Hey Steve, I apologize for this being so long I keep forgetting to write and ask you these questions.
1. I just got caught up with your podcasts and on your very first podcast you were explaining how you started writing recaps on the bachelor was because after Joe Millionaire was over your friends wanted you to keep recapping on a new show and they told you to recap the bachelor/bachelorette. You said at that time Trista was the bachelorette and that there were 2 seasons of the bachelor before her but you didn’t watch those 2 seasons……………my question to you is have you ever gone back and watched those 2 seasons? I know you don’t watch the bachelor/bachelorette for your own personal entertainment, and you only watch it to spoil but just curious if you had ever gone back and watched those 2 seasons. Nope, never did. Nor do I plan to.
2. A couple weeks ago I had read a reader’s email where they asked you IF Rachel becomes the bachelorette did you think the cast would be more racially diverse/ have more African American contestants and you stated you would imagine the cast would be more diverse ESP. with more African American contestants. My question is I know the bachelorette starts filming a few days after the finale and ATFR airs but at that point the majority of the contestants to be on the bachelorette have pretty much been selected. (minus some last minute changes) would this mean that If they do go with Rachel they would probably have to make the decision a little earlier than normal to make sure they have a more racially diverse cast ( I know that producers send multiple contestants to LA thinking there on the show and once they get to there hotel they can easily send them home) but I was curious how that would work? Yeah, the cast will be in place, but it’s not like we’ll know who the lead is until the ATFR unless they do something completely different this year. And it’s not like the cast knows who everyone else in the cast is. So it’ll just be a regular casting like every season, I’m sure I’ll find out some guys before they leave for filming (already have a few that I know are going to final casting weekend. Don’t know if they’ll eventually make the cut or not, but I’m aware of about 5 that are going as of now).
3. I am curious to see how the final 2 pans out with Raven. With Nick being rejected 2 times as well as him being somewhat angry with Kaitlyn for letting him pretty much propose to her and with Nick telling Kaitlyn he felt like she didn’t give him the respect by sending him home before he picked out the ring and how at least Andi gave him that respect” by sending him home before the ceremony and before he picked out a ring. I wonder if he will let Raven go before the ceremony (I doubt it). He doesn’t. Regular final rose ceremony for “Bachelor” standards. As we know, they never let the “Bachelor” dump his final 2 girl early. They reserve that for “Bachelorette” seasons on occasion for whatever reason.
4. We all know Nick cares what people think of him and he wants this to be his redemption story.. however, I don’t ever remember a lead kissing the contestants in front of the others this much! Obviously every season this happens but usually the lead tries to make an effort to respect the other contestants.. Nick on the other hand doesn’t care. His true colors are definitely front and center right now. Yes, he has kissed some in front of the other women, but not as many as you think. Some of that is tricky camera work to make you THINK others are watching, but they’re not.
5. One thing I did notice though was during the pool party Jasmine had came up to Nick and was kissing him while other girls were around and Nick kept pulling his head back saying “omg.. trying to kiss me in front of everyone this is awkward (but he doesn’t mind grabbing a girls boobs or straddling Corinne in front of them… like really nick?!) I also noticed during the night portion of episode 2 Corinne kept interrupting Nick while he was talking to the girls and Nick let it happened however when Jasmine tried interrupting Nick.. Nick told Jasmine “uh she just got here.” If these aren’t signs I don’t know what is.. poor girl. Yeah, he’s just doing whatever creates more interest in the storyline.
6. I know with Ben’s season the other contestants knew Lauren was Bens front runner and the same with JOJO’s season and the contestants knew it was Jordan.. do you know if the girls this season knew Vanessa was Nicks front runner? That I don’t know. All I heard was what I reported 8 days before filming ended, and that’s that he was going to pick Vanessa. And he did.
I know you get asked this every season but have you heard any negative information about Raven or Rachel? Not asking for anything specific just curious?:) Yes on both.
Last question: If you had to make a guess (off of your own personal opinion and observation.. whether it’s things you’ve heard, or know, or just get the feeling)
Who do you think came on this show with the purest intentions of wanting to find a relationship?
-Nikki from Juan Pablo’s season No.
-Whitney from Chris’s season No.
-Sharleen from Juan Pablo’s season No.
-Desiree Out of these four, I’d probably say if there was any of them that was close to being the most pure, I’d say Desiree. But don’t forget, I think there are levels of sincerity when it comes to this though. I don’t put Nikki, Whitney, and Sharleen all on the same level.
____________________________________________________________
Hey Steve! Loved the podcast with Nick Peterson! I enjoyed hearing his perspective. He seems like a cool guy. I had to disagree with him on one thing though. If there was a movie made about him, he should be played by Oliver Hudson. You’ll remember him from Dawson’s Creek. Am I right or am I right?
Comment: Yes, I can totally see that. Not to mention, he’s also Jeff Fordham from “Nashville” that went plummeting to his death trying to save Juliette from killing herself.
____________________________________________________________
Hey Steve!
1. Wanted to see if you plan on sharing a list of the top 10 girls or so with a few adjectives you’ve heard about each one?? I love how you did that last season!!! Not this season.
2. Do we know if Nick’s family is Mormon? They’re not.
3. Nick’s mom looks 10 years older, and she is always crying.
Thanks!!
Comment: Ummmm, ok.
____________________________________________________________
Reality Steve Questions:
(1) Did the producers tell Corinne to give that weird, fake speech after the rose ceremony during the toast (the whole ‘we’re all so privileged to be here…’ speech) ? If so, when did they prompt her to do that? The other girls (and Nick) looked pretty annoyed/weirded-out by it, but I feel like they would have had to know it was producer-driven… especially since during the toasts contestants never typically give random speeches. She’s done it twice now, and basically everything she’s doing is on request from producers.
(2) I know you’ve talked before about how the contestants don’t have access to TV, internet, magazines, etc. but do they have access to music/iPods? In this episode, they show Alexis with headphones on while on the plane to Wisconsin. Do they always have access to music or only while flying/traveling? This is a case-by-case basis I believe. It’s kind of a game of give-and-take with producers.
(3) do the producers tell which contestant should open and read the date card? Do they tell them when the date card is coming?
Thanks!
Comment: The contestants just decide amongst themselves who’s gonna be the next one to get it. And yes, they always know when it’s coming.
____________________________________________________________
Hi Reality Steve,
Long time reader, first time emailing you! I LOVE your site and read it faithfully. My friends are all mad that I read the spoilers beforehand but I can’t seem to tear myself away J
Question for you- I was listening to the “Reality Life with Kate Casey” podcast this weekend and she had Olivia Caridi on for an interview. Olivia mentioned that the producers created a fake letter from her sister during filming but that she wasn’t allowed to talk about that on the podcast. Any insight on this and what the story behind it is?? I apologize if you have covered this previously and I somehow missed it.
Thanks and keep up all the great spoiling!!!
Comment: No. Never heard of that. And the invitation is still open to Olivia to come on the podcast. But I’m becoming less and less confident she will and it has everything to do with who I am because she’s doing a lot of other podcasts, so it’s not like she’s not talking. She’s been vocal about many things on many other shows/podcasts. I told you for some contestants, who I am is definitely gonna scare some away. Sucks, but there’s nothing I can do. Some contestants are just more scared than others, when honestly, they shouldn’t be.
____________________________________________________________
I’m sure you have brought this up at some time on your website because it’s such an obvious issue.
Every single season there is a controversial person who stays on much longer than they should even though the bachelor or bachelorette is warned about them. And that person is always picked last at the rise ceremony for suspense purposes. Do you know if the director makes them keep them on there longer than they want to and pick them last?
Comment: Not always last. The last person at the rose ceremony is always someone who was involved in the most drama that particular episode. The order of giving out roses is strategically done. Sometimes the person we see getting it last never actually got it last during filming. It’s after they start editing and create their storylines, do sometimes they change it up and have to give the “last” rose to someone who technically didn’t receive it last during filming for dramatic purposes. Because when they’re filming, they might have an idea of what are the major drama moments and storylines for that episode, but once the editors get a hold of all the footage for a particular episode, they can basically create whatever they want from it.
____________________________________________________________
Hi Steve!
So I’ve been resisting joining Twitter forever because I didn’t need another social media platform to get hooked on but after being trapped in my house yesterday due to flooded streets (in SoCal), I decided to join because my friends have told me that’s the quickest way to get news updates. You were the first person I followed when I joined. I now follow you and the news. 😉
About tonight’s episode, your tweet about the bathtub scene was right on! So awkward!
The convo during dinner with Raven totally reminded me of Joel McHale’s comment on Kimmel of Nick smiling while he talks. Joel was right; it’s really annoying and makes him hard to understand.
From your knowledge, are they going to go back to rose ceremonies at the end of the episode or stay with them in the beginning? I know to do so would require one week with no rose ceremony or two rose ceremonies but I hope they do cuz I’m not liking the format of these episodes so far. Why do you think they are doing this season this way?
Keep up the great work. I love being able to watch this show with your spoilers because it’s the only way it makes the show bearable to watch.
Comment: They’ll eventually end an episode with a rose ceremony, and when they do, I would suspect every episode from then on out would end with a rose ceremony. They’ve done this in past season’s so it’s nothing new, but yeah, it’s kind of annoying.
____________________________________________________________
Dear Steve,
How cut off are the contestants from real world/news during filming? I’ve heard through past contestants memoirs that they don’t get any access to TV, internet, or newspapers. If so, do you know how these 2016 contestants reacted to the presidential election results? Since filming ended in late November, I imagine they have the right to at least know what the results are. I know ABC probably can’t go into anything political on screen, but it would be neat to see these girls return home after 6 weeks and find out who the president is. Perhaps the producers told them? Maybe they get supervised TV viewing?
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions! Love your spoilers!
Comment: This question has come up a few times this season. The election was on Nov. 8th. Only 3 girls were still remaining on the show and overseas in Finland at that time. The other 27 were all home already.
And I’m guessing that those 3 girls were told who won.
____________________________________________________________
Hi Steve! Longtime fan! And loving the new podcast as well. Looking forward to hearing them throughout the season. Just two questions:
Why don’t you think Vanessa wants to move to LA to be with Nick? Doesn’t she have an interest in acting and hosting (those YouTube videos, lol), which means that an LA move could benefit her? I know her intro footage on the show only highlighted her teaching job, but I looked at her IG after you posted the contestants’ info BEFORE the show aired, and she definitely had headshots and photos of her acting/hosting life up. She even has an IMDB page! Strangely, she has since taken the photos down, and no mention of that part of her life on the show either. Do you think the producers want to downplay it for some reason? Because I don’t think it’s going to last, and they’ll be done before she even makes any move. If she does move, I don’t think it’s for acting. Those YouTube gaming videos were 5 years ago, and the acting stuff wasn’t recent either if I recall. I just don’t see it getting to the point where she’ll make the move.
Are the contestants allowed to bring/use prescriptions? For things as minor as allergies or birth control, to more serious things like anxiety or anti-depressants? I only ask because some of the other comments and podcasts I’ve noticed have been poking fun at Danielle M’s
Thanks!
Comment: Danielle M’s what? Either I didn’t cut and paste your whole email correctly or you never finished your sentence. I do believe if you HAVE to take a certain medication they’re not gonna withhold it from you. That’d be kind of illegal, no?
____________________________________________________________
Who says Raven should be bachelorette? Dear Lord. She’s cute, even seems intelligent, but how anyone could listen to her horribly grating accent for 3 months as the LEAD is beyond me.
I even found Emily’s accent obnoxious, despite hers being a “softer” southern drawl. Chris Soule’s midwestern accent was just funny. Ashley H’s Madawaska accent was cute (“oh shoots”).
Raven’s accent is just hickish, and despite perhaps being a really nice girl (I don’t know her so I can’t say), I don’t think her accent can support a season. My ears ring every time she talks. Yeah, I know they won’t miss my viewership, but I think a lot of people agree that her voice is just too much.
(Full disclosure: I live in South Carolina)
Comment: Everyone has their personal preferences. What you may hate about her accent, other people love. “Don’t think her accent can support a season” is a pretty bold claim to make. I don’t see that as a reason why someone wouldn’t get the gig. Not to mention, that’s just your opinion. Plenty of others out there don’t mind it.