S20.E02: Week 2

[JenE4]

Regarding the dull date with Caila, when Ben asked what happened that caused she and airplane guy to break up, she basically said "it didn't last." Well...no DUH! Did I doze off during a part of her answer?

 

Calia was saying how she thought they were fated because of their how we met story, but her actual feelings never caught up with that soul-mate stamp she put on it, so that initial star-crossed lovers feeling is what didn't last. (I don't know whether they were actually incompatible or she has such a skewed idea of fated romance that she just settling in past the honeymoon stage to a comfortable relationship threw her for a loop. On the other hand, perhaps they never were a good match but she couldn't see that past their fated love story.) Regardless, Calia has not learned from experience. Now she has a better meet-cute with Ben and thinks THEY'RE meant to be because she saw him on TV and dumped airplane guy over Ben and now here she is to be his wife! She did not tell Ben this last part about him. ;-)

[ByTor]

Dumb question...what's a "meet-cute?"

[truthaboutluv]

It's a pop culture reference about two people meeting in a cute, quirky or adorable way. Think of like any Meg Ryan romantic comedy movie. 

Edited January 13, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[leighdear]

I think if 28 women have the identical first encounter with the same guy and the same place and at the same time and under the same conditions, that's definitely not a "Meet Cute", it's more of a decision to directly influence "fate".  Take the bull by the horns.  Create your own destiny.  Grab hold of the reins.  etc, etc, etc...

 

And because they have been able to see some of Ben's behavior on screen (regardless of how edited), I actually think they can get a better idea if he would suit them than if they met in a bar.  Or on a plane.  

Dumb question...what's a "meet-cute?"

It's basically a juvenile and hipster way to describe a cute or unique meeting between 2 people.  Pop culture silliness, actually. 

[himela]

It makes sense to me that crazies like Lace want to be on TV because, hello, delusion is a strong factor in bad decisions, but some women seem normal and pleasant and I can't figure out WHY they chose to be on this show.

 

I think they just want to enter "The Bachelor Family" and be free to join parties, meet celebrities and maybe in the future meet some guy this way. If they do it with dignity, I don't find it THAT bad. They can disappear from the public eye as soon as they like when they don't want the publicity any more.

[Lamb18]

I'm going to have to stop The Bachelor because it's having a bad influence on me. Today at a meeting I started to say "Brandon and I's", then caught myself and said "Brandon and my."  It must be a subliminal influence.

[backformore]

Meet-cute goes back a long way, according to Wikipedia: 

 

 

Meet cute
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A meet cute is a fictional scene, typically in film or television, in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time in a way that is considered adorable, entertaining, or amusing.[1] The term has existed since at least the early 1940s.

This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies, commonly involving contrived, unusual, or comic circumstances. The technique creates an artificial situation to bring together characters in a theoretically entertaining manner. Frequently, the meet-cute leads to a humorous clash of personalities or beliefs, embarrassing situations, or comical misunderstandings that further drive the plot.

Use of the term[edit]
The origin of the term is unknown but it appears to have been familiarly associated with Hollywood screenwriting by at least 1941. The earliest example given by the Oxford English Dictionary is from Anthony Boucher's mystery novel The Case of the Solid Key (1941), in which a character says "We met cute, as they say in story conferences".[2] As this example implies, the term was already well-known, and in a 1996 Paris Review interview, screenwriter Billy Wilder, referring to his 1938 screwball comedy film Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, says that the concept was "a staple of romantic comedies back then". In George Axelrod's play Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1955), a character explains, "Dear boy, the beginning of a movie is childishly simple. The boy and girl meet. The only important thing to remember is that—in a movie—the boy and the girl must meet in some cute way. They cannot [...] meet like normal people at, perhaps, a cocktail party or some other social function. No. It is terribly important that they meet cute."[2]

Several subsequent examples can be found of reviewers using the term. Bosley Crowther, in his February 1964 review of Sunday in New York, writes that a character "is conveniently importuned by this attractive young fellow she happens to run into—to "meet cute," as they say—on a Fifth Avenue bus."[3] Film critics such as Roger Ebert[4] or the Associated Press' Christy Lemire popularized the term in their reviews. In Ebert's commentary for the DVD of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, which he co-wrote, he describes the scene where law student Emerson Thorne bumps into the female character Petronella Danforth. Ebert admits that he, as the screenwriter, wrote into the script a "classic Hollywood meet cute." He explains the meet cute as a scene "in which somebody runs into somebody else, and then something falls, and the two people began to talk, and their eyes meet and they realize that they are attracted to one another."

The classic meet-cute is from the animated 101 dalmatians when the couple meets at the park because their dogs get their leashes all tangled.  

[saber5055]

That was very cool (and a big improvement on Chris Soules who continued to use "amazing" every single episode, even after Kimmel had mocked him for it early on).

 

Chris Soules' magic word was "crazy." All of his dates were CRAZY! Kimmel mocked "amazing" because that's been TB and TB-ette speak for several years. Soules just switched it up to "crazy." Which I've heard used a couple time this season now, too. Maybe it came via Becca, one of Soules' "crazy" b-ettes?

[Padma]

Chris Soules' magic word was "crazy." All of his dates were CRAZY! Kimmel mocked "amazing" because that's been TB and TB-ette speak for several years. Soules just switched it up to "crazy." Which I've heard used a couple time this season now, too. Maybe it came via Becca, one of Soules' "crazy" b-ettes?

Guess our memories differ then, because I remember being so annoyed how he continued to use amazing (esp "You look amazing") on date after date, even the same day Kimmel mocked him for it (because, yes, as you say it's become such a Bachelor cliché). Ben was the first who seemed actually aware of the joke and tried to change it up. I thought "glorious" was a big improvement over what I'd expected ("great" or "awesome").  Of course, that's not a word you'd be repeating, so not sure what he'll be doing for the rest of the season. I'm hopeful, however, that he's consciously trying to avoid some of the most often-mocked clichés.

[Pixie Chicken]

Oh I almost forgot...was it my imagination or was he wearing a HOODIE with a blazer???

He most certainly was. It appeared to be a hooded sweater and not an actual sweatshirt, but it was bulky and strange. It didn't really fit underneath and made me think, "fat guy in little coat."

In shots without the blazer, I noticed it was actually a nice sweater.

Biggest fashion misstep for me were the bright blue briefs.

[Kbilly]

Calia seemed like a snooze to me. She had no idea who Amos Lee was.

I have to have heard of Amos Lee to be interesting?  Jesus Murphy.

 

Eek! No, I meant it as two separate thoughts BlueJay! I myself only know his one hit song that was an AT&T commercial--I meant the comment as she had no idea who he was and yet was all squeally and excited like "OMG it's Amos Lee! Superstar!" I just thought personality-wise she was a snooze, my humble opinion, and that her over-the-top reaction was fake, sorry for the confusion.

[backformore]

I don't get the "private concert"  as a date.   How awkward, to be dancing to a singer or band, just you and a date and a camera/production crew!  NOT romantic at all - it would make me feel incredibly self conscious and embarrassed! 

[MsPH]

I don't get the "private concert"  as a date.   How awkward, to be dancing to a singer or band, just you and a date and a camera/production crew!  NOT romantic at all - it would make me feel incredibly self conscious and embarrassed! 

 

Yes, and you're pretty much required to make out, even if you've had a crappy date so far and no romantic connection. Can't waste that romantic moment they've paid big bucks for!

[saber5055]

Padma, we can compromise: "This AMAZING date is just CRAZY!" -- Chris Soules.

 

Feel free to switch capped words.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

ARGH ... wrote long (too long?) post and deleted it. So, nutshell after watching first two eps back to back:

 

For starters, one of my 2016 resolutions was to stay completely unspoiled on all my reality shows, so I haven't peeked at Reality Steve (or Spoiler Pad for Idol or anything else) and so what little I knew coming in was the stuff very public in previews and Twitter.

 

Ben -- Not quite as much of a dumb box of rocks as I thought after first half hour or so but no thrill and I don't get why so many people are calling him the Best! Bachelor! Ever! (then again, thinking back, not a high watermark there). I get zero sexy appeal. BUT ...  give him big props for being seemingly unable to even begin to "fake it" by being forced into the producer pick of Lace each week. He visibly shudders. 

 

Lace -- Single purpose here: Promo material for next BIP. She's not even particularly pretty IMHO. 

 

Caila -- On intro night, she was my first favorite. Super cute, even though I wanted to reach through the TV screen and put a scrunchie in her hair during that convertible ride. I don't think she'll "win" but is being showcased as next B'ette.

 

Olivia -- Just ugh. Velociraptor. And you know, an Austin anchor gig is a very sweet stepping stone but I think this show has pretty much put permanent kibbosh on any future as a newscaster. Look for her on some third-rate entertainment show as an on-air gossip queen. And maybe on BIP first.

 

Jubilee -- I just love her. Maybe because, you know, she's a war veteran. I think she'd have a better shot at winning a pageant than this show, though. Hope she finds love somewhere. Or fame. Or whatever it is she's looking for (and by the way, her training partner in her audition video looked pretty hot as well).

 

Why is Becca here? She's a virgin, right? If she were not a virgin, would she still be showing up on these shows and being a producer's pick? And why do we care if she's a virgin? And maybe she has lost it since then but doesn't tell anyone because then that would ruin the one thing she has going for her when it comes to this franchise. Or am I confusing her with someone else? She's just forgettable for me other than that ...

 

And finally, my sure-to-be-unpopular opinion -- When I read about the hot blonde twins, I knew I'd hate them. So imagine my surprise when ... I really didn't! I actually find them both really likable and charming and funny. They're among my favorites of the hamsterettes. I'm sure there is drama ahead (as they're going head to head and whatever), but I'm a fan (and, again, am expecting both of them to show up as BIPsters.). OH ALSO ... I think the reason they put "twin" up as their identifier is that the odds are two hot tall blonde twins living in Vegas are probably models/actresses/showgirls, and we know they do NOT like to ID people as models/actresses (even though we know that's what many of them are or want to be). So if they can't find something else like a part-time job or former job or "chicken enthusiast" I guess the best they could do was "twin."

 

My predictions:

 

Lauren B for the win (she does absolutely nothing for me but seems to be Ben's favorite blonde and has the same sort of forgettable bland prettyishness) ... darkhorse JoJo. 

 

Caila for next B'ette.

 

Also? Ben really must not like gingers because Red Velvet was SO much cuter than about three-quarters of the girls he picked (Mandi? Scary-ugly plus she's a dentist.)

Edited January 13, 2016 by PamelaMaeSnap

[WhoAmIReally]

It looked like Ben teared up a couple of times in the Aftershow, like when that Kris Jenner Whoremonger said he deserved love, etc.  I wonder if he doesn't end up with anyone?  I'm not really liking any of these girls as a serious life partner for him. 

[jordanpond]

I really think they should use the obvious promotion/celebrity appearance stuff for group dates. I barely watched Caila's date because I just thought the whole thing with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube there was awkward as hell. This to me would have made way more sense for a group date where they made the girls compete in a car race or something that ties to the whole Ride Along movie and Kevin and Ice Cube's antics would not be as distracting with so many women to talk to Ben at different points.

Agreed! Both the one-on-one date and the group date would have been a lot more fun if the 2 men had gone some place with the group of women instead.

[Padma]

Padma, we can compromise: "This AMAZING date is just CRAZY!" -- Chris Soules.

 

Feel free to switch capped words.

lol, saber5055. Now I'll be watching with more interest waiting to see which one Ben uses first--or if he earns some kind of hand-crafted prize for going an entire season without either one!

 

And, PamelaMaeSnap, I don't know how to quote a second time, but ITA about the twins. I was prepared not to like them, even their intro was a little too "aren't we cute?", but so far they seem like two of the more likeable women there--and quite different from each other in personality, which makes them more interesting. Even though it wouldn't be nice to be forced to eliminate one, it would be in the spirit of the show to have Ben take them on a 2 and 1 date and choose between them. Kind of interesting whether he'd go for the extrovert or introvert--so far, I couldn't even guess (Olivia seems extroverted and Lauren B and Becca seem more introverted)--not shy, but not "life of the party" types either. It'll be interesting to see which he prefers when he really starts to narrow it down.)

[Dirtybubble]

I really think they should use the obvious promotion/celebrity appearance stuff for group dates. I barely watched Caila's date because I just thought the whole thing with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube there was awkward as hell. This to me would have made way more sense for a group date where they made the girls compete in a car race or something that ties to the whole Ride Along movie and Kevin and Ice Cube's antics would not be as distracting with so many women to talk to Ben at different points.

Agreed! Both the one-on-one date and the group date would have been a lot more fun if the 2 men had gone some place with the group of women instead.

Agree as well and It's a shame because both Ice Cube and especially Kevin Hart are extremely funny people IMO so it seems their talents were kinda restrained here.  The scene at the very end with dull-as-F Ben was talking with Kevin was the best part of the show.  *shrug* I guess this gonna be a staple on the show though because they did it with Jimmy Kimmel last year as well...

[Jax7917]

I get that people like drama, hence they keep people like lace and olivia around. But the producers really can't expect that anyone in their right minds believe that Ben actually has any interest in these girls whatsoever. His facial expressions can't even hide it. 

 

I usually go straight to spoiler steve , but as someone else said, my new years ROSEalution ;) is to not spoil the ending for once. If i had to predict a winner, it would be Lauren B as of now. Ben seems genuinely attracted and interested in her and she's normal from what we see so far. Usually the normal ones get the final rose/proposal even though the bachelor has to suffer through the crazies for the rest of the season. I like caila, but their date was a snoozefest and with the right person could have been so much fun with kevin hart being there and the whole date that was planed. 

[jordanpond]

A few random thoughts:

I'm giving Caila the benefit of the doubt with respect the breakup with her boyfriend -- partly becaue the story was split up between her intro package anf her date with Ben. She said that her chance meeting with him 2 weeks after they met on the plane had had her thinking that it must be fate. When Ben asked her what led her to change her mind, she said something like, "the actual relationship never caught up to the fantasy." I actually think this was a very insightful comment, and indicated that she had moved away from believing in the importance of fate in serious relationships. However, her interpretaion of the importance of fate with respect to Ben is a little fuzzier. It could indicate that she has merely replaced the importance of fate with the old boyfriend with a new belief in the fate of her and Ben. But she never actually said that. It could also be that having an immediate attraction upon seeing Ben on tv jolted her into realizing that the fate element with the boyfriend was false -- but not necessarily that Ben was the new, more "accurate" represntation of her fate. I'd have to hear more before I would think that she was merely shifting her belief in fate from Man A to Man B.

My respect for Ben went down a litle this week. He was purposely trying to make Jackie mess up the apple bobbing. This could have been interpreted as being cute or playful, except that he didn't end up giving her a rose.

Also, no matter if it were true or not -- and I totally blame the laundry if it was actually true -- I was very disappointed that Ben didn't come up with anothwr word than "sour' for Samantha. And an oppotrunity fell in his lap to let her save face by giving her a rose when L.B. dropped out. Now he obviously has no romantic interest in Sam, but he clearly doesn't have any interest in whoever it was that got the L.B. rose, either, and at least that woman hadn't been already been humiliated twice, once accidentally by Ben, and on purpose by whatever mean-spirited person decide to read the last place woman's name and score.

Edited January 14, 2016 by jordanpond

[truthaboutluv]

I get that people like drama, hence they keep people like lace and olivia around. But the producers really can't expect that anyone in their right minds believe that Ben actually has any interest in these girls whatsoever. His facial expressions can't even hide it.

 

 

Except I actually do think Ben is totally into Olivia. Even if the producers may suggest and push to keep certain people around for drama, I don't think they made Ben give Olivia the FIR and he looked VERY into her on the group date, especially when they were in the love lab thing. I thought he made it clear he was more than willing to make out with her but just didn't want to with all the other women watching. Ben is attracted to and into Olivia.

 

However, like many others before, she'll make that go to her head and her cockiness and passive aggressiveness with the other women will come back and bite her in the ass. Especially as this is not like with the other Ben who only wanted and was into Courtney from Day 1 and didn't give a shit about anyone else, so her bitchiness with the other women didn't matter to him. And Olivia clearly seems to have learned some stuff from Courtney with her "winning" bullshit. Thing is this Ben is clearly into other women like Jojo and Lauren B. for example. I agree with you that the latter is looking good for the win. So Olivia will implode all on her own and get sent packing but for now, Ben's totally into her. 

Edited January 14, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[violetr]

Man, remember Ice Cube in the 90s? He was SO cool. Now he's like an embarrassing dad who's still making juvenile sex jokes. He didn't just jump the shark - he murdered the poor thing. 

 

When the date card was brought in, and they showed Olivia opening her mouth in shock or something, there was something not genuine about it.   I suspect that the producers asked her to do that, and they just inserted the video into random scenes.

 

The way I see it, one or more of the camera people/editors noticed it and realized they'd struck gold. The way they just let the camera linger as it went on forever - freaking hilarious. They did the same thing with Andi on both of her seasons. They'd just let the camera rest on her and her grumpy cat face would work its own special magic. 

 

I was very disappointed that Ben didn't come up with anothwr word than "sour' for Samantha. 

 

I felt horrible for her. She's not even unattractive. She kinda looks like a poor woman's Gillian Jacobs. But clearly Ben's "science" wasn't into her "science" and she got humiliated on national TV for it. I would NOT want to go out like that. 

Edited January 14, 2016 by violetr

[Mu Shu]

Sam should be a lesson for all sensible women. Attractive woman IRL, but competing with a bunch of more attractive women. Her real life 7 or whatever is Bachelor 3.5. Same for Amber, who got off lightly, probably because of being deemed less desirable than Juelua on BIP, so they went easier on her, so far.

They really could have left out the sour comment and revealed the top score only.

And because I forgot to mention it, Amber, the girl with the long legs always wins at hurdles if you are equally matched in speed and fitness. Stop sniveling about losing everything.

I give the Vegas twins credit for not falling victims to that hideous old fart Hugh Hefner. Maybe they were too young for him to "discover". I'm hoping it was because they were too smart.

[yorklee2]

 

I usually go straight to spoiler steve , but as someone else said, my new years ROSEalution ;) is to not spoil the ending for once.

Ok I admit I'm not as schooled as some of you ladies (and gents?) in a lot of the details of bachelor nation and this may sound like a stupid question but how and why does Reality Steve have so much information? It just seems unbelievable that ABC would allow that much information to get out considering they supposedly guard who the F1 is like Fort Knox. Like is this a inside job? Should ABC be culling the employee ranks to find out who's the traitor? Or as they have show they do many times is ABC actually secretly feeding him information to get more buzz going about the show? Seems like that's kind of defeating the purpose to me. I know this is probably old news but enlighten me please.

 

I think it would be awesome if ABC would put out false information and prove him wrong. I would get a lot of satisfaction from that. Knock him back a few pegs from his smug, I know all attitude.

[Jellowslr]

Just popped in to say....

"CLOSE YOUR F***$$IN MOUTH OLIVIA"

That's all :)

[NikSac]

Ok I admit I'm not as schooled as some of you ladies (and gents?) in a lot of the details of bachelor nation and this may sound like a stupid question but how and why does Reality Steve have so much information? It just seems unbelievable that ABC would allow that much information to get out considering they supposedly guard who the F1 is like Fort Knox. Like is this a inside job? Should ABC be culling the employee ranks to find out who's the traitor? Or as they have show they do many times is ABC actually secretly feeding him information to get more buzz going about the show? Seems like that's kind of defeating the purpose to me. I know this is probably old news but enlighten me please.

 

I think it would be awesome if ABC would put out false information and prove him wrong. I would get a lot of satisfaction from that. Knock him back a few pegs from his smug, I know all attitude.

I won't pretend to know the answer to your questions although I have similar ones! You might want to ask in the spoiler thread, though, if you don't mind going there and potentially being spoiled on the season. If I remember right I think he's been wrong a few times and quietly adjusted his spoilers mid-season, but I could be wrong as I don't pay super close attention.

[Scout Finch]

Remind you of anyone? NSFW: http://imgur.com/YvDYGDR

[backformore]

Ok I admit I'm not as schooled as some of you ladies (and gents?) in a lot of the details of bachelor nation and this may sound like a stupid question but how and why does Reality Steve have so much information? It just seems unbelievable that ABC would allow that much information to get out considering they supposedly guard who the F1 is like Fort Knox. Like is this a inside job? Should ABC be culling the employee ranks to find out who's the traitor? Or as they have show they do many times is ABC actually secretly feeding him information to get more buzz going about the show? Seems like that's kind of defeating the purpose to me. I know this is probably old news but enlighten me please.

 

I think it would be awesome if ABC would put out false information and prove him wrong. I would get a lot of satisfaction from that. Knock him back a few pegs from his smug, I know all attitude.

I don't think he has ever said exactly HOW he knows anything, only that there are multiple sources of information. MOST of his spoilers are true, sometimes he gets the order of eliminations slightly off.

[leighdear]

If you go to the Bachelor in the Media thread, there is a post on January 7th by Armchair Critic.  It contains the link to a recent New York Times interview with Steve that explains just about everything.  No spoilers for this season, so it's safe.  He's had several high profile interviews done on him recently. 

 

I've been a big fan of Steve since he started spoiling this franchise, and would never watch a season of any of the shows unspoiled.  But YMMV. 

Edited January 16, 2016 by leighdear

[lavenderpenguin]

Caila's date was a snoozefest, but jeez, she's pretty! And her hair is amazing, so bouncy. In terms of personality, I'm really enjoying JoJo. She seems so normal. Lace continues to be crazy. 

Edited January 17, 2016 by lavenderpenguin

[MsPH]

I think it would be awesome if ABC would put out false information and prove him wrong. I would get a lot of satisfaction from that. Knock him back a few pegs from his smug, I know all attitude.

 

I think they did that during Kaitlyn's season, since Steve was claiming she rejected both men and ended up single. Too bad stupid Kaitlyn decided to spoil the whole thing herself via Snapchat half-way through the season. All for nothing!

 

Well back to this season.

[himela]

I've been watching the australian version of the bachelor and I'm so impressed at all the women there being perfectly normal and interesting. I'm disappointed at the american version that seems to be focusing on all the crazy women rather than the theme itself. Sad.

[TVGlow]

Can you watch Bachelor Australia in the US?

Can you watch Bachelor Australia in the US?

[himela]

I'm sure you can buy it somewhere?

[still hoping]

I did have high hopes for this season...but..first I think they got Ben's hair cut at a kiddie salon - you know where they sit on merry go round horses, etc?

Yuck that haircut is simply awful. Ben is still nice looking and what we see of his bod tall and build great. 

 

Calia - does that rhyme with shallow? Her "meet cute" story and her light hearted tale of dropping her bf for tv show love was more than weird

 

I didn't know the singer - and wow - I hope that is really not Ben's fave song (zzzz snooze)

 

I was glad the weird dentist was booted. I think the single mom with baby voice should go home too - I too hate when the noble single moms expect extra, rose, extra time, etc cause they are sacrificing sooooo much to be away from their kids (yawn)

It would be funny to have a season where every special flower was a single mom haha - they would have to one up each other.."I have 2 kids"..."I have 3"..."My child was premature" ...."MY baby Daddy left us to join a circus" 

 

Lace and Olivia both seem to be very producer driven? 

 

There are a few in the background who seem pretty good - Jo Jo...Lauren B..the girl with long dark hair...but really this season seems to have some lackluster women? On a happier note they have NOT been layin out the sob stories - maybe most them are blissfully too young and have avoided sorrow?

[Bugs Meany]

It would be funny to have a season where every special flower was a single mom haha - they would have to one up each other.."I have 2 kids"..."I have 3"..."My child was premature" ...."MY baby Daddy left us to join a circus"

 

On [?]'s season there was a schlubby guy who came right out on night one and told her he was looking for a mom for his six kids. I was completely expecting him to whip out a photo of six dogs--but he meant his six human children! Thankfully she sent him home that night.

 

ETA: I really can't remember who was TBette.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Bugs Meany

[truthaboutluv]

That was Emily's season.