The Bachelorette, season 9, episode 1 – Desiree

Posted in The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

If you only watch three minutes of last night’s premiere, definitely just watch the intro because you’ll get it all: dreamy dudes, beautiful beaches, romantic moments, hot tub makeout sessions, guys crying, Desiree crying, and cheesy music. And that’s what we’ve got to look forward to the whole season, folks! Get excited!

Don’t you just love that Desiree pulls up to the swanky new Bachelorette beach house in Malibu in her humble old sedan? No limo for this down-to-earth lady! But this is a fairy tale Cinderella story after all, so it should be no surprise when Chris hands Des a pair of keys to a turquoise Bentley convertible. Mama’s trading up!

House, check.
Car, check.
And now for the men…

Bryden, 26, Missoula. Had his heart broken so he joined the military. When he meets Desiree, practically all he can do is talk about Sean. Seriously? That’s old news. Don’t bring up the ex.
Will, 28, Chicago. Banker who does Bikram Yoga. He gives out free high fives on the street and he’s definitely a high-on-life kinda guy.
Drew, 27, Scottsdale AZ. Digital Marketing. His parents divorced, his dad was an alcoholic, and he has a mentally handicapped sister (sounds like a country song, no?) so he was forced to grow up at an early age and now it’s his turn to have fun and find love. At first BFOTB and I think he looks like a young Val Kilmer. He has a nervous first introduction but Des seems pleased with The Saint (that’s an old Val Kilmer movie…look it up).
Nick R. “the suit guy” from Chicago is a professional magician. Sounds like Barney Stinson but he’s definitely not as awesome.
Zak, a drilling fluid engineer, 31, from the middle of nowhere. You know, the kind of place where you wake up, make some coffee and stand on your balcony naked contemplating life. Makes sense then that he’s the guy that gets out of the limo without a shirt, right?
Robert, Advertising Entrepreneur, Los Angeles… has a one-eyed dog. Is really good as spinning those sidewalk signs and I was a little worried there for a minute that that was his actual job and his title was meant to make him sound more stable than he is. But, I think he legitimately owns a business that hires sidewalk sign twirlers. That’s better.
Mike, 27, Dental student. Born in London. Is smart enough to know that he’s less attractive because he lost his accent. Wears his dentist coat, which I guess is one way to stand out but all I can think about is Bachelorette Ashley and how it seemed like she was a dental student FOREVER and I’m already impatient with this guy.
Brandon, 26, adrenaline junkie wakeboarder. Dad left when he was 5 and mom struggled with addiction so his grandparents were a great influence. Shows up on a motorcycle. Seems kinda stereotypical bad-boy that’s broken, but we can’t blame her when she swoons.
Brooks. He’s got good hair but fumbled through the conversation a bit.
Brad, 27, Accountant. Brought a wishbone so they could make a wish. Cute, simple. Not awkward. I like you.
Michael, Federal Prosecutor. Whoa. Intense. Takes Desiree on a walk to the fountain and sticks his hand in the fountain to try to find her penny from Sean’s season so she can have a do-over. He can’t find it but he gives her a new one to make a new wish. And now he has a wet sleeve.
Kasey, social media something or other. I’m distracted because his shoes are hideous. He comes up with a little social media campaign and spouts off some hashtags for Des: #marriagematerial was a good one. Here’s one for you, buddy: #shoefail.
Mikey, plumbing contractor. Brings up the brother thing. Probably too soon, man.
Jonathan, 26, lawyer. Brought her a fantasy suite card with a key asking her to ditch the other men and get it on. Right now. Definitely thought it was going to be cute and turned out really creepy instead. Des, watch your drink tonight…this guy looks like he might slip something in it.
James, Ad Exec. Loyalty is love speech. Pretty intense for night 1.
Larry, ER doctor. Loves to dance so he tries to dip her but her dress gets caught. He definitely says the f word on the way into the house. He knows he blew it.
Zack K., book publisher from Newport Beach. Shows up in Chucks. Des says she likes it. Scores points for the bow tie.
Desiree’s knight in shining armor comes in the form of Diogo, a ski resort manager from Lake Tahoe. Awkward. And loud.
Chris, mortgage broker, gets down on one knee and gives a fake proposal speech to only ask if he can tie his shoe. Kinda corny but cute.
Juan Pablo, pro soccer player from Venezuela brings a lovely accent and some chocolate. A+ for you, good sir.
Brian, financial advisor. Wore jeans and a velvet suit coat. Which is better than this guy:
Micah shows up in a suit he designed himself. It’s awful and looks like a kidnapper cut out magazine letters and glued them on to write a ransom note.
Nick wrote a poem. I hate poems. But apparently she digs it.
Dan, beverage sales director from Vegas.
And the cutest little man ever pops out of the limo with a flower before his dad joins him. His name is Brody and yes, he’s adorable. His dad’s name is Ben. Brody wishes he could go to the party. Hot dad points and clearly the winner of the night.

Cocktail Party:

Magician pulls out a great trick and announces to the room that he’s going to make Desiree disappear before their very eyes and then walks her out of the room. Sneaky clever!
Brandon flipped a coin about coming to the show interview or going to his birthday party and gives Des the coin, asking that she give it back to his mom when she meets her at hometown dates. A little presumptuous but I guess confidence counts.
Ben’s definitely got the advantage because he brought the cute kid and that’s pretty memorable. Ben says that Brody’s mom is his best friend, which sounds weird but whatever works…I guess you can’t spout off about baby mama drama on night 1. Ben and Desiree bond over camping, road trips and hunting. Ben wins the first rose of the season.
Zak jumps in the pool, which seemed like an impressive move until he realized that he left her alone and she got pulled away. Wah wah wah….but lucky for him Des gives points for abs and stunts and gave him a rose.
Bryden tells Des about his dog who is his best friend and about a kid he met while serving in Iraq. BFOTB correctly notes Bryden’s got a Lloyd Christmas haircut. He gets a rose anyway.
I’m not sure Desiree can understand Juan Pablo but she’s smitten with the accent and his all-around dreaminess. I will say he is quite the looker.
Drew seems super nervous but Desiree thinks he’s handsome so he gets a rose.
The ER doctor feels awful about his dance move gone wrong. I think he should feel worse about the crazy, weird vibes he’s putting off. Desiree actually asks him if he’s sleepy. He’s way funnier with just the guys and I’m sure we’d get a season of great one-liners out of this guy, but his future is looking dim.
Another first impression fail: Jonathan the lawyer who offered up a fantasy suite hotel room key. He preps a room somewhere in the house, lighting candles and doing push ups to get ready. He finds Des, tells her he’s taking her to the fantasy suite, and she pretty much says hell no. So now he’s hanging out in there alone. Clearly Des is trying to get away from him but creepster just keeps coming back for more. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again…on his second attempt to take her into his lair, Des announces that he’s making her feel uncomfortable and not only is she not going into any dark, private room with him (ever), she’s sending him home. Well done, you.

Rose Ceremony:

Brandon
Zack K.
Will
Brooks
Juan Pablo
Brad
Kasey
James
Robert
Brian
Dan
Chris
Mikey

Coming up this season:
A castle, helicopters, boats, concerts, snowy mountains, crashing waves, man fights, punches, a girlfriend that shows up (what!?!), Ben is slimy?!?, lots of cussing and crying, kissing, fireworks, hiking in a wedding dress, a picnic, dancing, and falling in love…

Woo hoo!!

Do you have any favorite guys yet?

12Mar2013

The Bachelor Recap After the Final Rose – Sean

Posted in The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

It’s not five seconds after Sean sits down to talk with Chris Harrison that the women in the live audience are shouting “take off your shirt!”

When Chris keeps telling Sean what it was like to watch the proposal or see him say goodbye to Lindsay, I just wish Sean would say “I know, dude, I was there. I lived it.” But, he’s not that cool and he doesn’t. He just nods. And it’s lame.

Lindsay comes out rocking a white dress like any scorned ex-girlfriend would do at her ex-boyfriend’s engagement party on national television. And the dress is totally killer. And I was really hoping Possessionista had a link to where to buy it. And she did. Yay! But it’s $341. Boo. Looking all lovely, Lindsay just wants to know what happened and Sean still doesn’t have much to tell her aside from the fact that he’s in love with Catherine and he wants to spend his life with her.

Lindsay is poised and happy for Sean and thankful for her experience and what Sean has taught her and shown her about herself and about love. Lindsay says her faith is really what pulled her through. And I love that Chris Harrison points out how much America appreciated when Lindsay peeled off her heels so she could storm off after Sean broke up with her. That was awesome.

Catherine comes out flaunting her rock (which is hard not to do, I’d imagine. It’s big.) Odd that Lindsay wore white but Catherine is wearing black (maybe it’s navy?)…either way, diamonds win every time.

It’s no surprise that Sean and Catherine haven’t set a wedding date yet, but it’s also no surprise that ABC will be broadcasting their wedding soon. But perhaps a little unexpected since Ashley & JP’s wedding didn’t get great ratings. But maybe because this one is fresher and people are more interested since it sounds like it’ll be happening soon. So stay tuned for that.

The Next Bachelorette — Desiree

This summer Desiree is going to be the lucky lady handing out roses to gentleman suitors and going on extravagant dates. See you then for more recaps!

12Mar2013

The Bachelor Recap – The Final Rose, Season 17 – Sean

Posted in The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

In order to make this season of the Bachelor “historic” the most exciting thing they could think to do is make the finale a whole three hours. Whoa.

Sean’s family meets him in Thailand to help him make his big decision, and instead of making him take his shirt off, women are swooning over the big bear hug Sean gives his niece and nephew upon seeing them arrive. A collective “awwww” was heard all across America.

Mom is apprehensive as Sean admits that he’s got strong feelings for both women, and Sean’s hope is that his family will provide some clarity.

Catherine Meets Sean’s Family

Catherine arrives and is very nervous because she knows how important Sean’s family is to him and how important family is to her. Pretty much, if today goes bad, she’s screwed. And she knows it.

“I played football in sixth grade. All boys and me; I was the only girl…And then I broke my arm…so I went onto cheerleading. And I got hurt way more.” – Catherine, winning dad over.

Mom asks Catherine flat out if it’s love and Catherine shares her side of their love story and what she’s most proud of: how good she feels about herself when she’s with him. Mom is pleased. And relieved.

“I am consumed by him. Very much so.” — Catherine, explaining her love for Sean to his dad.

“How do you know for sure that you really are in love before you get married?” — Sean’s dad with the tough questions.

Her response: “For me, it’s just been being my complete self and giving myself to him, and him to me. I know we’ll experience hardships…but I’m a fighter.”

“If it’s you that Sean ends up marrying, you will never have a bigger fan than me. And that’s the truth. Okay? I’ll love you like my daughter. And there’s gonna be no holding that back. And I’ll support you.” — Sean’s dad saying the sweetest thing that’s ever been said on this show. Ever.

Sean says he can see himself marrying Catherine. Buuuut…he can also see himself marrying Lindsay.

Lindsay Meet’s Sean’s Family

It seems to be going swimmingly with the fam — everyone is all smiles and giggles.

Again, Sean’s dad asks: “how do you know that you’re truly in love for life before you get married?”

Her response: “I just know. I want to hang out with him. I want to hang out with him for the rest of my life. He challenges me. He gets me. He is so supportive. He makes me feel beautiful. He is everything I’ve been looking for and more.”

More hard questions from dad, like this one: “What does a married couple do in a situation where one’s got their mind made up and the other one says ‘I don’t know’?”

Lindsay’s answer: “Well, marriage is compromise. You have to work with each other. It’s a lot of prayer, communication, and trying to figure out where we can meet in the middle.”

Dad’s retort: “Would you talk to my wife?!” Ha! Funny guy!

“When Sean was born, we began on that day praying for his wife. And so we prayed every day for her. Wherever she was. And you know, sometimes you wonder when you look in someone’s eyes – like yours – you wonder is that the one I’ve been praying for all these years? And if it is, I couldn’t be more happy. I just want you to know that.” — Sean’s dad. Sweetest thing ever said on this show #2. Wow. This guy is smooth.

Lindsay scores points with mom talking about her values and how important family is to her. Mom loves her.

“I think Lindsay is a perfect fit for me. And I’m glad that my family got to see how much she loves me. Lindsay makes me feel loved, and that’s such an incredible feeling.” – Sean

Family Matters

“It’s a win-win. They’re both very special. They’ll fit right in. We like ’em both.” — the collective family opinion.

Talking with mom, Sean — in a very respectful way — tells mom that he needs her support more than he needs her opinion. She cries a bit, worried about how big of a deal a proposal should be in his life. Mom believes that if he doesn’t know by now, he shouldn’t propose to either one.

Sean’s family leaves after being absolutely no help to him for they, too, love both Lindsay and Catherine. Well, it was worth a shot.

Lindsay’s Last Date

The couple takes a raft ride down the brown river and it all seems very rural minus the champagne. Sean and Lindsay act goofy and make out a lot. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this serious side Lindsay swears they have. I see the goofy. I see the sucking face. A lot.

“I can picture you being a hot old chick.” — Sean to Lindsay.

Lindsay is overwhelmed and excited and scared by how much she loves Sean and how close she is to getting everything she’s ever wanted in life. I’m a bit worried for her as well. She’s got a 50/50 chance at getting what she wants. But, she seems like the kind of gal that would be okay if this didn’t work out for her. Like she wouldn’t need to ask Chris Harrison for a reference to that therapist Brad was toting around his whole season. But, if she decided to go off the deep end a bit, she can swim around there with AshLee, who would be happy to have some company for a while.

Sean tells Lindsay not to be nervous, trying to reassure her, which seems nice but if she’s not the one in the end, well, it’s this sorta stuff that’s going to haunt her.

Lindsay has made three paper lanterns for them to light and release into the sky — Love, Happiness, and Family — the three things she says she and Sean need in their relationship to last forever. And at this moment, Sean says he thinks Lindsay is the girl for him. (But then, there’s always tomorrow!)

Catherine’s Last Date

Seans says he’s looking for a sign that Catherine is the one. I think the fact that she got the purple memo is a good one. Also, the first thing she gushes to Sean about is the fact that she got to touch an elephant walking around the resort the day before. And Sean can hardly contain his excitement to reveal that they’ll be riding an elephant that day. So cool! I want one. [Side note: I read an article where Chris Harrison said “elephants are the new helicopters. helicopters are so last season.” Ha! That’s about the funniest thing he’s ever said. Ever.]

The end of their elephant ride puts them atop a tall treehouse type structure where the conversation seems to be a little more serious than it was with Lindsay. Catherine confides that she’s been trying not to think too much about the future so as not to have her hopes crushed, however, she feels she’s in a good place and that she should be excited about those things. Confidence is good. Sean doesn’t seem to have it, so maybe that’s what he’s looking for in one of the girls.

Quite confidently, Catherine tells Sean that the only way she can see this story ending is with her accepting his proposal. Catherine follows Sean out crying after he leaves because she needs to be reassured but he’s clearly not going to give her what she needs. Frustrating.

It looks like she gave him a gift, but we don’t get to see what it was. A scrapbook? A collection of poems? All of their love notes?

The Man With the Rings

My favorite man from The Bachelor arrives: Neil Lane. The guy that shows up with diamonds is always going to be the best guy in my book. Neil shows Sean some fancy schmancy diamond engagement rings for the girl he says he woke up that morning and realized he couldn’t live without. It appears Sean chooses a cushion cut with micro-pave sides — what Neil calls “very romantic and classically made.” Good choice. They should really make that segment longer. Cut out the studio audience and show us more engagement rings!

Before the Proposal/Break-Up

Sean is emotional telling us how happy he is he took a leap of faith and decided to go through everything he’s been through to get here. He’s excited and ready to start his life with the woman he loves. And he’s crying a lot.

Lindsay is also happy and excited about how much her life is going to change, whereas Catherine’s mood seems a bit more somber — she’s crying because of how intense the unknown is right now.

Lindsay can’t imagine her life without Sean and she hopes her intuition is right. Catherine is confused and unsure if she’s ready.

[Side note: I’m not going to talk about the live show parts of the episode — so lame, right? And not sure why Lesley, Sarah, AshLee and Jackie were brought back, except maybe to throw people off the scent of the new Bachelorette. Hmmmm…]

Sean says he has absolutely no reason to be breaking up with the girl he’s saying goodbye to…and the girl that steps out of the limo is Lindsay. Poor girl has no clue what’s coming; she thinks she’s getting a really fancy ring, when instead she’s getting an empty goodbye. I guess it doesn’t matter who shows up in a wedding dress, it really only matters who ends up in one.

Lindsay’s Goodbye

Sean: “You have been such a surprise. I didn’t see our relationship coming…I didn’t know the depth I would find. Every time I’m with you, I’m so amazed. I’m amazed by your strength, your courage, your love, your generosity. You…you blow me away. You really do. Um…” (and now she knows) “…Lindsay, this is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. I want to give you my heart so bad. But my heart is leading me somewhere else, and as of yesterday, I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ve been so confused. I’ve been searching for clarity, and praying for clarity, and I think I’ve finally gotten it. Now I have to say goodbye to you. And, it’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do because I know how incredible you are.”

And that’s where he should have ended his speech and said goodbye. But he didn’t. He continued with this:

Sean: “And, I love you. That’s the hardest part. I love you. I know I do. I’m sorry.”

Lindsay: “It’s okay. Please, just don’t. It’s okay.”

Sean: “I think it’s important that you to know how hard this is for me because you’ve supported me from the very beginning…”

Lindsay: “Stop. Just, no, stop. Just leave. It’s okay. Was it me?”

Sean: “What I can promise you is: it’s not you. And, when it comes down to it, I just…I can’t think of one thing you don’t possess that I don’t need in a wife. I’m so sorry.”

Lindsay: “Oh my gosh. Okay, well, I’m going to go. Because this is just really painful. This is my nightmare. I really didn’t see this coming so um, I’m happy for you. I’m happy that you found love but I honestly can’t imagine my life without you and that’s something that um, I’m going to have to figure out.”

And I love that Lindsay takes off her heels so she can walk out faster. Smart move.

Sean: “Lindsay, I just want you to know how much you mean to me and I feel so blessed to have gotten to know you. Sorry.”

Lindsay: “Good luck.”

Lindsay’s car ride is a rough one. It’s true it’s not fair.

Catherine’s Letter

After Sean says a tearful goodbye to Lindsay, Chris delivers a letter from Catherine. Well, I guess it’s only fitting as she’s been giving him little love notes all season long. Adorable.

The Proposal

Sean: “This has been such a crazy journey and there have been so many unexpected, wonderful moments with you. I knew from the very beginning that you were someone I wanted to be around I just had no idea that my feelings were going to turn into what they’ve turned into. You never cease to amaze me. You never do. I think the world of you and I miss you. Every time we have to say goodbye I miss you. I don’t want to have to say goodbye to you anymore. Catherine, I want to spend the rest of my life telling you I love you and making you feel like the most special, beautiful woman in the world. (On one knee) Catherine, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” she gasps!

“I love you so much,” he whispers in her ear as they hug.

Catherine: “Oh my gosh this is so…oh my gosh…is this for real?”

Sean: “I love you so much. I do. I’m going to tell you every day. I promise you that.”

And then I just love when she says “I’m so addicted to you.” How darling. And with that, Sean gives Catherine the final rose. And they ride off into the sunset. On an elephant.

5Mar2013

The Bachelor Recap: The Women Tell All — Sean

Posted in The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

Welcome to the one before the one — The Women Tell All. The first few minutes are spent showing Sean and Chris dropping in on some Bachelor viewing parties — including one at a sorority house (I think they were chanting U-C-L-A but I can’t be sure) and that little clip concluded with the sorority girls all cheering for Sean to take off his shirt. Absolutely! Of course he obliges.

After introducing the panel of ladies who have returned to rehash their failed attempt at love on national television (all while looking tan and polished and totally put together so as to show America and Sean that he’s made a huge mistake in letting them go), the first mashup of clips that they show is all of the girls saying awful things about one another and pointing out everyone’s flaws. Meanwhile, all I can focus on is that Sarah seems to be rubbing her nub. Awkward. Even at home I’m trying not to stare. Sorry.

Tierra

“Tierra’s sparkle didn’t sparkle that big,” explains Lesley.

After a huge Tierra bashing session, Chris informs everyone that Tierra is in fact in the studio, there to defend her sparkle. The audience is cordial after Chris Harrison begs for a few moments of compassion. Tierra looks like she’s already been crying backstage but it may just be that she’s got quite a bit of perfume in her eyes since she just spritzed a cloud of it backstage. And it doesn’t look like she’s wearing much makeup…probably to let that sparkle shine through.

Chris: “Anything you’d like to take back? Anything you’d like to apologize for?”

Tierra: “Off the top of my head, no.”

It’s been a really boring back and forth as Tierra defends her friendliness, flashing her new engagement ring, and innocently pondering why it is no one liked her all that much as Chris Harrison continues to lead the witness with questions that essentially paraphrase what everyone’s just said.

“I think Tierra made her own bed — her own cot — what have you.” — Lesley, on Tierra and AshLee’s confrontation in St. Croix

And, after all that, Tierra spouts out an awful apology that probably tastes like vinegar coming out of her mouth.

Tierra is engaged and all the girls on the panel are ready to drown themselves in some large helpings of self pity and wine.

The Tierra segment ends with a “no comment” about when she got engaged, she gives a sly smile, and then says “January.” Weird.

Sarah

Chris pulls Sarah into the hot seat, informing her that while America loves her, Sean didn’t. Yeah, got that. Thanks, Mr. Obvious. Sarah breaks down after reliving getting dumped and getting the same speech she always does: you’re a great girl, someone else is going to be lucky to have you…And she says — quite rightly — that a lot of other girls probably get that too. And they do. That’s how a lot of break-ups go. Better luck next time.

Desiree

Reliving Desiree’s tearful goodbye, our little viewing party decides that this show could probably use a tissue sponsor…none of the producers ever keep tissues on hand for these girls and the constant waterworks? Rude.

Des says she was falling in love with Sean and she’s very composed and poised – not defensive, not too sad – just honest and reflective.

For as much as Des was America’s sweetheart, the conversation with Chris was really superficial…but I guess there’s not much to rehash. So Des, you still talk to your brother? Good story.

AshLee

I’m a little nervous when I take a good look at AshLee on this Women Tell All episode because it looks like someone’s given her a makeover. Either she’s here to make Sean uber jealous or she’s the new Bachelorette. And, I just can’t handle the thought of hearing about abandonment issues and healing and anything of her lengthy metaphors for a whole season. Ugh. No no no. Please, no.

AshLee says she is not in love with Sean anymore and she realized that Sean wasn’t what she thought he was. She said with her Sean was a southern gentleman but when she watched the show and saw the way he acted with the other women, she thought he was more like a frat boy. Having married a frat guy, I say there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!

Sean

AshLee is first up to put Sean on the spot. Her only question: “what happened?” Sean’s only real reason is that he couldn’t find laughter with her. I guess that’s as good of a reason as any. I wouldn’t want a love without laughter. I get that.

Sean compares his saying goodbye to AshLee to Emily saying goodbye to him. And he understands why she felt strung along because he had to talk with her about the future. AshLee lectures Sean about what it is to be a southern gentleman and she expresses extreme disappointment that he never checked on her. In her words, she wanted a phone call saying “how are you, babe?” Seriously, lady? You’re crazy. The dude broke up with you. There’s no more pet names. And all he can say is that he thought it would be harder to reach out to her (more like my woman now would kill me if I keep in contact with any of you other gals) after sending her away.

And then the crazy claws come out: AshLee asks Sean why he would say to her that he didn’t have any feelings for the other two girls. Twice! And all flabbergasted Sean can do is sit there and deny it. And all AshLee can do is say that she’s not making it up. Because that’s what emotionally unstable people do. She believes her own version of the truth. And that’s that. Sean puts it on record (to save his potential future marriage to one of the remaining two women) that he does not agree and no such words were ever said. When the show returns from commercial, we get to overhear AshLee and Sean’s private conversation and AshLee stands firm in her belief that Sean did tell her that he didn’t have feelings for the other girls and that when she said “I love you” he replied that when it was all over he would “tell her every day.” So much for your happy ending.

Sean says that Des is a person that makes him smile when he thinks about her (which is often?!) because she’s so full of joy. But, he said that he felt like she was hiding some things behind her smile, to which Desiree nods knowingly and they bid each other adieu. Definitely saw enough closure here for her to potentially be the new Bachelorette. Here’s to hoping.

Next week: elephants, crying, kissing, cabanas, meeting the family, a ring, and a letter.

And, the part of the show that pulled most at my heartstrings: the tribute to the dog that recently passed. Devastating.

26Feb2013

The Bachelor Recap Episode 9, season 17 – Sean

Posted in The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by Jennifer | Stick Girl JAM

In case you’ve missed this entire season (catch up on season 17 of The Bachelor here if you’d like), here’s a glimpse into how Sean is feeling about each of his lovely ladies:

“The spark between me and Catherine is undeniable….Catherine is so sweet, funny, very intelligent. I have something with her that I don’t have with the other two. She’s weird and nerdy and I love weird and nerdy. I love Catherine’s serious view on life and I think that our morals and values are both in sync. And there’s also this romantic element that we share that is just off the charts. I feel completely natural around her and I can be myself 100% and I think I could easily picture Catherine and I cuddled up on the couch at the end of a long day with kids at home. Seems like a pretty sweet life.” — Sean about his relationship with Catherine

“My relationship with AshLee is probably the strongest relationship I have because she has all these amazing qualities that any man would want in a wife. AshLee has one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever come across — she’s so giving and caring and I never have to guess about how she’s feeling and that’s what I want in a wife, I want someone who’s open and honest, who communicates. To know that someone I like so much is in love with me is humbling and AshLee and I want the same types of things out of life — family, marriage, future. She’s so inspirational, so strong. When I picture my future with AshLee I picture the two of us living in Dallas, nice little house with kids running around — it’s the American dream.” — Sean regarding his relationship with AshLee

“Lindsay and I have this spark that has grown into this massive flame and it’s so crazy to think about where we came from. I was worried Lindsay was just fun and didn’t have the depth or maturity that I was looking for but she’s so much more than the crazy girl in the wedding dress that I met on night one. Lindsay is so loving, caring, generous, supportive, hilarious, and she’s one of those girls that seems to never have a bad day and I love that about her. The moment I first realized I could see myself with Lindsay was when we were having dinner in front of the fireplace in Montana. I really started to picture me and Lindsay being married and I realized that everything I’m looking for — emotionally, spiritually, physically — matches up.” — Sean explaining his feelings about Lindsay

Needless to say, our Bachelor is a bit confused. But, not to fret, dear friends! For this week is what every Bachelor waits for: overnight fantasy suites!

Lindsay

Sean meets his first lucky lady, Lindsay, in Thailand for their first date since Lindsay said the big “I love you,” which of course went unanswered (per the contract) leaving Lindsay to wonder whether her beau is also in love with her. They spend their date day wandering around a farmer’s market of sorts with exotic fruits, street food, and dyed birds. Oh, and bugs. That you eat. No thank you. Lindsay puts on a brave face to try the bugs but squirms and sours her face, all the while Sean crunches away stating “not that bad, not that bad…” Boys are so weird.

Lindsay and Sean recall their time at home with her parents and how it couldn’t have gone any better. Lindsay makes it very clear that she’s ready to start her life with Sean and he affirms that he can see it too.

“You’re the best friend that I’ve been looking for.” — Sean to Lindsay

Their romantic evening dinner is set in front of traditional Thai floats. Lindsay says she’s open to moving to Dallas and Sean says he thinks that would be so fun — to be engaged, to pick out a house. Lindsay agrees. She’s ready to start their life together and tells him just that. Again.

Just as Lindsay is mustering up the courage to say “I love you” again, knowing Sean will just sit there and grin through it without saying it back, costumed dancers appear from behind the floats led in by music that kills the moment. Directly following the performance, Sean hands Lindsay the fantasy suite card and he does his best to be gentlemanly about the invitation, clarifying that it’s uninterrupted, quality time they’ll be spending together. She happily accepts, noting that she’d love to spend that time with him. In the fantasy suite, Ashley and Sean toast to themselves and that liquid courage helps her realize she has a lot to be confident about. Sean gives a cute little speech about their relationship and how it equates to what he wants for himself, after which Lindsay nervously confesses that she loves him. Sean’s reply: “I love…hearing you say that.” So close! Cue the happy ever after music and then they make out.

AshLee

AshLee’s already calling Sean “the love of her life” and her “true love” whom she “love[s] more than words can express,” which may or may not be a tad intimidating to him. We’ll see. The pair take a boat ride to Emerald Cave, which Sean sees as another opportunity to test AshLee’s trust capabilities. On the other side of the deep, dark cave is a private beach waiting for them. I’m surprised we didn’t hear another metaphor – something about the cave being a closet of her deepest, darkest fears that she’s locked away and put outside her mind and now she has to get out the key and unlock the door to the closet and her heart and swim through all of her issues. Or something like that. Something like this:

“It’s pitch dark and you can’t see anything. I mean, it’s scary. But, that’s kinda how life is sometimes. When you’re with someone you love, you’re going down this dark alleyway. What scares me here is taking the risk and not knowing the outcome. What if he says “you’re great but you’re not the one?”

On the other side of the cave is a gorgeous white sand beach surrounded by lush forest. Looks peaceful and serene, and I’m sure AshLee’s told Sean all about how his love has calmed her fears and her mind and how her heart is at peace, just like the beautiful beach before them. Or something like that.

AshLee makes it pretty clear that there will be no hanky panky with Sean because she won’t compromise her morals when he’s also pursuing the same thing with other girls.

Sean says it’s clear that he’s falling in love with her so he wants to be sure to put her at ease about what the date card and fantasy suite mean to him. AshLee talks her way around saying yes by making it clear herself that she won’t be crossing any boundaries and that they will in fact just be talking and spending time together. She confesses later that she was really nervous to say yes to the fantasy suite but appreciates that he respects their relationship. Sean tells her that he was confident about her very early on and she takes that as an opening to tell Sean her preferred ring style, cut and size. Tacky. But kudos for trying to close the deal, I guess.

Catherine

“As I’ve been away from Catherine, I realize I miss her. But I left her hometown date thinking do we have the same life goals? do we want to live our life the same way? I still have a few questions about Catherine…” — Sean about his relationship status with Catherine

[Side note, I love that one of the tweets displayed on the bottom of the screen is wondering how many v-necks Sean owns. The answer is a lot. He should buy stock. Or Hanes should sponsor the show.]

“I’ve been thinking about Catherine quite a bit. I realize I need my best friend and I think Catherine fits that perfectly but I wonder if she can truly see herself settling down in Dallas, with a family. I think of the remaining girls, she and I are the most different.” — Sean about his uncertainty of Catherine

Catherine says that she’s not set on Seattle and she makes it known to Sean that she was very upset with her sisters during their hometown visit because they may be doubtful but she’s ready to settle down. Catherine shares about her past insecurities about relationships and again, they bond over their mutual weirdness.

“I’ve never been in a place to accept great love from someone like Sean and I’m totally ready. I want to be with him.” — Catherine about falling in love with Sean

“I just feel like Catherine gets me better than anyone else and that’s a really good feeling because I feel like I get her too.” “Could I see myself marrying Catherine? The answer was ‘yes!'” says Sean.

Sean: “Where would you see us in five years? What would our life look like? “

Catherine: “We would obviously be married – I hope we’d be married in five years – and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a kid involved in five years and we would be happy.”

Sean: “I can tell you that I can see myself marrying you.”

You can tell that Catherine is super nervous about the fantasy suite, which is kinda cute and loveable about her. And Sean seems to agree. Except I think it turned him on, which kinda defeats the chivalrous little speech he just gave. Oh well, whatever works, right?

Catherine reveals that she was made fun of a lot — about being chubby or eating too much — and she never thought that she’d ever get to be with someone like Sean, who she considers to be such a hunk. And Sean just steals her heart (and ours) when he quickly informs her that she’s smoking hot and it is he, in fact, who is the lucky one. And that’s really the only answer any guy should ever give, I think. Well done, you.

After some seriously steamy making out in the pool, Catherine says she’s fallen in love with Sean and she’s going to tell him. But we don’t see that part so we’re left to assume that it happened behind closed fantasy suite doors. I guess it would be kind of nice to have one shared, private moment as a couple, especially one so significant. Good call, Catherine.

Quality Time with Chris Harrison

Sean says he woke up and knew who to send home and he’s been dreading it all day. It’s at this point in the game that Emily told Sean goodbye and that’s all he can think about now that the tables are turned and he’s going to do the same thing to one unlucky lady. And with that sad revelation, Sean reveals that he is in love and he can see himself down on one knee at the end of all this. Yay!

The last three ladies have recorded video messages for Sean. Lindsay recalls falling in love with Sean under the stars in Canada and how their lives seem to fit together. “I met you in a wedding dress and maybe soon I’ll be wearing one again for you,” says Lindsay. Catherine sounds surprised about how the process has unfolded for her and pleasantly so as she sweetly tells Sean the story of their evolving relationship and how happy she is to find herself with him now, picturing him as her husband, and falling in love. She was a very poised speaker, I thought, which was easy to think especially after hearing AshLee’s…AshLee’s video sounds a bit like a therapy confessional about walls coming down and dependency “I can’t imagine walking away without having you as my partner for life…I believe that together we are whole.” And tears. There are a lot of tears.

Rose Ceremony:

It’s a rainy day rose ceremony, probably very fitting for the serious mood of this last rose ceremony. Catherine’s trying to catch his eye and smile, AshLee brought out the cleavage to get his attention and I especially appreciated Lindsay’s “oh shit” on a solemn exhale right as Sean picks up the first rose.

Lindsay
Catherine

Going Home: AshLee

And cue the drama music. Gosh, where is Chris Harrison when you need him? Isn’t he supposed to step in and tell AshLee to say her goodbyes? Well, she didn’t need that hint and storms off, not saying a word of goodbye to the other two girls, and telling Sean to “stay back” before stopping last minute to let him explain that he thought it was going to be her from the beginning and he didn’t want to hurt her, which actually isn’t an explanation at all. If he wanted to not do what Emily did, I think he needed to say that he wasn’t in love with her like he is with the other girls instead of vaguely saying “you’re great but goodbye.”

“This wasn’t a silly game to me. This wasn’t about laughter and joking and having fun. It was hard saying goodbye to Sean because I let him in. And I love him.” — AshLee on the car ride home

You know, this really got me thinking that they should probably bring back that therapist from Brad’s season and just keep him on retainer as part of the crew.

Coming Up

The Women Tell All is next week! In two weeks the girls meet Sean’s family and Sean looks to them for clarity. Sean’s mom seems to get teary advising him on what an important decision proposing is. Oh, and the finale is 3 hours. Dang. Pack an ice chest for that one.