S22.E06: Week 6

[kingshearte]

On 2/5/2018 at 11:39 PM, Madding crowd said:

Arie is not even embarrassed to be telling someone he is not smart enough for them. Not everyone is a genius but if a guy actually admits to not being smart, it would be a deal breaker for me.

I'm not sure it would be a deal-breaker, but it would raise some flags for me. I don't mind if a guy thinks I'm smarter than he is, or even if he worries that I might not think he's smart enough, but a guy who's basically alarmed at the idea that I might be smarter than he is, or have intellectual ambitions? That is concerning. I also found Arie's concerns about Jacqueline's PhD aspirations a bit odd. I mean, true, trying to start a relationship at the same time as one is pursuing a major, multi-year academic ambition is perhaps not ideal, but to me it almost came across like... I don't know, like it was a 100% either-or (relationship or PhD), or like he was not prepared to be in a relationship with someone getting a PhD. I'm not sure exactly, but it didn't quite sit right with me.

On 2/6/2018 at 8:46 AM, NoWhammies said:

• Jacqueline answered "si" when the waiter addressed her in French. Oops - wrong country!

French-speakers do use "si" in place of "oui" sometimes.

I would have had somewhat mixed feelings about the Moulin Rouge date. I am a dancer (and I do love me a good can-can), so there are elements that would have really appealed to me. Flashing my bethonged butt on stage and on TV (even if barred)? That's a little less appealing. I also didn't entirely understand the date. It looked they were learning some choreography, but that appeared to have no relevance to the "competition" part, which seemed to be just strutting a little, or to the final appearance on stage for the winner. And I agree that even though I would have enjoyed some parts of it, calling this date "for the women" is hilariously disingenuous.

Lauren's date, oh my goodness. I sincerely hope she actually had more to say than what we were shown, because that was just sad. And honey, if it takes you six months of friendship before you're willing to consider someone in a romantic light, maybe this isn't the right relationship-seeking model for you...

I truly don't care if Kendall was sincere in her convo with Krystal or not. Either she was and she's just far too sweet and empathetic for this show, or she wasn't and was deliberately serving Krystal a dose of her own long-needed medicine. Either way, it was exactly the right way to throw Krystal off her game, and it was glorious.

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, kingshearte said:

French-speakers do use "si" in place of "oui" sometimes.

as someone pointed out upstream, she definitely said "merci". And that even makes sense, since he was leading her to her seat/passing her a menu, not asking her a question.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Telling someone she is too smart for him is just a way to be able to let her down gently if need be (and don't most couples have one partner who is considered "smarter" than the other? So no big deal). Nevertheless, Arie has now planted that seed of doubt in Jacqueline's massive brain....

[leighdear]

3 hours ago, kingshearte said:

I also found Arie's concerns about Jacqueline's PhD aspirations a bit odd. I mean, true, trying to start a relationship at the same time as one is pursuing a major, multi-year academic ambition is perhaps not ideal, but to me it almost came across like... I don't know, like it was a 100% either-or (relationship or PhD), or like he was not prepared to be in a relationship with someone getting a PhD. I'm not sure exactly, but it didn't quite sit right with me.

 

If you know the person you are choosing to go "date" has a permanent home, family and a job in Arizona, and you live in New York City, I'm thinking your concrete plans to stay where you are for the next 6 years may be seen as inflexible. 

I doubt Arie would be concerned at all about her further education plans if they were not taking place approximately 2,400 miles away from him.  And for approximately 6 years.  

I wouldn't give that person any serious consideration.  Obviously to her, a relationship is secondary to her education.  And that's fine.  Just don't go on a show like this.  For a smart person, It makes you look idiotic. 

Edited February 11, 2018 by leighdear

[JudyObscure]

12 hours ago, leighdear said:

For a smart person, It makes you look idiotic. 

Yes, and for many people, our educational aspirations are never realized.  There's a world of difference between planning to become a psychologist and actually achieving that goal. Krystal could have whispered a secret dream to become a rocket scientist and make work-out videos in space and it wouldn't have made her brilliant.

Jacqueline's manner in Paris was almost as dull as Lauren's just coming from a  blasé place rather than a bored one.  I call wrong reasons on her and wonder if she's  just looking for Instagram college money.

[Shades of Scarlet]

20 hours ago, kingshearte said:

French-speakers do use "si" in place of "oui" sometimes.

It's actually how "yes" translates in French if you are affirmatively refuting a negative statement.  Someone says, "So you're not going out?" and you say, "Yeah, I *am* going out," and the "yeah" would be si, not oui. 

But that's not what Jacqueline said.  She just said "merci."

[ljenkins782]

17 hours ago, leighdear said:

If you know the person you are choosing to go "date" has a permanent home, family and a job in Arizona, and you live in New York City, I'm thinking your concrete plans to stay where you are for the next 6 years may be seen as inflexible. 

I doubt Arie would be concerned at all about her further education plans if they were not taking place approximately 2,400 miles away from him.  And for approximately 6 years.  

I wouldn't give that person any serious consideration.  Obviously to her, a relationship is secondary to her education.  And that's fine.  Just don't go on a show like this.  For a smart person, It makes you look idiotic. 

Right. There's no indication their lives would blend in any way. I think he might have cut her loose then except he's running out of red herrings. 

I thought she was rather dull. Probably perfectly nice and maybe fun to be around IRL, but not a compelling tV character. 

Quote

Jacqueline's manner in Paris was almost as dull as Lauren's just coming from a  blasé place rather than a bored one.  I call wrong reasons on her and wonder if she's  just looking for Instagram college money.

I could see that. I can also see this plan backfiring because she's been damn near invisible thus far. Probably going to need a trip to BiP and some manufactured drama to get herself a following. Which maybe isn't the best thing for her post-education future.

[chocolatine]

FWIW, I know several couples who maintained their relationships long-distance while one or both were pursuing a PhD. But none of them met on the Bachelor.

[Token]

Jaqueline is pursuing a PhD in "chemical psychology".  For some reason, this just makes me think of pot.  That could just be me.  What exactly is chemical psychology??

[leighdear]

Jacqueline had beautiful hair.  It looked natural, healthy and well cared for, not tortured to a frazzled, flossy mess of fake color and badly matched extensions.  

That's all I've got on her.  

[backformore]

6 hours ago, Token said:

Jaqueline is pursuing a PhD in "chemical psychology".  For some reason, this just makes me think of pot.  That could just be me.  What exactly is chemical psychology??

I saw somewhere it was clarified as clinical psychology. 

But I wonder if it is a plan, or a dream, if she is currently in graduate school, or has been accepted, or PLANS to apply.   clinical psychology PhD programs are fairly competitive, it's not a done deal that you get into the program you want.  

[chocolatine]

25 minutes ago, backformore said:

I saw somewhere it was clarified as clinical psychology. 

But I wonder if it is a plan, or a dream, if she is currently in graduate school, or has been accepted, or PLANS to apply.   clinical psychology PhD programs are fairly competitive, it's not a done deal that you get into the program you want.  

I was curious, so I LinkdedIn-stalked her. According to her profile, she's not currently enrolled in a PhD program - there is nothing in the education section since her BA in 2013. She's working as a "psychiatry clinical research coordinator" at Mount Sinai in NYC. Perhaps she's applying to programs and is planning to start in the fall.

Edited February 13, 2018 by chocolatine

[ByTor]

Or maybe she hasn't updated her LinkedIn.

[Rainsong]

I took one for the team, forced to watch this week's episode on a phone using ABC's app instead of the usual ad-free DVR or internet copy.  This meant frequent blocks of 6 - SIX! - unskippable commercials.  Although I usually busied myself with other things during the interminable waits, I did note that advertising has abandoned its remit of actually enticing potential customers and instead has opted for full-on virtue signaling.  Given the huge sums of cash involved, this seems irresponsible at best and counterproductive at worst.

Since this thread has already reached Page 5 I won't wear the paint off my keyboard discussing places and timeline...a few sketch (or possibly sketchy) items about the remaining lot:

Arie - apparently he resolved to kiss each and every one of his date-mates long before shooting began.  If he was going to get another go at The Franchise he was damn well going to sample all the merchandise on offer.  Kendall and Jacqueline were near-strangers to him through no fault of their own but they got the same kiss-me-quick treatment as those who have gone before.  Perhaps he should save space in his luggage for a thesaurus so he can come up with a synonym for 'amazing,' a term he has worn threadbare with use.  We can't let his abysmal lip sync job at the Moulin Rouge go unnoticed or unpunished.  Total lack of effort and, more likely, lack of talent.

Lauren - no chance of her 'coming out of her shell' since the shell is all that exists.  A boring china doll with a bored expression and a nice set of gams.  If you're going to tromp on foot for miles around a large city are the stylish sandal heels really the best choice?  Possibly a malicious edit or two with her monotone 'Wow' responses but it's not as if we missed her detailed discussion of the architectural innovation of the flying buttress or the evolution of the Metro network.  They'd just seen sites of staggering beauty and/or historical significance - on someone else's dime no less - and shallow Lauren merely wanted to ask Arie in coded language if she was still a contender ('after everything that happened last week').  She’s the new Krystal now that the old Krystal has gone.  And we didn’t need the producers’ mixing in the heartbeat-like bass drum to convince us of her baseness of character.

Becca K - the leader during the early laps has developed engine trouble and spent most of the recent weeks in the pits.  Cringeworthy quote:  'When I think of Paris, I think of the Eiffel Tower, I think of the Louvre.'  Yes, because nobody has ever associated Paris with its two most famous landmarks!  Next you'll be telling us that Big Ben is in London!  Later she offers this pearl of wisdom:  ‘The rose means more tonight than it ever has.’  You don’t say!

Interjection:  'Miss Janet' of the Moulin Rouge in France sounded as if she had a decidedly English accent.  It is not uncommon for Europeans to learn English (the language) and aim for an English (the country) accent since the UK is nearest to them but this woman sounded as if she were from the Home Counties.

Tia - sliding quickly down the slope from Cool Chick to Needy & Obsessive.  Tia's foul mouth remains, however.  The first few times a girl swears might be cute but nearly every utterance from Tia is bleeped.  A tipoff to the audience and a red flag to TB is to talk about comparing relationships.  Arie may be a cynical old dog and perfectly aware of the show's manipulations but while he's at the buffet he doesn't want anyone interrupting to tell him to try the chicken while he's in the middle of enjoying the shrimp.   Despite the show’s premise, the dynamic in reality and on Reality TV is largely the same:  males must feel as if they are competing, pursuing, winning.  And it doesn’t require an athlete or a racing driver to feel the rush of those male hormones compelling him to seek alpha male status.  The most successful Bachelorettes have TB eating out of their hand.  The less successful ones may reach the later stages but by throwing themselves at TB they sabotage their chances by eliminating his sense of triumph.

Bekah M – the anti-Tia.  Her hand-feeding game is masterful.  If you say she’s too young for him, you must admit that she is a natural coquette – her arsenal of blinks, giggles, chin drops, head tilts, etc. have him hypnotized.  She changes the pitch of her voice (compare this with the constant drone-drawls from Tia and Lauren), often going up in register from her alto but also down to a purr.  Is this innate?  Possibly the residue of her work as a nanny?  If you say it’s all an act then it’s one hell of a convincing act not least for Arie.  Full marks for the cameo choker also.

Seinne – hmm dunno.  ‘Too smart for him’ seems trite but it is also probably accurate.  Too well-rounded might be a more apt description.  It’s tempting to say even-keeled but she’s still getting swept up in the competition if not the romance.  She stared absolute daggers at Bekah when the rose and stage gig were awarded.

Interjection:  what was the point of making them attend the performance, other than to capture lingering shots of loooooong faces?  Send them home and the producers might have got some of the bitchy dialogue they love to air.

Kendall – still probably an also-ran but she was quite clever in finding a way to wrong-foot Krystal by expressing sympathy (however false it might be) for her.  She may not make the final (not a spoiler, just a hunch) but she has our eternal gratitude for vanquishing Krystal.  It appears she will undo her progress by overanalyzing things next episode.

Krystal – apparently someone had an exchange of tweets or texts with CH and suggested to him that Krystal was a little crazy.  CH’s response:  ‘a little?!?’  She’s been discussed ad infinitum but it must be noted that the link between her past and her present has been brought into sharp focus.  If she ain’t a sociopath yet she’s well on her way.  All the signs are there:  narcissism; lack of remorse; a denial of reality especially if it involves rejection, disapproval, criticism, etc. accompanied by the real-time creation of a fantasy that banishes all of these and puts her in the best light possible.  It feels wrong to make light of long periods of childhood neglect if not outright abuse but it’s made her into a bit of a monster well beyond the typical pantomime villain that seems to be cast every season.  She’s a walking Instagram cliche:  a fitness chick who relies on a buff bod as a substitute for a personality and as a beacon for male attention while being unable to retain that male attention via conversation.  She's big on hashtags and mawkish slogans.  There are many examples of her behavior to choose from but the most telling might be her bizarre nodding as Kendall received the rose.  Even as she lost, you could see her convincing herself she’d somehow won.  Or, she was cooking up a rationalization.  She recovered enough to claim she was ‘floored’ but that sounded as insincere as her breathy meandering talks with Arie.  Despite the supposed emotion no tears were actually shed.  It was quite revealing that she talked not of love or companionship but of being ‘accepted and good enough.’  She isn’t looking for a boyfriend or a husband.  She’s looking for a surrogate parent to finally express approval.  Whatever we think of Krystal, that’s a sad state to be in nearing age 30.  But, unfortunately, it's all too common.

Jacqueline – if Becca K is fading from view, our Jacs has sprinted from the rear of the field to the front row and is still shifting up through the gears.  Either she is the most patient contestant in the show’s history or she has been mercilessly edited out of the footage until now in order to portray her as a late-breaking favorite.  In either case she absolutely smashed it.  Have to agree with the poster upthread who noted her natural, dazzling hair.  Of course, the prerequisite is to be blessed with natural, dazzling hair.  It’s even more dazzling when it’s contrasted with the tortured, teased, twisted highlighted center-parted nonsense that is the flavor of the month.  Usually a girl obsessively playing with her hair is distracting and annoying.  For some reason, it’s rather endearing when Jacqueline does it – possibly because she doesn’t do it the same way twice and because it allows us to see more of her features.  Her hair-flipping is as expressive as a cat’s tail if you watch closely enough.  One move says nervous/anxious…another is a response to a compliment…another is flirtatious/alluring (as seen during her sidewalk jaunt after the dress was picked out).  One move involves a delicate finger, the other has her digging her whole hand into her mane.  Either Jacs has been practicing in front of a mirror for months or she simply has the It Factor.  The panda eye makeup could be toned down but at least it doesn’t look as obviously false on a brunette.  We’ve seen some dodgy clothing choices over the years in the ‘Pretty Woman’ segments but that dress and heels were spot on.  Simple but elegant.  It doesn't hurt to be preternaturally slim either.  And Wonder Woman doesn’t take her old rags with her after she puts on her costume!  She doesn’t even carry a purse!

Marshall Crenshaw has a fantastic tune called ‘Cynical Girl.’  The title alone conveys his objective but the lyrics are fitting for Jacqueline:   

Well I'll know right away by the look in her eye / She harbors no illusions and she's worldly-wise

And I'll know when I give her a listen that she / She's what I've been missin'

NYC-based females often seem to be TOO cynical, crossing over into sneering, brash and/or loud know-it-alls but Jacqueline seems to have struck a rare balance.  Her tears and sense of panic are convincing (she’s another one caught up in the show’s hothouse albeit briefly) but she recovers quickly.   Her doe-eyed sales technique is unassailable:  ‘I want to be with you…if that’s okay.’  Cue biting of lip.  Assertive and vulnerable simultaneously!  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I wasn’t even sitting at the table with her.  A clinic in seduction technique.  You may have met your match, Bekah!

The RC held few surprises but our relief over Krystal was compounded by relief at Chelsea’s exit.  Did she mention she’s a mom yet?  Jenna never stood a chance but fair play to her as she seemed to be one of those girls beloved by her peers with the possible exception of their common enemy, Krystal.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Rainsong

[kingshearte]

13 hours ago, backformore said:

I saw somewhere it was clarified as clinical psychology. 

But I wonder if it is a plan, or a dream, if she is currently in graduate school, or has been accepted, or PLANS to apply.   clinical psychology PhD programs are fairly competitive, it's not a done deal that you get into the program you want.  

That was the impression I got from the conversation (loosely supported by the LinkedIn research noted earlier), and I think maybe why it seemed so weird to me that he would treat it as a black-and-white either-or. It's one thing if there's a definite PhD process in place, because she'd be tied to one place and not likely have the time or mental energy for much travel for visiting. But if she's still in the applying stage, or even in the still-deciding-where-to-apply stage (which is how I thought it sounded), then there's still the potential for a fair amount of flexibility in location, and if the relationship is deemed worth pursuing, it can be included in the consideration of where to do it.

All of which is almost certainly a moot point, since she probably won't "win," and even if she does, they probably won't last, but anyway.

[Tess23]

Maybe this has been noted and I missed it but Tia curtseying to Arie when she accepted the rose was cringe-worthy  #fatesealed