I’m so glad this season is basically over. And now onto paradise…
Which brings me to my first question,
1. When do they start filming and have you heard who’s going? Hearing Chris Harrison say that Bekah might be gone for 2 weeks this summer really reminded me of an engagement at the end of that show is crazy. We know it’s two weeks from you but to have Chris say that, was it a slip up or do they not care that we know it’s only two weeks long? It’s begun filming the same exact time for it’s first 4 seasons: first week of June. Maybe it was a slip by Chris, but it’s definitely known filming is only about 2 ½ weeks long.
2. I think what Ashley wants with Kevin is that whole bachelor nation couple reputation and is willing to overlook what she probably knows what is true: that he wants the fame. It’s easy to tell who’s looking for it by their Instagram. Overwhelming number of selfies, ads, and an email for inquiries. Aka Robby, Luke, etc. I wanna be sad/concerned for her, but it’s hard. If she didn’t know before, she should by now. He’s after her IG followers and it’s clear as day.
3. Since the turnaround for the bachelorette is much shorter, do you think they’ll still go with Becca even though this breakup kind of just happened as opposed to Tia who’s had more time to “get over” it? Do you think Becca would even be interested in being the bachelorette?
Comment: Well, this email was obviously sent before last night’s episode.
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Hey Steve!
Love reading your spoilers! I love watching the bachelor but I love the drama that comes after the season even more! Are there any recent feuds between bachelor contestants that have happened after the show has ended? Thanks!
Comment: Not that I know of. Most of Arie’s girls all seem to get along. Well, except Krystal.
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Hey Steve! Greetings from VA (close to Lauren B’s home…no I don’t know exactly where it is and don’t care)
Thanks for being my Tuesday lunch date every week!! I think you might agree with me that Arie’s (YAWN!) season is the worst! The man has zero personality and seemingly zero interest in finding anything other than more fame. For the record, I love Baby Bekah and hope she is on BIP. Also for the record, I am glad Boring Boy dumped Tia, Kendall and Becca. I liked all of them and think they are much better off with him out of their lives!
Do you find that the men are bigger fame whores than the women on recent seasons or do you think the men just get a taste of fame and lots of women and they turn into losers? I don’t think it’s possible to put a number or percentage of who’s more of fame whore. Women can certainly benefit more post show from the IG shilling. But men can absolutely increase their brand awareness if they go on the show and last long enough.
Also, in the beginning I thought the leads were forbidden (??) to say “I love you” to the girls/guys on the show. Seems like now they say it all the time. Do you think the producers encourage it now whereas before they told them not to?
Thanks again…your brutal honestly and humor make my day!
Comment: I wouldn’t say “all the time.” Only Ben and Arie have done it in recent seasons. They just happen to be 2 of the last 3. I would say producers certainly don’t DIScourage it.
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Hi Steve,
Have you seen the premiere episode of season 3 of Unreal yet? What did you think of it? I only got interested in this show because of you and was wondering what your take is if the new season. I assume we’re getting another season of 10 episodes before fall because they already filmed the next season, or is that inaccurate? I liked it. Haven’t watched this past Monday night’s yet because, ummm, it’s been a little crazy these last couple days. But I will get to it. And yes, season 4 is already in the can. They haven’t announced when it’s airing, but my guess is it’ll be sometime in 2018.
Thanks for all you do. You kept this season entertaining because Arie was horrid. Now, onto the Bachelorette and BIP!!
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Hi Steve
I’ve always loved your columns & as a new stay at home Mom, reading your columns and listening to your podcasts get me thru some long days and I really appreciate them! Some days your podcasts are the only other human voices I hear during the day time, aside from my husband. (Currently I listened to Jenn’s podcast & I’m only halfway thru the Sharleen podcast due to a needy baby, lol, but I hope to finish today during afternoon naptime!) I have some questions. I already read today’s column and wish I sent in yesterday so hopefully they’re not too late for next weeks reader questions.
1. When the women have 1:1 time with the bachelor during cocktail parties before rose ceremonies, do you know why some women walk way from the bachelor when another woman interrupts them? Can’t they say, leave me alone and come back later? Is there an unspoken rule that they have to walk away? No, but it’s essentially up to what the lead says. If he’s like, “Sure, come on in” then the person they’re talking to has their clue to leave. Some do put up a fight and say “gimmie more time” or whatever, but all depending on who it is, what their storyline is, at what point in the show it happens, etc will determine how it plays out.
2. After reading the news you exclusively broke about the Arie/Becca breakup and how Becca is lead to believe the production team is filming an update on their relationship as opposed to Arie breaking up with her, do you think she was angry at not only Arie, but the production company as well? If I was in her shoes and they did that to me, I’d have a really hard time working with them to film Bachelorette bc I’d think I’d always foster resentment, anger. Obviously this makes good tv, but morally, this is just really tough to fathom for me at least. But I do think most of the women come on this show for Bachelorette consideration anyway so it’s a win for her in the end, I guess?
Thanks, Steve!
Comment: Yes. Ultimately what happened of her getting ambushed was on Arie, and production is just doing a job. Of course a part of her knows this was for television but when it’s happening in the moment and you had no idea it was coming, you lashing out is probably going to make it worse. I think she realizes that because she did fall in love, and was with someone she thought she was gonna marry, it’s much easier to convince herself this does work and she can find someone on her season.
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Hi Steve –
Love and anxiously await reading your spoilers & recaps, and love how you keep it fresh and funny even after so many years.
Do you know if there is a way to watch Bachelor Canada or any of the places represented in Winter Games?
Thanks!!
Comment: That I’m not sure of. I have zero interest in watching any of them so I haven’t tried to look.
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Hey Steve, please explain why Bachelor Nation embraces that annoying (fake) Burikko demeanor that Yuki employs (which is a persona Japanese women created for Japanese men who like school girlishness – sounds creepy, but then again, Japan has vending machines dispensing underwear “worn by virgin school girls”). The Burikko persona I think was originally developed by Japanese celebrities.
And how does a 21-yr-old Yuki portraying a helpless, submissive, young girl with a high pitched baby voice (i.e. Burikko) mesh with the sexuality of Bachelor in Paradise? Watching her is painful. I kept hoping she would drop the facade and act like a normal woman. If she did, she actually might fit in, somewhat, with Bachelor in Paradise
I can see Asian-born guys being attracted to her but I cannot see that particular brand of shtick attracting Bachelor in Paradise contestants. It’s not just the language barrier – she acts like a 15-year-old. Like I said, creepy.
Comment: She’s not going to start dating someone from the US franchise. That’ll never happen. Kinda hard to have a relationship with someone that doesn’t speak your language.
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Hi Reality Steve,
Long time reader and lurker of your site. I thought you should be nice to Lauren and share with her some tips when moving to a new place since she won’t know anyone in AZ. I have personally moved to a new place where I knew no one and thank goodness for social media and technology, you can still thrive and have a life outside of just your partner.
“She will entering Arie’s world once she moves to Arizona, the only person she knows will be him, and her life will revolve around what Arie wants.”
Join lots of MeetUp.com groups i.e. if she likes yoga, you can easily find a safe group setting via Meetups and meet with new people in a safe, daytime park to make new friends.
Get a job. Being employed is definitely great to keep your mind busy, as well as getting to know new people
Take classes from community colleges. There are always after-work classes to keep her occupied and make new friends.
Before she knows it, she’ll have lots of new friends and lots of things to keep her occupied. Just some ideas for her.
Keep up the good work, Steve. You deserve being able to just work from home and have the best work schedule and getting paid for it! You’re very very lucky.
Comment: There you go Lauren. Now go make all new friends in AZ so the only people you don’t hang out with are Arie’s inner circle. I’m sure that’ll get old real fast. Ask around.
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Hi Steve,
My first question is about former leads and their picks at the end of their seasons, aside from Jojo who I remember you mentioning that she and Jordan have had contact before the show started their respective season (and Kaitlyn and Nick), were there any others who have had contact BEFORE their seasons? As we found out during the finale, Arie & Lauren did meet in Dallas once. She took a picture with him at one of his races, but he didn’t remember it. So there was contact, but did they know each other? No. I’m sure others have randomly met, but outside of Nick and Kaitlyn like you mentioned, nobody’s ever known somebody really well. But crossing paths? I’m sure it’s happened a few times.
My next question is about the show UnReal (I finally started watching and it’s SO good!), do you know if the Bachelor/Bachelorette executives were super pissed about it because it paints the producers in such a negative light in how they manipulate the contestants to make good TV? Did they try to stop the show being made or anything like that? I don’t think they can prevent a TV show from being made because UnReal was clever enough not to use any of the language the “Bachelor” uses, not even say the word “Bachelor” anywhere, or other things like that. It’s pretty genius. We all KNOW what they’re referring to on that show without directly being told. And of course “Bachelor” producers don’t like the show. It exposes the seedy underbelly of reality TV production which, at its best, is just a level above “scum of the earth.”
I think I’ve heard you mentioning the show before (I apologize if I’m wrong) but do you like the show? And how true do you think some of it is in how it portrays the producers?
Thanks!
Comment: Show is great. And considering the executive producer of the show used to work on the “Bachelor” for nine seasons, I think it’s safe to say that she’s speaking from experience.
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Hello, as Bachelor season wraps up next week, which will actually be very gratifying for Chris Harrison this year, clearly the most dramatic finale (and post finale) ever, I know you will be working hard on getting your news for the new Bachelorette season. However, last night was the premier of one of our favorite unspoiled shows Survivor. I was wondering if you plan on having any former Survivor contestants on your podcast in the next couple of months especially with the theme of this season “Ghost Island?” I also want to know your thoughts on the premier last night. I have been a fan since the first season and I am old enough to remember it (41 years young). My husband and I now watch it with our 3 children and on occasion have pulled up some old seasons of Survivor featuring some of our favorite cast members. I like the theme this year so far even though it reminds me of Exile Island. I like that there is a choice (a gamble per se) for the exiled castaway to make. However, I was very disappointed in the new cast this year. Though easy on the eyes for the most part, I could not believe how many “beauties” they casted this time. I understood Jacob’s sentiment on his tribe feeling he had a disadvantage. I feel like the Sandra’s and Cirie’s of the past would not “survive” in this six-pack ab environment and is discouraging to the average American even considering trying out for the show. Of course, Jacob took the wrong approach, spending hours looking for an idol rather than spending his time getting to know his tribe mates. He inevitably isolated himself and got voted out whereas Donathan did not focus on his lack of brute strength and Adonis looks (not that he is bad looking or anything) and become endearing to the other tribemates and a trusted/loyal player.
Also, as far as production goes, I was also shaking my head and questioning how easily Dominick found a hidden immunity idol in the pitch black middle of the night. Typically that would be impossible. Clearly he is using the lights from the cameras, etc. Anyone in the jungle/forest would not go scavenging in the middle of the night to look for something without the assistance of even a flashlight. The amount of critters you could run into, things you could step on….I digress. It was so unbelievable…..
I would love to hear your thoughts on this as well as any former contestant you may be able to get on your show. I’m keeping my fingers crossed in the weeks to come for someone from Survivor. It will be refreshing to hear about something other than the Bachelor. Thanks!
Comment: All I can say is there will be “Survivor” contestants on in the future. Who and when I don’t know, because I’m booking my podcast guests usually weekly. I don’t have them planned out much farther ahead. Amy Kaufman is next week’s guest and that’s about as far out as I plan ha ha.
As for the premiere, it’s early so it’s kinda hard to say how I feel about the season. Although the “mistakes from season’s past” and everything that comes along with Ghost Island I think is a bit much. So many twists and rules changes and stuff being thrown in last minute, it’s almost too much for me. But I’m gonna gonna kill it just yet. Lets see how this plays out.
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What do you think the chances are that Becca won’t get engaged as bachelorette??
Chances any old bachelorette contestants come back this season?
Comment: Won’t get engaged? 0%. 19 of the last 20 seasons have ended in an engagement. Becca will absolutely get engaged.
It’s always a possibility going into any season a former contestant is cast? Will they do it for Becca? I don’t know. I don’t have the full cast yet.
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Hey Steverooni. I figured if I call you a nickname it’s like we’re friends and will make me feel better about emailing every week.. sometimes twice, oof.
Let’s talk The Challenge.
1) Does Natalie remind you as much of Jojo as she does for me? First she looks just like her to me. But then her voice is almost a dead ringer. If I closed my eyes and didn’t know the context, I’d assume it was Jojo talking. I actually texted this exact same thing to someone last week. Looks and her voice are almost identical. It’s scary.
2) We always hear your top 5 most attractive bachelor girls each season— what is your ranking for the challenge girls? Out of any repeat or recent season contestants (excluding Melissa/Kayleigh since I don’t quite consider them part of the group quite yet). Ugh, there are so many. Off the top of my head, two of my podcasts guests for sure – Cara Maria and Tori – would be on that list. Others? Who’s Danny’s ex wife from Austin? Melinda? She’s up there. Svetlana is attractive. There’s others I’m just forgetting now.
3) Which challenge vets do you think could be cast for the Bachelor/ette based on their standard casting patterns? Even if you don’t think anyone would be a fit, who do you think would make it the furthest if they were a contestant? Too tough to answer since there’s so many factors involved.
4) Are Banana’s and Cara the only challenge people you’ve requested for your podcast? Good for you for getting basically the best ones and most relevant guy/girl. They were both awesome listens. There will be one coming up in the next month or so I’d say.
5) Do you think Banana’s will win another challenge? He hasn’t won since Rivals and essentially he got to that position because he had a brilliant partner who crushed every puzzle. Not saying he didn’t also earn it, but basically the two of them together were unstoppable. Well he did win Season 2 of Champs vs Stars, but we all know winning that show is much, much easier than the Challenge. That final Challenge he ran with CT and Emily was a joke compared to other finals he’s had to run on the other show. Even he would admit that.
He is obviously still up there in the top guys in terms of actual performance, but definitely not a standout like he used to be. I’m sure he is the best in finals still, but he hasn’t been able to get there lately because he doesn’t have the numbers behind him anymore to make it all the way to the end without ever having to face an elimination. He’s the best in the biz with politics, but that may not do him much if they continue bringing in newbies from other networks. I’m thinking he may have cashed out with 6 challenge wins, but hope he’ll still be there until he needs a cane. It’s going to get harder and harder for him and I think he knows that. But any title from this point on will be even that much more impressive.
6) I had never heard of any of the rookies from other networks before this and was shocked to read that Kyle has gotten a nose job, chin and jaw contouring surgery, hair AND beard transplants, and veneers since he was on his original show. Holy sh** I never would have guessed that. Doesn’t even look like the same person and it kinda weirds me out and definitely thwarted my crush on him.
Comment: Yeah, he’s certainly work done that’s for sure.
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1. How has Arie received any race car endorsements or major changes to his career status in racing since being the Bachelor? He has but I don’t follow racing so I don’t know which ones.
2. How would Fleiss, ABC, or whoever the powers that be rank Ben F, Juan Pablo, and Arie? My guess would be from best to worst out of those three: Juan Pablo, Arie, and Ben F.
3. There is talk about Bachelor leads they didn’t like. Are there any Bachelorette leads that have a similar persona non gratta status with ABC? Never heard of any.
4. I saw another reader question ask about why Sean doesn’t talk about Arie on twitter. He was doing so a lot before the season. My guess is that he started in attempt to promote Arie but because Arie doesn’t seem to be particularly popular Sean stopped. Even though you don’t know, do you have a speculation? No. Maybe he’s still bitter at him for writing that load of sh** column about finding God when he was campaigning for Bachelor before Chris Soules season. Talk about being phony. Yeah, the same guy who wrote that whole BS story about finding God years ago when he wanted to be the Bachelor told Tia this season he’s not religious at all. Gee, which one is it Arie?
5. On Season 2 of Unreal, Quinn had a date that was based on fan vote. However, she confessed she’s the real fan vote and was going to choose the girl who goes out with Darius. How much do you think that happens on shows that incorporate fan votes? Hard to say. I don’t really know.
6. This is more a comment because on this past podcast, you spoke about Celebrity Big Brother, and I wanted to offer possible clarification to ‘bitter jury.’ Part of the game is making it to the final 2, but part of it is also eliminating people along the way that will allow you to sit next to someone the jury will vote for, to make a compelling speech, and to answer the questions well. If either finalist owned up to his or her lies in the speech and questioning rather than remain only positive with phrases like “pivot” or “you’re the best player” then the jury might have felt more foolish in playing the bitter jury vote. Admittedly, it’s hard to confess to manipulative behavior on live TV—-it doesn’t make for a good long-term sound bite. The risk with his game was that he overplayed—he made too many alliances. Often the other players will sense that and it blows up. In this case, that didn’t happen, so it helped avoid evictions. Nonetheless, when you go after an alliance member without a clear reason, that creates a bitter jury, so it’s important to make alliance members understand that decision. He played a good game in the house but a bad jury game, so either outcome wasn’t surprising as it was happening live. I’ll take that into consideration when watching the next CBB edition, assuming they have one. I have no interest in following a regular season over 3 ½ months.
7. On a follow up, there was something strange about the ‘America’s Favorite Choice.’ The votes for the top 2 finalists have always been discarded . Conspiracy theories have run afloat about many twists and outcomes for years to push for certain production-favorites like a Corinne. However, this show runs on the motto ‘expect the unexpected’, so changes to the rules are effectively part of the rules.
Comment: So in a normal season, Ross wouldn’t have be eligible to receive the “America’s Favorite Choice” vote? I guess in a condensed version they basically do what they want.
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Hey Steve,
Big fan of your site and have been reading your spoilers for years! My question involves the casting. I’ve always been so intrigued by the casting process for this show and something that I’ve noticed throughout the years is that there’s ALWAYS a few girls/guys on every season from certain cities.
For example, this year I think there were three girls from Dallas? In the past seasons I’ve always noticed a couple of Dallas girls. Another one is Fort Lauderdale (Or surrounding Florida cities.) Obviously there’s always girls from the LA area but that makes more sense to me (probably much easier to get to the casting interview, finals weekend, etc)
Do you think there’s any reason behind this or just coincidence?
Sincerely, a very bored person at work today.
Comment: It varies. Seattle was a big market for a while. Dallas has been one like you said. Nashville was big for a while too. New York and LA just because of sheer numbers. But there’s no rhyme or reason really.
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Hi Steve!
Love your site. I really think that they will bring Yuki to paradise and have her be the bartender. Pure comedy since she can’t communicate well enough to form a relationship probably. What do you think?
Comment: I think we haven’t seen the last of her appearing in some capacity somewhere in this franchise. Where and when though is anyone’s guess. A bartender for the whole season? That’d be a bit much. But I could see her doing something.
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Hi Steve!
I was watching your most recent podcast and you guys talked about how choosing Arie was such a bad decision form the producers, and I agree that Arie couldn’t be more boring. But considering that Peter refused the gig, and production couldn’t have had him, who do you think would have been a better choice? In my opinion, Dean and Eric don’t fit the role in my opinion, and Luke, Chase or Josh are even bigger douches than Arie… Couldn’t think of anyone else…
Also I was wondering if you still like watching the show haha, you seem to really despise it… If you do what do you like about it? If you don’t, when did it start losing its appeal to you?
Love reading your recaps!
Comment: They were screwed the minute things didn’t work out with Peter, although you know my feelings on that guy. For their fans, he’s who people wanted. They were behind the 8 ball with Arie from the second they announced him.
The more I learn about the show, the inner workings, the contestant stories, etc, the less appealing it becomes to me. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE spoiling it accurately and making fun of it. But everything else that goes along with it does start to grate on you after a while.
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Hi Steve,
Hope you have a wonderful week! Wanted to get this email to you before the inevitable tidal wave of emails you’ll have to answer after the finale.
1. If Kevin breaks up with Ashley before BIP starts filming, do you think she’d be part of the BIP cast again? No. But I think he would be in a heartbeat.
2. What are the chances that Ashley goes all “girl power” on Kevin and dumps him? I say zero, unfortunately. I agree.
3. Does Bob Guiney still hold the record for a lead having slept with the most contestants during filming? Seems so.
4. If Arie and Lauren do get married for some crazy reason, do you think we would be on the road to the first ever Bachelor Nation divorce? I can’t think that far ahead because I don’t believe they’ll ever get married.
5. Have any former contestants ever “slid into your DMs” (and I mean in the non-platonic way)? Whether they did or didn’t, I’d never share something like that.
