-Ahhhh, the dreaded 2-on-1 date. For Arie, this is brand new territory. “I’ve never been on a date with two women at the same time.” No, but you have been sleeping with two women at the same time. Minimum. From everything I’ve heard and who I’ve spoken with, there were times where it was definitely more. But that shouldn’t be any ground breaking news to anyone. If you aren’t aware of who Arie is by this point, you’re either not paying attention or you’re choosing to not believe it out of bias. So the onus is on you. These aren’t opinions, they are facts unfortunately. But hey, maybe living a life with your head buried in the sand is something you enjoy. Who am I to tell you to come up for air every once in a while and smell reality? Speaking of living in reality once in a while, Krystal sure was a gem on this date, huh?
-There really isn’t anything new to Krystal’s character on this date. It’s a wash, rinse, and repeat of the same behavior we’d seen for the previous 5 episodes. You’d think that maybe she’d become more self aware, maybe tone it down a bit…no. In fact, quite the opposite. Again, definitely a case of a contestant trusting their producer too much and not having a clue how they’d be coming across on television. Maybe Krystal doesn’t even see it herself now, since she hasn’t acknowledged it for the most part on IG. Well, other than giving the standard “They film twenty hours a day and you’re only seeing a glimpse of it” like all the people who’ve gotten a bad edit say. It’s 2018 and the show has been on for over 15 years and now 35 seasons. If you don’t know how this show works by now, that’s your fault, not the audience’s. Krystal certainly is one of the more interesting people in recent memory on this show because her online persona is 180 degrees different than what we saw on television, and those are the people I enjoy talking to. Maybe some day I can get her on the podcast to explain exactly what the hell happened. But last night was even more of a disaster for her.
-The 2-on-1 started with a maze in the garden where they had to find Arie, and Kendall was lost. Krystal found him first, they made out, and Arie decided to talk to her first while pulling her aside. Said he had a lot of questions after last week where she put his character into question. You mean by calling him “Not Peter” that they decided to not end up showing, among other things? Yeah, I’d say that might bruise a guy’s ego a bit that supposedly you’re head over heels for. Arie is questioning whether they can communicate through this, and Krystal comes back with something about the color, texture, and depth of their relationship. Krystal thinking there’s ANY depth to their relationship is her first mistake. She’s talking jibberish to a guy who basically has had it up to here with her. She’s trying to salvage what she can and is doing a horrible job at it. But she did get a kiss out of it, so in her mind, I think that solidified he was into her. Little does she know.
-While she’s digging her grave a bit deeper, she decides to throw one last shot in at Kendall by saying she doesn’t think Kendall is right for marriage and doesn’t know why she’s there. Ahhhhhh, yes. When all else fails, pull out the ol’ lets-trash-the-other girl card. When it’s Kendalla’s turn to talk to Arie, he tells her what Krystal said and basically that’s all Kendall needed to hear. You see, Kendall is a rational, well meaning person, who rather than flying off the lid when she got back to talk to Krystal, actually tried to reason with her, spoke to her in a very specific tone, wasn’t putting her down, and came across as normal as one could be in a situation where the girl had just tried to trash her to Arie. Hey Kendall, quit being a normal, rational human being. That doesn’t work on this show. As impressive as it was, and as much as it put Krystal in her place, basically it went in one ear and out the other because it certainly seems like Krystal is tone deaf when it comes to her actions, and she doesn’t need anyone’s advice. Arie says he hasn’t made a decision yet and he’ll see them both at dinner. The drama continues…
-At dinner Krystal made her thoughts known during an ITM saying she wasn’t thrilled with Kendall offering all her wisdom, saying she didn’t care and she was annoyed. They when they were together she basically said to her face, “Look, I didn’t appreciate what you said to me earlier today and basically I don’t want your advice on how I live my life.” Of course she doesn’t. Because she certainly seems incapable of handling any criticism whatsoever. Not to mention, she wasn’t telling her how to live her life. Kendall specifically pointed out that all the advice she was giving her, was being based off how Krystal was acting in that environment. She didn’t say it any other part of her life because she didn’t know her before the show, and I thought that was a key part of the conversation. Of course, Krystal didn’t because any advice she heard she didn’t take to heart. Like many “villains” in past seasons, Krystal would be best served to show up to the WTA and just apologize for how she acted on the show, the things she said in her ITM’s, and just move on. Will she? Probably not. They never do. The producers will tell the other girls to attack Krystal, and Krystal will on the defensive and that’ll make for the cattiness they need for the show.
-Arie ends up pulling Kendall aside to talk to her, yet we see none of that conversation. At that moment they bring us back to the other girls in a group talking about who they think will get a rose and who won’t. Arie sits back down, gives Kendall the rose, gets up with Kendall, and leaves Krystal sitting there by herself to contemplate what just happened. I’m not exactly sure what Krystal’s thought process is on all of this because all she does is post workout videos on her IG, basically ignoring what’s happening on the show. Even if she’s not watching, she’s well aware of how she’s coming across by what people are telling her. She can save herself at the WTA if she plays her cards right. I just don’t see her doing it. I think she’ll defend her actions, maybe half heartedly apologize to some of the girls for things she said, but I doubt she will own up to everything and take full responsibility for everything she said. And that’s gonna suck, because that’s her best play right now. You will lose 100% of the time versus your edit. Every. Time. Don’t even bother. Unfortunately, I think that’s going to fall on deaf ears.
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).