S21.E01: Season 21 Premiere

[DEL901]

34 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Heck, it's so easy to tell her "we changed our minds about you, we're going to go with another woman" since they did not pick her expected Bachelor. If they can do that to a potential lead the night before filming, I don't think it would be hard to do that for a contestant, as I'm sure they have a LOT waiting in the pipeline. 

 

20 minutes ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I missed this! When did this happen?

It's happened at least twice that I know off.  Caila was actually filming some intro stuff when they changed to JoJo.  And Luke had gotten his fittings with a tailor and had his bags packed to fly to LA the next morning when they called him that evening with the bad news.

Edited January 5, 2017 by DEL901

[chocolatine]

4 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

She's getting her foot in the Bachelor door the only way she can. Pretending she wants to be there for Nick and hoping she makes it long enough to get on Paradise.

Which isn't very long. Several women who've been eliminated on the first night of their respective Bachelor seasons have gotten plenty of screen time on BIP (Lacy, Izzy, etc.). So if Liz's only objective is screen time and she doesn't care how badly she's portrayed, then coming on the Bachelor is a "win" for her.

2 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

It's happened at least twice that I know off.  Caila was actually filming some intro stuff when they changed to JoJo.  And Luke had gotten his fittings with a tailor and had his bags backed to fly to LA the next morning when they called him that evening with the bad news.

IIRC, it also happened to Arie, who had already filmed some intro stuff before he was replaced with Chris Soules.

[slowpoked]

13 minutes ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I missed this! When did this happen?

 

6 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

 

It's happened at least twice that I know off.  Caila was actually filming some intro stuff when they changed to JoJo.  And Luke had gotten his fittings with a tailor and had his bags backed to fly to LA the next morning when they called him that evening with the bad news.

 

2 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

 

IIRC, it also happened to Arie, who had already filmed some intro stuff before he was replaced with Chris Soules.

Yeah, i was thinking about Luke. Called him literally the night before to tell him the deal is off when he had his bags packed and ready to go (heh). At least with Arie and Caila they were still in their hometowns filming intro packages. Apparently what made the deal fall through was that Luke wanted his music included in the show and insisted on it and TPTB was heck no.

[Wandering Snark]

5 hours ago, FlyingEgret said:

I ended up liking Dolphin girl when she was in the pool and said she really wanted to change out of the costume; it was clear the producers were making her keep up the stunt...

Good point, I mean they didn't make the one girl ride the camel all night just because she came in on one...

[Mabinogia]

6 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

Good point, I mean they didn't make the one girl ride the camel all night just because she came in on one...

That would have been awesome as all these chicks in their little strappy sandals and tight, tight dresses had do dodge camel poo all night.

I appreciate that DolphinShark had enough of a sense of humor to keep that outfit on all night, especially after having to defend it so often. Even though it's not a dolphin and she had to listen to it all night long. I also appreciate that Nick appreciated it enough to keep her around. I think he likes a good sense of humor (which I would think would eliminate half these women who take themselves and this "process" WAY too seriously).

[ByTor]

2 hours ago, OnceSane said:

Shark girl needs to give up the ghost.  Not. A. Dolphin.  But I hope she can move beyond the schtick.

Sadly I don't think she will.  Isn't she the one who went grocery shopping in some stupid costume because she's so adorable and quirky *gag*?

[Mabinogia]

OK, because I'm a big dork, work is REALLY slow and I needed something to do I looked up dolphin costumes, thinking maybe she was a shark because dolphin costumes are not available, or are really, really expensive. Nope. They are readily available for $50! Hell, I even found a sexy dolphin costume. So I'm more perplex by how this supposed dolphin lover showed up in a shark costume.

(I forgot about the grocery shopping. That's a little weird)

[CindyBee]

2 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I wish Liz would have gone off-script and just admitted that she wanted to come on the show for the experience/exposure/whatever and that she signed up when she thought Luke was going to be the Bachelor.  That would have been pretty awesome, even if she would have come off callous.  It wouldn't have been any worse than her current edit.  

Yeah Liz would have been my favorite person ever if she just said "I just wanted to be here so I can go on Instagram and shill hair gummies and tummy tea like my best friend and then head to Mexico to find the love of my life like Jade & Carly did.   And btw, I wanted it be Luke, not you".  But no, she had to stick to some lame script handed to her.   Oh well.

[fib]

2 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Which isn't very long. Several women who've been eliminated on the first night of their respective Bachelor seasons have gotten plenty of screen time on BIP (Lacy, Izzy, etc.). So if Liz's only objective is screen time and she doesn't care how badly she's portrayed, then coming on the Bachelor is a "win" for her.

IIRC, it also happened to Arie, who had already filmed some intro stuff before he was replaced with Chris Soules.

Where do you all get this fabulous Bachelor gossip? Between this and the fact that Ben slept with Jojo, and Nick slept with Kaitlyn and Shawn multiple times during filming, this thread has taught me so much about how much Im missing?

[chocolatine]

7 minutes ago, fib said:

Where do you all get this fabulous Bachelor gossip? Between this and the fact that Ben slept with Jojo, and Nick slept with Kaitlyn and Shawn multiple times during filming, this thread has taught me so much about how much Im missing?

The Ben/JoJo, Kaitlyn/Nick, and Kaitlyn/Shawn encounters were all right there on the show. The information about which leads were switched out at the last minute came from the discarded leads directly.

Edited January 5, 2017 by chocolatine

[saber5055]

As to the shark costume that chick kept on, remember the bachelor from some b-ette season who wore a mask the entire time? Yikes. But based on Dolphin Girl's backstory package, she's whack. She'll only last for the entertainment factor. While Liz is going to last for the Upset Everyone In The House factor. The other b-ettes will start crying because she's already slept with their most perfect man evah. And Miami Nanny Girl will be added to that list too, maybe.

[catrice2]

Ladies 

First let me say thank you for how nice you were to the Bachelor newbie last  year.  I watched some episodes for the first time after years of dismissing the show because a friend is obsessed.   I actually watched for the Jubilee/Ben saga because I was  interested to see how they would portray the white lead being interested in a minority contestant but didn't even last until her exit.     I did, however, stay with the boards and let everyone update on how the season played out.  Everyone was so nice and gave me so much background information and such good descriptions I felt like I was watching the show. 

Honestly TWOP spoiled me and this is the closest I can get.  Even shows I like I can't watch anymore, I troll boards and let other people post recaps.  It is so much less time consuming and most people are very humorous and insightful.  Besides, I watch superhero shows at my age, so I have no room to get on a high horse about the Bachelor.  I will admit, however, that I question why self respecting people would put themselves on the show....but that was answered last year when you enlightened me about the endorsement deals and bar appearances that keep them from working normal jobs and allow them to travel.  If I had known that, I would have applied years ago! 

Unfortunately I must also live in the Bachelor hub, because over the years so many contestants have come from my hometown it is impossible to escape the show.  Bestie tells me there is a Lawyer from our hometown on the show now, and this dolphin thing has been on several news shows I watch.  It seems like the first episode has some people talking.  She also stated these are the least attractive girls.  I can certainly admit when another woman is attractive, but if sometimes seems mean to talk about them when they were not.  I can say that I didn't see all the "beauty" that everyone saw last year, save a couple of people, so if this year is worse that does not bode well.  Beauty, however, is in the eye of the beholder and I don't think the men have been anything to die for. 

I am looking for a thread to ask questions, so if I need to move this let me know.  I've read enough to gather that the lead has been on the show before, and I'm sure I've seen him or heard something about him and I can Google the rest.   Is there a limit to how many times you can be on the show, and is he that interesting? 

Do most of you find the leads attractive, or are you attracted to the aura of "The Bachelor?" Last year I reviewed them all and only found two maybe three mildly attractive.  Maybe I saw an old picture, but the one this year is not that attractive either...and does he have a job?   Do you think that the clothing/styling and the fact that they are the Bachelor and all the media attention that goes with that makes them more attractive? 

Is it just me, or do former Bachelors get more media attention than former Bachelorettes....or on both sides is it about how much they chase trying to stay in the limelight.?  When I thought about it, in the early seasons Facebook, Twitter, etc. was not prominent so they probably had less opportunities to cash in than the more current ones do.  I can remember former Bachelor names, but I draw a blank on any Bachelorette except the first one...and probably because it was a Jeopardy question. 

Of course my friend has overwhelmed me with the minority issue (and honestly, another reason I did not watch), but I am afraid to confront her with my questions.  I was concerned with how they would portray a black woman that caught the eye of the lead, and I watched the Ben/Jubilee date episode and one other at her request and had my answer..and heard it got worse from there.  I have to admit that the contestants have to give the producers some crazy to edit, but I'm sure they embellish it, just as I am sure they did with the pretty blonde girl who was so aggressive.  I wanted it to be a situation where people would see that two people could be interested in each other, and it might or might work out (just like everybody else there) but no one had to dwell on race.  

I just wonder for a lot of the minorities that watch if they will feel validated in some way if this lead becomes interested in one of the minority contestants? Why is it so important to people who tell me they don't watch the show for the lead to either be a person of color, or date a person of color?  Will they watch if that happens?  Even if the lead is interested in one of the girls, will people accept it, or will they think it is just a network generated interest to quell the talk of discrimination?  I hear there may be a bi sexual contestant, so my cynical side does feel like there may be an agenda.  It would also seem hypocritical if they cast a Black lead and then make the contestants more diverse, when they didn't do that for all the other years.  

With that being said, I promise to watch the next episode so that I can post comments instead of asking questions!  I just hope that if this lead is interested it is "for the right reasons," and that the woman is not edited down to stereotypes or held to a different standard of behavior.  See,  I was paying attention!!! 

[ribboninthesky1]

Thanks to all about the last minute switches.  I didn't realize Luke was that far along in the process when they decided to go with Nick (I didn't think he'd signed any contracts), and didn't know about Caila and Arie, either.  

[huahaha]

1 hour ago, fib said:

Between this and the fact that Ben slept with Jojo, and Nick slept with Kaitlyn and Shawn multiple times during filming, this thread has taught me so much about how much Im missing?

Nick slept with Kaitlyn AND Shawn??

That makes a weird sort of sense.

[Wandering Snark]

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

They are readily available for $50! Hell, I even found a sexy dolphin costume. So I'm more perplex by how this supposed dolphin lover showed up in a shark costume.

Exactly, I posted a link to a "sexy dolphin" costume earlier. I'd guess this went "We know you're Dolphin Girl. If we get you a costume will you wear it??" and she said "Sure!" Then she saw the shark costume but she was already committed. The part that surprises me is that she then didn't own any dolphin costume(s) of her own. Her friends even had warned her not to do any of the dolphin stuff on the show. They must have been shaking their heads during this episode.

[TheFinalRose]

Quote

IRC, it also happened to Arie, who had already filmed some intro stuff before he was replaced with Chris Soules.

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been."

 

Sigh. Chris Soules instead of Arie. What were they thinking?

[truthaboutluv]

I don't think Arie was replaced by Chris. I think the producers were torn between them and didn't make a decision until the the last minute. But I don't think it was a case like this season where Luke was all but a done deal and then they switched to Nick. Chris was being teased and thrown out as a possibility for the lead the minute he was eliminated at F3 and the MTA was like an audition to gauge the audience reaction to him. Arie's name floating around was the surprise as I remember correctly. The rumor was the producers weren't sure Chris was interesting enough to carry a season (they should have gone with their gut on that one) but weren't completely sold on Arie either since it had been awhile since he'd been on the show. 

[JenE4]

7 hours ago, mingming said:

 It took me a couple of days to realize that we were not subjected to a Sainted Single Mother With Tragic Backstory! Thank ye, Bachelor gods!

Hey, it's only night 1. There's still a chance! We don't know what's under that dolphin-shark costume. Might be the Most Dramatic Moment in Bachelor History when dolphin-shark takes off her costume, revealing her pregnant belly, with a sob story about how she and her husband were swimming with "dolphins" but, alas, he was eaten by a shark because he couldn't tell the difference between sharks and dolphins, either. And she was so emotionally shattered that she's taken to wearing the costume and making dolphin calls as a coping mechanism: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek-eeeeeeeek-come back, Edwardo-eeeeeeeeeeek!

[violetr]

Quote

Do most of you find the leads attractive, or are you attracted to the aura of "The Bachelor?"

Nick is the only male lead I've ever found attractive. I'll watch the show regardless (I have issues), but it's more fun for me this year because Nick happens to float my boat. As for the women, I've always found Andi stunning, even with her Grumpy Cat tendencies. I didn't like her by the end of her season, but I still think she's so so pretty. The rest of the women just haven't been my "type" I guess. 

Quote

Nick slept with Kaitlyn and Shawn multiple times during filming

Ha! That explains so much!

Edited January 5, 2017 by violetr

[Mabinogia]

Nick is the first bachelor I've found attractive. Though I thought Ben was cute if not incredibly dull. I am mostly a wrong reasons viewer. I tend to watch more for the competitors than the prize/lead. I am more fascinated by the interactions between the women (or on B'ette the men) than I am in the lead. So far, and it's very early going, I find Nick more interesting than the women competing for him. We shall see how that goes. I just hope his being the lead doesn't ruin my enjoyment of him like it did with Kaitlyn who I mistakenly wanted to be bachelorette. Silly, silly me. Though, her season was a hilariously bad trainwreck so it wasn't a total waste.

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, violetr said:

Nick is the only male lead I've ever found attractive. I'll watch the show regardless (I have issues), but it's more fun for me this year because Nick happens to float my boat. As for the women, I've always found Andi stunning, even with her Grumpy Cat tendencies. I didn't like her by the end of her season, but I still think she's so so pretty. The rest of the women just haven't been my "type" I guess. 

I find Nick attractive enough, but I find most of them attractive. My first season was Brad Womack 2.0. Brad Womack was ok, Ben Higgins was boyish cute, Sean was the typical attractive white guy, sorta the male equivalent of Emily. The only one I found fugly was Ben F. 

As for the ladies, Emily was the classic blonde beauty. I also think Andi is beautiful. Desiree was the girl-next-door, Katie Holmes type, more than the bombshell type. Ashley H. was perky cute. The only one who didn't do it for me, looks-wise, was Kaitlyn. And I did want her to be the B'ette because I thought she would bring the snark and cray-cray, but alas, I was disappointed.

[catrice2]

I thought Ben was cute too...for a hot moment. If you look at him from a certain angle and with a couple of glasses of wine, but then he just looked like a little boy and he just seemed so immature. 

[Canada]

OMG, did Nick and Liz do married things???

[chocolatine]

1 minute ago, Canada said:

OMG, did Nick and Liz do married things???

You mean "fiancé-type stuff"?

[Canada]

1 minute ago, chocolatine said:

You mean "fiancé-type stuff"?

I always get that wrong!  lol

[ByTor]

Who the hell knows what they did.  Didn't Liz say something like "define sex"?  Was it just an oral thing and Nick developed a case of "whiskey dick", thus Liz declining to give out her #?

[ByTor]

Taking the discussion @catrice2 started to the "Best of the Bachelor" thread.

Edited January 6, 2017 by ByTor

[huahaha]

4 hours ago, ByTor said:

Who the hell knows what they did.  Didn't Liz say something like "define sex"?  Was it just an oral thing and Nick developed a case of "whiskey dick", thus Liz declining to give out her #?

I think she said, "Define 'spent the night.'"

She was obviously trying to avoid saying they had sex.

[saber5055]

Hey catrice, it's not just ladies who watch this show and post here! This show is a must-see for me because of this thread. It's so much fun to read and post here. In other news, I did like Nick putting it back on Liz for not calling him. She rejected him by not giving him her number AND not getting his from Jade. Then she shows up on his Quest For True Love? I give a big no to that. She is now just producer-driven drama. Does anyone know if entrances are thought up by contestants or TPTB? I doubt Camel Girl brought her own dromedary OR that Dolphin Girl provided her own shark costume. And oh yes, I did like Nick telling her that was a shark, not dolphin. And loved his comment about her not knowing the diff.

[catrice2]

I agree about the thread, don't know about the show.   I think you said something about a camel??!! I knew about the Dolphin from Anderson Cooper, but a camel? 

I wonder how many men watch the show?  I could see that they would to look at the pretty women and to imagine themselves at the Bachelor being able to "date" multiple women at the same time and they are ok with that.  No matter how many times I type it, that still seems strange! 

[saber5055]

Yeah, catrice, one b-ette rode in on a camel, telling Nick she heard he "liked to hump." And men do post here. Their insight is pretty interesting. You need to tune in and actually watch the show so as to not miss any of the snark.

[Canada]

I loved Nick's comments/snark during the episode.  After Taylor told him that all her friends hated him, his comment was something along the lines of "can't wait to meet them" as she walked into the mansion.  So awesome!  It's true.  Why would he now pick you, Taylor, knowing that your friends hate him???  I like his honest, normal reactions.  So, he likes looking at boobs?  He's a guy, of course he does.  It's not like he spent the entire episode looking at the women's boobs and did nothing else.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Canada

[ByTor]

20 minutes ago, Canada said:

 It's not like he spent the entire episode looking at the women's boobs and did nothing else.

That's right...he also looked at their butts :)

[catrice2]

I plan to watch, well at least until Supergirl comes back on!   I am going to try to catch it on Monday so I don't ask so many questions.  As I said, it is on so much media on Television ( late night shows, morning shows, entertainment shows, etc.) that it has gotten to the point where you don't have to watch the show to semi know what is going on.   Maybe it will turn out this is the best season to watch.  I do like sarcastic people, so if Nick has a quick wit and is not so much trying to "please the public" (well to a degree) I might not mind it too much.  If he is calling people on their crazy that will be great....as long as they get to call him out as well all in good fun without too much animus) .  

 Gosh, now Bestie tells me there are at least  TWO girls with Dallas connections. The media around here will go crazy.  I got so sick of seeing Jo Jo's face..... She also said that she feels that more of these girls are career oriented, so maybe the conversation will be a little easier to follow. 

Reading the posts I see people have favorites. It will be interesting to see if I develop favorites, and if they follow the general trend. 

Do you have to watch the whole two hours, or would I be ok with watching one?  If so, should it be the latter half when you get to see who goes home, or does most of the drama happen in it first comes on....or does it just depend? 

[peachmangosteen]

I went back and watched the Vanessa/Nick meeting again since several of you mentioned seeing something there. IMO he definitely seemed attracted to her, but no more than he was to Danielle L.('s boobs).

Edited January 6, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[backformore]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 3:59 PM, catrice2 said:

Do most of you find the leads attractive, or are you attracted to the aura of "The Bachelor?" Last year I reviewed them all and only found two maybe three mildly attractiv

I like Nick, especially since he decreased that weird mumble-mouth thing he used to do.   But it doesn't matter.  I watch because I am intrigued by the social experiment aspect of the show.   Because there's only ONE guy, and all the women are competing, many of them are able to convince themselves that he is "the one"  for them.  They just met him, they're not in love - but they convince themselves that they are.   In a normal situation, if a guy you barely know is making out with another girl at a party - you walk away and turn your attention to another guy.  Because in a normal situation (aka Real Life)  there are more than just that one guy.  But on the Bachelor, the women are isolated from the  outside world, and live for that letter that comes announcing a date.   If your name is on the card, you get out of the house.  You might fly in a helicopter, ride on a yacht, go dancing, whatever, with the only man around. (except for Chris Harrison)  When the Bachelor pays attention to you, when he chooses you for a date, you feel like a winner - because he chose YOU over everyone else.  Must be love, right?  then the next day, he chooses someone else.  Cue the emotional roller coaster.  And then the women getting mad at each other, spreading gossip, crying, spying on each other's dates, and trying to sneak away from the group for some "private time"  with the Bachelor.  For the first several episodes, it doesn't really matter WHO the Bachelor is.  If it was Luke -  these women would be competing in exactly the same way, they'd be able to convince themselves that he was worth competing for, vying for attention, hoping for a date, fantasizing about getting the "final rose".    I find the whole thing interesting and comical.

[dleighg]

@backformore you said it so well! I recall discussing this with my 20-something daughter asking more or less "why do they think they're in love?" and she explained it just the way you did. 

[Bugs Meany]

On 1/2/2017 at 11:22 PM, Madding crowd said:

I think it is likely producer influenced for some unknown reason. I stand firm on my belief that the show provides all of the evening gowns and bikinis and the girls bring the rest. I know people say this isn't true

This is an old example but Lesley Murphy (Sean Lowe) wore a dress that she'd worn in Instagram photos several months earlier, and I happened to notice that incidentally. If someone actually made a project out of looking for their dresses in earlier photos, I'm sure they'd find some. And it's no coincidence that the nicest dresses are often worn by the girls who come from money.

[Madding crowd]

Having trouble linking sites right now but an article in The Bustle and several other web sites say the women can bring their own clothes but the show provides rose ceremony gowns. I will try again when my wifi stops acting up but there are several articles saying wardrobe is provided. 

[Bugs Meany]

3 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Having trouble linking sites right now but an article in The Bustle and several other web sites say the women can bring their own clothes but the show provides rose ceremony gowns. I will try again when my wifi stops acting up but there are several articles saying wardrobe is provided. 

I know the show provides gowns for the final rose ceremony but that's it. I've also seen girls wearing dresses from the show in their post-show normal lives. Giving away dresses seems unlikely.

[Madding crowd]

They don't give them away. ABC and all shows have wardrobe departments and racks of dresses which can be chosen to wear and then returned. 

[Bugs Meany]

On 1/3/2017 at 0:58 PM, slowpoked said:

Nick clearly has a type and the producers gladly got it for him - boobs, boobs and more boobs. I don't think I remember seeing a collection of B'ettes with as much boobs as this group.

On 1/3/2017 at 0:59 PM, scribe95 said:

I agree on his fascination with boobs. The first woman who got out he was staring at her chest when he talked/mumbled a few words.

On 1/3/2017 at 9:27 PM, fib said:

He seems to know who he is (Boob Guy, likes sex), and women who are strong.

(Sorry for the almost-double post. I haven't figured out how to incorporate MultiQuote when editing an existing post.)

Here and elsewhere, I've seen Nick referred to as a boob guy. Of the women we've seen him with, only Jen was stacked. The others (Andi, Kaitlyn, Amanda) were average to modest. Liz is voluptuous, but we hadn't seen her prior to Monday.

They don't give them away. ABC and all shows have wardrobe departments and racks of dresses which can be chosen to wear and then returned.

Right. So if they're wearing a rose ceremony dress after the show, in their normal lives, they weren't provided by the show. Only the final rose ceremony dresses.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Bugs Meany

[Mabinogia]

Well, according to Jillian, former b'ette, they have to bring all their own clothes and she spent like $8,000 on outfits for the show. YIKES! http://www.thelist.com/2871/secrets-abc-doesnt-want-know-bachelor/ pretty interesting article about what goes on.

I am surprised about the workout bit. I would have thought they'd want the contestants to stay hot since a good portion of this show is about looking at pretty people. lol

[ByTor]

$8K??? Yikes!  It's so funny how things have changed over the seasons.   I never remember the bachelor's name, but in the season where Helene was the winner I recall people on TWOP posting that they saw Helene's final rose ceremony dress in a Victoria's Secret catalog.

[Bugs Meany]

11 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Well, according to Jillian, former b'ette, they have to bring all their own clothes and she spent like $8,000 on outfits for the show. YIKES! http://www.thelist.com/2871/secrets-abc-doesnt-want-know-bachelor/ pretty interesting article about what goes on.

I am surprised about the workout bit. I would have thought they'd want the contestants to stay hot since a good portion of this show is about looking at pretty people. lol

Last season someone said Olivia was bragging about $40K on outfits!! No way. Here's another article about women paying for their own clothes. Men too, in fact.

There's no reason for the show to provide outfits and enforce secrecy about it. Contestants aren't paid for their time, which surely deters many applicants. Providing dresses would be a major perk that would sway potential applicants who were on the fence for budgetary reasons.

[peachmangosteen]

33 minutes ago, Bugs Meany said:

Contestants aren't paid for their time ...

Wait, what?!

[dom16]

13 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I am surprised about the workout bit. I would have thought they'd want the contestants to stay hot since a good portion of this show is about looking at pretty people. lol

I think their need to humiliate and degrade these women by providing them with unlimited food and no workout equipment in an environment where they're automatically going to compare themselves to everyone else outweighs their need for everyone to be as hot as possible. That way they get vulnerable and insecure contestants who are easier to manipulate. 

[catrice2]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Wait, what?!

I know!  When I found this out on the boards last year I was blown away, until I found out they MORE than make up for it on social media and bar appearances! 

Edited January 8, 2017 by catrice2

[Caravaggio]

$8K??? Yikes!  It's so funny how things have changed over the seasons.   I never remember the bachelor's name, but in the season where Helene was the winner I recall people on TWOP posting that they saw Helene's final rose ceremony dress in a Victoria's Secret catalog.

Season 2. Bachelor Aaron Buerge. Helene. the winner. Dumped by him inside a Starbucks store in NY 2 months after the last episode aired.

[Caravaggio]

  On 03/01/2017 at 2:22 AM, Madding crowd said:

I think it is likely producer influenced for some unknown reason. I stand firm on my belief that the show provides all of the evening gowns and bikinis and the girls bring the rest. I know people say this isn't true

This is an old example but Lesley Murphy (Sean Lowe) wore a dress that she'd worn in Instagram photos several months earlier, and I happened to notice that incidentally. If someone actually made a project out of looking for their dresses in earlier photos, I'm sure they'd find some. And it's no coincidence that the nicest dresses are often worn by the girls who come from money.

Obviously the producers do not provide bikinis. We can see this clearly on The Bachelor 19, Chris season, where Jillian had her butt black striped all time because of her string bikini.