THE BACHELOR 1/16/12: 16 Down To 13

Quite a drama-filled episode tonight…

Emily

Emily’s date was quite a daring one.  Climbing to the top of the Bay Bridge…Wow!  Poor Emily tho…to do something so dangerous like that while knowing that she is afraid of heights!  I do like Emily tho.  She seems very real and normal.  It was funny when he admitted that she is probably smarter than he is.  It’s probably true.  She was worth keeping.

Brittney leaving was…noble.  I admired her for not being selfish & pulling out before her one-on-one date.  She totally could’ve taken the date just to SEE what it was like.  But she didn’t.  To be honest, it probably wasn’t totally Brittney’s decision to do this show in the first place…it was her grandmother’s.  So she probably wasn’t totally into it to begin with.

Lindzi

You figure it’s gotta be a LITTLE hurtful to be sorta “sloppy seconds” with the date.  Altho I’m sure she would’ve gotten one next week anyway.  In the first episode, I already wasn’t too sure how I felt about Lindzi.  Now I know.  She’s kind of annoying.  She’s almost TOO peppy.  I mean, it’s great she’s excited for the date and all…You want a girl who WANTS to be there.  But she’s too much for me.

Shawntel

Talk about DRAMA.  The return of Shawntel!  In the previews, they eluded to a returning girl.  I thought it was an old girlfriend of Ben’s.  Not someone froma previous season!  When they first showed Shawntel, I was like…WHICH SEASON was she from?!  Brad’s season!  Wow.  Didn’t expect that.  I really liked her on Brad’s season…the only thing that was weird with her was her profession — funeral director.  Anyway, the biggest question with Shawntel for me was…DID SHE & BEN HAVE ANY RELATIONS?  They made reference to the fact that they’ve talked before, so they must’ve at least met at one of the Bachelor/Bachelorette reunion get-togethers.  But I’m guessing they never actually dated.

Man, that was pretty gutsy of Shawntel to come back.  Obviously she KNEW how the other girls were going to react.  Honestly, I really didn’t think her returning was THAT big of a deal.   Obviously she’s a MAJOR THREAT to the other girls, but she’s just as much of a threat as they all are to each other.  Eh.  The girls made it so dramatic the way they reacted.  So annoying.  They should just be CONFIDENT in themselves and their relationships with Ben.  No matter who comes in.  Altho seeing the way Ben reacted to Shawntel, guess I don’t quite blame them either.  You could tell he was LOVING it that Shawntel would come back and surprise him like that.  He seems SO flattered and you could tell he was attracted to her.  He kept saying how she totally matches what he wants.

Erika

While the girls totally talking trash about Shawntel was annoying, Erika’s little meltdown was RIDICULOUS.  I mean…you’ve known this guy for what…a few weeks?!  COME ON!  To faint and have a panic attack…all because of Shawntel returning?!  Give me a break.

Ben’s decision to not give that last rose away…I kinda agree with Shawntel.  I think he TOTALLY wanted to keep her, but if he did, ALL of the remaining girls would HATE HIM.  And altho he wanted to give her a shot, keeping Shawntel isn’t worth risking the rest of the girls.  I personally think if he really thought she was a “potential,” he should’ve kept her.

Courtney

Oh, and while Courtney won some points with me last week, this week she kinda went back down a bit.  She’s definitely not a girl that other girls will like…and she’s very upfront with how she feels about the other girls.  On one hand, who really cares what the other girls think, but on the other hand, I don’t think Ben would want to be with a girl who other girls can’t respect, even if she is so great when she’s with him.  When she said “see ya” to Shawntel when she was being escorted out by Ben…that was pretty irritating.  Showed a bit of her true colors.

THE BACHELORETTE 7/11/11: Taiwan (6 Down To 4)

Next episode are the hometown dates, so it was a big week for Ashley.  Just a few thoughts:

RYAN:  OK, I am SO FINE with him being booted…and booted EARLY on top of that.  There’s just something about him that was hard to take for me.  He just was TOO PEPPY AND HAPPY that it almost seemed fake.  I can see why Ashley just couldn’t quite FEEL something for him.  I’m SURE he’s a nice guy and all…but he’s a bit too much.  Then after he got booted, and he did the whole “walk around town” and broke down…that was WAY dramatic and OVER THE TOP imo.  Obviously he was devastated, but as he ALWAYS IS, it was TOO MUCH.

CONSTANTINE:  I really like him!  He’s got this sweetness about him…and I like that he’s pretty mellow.  The best thing about him, for me, is that he’s so REAL and NORMAL.  He’s got a lot against him because he’s the FARTHEST from falling in love with Ashley.  That’ll definitely hurt him a bit.  He is taking a lot longer to fall for her, but I think it’s because he’s trying to treat this like a REAL relationship.  Which I love about him.  And I’m actually surprised, but I actually think he’s quite attractive.  Those who know me KNOW that I DO NOT like that long hair thing on guys, but on Constantine…it really works.  I’m kinda rooting for him.

BEN:  I don’t feel like Ben’s as attractive, yet I think Ashley has more chemistry with him than Constantine.  Altho maybe it’s because Constantine has made it clear he’s NOT QUITE THERE yet as far as his feelings.  Ben’s obviously fallen a bit harder already.  He seems like a good guy too, but somehow isn’t as appealing as C for me.

JP:  I gotta say…he really irritated me in this episode.  The way he was acting…with all the jealousy.  It was ANNOYING.  Yes he really feels something for Ashley and can’t stand to see her with other guys.  So do pretty much ALL the other guys.  And do any of THEM act like a LITTLE BOY and pout about it?!  NO!  They TAKE IT LIKE A MAN.  And HELLO…you’re on THE BACHELORETTE.  What did you expect?!  You KNOW she’s going on dates with other guys.  He was acting like a spoiled brat.  What irritated me the most was when finally he got one-on-one time with Ashley and he basically pouted and whined about how he felt so jealous about the other guys…and what does Ashley do?!  She GIVES HIM THE ROSE.  Ugh.  That was basically validating his behavior, which IRKED THE HECK out of me.  I KNOW that the rumor is that JP wins this whole thing…and based on the fact that he got the rose so easily this week validates that rumor…but I’m not too happy about it.  Sorry.  This week did NOT make JP more appealing in my eyes.

LUCAS:  Now that was THE MOST OBVIOUS boot.   I don’t think Lucas has a chance against any of those remaining guys.  I’m sure he’s a good guy, but he just didn’t have the chemistry and connection with Ashley that the others did.  It was the right choice.

And now…the main reason I wanted to watch this week…

EMILY:  I still really like her.  Man, she was crying from as soon as she stepped out of the car.  I felt that she was very genuine and I felt she was really heartbroken about the breakup with Brad.  Don’t think she every really SAID what the REAL REASON was for the breakup tho.  It was pretty vague (which I’m SURE was deliberate).  But obviously they aren’t together anymore.  And she never said anything bad about Brad AT ALL, which says a lot about her.  Wonder why Brad wasn’t on?  Seems like they still have a good relationship, considering…I mean, if they’re still communicating.  Cute when Chris brought up how protective Brad is of Emily, and she started to tear up.  They obviously have not lost the feelings for one another.  It’s just not a relationship that can work, I guess.

On the flip side, one can only guess HOW MANY GUYS are LEAPING off their chairs to stand in line for Emily.  Seriously.  She’s still GORGEOUS, gotta say.  And she still has that southern sweetness about her that’s very likable.  Kinda sad that she wasn’t able to find someone and settle down.  You can tell that’s really what she wants.  I think Emily’s hoping that by doing this interview, she’ll be able to get the press off her back.  Umm…THINK AGAIN.  They’ll be following her around for a while still, I’m sure.  But at least she got to say what she wanted in an environment that’s about as comfortable as any for her (since it’s with Chris Harrison, who she feels she can trust).

THE BACHELOR 3/14/11: Season Finale

Well, Brad made his decision.  And was that the MOST PREDICTABLE ending EVER?!

Credit: zap2it

Throughout this WHOLE season it was SO OBVIOUS that Emily was the frontrunner, they really tried to throw you off and make you think he MAY NOT pick Emily when the two had a bit of a “heated” discussion on their last date.  Brad really poured his heart out to Emily, saying he is totally ready to be a father to her daughter…and Emily just questioned over and over again whether or not Brad was ready.  Although they were trying to throw you off the scent, it really did make you wonder how Brad could go from THAT to proposing to Emily like he did?!  That’s a BIG STEP.  Especially for Brad.  But he did.  And he seems SO in love with Emily.  He really has fallen hard for her.

The proposal and admission of love from Brad was actually REALLY sweet.  I could tell just how sincere he really was.  Talk about a 180 from his first time around huh?  When he said “You’re my once in a liftetime,” all I could say was…AWW!  It really was a beautiful moment.

The part that really surprised me the most was the AFTER the final rose show.  Wow.  Did NOT expect that Brad & Emily had THAT many problems already.  To the point where they actually broke up briefly.  Wow.  And you can tell that it’s Emily who’s having more of the issue, and that Brad is desperately trying to keep her.

For me, the fact that Emily is having issues and they aren’t just all “fairytale ending” is probably the most NORMAL reaction/outcome of any Bachelor season.  I mean honestly…Emily’s reaction/issues to everything is real.  Who WOULDN’T feel insecure after watching the whole season where you see the guy who proposed to you making out/having all these deep connections with OTHER girls?!  Especially when you think YOUR relationship with his was EXTRA SPECIAL and UNIQUE.  Umm…not so much anymore after seeing all that.  It’s a tough situation…which is why it’s so hard for these relationships on this show to last.  I mean really…now that the show is over, only NOW can they really start to try to be a REAL couple.  So NOW the real “fight” begins.  I do think they have DEEP and REAL feelings of love for each other tho…so I think they have enough to make it work.  They just really have to WORK at it.

It’ll be really interesting to see how this all plays out…and I truly do hope it works out for those two.

What do you think?  Did Brad make the right decision?  Will they actually get married?

THE BACHELOR 2/28/11: 3 Down To 2 + *POLL*

Well now…this episode was SOMETHING.  Let’s jump right into it:

Although their first date together early on was PRETTY cute, I have to say Ashley never really stood out to me much after that.  There was something about her that irritated me, and sure enough…she couldn’t quite keep it out of the picture.

The date with Brad was just…AWKWARD.  And I gotta say, in my opinion, a lot of it was due to Ashley.  I totally don’t blame Brad for “getting down” with all the deep questions.  And Ashley WASN’T answering ANY of them CLEARLY.  Like she just kept rambling, and wasn’t really giving Brad any kind of “hope” for a real relationship.  You can tell how CAREER-DRIVEN she is, which is fine…but really, she didn’t make Brad feel comforted AT ALL that there was a place for him in those plans/dreams.  Then when Brad started getting frustrated, she didn’t HELP things AT ALL.  If anything she got even “quieter”…and you could tell that she was getting frustrated with how Brad was acting too.  She was just irritating me already.  But that’s why this show/process is so TOUGH…you feel all this PRESSURE to have to create a FULL-BLOWN romantic relationship with someone in a matter of WEEKS!  In a real situation, you wouldn’t feel the NEED to get SO DEEP SO FAST.  But on the other hand, Ashely was NOT giving Brad much to work with.  I think they needed this awkwardness…so that they (or Brad) knew that this was NOT going to work.

When Brad said goodbye to Ashley during the rose ceremony, you could tell Ashley was quite annoyed with the outcome.  But realistically…COME ON ASHLEY…how can you think that after THAT date, that you WOULDN’T get kicked out?!

EMILY vs CHANTAL

We have our Top 2!  And I seriously wouldn’t have thought Chantal would be there, if I’m being honest.  If I’m looking at these two ladies, for me there’s no contest.  Emily is MILES AHEAD of Chantal, imo.

You know that Brad & Chantal have chemistry…no denying that.  But for me, that’s about ALL there is.  He says he feels the most comfortable with her…which if you compare him with her versus Emily, OBVIOUSLY Brad is a “basketcase” around Emily…but in a sweet way.  But I don’t feel like Chantal is a LIFE PARTNER for Brad.  Yeah, he can have a good time with her and all, but…his WIFE FOREVER?!  Uh…NO.

Emily is so sweet and genuine…you can TELL when she told Brad that she’s falling in love with him, that just MADE HIS LIFETIME.  It’s still funny to be just HOW nervous Brad still is around Emily.  He’s really got shake that off already!  I mean…in two weeks he could be PROPOSING to this woman!  But what’s making me torn about Emily is that I KINDA feel like she’s TOO GOOD for Brad.  I really do – I’m using Brad’s “favorite” term.  I think if he picks Em, the whole instant fatherhood thing will be the most difficult for him to handle.  But if Brad actually does propose to Emily and they actually MAKE IT, I gotta give it to Brad…he would’ve come a LONG WAY.

What do you think?

THE BACHELOR 1/31/11: 11 Down To 8

We really haven’t seen much of Shawntel until now.  I’m glad she got a one-on-one date.  Ai, I know you were saying you liked her…and after this date, I will say YES…I like her too.  She’s very cute.  I actually wouldn’t have expected that she would’ve embraced a HIGH-END (and we’re talking HIGH-END) shopping spree…she didn’t seem like “that type” to me.  But she looked great in all the clothes and outfits.  She seems very normal, and she’s very pretty…I’m trying to pinpoint who she looks like…Ai?  I wanna say Ali the Bachelorette but a brunette version…but I don’t think that’s quite who I mean.  Just can’t think about anything else.  Brad & Shawntel’s “embalming” conversation was QUITE entertaining.  She seems very serious about her job, and Brad was a good sport about listening/being interested in it, especially considering they were discussing it over dinner.

The only thing I wasn’t too fond of with Shawntel was when she came back from her date with all her shopping bags, she basically gave the rest of the girls a fashion show of all the things Brad “bought” her.  It was a bit much.  She should’ve “toned it down” a little.  I know she said she felt bad about showing them…but she still did.  I guess it’s kinda hard NOT to when the girls are all bugging her…and I didn’t necessarily feel like she was “rubbing it in,” but I felt like she could’ve somehow handled it better.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES that for the group date, they’d be going to the RACE TRACK like that?!  And that it had that much of a connection to Emily and Brad didn’t know?!  I’m thinking SOMEONE behind the scenes gave him the race track suggestion for the date on purpose.  I mean…COME ON!  That COINCIDENCE was just ridiculous!

I totally DON’T BLAME any of the girls for feeling slighted during this date.  Brad went a little OVERBOARD with his attention to Emily.  YES he felt bad for the whole race track thing, but…he was a bit too insensitive about the other girls.  I know he explained it later that he would’ve acted the SAME way no matter WHICH girl this happened to, but…GIVE ME A BREAK.  We all know he’s definitely got a soft spot where Emily is concerned, so he’s GONNA try to REALLY make it up to her even more.  It was too much.

I was really sad that Ashley S. got sent home on the 2-1 date.  I really liked her!  More than Ashley H.!  She seemed more down to earth to me, and she was a bit more insecure about HERSELF than Ashley H was, which I think may have been her down fall.  She’s too sweet for her own good.  And then her reaction to getting the boot?  AWW!  That was a genuine reaction…I didn’t get “drama queen” from it at all!  You could tell she just beat herself up over WHY she didn’t get picked…and I’m worried this rejection really made her think something’s wrong with her!  Poor thing!

Brad’s attraction to Michelle is PURELY PHYSICAL.  That’s pretty evident.  What annoys me more than that fact that Michelle is a PSYCHO is the fact that Brad isn’t bothered with her attitude.  Like YES…it’s good that she’s obviously there to be with him/she only has eyes for him.  But on the other hand, he should be bothered by the fact that she’s always making comments like “time to send these girls home…”  and stuff like that.  You can be very honest about how you want to be with him/think you’re made for him…but you don’t have to “bash” the other girls in order to get him.  Altho there are parts of her “advantage” that are bothersome, I can’t see Emily EVER saying anything like that about any of the other girls.  THAT’S the difference.  And Brad should recognize that.  UGH.

Chantal is starting to annoy me.  She’s always been the TOUGH one with Brad…after all, she’s the one who slapped him when they first met…but this week especially, the way she was acting was irritating.  She’s obviously VERY jealous about the fact that Brad has actual connections with other girls, but she’s very good at “calling him on it.”  And you can tell that Brad is bothered by that too.  Their 1-1 time before the rose ceremony, he seemed kind of annoyed when she was talking to him.  And I don’t know if her getting the last rose this week is a sign…but she better watch out.  Whatever connection they HAD, some of these other girls are definitely pushing that connection down a bit.