-We begin a little different this time. Well, first off, last week we were told that Fort Lauderdale was the place to fall in love. Now we’re being told Paris is the place to fall in love. C’mon, which one is it? I’m DYING to know. Is it the place commonly referred to as the most romantic city in the world…or is it Paris? Kidding. However it does start a little different this time with Chris Harrison and Arie sitting on a park bench chatting. I can’t really remember what they were talking about. Probably connections, and starting to see relationships develop, and how Arie’s wardrobe has been the same for every date he’s on since he raided Mr. Rogers closet. An interesting way to start the episode though since we usually never see Chris talking to the lead in the beginning. What a sage advice giver he is, even though he gave no advice. Chris needs a dock in pay.
-Chris meets up with the ladies and tells us they’ve changed things up a bit for this episode. Usually in episode 6, just three dates. I can’t remember any other time where they had 4, but this one they will: Two 1-on-1’s, a group date, and a 2-on-1. Lauren is up first with her 1-on-1, and to say it was painful would be disrespectful to root canals. Arie: “I was saving this date for you.” He was? What for? Exactly what about that date was tailored for Lauren? Unless this date was supposed to be the two of you practicing miming for the whole date, I’m not exactly sure what you saved that one for? It’s painfully obvious Lauren is not/was not comfortable in front of the cameras of this show. Which is fine. Not everyone can ham it up feels that secure having cameras in their grill on every move they make. But this date certainly did Lauren no favors whatsoever. They walked, observed, and she gave him a bunch of one word answers. “Mmmm hmmm,” “Okay,” “Wow,” were some of her favorites. It was riveting television for sure. The date was so boring, they completely cut this part of the date out that I was spoiling as it was happening back in October:
Wait, we’re not seeing ANY of this part of their date? pic.twitter.com/B2AkoFZ0tE
— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) February 6, 2018
-At dinner, there was actually some conversation. Granted, it wasn’t all that intriguing, but we did get a few nuggets. First, Arie revisited a conversation he had 5 years ago on his first 1-on-1 date with Emily. Although this time, they actually didn’t edit it out. A lot of you probably don’t remember this, but I was given word before that 1-on-1 with Emily aired, that Arie actually shared with her his last girlfriend he lived with (Cassie Harshman, the single mom of two), had a miscarriage. Why he shared that without her permission (which he didn’t have) was beyond me. Anyway, him telling Emily this was confirmed by those close to Arie and his ex and was reported by Radar weeks after the date happened on TV. So why they chose to edit it out of his date with Emily, I have no idea. But here is, five years later, bringing it up again on his date with Lauren. That was low. It’s bad enough you reveal that about an ex pretty close to it happening, and now you do it again? ‘Smatta wit you?
-What’d we get from Lauren? Well, that she wants a serious relationship, but she has trust issues. So it usually takes her around 6 months of having the guy sit in the friend zone for something to develop. Which is completely the opposite of what this show is about and makes absolutely zero sense for why she even do this. Huh? You’re a slow mover, you’re off a broken engagement, and you have trust issues? Then what the hell did you decide to do this show for? Kind of a head scratcher. She tells Arie about her previous engagement, that she thought he was the one and was so happy, then right after the engagement, he started to not treat her well anymore, and that’s where a lot of her trust issues stem from. Which makes sense. I would think anyone off a broken engagement would have trust issues. But just coupled with everything else and what this show does to you, Lauren is completely out of her element on this show and is about as closed off as you can get. There are so many things about this couple that don’t make sense to me, mostly related to Arie. This is not gonna end well for her.
jlal
February 6, 2018 at 9:23 AM
So happy Arie kicked Krystal to the curb. In past seasons it seems the lead always buys the crap the bad girl is selling. Or, at least the producers make them keep them for drams’s sake. Krystal is very shallow and cracked me up saying how she was a strong woman, etc. Strong women don’t have to tear others down to build themselves up. Strong woman don’t have to manipulate people to get their way. I pity any guy who does end up with her, because she is going to be very emotionally high-maintenance.
Agree with RS that Tia would make a great bachelorette. I think Becca will be boring, but in her defense I haven’t seen much of her. The other Bekah seems to be one of the most secure and mature on the show, despite her young age. She also has this Audrey Hepburn vibe that is adorable. She even fit in with the French style of dressing.
jfonteno
February 6, 2018 at 9:30 AM
Also wanted to point out you can clearly see Becca’s cross tattoo on her left hand during the rose ceremony, and they show a clip of a woman with brown hair crying with a gold engagement ring on her finger and a cross tattoo on her left hand. It’s clearly Becca. With that clip they completely confirmed everything you’ve said; Arie and Becca got engaged, and then he left her. Also, that clip of Lauren talking to a producer after the rose ceremony seems like a set up for her too.
adelina
February 6, 2018 at 9:40 AM
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Arie talking about his former girlfriend who had a miscarriage. Doesn’t seem like a violation of her privacy since we have no idea who she is….well, no idea until Steve mentioned her name in this column.
Call me rude and shallow, but I just don’t see the appeal of Becca for Bachelorette. Yes she has a sympathetic back story, but based on a less than engaging personality being shown, I personally find her unattractive. I don’t think there’s ever been a lead who wasn’t mainstream attractive (maybe minus Ben Flajnik). Maybe she just isn’t my taste, but I find very few people unattractive, but I definitely find her unattractive.
Shoot me, I’m shallow.
hellosteve
February 6, 2018 at 9:41 AM
Page 2, first paragraph talking about the cities to fall in love and his probable convo with CH. I’m dying. ??? You crack me up! Thanks for the funny commentary!
Also, I love Kendal! I want befriend her. She’s so chill and level headed and not normal but in a good way. I don’t know why she’s on this show.
hellosteve
February 6, 2018 at 9:43 AM
Those ??? Were emojis that didn’t show up. Lea red something new about WordPress comment restrictions!
caj3587
February 6, 2018 at 9:54 AM
I personally think Becca is beautiful. I guess beauty is an the eye of the beholder. We will see her pretty much a straight month from now to finale, so that’ll give us plenty of time to see her personality and build up her “Bachelorette” narrative.
slamwright
February 6, 2018 at 10:24 AM
Her cross tattoo is on her right hand.
rob22
February 6, 2018 at 10:43 AM
I think Becca is plenty attractive. And her personality is engaging, so she’ll be a good Bachelorette. Like I said at the beginning of this season, this season has more attractive women than normal. Some real stunners. Maybe Becca is on the lower end for this season, but it’s a very high bar that she’s up against.
rob22
February 6, 2018 at 10:53 AM
I’m a little tired of hearing about “edits”. Sure, the ITMs can easily be manipulated. The person could be talking about one thing & have their words applied to something else. They could be franken-byted. They can also be goaded into saying things that, out of context, appear to be mean spirited. But the actual interactions within the show with the people in the house tell the story. Krstal comes across as mean spirited, abrupt, rude, self-absorbed, not self-aware, delusional & many other unflattering ways. Sure, it’s a tough spot to be in when the house turns against you & everyone starts attacking you. But some of the “villains”, though they get defensive, don’t really come across as mean spirited. Krystal really comes across as a terrible person when she’s interacting with the girls and even some of the (pretty transparent) manipulations she tries with Arie. If she’s smart, she’ll try to distance herself from that behavior, and if she’s able to project a more flattering persona, she can regain some dignity. But, from what I’ve seen, I think she’s more of a Corrinne than she is a Michelle Money. I think what we’re seeing with Krystal reflects who she is. I don’t think it’s the edit. I don’t see here coming across well in WTA. I think she’ll make excuses, blame others and offer some sort of weak non-apology… i.e. I’m sorry if you were offended, but…. blah, blah, blah rationalization. That’s what I expect to see.
ctrealitygirl
February 6, 2018 at 11:44 AM
I agree with rob22 that Becca is attractive, in fact I think she is one of the prettier women in the group, mostly because she has such a natural look. Unfortunately, it’s hard to assess whether she has the right personality for Bachelorette as she is not getting much air time…reminds me of Sean Lowe’s season where he picks Catherine even though the viewers never got to see their relationship developing. I don’t think she’d be a bad lead but in my opinion, Tia would be much more fun/interesting to watch, and she definitely has the looks. And Lauren B is a clone of Ben Higgins’ Lauren B – both in looks and personality! I don’t get how Arie could come to be so gaga about her that he’d dump Becca for her. And, based on the date they aired last night, I don’t understand her getting a 2nd one-on-one in the next episode. The girl is BORING!!! I simply don’t see Arie ending up with dead-head like that. Am I missing something??
rob22
February 6, 2018 at 12:33 PM
I can see Arie’s attraction to Lauren B. Well, he’s probably boiled it down to looks and how good she is in the sack, but bear with me. I could see someone outgoing like Arie being attracted to someone a little different than himself. It often works that way. So Lauren being a little boring and a little restrained emotionally probably isn’t a bad fit for Arie. I’m not saying they’ll last more than a minute. Just that it does make some sense. Not all guys are looking for the outgoing party girl. We need balance and we often try to get it from our partner. One might argue that Arie needs balance, given his f-boy history.
sarahe
February 6, 2018 at 12:57 PM
I thought it was reported recently that Nick Viall and January Jones are dating? At least casually…January confirmed it in recent interviews, so I’m not sure why everyone is jumping all over any photos of him with another girl.
deedledee
February 6, 2018 at 4:11 PM
What was funny about Krystal too was how she tried hard not to seem upset and then she switched and tried to cry to show some emotion. Fascinating to watch! I actually know a girl a lot like her, really thinks she’s the greatest but struggles to have any self-awareness. I’m sure her producer really feels like they struck tv gold!
Also, I am team Tia for Bachelorette. She seems to have the presence and looks to carry the show. Becca is cute enough, but kinda blah in her edit thus far. Hopefully she comes across as much more effervescent in these last few episodes. I do feel bad for her though!! How embarrassing and heartbreaking.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:16 PM
Krystal is just unstable and that voice! Why on earth would she think that voice is sexy? I’ve never disliked a contestant as much as I dislike her. She reminds me of a mean girl from high school. I couldn’t stand looking at her face.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:18 PM
I think Becca is pretty in a natural way but she just seems to boring to be the bachelorette. Now Tia would be fun to watch. I would be crushed that he didn’t pick Tia if I actually liked Aria but she can do better. I don’t know if I’ll watch if they pick Becca. Oh who am I kidding. I’ll watch.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:20 PM
Becca dodged a bullet. I actually feel sorry for Lauren. She’s beautiful and young and she had no idea what she’s getting herself into with Arie. It won’t last. It rarely does.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:22 PM
I love Kendall and I also want to be her friend. I’m old but Kendall probably wouldn’t care. She’d still be my friend. Lol
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:24 PM
I think she’s pretty but it’s in a natural way. She’s not glamorous and your right we just haven’t seen much of her personality. I just really like Tia because she’s hilarious.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:26 PM
So I went back and forth on whether I wanted to come on here and find out how the last woman standing was and I couldn’t help myself. Love your page Steve. Now I have to try and keep my mouth shut so I don’t ruin it for people on the Facebook page I belong to.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:32 PM
Krystal is 1000x’s worse than Corrine, Michelle Money or that one chick (I can’t remember her name but her husband died and she said it was a great story). Krystal is just down right mean, condescending and hateful. Yes there is editing but I didn’t see one single moment where Krystal showed any goodness. I understand she had a rough upbringing but so do a lot of people but they don’t act like her. She wasn’t there for love. She was there for TV and to WIN.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:36 PM
I think Lauren is beautiful. It seems like the cameras and the whole process makes her uncomfortable. She probably didn’t realize what it was going to be like and the big personalities are getting all the airtime like Krystal, Bekah and Tia because it makes better TV. Personally I think Lauren is too good for Ari.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 4:42 PM
I agree. Krystal was like a train wreck. I wanted to look away from her ugliness but I couldn’t. She didn’t give a crap about Ari. She was there to promote herself. I really liked Becca in the beginning but the way they edited her was boring. I feel bad for what happened to her but I feel she dodged a bullet. Now I feel sorry for Lauren. She’s going to put her trust in Ari and get burned again. She seems like she genuinely cares for him. TEAM TIA FOR BACHLORETTE.
jlal
February 6, 2018 at 5:23 PM
I agree with adenine that it was not bad of Arie to about losing his baby and getting dumped. It is his story too.
shanna429
February 6, 2018 at 5:59 PM
It’s not like he mentioned her name and told her everything. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
justa_viewer
February 6, 2018 at 6:14 PM
RE: Arie’s ex having lost the baby
What bugged me about that story was that Arie was using it to show Lauren that, like Lauren, he had had a relationship where he was left with trust issues. Because, see, he had been living with this woman for over 2 years (during which time his being away from home so much, due to racing, apparently became a bone of contention, and so he had cut back on the racing somewhat). Then, she became pregnant with their child, but while he was away (well, it was a busy time of year on the racing circuit, what are you going to do?), she lost the baby. She called to tell him, and then she told him she would not be there when he got back.
So Arie is telling this to Lauren to show that he understands how she feels about getting close to someone only to have that trust betrayed. Because his ex leaving him was a shock to him, too.
The thing is…I think he was spinning what happened to make himself look like he was the major victim. Whereas in my mind, I could not help thinking that he was more likely the major “betrayer” in the relationship. Like, when his ex lost the baby, maybe she finally had an epiphany that he could never be counted on to be there when she really needed him most. And with that awful realization, maybe that’s when she decided to call it quits.
Obviously, I don’t know the real story, so that’s just speculation. Whatever–I’m just saying that Arie’s telling of the story, with him as the featured victim, did not sit well with me. YMMV
jlal
February 7, 2018 at 4:15 AM
justa_viewer, I hear what you’re saying, but have a problem with you speculating about what really happened. Why didn’t you doubt Lauren’s story too? Everyone tells a story from their perspective. Arie finding out they lost their baby and getting dumped in the same call was brutal. Nobody deserves that and anyone would be hurt. Arie seems like a nice guy. I don’t have an issue with him playing the field. He is a good looking, single guy, who was in a business where the opportunities were plenty. That was his relationship, his baby, and his story to tell. RS is wrong to criticize him, and I think the judgement is just everyone being hyper critical of Arie.
rob22
February 7, 2018 at 7:28 AM
I have to say after watching the full episode, that Jacqueline is stunningly beautiful & intelligent. She might be my favorite contestant ever. I know that she has a lot of career plans that will take her years to complete. Therefore, she would not likely be in the running for The Bachelorette. But, I really am hoping for an upset. More Jacqueline!!
st7282
February 7, 2018 at 1:22 PM
In the clips at the end of the show last night, specifically the one that showed Arie sitting on the couch while offscreen crying was heard, did anyone else think he looked completely unmoved by the crying he was listening to? I didn’t notice that he was fiddling with a ring but just watching it I thought, boy whoever is sobbing is wasting some tears on this guy since he could give a crap….
Also I agree with rob22, Jacqueline is drop dead gorgeous – and smart. I’m glad she takes herself out and doesn’t wait for douchebag Arie to let her go.
sarahe
February 8, 2018 at 8:51 AM
Krystal may be awful, but she’s great television. I hope she’s on Paradise.
Everyone saying Becca is ugly and boring: I disagree. While we haven’t seen much of her since her one on one, I think she comes across as down to earth, relaxed, and low key. She doesn’t have Kendall’s quirkiness or Tia’s potty mouth, but I still find something compelling about her. That being said, I don’t think she’d be a good lead for this show, because I almost feel like that requires a bigger personality, like a Tia.
I also am a huge Jacqueline fan. I always love contestants who are genuinely intelligent and interesting. She reminds me of Sharleen in that way. She has things going on outside of this show and will choose to take herself out because Arie does not fit in to what she wants for herself, similar to how Sharleen did on JPs season.
atleast4characters
February 10, 2018 at 11:01 AM
The potty mouth award must go to Vintaea from season 4 of Bachelor AU. For some reason, “sh*t” doesn’t get bleeped in Aussieland (and plenty of the contestants utter it on the show), but Vintaea said plenty of bleeped content, even right out of the limo, enough to wear out the bleep button. Fortunately she excused herself from the show during the first rose ceremony.
Personally, I think Bach AU is a better version of the show (for many reasons, but I won’t enumerate them here), and since I wait until an entire season is (freely) available online at tenplay before I watch, spoilers are irrelevant (I don’t, but obviously I could always watch the finale first).