OMG!!! Guess Who's Going to Chat with Ali, Chris L and Roberto???

So on this very lively Friday evening, the Husband has been listening to me vent about how crazy life at my office has been these past two weeks.  I complain. He listens.  I complain some more.  He checks his iPhone.  We watch TV.  We have a wedding tomorrow night, he's feeling a bit under the weather - so we're laying low.  I'm thinking about all of the things I have to get done this weekend, how there never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomplish anything.  I wonder if I'm going to fit into the dress I picked out for tomorrow night's wedding.  My opportunities for finding writing time have been few and far between and I wonder how I'm going to keep up this blog, have a full time job, a 3 hour commute each day, and stay sane.  And then it came...

I received an email from the editor at my http://www.rbr.com  gig.  They publish my weekly blog entry every Saturday.  Anyhow, guess what I'm doing next Tuesday????

They have invited me to (I can't even believe I'm typing these words) - to join a teleconference of writers/bloggers to interview ALI, CHRIS L and ROBERTO to interview them!!!  Can you believe that?  I'm going to be chatting with these people in just a couple of days!!  Now the question is - what on earth am I going to ask them?? That's where you guys come in!! Please - I need fun, great, thoughtful questions.  What do you want to know?  What don't you want to know?  Not sure that it's a good sign if Ali's doing interviews with both guys (if she picked someone, wouldn't she just be doing interviews with the one she picked?).  Hmmmmm.

Ok - well give it some thought, and let me know! 

The Men Tell All, Say Nothing

I awoke this morning to text messages, missed calls, new Twitter followers and a flurry of emails. Apparently, I was on 20/20 last night talking about The Bachelor and didn’t even know it! Does that make a me a tiny, little, bitty kind of maybe famous? I’m gonna go ahead and say “yes.” We saw that 20/20 was on following The Men Tell All, but The Husband was itching to watch the season premiere of Mad Men that we taped from Sunday night (it was awesome!) so we opted for that instead and taped 20/20. ABC contacted me a couple of weeks ago to see if I was available to do more filming for the show, but I never heard from anyone and assumed they didn’t need me. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that I was in fact on! We taped that back in March, a week before my wedding, the night of Jake’s finale. Did anyone see it last night?

Maybe it’s because our food delivery last night never showed up and I was starving. Maybe it was the fact that I had to work past 8:30 pm and work hasn’t stopped for a second since my boss went on maternity leave. For whatever reason, either I was in a really bad mood or I think last night’s The Men Tell All may have been one of the most boring reunion shows of all time. First off, where was everybody? Hello – the three most controversial guys of the season: Justin, Craig M and Frank, were not even present! If you can’t get them, at least get Jillian and Ed to explain the status of their “taking time apart.” Or have Jason and Molly talk about their honeymoon. Give us SOMETHING. What were the writers of this show doing in the creative room when they planned this episode? Have Craig the lawyer make a point about something? Yeah, that will get ratings. Why weren’t any of the guys allowed to directly ask Ali questions? I’m sure Ty wanted to know whether his chauvinistic comments were his downfall. Weatherman certainly thought he had this thing in the bag. Even Craig the lawyer probably wanted to cross examine her. FRUSTRATING. That’s what this episode was.

Going into this week’s episode, I was really excited to see what all of the guys had to say for themselves. I was curious as to how Justin could possibly defend himself. How Craig M would try to look like a tolerable human being. Of course I wanted to see Ali confront Frank and find out if he’s still with Nicole. I also wanted to see the third Chris who was really cute but who got booted near the beginning rounds. Unfortunately, we learned absolutely nothing new, except that Justin is more of a slimeball than we initially thought, but this isn’t a surprise. Kirk was heartbroken (we knew this). Craig doesn’t shut up. Kasey is nuts and his impromptu singing is insane. Ty has puppy dog brown eyes. Jesse is all looks, no brain, and has an awful buzz cut.

Ali’s hair was confusing, kind of a Martha Washington-do meets an electrocuted French twist. She’d probably call it a “pretty mess.” I’d just call it a mess. That said, I still think Ali is one of the best bachelorettes this show has had. She’s pretty, she’s not afraid of being a dork and I like how she has gone off on the guys who have done wrong by her (Justin).

The fact that Frank was not on the show is troubling. Why not bring him back on this week’s episode when they literally had nothing else to talk about? The fact that he returns next week may mean one of the following: (1) Ali chooses nobody because of Frank, Frank realizes he’s an idiot for dumping Ali and wants her back and they get together; (2) Ali chooses nobody, which Mike Fleiss realizes would be a HUGE disappointment for the fans, so he brings back Frank to start up some fireworks as Frank announces he’s engaged to Nicole; (3) Ali chooses someone and then gets to tell off Frank. In any scenario, having Frank there is unnecessary.

Jessie, one of the former bachelorettes from Jake’s season, looked great! Although I’m not sure how this girl always ends up in the middle of everyone’s secrets on this show. Last season she claims that she caught Rozlyn making out with a producer in the stairwell of the mansion. This season, she’s in the middle of the Rated-R scandal. This seems a little too convenient for me – that and the fact that she’s going to be on Bachelor Pad, just seem like a self-promotion of the spinoff, rather than her having any legit info.

I think The Husband is slightly jealous of Chris L, because now when they show the Chris L montages of him falling in love with Ali, he looks at me, instead of the screen, and gets a little frown on his face. Ha! He asks me if he has a reason to be jealous and I tell him that we’ll know after next week because Chris L may be engaged and therefore off the market!

The promo for Bachelor Pad looks like one big Jerry Springer circus. It may ultimately be the end of the Bachelor franchise. The show now still has a bit of class, because the quality of the contestants is high. Ali is well liked, smart and very relatable. Chris L and Robert are all-stars. Of course putting these types of people in a house together will not create the kind of spark and scandal that produce ratings, so they put the trash in (Tenley and Kiptyn excluded). I’m already annoyed with the new spinoff and it hasn’t even started yet.  The only possible love interest is Tenley and Kiptyn.  If that doesn't work out I'm thinking that Tenley and Ty would make a great duo - both divorced, both have traditional values, both are musically inclined and both seem like sweet people.

OH, one brief comment about The Weatherman. I found him unbearably annoying last night. Everything that came out of his mouth was just so awkward and dorky. He now has this new “Bachelor” status from being on the show and is probably LOVING all of the attention he gets. I am really glad they didn’t take time out to interview him.

Kirk is great as always. He’s a really nice, solid guy, but I don’t think he has that extra special thing about him to become the next Bachelor. I just don’t think he could carry a show. That said, I do think he will meet someone very soon on his own.

The rest of this show was a snooze fest. I fast forwarded through most of the recaps, finding the little inside jokes (Ali laughing hysterically about putting on a space helmet – was she drunk?) not funny. The outtakes are always the best part, especially anything that Chris L says, but other than that, I yawned through this one. Chris N had orange skin and was known as the phantom. I didn’t find this funny for some reasons. Because who cares about Chris N?

So hopefully last night’s boredom will give way to the most exciting finale ever, but I just don’t know if Ali is going to get her fairytale ending of finding love. I really hope she picks one of them and that the “loser” becomes the Bachelor. I can’t even imagine how upsetting it will be to see her break one of these guys’ hearts. They don’t deserve it and both have really put themselves out there.

I am beyond excited for next week’s finale. I like how they make you think Ali’s dad doesn’t give his blessing to Roberto and Chris. Yeah right. Do you think Ali is going to choose someone? Is Frank going to make a shocking reappearance? Are you guys having a finale party? Were you as bored last night as I was?

Men Tell All - Post Up Tonight

Good morning, Bachelorette fans!  Less than a week until the finale.  I'm off to work at an ungodly hour but wanted to see if any of you caught the 20/20 Bachelor special that was on last night.  I just found out that I was on!!  Did you see it?? 

Post will be up later...

Chris L. vs Young Paul Newman

You asked for it...You got it.  Whaddya think?  Eyes, Forehead, nose and lips are very similar.  Good call!

Frank's Departure Doesn't Mean Ali Chooses Nobody

So for all you that have been worrying all week that Ali is going to leave the final two heartbroken due to her unfinished business with Frank, here's some good news: Ali says in an interview with E! Online that her final decision has nothing to do with Frank.  I really hope that's true.  Of course she could choose herself in the end, leaving us with flashback visions of Kelly Taylor on 90210, when she chose herself over Dylan McKay or Brandon Walsh.  Dumb move, Kelly.  In any event, Ali is excited to confront him on The Men Tell All. I'm curious to see whether he still with Nicole.

The Husband is on his way to Coney Island tonight for a Beach Boys concert and this leaves me some much needed time to do writing.  It's day 4 of my boss being out and things couldn't be busier in the office.  I also finished a great book on the train today - "Water for Elephants."  If you haven't read that book yet - go grab it - it's wonderfully written and very entertaining.  The author, Sara Gruen, gave an interview at the end of the book and they asked her about how she found time to write.  Turns out she wrote most of the book while in a closet.  She said it was the only way she could do it without distractions.  I totally understand this concept and may try it, though if it's 90 degrees outside, and about 85 degrees in our apartment when I got home tonight from work, I can only imagine how hot the closets are.  Time to crank the A/C.  The Husband was appalled by our A/C bill last month - I think it was over $300, which for a 1 BR apartment, is ridiculous.

Ok, time to go add to our A/C bill, order some sushi and do some writing.  If you want to see the article about Ali's comment, here it is: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b191256_bachelorettes_ali_flip-flopper_frank.html

Also, if you don't already, you should definitely check out Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday nights.  First off, he is really funny.  But second, he usually has a brief bit in the beginning of his show about The Bachelorette and he gets Ali to come on via Skype.  He has been ranking on Frank since Day 1 - saying he's completely nuts.  He's a really smart guy to be that funny - and it's definitely worth setting the Tivo/DVR for.

TGI (almost) F!!

Everything is Hotter in Tahiti: Chris and Roberto Sizzle, Frank Goes Home

It’s not even 7:15 AM and I am sitting on the train sweating, ready to depart Grand Central. My eyes feel heavy, I forgot to put makeup on and I’m headed for day #2 of my boss being on maternity leave. Such stress! After last night’s episode, I can honestly say that I have a Bachelorette hangover. Tahiti was beautiful, emotional and hot enough to make poor Roberto sweat through his romantic dinner and the rose ceremony. I got choked up about three times – why on earth this show makes me cry, I have no idea.

A few observations from last night:

Could Chris L be any hotter? I loved his red/blue plaid shirt. I love the way he is with Ali – funny, happy and the way his face gets flushed every time they make out. I am not sure there is any way Ali could possibly choose anyone else, but as The Husband observed last night (my enthusiasm for Chris L has strangely transferred to The Husband), “I’m selfishly hoping that Ali doesn’t choose Chris L, so we can see him be the next Bachelor.” OMG, I have created a monster!

My sister disagrees with the Chris L choice – she’s in love with Roberto. I think these two are the best final two we have ever seen in Bachelor/ette history. My mother thinks that Ali chooses nobody and I am just wondering what could possibly make the finale “the most dramatic ending” ever as Chris Harrison alludes to. The Husband and I were discussing this last night and went through all of the dramatic endings we could remember from Bachelor/Bachelorette past. A couple of our favorites: Brad Womack choosing nobody. DeAnna choosing Jesse the snowboarder over the “safe” choice of Jason the philanthropist single dad. Jason choosing Melissa, proposing, then dumping her on the aftershow and hitting on Molly. Jillian receiving THREE marriage proposals, in particular, one from Reid, who came back on the show to declare his love and propose. Those were probably the top 4, except perhaps when Jesse Palmer had to dump Tara while the girl he chose watched from the second floor of the mansion (very awkward moment). I also loved the very romantic Trista and Ryan ending. Ok, back to Tahiti…

At the beginning of the episode we see this ridiculous packing montage where we learn that Chris L and Roberto are throwing out the “L” bombs regarding Ali. They’re both falling in love. Watching Roberto pack up his “Lion King” CD (um, who has CDs anymore – wouldn’t he just download those songs on iTunes?) was too cheesy. I wonder what mastermind told him to do that. Was he planning on playing this CD in Tahiti? He certainly could have dropped it off at his parents’ house last week, but I guess he wanted to hear, “Hakuna Matata,” one more time with the Tahitian waves crashing in the background to drown out her smooching with Chris.

And then we get to Frank. Ugh, Frank. This guy is such a mess. Watching him try to describe how he was falling in love with Ali and how this made him realize that he was in love with his ex girlfriend Nicole, was annoying for multiple reasons: (1) The Husband is not convinced they were actually broken up when they went on the show; (2) Doesn’t Nicole care that he’s spent the past few weeks making out with Ali, just introduced her to his parents, and thought he was falling in love with her? (3) How on earth does Frank know he’s going to spend the rest of his life with Nicole when just last week he was talking about proposing to Ali?

To all of you who commented that you think Frank won't last with Nicole - neither does Chris Harrison.  I really hope they're not setting this up for Ali to choose nobody, Frank to break up with Nicole and then beg Ali to give it another shot at the After the Final Rose segment.  That would be ridiculously lame and such an insult to the two perfectly wonderful remaining men.  Frank is visibly shaken during the entire episode – minus one brief part – when he’s with Nicole and she indicates that she’ll take his sorry self back.  He cracks a smile. This is actually the first genuine smile we see from Frank since the very first episode of this season. To his credit, it must have taken a lot of guts to fly half way around the world to dump The Bachelorette. I also thought he did a decent job of trying to explain what went wrong. I agree that it would have been difficult to tell Ali that he was having feelings for someone else. Honestly – what would Ali have done at that point? How do you think about getting engaged to someone knowing they are having doubts because of another girl? I don’t blame him for keeping that to himself and trying to figure it out on his own. I also don’t blame him for packing a really big suitcase – hey, if you’re going to fly hours and hours to Tahiti to break up with someone, you might as well stay a while and enjoy the facilities. I was wondering whether the guys all stayed at the same resort. Could they see each other? What were Roberto and Chris doing while Ali was bawling her eyes out with Frank? I so wanted her to show up at one of their rooms seeking comfort, but I guess that never happened.

I think it was pretty clear from Ali’s reaction that Frank was the front runner leading up to this week’s dates. She was too upset for this not to be the case. As I watched Ali cry into her hands and tell Frank once again that she gave up everything to be on the show, I wanted to shake her – does she not know how awesome a life with Roberto and/or Chris L could be? They are so much more stable, mature and are openly telling Ali that they are falling for her, that they see their lives with her. Why is she so upset about Frank? The worst part about this, is that she seems so fragile and really insecure. She thinks there’s something wrong with her because of Frank’s actions. Her self image is really warped, and that’s sad to see. She’s got two perfectly perfect guys left and this does not seem to be enough. It’s so frustrating! I wonder what her reaction would have been had Roberto or Chris L given her a similar speech. Ali reveals in her blog that she was previously dumped by an ex who went back with his ex girlfriend, so I guess this opened old wounds.

I really hope Ali can pull it together over the next week or so with her last two choices and that her heartbreak doesn’t overpower her emotions of love for Chris L and/or Roberto. I also really wish she’d stop saying that she gave up everything to be on the show. Didn’t everybody put their lives on hold to come on the show? It’s not like she dropped everything to go do manual labor. She’s being wined and dined and schlepped first class all over the world. I have a hard time feeling sorry for her when she says this nonsense. I am sure the show is paying her a pretty penny to be The Bachelorette. So yes, she gave up her job, but she also landed a pretty good gig being paid to search for love.

One more mention of Frank before I say goodbye to him forever: was that Nicole’s apartment? Or did they set up the shot in a hotel? Did anybody else think that this conversation was scripted? Nicole barely said anything at first and Frank was actually quite articulate in between the long pauses of silence. Is this a reenactment of a conversation they had privately off camera? The Husband isn’t buying this strange scene. He says, “It’s bull#$!!. They were never broken up.” I will conclude the Frank saga by saying that his pores look really unfortunate in high definition TV. 

Alright I lied - one more thing about Frank after reading Ali's blog this week.  She says she had specifically talked to Frank about his ex girlfriends during a previous date and they had a talk about his ex in Paris, who was not Nicole.  Then once Justin pulled his shenanigans, Ali demanded that the guys tell her if any of them had anything going on back at home.  Again, Frank said nothing.  I guess that would have been a good time to speak up and tell her that he's having some lingering thoughts of his ex, but that's not exactly date conversation, especially when he's competing against the other guys. 

I am going out of order here, but it’s only so I can focus on my favorite part of last night: the Tahiti dates with the two hottest finalists in Bachelorette history. Ali frolicks in the water and does an Ariel from Little Mermaid hair flip in the water. I pointed this out to The Husband who reminded me that ABC is owned by Disney. Ahhh, so true!  Did anyone else catch that?

The Roberto date was sizzling. I agree with Ali that Roberto IS hotter in Tahiti (literally). The poor guy was sweating his way through the fantasy date. Ali notes that while they were "up talking all night" the temperature climbed to 100 degrees in the fantasy suite - I wonder if this was weather related or from whatever they were doing in there - and they had to sneak out of their room to get to Ali's room for some relief.  I guess they weren't allowed to leave their rooms at night.  Roberto is such a genuine and wonderful guy. I love that he talks about the possibility of proposing to Ali as an honor. He’s got it real bad for her. The helicopter ride to the heart shaped island followed by lots of making out in the crystal clear water looked unbelievable. They have a ton of chemistry – but I’m wondering whether they actually have anything in common once they stop looking at and groping each other. When they played the Latin lover guitar music while they frolicked on the deserted island together, I thought that was a bit much and yet appropriate all at the same time. So then it’s nighttime and Ali appears in a nighttie?? What was that dress? Hands down it was the sluttiest dress ever worn by a Bachelorette on the show. Not that Ali looked bad – I mean I guess it was no worse than wearing a bikini to dinner with a cover up, but still – as a dress, I’m not sure it qualifies. As they snuggle up at dinner and Roberto declares he needs to tell her something, who didn’t get choked up as he tells her that he’s falling in love with her? Oh how this show clutches at my heart strings! I think even The Husband got teary eyed. He will never admit that.

When the date card arrived, I fell in love with Roberto even more because he was clearly surprised. This means he has never seen the show before – which raises my respect level for him. He’s out playing baseball and being honorable – no time for watching this repeated “should you decide to forego your individual rooms, you may choose to stay together as a couple in our fantasy suite,” fantasy date card from Chris H. Sweaty Roberto and Ali’s fantasy suite was really romantic, though kind of on the small side. As they close the curtains, I’m thinking – boy, this date is going to be hard to beat…

Except for Chris’s date!! I loved watching Chris and Ali’s time in Tahiti. These two actually enjoy talking on their dates in addition to groping each other. Ali loves his giggle (who wouldn’t?). The whole cracking of oysters and finding pearls was pretty awesome. The Tahitian sunsets were incredible and also gave Ali and Chris wonderful glows. Ali notes a couple of things that didn't make it to last night's show: (1) The two of them went fishing, and Ali caught two fish, Chris - none.  (2) I guess some live musicians showed up at their deserted island to play music for them and as they were coming toward them Chris asked Ali whether he was going to have to wrestle with any of them.  Honestly - is anyone funnier than this guy?  Once Chris starts saying how watching his dad be with his mom in her final days taught him how important it is to tell people how you feel – I knew this was going to be a great night. Chris believes that putting himself out there is a good thing. Anyone else choked up here? The whole, “You know I could see myself with you forever,” that Chris says to Ali and her “Really?” and his “Really” in response was pretty awesome. The Husband can’t control his laughter at this point. I’m not sure why he thinks it’s funny. I think it’s romantic.

Chris’s reaction to the fantasy date card was pretty hysterical. He’s looking for Chris Harrison to come out of the ocean in snorkel gear. Then he’s like, “There’s a FANTASY suite here?” followed by an “Uh, YEAH!” when Ali asks him if he’d like to go there. At least she doesn’t pretend that she’s just interested in spending more time with him. Once they arrive there he actually tells her that he loves her. Oh my!! I really hope Ali doesn’t crush him!!  I was very surprised that Chris put it out there that he's willing to go with Ali wherever she wants, so long as they visit Massachusetts four times a year.  He's ready for an adventure.  I thought he'd want to stay closer to his dad, and I hope Ali is willing to let him do that.

So after two of the best dates I have ever seen on this show, Ali is all giddy and excited about seeing Frankie and taking him sailing. We all know what’s coming and I’m actually cringing holding my face when Frank sits down with Ali and tries to figure out what to say to her. When Ali starts crying before he says a word, it’s obvious she knows it’s over. Poor thing. The whole Chris Harrison pep talk was kind of comical. This guy is both show host and therapist. Chris indicates in his blog that Frank had contacted him about the issue before Tahiti, but he thought Frank was going to Chicago to get closure, not to decide he's in love with Nicole. 

Flash forward to the rose ceremony and Ali is all done up again in Tahitian wear. I loved her earrings and the flowers in her hair. I’m glad that she still has high hopes that her husband is still there regardless of Frank’s departure (because why else are we watching this show if not for a happy ending with one of these incredible guys?). I also loved the quote her friend told her - about how nobody can make her feel inferior without her consent.
So then Ali tries to add some drama to the rose ceremony even though there are two roses and two guys left by saying it’s really about them accepting the rose back. Like there’s any doubt they are going to accept the rose.

Briefly I thought they would all have to fly back to Massachusetts to meet her parents but then I remember that the show springs to fly everybody to wherever Ali is. I am so excited to see Bora Bora for the finale! It’s been a crazy ride this week, but I am glad we are finally done with Frank and down to the best two guys. It’s a shame she can’t continue to date both of them for the next year because they are both so awesome. Gratefully, Mike Fleiss has decided not to tell us the ending. In fact, there were no scenes except for the very end with Ali standing in her gold dress in Bora Bora. Please keep it that way!!

What did you think of this week’s show? Are you for Roberto? Chris? Are you glad that Frank is gone? Do you think she is going to choose nobody? Please no quoting from spoilers you’ve seen or read. Let’s have opinion only based on what you’ve seen from the show. Enjoy your week!

Foolish Frank, Grrrrr

I just finished up the show on the DVR and holy cow, I hope I can sleep tonight.  I have never experienced so much emotion in a Bach episode.  Chris L and Roberto ARE hotter in Tahiti. Frank - not so much.  I wanted to dry Ali's tears, give her a hug and smack her back into reality: she's got the two hottest, greatest guys of all time falling in love with her and she's upset about Frank???

Ok, I think I've been ignoring The Husband all night, so need to go chat with him before I shut my eyes.  Post will be up tomorrow night.

Off to Tahiti - Exotic Overnights Coming Up!

With Monday morning only around the corner, I am trying to think of happy things to get me out of bed in the morning.  One of those things is that this time, tomorrow night, I will be sitting on our couch, curled up with The Husband, watching the Tahiti episode.  We will finally know what the hell is going on with Frank and perhaps say goodbye to him, his quirks, his misery, his dramatics, for good.

I've also missed Chris L and Roberto this past week and am looking forward to seeing them again.  Tomorrow is the start of my boss's maternity leave.  This means it'll be up to me to make sure things don't fall apart.  Lots of pressure, but I guess there's really no choice in the matter.  It's going to be a VERY busy summer and fall.  Wish me luck!

The Husband and I started some VERY preliminary house hunting (or neighborhood hunting) today.  This mostly consisted of us borrowing a car from my parents and following The Husband's iPhone GPS to the neighborhoods we wanted to see.  We went to two open houses, neither of which were in our price range, but were in areas recommended by our friends.  The second house we wandered into simply because I saw an "Open House" sign on a road, and immediately drove the car in the direction that the sign pointed to.  We had no idea what we were getting into, especially when we drove to the end of a private, dead end road.  As we pulled up, I nearly gasped when I realized it was one of the largest houses I have ever seen in my life.  After being requested to remove our shoes before entering the 12,000 square foot, 6 bedroom, 3.3 acres, brand new construction monstrosity, it took every ounce of will power not to crack up when the real estate agent told us the house was originally listed for $4.3 million.  The agent told us that this place was reduced to the bargain price of $3.99 million, which "was a steal," for a house of that size.  I'm pretty sure nobody is stealing anything if they are paying anywhere in that neighborhood.

As The Husband and I walked barefoot into the two story master bedroom with room for a gym, office, his and her closets, heated tile floors in the bathroom, etc., I felt like I was a 5 year old in a real grown up house.  It was hard to wipe the smile off my face as the agent led us to bedroom after bedroom.  I think we are definitely not ready to leave the city and our completely cluttered and packed to the brim 1 bedroom.  It was a great big step forward though to start to see what is out there and in what price ranges.  Now we know how important it will be to win the lottery.

Until then - I will watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette and have that be my fantasy.

Happy Monday, Bachelorette fans.  Enjoy your trip to Tahiti!

Ali F Slide Show From This Week: Back in Extensions...Boooo!

ahh, ok - yeah - she definitely had extensions put back in. Looks so much cuter shorter.

http://www.okmagazine.com/2010/07/ali-fedotowsky-shops-then-bowls-in-hollywood/ali-fedotowsky-july-16/

Ali's New Do: Whaddya think??

This pic was taken on Tuesday in Hollywood as Ali finally got rid of those horrible extensions.  She looks cute, I think, no?

Hometown Visits Week: Ali Charms All Four Families

Running through Grand Central this morning, a box of 40 Timbits for $7.25 in one hand (expensive, but that’s NYC for you), a gift for my boss’s baby shower in the other, I am a hot mess. This didn’t stop me from counting how many people eyed the box of goodness. I counted 8 just on the run through the main terminal alone. I can’t be sure if they were staring at the doughnuts or my dripping sweaty run to make the train. Today is the meeting held every other Tuesday morning, but today’s meeting will be different. After introducing the majority of my office to Timbits two weeks ago, a phenomenon has taken hold. People are obsessed with these little doughy cakes of joy. Today, we will be conducting a challenge: Timbits vs. Dunkin Donuts' Munchkins ($6.99 for 50). I will let you know the outcome. For now, I placed the box on the luggage rack above my head for the next hour for two reasons: (1) this will hopefully prevent me from reaching over while I type this blog post and eating them like popcorn and (2) it will deter the stares I got last week from strangers hoping I would offer them one (not gonna happen).

Ok, so I’ve managed to calm down since last night’s hometown visits week episode. I felt so bad for all of these guys because I’ve seriously learned to love each of them in their own wonderful, charming, quirky ways. As I said to The Husband last night, as I am wiping tears away during the Chris L hometown visit: “I feel like I have a connection with each of these guys. How can she send any of them home?” I mean look, at least last season with Jake, we thought Vienna was a looney and Tenley was sweet but she was clearly getting over her divorce and needed some time to go through dance therapy. It was ok that either of these two would go home. But how do you send home a guy who has overcome such hardships like Kirk? How do you tell a hot baseball player after he got his mother’s blessing to marry you and have salsa danced in their living room that you’re just not that into him? How do you possibly dump a man of the character and quality of Chris, who quit his job to help his sick mom and has such a wonderful family (who didn’t get choked up when the father was saying that Chris’s mother orchestrated this whole thing after Chris was upset that his mother would never meet his wife??).

I know I was really upset with Frank last night, but a good night’s rest and some thinking have provided some clarity. While I was trying to picture my vegan mother-in-law’s reaction to Kirk’s father’s basement, I had an epiphany: what if The Husband and I were dating, but he was also dating 3 other girls at the same time and meeting their families? In an instant, I saw Frank’s side of it. I would have a heart attack. I don’t think I could stand that kind of nonsense. Yes, I would have faith that The Husband would ultimately choose me, but I can’t begin to imagine how loco I would get in between dates. If Frank does have another girlfriend, you would have no idea from what we saw last night. His family seems very in favor of him getting all hitched up with Ali, although Ali reveals in her blog this week that we did not see a conversation she had with Frank's father, where Frank's dad said that Frank was not ready to be in a committed relationship.  Hmmmm. Not surprising given the previews we've seen.  I think Ali likes him particularly for the challenge he presents to her – she can’t figure this boy out. I will say, that besides Frank’s Harry Potter cardigan, he seems to be the most compatible at this point in his life with Ali. For one, he is the only one out of the remaining 3 that can pick up and go wherever Ali is. Roberto still seems to have some professional baseball aspirations. I could NEVER see Chris leaving his family, or the Cape Cod area after watching him interact with his family, nor would I want Ali to separate him from his dad. Perhaps Kirk could have accompanied Ali wherever she wanted to go, but she didn’t seem that into him in the long run and the expression on her face when she saw all of his father’s stuffed creatures said it all.

I have gone out of order in today’s post as my mind is racing with all of the emotion that came out of last night’s show. Now in order of the dates, here are some thoughts:

Roberto: I loved that he took her to his college baseball field. I was horrified that Ali did not know how to hold a baseball bat. Hands together, Ali! Despite her lack of experience, she did manage to connect with the ball, thank goodness, but she throws like a girl and that really upset me. I played softball in college and any time I see a girl throw like a girl it drives me nuts, because this is so easily preventable. Regardless, Ali does seem like a natural athletic type and she was extremely giddy to get to first base with Roberto all over the field. The Husband LOVED Roberto’s American Eagle plaid blue and yellow shirt and I loved Ali’s matching yellow plaid shirt. He thinks they planned their outfit, but I don’t believe it. I would bet a reasonable amount of money that The Husband will be checking out the American Eagle website today. Did anyone else notice the jumping up and down that Ali did on a couple of her dates this week? It was kind of a quirky trait, which comes off as part cute in a childlike way and part scary. Roberto did look awfully adorable in his uniform.

We meet the Roberto clan: Olga, Roberto Sr, Peter and Olga. I loved his family. Roberto probably asked his ex army ranger father to go easy on Ali about 3-4 times. I have to say that Roberto Sr. was pretty cool – I liked that he asked Ali tough questions. They were legitimate. Yes, I’d want to know what her professional aspirations are and how my son fits into them. Clearly there’s going to be a media circus when this is all over and Ali will either get offered to go on Dancing With the Stars or to be a hostess of some entertainment show. Will Roberto have equally interesting opportunities when this is all over?? He is right to be concerned. Nonetheless, both parents give Roberto their blessing to marry Ali and I thought it was pretty cute when Ali was dancing with Roberto’s dad. It’s funny that Ali still puts Roberto on this pedestal – she doesn’t think she’s good enough for him.

Chris L just keeps getting better and better. I know some of you have started to complain that all he talks about is his mother. Keep in mind, there is a ton of editing that goes on and also that his mother’s death happened only around a year ago, so it’s still very much fresh. Seeing Chris on the beach with his beautiful undisciplined dog and after meeting his family – I hope that Ali is smart enough to know how incredible a catch he is. He’s funny, charming, well loved and genuine. I’d say the only thing with Chris is that I don’t see him enjoying the bright lights of Hollywood. He’s a down to earth guy who prefers sitting around in sweats all day to hanging out in celebrity night clubs. And as I’ve already pointed out, I don’t see him settling out in San Francisco away from his family. If things don’t work out with Ali, he is by far the best choice to be the next Bachelor.

My three favorite Chris lines from last night:

“Right now there are whales having sex.”

“If you get Meagan and Sara bombed, they will love you.”

“Jetty (the dog) doesn’t like being on TV.”

I absolutely loved Ed, Chris’s dad. I also really liked the sister in law, Meagan. It must be hard to come into such a tight knit group and feel comfortable, but Ali looked like she did alright. It was interesting that Meagan pointed out that Chris jumps into relationships with his whole heart. Well, Ali’s a lucky girl if Chris has done that with her.

Next we are in Green Bay, Wisconsin and wow, what a different way of life. Time out: there is a bee buzzing around the train car and it just landed on the window next to me. I am freaking out a little. Should I slam it with my newspaper? Just did a Timbit check. They’re still up there, uneaten. I almost forgot about them, but I can smell them from here. They were still warm when I bought them. Ok, focus.

So “Kirky,” as Ali called him, has got it bad for Ali. His father’s mustache could have been fake, but he looked like a dark haired, shorter version of Kirk. I loved Ali’s yellow trench coat (actually, she had a lot of yellow going on this week to meet the families). The time with Kirk’s father was a bit odd. Keeping dead frozen animals in the same freezer as your ice pops must give that poor adopted sister of his nightmares. My personal favorite piece of work was the caribou foot with eyes on it. Not much else to say here. There was a much warmer feeling at Kirk’s mom’s house and I liked his grandmother a lot. Clearly Kirk is the apple of these women’s eyes, which is important since Kirk will need their support now that he’s heartbroken. You really saw Kirk’s love for Ali sky rocket this week and it was so sad because you just knew he was a gonner. Ali may have used the excuse that he has never had a long term relationship before, but the good news is that she is the first girl to dump him and stomp on his heart. Hopefully he will learn and grow from this experience.

My favorite moment of Kirk’s hometown visit: Kirk’s face turning red when Ali talked about him at the dinner table.

So last, but not least, it’s Frank family time in Chicago. Ali admits in her blog that she was looking forward to the Chicago trip most of all.  Another sign that Frank was in first place at this point in the process.  Their conversation on the boat ride was ridiculous. He’s scared. She’s scared. The situation is hard. I feel like we’ve heard this conversation between them on EVERY date. Yawn. The good news is that Frank is taking this relationship seriously. Ali's worried that Frank is confused about whether Ali is the one, not the actual process of dating her.  At one point, I thought they might actually have a fight and break up. How awesome would it be if The Bachelorette got dumped the day she is supposed to meet one of the families?? Ok, not nice.

I liked Frank’s family a lot and it seems his mother took quite a liking to Ali. His sister Becky eerily looked like Frank, but seems very genuine. All in all, Ali fit into all of these families really well. Did you guys catch what Ali said at the end of the Frank family visit? “There’s a really good chance that at the end of this, I will end up with Frank.” Oh come on, is ABC setting us up? We all know because of their inability to keep anything sacred that Frank will most likely leave the show next week.

Off topic: some jerk just sat down next to me and is blasting his music in his headphones while reading a book. How on earth can he concentrate when Nirvana is blasting? Smells Like Teen Spirit. The entire train car is empty except for my row. Does this guy need to sit directly next to me? Move over, kid!

I loved Ali’s dress for the rose ceremony. It looks like it could have been a bridesmaid dress, but it was such a gorgeous rose color and she looked beautiful. Her talks with Chris Harrison before the rose ceremony are kind of lame. Mostly because they don’t tell us what we don’t already know. Roberto is hot. Chris is perfect but their relationship is moving slow. Kirk’s dad is scary. Frank needs to get his act together. When Chris asks her if her husband is among the remaining men, Ali doesn’t immediately say “YES!” Interestingly, she does say that she feels stronger about these guys than she did at the point she was willing to accept a marriage proposal from Jake.

So Kirk is out this week, and Ali cries during the entire rose ceremony. Ugh, I can almost feel Kirk’s instant pain when she doesn’t choose him. I found it incredibly annoying and unnecessary when Chris H comes out of nowhere to tell Ali that “this is the final rose.” Honestly, do they need to keep up this horrible, offensive ritual? Poor Kirk. He really did open himself up to Ali, but in the end, she wasn’t feeling it for Big Red. It’s too bad she can’t divide herself into 4 people and pursue each guy.

Next week we are off to Tahiti! At least whoever Ali dumps can say they got to travel the world for free. Brace yourself for the Frank showdown. It seems at this point, her feelings for Frank are the strongest, despite Roberto and Chris being way more attractive in so many different ways. Not sure how Frank’s sudden departure will affect her feelings regarding the two others, but we’ll have to wait and see (unless ABC decides to tell us up front).

Til next week, Bachelorette fans. Stay cool.

-Stacey B

Quick Thoughts on Hometown Visits

I gotta go to sleep.  I've got a meeting, bright and early, 9 hours from now.  Work really gets in the way of my blogging about The Bachelorette.  Anyhow, just a couple of quick thoughts before I post tomorrow evening: I'm really pissed at Frank. 

Clearly Ali adores the guy.  Although I would never cross Chris L, the way she looks at Frank and acts around him is different than with the rest of the remaining men.  Perhaps it's because he's the only one that hasn't let down his guard completely and admitted to falling for her head over heals.  She likes the challenge.  She thinks his quirkiness is attractive.  His lack of direction sends thrills down her spine.  He actually seemed more into her when he was jumping up and down in his hotel room, doing push ups like a maniac before he even met Ali.  Now he's a complete mess and he's going to screw it up even more by throwing the whole thing away next week.  I don't say this because I've read any magazines/interviews, etc.  I say this because ABC showed us these annoying clips of Frank going to see another girl and then coming to Ali in Tahiti, hugging her and saying, "Ali, we need to talk."  Nothing positive has ever come after the words "we need to talk" in the history of the universe.  I'm angry at Frank because he has this thing in the bag, and he's going to throw it all way because he can't keep it together.  And poor Roberto, Chris and Kirk, who are all perfectly wonderful guys who would make wonderful husbands, are not going to be enough for Ali.  ARGHHHH.  Unless Roberto can convince Ali that he's more than just hot.  Or if Chris can put their relationship on fast forward in Tahiti. 

Ok, I'll leave you with those thoughts on this intense Monday night.  I think I cried 3 times while watching tonight's show.  My blog post will be up Tuesday night...

Stealing Ali's Thunder

TGIF, Bachelorette fans!! It's been a sweltering week and all I can think about is wearing shorts and tanks all weekend, blasting the A/C and eating ice pops.  Goodbye, corporate attire.  At least, til Monday.

So with all of the madness going on this week, I'm wondering whether Ali is pissed.  Jake and Vienna are stealing her thunder.  I guess it's a little bit of revenge on Vienna's part for all of the bad mouthing that went on.  Of course, Ali has the last laugh because after seeing the argument and Jake's temper come out, she's probably thanking her lucky stars she chose the job over Jake.  Not only did she get her TV show out of it, but she got a free trip around the world, the ability to makeout with really cute guys and the potential to further a career in the entertainment industry (if she doesn't go back to Facebook).  Still, how annoying, that when it's her time to shine, the spotlight is thrown to Jake and Vienna and now Jillian and Ed?  Hopefully these break ups will soon be a matter of the past (at least until ABC can secure an interview with Jillian and Ed on the Men Tell All) and everyone can focus on whatever crap Frank is about to pull. 

If Jillian is reading this: I hope you are cuddled up somewhere gorgeous in Canada with a box of Timbits figuring out how you're going to convince Chris L to visit you once the show is over. 

Oh No!! Jillian and Ed Split!

It must be dumping season.  Everyone is breaking up left and right.  This is awful.  I guess the details will come out or Chris H will have to do another interview to air at the Men Tell All:

http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/bachelorette-jillian-ed-split-201077

Everything's More Beautiful When You're In Love, Except When You're Insane...Ty Goes Home, Jake and Vienna Get Heated

It’s about 100 degrees outside as I write this Bachelorette post on my way to work. The commuter train I am sitting on is having mechanical difficulties and I am keeping my fingers and sweaty toes crossed that they will not force us to go outside and wait for the next train. I better type fast before my computer melts. The man in front of me has an entire towel wrapped around his neck and his buttoned down shirt is damp, poor thing. The woman to my right has been on her cell phone for the past 35 minutes discussing which pool she should meet her friend at today. I am so jealous. No Timbits for me this morning. After what I ate all weekend, it’s back to the gym. By the way, on our 4 hour train ride return trip to NYC yesterday, we managed to sit in front of a woman who amazingly talked for the entire 4 hours straight in the loudest voice possible. Yes, we could have politely told her to shut up, but it was far better to record her conversation. We will post some of her brilliant remarks later this week.

So now we know why ABC decided to cut off 30 minutes of last night’s interesting, but uneventful Bachelorette and put in the explosive Jake and Vienna confrontation. Certainly more people will be talking about the interaction and what came out during last night’s interview between “Don’t call me Baby” and Jake than Ali's dates. Yikes. But before we get to that, just a few observations of last night’s Bachelorette episode.

Lisbon, Portugal has amazing lighting. Or maybe it’s just that every time we see Ali, she’s got this sun kissed glow and there is always a sunset behind her. Her outfits were adorable this week, and generally speaking, she looked great – minus the helmet hair on the Chris L date. (Poor guy always gets “messy Ali” on his one on one dates, but he doesn’t seem to mind which is why I like him even more and this is really what she will look like after the final rose ceremony anyway).

We’re down to the final 5 and the stakes are high because if you’re not drinking gallons of wine with Ali, kissing her or she’s not giving you that ga-ga look that Frank gives her, she’s not coming home with you next week. The remaining 5 guys are a little too normal. Seriously, I like all of them – they seem mostly like solid, normal dudes that most girls would want to date or set up with one of their friends. With no more crazies around, it was a slight snooze fest last night (until the J/V showdown). You know there’s a lack of drama to film on an episode when they spend an extra two minutes filming the guy’s reaction to Roberto’s date card. We finally get to take R’s dimples on a solo date again. So nice! Watching Ali and Roberto take silly pictures of each other was kind of cute, but I cringed when they started full on making out in the middle of the street. As The Husband said while these antics were going on, “Stupid Americans.” Perhaps if there weren’t cameras around and they were kissing, it could be considered spontaneous, but then again, Roberto is the quintessential Latin lover, so maybe it is genuine. Either way, Ali loves this stuff.

The castles, forts and manors in Lisbon were beyond incredible. The little picnic overlooking the city looked “amazing.” I was amazed at how blatantly drunk Ali was on the majority of this week’s dates. As she’s staring into Roberto’s eyes, telling him what a mystery he is, she starts stuttering. This was totally a drunk stutter. Did anyone else notice that she gets a little teary eyed when they’re having their deep conversation about how into each other they are? We know at this point that we’re going to meet Roberto’s family. Hooray!

The two on one date was particularly awkward, and I am glad they finally acknowledged the oddness. Ali looked adorable in a yellow tank top and white pants. The helicopter ride and fortress were spectacular as always, probably the most interesting thing about the date. I am glad Ali finally took alone time with each of them. Frank just isn’t himself in group settings. I felt bad for Ty as he struggled to dig himself out of the hole he dug last week. He tries to convince Ali that her having professional ambitions is not repulsive to him, but in the end, we see Ali isn’t entirely convinced that their thoughts are aligned. Perhaps it’s when he said, “I think it’s great that you have ambitions and goals.” Uh, yeah. What century is this guy living in? Despite these somewhat ancient comments, I actually really like Ty, think he’s a nice guy, but believe he needs more time to date before settling down. He’d be perfect with someone like Tenley, although I have a feeling T will be consumed alive by either Kiptyn or Jake on Bachelor Pad. Perhaps Ali knew this, or maybe she was scared of the wizard like pendant necklace he was wearing.  In Ali's blog this week, she notes that in the helicopter ride with these two guys, she felt herself wanting to grab Frank's hand.  That's when she knew she was feeling it stronger for Frank than Ty.

During Frank’s alone time, he reveals to Ali that he lives with his parents. I thought he told her that already, but maybe he just told the camera. Ugh, that should have put a dent into her wine goggles.  It’s great that Frank has dreams, but how would their relationship work after all of this? She goes on Dancing with the Stars and he sits in the audience and claps? But even more aggravating is that we see another woman in next week’s previews. Can ABC not control themselves?? Are they so insecure that viewers will not watch the show if they don’t give away what is going to happen? Why do they have to ruin every surprise? It’s really frustrating for the many out there who actively try to avoid spoilers. Is it so wrong not to want to know how everything turns out? How many people read the end of a book before starting it? Stop the madness!

Surprisingly, Ali doesn’t seem appalled by the fact that Frank lives at home. I guess it will be VERY important to meet his parents. When they’re making out in the tree, Ali says, “You’re everything that I said I wanted. You’re everything that I fear.” Frank asks, “What does that mean?” It means she’s drunk. As she’s explaining herself, she is literally slurring her words and I think at one point, they sped up the voiceover of her explaining her feelings for Frank because she was talking in a slow and drawn out drunk way.

The Kirk date started out really awkward and I thought there was no way this guy was advancing. Ali looked great once again in the gray top and incredible Portuguese natural lighting. Of course they take their wine with them for a buggy and horse ride up to a beautiful, multi colored palace. I’m pretty sure there was Superman music playing in the background. Ali keeps commenting that she doesn’t know what’s wrong, that she’s distracted. Probably still thinking about Roberto’s dimples or Ty’s sideburns. When it’s nighttime and Kirk has his arm around her, I am feeling kind of awkward for him. She doesn’t seem that into it. Then all of a sudden, he pulls out the biggest save of all time. First off, at their romantic nighttime dinner, he’s wearing the yellow button down (huge bonus points for wearing Ali’s favorite color). He asks Ali to be honest with him about the whole process. His whole speech about being deserving of everything great in life, including her, really was quite commendable. Kirk is a well spoken guy. If this were American Idol, Simon Cowell would say, “Kirk, this is the point in the competition where people need to stand out. You have shown tonight that you actually think you can win this thing.” Ali’s concern with all of these men is whether they will still like her when all of the cameras go away and they have to live real life together. Kirk assures her that he will.  Ali notes in her blog that she says this to Kirk because Kirk has not had many long term relationships.  The finale of the date – when Kirk and Ali are entertained by live fado music and snuggle up together, she once again gets teary eyed. It’s the wine.

FINALLY – it’s the Chris L date we’ve all been waiting for. This is probably the most highly anticipated date of the season. It’s now or never, Chris! The date starts off with an awesome quote: “As long as it doesn’t involve oil wresting and that stupid horse in Iceland, we’ll be ok.”

The scooter situation seemed to be exactly what was needed to break the ice on this date. Ali needed a good laugh and Chris is so funny as he’s trying to steer that thing. “I can’t be the Dude that kills the Bachelorette. It’s not going to look good,” he says.

I loved when Ali got on the scooter and the two of them just take off. Once they arrive at the winery (it’s been a long time since Ali has had any wine), they start getting deep. Ali would be crazy for not going to meet Chris’s family and I loved that he waited to give her a gift until he actually knew her. Did you notice Ali was wearing the bracelet at the rose ceremony? So cute. It was like she got pinned by him. Clearly you know who I am rooting for. Chris reminds me of a Vince Vaughn type, except better looking. I think they edited out a lot of this date – probably to get the Vienna and Jake time in. We didn’t see them at a dinner together or much of any nighttime activity.

The rose ceremony was totally uneventful except for Ali’s colorful dress and that she said goodbye to Ty’s sideburns over Kirk. I was actually thinking that Kirk might go home, not for any reason other than she felt stronger for the other guys, but I guess Ty was the next obvious choice. I was impressed that Ali walked out in the rain to say goodbye to Ty. She knows he’s a nice guy, but I was just worried her spray tan was going to leak on her white dress. Ah well, she took one for the team. If Ty can’t make it work with Tenley, perhaps he’d find comfort in Nikki sideburns, who is going to be on Bachelor Pad.

Ok, so then we go straight into the Jake/Vienna break up. Chris H was pretty great during this interview and I’m thinking that maybe there could be a spin-off show that just deals with Bachelor/Bachelorette break ups. He could get DeAnna and Jesse Csinczak back together and drill them as to what happened. Did she go Hollywood on him? Did he cheat? What about Charlie and Sarah?

It was quite clear from the interaction between Jake and Vienna that everything IS more beautiful when you’re falling in love, except when one of those people might be slightly insane. I always thought that person would be Vienna –she drove me crazy during her time on Jake’s season and was the controversial choice all season long. But hearing both sides of the story, watching Jake try to defend himself and seeing how he reacted to what Vienna said, I was completely creeped out by Jake.

I felt like he was acting, almost like someone coached him to remain calm, stay composed and let Vienna explode. So here were the main issues, and my thoughts on who won them:

1. Did Vienna cheat? Jake had very weak evidence. I believed Vienna that the first guy was involved because of a picture taken with a group of people. I also believed her that the main source of their relationship problems had little to do with trust issues. It seemed to be Jake’s lack of emotions for her. Also, the second guy Jake mentioned, Vienna claims was gay. That is easy enough to substantiate. +1 to Vienna.

2. Did Jake lose feelings/intimate desire for Vienna? Jake never really contradicted this accusation nor did he explain that she was overly needy or anything like that. If a guy was going to defend his libido - he had the perfect opportunity, but he certainly did not contradict her.  I actually believed her on this. I also believed based on his temper last night that every time she tried to confront him with this, he would explode – and this would send her (and most females) into an emotional state. +1 to Vienna.

3. Why did Vienna choose to go to the tabloids when they broke up? Why couldn’t she have confronted Jake privately? Vienna claims Jake would have done this himself anyway. She claims she has never had a voice in this relationship. Jake claims it was for the money, that he is disgusted with her. I scored this at +1 for Vienna and +1 for Jake, because really, she should have talked to him without getting the press involved and should not have discussed intimate details, but I do believe Jake would have gone to the tabloids regardless.

4. Why did Vienna choose to stay in LA if she didn’t want to be part of Hollywood? Vienna claims she finally got a job (which was a source of contention as Jake claims she was very lazy), that people back home turned against her. She also has no money and nowhere to go. Jake claims she’s out for Hollywood fame. Yes, she’s staying and hoping she can end up eventually being an entertainment business reporter somehow like Melissa Rycroft, but I doubt this will ever happen. She claims a job is a job, but out of the entire country, including Florida, where her family is, she chooses to find a job in LA, even though she doesn't really have a home there.  I score this +1 for Jake.

5. Does Jake seek the Hollywood lifestyle and stay with Vienna just for fame? This is a no brainer. Absolutely he is Hollywood bound. He’s filming now for a show. He went on Dancing With the Stars to promote himself and he’s had acting ambitions before he went on The Bachelor. Vienna was a step on the ladder. I loved how she called him out that he hasn’t flown a plane in a year. +1 for Vienna.

6. Does Jake have a bad temper? I think this was undoubtedly confirmed last night both by Jake scolding Vienna for interrupting him and by his actions with the GPS. That’s just what he told us. Who on earth knows what really happens behind closed doors? +2 for Vienna.

7. Did Jake disrespect Vienna’s dog? Who cares?

8. Does Vienna undermine Jake and how does she do this? Jake claims that Vienna constantly interrupts him, second guesses him, challenges his driving directions. Funny, isn’t this the very thing he said he liked about Vienna – that she challenged him? Careful what you wish for, Jake. +5 for Vienna.

Vienna clearly comes out victoriously in last night’s show down. I am appalled that Jake the Pilot who was known for his abs of steel, killer white toothed smile and good all American boyish charm has been reduced to such a villain. I can’t look at him the same way anymore. His quiet smirk while Vienna was accusing him of all sorts of things, was worthy of a smack.  In his mind, he's being a gentleman.  In reality, I wasn't buying his innocence.  As The Husband points out - relationships end all of the time after 6 months for very normal reasons - one person isn't interested any longer, things change, people change, etc.  In this case, Jake wants a Hollywood career and in pursuing that, he lost interest in Vienna along the way.  It was lust.  End of story.  It sounds like Vienna would have stuck it out if Jake was still interested in her, regardless of Hollywood or no Hollywood.  She just wanted affection and she couldn't even get it from her dog.  I felt bad for her - Jake seems difficult to communicate with, controlling to a scary point and wants his name in lights.  There was no room for Vienna in this scenario.  Vienna may have been annoying, but she doesn't deserve to be in a combative relationship where she's begging for affection.  The only thing better than Vienna storming off the set last night would have been if they had played “On the Wings of Love,” in the background as she did this.

What did you think of the showdown?  Did Jake creep you out?  Are you over it?  Are you angry that ABC is dropping spoiler after spoiler upon our favorite show?

‘Til next week, Bachelorette fans. Stay cool. Don’t undermine your neighbors. Eat your Timbits. And let’s get ready to meet the families!

Neanderthal Jake Shows Fireworks on 4th of July Weekend...

My full recap goes up Tuesday evening, but The Husband and I just finished watching tonight's show with the Jake and Vienna follow-up interview and all I have to say is: Woah.  We went back and forth on who was telling the truth, but once Jake started saying things like, "Baby, be quiet while I'm talking," and when he confirmed that he threw the GPS out the window when Vienna would not follow his directions, my mind was made up.  That Dude has a temper and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near him.  Even poor Tenley is better off without him.  More on that tomorrow.

Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend...

Happy 4th of July!!

I'm coming to you live from the childhood bedroom of The Husband.  In about an hour we have a brunch for one of his childhood friends, who recently got engaged.  Last night we went to dinner with the newly engaged couple, who currently reside in LA, but who were visiting The Husband's hometown in Maryland.  When the topic of the Bachelorette came up (doesn't every dinner conversation ultimately lead to talk of The Bachelorette?), both The Husband and his friend's fiance believed that Craig R looks slightly like Shrek.  I don't see it..  It's definitely not the ears and kind of an odd comparison.  But I have to pose this to the readers of this blog.  What do you think?