S22.E08: Week 8

[dleighg]

6 hours ago, backformore said:

I've also never, as an adult, entered a hotel suite and jumped on the bed.  And there's a screechy noise that these women make that has never been made by my vocal cords. 

I couldn't help but notice when watching last week's Top Chef episode-- they moved into a new resort, and two of the great big guys did the back flop onto the bed. Must be part of the contract! I just thought "it's bad enough when the little girls on The Bachelor do it, but don't you feel embarrassed?" Maybe they're TB fans and were being sardonic.

[sadie]

Unless they’ve changed how they do this, NO WAY Lauren gets final rose. It’s too obvious with all the “love” talk. I think he eliminates the Norman Bates of the three, Lauren’s ex shows up and she freaks out and Arie proposes to Becka. They date for the required six months, break up and Arie goes back to being the forever bachelor because no way in hell does this guy really want to get married. 

P.S. the visible gulp Arie made when Tia’s disturbingly frightening brother asked him about bout being a playboy was worth the price of admission. 

Edited February 20, 2018 by sadie
Spelling

[JudyObscure]

"Hometown Dates" is always my favorite episode, I'm always ready to see who on earth raised these women.

Kendall's family did not disappoint.  I just wanted to tour the house looking at all the interesting stuff.  I've tried the, "fill your home with things you love," decorating approach, but the love  only lasts until cleaning day and then the love turns to irritation if not actual hatred.  I guess Kendall's mom told the girls they could each have 500 square feet for the things they loved, too, so Kendall got to bring home and gut roadkill before stuffing it forever, and her sister got to fill her space with shiny crystal things that help in her career as fortune teller ... or something.  Oh well, in spite of loving dead animals even more than live ones, Kendall and her family seem very kind and sincere.  I would like to visit them, if they wouldn't mind me wearing a hazmat suit.

Tia's family's plain little house seemed sad after Kendall's mansion o' weirdness, but that's just how average America appears when displayed on TV.  Tia even had an obese relative, another aspect of normal population that is usually Not Shown on TV.

Becca's life and family are so all American average I've already forgotten everything about them.

Lauren's boring family in their beautifully boring house ...zzzz....Oh! Dad came to life after hearing Arie is a big troop supporter.  He even has a little bit of a sense of humor, unlike Lauren's mom who seems to have that same permanently dissatisfied look that Lauren has.  I know who's side I'm on during the fights.

I'm glad Tia escaped.  May she find a nice guy, with some obese relatives of his own, who will appreciate her naturalness and her sense  of humor.

Edited February 20, 2018 by JudyObscure

[HappyDancex2]

More apple picking???

”We’re going to pick apples!”

”Oh. Great.”

”Do you like apples?”

”I love apples.”

real riveting stuff there.  

[Swellcatt]

11 hours ago, dizzyd said:

The entire time Tia was crying, I imagined her rebounding just fine in a few months on BiP.

I don't know...I think she's getting the Bachelorette edit. I'm pretty sure she's gonna be next.

[PhysNerd]

My thoughts on this episode:

1) Tia's brother looks like he has just been released from prison.  I did not get a good vibe from him at all.  The rest of Tia's family seemed ok. Tia's arm tattoo just ruined her whole look during the rose ceremony for me. I'm not a fan of tattoos, so I'm biased.  
2) Lauren and her mother bore me to tears.  Did Lauren get too much botox or something?  She seems incapable of having facial expressions.  When Lauren and her mother were sitting on the bed and talking about Arie, Lauren didn't seem excited at all.  She could've been talking about her dentist appointment and I wouldn't have known the difference.

3. Becca's family seemed pretty ordinary.  She's the only one at this point who is marriage material, but I doubt Arie will actually marry her.
4. Kendall really creeps me out with her room full of taxidermy.  I guess I'm in the minority here regarding Kendall's appearance: I think she looks pretty average.  I don't see the gorgeousness that other people see. 

[LennieBriscoe]

The juxtaposed photos of Emily and Lauren support my opinion of the latter's looks: Dime a dozen.

IMO, Arie wasn't being entirely truthful with all the parents. I distinctly remember him looking down and to his left before answering a question, supposedly a "tell" of lying.

Lauren and Kendall seem immature to me, at least for a man of thirty-six. A joke about being "crabby" when eating crab? Yeah--in fifth grade! And, well, those rat skins! Hey, maybe Kendall's thinking, "Hmmm, I don't have a Grandpa Possum yet....."

Will Arie choose Becca Appleseed? Maybe, like Prince Harry with his dating blondes, Arie will end up marrying a brunette!

[backformore]

12 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Whatever happens in a few minutes at the RC, the best line of the series was Becca's, heard right before we saw her and Arie dunking apples in caramel:

"Stick it in all the way."

:-P

Yes, and the line was delivered as we saw the building from afar, THEN the camera zoomed in on them dipping apples in caramel. Clever editors did that on purpose.

[kira28]

Wow I have to give Arie credit for being such a good sport! The rat skins grossed me out. I Couid not have touched those. I can't believe he tells everyone he's falling for everyone. He's not into Tia at all. He barely touched her and she was thr on telling him she missed him while he told the others he missed them. Plus he took one look at what Tia, will look like when she's older (sorry Tias mom) and high tailed it out of Arkansas. He seemed  more comfortable around Beccas family

[Gregg247]

27 minutes ago, backformore said:

Whatever happens in a few minutes at the RC, the best line of the series was Becca's, heard right before we saw her and Arie dunking apples in caramel:

"Stick it in all the way."

:-P

See, I was thinking the best line was during Tia's date at the race car track.  Arie was helping her into the race car when she exclaimed, "It's really tight in here!" and I immediately said, "That's what HE said!".

[IDreamofJoaquin]

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

ETA: Kendall's sister is named Kylie? What are the odds?

RIGHT?!?!?!

[Mu Shu]

I tapped out during the taxidermy lesson.  I am sorry, but that is creepy.  And I also thought the black and white cat was possibly alive.

so now the fantasy suite nonsense consists on Lauren Boring, Fargo, and the rat skinner?  I forgot most of their names.  I do hope Arie changes into a fresh cardigan, and gets new sock suspenders.  

[Rainsong]

Tonight’s Chapter:  Hometown Visits

In which nothing of import happens thanks to the gormless Bachelor but lingering shots of his blank expressions are overlaid with urgent stabs of music in an effort to convey drama and excitement.

As a Bachelor episode, it was a damp squib.  As an anthropological experiment, it was a triumph.  As luck would have it, Arie’s hometowns took him effectively to all four points of the compass in the continental US and the regional differences were striking – or at least as striking as they can be in a nation otherwise blanketed by technology, mass media, national brands & chains, etc. which always threaten to homogenize the population.

Confession:  I’m a hand man.  I’m always looking for and appreciate the female mesomorphs of the hand world:  fingers not too long, not too short, everything in proportion.  Kendall has nice mitts.  Unfortunately, the knuckles of her nice hands turned white as she placed a death grip on the hapless Bachelor throughout her visit. 

These two barely know each other and I think they are all too aware of it.  The Skeptical Family is a cliché by now (more on that later) but even they were baffled by a) the so-called depth of the his-and-my’s-relationship, er, his-and-mine-relationship-, er, him-and-I’s-relationship…oh, hell.  The depth of Kendall and Arie’s relationship.  Most of us are baffled too.  Playing one’s cards close to one’s vest isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it’s obviously been Kendall’s approach thus far in life which meant her family – including an identical twin who shares that spooky twin telepathy – were further puzzled by her swooning puppy love act which was apparently so out of character.

There was no doubt as to the hometown activity of choice for Kendall, which was to (re)visit the Temple of Taxidermy Terror, this time with Arie in tow.  One can only imagine the dodgy odors trapped in that room from fur to chemicals to vestiges of viscera.  Arie’s ‘reward’ for selecting Kendall was to handle dead rats.  Dead.  Rats.  Yes, they’re little white lab-type specimens but they are still rats.  Today’s operation involves sticking the fat end of a baseball bat up the rat’s jacksy to make it ‘lifelike’ (irony abounds) and dressing them up to match their diorama backdrop.  Is anyone else hearing the ‘Psycho’ violins?  Isn’t this how Jeffrey Dahmer got his start?

Given the demographics of the viewing audience, the Society of Current & Future Cat Ladies of America, members of PETA and individual I Wuv Fuzzy Wuzzy Animals types (the kind posting cute doggie videos to your timeline every hour of every day) probably had generated a maelstrom of (all together now) Twitter Outrage® and were reaching for the smelling salts or perhaps the box wine.

Arie dutifully repeats his producer-fed line four times on the night:  ‘So…who will I be meeting?’ as if he will remember their names and as if we will.  Kendall tells him he will meet her sister and her brother.  Arie displays keen Holmesian powers of deduction and says ‘Oh, so your sister is your twin?’  THEY’RE IDENTICAL YOU PLANK!!!  It would be genealogical first to have a boy and a girl as identical twins.

‘I’ve never dated anyone like him…’ Oh you mean someone on a TV show involved with 28 other women over a stretch of a few weeks?  Yes, he’s unique all right but perhaps not quite the way you portray it.

The TV lighting is so bright during these visits that it must give everyone a headache.  Perhaps it explains their typically grumpy moods.  Kylie (twin sister), bit of a hippy chick, sports a pair of hammered gold hoop earrings not seen since the salad days of Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs.  Despite their closeness as twins, Kendall is all but unable to convince her sister of her depth of feeling for Arie.  For once we can sympathize fully with a family member who threatens to spoil the fairy tale.  And speaking of fairy tales, is Prince Charming turning into King Grisly-Beard?  His hair has gone all but white – or perhaps it’s because candles have been replaced by klieg lights.

Moving from suburban LA to rural Arkansas, the clichés come thick and fast, starting with dirt track racing.  But if stuffing rats had put Arie out of his proverbial comfort zone (and ours), late-model dirt track racing was well within his.  Why would Tia, ostensibly a risk-taker, freeze with fear behind the wheel?  As with Catherine’s smallish home during Sean’s season, there are only so many ways to light and crop the shots of Tia’s family’s modest ranch number.  For obvious reasons, my radar is always scanning for guitars and I note that someone in her family owns an inexpensive Ibanez acoustic.  But…there’s a capo clipped to the headstock.  Any guitar that gets played is better than a museum piece that doesn’t.

It’s probably been discussed to death but…Pigs In Blankets?  The obvious jokes about Weiner, Arkansas and serving cocktail franks have no doubt been made by now.  Unreal.

Being of proud Appalachian stock myself, I’m never going to have a go at those who dress comfortably and refuse to put on airs but c’mon fellas…dig that golf shirt with a collar out of the drawer and wear it for your taped segment.  Tia’s dad hugs Arie more times than he’s probably hugged his son…it gets downright uncomfortable at times.  Meanwhile, Tia’s brother has ascended to become the kingpin of Weiner’s illicit Oxycontin dealers.  He grunts unintelligibly and plays the role of glowering protective sibling to the hilt but the script plays out normally and Arie magically charms another cynic, even if he is planning on cutting Tia loose AFTER he hypocritically does his usual ‘ask your blessing’ routine.

Moving from Ozark mud to the Land of Sky Blue Waters, Arie arrives in MinneSODA and an apple orchard in which most of the apples have already fallen to the ground.  Arie resists the urge to pick up an apple, cut the peel away, stuff the peel with styrofoam and put a cute little outfit on it.  Old habits – or even new ones – die hard.  Or maybe this Kendall ‘connection’ is stronger than previous believed.

With rather revealing body-language, Becca wraps both arms and legs around Arie in greeting.  She apologizes for the cold.  It’s Minnesota, pet.  Is it ever warm there with the possible exception of the week of July 4?  More revealing body-language sees them wander through the orchard, locked arm-in-arm and with heads tilted together.

Arie is tossed into the deep end of Minnesota Nice as he meets the Becca clan including Uncle Pastor.  Apparently, a quirky Minnesota law bans the sale and use of makeup in the state so the females in the room are plainer than the Amish.  The men at least have a bit of color – in this case rosy cheeks from 2 min spent outside to get the mail when it’s -30F.  Oh Yah Oh Jeez Ya Betcha!  We can only conclude that Becca bought a truckload of mascara upon arrival at LAX and has been making up for lost time by applying it heavily throughout this season.

Arie is his usual elliptical self about being an out-and-out atheist (which he obviously is) especially when that simply wouldn’t fly with Uncle Pastor, a gentle man of God who might give Arie the Apostate a good whack with his cane.

Maybe I’m reading the wrong news reports (or perhaps the right ones) but it’s been my impression that Virginia Beach has, over the years, been descending rapidly into a drug and violence-plagued area.  On the other hand, it’s got a huge military population.  But even troubled coastal spots usually keep their beachfront areas tidy in order to keep the tourism dollars flowing in.  You knew we weren’t going to get through four hometown visits without at least one horse-riding segment!  An idyllic ride along the surf is made somewhat less idyllic by the presence in camera shot of the fat kid wearing a t-shirt to swim.  And what happens when the horses release, shall we say, fresh raw sewage onto the sand?  Does nature immediately reclaim its own?

Phallic symbolism is unleashed as Arie & Lauren climb to the top of Cape Henry lighthouse A with Cape Henry lighthouse B visible out the window.  It’s close quarters up there which means the camera and sound men filming their kiss must have been right on top of them but the lovebirds don’t care.

Lauren’s father Dave is every bit the ex-fighter pilot and fair play to him…F-14 Tomcats (aka the Top Gun fighter) and FA-18 Super Hornets.  We must also admire Dave’s restraint when he asks Arie ‘Do you play golf?’ (Dave obviously does) and Arie says…’No.’  No?  NO!?!?  Pardon the shouting but YOU LIVE IN SCOTTSDALE BLOODY ARIZONA AKA THE CAPITAL OF YEAR ROUND GOLF AND HOME TO DOZENS OF BEAUTIFUL COURSES!!!  It’s like living in Nashville or Austin and never going to hear live music!  Like living in Seattle and never seeing rain!  Man Card hereby revoked Arie!  Common Sense Card also in danger!

Arie dramatically steers his race car away from a flaming wreck and reveals he’s (admirably) visited service members in foreign theatres of operation.  Dave is duly impressed.  All previous sins forgiven!

Lauren’s mom has the same personality as Lauren which is to say none at all.  But it’s clear that while Becca may be the romantic frontrunner, he’s most comfortable with Lauren’s family because they are reminiscent of his own.  Could be a difference maker.

A word about The Skeptical Family™ :  in 2018 is there anyone unfamiliar with The Bachelor in concept at least, even in practice?  It’s one thing to claim you aren’t sure TB knows your daughter well enough to marry her, quite another to claim you have no solid clue how they arrived at this point.  Vague references to ‘the other girls’ aren’t enough.  Pin him down and ask him the tough questions if you are as dubious as advertised.

Mercifully, the RC arrives and Kendall holds crisis talks with Arie.  These efforts are usually futile (as we’ve seen) since TB has made up his mind but it appears to pay off for Kendall.  Still, Tia was probably always going to lose out.  Her sabotage of Bekah M saved her for a week but, as predicted, it convinced Arie that she couldn’t be trusted.  On the other hand, her family’s disastrous selection of microwaved appetizers also could have sealed her fate.  Thanks, Mom & Dad!  You could at least grab a big box of Chick-Fil-A nuggets next time!

And, speaking of next time, it’s a dead cert that Kendall goes home to her dead rats leaving Arie with Nonthreatening Blonde and Nonthreatening Brunette.  His transition to Mr Rogers is now complete.  He’s got the sweater and the sneakers and the mewling accent already.  All we’re lacking is a magic Neighborhood Trolley which will come in the form of a limousine or a horse-drawn carriage as The Big Shoe Reveal tells us their fates.

Edited February 20, 2018 by Rainsong

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, Swellcatt said:

I don't know...I think she's getting the Bachelorette edit. I'm pretty sure she's gonna be next.

It is scary seeing all the tweets that want her as the next one.  I'm just soooooooooooooo not a fan.

[Swellcatt]

4 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It is scary seeing all the tweets that want her as the next one.  I'm just soooooooooooooo not a fan.

She has more personality than any of the final 4 though. She could carry the show. And I would think she wouldn't put up with any crap. They have to decide quick because usually Bachelorette starts in May. 

[kira28]

I don't think Tia has much personality. She has a southern accent and she swears alot. I don't think she's all thst interesting or beautiful. I can't see men fighting over her. I do give her props for her occupation though. I think Kendall would be an interesting Bachelorette. She's pretty she's quirky and the taxidermy while I find it gross at least it's different. I definitely think Arie wants Lauren but knows, Becca is the safe logical choice that makes the most sense. If he doesn't pick Lauren then  he will regret it. Becca is very into him. 

[Haute Messe]

11 hours ago, Real4real said:

I think Tia ruined her chances when she showed up for the rose ceremony in a wedding dress!  She scared him off for sure!  As much as he claims to want this, deep down I don't think Arie is really ready to marry anyone.

I thought that was a figure skating costume!

[JudyObscure]

I love all @Rainsong's recaps but the latest addition of Jane Austen style subtitles is my new favorite thing.

[call me ishmael]

33 minutes ago, Swellcatt said:

She has more personality than any of the final 4 though. She could carry the show. And I would think she wouldn't put up with any crap. They have to decide quick because usually Bachelorette starts in May. 

I don’t see it honestly.  She seems to have the normal bachelorette behavior and personality.  But my only hope is that i don’t think that they would have shown her throwing Beka under the bus or going on about how Kendall didn’t make sense for him if she was the lead for the next bachelorette.  

[Madding crowd]

The taxidermy was horrifying. How could he consider marrying a woman who collected road kill as a child? The I want to keep things forever is straight out of a horror film. The rest was so boring I played computer games during it until ever classy Tia said a bleeped “I fucking love you”. Becca and Lauren are the best choices here and no less dull than Arie. 

Edited February 20, 2018 by Madding crowd

[dleighg]

Editors having fun: Arie's voiceover when greeting Kendall "I really love the conversations we have" while the visual is SMOOCH SMOOCH EXTRA SMOOCH.

[mostlylurking]

I really appreciated Becca's mom when Arie was asking for her permission, or approval or whatever the fuck....she just said that instead of that she was just going to respect whatever choice Becca made.  I absolutely hate the tradition of asking the dad for the blessing....news flash dads don't own their daughters!  And what if they said no?  Would that really deter anyone?  I think Becca's mom handled it really well.

I fast-forwarded all the taxidermy parts I just couldn't stomach it.  Although besides that I really like Kendall.

Tia deserved to go home for that dress she wore at the rc alone.  Was that a Raven special?

Lauren is boring and so was her family, thus she is perfect for Arie.  I think it's between Lauren and Becca, although they are both pretty dull.  Yawn.

[mostlylurking]

14 hours ago, escatefromny said:

Has this woman never heard another language spoken before?  What a weird question to ask but, obviously, this entire family lacks even the most basic conversation skills.  

I speak Portuguese and Spanish and I really hate this question.  I feel like a zoo animal or something and it puts me on the spot to "perform".  It's different if someone asks me to teach them something, but to just be like "say something!" I find that rude.  Like if you want to know what a language sounds like without learning anything about it well just Google it.  Pet peeve.

[TheFinalRose]

Quote

The Big Shoe Reveal tells us their fates.

 Rainsong, you capture the essence of this franchise so beautifully.

[mostlylurking]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

It feels like you're being put on the spot to "perform" in a way. I much prefer "how do you say X in Y language." 

My exact feeling!

[dleighg]

I get creeped out by Arie saying to the family "Kendell and I have amazing chemistry". Which means, yeah, I want to bang her just as much as I want to bang the other three girls.

And Kendell's dad "You may at some point come to me asking my permission..." PERMISSION? Ick.

But honestly what parent would give a blessing or be happy to say "you go, guy" when there are three other girls he just might like better. What parent would be ok with that? You want to hear "your daughter is the only person on earth I can imagine myself with". Which of course ain't gonna happen.

[IAmJ]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

 

I'm multilingual, and as a I child I got asked that a lot. I wouldn't go so far as to call it rude, but it always annoyed me. It feels like you're being put on the spot to "perform" in a way. I much prefer "how do you say X in Y language." 

YES to all of this. I am bilingual and well into my 30s and I still get asked to "say something" in my native language. I travel a lot all over the world but this type of request only ever comes from Americans. It drives me crazy. It serves no purpose other than, as you said, performing for the asker and allowing them to develop a superficial view of how the language sounds, as opposed to translating something more specific for them, which at least could be informative if they were to retain the information.

[Shades of Scarlet]

Love Kendall.  So smart.  What a doll.  Should be a shoo-in for the Bachelorette.  Foul-mouthed, average-looking, classless Tia is Paradise material. 

I thought all the family members were very nice save perhaps Tia's bro, House of Pain.  

Just don't see the "Lauren is boring" mantra.  She talks and smiles plenty.  She's just reserved.  Shrug.  

[crgirl412]

I would love to see Tia as the Bachlorette!!! 

So Becca and Lauren don't have siblings or weren't they there? 

[Stan39]

I finally figured Arie out. He's like a Labrador puppy. He always has a dopey grin on his face (unless he's confused, then he tilts his head to the side and furrows a little). He has the same level of enthusiasm and bewilderment by any activity no matter how mundane (he genuinely seemed to enjoy getting to play with rat skins and picking apples), but none of these things really stick with him. Most people would probably seek out every opportunity to tell people they flew a plane and visited the troops in Iraq, but to him it was just something he got to do, like play with dead rats earlier. And when he's really happy to see someone he just starts kissing them all over. I don't think there's a lot of depth to him, but he seems nice enough and decent enough not to hurt anyone. 

[TomGirl]

2 hours ago, Rainsong said:

Arie resists the urge to pick up an apple, cut the peel away, stuff the peel with stryofoam and put a cute little outfit on it.

Just one of many laugh-out-loud lines by our Master Raconteur, Rainsong.  You get my final rose every time, sir!

[ChiMama]

15 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Oh, damn!! The “Southern Ex” who shows up is NOT Tia’s ex, who I just assumed since the beginning since SHE was the only girl with a Southern accent.

The "Southern Ex" is likely a Virginia boy (i.e. Lauren). I thought it was Tia too, especially with ALL the mentions and comments about her past relationships -- there were a LOT of mentions, so I thought it was foreshadowing the appearance of the drawl-y ex-lover, but 'tis not to be I guess.

14 hours ago, Christi said:

Also Tia's mom looks exactly like the witch in Snow White, with the apple.  They tried to purdy her up for the show...but sweet googley moogley ?

That was a wig, right? Right?!

[ChiMama]

15 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Not only that but TWTA first immediately followed the next night by the top three?? Is that the finale?? Or maybe just scheduling issues that it was pushed up?? Interesting!

Robert Mills (@Millsy11374 -- a producer of the show, I think) tweeted last night:

Yes, the #WomenTellAll is Sunday. There is a reason for that I can't explain now, but just wait . . . .

Edited February 20, 2018 by ChiMama

[calpurnia99]

10 hours ago, fib said:

FAKE BEAUTY TWINS! FAKE TEETH, FAKE HAIR, FAKE BOOBS, FAKE EYELASHES, FAKE TAN....

[bosawks]

If he picks Lauren I just imagine Thanksgiving dinner with everyone sitting around the table blinking at each other and going "mmmm" then going home and saying how good the conversation was at dinner.

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, Real4real said:

I think Tia ruined her chances when she showed up for the rose ceremony in a wedding dress! 

And what looked like a Pnina Tornai wedding dress at that.

 

4 hours ago, PhysNerd said:

My thoughts on this episode:

1) Tia's brother looks like he has just been released from prison.  I did not get a good vibe from him at all. 

He said something about how he hasn't always been there for her, but now he is.  Maybe I just hold a grudge too long, but I thought that would confer less authority rather than more about who she wants to marry.

 

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

Editors having fun: Arie's voiceover when greeting Kendall "I really love the conversations we have" while the visual is SMOOCH SMOOCH EXTRA SMOOCH.

There's just something so odd about having everything revolving around "conversations."  I guess that's what dating is--getting to know each other by talking.  But I've never gauged my relationships by "conversations," or at least I've never called it that. 

 

1 hour ago, Shades of Scarlet said:

Love Kendall.  So smart.  Should be a shoo-in for the Bachelorette. 

She came out of the gate strong with yet another "Arie's and my," but then dropped the ball with an "Arie and I" instead of "Arie and me."  Maybe she's "auditioning" for the Bachelorette.

[ByTor]

4 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

A joke about being "crabby" when eating crab? Yeah--in fifth grade!

If my father were still living he'd be 88, and I could totally hear him telling a joke like that LOL

[Andromeda]

5 hours ago, Swellcatt said:

I don't know...I think she's getting the Bachelorette edit. I'm pretty sure she's gonna be next.

Please, NO! I was turned off on Tia after her sabotaging of Bekah, but I also can't stand her bleeping mouth. She actually said she's f-king falling in love with Arie (or something to that effect -- all I remember is the F word in the wrong place). Blech. Plus, just not that attractive.

I like Kendall, but taxidermy is just gross, unless it's for museum pieces used to educate. The idea of handling dead animal carcasses is just repulsive.

I also thought the cat was real the first time it was shown.

[saber5055]

All these hometowns are the same every season, the players and names are just interchangeable. Overly protective sibling, unapproving parent, right- and wrong- reasons families. *yawn* I swear TPTB are editing Arie to look like a dullard when we get clips, like at the very end, of him being witty and funny. But instead edits have to keep his made-up "kissing bandit" moniker alive by showing him only doing that. Who knew he and other drivers had visited the troops in the Middle East? Not us viewers, until last night. I'm betting he is full of fun stories, we just don't get to see/hear them for some reason.

I guess Fleiss has to stick to the formula season after season after season. It doesn't matter who the b-ette is next, she will be edited the same as the one before and the one before that. Fleiss and this franchise are raking in the dough, so why change it. Viewers actually believe it's real, and that's all that counts for ratings success.

Edited February 20, 2018 by saber5055

[Mabinogia]

Tia is the perfect Bachelorette candidate. She looks bland, she acts bland, she plays into the stereotype they picked for her. She is 100% interchangeable with the rest of the "middle of the pack" bachelorettes who appear on this show. I think she assumes the swearing makes her edgy but she's just so bland. Not in a vacant, you can project any personality you want on me because I'm just a lump of clay waiting to be molded by the right rich man Lauren way but in a generic bachelor contestant kind of way.

That said, I won't be watching if she is.

I didn't watch the full ep because once they got to Lauren's family I remembered I only have so much time left on this Earth and watching them all stare at Arie while he sweats under their glare is not how I want to spend a half an hour.

Not at all surprised Tia went home. She needs time to build up her Bachelorette reel and practice having no personality so all the guys will fall for her.

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Not at all surprised Tia went home. She needs time to build up her Bachelorette reel and practice having no personality so all the guys will fall for her.

I think they really gave her the edit to be the next. Her shock and dismay at being auf'd (just like Arie, you know?) Her sobbing in the car, "this is what happens every time. I doubt myself. Will anyone EVER love me???????"

Perfect resume. 

[saber5055]

41 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I think they really gave her the edit to be the next. Her shock and dismay at being auf'd (just like Arie, you know?) Her sobbing in the car, "this is what happens every time. I doubt myself. Will anyone EVER love me???????"

Geez, that's what they all say, every time. None of the "rejected" will "ever find love." Gah. So scripted. Every season. Every Bach and B-ette say the same thing.

On a different note, was there some hand-lettered sign in the window of Tia's house, like Cook Shack or something? I was watching with only part of an eye and half my brain but thought I saw some signs like that. I wondered if they were at a local cafe, not Tia's parents' home.

Edited February 20, 2018 by saber5055

[Mabinogia]

16 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Geez, that's what they all say, every time. None of the "rejected" will "ever find love." Gah. So scripted. Every season. Every Bach and B-ette say the same thing.

It would be awesome to just once see one of them, in the limo, run the back of their arm across their forehead in the fake wiping off sweat move, and go "Whew, dodged that bullet!"

All of it is so scripted at this point that the only way we're going to get anything interesting is if someone comes on and subverts the whole "process". That person would be my hero. "Do you accept this rose?" Walks up, looks at the rose carefully, "Nah, red really isn't my color." or get their family members to really freak the bach out "So, you're interested in my daughter? How much will it take for you to take her off our hands? Couple grand enough?" pull out a checkbook and watch the bachelor run! lol

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

I speak Portuguese and Spanish and I really hate this question.  I feel like a zoo animal or something and it puts me on the spot to "perform".  It's different if someone asks me to teach them something, but to just be like "say something!" I find that rude.  Like if you want to know what a language sounds like without learning anything about it well just Google it.  Pet peeve.

Totally!  I think there's a polite way to ask (time, and place... I guess.... like if you REALLY know the person) but the way that Lauren's mom did it was kind of like... I don't believe you're really Dutch.  LOL. 

[yorklee2]

6 hours ago, Swellcatt said:

I don't know...I think she's getting the Bachelorette edit. I'm pretty sure she's gonna be next.

 

34 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I think they really gave her the edit to be the next. Her shock and dismay at being auf'd (just like Arie, you know?) Her sobbing in the car, "this is what happens every time. I doubt myself. Will anyone EVER love me???????"

Perfect resume. 

I sincerely hope not. Has anyone ever gotten it who finished in 4th spot though? I've missed a lot of seasons in the past but I don't recall this happening before. And has the show ever portrayed a future lead in a bad light like when they showed Tia throwing Bekah under the bus? I'm trying to convince myself they won't pick her because I really don't want her as B'ette.

I thought I would like to see Kendall in the lead but besides the creepy taxidermy last night showed she's not ready for a serious commitment IMO. But if the show can go back seasons to find a bachelor (Nick, Arie) they can do it for the B'ette too. Or go with Becca if she's not picked. At least with her we wouldn't have to see our lead bleeped every other word.

[Mabinogia]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Totally!  I think there's a polite way to ask (time, and place... I guess.... like if you REALLY know the person) but the way that Lauren's mom did it was kind of like... I don't believe you're really Dutch.  LOL. 

I would think if she had said "how do you say Welcome to our home" then repeated it to him, that wouldn't have come off as so...odd. It really was a "dance for us monkey, dance" moment.

[NaughtyKitty]

26 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

On a different note, was there some hand-lettered sign in the window of Tia's house, like Cook Shack or something? I was watching with only part of an eye and half my brain but thought I saw some signs like that. I wondered if they were at a local cafe, not Tia's parents' home.

Correct.  it said "COOK SHACK".  I think it was a screened-in outdoor kitchen in their back yard.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

Viewers actually believe it's real, and that's all that counts for ratings success.

I honestly think (hope?) that the viewers are smarter than that, considering most of these relationships end around 6 months or whenever contract ends.

[chocolatine]

16 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

It would be awesome to just once see one of them, in the limo, run the back of their arm across their forehead in the fake wiping off sweat move, and go "Whew, dodged that bullet!"

It's not quite the same, but when Michelle Money was booted on the Brad 2.0 season, she refused to shed a single tear, just sighed theatrically and lay down for a nap in the back seat of the limo. I thought it was hilarious.

12 minutes ago, yorklee2 said:

Has anyone ever gotten it who finished in 4th spot though?

Ali Fedotowsky on Jake's season. She had a hometown date but then said that her employer wouldn't extend her leave of absence so she had to either quit the job or quit the show. She decided to quit the show and went to Jake's hotel room to tell him, then cried crocodile tears in the hallway like Jacqueline did this season. Then she got the Bachelorette gig, quit the job that was supposedly so important to her, and never looked back.

[yorklee2]

5 hours ago, chocolatine said:

It's not quite the same, but when Michelle Money was booted on the Brad 2.0 season, she refused to shed a single tear, just sighed theatrically and lay down for a nap in the back seat of the limo. I thought it was hilarious.

Ali Fedotowsky on Jake's season. She had a hometown date but then said that her employer wouldn't extend her leave of absence so she had to either quit the job or quit the show. She decided to quit the show and went to Jake's hotel room to tell him, then cried crocodile tears in the hallway like Jacqueline did this season. Then she got the Bachelorette gig, quit the job that was supposedly so important to her, and never looked back.

I didn't watch that season. So I'm assuming she was popular with the viewers then? I just can't see Tia's popularity. Her career is commendable but all that swearing is not a good look. The tattling on Bekah did it for me though. And I'm sorry but she's not that attractive IMO.

Edited February 21, 2018 by yorklee2