Tag Archives: tv

The Bachelorette Recap episode 4, season 8 – Emily

Posted in Television & Movies, The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by

This week I find myself a bit bored by our Bachelorette (is that just me?) while they all find themselves in beautiful Bermuda.

One-on-One Date card: Doug – “let our senses lead the way.”
The guys are all joking around giving Doug a hard time about his nerves before the big date and clearly he’s worked up about it all and the possibility of going home. Emily says she and Doug have a strong connection, the conversation is easy, it seems like they’ve known each other for a long time, and that she’s utterly bored. Okay, she didn’t say that last part – that was me. They go to The Bermuda Perfumery and shop around town, . They walk through the moon gate and make a wish about love…Emily’s wish is life altering: please let me not be single forever. Oi…there is no hope for this woman.

Emily feels Doug might be hiding something and has suspicions that he may be a lot like Brad. When Emily asks Doug what his ex-girlfriend would say about him he gives a lame-o answer: “I spend too much time with my son.” and “I didn’t wash her car enough.” Emily is not amused by his stupid responses that clearly try to paint him positively. But then she goes and does the same thing by saying the worst thing about herself is that she goes out in public in her pajamas. Maybe they are a match.

It gets a bit weirder and even less entertaining when Doug tells the camera that he doesn’t ever make the first move with the ladies. Ever. In his words: “Emily will let Doug know if she wants a kiss.” I think that’s something the ex-girlfriend would have complained about.

Group Date: Charlie, Ryan, Chris, Jef, Sean, Arie, Travis, Kalon – “let’s set sail on the sea of love.”
During a team-on-team sailing competition that puts four against four, the yellow team — Jef, Arie, Ryan, and Kalon – come out ahead to go off into the sunset for more time to spend with Emily. During the group time together we learn:

  • Ryan is the jerk, calling Emily the trophy, as in his possible wife/that night’s prize.
  • Arie is the man to beat. Emily and Arie cozy up together like they’re already a couple.
  • Jef is too nice. And probably too sincere to be on this show. He says he really likes who Emily is and he confesses that he is nervous to invest a lot of emotion. After that they don’t have anything to talk about so he offers to take her back and she agrees, disappointed he didn’t kiss her.
  • Ryan is also pompous. He lets us in on his strategy, noting he’s taking his time this evening “not to impress her but make an impression.” A bad one, I’d say. He tries to flirt by giving her a hard time and she comes back full force repeating every single backhanded statement he’s said thus far. Like she memorized them writing them over and over in her journal or Chris Harrison has a mic in her ear and is reading them off line by line.
  • Ryan is a lecturer, telling Emily she should be setting a good example for all the girls watching the show at home and that going around kissing Arie with other guys in the house is not a ladylike thing to do.
  • Emily’s not as stupid as she looks and the only real impression she gets from Ryan is that he’s super judgy.
  • Nice guys finish first [sometimes]. Jef gets the rose.

Two-on-One Date: John and Nate – “let’s explore this Bermuda love triangle.”
Ryan and Doug ruffle Chris’s young feathers when they guess that John “Wolf” will come home because Nate is only 25. The trio goes out on a yacht and jump off a cliff and not much more. For dinner they head to some caves for some awkwardness served up on a platter. It’s so quiet you can hear all the little droplets of water that also so badly don’t want to be there that they’d rather plunge into the ocean in hopes of being swept away to sea. I don’t quite understand why but John and Nate announce they’re not eating dinner. Maybe in protest? Too nervous to eat? Whatever the reason, it’s weird. Nate says he has a huge crush on her and she has a sweet soul. Emily asks what she should know about Nate and he cries telling her how amazing everyone in his life is. Emily calls him innocent, which in Bachelorette speak is never a good sign. He whispers the softest, weakest “cheers” ever to be toasted and it’s so meek and sad it makes me laugh out loud. John goes into his conversation with Emily confidently to tell Emily he’s not a loud “look at me!” kinda of guy. We don’t see much of a conversation or a connection with either of them so I’m surprised when she breaks it straight to Nate that he’s going home but still gives a rose to John.

Cocktail party:

• Alejandro: Emily swears she can see that Alejandro has a lot of passion in his life and I believe she may be intrigued by him. A mushroom farmer! Who wouldn’t be?!
• Ryan feels like God has really blessed him and he doesn’t want to fall in love with the wrong person. He pretty much asks Emily why she’s worthy. He tells the camera he should be the next Bachelor. Ugh, the way this usually works out, he could be. I revoke him as a pick.
• Arie steals her away and fishes for compliments asking how she feels about him. Emily says that when she’s by herself he’s the person she thinks of.
• Sean and Emily have a cute kiss and I’d like to add him to my pick list. He is super sexy and doesn’t know it.
• Chris is insecure because the other guys are on him about being young so he opens up to Emily about it and she seems to be on his side. He confronts Doug about it and Doug just laughs and says he doesn’t feel threatened by Chris. Chris says he doesn’t believe Doug and thinks he is hiding something but he’s not very articulate so he just walks away looking like a fool.

In a shocking turn of events, this is the first time I’ve appreciated a conversation with Chris Harrison. Emily talks disappointment about Jef not kissing her, trying to figure out what’s wrong with Doug, not being able to stop kissing Arie, and what a manipulator Ryan is and how silly he is to think he has her fooled. Good stuff in that little chat!

Roses:
Doug
John
Jef
Sean
Arie
Travis
Chris
Ryan
Kalon
Alejandro

Going home: Charlie and Michael.

Next week: London. Double decker buses, palaces, city lights, acting, lots of kissing, someone calls Ricki “baggage,” Doug tells Emily someone called Ricki “baggage,” and then what’s likely to be the most exciting thing to happen this season: Emily tells that guy to “get the f&$! out.”. Oooh! That’s gonna be a good one! Any guesses on who it’ll be? Instincts say Kalon, who I’ve now modified not only to look like Ryan Phillippe from Cruel Intentions but also Jude Law from The Holiday.

The Bachelorette Recap episode 3, season 8 – Emily

Posted in Television & Movies, The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by

I didn’t get a chance to watch this week’s episode of The Bachelorette on Monday but I was still giddy to sit down and watch it all play out – for some reason, I’m really invested in this season and I’m still hopefully optimistic despite Emily seeming like she’s not willing to get too deep, thereby making it difficult to truly connect with anyone.  In any case, the dates were super fun.

One-on-One Date: Chris – “Love is a steady climb.”
Out walking the streets of Charlotte, Emily notes feeling unbelievably comfortable with Chris despite his intimidatingly dashing good looks.  They climb the wall of a tall building to get to their dinner spot with a view. Mid-climb a storm starts. Thunder. Lightning. Crowd forming below them. Emily freaking out. They make it to the top and feel a huge sense of accomplishment but Chris thinks he missed his moment for a triumphant kiss.  I agree.

Later plying Chris with compliments (likely to try to get some in return), Emily says taht he’s a confident, manly man and “if I saw you across a bar, I would not talk to you…I mean, I would be too nervous to talk to you.” Chris gives a little eyebrow raise and makes it pretty darn clear he’d run across the room to talk to her.

But, there’s trouble on the horizon when asked about past relationships and Chris shares his last significant other was his high school sweetheart. She’s not the problem; it’s his age.  Emily is clearly saddened to learn that he’s only 25 (a whole year younger than her…gasp!) and now he’s so nervous that he spills out words to prove he’s mature and ready to be a husband and father. Emily says she likes Chris a lot more than she thought she would.

They stroll down the street and happen upon a Luke Bryan (yummy!) concert in downtown Charlotte. Chris really wanted a kiss and out of respect for her asks if he can kiss her at the end of the song and she tells him to go on and give it a try. Looked like it went over pretty well to me but gosh, I sure hate it when they ask for a kiss.  Isn’t it proper ruling that if you have to ask it’s probably not okay? 

Group Date: Charlie, Alejandro, Stevie, Ryan, Alessandro, Sean, John, Michael, Doug, Jef,  tony, and Travis – “Let’s play.”
Emily introduces the guys to her best girlfriends so the girls can grill ’em to weed out the suckers. It seems like they are getting some pretty good info from the guys, including what some of them look like without shirts.  We don’t learn until later in the show that Alessandro made an interesting subject. Cheated? Yup. Had a one night stand?  Yup.   Sean, Doug and Ryan are the friend favorites.

“Sean is a genetic gift to the world.” – Emily’s friend, Wendy getting a little saucy.

Emily blows a whistle and lets a bunch of kids loose in the park (seriously, whose kids are these?). While the guys entertain the kiddos, Ryan saunters over to the gals and somehow manages to mention Emily better not get fat because he’d still love her but maybe wouldn’t love on her as much. Ooh ouch. No brownie points for you.  

Later on, Sean gets some alone time with Emily.  He sure is shiny!  He says he hasn’t dated anyone in a year because he’s really selective and looking for what his parents have.  He seems too good to be true in all regards but I don’t know that the family card (aside from being a father to Ricki) really wins over Emily – she doesn’t talk too much about any other family than her daughter. 

Doug the dad gives his 10 minute life story, tells Emily his dad had epilepsy, his mom left. He has a sister. They were in and out of foster homes. Emily tears up (too much depth, I think).

“You have bad days so you know when you have good ones.” – Doug, the profound father.

Tony is visibly upset, missing his son while he’s out playing with other people’s kids.  After tearing up talking to Emily about his son then breaking down after calling his son,Emily finds him and tells him to go home. In the nicest possible way.  But really, get outta here.  

Date rose goes to Sean for being true to what he made himself out to be. [super hunky.]   

One-on-One Date: Arie – “Love is a wild ride.”
I’m sure that Arie was stoked to hear that phrase on the date card. And I’m also sure he was pretty disappointed to find out they flew all the way to Tennessee to go to Dollywood, a big, southern theme park. They head into a theater to write love songs to each other and surprise, surprise! Dolly is there! She sings a song she’s written just for them. [no, it’s not good in case you were wondering.] They dance horribly.  I mean wow, that’s bad.  But Emily is all smiles. Dolly and Emily have a little girl talk and then Dolly plays them a love song she wrote for her husband of 46 years. “From here to the moon and back.”  You can bet you’ll be hearing that song again sometime this season. 

At dinner that night Emily asks Arie more about the girl he dated with two kids (they lived together and it was serious but the relationship didn’t work. Yes, he misses the kids). Arie asks Emily about Brad and why that didn’t work. Moving on quickly, Emily says she likes her own space so she’d be welcoming of Arie’s busy schedule. [read: I want a man to provide for me, but I don’t want him around …maybe why Emily never made the move to live with Brad?]. Emily tries to trick Arie into believing she was sending him home. They make out on the carousel and Emily confesses she’s scared by how much she likes him already and by how much he reminds her of Ricki’s dad.  I see a top contender, folks! 

Cocktail party
When Emily gets alone time with sad boy Kalon who didn’t get a date this week, he dominates the conversation, repeatedly cuts her off and talks over her.  He doesn’t help when he starts in on the “I always believed that my first child would be my own…” speech.  And then, the best part comes when Emily tries to partake in the conversation…

“I love it when you talk but I wish you’d let me finish.” – Kalon, getting feisty

“I do like tall, skinny and funny but I do not like tall, skinny and condescending.” -Emily, getting real

 Most importantly: I figured out who Kalon looks like.  Any guesses?? See below.

I thought the egg spashing scene would be a lot more cathartic. Turns out, no.  It wasn’t.   

Alessandro confesses he doesn’t have experience with kids and digs a deep hole he can’t crawl out of by informing Emily that becoming a dad and a husband are compromises because he’d be tied down…the conversation went a little like this:

Allessandro: “Yes, being a dad and a husband is a compromise.  I can’t travel, I can’t go anywhere….[Emily interjects to make sure she’s understanding correctly] …wha?  No. Aah, no no.  We’re not having language barrier issues.  I’m expressing myself.”

Emily: “And now you’re going home.”

Alessandro: “I’m living like a gypsy king with freedom.”

Emily is upset for all of 30 seconds until Arie consoles her with a big hug and kiss.  And now the other guys are fuming. Front-runner competition for sure! Plus, he’s got the whole racing thing on his side…I can see why the guys are freaking out.

Arie may have come in with a kiss and a hug, but Sean comes in as a knight in shining armor, telling Emily that his father taught him how to be an amazing father and that he would feel blessed to have Ricki as a daughter and if they were to get married.  Furthermore, he proclaims (without even having met her yet), that if he becomes a stepdad to Ricki, she can call him whatever she’d like but to him, she’d be his daughter.  Aww…a little too soon, but sweet.

Roses:
Chris
Sean
Arie
Jef
Charlie
Doug
Michael
Travis
Alejandro
Ryan
John
Kalon
Nate 

Stevie goes home. Ryan is a little heartbroken about seeing Emily kissing Arie so he’s ready to get competitive.

Next up: In Bermuda for cliff jumping, fireworks, bonfires, yachts, boats, racing, cliff jumping. Chris and Doug get in a tiff (a two-on-one date, perhaps?), and the guys question Ryan’s integrity.

Who does Kalon look like?  Ryan Phillippe.  Like Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions, right?

The Bachelorette Recap, episode 2 season 8

After last week’s first episode and meeting of the men vying for Emily’s affection, I told you that Ryan was one of my favorites.  And what do you know? This week, hunky former football player is up first for a one-on-one date. 

One-on-one date: Ryan — “Be my King in the Queen’s city”
If it’s even possible, I swoon even more when Ryan advises the other men: “My pastor always told me, ‘If you treat a woman like a queen she’ll treat you like a king.'”  Sigh…

Before their date, Emily tells us that Ryan makes her nervous because he’s so good looking.  I agree. But, she also worries that he may be a little bit too much like Brad, and in that sense, she hopes his dashing good looks don’t get in the way of good judgment.  Good luck with that, sweetheart.

Emily takes Ryan home to her house, pulls into the driveway and tells Ryan to unload the groceries. Not exactly the helicopter/plane/hot air balloon ride be was hoping for, but we can guess there will plenty of that later on this season.

On their date – a ploy to help Emily see how Ryan might fit into her everyday life and for Ryan to see what it’s like to bake cookies for her daughter’s soccer team, Ryan is put to the test in a floral apron.  Emily delcares approval on the batch while the other men sit around and ponder whether Emily will introduce Ryan to Ricki. When Emily and Ryan arrive at Ricki’s soccer game, Emily asks Ryan to wait in the car, as she’s not ready for her daughter to meet any of her suitors yet. Ryan is very humble and says he was honored to be part of her normal day and respects that she asked him to wait in the car. Aww cute.

The second part of their date takes place at one of Emily’s favorite restaurants in Charlotte.  A throng of people await Emily’s arrival to the restaurant like red carpet movie screening. Inside, Emily asks Ryan about his girlfriend, which I thought was odd. He quickly corrects her (“ex-girlfriend”) and it didn’t come across correctly but I liked Ryan’s answer about wanting to keep chasing a woman – his point that the chase shouldn’t end just because you end up together was a bit lost on Emily…maybe that’s why things haven’t worked out for her in the past?  In any case, she flirtily tells Ryan that if it’s a chase he wants, it’s a chase he’ll get.

“I want a man to come in and be the boss…but we’d both really know I’m in charge.” – Emily, with a sly smile.

They have a cute little banter back and forth about chasing one another. They go outside the restaurant where Gloriana is playing “(Kissed You) Good Night.” Emily says it was a perfect date. No kiss but a cute little dip at the end of the song to go along with that rose on his lapel.

Group date with 13 guys: “Let’s set the stage for love”
It’s always awkward in the beginning when we and Emily don’t know all the guys’ names and here she is welcoming them all to this group date with a receiving line of hugs.  The Muppets will be guiding the guys through singing, dancing and comedy for a show to raise money for Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

Charlie is very insecure because he’s still having speech issues as part of his recovery from the accident. He finds Emily to tell her that he doesn’t feel comfortable and she is supportive and understanding. I gotta say though, he didn’t have to be insecure – everyone was awful. Stevie enjoys the dancing the most (he’s got jazz hands). The comedians weren’t funny. Charlie was smooth but I wonder if now he will only get pity from Emily?

Chris seems to feel that he and Emily already have a strong connection. Emily says one of her favorite things about him is that he’s so good looking. I have a feeling that this season is going to be even more shallow than I thought.

Emily sought out Jef to find out why he’s playing hard to get. He seems really insecure but she thinks he’s cute, and to be honest she seems pretty insecure too, fishing for compliments from everyone.

Kalon aka “Chopper” cuts in on Stevie’s dance lesson and Jazz Hands is pissed. Just moments later Aaron cuts in on Chopper, which he is devastated by because they were having such an amazing conversation, he and Emily, both being falsely humble and batting eyelashes at one another (“you’re so pretty! no, you’re so pretty!”)…ugh, those two together are too much.

Jef gets the date rose for making Emily feel happy and comfortable. Chris [and all of America] is perplexed by this.

One-on-one date: Joe — “Come close to my heart”
They totally should have played “take my breath away” because Joe looks like the wind got knocked out of him when he pulls up in a limo to see Emily standing on a red carpet next to a plane. They fly to West Virginia, Emily’s home state, to go to the Greenbriar. They suit up and dive in.

Kalon says he doesn’t know how he’d feel about being a dad to someone else’s kid and the dads in the house give some words of wisdom to the group. Kalon accuses them of putting being a dad on hold to come on the show. That doesn’t go over well.

Emily knows already that there is a spark missing with Joe. When asked what he wants in 5 years he says to be happy with no regrets about his relationships and career. When she asks what that means he has no answer.  Trying to mask the fact that Joe has no clue what he wants except to sleep with a hot chick, she totally freaks him out when she says she wants more kids.  A lot more.

“It’s not about five years from now, it’s about fifty years from now.” -Emily

Emily is crying because she’s in this magical place she loves and Joe wrote a beautiful love wish for the love clock that said all the things she wanted to hear but she doesn’t know about him [read: isn’t attracted to him] and so he has to read between the lines and excuse himself. He walks away like it was a business deal, thanking her for the opportunity. And the awkward is amplified when the fireworks go off and she’s standing on the balcony alone.

Sean, Arie and one other guy (Travis?) didn’t get dates this week but my guess is Arie has nothing to worry about.

Cocktail party:

  • Arie gets alone time and tells Emily he dated a girl that had two kids and she is impressed.
  • The guys are pissed because Ryan already has a rose and is alone with her. Tony walks in to interrupt and while Ryan acknowledges that Tony deserves time with her, he urges Emily to read a letter he’s writter her.  (Umm..can’t she read it later?)  It’s painful to see Tony stand there for what had to have been twenty minutes while Emily reads (aloud!) all of the thoughts and dreams and aspirations that Ryan has put to paper.  It’s akin to Rachel’s letter to Ross, 18 pages front and back. Too much, buddy. 

Roses:
Ryan
Jef
Kalon aka “Chopper”
Arie
Michael
Nate
Sean
Chris
Doug, the Dad
Travis
Tony
John
Alessandro
Charlie
Alejandro
Stevie aka “Jazz Hands”

Going home: Aaron the biology teacher from Long Beach and Kyle also from Long Beach. That’s saying something. Maybe they got a two-fer deal on plane flights back home?

Next week:
Egg drop soup, anyone?
One guy misses his kid, one guy wants a kid, another would compromise for a kid…Plus, roller coasters, Dolly Parton, it looks like Arie and Chris get dates, and a storm is a brewin’!

The Bachlorette Recap episode 1, season 8 – Emily

Posted in Television & Movies, The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by

Friends, hello!  Welcome to this new season of The Bachelorette! As I’ve said before, I’m really looking forward to this season with Emily because, well, let’s face it, she’s crazy gorgeous and has a darling southern accent which is sure to mean some ridiculously good lookin’ fellas chasing after her.  Are you excited about Emily as The Bachelorette? It’s not surprising, seeing as she was such a big fan favorite but it’s also hard to forget the two-faced personality rumors we see swirling the blogosphere and tabloids.  And also her lackluster dates with Brad…they weren’t exactly conversation heavy or emotion filled. Well, despite the fact that last night’s episode did not air until 9:30pm (take note Bachelor people: working ladies who love wine tend to adore sleep, especially on Mondays. How about an 8pm timeslot, huh? Mmkay, good talk. Thanks.) I was still eager.  So, here we go!

Season 8 Bachelorette Emily Maynard (photo cia Craig Sjodin/ABC)

The intro to this season is exactly what you’d expect – Emily looking lovely and polished, doting on daughter Ricki, retelling her tragic story of love lost via plane crash then found via daughter then lost via loneliness after 7pm when said daughter goes to bed, then found on The Bachelor only to be lost again due to a violent temper.  Still with me? Perhaps the most entertaining part of all of this for me is that Emily is 26 (wow, that’s still surprising, right?) and has been engaged twice but she still fiercely proclaims that “being engaged is something that’s really special and should be saved for the person you’re going to marry.” [yes, Emily, hence, the meaning of engaged to be married. Where is Chris Harrison when you need him to explain something?]

Chris says this season is unlike any other but so far it’s only different because
a) it’s in Charlotte instead of LA and
b) they’ve never had a single mom Bachelorette. [apparently single dad Jason Mesnick was nothing like this season.]

Here’s what we know about the men from their intro videos, just-out-of-the-limo greetings, and cocktail hour time:

  • Kalon – for a split second appears to be a James Franco/Jude Law lookalike, a self-proclaimed modern southern gentleman who rightly pisses everyone off when he arrives via helicopter. Even Emily shows a bit of humor throwing in a line about “being blown away” by the guys.
  • Ryan — former NFL player, mentors kids, has a darling dog.
  • Tony — He’s a single dad who is super buff and divorced. I think I’ll call him Guipetto. He sells wood and apparently likes fairy tales – he brought a glass Cinderella slipper.
  • Lerone — lives in LA with a little pup, likes to run. Says Emily being a single mom is the sexiest thing about her, which really creeps me out.  (Also, he’s quite apparently one of three token non-caucasian guys thrown in the mix so ABC can avoid further lawsuits about discrimination. Read this article: “Emily Maynard in room full of suitors. The main thing missing? Minorities.“)
  • David — singer/songwriter (ugh…we see a serenade session coming soon…more wine, please!).  To our gathered group, this guy looks like a poor woman’s Jesse Katsopolis.
  • Charlie — survived an accident but sustained a serious brain injury, has a dog, reevaluating life and looks like a serious contender.
  • Jef — with one ‘f’, a young Marty McFly-esque skateboarder, CEO/co-founder of People Water (normally I wouldn’t like to a site for self-promotion of a contestant, but it’s a charity so have at it) , from Utah
  • Arie — sexy race car driver. Ooh. Ouch. Too soon?  We findout when he tells Emily to get it all out in the open. She’s touched he thought to bring it up so soon and not long after she’s pondering just how good he’d look behind the wheel.
  • First out of the limo is Sean with swagger. A saunter, if you will. I don’t have much else for you on that one, sorry.
  • Doug — charity director from Seattle. He’s a hugger with an 11-year-old boy who wrote Emily a cute little letter. Smooth.
  • Jackson — a fitness model. Got down on one knee right away and Emily is not impressed. Dude, she’s been engaged twice already…not original. And to further prove he’s an all-around cliche he quotes: “life is not measured by the breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away.”  Goodbye, Jackson.
  • Joe — Field energy advisor from LA. Reminds me of Jesse, the snowboarder that won Deanna’s season. Also looks like he’s had his hair pulled back in a headband for quite some time, like teeny bopper guy on the voice that really bugged me. Or maybe James Van Der Beek. 
  • Kyle – anyone remember anything about this guy?
  • Chris – brings up God pretty quickly which I think scores points pretty quickly with Emily. Plus, he seems like a romantic, having asked his parents for advice before the show.
  • Aaron — biology teacher that wants to have chemistry with Emily.
  • Alessandro — from brazil. Eww.
  • Stevie — party MC. Double eww.
  • Granny gets out of the limo. It’s Randy, a marketing manager from Hermosa.  Goodbye, Randy.
  • Nate — A vague “account executive” from LA who Emily thinks is so cute she almost swoons as he walks away.
  • Brent — wore a name tag to make it easy. Thanks.
  • John “Wolf” – a data destruction specialist.  That sounds hardcore. I hope he goes by Wolf all season, however short a time that may be.
  • Travis – this guy shows up with an egg. A big one. Dragon egg style like in Harry Potter (which scores points with me and BFOTB). It’s a symbol of Emily and Ricki and how he’s gonna take care of the egg like he would them. You know, like a 7th grade science project.
  • Michael — Rehab counselor. Looks cute but his hair is long and stringy a la Ashton Kutcher.
  • Jean-Paul — marine biologist.  Who does this guy look like? It’s killing me that I can’t figure it out…
  • Alejandro — Latin lover from Columbia who wins Emily over with words which she can’t understand. 

 Roses:

  1. First impression rose: Doug
  2. Chris
  3. Ryan
  4. Kalon
  5. Arie
  6. Charlie
  7. Jef
  8. Nate
  9. Sean
  10. Joe
  11. Kyle
  12. Aaron
  13. Alejandro
  14. John “Wolf”
  15. Alessandro
  16. Michael
  17. Stevie (woof)
  18. Tony
  19. Travis

I can’t remember who he is exactly because I thought he was kidding the first time he said it, but one guy was 41 with 6 kids.  He did not get a rose. Clearly.

Highlights from the upcoming season: castles, archery, kilts, kissing, sailing, sightseeing, beaches, Emily tells someone to “get the f&$! out?” (my gosh, I cannot wait to see this episode!), lots of guys crying (gonna need to stock up on wine for that!), Dolly Parton, and of course, lots o’ drama.

We pick Ryan and Arie for the final two. Who are your favorites?  Think Engagement #3 is in store for Emily at the end of this season?

The Bachelor – The Proposal and After the Final Rose, season 16

Posted in Television & Movies, The Bachelor/Bachelorette Recaps by

Wow, so hey there, folks.  Sorry about the delay in posting today and especially after such a big night last night…took a while to digest, I guess.  Here’s how it all went down:

Lindzi’s time with the fam
Ben’s sister and mom are in Switzerland to help him find himself one lucky lady.  Straight out Ben’s sister wants to know right away if by any chance there was a girl everyone hated…and this is somewhat how Ben answers: “well, sister, yes…yes, there was…and she’s still here. It’s Courtney. You’ll meet her tomorrow.” (smile, eye sparkle, hair flip – see that Ben and Courtney, just a match made in Bachelor heaven!)  According to dear ole sister, she does not approve of Ben’s choice in ladies often (so this should be fun).

Lindzi meets the fam first – get the easy part over with right?. She looks very darling in her tweed blazer and boots. Ben compares Lindzi to himself – very country but lives in the city (as well illustrated by her outfit). A complete nervous wreck, Lindzi is visibly and awkwardly anxious the whole time – she’s dropping silverware, throwing silverware, all with a concerned expression giving away that she’s clearly extremely worried about making a bad first impression.  

 Mom interrogates Lindzi a bit but after Lindzi completes her interview, she breathes a sigh of relief after seeing mom smile. Sister says a lot of general one liners about not letting this moment pass by, giving 110%, no regrets, letting guards down. Not very substantial.  And then Sister asks about Courtney and whether Lindzi had similar problems with other ladies. I thought for a second Sister was testing Lindzi to see whether she would speak poorly of her competition, but it seemed a bit like she was just trying to get the juice on the one Ben really likes.”

Mom and sister approve of sweetheart, warm, caring country/city girl Lindzi. Ben is pleased. Sister pats herself on the back about her abilities to gauge someone’s character “and whatnot.

Courtney meets the fam
Before Courtney arrives, Ben anxiously worries about Courtney (in case you haven’t heard: Courtney does not play well with others) because his family is all women. Oops. Fail.  However, Ben is sure that if Courtney is herself (and doesn’t throw silverware) that his family will love her. Sister and Mom get straight into it with Courtney: “so…you’re a model…what’s that like?” which led into Courtney blabbing about not getting along with the other girls.  Good on ya, girlfriend. Great conversation starter.

 “I’m in love with Ben, I won’t hurt him, and he’s in good hands.” -Courtney

 Sister says she’ll just have to take Courtney at her word and trust what she’s saying.  Well, that was sure easy.  It’s a good thing she’s good at gauging someone’s character and whatnot. Courtney tells mom she’s very confident in the connection she and Ben have established.  And dying to know wha they think, Ben is ear-to-ear smile when he learns that Sister and Mom were shocked by their first impression of Courtney. Their consensu: Courtney is amazing. Sister says she’s amazing, Mom says she is kind and she can tell Ben loves her and they seem happy. And who doesn’t want happiness for their children?

Ben spends a few minutes recapping his experiences with the ladies. It pretty much comes down to this: Lindzi is lovely. Courtney has depth. (By “depth” I think he’s referring to depths of craziness of which he has not yet seen. And he’s probably correct.)

Not that anyone asked but Sister picks Courtney. And it’s settled.

Last One-On-One Date — Lindzi
Surprise! Ben picks Lindzi up for their date in a horse-drawn carriage. Get it?! Because Lindzi is the horse chick.  Oh Benny, ever so thoughtful! They take a picnic gondola ride up the Swiss Alps to go skiing. View of the Matterhorn in the background, Lindzi asks Ben if she’s doing okay…has she opened up enough? Did his family like her?  Can you see me in your future? Ben says yes, he has seen their future together. [Sarcastically, Mumbles notes: “ah, yes, those four dates we had…let’s talk about those.”]

Ben and Lindzi talk a lot more about vulnerabilities, opening up, fears. This conversation has been going on for.like.ever. Lindzi makes the mistake of saying “however this ends up, I fell in love.” Ben says the way Lindzi loves him is true and good but he doesn’t seem too interested. Clearly looking for some reassurance, Lindzi proclaims how scared she is and Ben’s got nothing to give. Since that didn’t work, Lindzi continues throwing out the “L” word with nothing but Ben’s blank half smile to return her sentiments.  Ouch.

Last One-On-One Date — Courtney
Oh, finally, a helicopter…haven’t seen one of those in over two weeks!  Phew! Flying over the Matterhorn makes Ben’s “Top 10 Coolest Things I’ve Ever Done” list.  There’s a lakeside picnic, lots of baby talk voices (woof), snow angels, sledding, more of Courtney defending her past indiscretions against the other ladies, and then kissing. Oh, and then Ben tells the camera how head over heels in love he is with Courtney.

At her hotel room later on, Courtney talks about being in love, vulnerability, trust issues. Pause for lots of kissing. Come up for air and then Courtney presents Ben with a gift. (note to first-time Bachelor watchers: the last two ladies like to give parting gifts so that their man, seemingly undecided in who he’ll choose, can relish over the past few weeks of their romance – the gushier the better – only to find that in reality they just look sappy and sad when not chosen. Perhaps Lindzi was playing it safe? If this is your first time watching, then this little gift is a surprise. If not, you already know what this is going to be…) A scrapbook. And a sappy love letter which she read aloud. Ben says “that was really nice.” Profound, these two.

Courtney asks Ben if he has any concerns and he says no. Then she ruins the moment by bringing up how hard this was for her, she’s been defending herself this whole time. Fishing for an early “I love you” and last minute consoling and comfort so she’ll feel confident going into the final rose, Courtney is deflated when Ben stands his ground and leaves a bit frustrated, wondering why they are still taking about this same ole thing. I am too.

After a lot of blah blah about both ladies (for details, read recaps 1-10), Neil Lane arrives with a “Heya Ben, nice to see you again!” (because, you know, he’s already met Mr. Lane…the last time he picked out a ring. For Ashley. Oops.).

Both the ladies don their capes and black gowns (seriously, was there a memo about that?!) to meet Ben atop a mountain.  BFOTB and I are secretly wishing this will be like the one time Kasey (“I’ll guard and protect your heart”) was rejected on a two-on-one date and stranded on a glacier. Hah!

Chris Harrison looks a bit sad when we see Lindzi arrive and get out of the helicopter first. Ben can’t get a word out because Lindzi is blabbing away about being there and being excited and being in love. Ben pauses an ominous pause then tells Lindzi that he has fallen in love with her. (Yay!) But. (No!) He needs that love to last a lifetime. And he’s found that love with someone else. (Sad story).  His consolation: “I’m in love with someone else. It didn’t come easy. I’m sorry. Let me walk you out.”

Lindzi says a sad goodbye and tells Ben she wishes she could have given him what he needed. BFOTB and I cringe when Lindzi throws in “if it doesn’t work out, call me.”  It seems pathetic but mostly sad. Sad because she’s sincere and she knows Ben is making a mistake with Courtney and it won’t work in the end.

“It’s difficult to propose to one woman when I have feelings for another.” -Ben

And here’s the grand finale speech:

“You kinda took my breath away there. Might need a sec. What a journey. It’s been an incredible road…ups and downs…real signs of what life could be. I felt like we’ve been on this same path…whenever I’m with you we’ve had these incredible moments. I think you’re an incredible woman. An incredible woman. But, I promised myself that I wouldn’t get down on one knee again if it wasn’t forever. And I want to tell you that you are my forever and this has been worth it every step of the way… Courtney, will you marry me?”

 “Yes, of course I will. I love you so much. I love it [the ring]. I will love you forever.” – Courtney

 Then lots of kissing and the final rose, and Courtney angling to get the best light and camera angle. I can just imagine her thinking “wow, this mountaintop light is really fantastic…I look great” – can’t you?!

After the Final Rose

Ben’s story
Ben informs the audience that for a time while the show was airing, he and Courtney were broken up. His excuse: he did not want to taint the purity of what they had with all of the negativity while the show aired. They didn’t talk for a few weeks.

Stirring the pot a bit, our man Chris Harrison wants to talk about the tabloid rumors and photos of Ben kissing other women. Ben tells Chris that he wasn’t kissing other women and that tabloid fodder is “super messed up.” Which, according to Ben is why Courtney hopped on over to a bridal shop to try on wedding gowns. You know, just to screw with people. Ha!

Courtney’s story
Courtney feels responsible.  This is all very heartbreaking and she’s been very depressed and disappointed. According to her: “Ben was initially supportive and then he abandoned me. I tried to give him space….Yes, we’re together…I think. I don’t really know…I’m really hopeful and positive.”

 Joint Statements from Ben and Courtney

  • Ben says they are in a good place and they’re engaged.
  • Playing the much-needed therapist, Chris asks if Courtney can really, fully trust Ben. No.
  • Chris asks if Ben can honestly look in her eyes and say he’ll stand by her forever. Ben apologizes to her and says he wishes he had been a better man, he loves her, he wants to be with her.
  • They watch the proposal and they are both in tears talking about how soiled that beautiful moment was because everything else around them was tainted but when they are together things are fine.
  • Apparently Chris has been hanging on to the engagement ring and does it belong on Courtney’s finger? Yeah, sure, why not. Cheers.

So what did you think of how this one ended?  How long do you think this will last? Do you see a wedding in the future?

Ashley and JP come out and throw in their two cents about Ben and Courtney, which is really lame. But, they need some press because they may or may not want ABC to pay for their wedding, which they’re hoping will come in the next year, along with babies very soon.  Watch for that, I guess.  

P.S. Stay tuned for Emily’s season, coming in May (and by gosh, it’s sure to be better than this one! Right?!? Let’s all hope so!)