We’re at that point in the season where, because of relationships they have with the franchise, tabloids will start posting their “inside” knowledge of the season. This happens every season, you all know I point it out every time it happens, and US Weekly did it again. I can’t reiterate enough this has nothing to do with sour grapes. My traffic this season because of Arie’s shenanigans rivals any other season, if not bigger. I’m not losing readers whatsoever. This comes down to common courtesy and credibility. For example, I had no idea that Jordan Rodgers was gonna be on JoJo’s season until US Weekly reported it. And when they did, I gave them full credit. Linked to the story, said he wasn’t someone I’d heard about yet, and gave them their proper due. This past season when JustJared.com had exclusive pictures from the Demolition Derby date and the Dog Show date, I linked to their site. Why? Because I didn’t have the pictures first. The thing with tabloids though is, I’m fully aware that they know stuff before they post it. That’s how they work. I’m not sure everyone is aware of that, but it’s true. They’re not gonna give Arie’s ending away in January because then their readers wouldn’t have a storyline to follow. I get it. However, that’s not my fault that you’re not allowed to print stories before a certain time.
So when they run this cover story for their magazine this week, all stuff you heard me report back on Jan. 23rd and in the weeks after that, and can’t take one sentence out of the story to say, “this was first reported/broken by RealitySteve.com” it’s embarrassing on a couple levels. 1) Because they HAVE used my name in the past to credit me. It’s rare but they have and 2) Because this isn’t a sidebar story. This isn’t some throwaway “Oh, look what Arie did on a date” story. It’s their feature cover story and the main spoiler of the season. One they’ve probably known about for a while, but couldn’t post because they’re not a “spoiler” tabloid per se. I understand how they work. But it doesn’t mean that once you do finally write the story, you can’t credit who originally broke it.
There’s no reason for me to contact Jamie Blynn, the writer on the story, privately because I already know what her answer is, “Well, we have our own sources on this. You weren’t our source.” Great. I never said I was. But the story that you wrote as your major headline and cover for this week’s issue has all been out there for a month already. They’re very well aware of what I write and spoil. They can easily say it was first reported somewhere else, and they choose not to every single season. Says more about their organization than it does what I do. I know I’m out in front of them on pretty much every major spoiler, because I can tweet and post spoilers all day every day whenever I feel like it, and they’re a once-a-week publication that has to sell a storyline as the season goes along. But that doesn’t mean it’s right. I point it out every season and I will continue to point it out until they have the decency to throw one sentence in there. I’m not asking to be quoted. I’m not asking to become an editor there. I’m just asking that when you post a story/spoiler that you know I’ve already put out there, especially one that’s been out there over a month now, a “as first reported by RealitySteve.com,” literally five words, is all I ask. I do it every time a major publication posts something that I’m not aware of, yet they choose to never do the same in return. This industry can be really shady at times, and this is definitely one of them. They’ve been doing it for years, I call them out on it every time, and yet they don’t change. Keep not doing it, and I’ll keep calling you out.
Lets get to “Reader Emails…”
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How much were contestants getting paid for Winter Games? For Paradise, it was a rate per episode they lasted based on their popularity. With only four episodes, did they work it the same way or was it a flat rate? Some were a flat rate, some were by pier diem.
Why was Michael G on Winter Games? He’s not a big name or even a recent face in the franchise. He must have good friends in production. You could also ask why was Lauren G. on there, too? She lasted 2 episodes on Arie’s season and did nothing. Michael has been on previous seasons at least.
Did Winter Games production have specific ideas on who was going on for who like they ask in Paradise? Any idea if those early pairings worked out? No idea. But they basically lied to the whole cast, as you’ve seen in interviews, most of them have said they were told the “games” weren’t going to be like the real life Olympic events. They were sold on more of a sporty show, when in reality, anyone with half a brain knew it’d come down to dating and relationships.
Seeing that you’ve had both Clare and Lesley on your podcast, you need to get them back on to talk about Winter Games! I’d especially love an update on Clare and Benoit, since we know Lesley and Dean aren’t going the distance. My guess is that’s not gonna happen.
Switching to Bachelor:
Who was harder on the bachelor hometown visit: Tia’s brother or Desiree’s brother on Sean’s season? Desiree’s brother by far.
Which dad/uncle would you be most fearful of meeting between those showed on Monday? Tia’s dad.
How do you rank the top four girls on looks alone?
Comment: Beauty is subjective. For me, I’d go Lauren, Becca/Tia, Kendall. And I think Kendall is attractive.
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Hey Steve,
Couldn’t help but notice how Rachel has come off as such a hater towards her exes. The way she has treated Peter and Dean on ATFR/Winter Games has been brutal. If someone is truly happy is it necessary to shade your exes on national television? Personally I didn’t love Dean and Lesley’s dance-kiss routine but it seems that it was true to their personalities and they were having fun with it…. as they should since they’ve been dating for like two days lol
Comment: I completely disagree with this. Without knowing, my guess is you already disliked Rachel going in. I don’t think her saying Dean and Lesley’s routine was the worst showed bitterness. Why would she care? She’s been engaged for 7 months. Dean is on his 4th girl in less than a year and had known Lesley about 10 days at that point. I don’t think Rachel cares in the least bit about Dean and Lesley. Any why Lesley chirped in on Twitter at Rachel is beyond me. Not sure what that was all about.
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I know this will be in the Reader Emails after the Winter Games finale airs, but I am so sick of this franchise kissing Ashley I’s a$$. Her and Kevin winning the kissing competition, getting more air time for getting a date card by Dean and Lesley, and ultimately winning Winter Games with Kevin. My question is why do they love her so much? Why did they allow her and Ben on their podcast to spoil that Arie breaks up with the winner? I haven’t heard the podcast so this is based off of what I read.
Comment: Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I can think of is that she’s very easy to produce because she knows what she has to do, she plays a role, and she does what they say. So they like that.
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Hi Steve,
Apologies if you’ve answered this question before, but I’m wondering what the process is like when contestants are eliminated on the show. I’m assuming they aren’t immediately taken to the airport (if they’re leaving at night, like they did on Bachelor Winter Games).
Thanks for all you do! You make watching the Bachelor(ette) so much fun.
Comment: All the way up til the final three, you leave when you’re eliminated and go home. Usually the next day.
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Hey Steve,
After you broke the news about Becca being broken up with, I’ve been checking her social media for clues. It seems like all she does is post lovey pictures of them from whatever episode was on last (at least on Instagram). It seems sad to me that she still does/has to do that that after he’s broken up with her. Do producers “strongly suggest” what the contestants should post to social media for publicity? Or is that just her trying to stay relevant in the season and not give off any hints that they are no longer together?
Comment: If she posted what she really wanted to post, it’d be obvious and give away the season. So basically she has to play along. Something I’m sure is eating away at her.
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Hi Steve,
Found your page a few years ago and I love reading your spoilers every season. I enjoy watching the relationship of the winner super close from the beginning. I still watch the show all the time.
I was wondering, all the years you have been spoiling, has there ever been a couple that you hoped would work, or that surprised you when they did or didn’t make it?
Comment: I thought Andi & Josh had a chance because neither had to make a life altering move. They lived 10 minutes from each other. But now knowing way more than I did back then, they were never gonna make it regardless of where they lived.
I think Ashley & JP I was hoping would make it because there was nothing about her that struck me as someone wanting fame and what not.
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Have you noticed Chris Harrison has become a little lazy with the pronunciation of the days of the week? He’s been saying, for example, “Mon-dee night”. He hasn’t always done that I don’t think. I know people say it different ways (I’m from Mississippi so I’ve heard it all), but his whole job is to talk for maybe 10 minutes an episode. For all that money he should enunciate!
Comment: 10 minutes an episode? I’d say if you add up all the things he says in an episode and string it together, it’s less than 2 minutes. I haven’t noticed the “Mon-dee” thing, but now I’ll listen for it.
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Hey Steve! Just a few questions for today.. or slightly more than a few, we’ll see where this goes. I can promise it won’t be short questions though, sorry 🙂
1) what is your take on Jordan’s sincerity after watching him on winter games? Obviously you and almost all of us didn’t see him on NZ’s bachelor, but I remember another reader email said that all of NZ thought he was a huge douche and he was hated after his season / coin flipping. Obviously that’s gross, but I kinda felt like watching it, he was the most sincere one there? He seemed to really want to make it work with Bibi and his actions, such as standing at the top of the stairs listening to her cry and not wanting to give her space when she was upset.
I normally am all for “let’s see where it goes and take it slow”, but if you live across the world from someone, I can understand wanting to know a yes or no answer of where she saw it going or wanted to be together afterwards. That’s a lot of long distance phone fees to waste if they’re just not into it! Yeah, it’s tough to know since that was the first time I’d ever seen the guy. I know nothing about him.
2) I normally am not one to ever attack someone for their looks or say hurtful things about appearances.. So I’ve refrained from saying anything cause she does seem like a great person. But I want to know from a guy’s perspective how you view Stassi’s appearance/attractiveness. When I look at her, I see a lot of plastic surgery and not like a natural looking person… like the people I see on those E! plastic surgery shows. Luke has said 100 times how gorgeous he finds her and I have a hard time picturing a playboy like him to go for someone he doesn’t find physically attractive. My fiancé agrees that she looks a bit botched but he’s very into natural appearances. So what are your thoughts? I apologize if this seems super bitchy, I don’t feel great about it but I am very curious. Stassi’s Instagram has pictures of her before she went a little wild on the lip fillers, and she’s stunning. For me, it’s too much lip filler. Naturally beautiful so I don’t know the reason she added that.
3) I loved Rachel and she was my first choice for bachelorette, and I also loved her in the role. But since her ATFR, she has kind of come off as a bit entitled and demeaning towards other guys on her season. Obviously I understand why she would want to be rude to peter on the ATFR, and I’m honestly not a huge fan of him, but I thought it was weird how she made a point to low-key sabotage his bachelor potential by reiterating that the process wasn’t for him and all that when she knew he was the #1 prospect at the time. I bring this up now because I got that same vibe when she said multiple times how juvenile Dean and Lesley’s kiss was and how she wanted to rank them last / have them eliminated. Maybe that truly was her view, but you’d think as someone who knows Dean and how not serious of a person he is, she would want him to continue on the show with a good girl like Lesley.
I do love Dean despite everything I know about him being a player and not ready to settle down, but I did find it weird that the judges thought their kissing skit showed that about him.
If my fiancé and I were ever put in some sort of kissing competition to show if we are serious and had chemistry, either now or when we first started dating, we would absolutely do some quirky/light hearted routine like they did. I thought it said more that two people were on the same page of not taking it too seriously and obviously have the same view and sense of humor than just being willing to make out in front of a panel, which seems much more awkward to me than a silly routine.
Again, I’m not saying this cause I think dean and Lesley are meant to be or will even last more than a few months post show, but I thought the whole competition was weird. What are your thoughts on how Rachel acts towards her guys 4 and also the kissing contest concept? I disagree. “Multiple times how juvenile” their kiss was? I don’t remember that at all. She just didn’t like it. But since Dean was on her season, people jumped down her throat for it. Again, I highly doubt she cares.
4) I was reading the comments on the bachelor’s FB page for a video they posted of Tia talking to Arie about Bekah’s age/readiness and there were hundreds of people saying “I used to like tia before this” and hating on her for trying to up her chances by bringing Bekah down. What I’m wondering is if you think producers would have aired that, knowing it didn’t paint her in the best light, if she were still the #1 bachelorette prospect?
I know they keep their options open and wouldn’t want to sabotage the image of everyone besides their top choice, but I also would think they would want to maybe slightly lessen the viewer support for Tia if they know they want Becca and currently, the fans wanted Tia. Is that way far off? Impossible to know. Tia is not gonna be the “Bachelorette,” so to me, it’s kind of irrelevant.
With Tia, I fully expected her to be a prime candidate like Jojo where I could see them in the lead role based on their personality. I felt that way with Raven who is very similar and not super outspoken, but I just don’t get that vibe from Tia. She seems very self conscious to me and not like she has the confidence or “leader” qualities that I think make someone fit for the role. I know everyone has a different opinion and plenty would disagree, and also that they can essentially make anyone the bachelorette despite these things, but what do YOU think as for how she would be in the role?
Thank you! You da best.
Comment: I think she would’ve been fine. Probably would’ve been her if Arie didn’t dump Becca.
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What are the odds that, “The Bachelor” cast Luke Pell in Winter Games knowing he’d do something to destroy his character? Which…surprise (not really…)! Of course he did. So funny how Bachelor Nation loves to protect their own while conveniently pretending you don’t exist. Pretending you don’t report FACTS. Ugh, I digress…It is what it is.
Seems like production already had him pegged as a bad dude via Harrison’s tweets from awhile back…which I assume was at least partly because of your reporting? I’m not exactly sure what the timelines were for all of that.
Anyway, that’s why I was absolutely shocked when I saw that they brought him back. But it makes much more sense if that was basically their plan from the beginning—to expose his true nature. His true nature of being a two-timing, lying, serial womanizer. All so they could wash their hands free of him by showing a large, targeted audience first hand why they never hired him on as the Bachelor in the first place.
Am I grasping?
Thanks for all of the great reporting!
Comment: I think Luke is a moron for blaming editing. I’m not sure if he’s done it publicly, but privately he absolutely is. Which just makes him look worse, since he was the guy who was pissed that production pulled his “Bachelor” gig from him the day before he was set to leave to film. Then he was all butt hurt when Chris Harrison confirmed in his tweets what I’d reported about Luke, and Luke wasn’t happy with Chris. YET, he gets back in bed with them for Winter Games? It’s all on you, dude. You did it to get paid and keep your name out there since less and less people were talking about you, and you got burned. Your own fault. They did you once already, and you STILL went back. Can’t feel sorry for you.
