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The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 7

We Find Out There’s a Place Called Warsaw, Indiana.

I’ll just hit the important things here.

  1. Ben is like an A-List celeb in his hometown. How will he cope if he ever leaves and realizes that people who’ve been on The Bachelor are D-Listers?
  2. Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 12.36.34 PMWarsaw, Indiana is the orthopedic capital. Um, okay.
  3. Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.28.55 AMAmanda is a robot and has no personality still.
  4. Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 12.43.50 PMEmily is finally sent home after being told she’s basically not wife material.

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.31.24 AM5. Ben is a little too close with his parents.

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.30.17 AM6. There is a really gross McDonald’s tie-in that lasts an entire date, signaling the end of any attempt at subtle product placement.

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 12.43.32 PM7. Ben and Amanda do one of the most basic things a couple can do together, share the same french fry at the same time.

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 12.43.13 PM8. Becca knows she’s not a favorite, she was right. No more boring Becca.

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 12.31.51 PM9. Ben has no idea what he’s doing.

10. My prediction is that Lauren B. will win and JoJo will be the next Bachelorette.

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.27.37 AM Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.27.40 AM11. This show is pretty boring now that Olivia and Leah are gone.

The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 6

Backstabbing in the Bahamas

Things pick up where we left off last week – with Ben talking to Olivia before the rose ceremony begins about the comments made to him about her by some of the girls. She expertly switches into victim mode and paints a fantastical picture of herself, saying things like, “I like reading books in my room and thinking,” and “I want to talk smart things.” This kind of superiority complex never plays well.

Olivia explains to Ben that it’s just her confidence that’s off-putting to everyone. Being confident is such a curse.

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Ben keeps Olivia around and Emily twin visibly fumes.

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The girls can’t believe how dumb Ben is when it comes to Olivia.

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Olivia, aware of the attack on her, sends her haters a message, “Come at me bro,
and “I’m not going anywhere, everyone else can suck it.”

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Ben begins handing out the roses to all the usual suspects with the last rose coming down to between Emily twin and tall Jen, this honestly could have gone either way as both these girls are going home eventually but Emily twin is the winner tonight.

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Next stop – hurricane season in the Bahamas. Never have the Bahamas looked so uninviting.

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Caila gets the first one-on-one date, her second, and Leah, who hasn’t had any quality alone time with Bachelor Ben yet, starts to freak out. Some people just aren’t good at playing this game and Leah is that person.

Ben really wants to be into dull Caila but is worried she might be a bit shallow. Valid concern I’d say. Over dinner, Caila reveals that making sense while speaking is not one of her talents. The girl is just not bright enough to connect her feelings with words and just keeps talking nonsense until Ben has gone through the gamut of emotions – confused and ready to say goodbye to her all the way back to smitten again. It was exhausting to watch and we are left wondering what she was even talking about.

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The group date card arrives and the focus is back on Leah. When her name is read and she realizes that, again, she’s not getting special time with Ben a switch is flicked and there’s no turning back.

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The infamous two-on-one date is going to be between arch rivals Olivia and Emily twin. This is previewed on the show as if it’s a fight to the death.

The group date seems like a nightmare, the weather’s crappy and tensions are running high. We finally see the girls in their bikinis and I think I speak for everyone here when I say I was shocked at the absence of implants. Shocked.

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They arrive at their destination, an island overrun with pigs, where Ben announces that, “the unpredictability of life has came upon us.” Oh boy.

They swim and frolic with the pigs who seem a bit aggressive to be honest, with JoJo being all but mauled by two hungry pigs, eliciting the comment, “This is like a bar in Dallas, pigs everywhere.”

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This is by far the most awkward group date, there’s nowhere private to go with any of the girls and hungry pigs are everywhere. No one’s feeling it, least of all Leah who is as awkward with Ben as she possibly could be and then proceeds to whinge and cry to him about not having had any time with him. Guys LOVE this.

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Back at the hotel, the two-on-one date card arrives and Olivia announces that, “Emily and I are the same age but I’m going to feel like her mom babysitting her tomorrow.” Because she’s so mature?

Drama ensues on the group date that evening when Leah takes Ben aside and, in desperation, tells him that there is someone in the house that’s not being real with him and that someone is the person he has the most chemistry with. Then she NAMES NAMES and throws Lauren B. under the bus and just like that, a new villain is born.

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Ben, not able to see through Leah’s desperate bid to get rid of her biggest rival, brings this up with Lauren B. who can’t believe someone would say that about her and wasn’t at all prepared to defend herself. She just sits there shell shocked.

Lauren B. falls into tears back on the couch with her girls and Leah does a not-very-convincing job of claiming she wasn’t the one who was shit-talking to Ben. She looks about as guilty as she possibly could.

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Ben gives Amanda, who may have the least personality of them all, the group date rose.

Back at the hotel, Lauren B., Amanda and Emily twin surmise that it was Leah who told Ben Lauren B. was being fake, AKA not there for the right reasons.

Leah, meanwhile, is getting dolled up to visit Ben in his hotel room in a last ditch effort really drive her point home about Lauren B. This tactic is so backwards and obviously doesn’t have the desired effect. Instead, Ben tells Leah that something doesn’t feel right between them and he thinks it’s best to say goodbye.

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Leah’s only regret is that she looks like an idiot, not what a huge bitch she was to someone for no other reason than to win a game.

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The next day is the two-on-one, loser goes home, date with Olivia and Emily vying for Ben.

I just want to say fuck that about this date in general. It’s another overcast, windy day and after a boat ride from hell to get to some sad excuse for an island, Ben and Olivia go off to talk.

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She proceeds to earbash him about how great she is, how she’s an introvert who’s grounded and at peace with herself and that she loves herself. She is a maniac. Olivia goes on to say that, “deep intellectual things are just my jam,” then blurts out that she’s in love with Ben. At this point it’s so obvious that Ben is not feeling it but Olivia, in her delusional mania, has no idea.

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Emily twin’s approach was desperate in a different way, it’s just so uncomfortable watching these women continuously having to pitch themselves to this guy every chance they get like he’s some amazing prize. The chemistry between these two is so forced.

This is the worst date I’ve ever seen, with the wind blowing Emily’s hair in her face and the spray from the ocean all over everyone. All I could think of was can someone give the girl a hair tie? It’s the opposite of romantic.

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Ben takes the rose, the symbol of his heart, and asks Olivia to take a walk with him. When they’re at the far end of the strip of sand and rocks they’ve landed on, Ben breaks the news to her that she’s not going any further on this journey.

Olivia looks more blindsided than anyone has ever been in the history of The Bachelor. This might be the worst thing that’s ever happened to Olivia in her life. No one is that oblivious to losing has ever experienced not getting their way the majority of their 23 years.

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This level of humiliation is very uncomfortable to watch but is also the reason this show is so popular. To add insult to injury, Ben and Emily leave on one boat, leaving Olivia standing on the windy beach alone.

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The girls get gypped when Chris Harrison, the Ricardo Montalban of this Nightmare Island, arrives on the scene to tell the girls that Ben has canceled the cocktail party and wants to go straight to the rose ceremony. Gasps!

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Ben reads the girl’s names out one by one – Becca, JoJo and the final rose is between the two Laurens with Lauren B. beating out Lauren H. No surprises here really.

Lauren H. reveals her cry face in the car driving away and everything makes sense.

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Next week is hometown dates. Buckle up!

The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 5

Mayhem in Mexico

Going into week five of this shit show, Olivia with her clown mouth maintains her position as most unlikable contestant while the girls and Ben all travel to Mexico City, oddly.

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The girls are being put up at the Four Seasons in Mexico City. On inspecting the suites that have bidets in the bathrooms, Olivia announces that, “Not everyone has one but I have one.” As if we need more reasons to hate her. There’s something so fascinating about people who lack any sense of self awareness.

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We’re also subjected to sound bites from her throughout the episdoe like, “There’s no doubt in my mind that I love Ben,” and, “He doesn’t validate people the way he validates me, our love language is reserved for us.” Honestly, she’s a maniac.

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Olivia, the megalomaniac, was certain she was going to get the first one-on-one date but it went to Amanda and her baby voice.

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I’m just noticing that Ben is in dire need of a haircut.

Ben wakes Amanda up for their date at 4:20 am. Fuck. That. She looks flawless though when awoken, even though she reminds me of a little elf from the woods.

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All the girls are horrified at being filmed with no make up on and Emily is sleeping with a teddy bear and possibly a blanky, no one is shocked.

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They go for a hot air balloon ride over some ruins. Amanda’s ombré is so Andi Dorfman’s season but she seems like his type.

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Jubilee is having a real whinge about not being on the date with him. Her whingeing is a theme of this episode.

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The group date card arrives and it has Lauren H.’s name on it. Didn’t see that one coming, I hoped it was for Leah who will be going home soon due to Ben’s apparent lack of interest in getting to know her.

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Amanda tells Ben a sad story about her marriage falling apart which sounds like so many stories before it. Ben tries to be all coy with her, telling her he can’t believe someone like her would be interested in him. Okay, dude.

Amanda does that face holding thing when she kisses.

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Olivia’s clown mouth makes multiple appearances. 

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She claims Ben as her partner for the cooking date, again beating all these slow dumb dumbs to the punch. You’d think by now at least one of them would be challenging her shot-gun tactics. She’s so pleased with herself it’s nauseating.

The girls have to pair up and purchase ingredients to cook later using the Spanish they learned in their five minute Spanish class earlier where Ben told them all he loved them in Spanish which was creepy to watch. Caila seems to know Spanish while Emily can only remember the word “churros.”

Emily Twin is still very vocal about Olivia and wanting to “punch her in the face,” also commenting that, “she literally makes me want to throw up, and her breath is horrible.” This is the second time she’s brought up Olivia’s bad breath.

The best part of this date is Emily claiming that Ben suggested he and Olivia try some mint because Olivia’s breath is so bad.

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Back at the hotel, Lauren H. and Amanda are talking about how, “like literally anything we do is going to be so fun,” talking about their upcoming date. They’re both inexplicably drinking red wine from champagne flutes.

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On the cooking group date, obviously a really important date because Ben needs to see what skills these women have in the kitchen so he can figure out who will be the best wife material. So progressive.

Ben says he loves to cook and that, “I’m no longer the bachelor, I’m the spatula.” Great dad joke.

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Olivia continues to deliver more obnoxious soundbites about her delusions about Ben which I won’t bore you with. 

Ben observes that Jubilee doesn’t seem to be having a lot of fun. Probably because of her personality.

Another choice soundbite comes from JoJo, “Ben already tasted my taco, he loved it.” CRINGE.

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The chef judges don’t seem very impressed with Ben and Olivia’s dish, comparing it to dog food.

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Jubilee and Lauren “Lo” B.’s dish is the winner. Some nonsense about how their recipe needs to be included on the menu in the judge’s restaurant. 

Jubilee says that because she can cook she’s obviously ready to get married. Well, obvs.

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At the group date cocktail party, Jubilee expresses to the audience that she is eager to get the first alone time with Ben but again is beaten to the punch by Olivia, who has absolutely zero shame. Why can’t any of these bitches beat her ever??! 

The producers’ build the tension but intercutting Jubilee’s struggles with the situation with clips of Ben kissing all the other girls. Classic Bachelor fare.

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Lauren B. and Ben seem like their thing might be strongest at the moment. This could also be early editing trickery. We are seasoned viewers at this point and we’re on our toes.

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Ben has to break the bad news to Jubilee that at this point in time he doesn’t think they have a future. Break-ups are hard after one date. Being a loser on a game show as well makes it even tougher. Luckily there’s a taxi waiting to take her away.

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Jubilee is not the type of person who should have every signed up for the show, but this happens over and over again.

Ben has a cry cry on the steps after she leaves.

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JoJo attempts to cheer him up and make him feel better with her lips.

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In an upset bigger than Trump losing in Iowa last night, Ben gives Olivia the group date rose. Jaws can be heard dropping around the country. 

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This pushes Emily Twin almost to the point of a psychotic break. No one is more bothered by Olivia than she is.

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It’s a new day and Ben and Lauren H. have their date. For some reason it’s a fashion-themed date. 

Ben describes Lauren H. as having a sense of humor that has some “goofiness” to it. There is NOTHING worse than someone who can be described as goofy.

Lauren H. has never been to a fashion show, shocker, but she’s going to walk in a fashion show for Mexico City Fashion Week. She actually doesn’t look all that bad for her runway debut. Apart from the clothes.

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Some tequila shots.

That night, over dinner, Lauren H. tells Ben that she had her heartbroken when her boyfriend of four years cheated on her with multiple girls, securing a place in Ben’s heart for her. 

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I actually don’t mind Lauren H. but her Michigan accent keeps making me think of all the people on that Making a Murderer series.

I’m into JoJo’s dress for the rose ceremony. 

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Going into the rose ceremony, sadly I feel that Leah, having not had any time with Ben at all, will be going home.

Unless the girls decide to tell Ben how awful Olivia is behind his back.

While the girls are sitting around talking, Amanda is discussing her custody arrangement with her ex-husband and Olivia chimes in with, “I just feel like it’s an episode of Teen Mom I’m watching.”

Olivia is an idiot with the no filter. She realizes that her inside thought has become an outside one and regrets it immediately.

Emily Twin ends up being the one to bring up Olivia to Ben, with the series-old, “if you’re into her I can’t see how you would be into me,” dilemma and expresses that Olivia is a bully and manipulates all the girls.

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Olivia somehow senses that Emily is talking about her and becomes enraged to the point where she goes to interrupt their conversation and gives Ben some ring to wear. This reminds me of when Nick Viall gave Kaitlyn matching promise rings for them to wear.

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Ben, who’s no dummy, knows he needs to figure out who the real Olivia is. He asks Amanda to tell him what’s up as well, then tall Jen tells him her Olivia experience too. 

When Ben takes Olivia aside to talk to her before handing out the roses all the girls hope it’s because she’s getting the boot. But we’ll have to wait until next week to find out, but my prediction is she satys around another week for the drama. 

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 4

Olivia Becomes Lace in Ten Ways to Lose a Guy.

It’s week four and the field, much like the contestants’ confidence and sanity, is narrowing.

Olivia is back to story A in this episode, and boy is she repetitive. The episode opens with Olivia, in her typical fashion, claiming Ben as her man, saying that she’s never felt so sure and that they’re amazing together. Nothing sadder than a one-sided relationship.

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She’s that insecure girl that talks about how amaaaaaaaaazing her relationship is all the time to compensate for her feelings of insecurity about said relationship. We see this every day on Facebook and Instagram and no one’s falling for it.

Chris Harrison shows up at The Mansion to tell the girls they’re going to Vegas and in my opinion they’re way too excited. Most of all The Twins, who are hoping to show Ben around their hometown.

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Ben reads some generic-sounding cue cards about Vegas to camera.

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Once ensconced at their suite at the Aria, JoJo scores the first one-on-one date.

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Olivia announces that, “Ben is her piece,” and that she’s, “Zen with Ben.” She’s the worst.

Ben and JoJo have a glass of champers on the roof awaiting their helicopter which lands and blows everything over, breaking the glasses, knocking the table over and ruining JoJo’s hair for the date. They recover from this small disaster by kissing while the chopper blades wreak havoc.

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All the girls are conveniently able to watch them kiss from their room which triggers the beginning of things coming undone for Olivia. She really thought Ben was only making out with her.

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Ben and JoJo clearly have sexual chemistry on their date, which is intercut with Olivia rambling about Ben. Olivia rambling is intercut with every scene, actually.

The group date card is read and Olivia’s name is on it, sending her into a deeper depression about not having the second one-on-one, which went to boring Becca.

Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 10.41.14 AMScreen Shot 2016-01-26 at 10.40.54 AMMeanwhile, on their date, Ben talks about “moments” with JoJo and she opens up about her relationship baggage and the typical “trust” issues she’s lugging around like any normal, insecure 24-year-old.

Ben is way into her though, telling the camera he’s is falling for her. More kissing as fireworks go off from the rooftop of their hotel, while the rest of the girls look out over the Vegas strip, wishing those fireworks were for them.

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Olivia continues her downward spiral.

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The group date is a talent show led by Vegas “entertainer” and ventriloquist, Terry Fator, who shockingly, Caila is aware of and a fan of. RED FLAG.

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We are treated to some marginal talent with The Twins doing a Riverdance and Jubilee playing the cello. Honestly, didn’t see that one coming.

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Olivia is in full manic-mode as she prepares her Vegas showgirl number, saying crazy stuff like, “When I’m with him it’s bam shabam!” and just being a little too over-confident about her upcoming performance, saying, “Being able to shine has never been a problem for me.”

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Her performance is as awkward and cringe-worthy as it could possibly be as she stomps about, her big feet shoeless. Everyone looks on in horror and when it’s over Ben pity-hugs her, the relief on his face palpable. The reaction shots from Ben and the girls watching are the highlight of the episode.

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Post show, Olivia’s meltdown is in full-swing, as she has a “panic attack,” crying hysterically after she realizes how bad her performance was and the embarrassment sinks in. Olivia has zero sense of humor about herself and is painfully un-self aware so laughing this off is not in her tool box. She’s spiralling out of control as we all watch in glee.

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Caila and Ben have the first alone time on the group date and she goes right for it, prompting Ben to call her a “tigress” and a “sex panther.” Ben is so asexual to me.

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Olivia is still coming apart at the seams, she even looks unraveled and not as put-together as usual tonight. The wheels are definitely falling off.

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Lauren H. is this season’s Whitney from Chris Soules’ season.

In one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on this show, and there have been hundreds, Ben uses a puppet to talk to the girls, a la Terry Fator. If I were any of these chicks I’d just leave right then and there. Seriously, what the hell is going on??Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 10.48.39 AM

Olivia scurries over to Ben, desperate for him to give her confidence back to her but before she gets what she needs she’s interrupted by one of The Twins.

She joins the group of girls after speaking with Ben and immediately starts shovelling food into her mouth. The manic, emotional rollercoaster she’s on totally out of control at this point as we catch a glimpse of her yo-yo weight-comfort eating issues.

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Lauren B. talks to Ben and seems almost too normal for this show.

Olivia comes back, like all really annoying things, and interrupts the Other Twin and Ben who does not seem like he’s stoked to see her again, asking her, “What is going on right now?” She’s become Lace and it’s terrifying.

Ben, who is a master class in putting insecure women at ease, comforts Olivia just enough that she’s instantly flying high again and back to thinking they’re getting married.

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That is until Lauren B. gets the group date rose.

Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 10.51.30 AMThe next day Becca dons a sad wedding dress for her date, and Jubilee, who’s a huge hater, comments that, “it’s the perfect person to wear white.” A virgin joke, good one.

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There’s a faux proposal and then a reveal they’ll actually be marrying other people. This date is all the way around tragic so I’m skipping the details.

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Ben attempts to get to know Becca. She’s really pretty but a really dim bulb. He asks her if it’s been hard to stay a virgin and is impressed with her “commitment to God.” World’s most boring date.

After some tame kissing Ben decides that Becca is someone he could see himself with. Shocker.

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Chris Harrison rocks up to the hotel suite to tell The Twins that Ben wants a double date with them. Didn’t see this coming. So many twists! Eye roll.

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The best part of this show for me is always getting a look into these people’s homes and seeing their families and Hayley and Emily’s did not disappoint.

The mom is wearing ripped-up True Religion-style jeans and there’s small dogs everywhere and on the wall are large words hanging that say, “Live, Laugh, Love.” One twin has soft toys on her bed and the other still has framed pictures of her “ex-boyfriend” in her sad bedroom.

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Emily kind of throws her sister under the bus by saying that she know Hayley’s having trouble opening up to Ben and the mom also explains that Emily is the dominant twin with all the personality and basically poor other one.

Ben leaves with Emily in tow, and Hayley crying on her bed. So sad. In reality he should’ve just left them both at home.

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Back to the group date and tall Jen tries to get some time in with Ben but is promptly interrupted by Olivia, who has inexplicably brought some cake with her. She’s an actual idiot.

Olivia vomits out that she’s completely falling for Ben because she’s so desperate at this point. Ben is over it.

Olivia re-joins the girls and immediately tells JoJo that she told Ben she was falling for him. Crazy chicks always say too much.

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Jubilee expresses her insecurity again about being “complicated” and Ben, again, eases her mind but this insecure stuff is getting old. Jubilee is so too hard basket.

Going into the rose ceremony, three of the favorites; JoJo, Becca and Lauren B. all have roses.

Olivia has now officially taken Lace’s place as the “crazy” girl, speaking about herself in the third person saying things like, “Olivia’s back” and, “Olivia is here to stay.” I wonder if someone has swapped her mood-stabilizer meds with a placebo?

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Ben begins handing out roses to a comically dramatic score, intercut with Olivia saying things like, “I read a lot of romance novels where everything just comes together, that would be gigantor for me.” What the actual fuck?

Roses go to Amanda single mom, “Whitney” Lauren H., Jubilee stripper tattoos, the Twin, Caila “Sex Panther”, tall Jennifer (Olivia blurts out “seriously?” here), and Leah with the dark brows.

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Final rose comes down to a choice between Amber, Rachel and Olivia with Olivia announcing that being the last means Ben’s sending her a message. Yes, girl.

Olivia gets that punitive last rose, and the message is clear to everyone but her, Ben is over you.

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“Rachel, unemployed, Little Rock, Arkansas” starts to cry to a sad score and walks away in her hideous red carpet dress, not fully comprehending that she was never even in the race.

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Amber takes her heels off and exits the scene, also in tears, then curls up on a pool lounger, crying and talking to herself about how she got hurt. Sad times.

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The journey to find love is not an easy one. Buckle up!

The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 3

The rise of Jubilee and the claws come out.

In classic week three happenings, insecurities begin to flare and the catty is out of the box.

The girls have started to figure out that Olivia sucks, and we the audience are repeatedly treated to her narcissistic ramblings to the camera about how great she is and how her connection with Ben is the strongest, all delivered in the world’s most annoying nasal voice.

But this episode is really about Jubilee. This is the first time an African American girl has ever really been considered as a serious contender on this show, but are we buying their connection or has this been manufactured by ABC to combat the flack they repeatedly get over this issue? Time will tell.

Jubilee announces that if she gets the one-on-one date card she’ll probably be the happiest she’s been in her life. Huge red flag statement.

Lauren B., the flight attendant, gets the first one-on-one date card and Olivia pretends to be really excited for her. Insert eye roll.

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She and Ben take off in a convertible Mustang, her hair blowing in her face the whole time. Convertibles are the worst for dates. A World War I era biplane is waiting for them and apparently Lauren B. is terrified even though she flies for a living.

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Ben, wearing his “hope” bracelet, goes in for the first kiss in the back of the plane as they do a fly-by over the mansion. All I can think is she must be freezing in that tank top.

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After the plane ride Lauren B.’s nose is all red because she was so cold.

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Cut to a Jacuzzi in the middle of a field somewhere and we see Ben’s tattoo on his rib cage, a sexy quote from the Bible, Old Testament Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Christian edgy.

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Screen Shot 2016-01-19 at 12.05.14 PMHot tub make out between Lauren B. and Ben. She tells him she wants to get her pilot’s licence but I feel like she’s just thought of that now and Ben tells her, “dang you’re cute.”

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Cut to the dinner date and Lauren B. explains to Ben that she is from a family of really basic people and Ben drops his pastor into the conversation and tells Lauren B. “It’s been cool not just to look at you and laugh with you, but being with you.”

Lucy Angel, whoever the fuck that is, plays them a private concert where they slow dance to bad country music and make out like they’re at their high school prom. Everyone watching fast forwards.

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Meanwhile back at the mansion, Caila starts losing her shit and crying whilst talking to JoJo and telling her that it’s just hitting her that there are other girls there and she might get her heart broken. Bitch, please.

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Jubilee looks suicidal again that her name wasn’t on the group date card. Later she’s in tears saying, “I’m so much more complicated than anybody else here.” No one would argue with that.

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A soccer-themed group date is announced, so boring. Lauren H. says that she has “zero ball-handling skills.” I bet.

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Balls are flying everywhere, Emily twin blocks a bunch of goals and after a sudden-death round Olivia’s team wins.
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The losing team misses out on the cocktail party where shocker, Olivia snatches Ben up for the first alone-time.

While she’s away, Amber, who has really bad hair and shouldn’t be picking on anyone’s appearance, tells the other girls that Olivia has fat toes and then Haley says, in an interview, that she can tell Olivia has fake boobs and also has bad breath. Claws. Are. Out.

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Jami turns double agent and tells Olivia about the bitchy comments, sending her into a insecurity spiral, replying “Am I aggressive? Yeah. Do I have bad toes? Yeah.”

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Ben and Amber kiss but it’s more Amber kissing him. I’m shocked she gets the group date rose which I think is just false hope for her. Amber’s a trouble-maker who knows she’s not going to win, she’s there to make TV drama.

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Back at the mansion, Jubilee, who is sitting around on-camera with zit cream all over her face, gets the one-on-one date card and goes full-manic.

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On the morning of their date Jubilee is acting like her socially anxious, weird self, rubbing the rest of the girls the wrong way with some of her comments. She’s not a girl’s girl, she might not even be all that into people.

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They take a chopper to a baller health spa where they eat canapés. Jubilee, who’s not the most sophisticated, tries one with a tiny bit of caviar which she has to immediately spit out on a napkin like a child. Nothing annoys me more than adults making a huge display of something they don’t like the taste of. Calm the fuck down.

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Next they get into the hot tub and Jubilee’s stripper tattoos are revealed. They move to the pool and do some making out.

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Later that night, Jubilee opens up to Ben about her sad childhood and he seems enthralled by her broken bird story and hands her the rose. My prediction is this girl is a bit too damaged and complicated for Ben, despite him claiming that he likes complex people with layers. I’m just not buying it.

The next morning all the bitches are shocked that Jubilee got a rose, with Lauren H. saying, “it’s insane to me, it’s like literally insane,” and notes that Jubilee seems to be pulling away from all the other girls. Lauren H., who is the epitome of a wannabe soccer mom, says she knows Ben “wants a wife who can be friends with all the other soccer moms.”

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Ben arrives for the rose ceremony cocktail party and puts  a real downer vibe on the night, announcing that two close family friends from back home died in an accident last night.

Most of the girls see this as the perfect opportunity to console Ben and show them how sensitive they are, with the exception of Olivia who is the first to whisk him away to let him know that she hates her legs, that people have written blogs about how she has “cankles,” while almost fake crying, and finishes with “I try to be strong all the time, but it’s the scariest thing ever.” If we weren’t sure if Olivia was a narcissist, we are now.

I love Olivia so much, she is completely unaware about how unlikeable she is and thinks she totally has this in the bag.

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This was huge turn-off for Ben, who says this is not exactly what he wants to talk about, given what he’s gone through today.

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Back in the room with the group, the camera spends a lot of time focusing on Jubilee sitting morosely on her own and highlighting her isolation tactics while zooming in on her boobs in her low-cut dress every so often.

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Before long though, she’s taking Ben to a secluded area outside, where a massage table is conveniently set up and gives him a massage in his suit shirt with her long, acrylic nails. It looks like a terrible massage.

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Becca, JoJo and Jami creep up and spy on the situation and two seconds later everyone in the house is alerted. All the girls are not happy that Jubilee is stealing their time with Ben when she’s safe with a rose already.

Soon Jami is dispatched to go down and interrupt the massage but it’s ending anyway with Ben announcing, “that was just incredible, it’s like my favorite thing in the world.” Sorry girls, Jubliee won this one.

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A little later Amber decides she needs to talk to Jubilee, finding her outside on a couch covered in a blanket, all alone, and tells her that she has to come and talk with all the girls which Jubes is having none of. She’s had army training, she knows an ambush when she smells one and bolts upstairs, barricading herself in a bathroom saying “I don’t know what you guys are doing but it ain’t cute. It’s ridicalous,” as she goes.

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“Jubilee got a rose last night, so she’s just cocky as fuck.” – Lace.

“It’s the first night ever that I have a rose and I should be giddy as fuck right now and I’m not because of this stupid situation, it’s just not fair.” – Amber.

“He shouldn’t have to be dealing with this right now.” – Emily.

Amber comes up to the bathroom to explain to Jubilee, who is now being consoled by Ben, that she just wanted to talk to her. Jubilee starts to cry. Amber explains to Ben and Jubilee why everyone is annoyed with her, basically signing her death warrant. If there’s one thing you want to do on this show, it’s stay out of the drama.

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Next, a crying Lace takes Ben outside to say she has a lot of work to do on herself and that going home might be easier at this point, delivering the line of the night again “Like my tattoo says, you can’t love someone else until you truly love yourself.” Basic bitches everywhere nod in unison.

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The roses are handed out to aspring soccer mom Lauren H., baby voiced-single mom Amanda, Haley twin, Becca virgin, Emily twin, boring Rachel, crazy Caila, JoJo, Tall Jennifer and Leah with the too-dark eyebrows and last but not least, Olivia.

Olivia has decided that Ben is giving her secret signs to let her know that she is more special, like squeezing her knee slightly when he got up off the couch on the group date and squeezing her waist when he hugged her after he gave her the final rose. She’s a maniac.

Jami and Shushana are this week’s rejects.

Jami, who’s a bit dim, spirals after not getting a rose, saying “My lesson from this is don’t ever expect anything from humans, I’m going to start adopting cats now.” Girls with cats everywhere nod in unison.

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See you on Bachelor in Paradise, girl.

 

The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 2

Olivia’s big mouth and the two Laces.

Week one gets off to a strong start with some front runners breaking away from the pack. We learn that one of the twins thinks that “Ben is the greatest bachelor on the planet of history,” and JoJo announces that “If you had a list, he checks off every single list.” 

The biggest news though, is we find out there are actually two Laces. Lace tells us that that actually wasn’t her on the first night, it was the “other” Lace.

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Newsflash: Ben is into being fun and goofy and that really shows on the first horrendous group date, the back to high school challenge, complete with plenty of really dumb sexual innuendos in the chemistry class portion and the bobbing for apples portions where we find out “Jackie’s not great with her mouth, unfortunately.”

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JoJo and Becca, two of the hottest girls pair up to fail the U.S. geography test. Are we shocked?

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What is Mandi wearing??

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The winner of this date is crowned “Homecoming Queen,” which is apparently all of these girls’ dream. But there can only be one queen and today it’s Mandi. This will be her high point on the show, as well as in life.

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Cut to the group date cocktail party that night, where true colors shine. Becca comes with her A game and a very tight, short dress. Don’t be fooled by Becca’s chill, easy-going, stoner demeanour, she’s in it to win it.

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Tall person Jennifer and Ben kiss during their alone time and Lace (we’re not sure which one this is), loses her shit when she finds out. Lace says she’s upset that Ben got a different Lace on the first night. I think she means drunk Lace.

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Meanwhile, back at the mansion, the one-on-one date card arrives and we get to see just how wide Olivia can open that trap of hers. Everyone simultaneously pauses their TVs in shock and awe.

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Back to the group date where Lace and Ben are almost “eye fucking,” according to her. No kiss though because he’s actually terrified of her, and rightly so. Lace loses her shit again when Jubilee cuts in on her with Ben, saying “fuck these bitches” and complaining to the group about not getting any time with Ben.

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I’m a little scared of Jubes too. She and Ben also kiss.

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Lace interrupts Ben and someone with the line “I’m not crazy I just need some more time.” It’s never a good idea to refer to yourself as crazy multiple times to someone you’re trying to convince that you’re not crazy.

Everyone hates Lace because she sucks. 

JoJo and Ben go up to the roof where Ben tells JoJo he’s feeeeeeeeeling her and they have the most romantic kiss of the date and she emerges as the one to beat.

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Ben tells JoJo “thank you for sharing with me,” which I think we can all agree on is the lamest line as we all cringe in unison, then gives her the group date rose.

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Jubilee is suicidal when she finds out.

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Lace is close to a psychotic break.

Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 12.13.17 PMBack at the mansion it’s revealed Caila has the first one-on-one date that also includes some corny cross-promotion for the movie Ride Along 2 and Ban and Caila are joined by Ice Cube and teeny weeny Kevin Hart.

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Ben is, of course, a huge Kevin Hart fan, shocker. He also announces that “Ice Cube has done everything from acting to rap.” There’s no way Ben could recite even one line of “Givin’ up the nappy Dugout,” sorry.

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Cut to a depressing scene with Amanda Facetiming the kids she’s abandoned. 

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One of the twins has a French tip manicure which should mean immediate disqualification.

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We’re already finding out that what Ben has in good looks is not matched in personality. 

On their date, Ben and Caila get to know each other whilst their food sits in front of them, getting cold. This drives me insane.

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Later we find out that Ben also has bad taste in music when his favorite musician, no clue who this dude is and too lazy to Google it, shows up to play the standard private show trope for the couple. Ben sings along. At the end of the date there’s kissing. Caila is in the running.

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On the next group date to a “love clinic” we learn which of the girls present have physical chemistry with Ben. Olivia, who is the worst after Mandi and Lace, scores highest with Ben on the chemistry test. Her already large ego becomes a character.

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 Ben told Samantha she smelled sour. I feel this is the kiss of death for her.

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Later that night in Ben’s hotel room, which Olivia announces “is awesome,” they make out. when she returns to the group she tells the other girls that “if Ben is a big believer in science, I’d be a little nervous.” She’s the wooooooorst.

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Amanda breaks the bad news to Ben about the two heavy pieces of luggage she travels with in the shape of two small children but he kisses her anyway.

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Ben predictably gives Olivia the group date rose, causing Amanda to shed the first tears of the season.

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Ben needs to lay off the hair gel.

Olivia announces that Ben is hers at this point, saying, “He’s my man.” Amanda throws some shade her way. She then interrupts Ben and Leah who are done talking anyway so they can make out some more.

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Lace takes Olivia aside for a chit chat and we get to observe two crazy idiots facing off.

Lace has begun talking about herself in the third person as she begins to spiral. I’m thinking alcohol is the common denominator here.

She then takes Ben aside for the 15th time and tells him that she has “a very bold personality” and is “a lot to handle” and that she has “a part of her that she’s working on.” Ben is now legit terrified. Olivia and Lauren H. listen from below the balcony.

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They are interrupted by another girl, prompting Lace to go into full-breakdown mode in her interview, saying, “the Lace I promised myself I would not be came out.”

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Ben gives Lauren B. a photograph of the two of them on the night they met as a token to assure her that he’s into her. Lauren B. will be one to beat.

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Amber still hasn’t had any time with Ben, which I don’t really understand because they’re filming all day, how can you not talk to him for at least ten minutes? Seems like bad time management to me.

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Ben and Amanda, the esthetician with the baby voice, make hair barrettes for her brats. Definitely not Ben’s idea.

The rose ceremony is intercut with Lace’s breakdown. This is cheap trick becasue we all know that the producers of this show aren’t letting Ben send both Laces home just yet.

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L.B. gets a rose but tells Ben that she’s going to bounce, making room for Amber to stay. He might’ve blown that one but plenty more fish here.

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Jackie and Mandi go home rose-less and love-less. And the field begins to thin.

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The Bachelor Season 20 Recap: Episode 1

GUESS WHO’S BAAAAAAACK??!

Yes, it’s really handsome, really boring Ben Higgins, a top three reject from Kaitlyn’s season. Ben is from small town Indiana, still talks about high school sports he played and is super close with his parents – he called them in the middle of filming the arrivals, waking them up to tell them it was going “great!” – all red flags. He’s nice, he’s handsome and that’s all you need to be for bitches to fight over you on this show.

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During the exciting pre-amble, Bachelor Ben sits down with some other Bachelor alums – Sean Lowe (biggest dag and self-proclaimed virgin prior to penetrating his wife on their televised wedding night), Jason Mesnick, who proposed to one of the finalists from his season and broke up with her at “The Women Tell All” to tell the woman he’d previously sent home that he made the wrong decision and meant to propose to her, and Farmer Chris, who proposed to Whitney at the end of his season and broke things off 3 months later after appearing on Dancing With The Stars. Advice is swapped and Melnick sweats through his shirt.

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The first impression rose goes to Olivia, 23 but looks 33, news anchor, who tells Ben she gave up a great job to come be on TV with him. Hashtag romance. She’ll be one of the ones to beat.

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As you probably know, the first episode is about meeting the female contestants and judging them harshly. As they pile out of limos onto the ever-wet driveway we see what’s in store for Ben, and more importantly, for us.

Some highlights:

I just want to start by saying that I don’t like calling girls “crazy” just to be funny, it’s a tired label. However, if a female is legit acting crazy she gets the title. This season that title goes to Lace. Yes, her parents named her after some fabric and that may have contributed to her current state of unbalance. There’s always one girl who drinks too much, throws shade all over the place, makes disparaging comments about the other contestants and is way too intense with the man prize. Ladies and gentlemen, like so many before her, meet Lace.

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Laura AKA Red Velvet. Her whole identity is that she’s a redhead. No one gives one, lady. Also she appears to be missing a neck. Sadly, Red Velvs doesn’t make the cut.

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Tiara, a really basic name, is a “chicken enthusiast,” and has framed photographs of her pet chooks in her home. Doesn’t make the cut.

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Mandi the dentist plays the roll of the “kooky girl” who seems a bit insane. She’s this season’s Ashley S., arriving with and wearing for the entire night a giant paper rose on her head. Mandi also gives Ben his first on-the-mouth kiss after talking to him for like a minute. Agressive.

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Lastly there was Meagan, 30, cowgirl. Huh? She didn’t fit the mould really and on top of it she brought a mini horse with her, into the mansion. She doesn’t make the cut, shockingly.

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After the typically harrowing first meet and greet cocktail party where Ben spends 5-10 minutes with each contestant and then has to rule out the ones he doesn’t have a connection with, after literally hours of filming he hands out roses to:  

Lauren B., 25, flight attendant and my pick to go the distance. Her happy place is the beach. They seem like a perfect match to me, a basic match made in heaven/on TV. 

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LB, 23, fashion buyer. Blah, won’t last long.

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Caila, 23, software sales rep. She and Ben have the same boring job and seem like a good match. 

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Amber, 30, bartender and Bachelor veteran, appearing on Chris Soules’ season as well as last summer’s best show, Bachelor in Paradise. At 30, she’s one of the oldest competing and quite frankly, should know better.

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Jami, 23, bartender. Basically just a younger, Canadian version of Amber. I fear there’s not a whole lot going on upstairs with this one.

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Jennifer, 25, “small business owner” – too vague for me. She’s tall like Ben so they have that in common.

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Jubilee, 24, “war vet” – 24 seems young to be labeled a war vet. Also, that sounds un-sexy. Jubes has neck/titty and upper thigh tattoos which is exciting.

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Amanda, 25, esthetician and single mom of two small girls. Could go the distance but in the end I feel like Ben won’t want to take on someone else’s kids – read: who would? Also, she thinks her kids are “the most amazing kids ever.” Sorry to break it to you but your kids are very ordinary, like pretty much all kids.

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Joelle, “JoJo”, 24, house flipper. I like JoJo, but my first impression is she might be a bit complex for Ben. I think he’ll keep around for the long-haul though.

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Leah, 25, event planner. Blonde, didn’t leave much of an impression. Might be his type though, who knows?

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Rachel, 23, unemployed. This one won’t last. Plus she arrived on one of those stupid hoverboards.

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Samantha, 26, “attorney.” She just passed the bar exam so not exactly an attorney. She won’t last either, too smart.

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Jackie, 23, Gerontologist. Another tall brunette, seems boring.

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Haley, 22, twin. Is there any more reductive a description as being labeled a sibling? Obvious producers’ choice, along with her other half, and playing into what dumb people think is some fantasy about twins. 

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Emily, 22, Twin. They both seem to have identical personalities so far as well and are both ready to “date the same guy.” Oooooookay.

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Shushana, 27, mathematician and apparently only speaks Russian. Producers’ pick for sure.

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Lauren H., 25, kindergarten teacher. People who choose to work with kids are often a little nuts in my experience. Also, that hair color.

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Becca, 26, chiropractic assistant and another returnee from Chris Soules’ season and notorious VIRGIN. I can see Becca going the distance.

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Mandi, 28, dentist. We covered this above. Definitely another producers’ pick. No one’s buying it.

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And last but not least, Lace, 25, real estate agent who owns quote of the night – “Let’s be honest, who wants a fucking virgin?” Poor Becca.

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Lace shows just how crazy she is after she’s handed the last rose and takes Ben to the side to berate him for making her wait until the last rose and never looking at her once during the rose ceremony. I mean she might be over the whole thing now. Ben is already annoyed by this chick. I give her till week 5, for entertainment.

That’s the field going into week one. Place your bets now, I’ll be discussing my picks on the podcast this week!

 

The 20 Best Things That Happened in 2015

2015 was full of terrible people (ISIS, the Planned Parenthood shooter, the kid from UConn who was refused mac and cheese) with terrible agendas. But was it void of greatness? Absolutely not. Here are 20 reasons why 2015 was actually a tremendous year. And I’m not talking about bullshit videos of cops getting into dance contests and squirrels parachuting. These are actual great things.

20. Nancy Grace suffers her worst debate beatdown…by 2 Chainz!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e25in2BNo48

In yet another debate over an issue that nobody still cares about, Nancy Grace was obliterated by the guy whose previous high point was the lyric – “They say room service. Gimme one minute, she gettin’ a womb service.”

19. Star Wars

Cool bros waiting for their movie.
Cool bros waiting for their movie.

JJ Abrams had a ton of pressure going into this movie. Nerds followed his every move. Yes, these were the same nerds who conveniently forgot that the Star Wars franchise has had about two-and-a-half good movies out of six. Nonetheless, Abrams was expected to please both nine year-old boys and 44 year-old fanboys looking to revisit their youths before puberty relegated them to weirdo status. And JJ delivered. The Force Awakens was thoroughly entertaining and a real event.

18. Iceland makes blasphemy legal.

Jesus, that's a beautiful picture.
Jesus, that’s a beautiful picture.

You’re goddamned right they did!

17. Steve Harvey is a dope.

Whoops.
Whoops.

People can debate whether or not the whole Miss Universe thing was staged. But the authenticity of the pageant’s results is not what makes it great. In the middle of the confusion, Steve Harvey says the funniest line of his career and it was not remotely intentional. At the 5:03 mark, Harvey pleaded with the audience. “Please don’t hold it against the ladies.” Thanks, Steve. For a minute I thought Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines were to blame for this commotion and was about to throw broken bottles at the stage. Then I was going to follow them both around for the rest of their lives and loudly boo them in public. Thanks to your quick wit, you were able to clarify that it is not the fault of the two women standing silently in their evening gowns and sashes. We all really dodged a bullet there.

16. Adnan’s murder is the gift that keeps on giving.

America's next great pastime - carefully studying potentially murderous weirdos.
America’s next great pastime – carefully studying potentially murderous weirdos.

Due to the success of Serial, tv networks have been dying to capitalize on the true crime documentary series success. HBO put out The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Once viewers were able to look past the creepy facial hair of documentarian Andrew Jarecki, The Jinx was a fascinating look at the insanely wealthy yet shady Robert Durst. The final episode culminated in a mind-blowing confession.

Later in the year, Netflix threw it’s hat in the ring with Making A Murderer – a show about a slow adult who may have been framed for murder in Wisconsin. While death is always terrible, at least it’s providing some compelling television.

15. Ben Carson has a majestic picture of himself and Jesus hanging in his home.

"Last one to the steam room is a rotten egg!"
“Last one to the steam room is a rotten egg!”

“Hey Ben, why don’t you slip into something a little more comfortable? Come join me in the steam room. I can give you a nice back massage with my insanely muscular right hand. If you just close your eyes, you will begin to forget about my tiny, Chris Bosh-sized head.”

14. Eddie Murphy finally told a joke.

For people of a certain age, Eddie Murphy was the comedic gold standard. Then he stopped being funny. He quit standup, made tons of terrible kids movies, and appeared super-affected in every interview. At the SNL 40 special, Chris Rock gave Murphy the intro to end all intros, Eddie took the stage…and did absolutely nothing. Most of the next day’s water cooler talk was about how Eddie didn’t have it anymore. A couple months later, when being presented with the Mark Twain prize at the Kennedy Center, Eddie broke the streak and told his first joke at the expense of alleged serial rapist Bill Cosby. Welcome back.

13. Washington DC is turning poop into power.

Poop. Glorious poop.
Poop. Glorious poop.

The biggest challenge in moving away from fossil fuels is finding new energy sources. Our nation’s capital found a source that is never ending – our need to relieve ourselves. The new treatment plant which turns solid waste into energy will both save money and put waste to work. Suddenly, having a Taco Bell in the neighborhood is an asset.

12. Mad. Max.

Uh oh, both genders are being represented. Time to panic!
Uh oh, both genders are being represented. Time to panic!

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the rare movies with no downtime. There was no boring scene. There was no needless exposition. The movie was just start-to-finish action. Hopefully this teaches future directors that it’s ok to sometimes skip the boring backstories and forced romantic subplots. For the cherry on top, the movie made a bunch of guys angry because one of the action stars was a woman. Welcome to the year 1979, gentlemen!

11. A’s pitcher, Sean Doolittle, hosts Thanksgiving dinner for 17 Syrian refugee families.

Sean Doolittle, a true American.
Sean Doolittle, a true American.

Much like the Ebola scare, SARS, and Bird Flu, Syrian refugees have become an insane fear mongering target. Despite the fact that there is really no evidence to prove Syrian refugees are any more of a risk to Americans than Americans themselves, people have gone out of their way to turn their backs on people looking to escape persecution and seek freedom. (You know, kind of like the way everyone’s family came to America?) Well, the Oakland A’s closer represented the best of what America has to offer and generously showed love on our country’s greatest holiday.

10. Julianne Moore killed it on Billy on the Street.

Julianne Moore is a national treasure.

9. Bill Cosby finally faced the music.

Monster.
Monster.

2015 has not been a good one for Cliff Huxtable. Ever since mid-2014, the old comedian has been accused of rape by dozens of women. But the problem with nearly every accusation is that it happened well beyond the statute of limitations. Luckily, at least one of these cases happened just under 12 years ago in Pennsylvania. Yesterday, Cosby was arrested and formally charged. It doesn’t right all his wrongs but satisfying to know he doesn’t get away with everything. Maybe that Fat Albert voice can get you an extra serving of baked beans as you live out your twilight years in the pokey, Bill.

8. The Paris climate agreement is the most positive news item for the environment in our lifetime.

Finally.
Finally.

I think we can all agree that the planet is mostly fucked in the long term. But, for generations, we viewed earth as someone else’s problem. And, let’s face it, if something is going to inconvenience your great-great grandson/daughter, you can pretend you care but you really don’t. Now, problems with the planet could be a major problem for our kids – which is a problem because we sort-of care about our kids. Governments across the globe banded together and have resolved to focus on renewable energy. Now we have something to bring up when we need someone to change our diapers in 50 years. “Remember that time when we saved the planet? Good. Now help me change this #2”

7. TV is still great.

Big Time
Big Time

Thanks to Netflix and countless cable channels, there are a ton of directions to turn for great TV. From the Mad Men finale to the “Shame” episode of Game of Thrones to season two of Fargo, You’re the Worst, and Broad City, television in 2015 is better than ever. But, if you’re looking for a great new show, look no further than Big Time in Hollywood, FL. Come for the coked-out-of-his-mind Cuba Gooding, Jr. Stay for the Steven Tobolowsky.

6. University of Missouri football players use their status to bring meaningful change.

Athletes taking a stand.
Athletes taking a stand.

For months, black students had complained of multiple racial incidents around campus. The administration chose to do nothing about it. Realizing that the only meaningful change is getting the football team involved, players on the team were approached to join the movement. On Saturday, November 7th, black members of the team announced they would not play another game unless there were changes in the administration. By Tuesday, the 10th, the school’s president stepped down and the chancellor announced he will transition to a new role.

Schools everywhere have no problem profiting left and right on the athletes. Schools are also always quick to remind the athletes that they’re not employees. It’s about time that the athletes get to push back.

5. RJ Hunter hits a game-winner for Georgia State in the NCAA Tournament.

Ron Hunter tore his achilles tendon while celebrating his team’s Sun Belt conference championship the previous week. In the first round of the NCAA tournament (or whatever they call the round of 64), Ron was forced to coach his 14-seeded team from a stool against Baylor, the 3-seed. When Ron’s son, RJ, hit the game winner Ron fell out of his chair and shady coach Scott Drew was sent home with a bitter loss.

4. David Letterman got the sendoff he deserved.

In the weeks leading up to David Letterman’s final show in May, the tributes poured in. Jimmy Kimmel gave a heartfelt tribute to Dave in his monologue. Norm MacDonald choked up in his final Late Show appearance. Every star imaginable was tripping over themselves to get on the show before he signed off. In the final episode, Dave gave a poignant-yet-not-sappy farewell and the Foo Fighters played while a montage of 35 years of incredible clips played.

It’s sad that there no longer will be a late night host that is both hilarious and unconcerned with kissing up to his guests. But it was tremendous to see the greatest ever talk show host get his due. Farewell, Dave.

3. We got to witness the Pharma Bro do the perp walk.

Human garbage in cuffs.
Human garbage in cuffs.

In August Martin Shkreli announced his company was hiking the price of a drug used by AIDS patients by 5500%. Due to expired patents and a complete lack of compassion, the “Pharma Bro” shrugged and reminded everyone it is all legal. In December, we learned that Shkreli was the sole owner of the only copy of Wu Tang’s $2 million album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” But then, just when we were resigned to the fact that this shitbird was forever going to be a nuisance in our lives, Shkreli was arrested for securities fraud. After a rough year, Pharma Bro’s arrest was a solid bit of news as we entered the holiday season.

2. The Obergefell vs. Hodges decision.

Love wins.
Love wins.

The Supreme Court ruled that all states are required to recognize same sex marriages. This was both terrific and sad news. Terrific in that love wins. Sad in that same sex marriages weren’t a universal thing in America as recently as seven months ago.

1. “Benjamin Franklin is killin’ the game!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnHduGJddq0

This guy.