly business arrangement with Adam might seem like a great escape.  Cuz even if Adam and Rachel are end game, I don't see them having anything close to normal.

[portfino]

You raise good points, and I think the final 3 will be Anna, Faith, and Grace. I just think that while Faith is a nice little story and a fan favorite for Everlasting they will ultimately want a winner who looks like she's a good match for Adam. And I'm not sure I see Faith being willing to join a false engagement.

[SourWolf]

You raise good points, and I think the final 3 will be Anna, Faith, and Grace. I just think that while Faith is a nice little story and a fan favorite for Everlasting they will ultimately want a winner who looks like she's a good match for Adam. And I'm not sure I see Faith being willing to join a false engagement.

If Faith still fears outing herself when it's time for Adam to pick a winner, I can imagine her going along with a false engagement. She trusts Adam now since he accepted and protected her after revealing her secret to him. Her grandmother also wants her to get married and Faith wants to make her grandmother happy. 

[portfino]

Very minor spoiler: the actress who plays Pepper says she's in no more episodes. I guess that means an elimination ceremony will occur between 5 and 6, eliminating her and Joy, I assume, maybe others. I'm a little surprised because while not a big player, I thought we'd see her go.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

If there it's not too far out of left field for them to come up with a curveball as a winner, I'm not ruling out Shamiqua.

 

The bit of screen time she's had has been intriguing and I wouldn't be surprised to see her last longer than expected (which means she'll be eliminated next week). 

[Wings]

On the cast list at Lifetime they only list, Anna, Grace, Faith, Mary and Lizzie for the women.  I take that to mean the others do not play a significant part from here on out.  

 

In season two I expect to see Adam having a fake relationship with the woman he chose to help boost interest in his winery.  This sets a drama for getting a reluctant finance to play the part because she is still under contract along with Adam being in Rachael's life.   If it is Faith, and I think it will be, there is more drama to be had, for sure.  There will be a new bachelor, of course.  

 

I love this show! 

[ketose]

In season 2, I hope Unreal is about Rachel, Quinn and the devious producers of the show. That and Shia goes to prison. I don't want to follow Adam or any of the other contestants past the finale this season.

[SourWolf]

In season 2, I hope Unreal is about Rachel, Quinn and the devious producers of the show. That and Shia goes to prison. I don't want to follow Adam or any of the other contestants past the finale this season.

I disagree. To me, Rachel and Quinn are the only two people working for Everlasting that I find interesting. The Unreal writers have done a great job of making those two very compelling characters to watch, but other than them the rest of the behind the scenes people are forgettable. I don't care about bland Jeremy and his equally bland fiance. Shia I hope is gone by the end of this season because her stupidity annoys me too much for it to be entertaining. Most of the contestants and the bachelor himself have more interesting back stories that could add a lot to the show if any of them were to stay past this season. 

Edited July 5, 2015 by SourWolf

[editorgrrl]

I asked this in episode 4, "Wife":

This episode made me think "WTF, Quinn?!" Maybe the reveal that Chet's married was meant to do the same, but I just can't understand working for (much less sleeping with) the person who stole your intellectual property—especially when there's proof.

But now I want to know why Quinn left Bill. I binge watched the first four episodes OnDemand ages ago, so the wait has been excruciating. Well played, show!

And msribena had a great theory in episode 5, "Truth":

My guess is that Quinn and Bill were PAs working under Chet on some other show when they developed the lookbook for Everlasting, and Quinn realized she couldn't pitch it herself (or with Bill) to a network and get backing, but Chet could, and she positioned herself to be the showrunner (eventually). Falling in love came later.

To my eye, there is no relationship on Unreal that isn't transactional—or none that did not start on that basis.

This makes total sense. I'm not sure Rachel & Jeremy's relationship was transactional, nor his & Lizzie's. But Rachel & Adam's definitely is, as is Chet & Cynthia's marriage. We still don't know much about Quinn & Bill's backstory.

[xqueenfrostine]

To answer your old question re:Bill and Quinn, I assume his drinking problem was a motivating factor. Quinn's obviously not a stranger to having relationships with people with substance abuse problems, but judging by the exchanges between Bill and Chet I'm betting that Bill's drinking problem used to be so bad that it impaired his ability to function. I think it was telling the Bill never refuted any of Chet's taunts about being a drunk. Quinn also at some point tells Chet that Bill has his life together, which implies that at some point he didn't. I also think the dynamic between Bill and Quinn implies that he understands why Quinn left him for someone else and didn't hold a grudge against her for it even though he left him for a man he despises. Which would make sense if his drinking what ultimately what led to the breakdown of their relationship.

[lucindabelle]

What happened in tonight's preview??? My DVR cut out! I guess mary is definitely dead. So sad

[formerlyfreedom]

What happened in tonight's preview??? My DVR cut out! I guess mary is definitely dead. So sad

 

It confirms that Mary is dead, and the network pulls the show.

[lucindabelle]

Whoa.

But I buy that. I always thought the premise of Wag the Dog was round the bend. IRL some scandals really hurt, see what happened to the genealogy show with the slave owner scandal and Ben a fleck... Oits off the air for a season.

If a woman committed suicide on a show like this, it would be huge. Hugely BAD.

Thanks for filling me in!

[ketose]

No way in hell the show continues. Everlasting is definitely cancelled for the season. If this were the real world, the show would probably never come back. I guess Faith can go home without winning or losing.

[ketose]

The dick husband is also suing the show, which must be a money grab because the footage would make him look pretty bad.

[SourWolf]

No way in hell the show continues. Everlasting is definitely cancelled for the season. If this were the real world, the show would probably never come back. I guess Faith can go home without winning or losing.

That's what I was thinking too. I'm not sure how the Unreal writers can even come up with a believable way that Everlasting could continue period after a controversy like this. In the real world the public would be demanding the network cancel the show and the culpable parties be punished. 

[cooksdelight]

Quinn and Dickhead will say she slipped and fell, it was an accident. The show must go on, and all that happy horseshit.

[ketose]

If the interviews are correct and the show is Lifetime's Breaking Bad, they can get away with anything. Walter White seemed to be killing people once a week at a certain point.

[SourWolf]

Quinn and Dickhead will say she slipped and fell, it was an accident. The show must go on, and all that happy horseshit.

They can claim that's what happened. Doesn't mean people will believe them. They have a reason to lie after all. They don't want to lose their show. 

[xqueenfrostine]

I actually think this could go two ways.  I think it could ruin Everlasting, but I also think it could become a ratings bonanza for the show.  The American people can be pretty ghoulish about their entertainment.  For every person who would turn away from a show where a girl died, another might turn up to watch who might never have because a girl died and the show is basically going to dealing with the aftermath of that in real time.  It'd be like the Giant NASCAR car wreck for reality TV.  Maybe the ratings will spike, the network will come up with a new set of BS safeguards to ensure "this will never happen again" and then they have legions of people who start tuning in just to see who will lose their shit next season.

 

Crazier things have happened.

[Wings]

You give me hope xqueen!  I want it to continue.  I loved it up until last night.  Boring and disappointing show.  

Edited July 7, 2015 by wings707

[Bort]

That's what I was thinking too. I'm not sure how the Unreal writers can even come up with a believable way that Everlasting could continue period after a controversy like this. In the real world the public would be demanding the network cancel the show and the culpable parties be punished.

Them not having a camera on Mary as she commits suicide will go a long way to making the show look better. Even though we know they were scrambling to GET a camera on her, them not having footage of it makes it look like either A: they didn't want to ghoulishly film someone take their own life or B: they have the footage but aren't releasing it out of respect.

Plus, when it comes out that a producer switched her meds, they have a fall guy. So I think it can be spun so the show wouldn't get the axe.

[cooksdelight]

If they really wanted to go full-throttle crazy, they could say that Mary disappeared. Pay her family to keep quiet, or not tell them at all. Which would be cruel, but this show isn't known for being nice to people. They'd have Mary sightings all over the globe as people wonder why she ran away.

[basically]

Wouldnt it be worst for the Show if Shia is the fall guy? If the general public did find out she tampered with the meds it would be even more outrage - even if they fired Shia or she went to jail the show would still be forever tarnished. There is no way to salvage anything after that in my opinion. The best they could hope for is that people will believe Mary took herself off the meds and it was an accident. And even that is hoping. Some scandals are too much to overcome.

The show will want no responsibility for this (though they are responsible) - not even an inkling, it will kill the show and they know this. Despicable but true.

[cooksdelight]

If it's being portrayed as most reality shows are, the contestants sign their life away in order to appear. I'm betting there's something in there about the show having no responsibility about anything.

[Cramps]

UnReal just got picked up for a second season, so somehow, someway, the show within the show, will go on.

[Wings]

They will find an outrageous way to resolve this.  Nothing so far has been anything but over the top so I expect the resolution of this to be fraught with the  impossible, too.   Pay offs,blackmail, murders, hit men to knock off who gets in their way.  You name it.  God, I love this show. 

 

I am perking up now.  A second season?!  Fabulous.  

Edited July 7, 2015 by wings707

[SourWolf]

Them not having a camera on Mary as she commits suicide will go a long way to making the show look better. Even though we know they were scrambling to GET a camera on her, them not having footage of it makes it look like either A: they didn't want to ghoulishly film someone take their own life or B: they have the footage but aren't releasing it out of respect.

Plus, when it comes out that a producer switched her meds, they have a fall guy. So I think it can be spun so the show wouldn't get the axe.

That makes them liable for Mary's death, though. The contestants would also be able to confirm that they saw Mary drinking, which would a) make the producers look more guilty and b) confirm to the sister that Shia lied when she said Mary wasn't drinking. Unreal prides itself on being an inside look into what really happens on reality shows. If this happened in real life something like this where a show is at fault for a contestant's death would definitely end with the show being pulled from the air for good. A controversy like this always leads to sponsors pulling ads from the program. 

[Empress1]

Walter White seemed to be killing people once a week at a certain point.

That's fiction though, and there are lots of violent fiction shows. In this universe, a real person is dead. I remember a VH1 dating show where one of the contestants murdered his girlfriend and then killed himself, I think, and the show hasn't been seen since - and that didn't happen on the show itself. Here it is. (I found it by Googling "reality show contestant murder." How morbid.) They pulled reruns and took it off iTunes and On Demand - it's locked in a VH1 vault someplace. Sponsors would run screaming from a show on which one of the contestants committed suicide due to events that happened on the show. The network doesn't know she was off her meds; they'll think she was upset about her ex (which could look bad for Rachel and Quinn).

 

I could see the abusive ex suing; he could claim that they brought him on the show to agitate the situation and the sister clearly noticed something was up with Mary, so she could make her suspicions known, AND everyone saw Mary drinking. I could see a network throwing some hush money around.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Empress1

[cooksdelight]

A former contestant on MasterChef came in second, later killed himself and the show is still going strong. He was not taking his medication either. He was the first person I thought of when watching last night's episode. There seems to be a lot of reality on a show that's about a show that's not real.

[Zuleikha]

Yeah, I think sadly we have multiple examples of reality that show us how things could actually happen.  A contestant self-injured (not seriously) on Survivor due to being off her medication and poor challenge design has resulted in multiple contestants being injured badly enough to be pulled from the show. Survivor is going strong. There was a rape on a Real World season and a sexual assault on the Challenge, and neither show had problems continuing. With Megan Wants a Millionaire, the problem was that Jenkins had placed highly so couldn't easily be edited out and the murder/suicide happened before any episodes aired. 

 

I do think in the real world, the remainder of Everlasting's season would be canceled. It's too ghoulish to continue on with what's supposed to be a lighthearted quest for romance. But I could also see both the show psychiatrist and a sacrificial goat PA (probably Shia even if the pill tampering isn't found out) being fired in a very publicized manner on account of their negligence in not noticing Mary's mental health deteriorating and the next season also starring Adam as Adam's second chance for love out of tragedy. 

[Mabinogia]

What I would love to see, since we know there's a second season, is for Everlasting to be cancelled permanently. Shia takes the blame for drug tampering and Quinn gets an exec producer job on another show, say a chef based show, or better yet a model show, fashion show, any reality show really. She takes Rachel with her, obviously, maybe the girl with the pigtails, possibly hot but dull camera guy, not Shia maybe Jay. Then the show tackles another type of reality show. Because really, they've mined the Bachelor pretty much as much as they can. Next season would just be a rehash of this season with different people.

 

As much as I liked some of the contestants, and Adam, I just don't see them being in season 2. Since Quinn is my favorite character (love the actress so I'm biased) it could be interesting to see her try to rebuild her reputation after this, though, knowing Hollywood, she might not have to, she might be considered a better producer for driving a girl to suicide. Reality TV people be crazy!

[emmapants]

That makes them liable for Mary's death, though. The contestants would also be able to confirm that they saw Mary drinking, which would a) make the producers look more guilty and b) confirm to the sister that Shia lied when she said Mary wasn't drinking. Unreal prides itself on being an inside look into what really happens on reality shows. If this happened in real life something like this where a show is at fault for a contestant's death would definitely end with the show being pulled from the air for good. A controversy like this always leads to sponsors pulling ads from the program.

 

Well at the very least, Shia is extraordinarily fired. There's no getting around the fact that she told Mary's sister that everything was fine with Mary and "they got this". She effectively took responsibility for Mary's mental health, and took responsibility as a representative of the show. If that wasn't a huge no-no already, it certainly is now.

 

Yeah, I think sadly we have multiple examples of reality that show us how things could actually happen.  A contestant self-injured (not seriously) on Survivor due to being off her medication and poor challenge design has resulted in multiple contestants being injured badly enough to be pulled from the show. Survivor is going strong. There was a rape on a Real World season and a sexual assault on the Challenge, and neither show had problems continuing. With Megan Wants a Millionaire, the problem was that Jenkins had placed highly so couldn't easily be edited out and the murder/suicide happened before any episodes aired. 

 

I do think in the real world, the remainder of Everlasting's season would be canceled. It's too ghoulish to continue on with what's supposed to be a lighthearted quest for romance. But I could also see both the show psychiatrist and a sacrificial goat PA (probably Shia even if the pill tampering isn't found out) being fired in a very publicized manner on account of their negligence in not noticing Mary's mental health deteriorating and the next season also starring Adam as Adam's second chance for love out of tragedy.

I think it could go either way in terms of the rest of the show. You have to think too that in this universe, Everlasting is the equivalent of the Bachelor in terms of mainstream appeal & popularity. So an as yet unknown VH1 commodity isn't as comparable as the scenarios on Survivor and the Real World. However, it's pretty serious, and especially for the showrunners as they're being sued. They may have to abandon this season to have any prayer of the show continuing on in the future. And then having Adam return for a second season is a great way to keep him on the show. However, I wonder how Unreal will continue for two more episodes after next week with no fictional show to ground it, so I'd be surprised if that was the route they took.

What I would love to see, since we know there's a second season, is for Everlasting to be cancelled permanently. Shia takes the blame for drug tampering and Quinn gets an exec producer job on another show, say a chef based show, or better yet a model show, fashion show, any reality show really. She takes Rachel with her, obviously, maybe the girl with the pigtails, possibly hot but dull camera guy, not Shia maybe Jay. Then the show tackles another type of reality show. Because really, they've mined the Bachelor pretty much as much as they can. Next season would just be a rehash of this season with different people.

 

As much as I liked some of the contestants, and Adam, I just don't see them being in season 2.

That would actually be pretty interesting. Although I do hope for Adam to be in season 2, mostly just because I like his dynamic with Rachel so much, of course none of the contestants would stick around and it would make a lot of sense to do something else. Especially since the title of the show is UnREAL, not UnBachelor.

[portfino]

I presume the Everlasting Hotel is how they plan to keep Adam. I imagine the "winner" possibly shows up for a couple of episodes next season too depending or maybe one of the runners up will be this show's version of The Bachelorette.

[Mabinogia]

OMG I forgot about Everlasting Hotel. That could be a way to bring some of the "contestants" and possible Adam back, if it's something like Bachelor in Paradise. They can bring in a couple of the more popular ladies, Adam and then some new characters saying they are contestants from previous seasons. That would actually be awesome. I know that's not quite what Everlasting Hotel was supposed to be, but that could be a great train wreck. I'm a Bachelor/ette watcher and I loved Bach in Paradise so watching a semi-parody type show about that could be fun. I still like the idea of our production team doing a different type of reality show, but I'm flexible.

[emmapants]

Well, I just read the upcoming episode one-liner synopses, and the show (within the show) definitely isn't cancelled before the end of the season.

 

1x07 "Saviour": When tragedy strikes the set, the contestants and everyone behind the scenes are all affected.

1x08 "Two": As the final elimination ceremony approaches, Adam is offered an interesting proposal.

1x09 "Princess": Quinn and Rachel question their future; the final three contestants return to Adam's vineyard.

 

Which leads me to think maybe even though it's not cancelled this season, it may be the end of the line overall for Everlasting. Maybe Quinn & Rachel will have to find another show to do next season.

Edited July 8, 2015 by stacey

[formerlyfreedom]

This is the spot to discuss Spoilers for UnREAL! Please note, spoiler tags are not necessary in a topic that has the "SPOILER" prefix in the title. Thanks!

[cooksdelight]

I started thinking about Shia and what is the first thing she'd do. Probably try to retrieve the pill case. Unless the police seal off the room first since someone's died. Which would send Shia into a full-on panic. Especially if she sees them carrying out the pill case in a sealed evidence bag. They'd find two sets of fingerprints and want to get prints of everyone associated with the show who had contact with Mary. I can't remember if her sister ever saw Mary up in her room, taking pills. And won't there be the actual prescription bottles somewhere? They are there for more than a week, so the pill case was just for Mary to make sure she had all of her doses set up for the week. I'm guessing Shia is a one-season character who will hopefully go down for this and be charged.

[lucindabelle]

If he week isn't over there will be sugar pills in the case. She should be panicked!

[Wings]

That makes them liable for Mary's death, though. The contestants would also be able to confirm that they saw Mary drinking, which would a) make the producers look more guilty and b) confirm to the sister that Shia lied when she said Mary wasn't drinking. Unreal prides itself on being an inside look into what really happens on reality shows. If this happened in real life something like this where a show is at fault for a contestant's death would definitely end with the show being pulled from the air for good. A controversy like this always leads to sponsors pulling ads from the program. 

 

 

If UnReal takes pride at all, it would be for creating an outrageous and highly entertaining, fictitious look at reality TV!!   The creator borrows from her experience as a producer on The Bachelor for the foundation but UnReal takes off from there and goes to places way beyond what would ever happen.  

 

I am sure they have very interesting and over the top resolution for this situation.  What would happen in a legit reality show is not going to happen here, not even close!  A real show would never cast someone bipolar anyway.  I do know one thing, it will be fabulous!

 

My musings about where this might go next:

 

Since Adam is remaining in the US for his winery, they can continue his relationship with Rachael for continuity but I don't see it taking up a lot of the plot.  

 

Rachael's relationship with Jeremy will heat up.

 

Since Adam is not looking for love he will choose Faith and get engaged.  She agrees because it will please her grandmother and she will remain on the payroll for maintaining the charade.  She becomes disenchanted with Amy because she refuses to come out which helps her decision.   I can see the drama when Faith is caught kissing a woman and the pics hit the tabloids.  This is a plot line I can see continuing to the next season.  

Edited July 9, 2015 by wings707

[cooksdelight]

I wish they'd tell the girls at the end that Adam is dirt broke poor, and they are going to live in a small shack next to the broken down winery. Anna's head would explode.

[Zuleikha]

I'm guessing Shia is a one-season character who will hopefully go down for this and be charged.

 

That's what I think, too. My prediction is that Rachel's moral crisis is going to be that she talks Shia into confessing, which leads to Shia being charged with something like criminal neglect or manslaughter. Since Shia substituted the pills, the show should end up cleared because (I think) it would be hard to argue that anyone else could have known what was going on with Mary. 

[xqueenfrostine]

Just in case anyone's interested, I thought I'd mention that the actress who plays Shia sat in on the Afterbuzz Unreal after show for Fly.  She said nothing spoilery, but listening to what she perceived Shia's motivations to be during that episode and for Unreal overall was interesting.  Josh Kelly was a guest on their review for Truth, which was also good.  I can't say listening to either actor made me like their characters any better, but the extra insight did add to my understanding of who they are and why they do the things they do.