Hi there Steve,
I just wanted to reach out to after your interview with Jen came out last week and thank you for telling her story. I am that person that you referred to in the podcast who grew up a huge Packers fan. Brett Favre was my hero growing up. I remember watching him win the Super Bowl when I was 8 years old. When this story broke a few years ago, I never doubted that he did it. It was obvious that he he did. However, I thought for sure that she was equally guilty. That she had to have been flirting with him and hooking up with him. When she gave interviews and said she wasn’t, I didn’t believe her. However, after hearing your interview with her, I believe her 1000 percent and know that she was sexually harassed by that man. What happened to her was not right and the fact that she lost her career in sports over it enrages me. Its not fair, and had that happened to her in today’s climate, I think things would have turned out a little different for her. It makes me sad that she feels like her whole life was changed because of the disgusting actions of that man, when she did nothing wrong.
So anyway, I wanted to thank you for interviewing her and Ashley Spivey tell their stories, and thank you for continuing to let women speak up on your podcast. You rock!
Comment: Thank you for listening, but more importantly, thank you for being open minded. Plenty of people who aren’t. That’s all I ask.
__________________________________
Hi Steve,
Just had a few observations about the end of the season I wanted to share.
1. Arie seems to have no self awareness at all, I think he thinks he’s going to look good at the end of all this. I get he changed his mind about how he picked but I find his comments have been somewhat callous, I understand him wanting to protect his relationship with Lauren but at the same time he did pick Becca first, whatever the reason he ended it, I would think he’d be a little bit more empathetic towards her feelings, he did propose to her, dump her and then go back to the other girl, he just seems so disingenuous, obviously he can’t spoil his own ending but its human to be respectful, I don’t get that from him at all. Obviously I can’t get in that guy’s head, and I have no idea what he’s thinking. But if he thinks people will just accept that he had a change of heart when it comes to the rabid fans of this franchise, he’s got another thing coming. The only people who will be in his corner are his legion of sheep that think he walks on water. But they certainly don’t represent the majority. Nothing he does in their eyes is wrong, so, their opinion means nothing. They can’t possibly be objective so who cares what they think.
2. Why in the hell would you propose to someone else if you knew all along you were ‘falling deeply in love’ with the other person, granted we don’t see much of any of his conversations with Lauren B whatever their connection is, even if he wanted to feed his ego because Becca’s ex showed up, it just seems absolutely messed up, no way it looks good on him. Again, your guess is as good as mine. Nothing he says in the finale will convince me of anything since I’m well aware of this guy’s intentions from the second he was cast as the lead, even going back five years. He is who he is and I don’t see any sort of change in him.
3. Finally from the last promo in the scene from the safe house, we see him getting up to leave while Becca is crying, he looks unfeeling and like he didn’t care at all, granted it could be editing, I just feel like how the hell can you not be empathetic to someone you claimed to have loved in one of their most vulnerable moments, makes me feel absolutely bad for Becca, if she’s watching it must be brutal everything would still feel so raw, she’s been through so much and I honestly feel like she deserves so much better.
Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get a few things off my chest.
Comment: We’ll have to see how it all plays out. Impossible to say right now, but he will definitely feel the heat after the finale.
__________________________________
Hi Steve,
I noticed on last night’s hometowns, and I guess last week’s episode too, the editing seems to show him favoring Lauren and lots of cutesy (but still boring) moments between them. Based on what they’re showing, all my unspoiled friends think he’s picking Lauren. I can’t wait to see the ending and how everything plays out!
Do you think this is how the show was originally edited, or do you think in light of his decision to leave Becca for Lauren maybe they’ve edited it again to make his connection with her seem stronger and kind of downplay Becca? Maybe to avoid some backlash for him, they tried to make it seem like Lauren is who he should end up with? I kept thinking that last night, but then again they probably don’t care either way because his doggish ways will get people talking about an otherwise forgettable season. Any publicity works for them, I’m sure. We don’t know and it’s something we’ll never get an answer to.
Do you think they will show him doing the ol’ switcheroo during the after the final rose ceremony or as part of the actual finale episode? I also think they’re bringing Kendall on ATFR to try to diffuse the situation and focus attention on other girls/ situations. I don’t know how that show is going to be produced. My guess is that we’ll see the regular finale with them leaving Peru engaged, and then at the ATFR, they’ll update us on everything that happened post-show.
Have you heard anything about how the other girls have reacted to what he did? Are they all team Becca or is it the ones who are friends with her have her back and the ones who are friends with Lauren (who seem to be fewer) will support his decision? It’s funny a lot of girls from Nick’s season talk about him like they can’t stand him and found him gross (especially Alexis), so I wonder if the girls from Arie’s season might have a similar distaste for him and won’t be afraid to bash him.
Thanks for the spoilers, as always!
Comment: I think there’s a pretty strong sentiment that the girls are pissed at what he did to Becca. I mean, if you’re Becca’s friend, are you really supporting this guy and what he did? Probably not.
__________________________________
When Becca’s uncle said “To Steve” as a toast last night I thought he meant you and was about to bring up some dirt he’d read on your blog. ? I quickly figured out Steve was her dad, but it was a good laugh!
Comment: You sure he didn’t slip a “Reality” in there?
__________________________________
I know you have mentioned that usually the lead knows who they are picking way ahead of time and just plays along for the show.
Was that not the case this time? Assuming it was not based off your spoilers. Do you know when the lead has to decide who they are picking… like did Arie pick an hour before the final rose or did he have to tell producers 3 days before?
Comment: Arie will claim in interviews that he was struggling up until the final day. That he really didn’t know who he was gonna choose. Which makes proposing to someone that much more stupid and ridiculous.
__________________________________
Hey Steve!
Just wondering how often they use fake houses for the hometowns?
Also-if the real house is used-does ABC send in an interior decorator/cleaning crew to make it tv ready?
I know these houses always look better than my parent’s house would on tv! Haha
Thanks
Comment: It’s happened numerous times, but to go back over 35 seasons, and final 4 hometowns in every season which is 140 different hometown dates, to pick out each one that wasn’t at the real home of the parents is not something I care to do. But it’s definitely happened a handful of times for varying reasons.
__________________________________
Is it possible that he ultimately chooses Kendall??
Maybe that’s why the WTA episode is on before the final 3 dates……..Kendall couldn’t be a part of the WTA if she is somehow apart of the finale…..
Comment: Your logic is flawed, and no, he didn’t choose Kendall. She gets eliminated after hometown dates. Kendall was not at the WTA because she was still on the show through hometown dates. Usually WTA airs between overnights and the finale, but this year it aired before overnights. Made no sense for her to be there.
__________________________________
Hello! 🙂
So, since Krystal called Arie “needle-d**k” – does that mean she slept with him? (That you know of, of course). That hometown date would have been the perfect opportunity and would account for her thinking they had something different there than the rest of the girls. For the record, I think commenting on the size or shape of another person’s genitals is as trashy as you can get, we would all be furious if a male contestant went on to bash the looks of Bachelorette’s genitals. No. She didn’t sleep with him. I guess that’s just some name she came up with to insult him. Doesn’t mean she actually had a 1-on-1 with his genitals.
I’m also surprised they didn’t show any of her sh**-talking during the show – usually they go out of their way to drum up the drama. Do you know why producers had a change of heart and decided to air that footage after all? Did she piss off a producer between the filming ending/airing and WTA?
Thanks so much for what you do! 🙂
Comment: It’s possible. Don’t know why they didn’t show it until the WTA. Krystal will be in full back peddle mode I’m sure after that airs on Sunday. The inspirational quotes and positivity on the IG kinda falls on deaf ears once you’re caught saying that. Seems to show more that she’s one way for the cameras, but when they’re not around, she’s no less catty than plenty of other people from this show. Here’s the biggest advice I can give Krystal. When you agree to go on a show that makes you sign a contract which states they can portray you in any way they like, and you have no legal recourse in return, you can’t complain when the show does exactly that – shows your character in any way they like.
__________________________________
Hi Steve,
Totally looking forward to the finale! Here’s a few questions:
1. Does Arie actually have fans out there? Even if people don’t read your site, it seems pretty obvious to me that he’s a rhymes-with-duck boy. Do people not see that? People with a brain do. People who have their head buried up his ass don’t. It’s that simple.
2. Do you think Arie chose Kendall over Tia for the Fantasy Suite because he thought that Christian Tia wouldn’t sleep with him? I don’t know why he chose Kendall over Tia. All I know is he definitely did everything he could to make sure he DIDN’T take Tia to overnights.
3. Tia’s family was fun. Who’s been your favorite Hometown Date family – Andi’s? Oh geez. I don’t remember them about 48 hours after hometown dates air. I couldn’t tell you much about many of them.
4. Clare and Benoit – that’s actually kind of cute. Do they have a chance? Is he a fame-seeker like Kevin, or a decent guy?
Comment: I’m leery of any engagement that happens after two months. I wish them the best, but yeah, that’s a little early to propose, no?
__________________________________
Hey Steve,
Not sure if you’ll have any insight on this, but does it seem to you that the producers decided to throw Arie under the bus with the editing? Everyone has verbal tics, but it seems like some of those could be edited out if they wanted to make him look better (examples, “I love that” as a response to everything). I also think that it’s a little weird that they keep showing “behind the scenes” things just with Lauren. They showed Lauren having her mini-freak out with a producer, they showed Arie walking off when Lauren said she was falling for him (ostensibly to talk to a producer), and, most damning, they showed Arie wiping sweat off his forehead and having a meltdown during Lauren’s hometown.
I don’t really understand the reasoning behind it besides making him/them look bad. It’s not showing more of their love story to explain the switch at the end. It just feels weird.
Thoughts?
Comment: Maybe they don’t care because Arie is delivering them the worst ratings in the history of the “Bachelor.” So what do they care how they make him look? They’re not your friends. Oh they’ll say they are, and they’ll promote every season like it’s the best season they’ve ever done, and say all the right things in the beginning. They’re your friends – until they’re not. I think this season is a classic example.
