S02.E04: Fort Worth Face-Off

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

The wedding day arrives for Maneka and Mayur, but Mayur won't do the traditional first dance; Ben and Vicki return to Seattle for wedding preparations; and David asks Taylor to sit down with her mother-in-law.

[Evil Queen]

Not surprised with Mayur not wanting to do the traditional dance. Nothing they have done is really traditional to begin with no matter how many times we hear them claim it. I am curious if someone is traveling with Ben and Vicki to Seattle to make sure there is no touching or anything else that shouldn't happen going on. *eyeroll*

[belladonna77]

Did you notice in the clips of Ben and Vicki that Ben's shirt is completely wrinkled?  He wanted Vicki to make a good impression, but he can't be bothered to iron his shirt? 

[Evil Queen]

I didn't notice it but then again not surprised since its  all about HER making the good impression and not him. Guess its ok for him to be however he wants but not Vicki. SMH Of course once they are married I bet she will have to make sure that his shirts are always ironed.

[Lily247]

Am I in the minority that I actually like Maneka and Mayur together ? I think they complement each other very nicely. Maneka is sweet, docile, etc. and I think she honestly needs a man who can be in charge so to speak, and Mayur definitely has that, Dont get me wrong, I am a total feminist, equal rights, yada yada yada but in my own personal experience a man who takes control is incredibly attractive. If you look at their body language when Makena comes to his apartment, she is fidgety and insecure, and he sits back, relaxed and confident. Well, I think sweet women tend to gravitate towards men like that, and vice versa.

I mean, imagine Mayur with a woman with the personality of Taylor? I dont think he would put up with that for a minute. Or if Maneka was with a man with the personality of  David, they would just look at each other waiting for the other to speak. But what do I know, this is just from seeing a few edited episodes of this show.

On the other hand, I am confused what a traditional Indian girl with a curfew at 33 is doing with a guy who has an armful of tattoos, but thats another story. But, he is the CEO of Keller Williams, so he must be successful which is a plus. 

[Evil Queen]

21 hours ago, kat12379 said:

Am I in the minority that I actually like Maneka and Mayur together ? I think they complement each other very nicely. Maneka is sweet, docile, etc. and I think she honestly needs a man who can be in charge so to speak, and Mayur definitely has that, Dont get me wrong, I am a total feminist, equal rights, yada yada yada but in my own personal experience a man who takes control is incredibly attractive. If you look at their body language when Makena comes to his apartment, she is fidgety and insecure, and he sits back, relaxed and confident. Well, I think sweet women tend to gravitate towards men like that, and vice versa.

I mean, imagine Mayur with a woman with the personality of Taylor? I dont think he would put up with that for a minute. Or if Maneka was with a man with the personality of  David, they would just look at each other waiting for the other to speak. But what do I know, this is just from seeing a few edited episodes of this show.

On the other hand, I am confused what a traditional Indian girl with a curfew at 33 is doing with a guy who has an armful of tattoos, but thats another story. But, he is the CEO of Keller Williams, so he must be successful which is a plus. 

My issues is that she has said she is an "actress". Which for me is an issue when doing these things and trying to come off true to who you are. As well as if you are selling real estate in areas where the homes are going for millions there is no way she is some sweet little quiet docile thing. Living around the area she does this job I know that these real estate agents can be sharks. There is no way someone that acts as she does could survive in that kind of an environment with all the competition in that business around here.  Which sure he is successful and makes money but he is obviously not as rich as he thinks he is. He isn't running the whole Keller Williams company but just one of many offices they have. All I know is with someone like him running that place and being on this show, I can see some people taking business elsewhere if they catch this show or looks closely at who has posted reviews on their office. He is very smug and skeezy. I have to wonder how many other women has he told over the years to get him water or whatever else when they have jobs to do of their own. Oh and another thing if she is as she is coming off on tv then I have trouble seeing how she had started and ran supposedly popular Indian boutiques in the same area. The way she is coming off to me has been someone to scared to do anything on her own ever. As if she is afraid its not the right thing and needs everyone else to guide her to do things. I just don't see her really this way at all and more so its an act.

[pinkelephant3]

How is it episode 4 and there has only been 1 wedding? I'm annoyed by thay. Also Taylor is vile!

[Primetimer]

Mayur takes Maneka to chide, ignore, and tolerate all the days of their lives, while Taylor and Melba have a testy lunch summit and Vicki lets her mom try out wig life; your editors discuss!

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[Empress1]

When Mayur said he "had a few minutes to help out" with the wedding planning and then chided Maneka when the conversation was going on too long, all "I'm taking time out of my day to do this!" I was like, "Oh, he's one of those people who will refer to watching his own child as 'babysitting.'"

Maneka and Taylor are both exhausting in different ways. Taylor is nasty, Maneka is needy. I'd rather deal with Taylor because I feel like you could call her on her shit, she'd storm off in a huff & never talk to you again & you could decline to deal with her from then on. She is a classic bully. With Maneka, she needs constant reassurance and you never get anywhere reassuring her because she refuses to let go of her neuroses. She needs therapy. She wants this marriage to solve all her problems and it just doesn't work like that. She's beautiful though - she looked gorgeous on her wedding day.

That made me feel even sadder for Vicki, because I get the sense that she has had sex before, so now, on top of all the other sacrifices she's expected to make to "get to" become a part of the Orthodox community, she's going to have to train this dingbat in the sack.

I think they did a dual talking head where they both said they were virgins. She could be lying, I guess. Either way, their first time is going to be terrible.

[Straycat80]

Normally I like the Indian wedding traditions but Maneka and Mayur's was just odd. I didn't sense any feelings between them at all. The buying of the shoes seemed tacky to me and took away from the ceremony. And Mayur refusing to rehearse their first dance and then winging it and dancing like Elaine on Seinfeld make him look like a fool. 

I liked Vicki's mom and how supportive she is. I wonder where her dad is? 

I don't understand why Taylor and David got married. They don't get along, they both seem miserable. They definitely are not arranged since their families hate each other. And I don't get why Melba is such a huge issue between them. And here again I question why they got married when Taylor hates her and vice versa and the hate was there before the wedding. I didn't know you can just get hired as a flight attendant. I thought you had to go through some kind of school first. Not informing your husband you applied for a job and one where you are away from him is not a good way to start a marriage. But with this couple I'm thinking they only got married to be on this TV show. 

[buttersister]

Ben is totally planning on remaining at the Yeshiva---I have no idea what they'll be living off of. Or maybe that's who, not what?

Melba's voice is on my last nerve---and that's not counting the bullshit she insists on delivering. David was doomed from the get-go---hard to imagine anyone more clueless. Uh, I was going to say, not counting Ben, but I'm not convinced he's not doing exactly what he wants to do (or thinks he should).

The guy who married Meneka and Mayur looked disturbingly like Alton Brown. I feel bad for her parents---and her poor mom is not looking for her to be a two-time divorcee (Mom, might have encouraged her to find a different husband).

Vicki's mom made me sad---she so wants to derail this before the train wreck, but understands her daughter is hoping not to have her mother's marriage outcome and doesn't want that thrown in her face. At least on camera.

 

ETA: I have to have another look because I'm didn't see a lot of wigs on the women on Ben's side of the family. And really, I thought the only people who didn't have all the wedding details planned long before the big day were expecting David Tutera to swing by and save the day.

Edited June 1, 2016 by buttersister

[Pepper Mostly]

Vicky and Ben are doomed. He is self involved and controlling and Vicky seems to derive no joy at all from her choice to embrace Orthodox Judaism--she looks like a hostage. Her poor mother, she wants to be supportive but she wants to protect her daughter from the heartache that will inevitably follow this clusterfuck. And really Ben? You have no idea what kind of business you'd like to have? No ideas about your future? Gah. I can not with these people.

Melba and Taylor--another episode of Tacky Theater. Who can behave worse? Mouthy, trashy Taylor? Or affected, simpering Melba? And a side note, what was happening with the dining table at Melba's house? It practically came up to their chins! I was so distracted by it I could barely concentrate on their conversation.

I had to fast forward through Mayur and Meneka's segments. It seems to me that they are both acting (badly). Mayur has the douche bro turned up to 11 and Meneka is really overdoing it with the "fragile flower" schtick. The first dance kerfuffle was ridiculous. They are supremely boring even with the manufactured drama, which is of course the greatest unforgivable sin of reality TV! 

Edited June 1, 2016 by Pepper Mostly

[okerry]

• I have to say, though, that Indian weddings are so, so beautiful. It's almost reason enough in itself to watch the show. Maneka was a beautiful bride. Too bad she didn't have a groom.

[ChlcGirl]

Ohhhh yessssssss.  Indian weddings are spectacularly gorgeous.

[Palomar]

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Melba and Taylor--another episode of Tacky Theater. Who can behave worse? Mouthy, trashy Taylor? Or affected, simpering Melba?

Both annoying but I don't get why Taylor makes EVERYTHING about her mother-in-law when she rarely even is in their company.  It is her go to excuse for everything wrong in her marriage.  I don't see anything that horrible that Melba has done that couldn't just be ignored.  Taylor needs to put her efforts into making her marriage work instead of blaming everything on her mother-in-law.  To be honest I find Taylor's mom more annoying than Melba and she is around way more.

[Pepper Mostly]

Taylor's mother is loving every second of being on teevee, isn't she? She thinks she is so adorably sassy!

[ExplainItAgain]

I can totally see why Taylor's mother put her in pageants. She has over-involved pageant mother all over her.

[ChlcGirl]

I hate all the Texas people equally. I'm an equal opportunity hater!!!

[Adeejay]

Vicki's mom wears a wig.  Oh, the irony.  I don't see any chemistry between Ben and Vicki.  I think he is just looking forward to getting laid. 

I agree with the poster that said Maneka seems delicate and fragile.  I bet if someone were to say, "boo" , she would jump. I want to like her, but her need to blame everything he says or does as being "too American" or "Americanized" isn't helping.  Her first husband was "100% traditional Indian" and it didn't work out, so perhaps she should shut it. 

I can't with Taylor and her mom, who reminds me of Camryn Manheim, by the way.  I can well imagine what they were like back in her pageant days.  I am willing to bet they were the ones everyone talked about and tried to avoid.  If Taylor is your flight attendant, you should probably refrain from asking for the whole can of soda. 

Edited June 1, 2016 by Adeejay

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Taylor's mother is loving every second of being on teevee, isn't she? She thinks she is so adorably sassy!

Yep, and I also think she LOVES the drama between Taylor and David's family. She loves being in the thick of it. If Taylor were happy and had a friendly relationship with Melba, Taylor's mom would be bored. She loves this "us against the world" thing she has going on with Taylor.

[Pepper Mostly]

Oh, no question she loves the "drama" (really? this is drama? What a sad, drab wretched life this woman must lead!) with Melba. When she was nattering on about getting her "revenge" I damn near dropped my teeth. Honey, you are not Lady Macbeth. Chill.

[Lily247]

I was surprised that Taylor and Melba's lunch talk turned out so poorly. I dont get along with my own mother in law, but I would never cuss her out or speak so rudely to her, I am just polite and cordial. Which is how I think that Melba and Taylor should be towards each other if they cant get along for the time being. 

I liked Maneka and Mayur together, but to me They just dont seem to mesh well together anymore .... even though they have the same field of work and are both Indian they seem to have absolutely nothing in common. She is super Indian and he is super American, to the point that he hates Indian music. But hey - her first husband was a traditional Indian (or at least from India, because he "married her for a visa") and that didnt work, so maybe ! I loooooove Indian weddings and the costumes and dances and stuff. To be honest, I think that if all ofthese people werent married, Maneka would hve been better matched with Veeral from last season, who is super affable and participates in Indian traditions. And Mayur would have been good with Ragini, because she is fast talking, super modern Indian woman.  And Ben would need someone like Maria, who quietly and unquestioningly accepts her duties. 

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

Could you see Taylor and Christian? That's a trainwreck waiting to happen.

[Lily247]

OH one more thing, I know this is off topic but who is that priest that married Maneka and Mayur ? Was he even Indian ? He seemed like an American guy who converted to Hinduism and it seemed kinda awkward....like it didnt seem as authentic.... also he looked like the guy who used to be on the Food channel, I forgot his name. 

[stuckin60s]

I see Taylor and her mother as bully's.  She brings up the MIL even when not in topic.  Cant see her as a flight attendant, I think there is a height minimum and she does not have the temperament for service job.  She is a spoiled brat. cant imagine why she picked him to marry.  She acts as though she is a princess and she knew where they were going to live before the wedding.  I cant imagine what would happen if her husband made a comment about her mother.  Melba isn't any peach, but she is nothing like Taylor.  And Taylor loves to bring up being Christian and the Bible, there is a lot in there about respect and how to treat people

[Kiss my mutt]

Taylor is just a hateful bitch and I cringe every time she opens her mouth. David is too much of a pushover and seems a little slow like he wouldn't be able to keep up with Taylor's motor mouth. I hope he leaves her. I laughed when she said they could get divorced or have the marriage annulled. I don't think an annulment is possible shit for brains. 

Maybe taylor got a job with United. She'd fit right in. (In my experience)

[buttersister]

I'd feel sorry for David, stuck with Melba and Taylor (at least for the moment). But he's such a drip, it's hard to get all bothered on his behalf. On mine for watching this atavistic cat fight? No problem. That whole bunch is giving Texans a bad name since the days they were born.

Edited June 3, 2016 by buttersister

[ExplainItAgain]

Taylor is an insufferable bitch. Every word that comes out of her mouth is dripping with annoyance, condescension and rudeness. She has to be deeply unhappy.

Mayur's "I live a very efficient life and if Maneka can help me with that, great." She's your wife asshole, not your admin assistant.

[Lily247]

Lolllllll .... I just cant stop because Im fascinated by this show. The most poignant character here is Vicki's mother. She genuinely explains her thoughts and feelings of the situation, and shows how she has strong reservations but supports her daughter nevertheless.

I have always loved seeing Indian weddings from movies, and the elaborate costumes, jewelry, makeup, etc but now looking up close I personally dont care for the 1000 gold bangles on the arms (which looks super uncomfortable by the way !!!) the rhinestones glued on, all the chatchkes jangling etc I think it overpowers a womans own beauty. Then again I am not Indian so I cant give my opinion here. How will Maneka wear all those million bangles for a whole month ? Will she have to sleep and shower with them on ? If anyone here can give a little insight I would love to hear it becasue I am very interested by the Indian culture. 

[lh25]

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Vicki's mom wears a wig.  Oh, the irony.

I thought she was just trying on one of Vicki's, I didn't get a sense she always wears one.

[Tara Ariano]

19 minutes ago, lh25 said:

I thought she was just trying on one of Vicki's, I didn't get a sense she always wears one.

She was just trying it on.

[Evil Queen]

Here we go again with Maneka and her whole "love marriage" BS. Sorry but not buying anything she says EVER! She is such a fake with how he is so Americanized and acting like she isn't. Did she really expect him to dance because she did and wanted him to? I agree about the guy doing their ceremony. It seemed odd how he was. Their wedding seemed very different from the one last season in what was done as well. They are a joke to me though with how they "act". It just reminds me of how there was an Indian wedding here a few years ago and they had an elephant as part of it which was illegal in our city. Yet who cares about that because they had to have this GRAND show of a wedding. SMH The way he comes off all smug like is so much like my friend's Indian neighbors. They have a "vacation" house in Vegas and live in Pasadena, Ca. They will bug the crap out of my friend about if she works or found a job yet and how much money they have. While we are all the kind of people that would never ask about someone's income or why they don't have a job. Mayur reminds me of that kind of person. Where he would be all up in your business of what your job and income are to see if he can say he is better than you or show it off that he is. Even if he isn't. At this point though they are coming off as such frauds to me. 

That whole Melba and Taylor thing. Just say screw the parents and move on to do your own thing as a couple. So sick of that stuff. It is really coming off as if maybe this was made up for the show. Since it was asked you usually you have to be at least 5'1 and at max it looked like 6'1 but it will vary by airline. Yet I am not understanding why she wouldn't discuss applying for that kind of job with David before even doing it. Melba wanting an apology is kind of funny considering her sending pics to try to cause a problem and not apologizing for it. They are getting hard to deal with and watch at this point too. 

I so wish Vicki's mom would lock her in a room so she couldn't go marry Ben. I really worry for her. Go figure how he is like they don't have a bachelor party but he wanted his own. Without the strip joint. Does he think that the whole sex thing isn't a private matter between couples outside his religion? This guy is such an idiot. He wanted to make a good impression but his shirt was wrinkled and he doesn't stand up straight EVER! I'd like to know what he is going to school for since he is saying he doesn't know what kind of business he would have or anything else. Did he not expect that to ever be asked of him when he is getting married? His religion is not going to get him by alone in this world and pay the bills. 

[EverybodyIsACritic]

Taylor wants to be a flight attendant? She's too short to go on all the rides at Six Flags, for Christ's sake.  From what I understand, flight attendants work really hard, and the most energy I've seen her expend is rolling her eyes, violently flipping her hair, and stalking away from David whilst screeching that YOU! NEED! TO! MAKE! A! CHOICE!  tinyfoot *STOMP*

The honeymoon camper cracked me up-it was like a crossover episode with My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Romney vs. traveler drama an' everythang. The troweling on of makeup sitting in bed is a favorite move of mine from any reality show. There was a scene with Taylor where the lights hit her at juuuuust the right wrong angle so it's all frosted eyeshadow, schmear-y lipstick, and then, pointy zit city, with a scorch of blush running through it. You know, they just don't give out awards for that kind of excellence, and it needs to change.

I feel as though I want to adopt Vicki, and tell her her wig is lovely (and, in the spirit of full disclosure, I REALLY want to play in the wigs now, too) but Ben is not the one for her. He hovers over her, watching her every move, and zings her on everything. Yuck. And what was with the Saran wrapped table during his "bachelor party"? It looked like a table Dexter had prepped.

And the other one, yes, you are making a mistake. But your henna was gorgeous.

[lazylou]

I think everyone is pretty terrible except Ben and Vicki.  I am not sure they will be happy together, but they seem like real people to me.  The others seem to be unbelievable, especially Taylor.  

[Rahul]

On 6/3/2016 at 3:57 PM, Evil Queen said:

Here we go again with Maneka and her whole "love marriage" BS. Sorry but not buying anything she says EVER! She is such a fake with how he is so Americanized and acting like she isn't. Did she really expect him to dance because she did and wanted him to? I agree about the guy doing their ceremony. It seemed odd how he was. Their wedding seemed very different from the one last season in what was done as well.

Resident Indian weighing in here. India is a subcontinent comprised of many different ethno-linguistic communities. Maneka is Sindhi (like me), and Mayur is a Gujarati. These are different ethnicities within India, each with their own language, cuisine, attire, customs and even wedding traditions. That being said, the kaleera or golden baubles Maneka wore are neither Sindhi nor Gujarati--that's a purely Punjabi thing which I think they adopted because everything Punjabi seems to be in vogue in Bollywood. That being said, there are some common elements of most Hindu weddings like circumambulations of the ritual fire, joining of hands, exchanging of garlands, application of the vermillion to the woman's forehead and so forth. Obviously the producers decided not to show everything in the interest of time because Indian weddings tend to be quite long with many, many steps. It was interesting to have different parts showcased than Ragini and Veeral's wedding last year.

On 6/3/2016 at 0:32 AM, kat12379 said:

I have always loved seeing Indian weddings from movies, and the elaborate costumes, jewelry, makeup, etc but now looking up close I personally dont care for the 1000 gold bangles on the arms (which looks super uncomfortable by the way !!!) the rhinestones glued on, all the chatchkes jangling etc I think it overpowers a womans own beauty. Then again I am not Indian so I cant give my opinion here. How will Maneka wear all those million bangles for a whole month ? Will she have to sleep and shower with them on ? If anyone here can give a little insight I would love to hear it becasue I am very interested by the Indian culture. 

The red and white bangles are a sign of matrimony. Its considered in auspicious to have them break, although these days only brides in the most rural parts of India hold on to the tradition of wearing them long after the wedding.

[SillyOldClothCat]

Taylor is an insufferable bitch. Every word that comes out of her mouth is dripping with annoyance, condescension and rudeness. She has to be deeply unhappy.

Mayur's "I live a very efficient life and if Maneka can help me with that, great." She's your wife asshole, not your admin assistant.

I think that's the problem. Because he's her boss at work, he acts as if the marriage is just going to be an expansion of her PA responsibilities.

[jacksgirl]

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aMaybe taylor got a job with United. She'd fit right in. (In my experience)

I'm thinking Southwest. They are in the Dallas area (Love Field) and talked about Phoenix- a hub. No way she has the temperament to be a flight attendant. They deal with a lot of dumbass people all day.

Edited June 11, 2016 by jacksgirl

[buttersister]

Perhaps she tried to sell them on the "takes one to know one" method of how she'd deal with dumbass people? Perhaps it's a counter job (if they station those folks where needed, not where they live)? Perhaps she's lying through her pie-hole and is looking for a way to move out of town?