Hi Steve!
Long time reader here, just want to say how much I appreciate everything you do!! Just a few random questions:
1. You’ve RT-ed a lot of Sharleen’s blogs, I really appreciate her refreshing BTS insight and editing analysis, are you a fan of hers and have you two met? I can imagine you two would have a lot to talk about. I like her stuff because it’s smart, well-thought out, and funny. I don’t agree with all of it all the time (and like I said in last week’s “Reader Emails,” I always take what she says with a grain of salt because I know she’s friends with Nick), but it’s pretty much the only blog I read on the show. Have I ever met her? No.
2. I don’t see why TPTB would not ask Rachel to be their next bachelorette, she obviously fits the part and would make history as the first black lead in the franchise. Unless she declines, what are the reasons do you think that the producers will not go with her? I can’t really think of any. They finally have a black contestant who made final 4, so they can’t use that excuse anymore. But if she doesn’t get the role, I’m sure they’ll use the reason they use for everyone, which is “(So-and-so) really resonated with the audience.” Well, technically you could say that for ANYONE you choose, since everyone has a fan base. So whoever they go with, they just choose to only talk about the fans who wanted that person. Hence the reason that they can do what they want and justify it however they want, regardless of how much it’s based in truth.
Just a random observation, I think its pretty cool how in Sean’s season, I don’t think anyone woulda thought he and Catherine would last as their personalities seemed to be so different, but now seeing them with a kid and seeing more of Seans personality (we never saw him be fun on either season) they seem to be a great match.
Thanks for the great blogs!
Comment: Definitely. I didn’t see it lasting long term either. I’ll be the first to admit it. Could’ve have been more opposite. So kudos to them.
____________________________________________________________
Hey RS! I hope you’re doing well. I was reading last week’s email post and had some thoughts on some of the things discussed. One of the questions, you agreed that you thought Kaitlyn and Shawn had been “shunned” from the franchise. I really dont see how they were though? Since Kaitlyn’s season has ended, she has taped multiple episodes of Family Feud, Who Wants to Be a Millionare, called into After Paradise 2, appeared on Ben’s live after show, was given a slot on Jade and Tanner’s wedding special, appeared to give JoJo advice, was given a couple update on Nick’s special, and made the recent Jimmy Kimmel appearance. The only thing she hasn’t been given by the franchise is a tv wedding or a tv show. If im not mistaken, didnt they turn down the wedding which is why it went to Jade and Tanner?
Also, no other couples from the franchise had been given a show aside from Ben and Lauren and now the twins so can people really say she was unfairly skipped over? She receives all the freebies that the other contestants get + some. Free concert tickets, hotels, shilling opportunities, vacations, red carpet appearances, Bachelor Canada perks, podcast and talk show appearances, etc. All this while continuously making snide comments about the show and other contestants on sm and in media rounds I should add. If she is being “shunned” now as some feel, id be more inclined to believe it is because of her me, me, me attitude post show than because they are making her “pay” for the snapchat debacle.
Comment: Well thank you for listing all those things. Yeah, she has been a part of a lot now that you mention it. Never really took the time to think over everything they’ve done. I don’t think Kaitlyn and Shawn turned down a wedding. I never heard that. My guess was it was never offered, and maybe that’s why they’re upset? I don’t know for sure. But yes, you do make a good point in that she hasn’t been shunned. I don’t follow her or them on social media so I don’t really know what she says. All I remember is right after her season she was pretty vocal towards the haters, which didn’t make sense to me. I gotta believe she’s not doing that anymore, but I don’t know.
____________________________________________________________
Hi Steve!
I was wondering if you have ever had contestants email or reach out to you because they didn’t like your (often hilarious) opinion of them?
Comment: It’s happened a few times and it was years ago. Most people from this show are kinda like the internet trolls when it comes to that stuff. They don’t say it directly to me. I’m right here. Easiest person in the world to reach. You don’t like something I say, all it takes is an email to discuss it. But they rarely ever do. I honestly can’t remember the last contestant who emailed me with something negative to say. I wanna say maybe Andy Baldwin’s season, and I don’t even remember who it was anymore.
____________________________________________________________
Did you notice the major typo in Nick’s BS Bachelor Blog over on People’s website? He refers to Christen as Christine. Shows how important of a character she plays this season if they can’t even get her name right. But I shouldn’t be surprised, I live in the same town as Brett Melnick from Andi’s Season/BIP and he’s from Warminster, PA and I think they had the graphic say Westminster all season. Details clearly aren’t important!
“But once I was confronted by Christine, I had to be honest with everyone else. While my past with Liz was very much behind me, I had to confront the women about it. “
Comment: Nick must be a real big fan of a girl he gave a group date rose to.
____________________________________________________________
1) I saw on Andi’s Snapchat that she is writing a second book. Any clue what it is about? I hear it’s about her dating/single life in New York.
2) Someone in the reader emails last week asked what Sarah thought about Robert dating Becca and you said if you had to guess you would think Sarah would be laughing. Why did you say that? Is there something we don’t know about Robert?
Comment: Well, I just went off the assumption that after she dumped him in Paradise, she probably just figures he’s someone else’s problem now.
____________________________________________________________
Vanessa was with some of the girls this past weekend in Nashville. I’m beginning to question your spoiler now because that seems really odd she’d hang out with Daniele and some others and not Nick. And be so public about it. Are you sure they are together? That’s some really weird behavior if you ask me.
Comment: Hence the reason I’ve always said that social media doesn’t play a role in any of my spoilers. I don’t care. Nick and Vanessa got engaged Nov. 18th in Finland, it was reported here on Nov. 22nd, and they are still engaged today.
____________________________________________________________
Hi Steve,
First of all, the way Corrine acts makes me think that she told Raquel she needed to watch past seasons to prepare for going on the show and Raquel thought it would be funny to queue up Rock of Love for her instead of The Bachelor. Maybe she thinks the “controversy” over Nick being the lead is that it’s the first season without Bret Michaels.
What I mostly wanted to write to you about is how upset I am to hear that they’re bringing Chad back for BIP 4. I know he does outrageous things that people will tune in for, but he is a garbage human being and all this does is validate his existence. I’m fully aware that The Bachelor is not some paragon of virtue. I will happily watch people pretend to compete “for the right reasons” knowing it’s all bullsh*t for the chance to be on one more season of BIP and a few thousand more followers, but Chad is so demonstrably different from a Corrine or a Nick or an Ashley I. When I see Chad on TV I see a man who is going to hurt someone — maybe not on the show, maybe not anyone directly related to the show, but someday soon he is going to do something terrible and ABC and E!(or whatever stupid network has that other show) are going to have to answer for why they repeatedly gave him a platform for his vile behavior.
No, I’ve never met him personally. I know to some people that makes everything I have to say irrelevant, but I don’t think that’s true in a situation like this. My first boyfriend was so much like Chad it’s scary — the way he talks to and about people he thinks are beneath him (basically everyone,) the emphasis on money and looks as the only thing that make a person worth anything, the way he sees women as objects for him to acquire, the way he always plays the victim (Evan pushed him, producers make him look bad, they ruined his chance to be the Bachelor,) his sense of entitlement and his giant ego, the insincere apologies, not to mention the way he pushed Lace only HOURS into a relationship. These are red flags for something so far beyond “reality TV villain” it’s disgusting that they would reward that behavior by bringing him back. He has textbook abuser written all over him and putting him back on BIP is basically saying to every girl who participates “We care so little about your well-being we encourage you to give this dangerous, manipulative asshole a chance. Don’t forget you’ll get kicked off your paid vacation if you don’t have a rose at the end of the day.” All in the name of ratings and advertising dollars.
When I wrote to you the other week I asked why you were mad at Christen. I knew you weren’t actually mad at her, that’s just the way I chose to phrase it. There’s usually nothing about this franchise that’s of any actual consequence in the real world, but Chad’s presence is upsetting to me in a very real way because it’s condoning the way he treats people in general, women in particular, when his behavior is completely unacceptable. Giving him this “He was way out of line, oh but he said he was sorry, give him one more chance” story line is totally irresponsible because it’s something real women in abusive relationships are mocked and blamed for every day.
I’m sorry, this has become far more in-depth than I anticipated. I could go on but I’ll stop here. I don’t even know what I want you to do with this, it’s kind of intense for reader e-mails and it’s not even about Nick’s season. If you want to save it for closer to BIP and need a caller to fill out a podcast I’d be happy to, even though I’m really not any kind of authority on anything — just someone with strong opinions and personal experience with a guy scarily like Chad. I also realize it’s by no means a light subject, so whatever you want to do with it is cool with me.
At the very least, thank you for letting me rant and get that off my chest. I’ll definitely be reading your spoilers so I know which episodes of BIP 4 not to watch!
Comment: I appreciate the email. And I agree with every word of it. Chad really is pretty much everything you described him as. But this show has proven time and time and time again they only care about ratings, and for as big as a douchelord as Chad is, people wanna see him on TV and what he’s gonna do next. It’s sad.
____________________________________________________________
Hey Steve.
Tell your girl Possessionista to watch it with the 40 year old mom references! Think about it. The Bachelor started airing in 2002. At that time my friends and neighbors, who now put our kids to bed then get together to watch, were in their target demographic. We’re all late 30s/early 40s now, but we still watch. And I know there are a bunch more of us out there. It’s an excuse to get together and have some laughs. I’m the only one who reads your blog ahead of time because they like to be surprised. But they love your inside scoop that I do share with them. We were completely scandalized from Jade’s little porn a few years ago. We all had to gather around the one mom’s phone who didn’t have all the child blocking setting on. Oh definitely. Middle aged moms are a huge part of their audience. I think maybe she might’ve been referring to the Instagram consumers when talking about that.
I’m a little late with this, but I was surprised that no one mentioned the creepy smirk on Nick’s face when he confessed that he had sex with Liz. Both times! That look on his face would have pissed me off way worse than the fact that he had sex with Liz. Did you notice? No.
My question is about Corrine. Is she narcoleptic? Is she passed out drunk or just tired? I’m also assuming they are adding the snoring sounds much like they edited in Josh’s pizza and make out moans. The snoring after the bounce house was definitely added in. Wasn’t anything real about that. I think it’s a combo of both with her. Everyone is tired on this show. They’re just allowing Corinne to get away with what she’s doing by catering to her.
Finally, I have a little theory on you. I think you’ve got a girlfriend! I’ve noticed that lately you’re a little less snarky and, dare I say jolly? True or false. I’m not asking for details. I hope I’m right.
Thanks! Love your sight!
Leader of the Old Bachelor MILFs
Comment: I don’t talk about my private life unless I feel it’s necessary. You may be right. Or not.
____________________________________________________________
So I have a story for you. It’s about James Taylor and how he tries to come off as this southern gentleman on social media.
Well back in September (I think.. maybe October?) James Taylor played at tin roof in Memphis. My friends and I made a girls night out of it and went to watch. After he played he had a meet in greet outside. We all went out there to take pictures and what not. Well my friend *** wanted a picture by herself. She got up to him and he started twirling her around and talking to her. Apparently it was a really good convo bc he called her the next day to say she made the best first impression & how they should stay in touch & come to Nashville sometime. Anyways, months go by and he doesn’t text her. And then thanksgiving day he sent a text that say happy thanksgiving. It was very generic & I assumed he probably sent it to all the girls he’s met in different cities. A few weeks later he added her on Snapchat. Again, months go by and she hasn’t heard from him. Well Tuesday (1/17) he texts her a cheesy message. She didn’t respond right away and he ended up calling her and leaving a voicemail saying he was going to be in Memphis and that they should meet up and get a drink. When james called ***, she asked him why he was coming to Memphis. And he said he was driving to Nashville bc he was finally moving there. He specifically said he wasn’t planning on stopping in Memphis but wanted to see her so he was going to drive through. Of course my friend asked us for her opinion like any other girl would do. I told her not to go- I figured he had her saved as “****-Memphis” in his phone. I was pretty honest with her and told her that I thought if he was interested, he would’ve been keeping in contact. But she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt–that’s the kind of person she is.
We had plans to go to an event the night he was coming in town so she told him that she had plans but that he was more than welcome to come meet us. And he said he was going to. They texted back and forth and talked on the phone for a little bit that night. Well Wednesday night rolls around and she texts him the address of the event & he says he’s still coming. Side note: he had a snap story saying he was in Memphis around 3. We went to the event around 6 or 7, I don’t remember. An hour goes by and no word from James. **** texts him and he doesn’t respond. She checks her snap chat and he posted a story saying he was in Oxford (which is an hour and a half away). So this guy told her he was coming and how much he Wanted to see her & then doesn’t show up. He didn’t have the decency to text her and say he had a change of plans. She had to find out on Snapchat. When I realized that my jaw literally dropped. I’ve dated some pretty douchey guys & none of them have ever done anything close to that. It just made us realize that even the “good guys” on the bachelor aren’t really good guys. A good guy wouldn’t do that. Period. Anyways, just thought I would share. I’ll admit that I don’t know james personally. But I believe people/other girls should know that this is how he handles things. He may come off as an amazing gentlemen on tv, but he has done everything for me to think otherwise. He for sure is off of the list of good guys for my friend and you can better believe his number is deleted now.
Comment: Can’t say I’m the least bit surprised by that story. Not just because it was James per se, but more so just another “Bachelor” guy playing the field. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard similar to that one in regards to former contestants.
____________________________________________________________
RS,
I thought u said Vanessa wasn’t well liked? Did you see this past weekend she was in Nashville with Danielle, Taylor, and Kristina? I would think if they ddin’t like her they wouldn’t hang out with her, but what do I know? Makes me think you got some wrong information on that one. Vanessa looks to be one of the classier ladies this show has ever had and everyone seems to like her. You seem to really have it out for her, when what has she done to you? Why do u have to be so mean towards her? IT’s rude.
Comment: Ahhhhhhh, figured sooner or later this was coming. People love reading into social media way too much. The ol’ “Look! Vanessa hung out with other girls this weekend, that means people liked her!” take. If I’m not mistaken, there were 29 other girls on the show this season, no? She hung out with three of them. Quite the assumption you’re jumping to that because she hung out with three, that means all of them liked her. What if those were the only three that liked her? What if some aren’t even that close and just are trying to keep up a certain image? What if some of those 4 who were together this weekend weren’t liked? Why wasn’t she in Miami New Year’s Eve weekend with Rachel, Astrid, Raven, Alexis, Kristina, Sarah, and Whitney? There’s too many variables involved to make blanket statements off Instagram photos of people you watch on TV. Again, because it’s on social media doesn’t necessarily mean it can be taken at 100% face value. There could be plenty of reasons of why those four were together.
I mentioned when I first reported this, this has nothing to do with Vanessa post-show. What happens on social media and who hangs out with who afterwards had nothing to do with what I reported. As I said, for the two months that filming took place, Vanessa wasn’t the most well liked girl in the house. There were instances just from Monday’s episode that don’t paint Vanessa in the greatest of lights, the girls took issue with it, but it was never shown. I don’t know. Maybe those three she was with in Nashville got over it a day after filming ended. It’s been over 2 months now, so it’s not hard to believe people couldn’t put their differences aside. But what I said had to do with during filming, and that’s what the case was. Was Vanessa hated, people wanted to burn her at the stake, and everyone wished death upon her? No. She just wasn’t the most well liked during filming. To quote the White House Press Secretary, “Period.”
I heard something very interesting the other day that I thought I’d share. It was also very frightening as well given the climate that we’re in. There are no facts anymore. It’s just everyone’s own individual self-truths. It’s what people want to believe in their head is now what each person’s own “facts” are. And that’s a scary, scary thing.
