Well that was about as crushing of a weekend as you can have. I guess we all remember where we were at certain moments in life, and definitely Sunday afternoon in the 24 Hr Fitness gym for me will be one. Was in between sets, looked at my phone, saw my Twitter feed, and said out loud, “Holy shit.” A couple guys looked over at me (guess it was louder than I thought), and I basically ended my workout at that point and headed home. Growing up in Southern California, having worked in sports talk radio in LA during Kobe’s prime years, the whole thing is pretty surreal. Never interviewed him, never had any contact with him really, but having spoken and written about him numerous times in the past, and just living in LA during those Laker dominant seasons, you felt like you knew him. I was a fan from a far. Didn’t have any of his jerseys, no autographs, no memorabilia, anything like that. I’ve never been that guy. What I do appreciate is greatness in one’s own sport. And he was one of the greatest. Guys like Jordan, Jeter, Tiger, Brady, Federer, Lebron, etc, whether you choose to like them or hate them maybe because they play on a rival team or you don’t like their personality, you can’t take away their sports accomplishments. And that’s what I respected about Kobe the most. He was an assassin and the stories of his drive and what made him so great are legendary in LA circles. Really sucks to see someone as great as him gone as soon as he is. And the way it happened is so freakish, no words can even describe that. He was an icon and he will be missed.
No real easy transition off that, but I was thinking of how anything from Kobe’s death could possibly relate to the “Bachelor.” And the only thing I thought about was maybe, just maybe, the show might cancel all helicopter dates going forward. Look, I totally get that what happened with Kobe was an freak accident, and probably less than 1% of all the helicopter flights that have happened since the beginning of time have ended like that one. I understand that. But maybe just out of respect they will end them. Hell if I know. Or maybe I’m just overthinking this. I don’t know. Put it this way, it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever if they never had a helicopter date again. It’s not like people would tune out because of it. So maybe they should. I don’t know. I’m rambling. I just still can’t believe that’s what happened on Sunday. It’s eerie.
Thursday of last week we also had some sad news in Bachelor Nation as “Bachelorette” contestant from Hannah’s season Tyler Gwozdz had passed away. Regardless of the stories that circulated surrounding his never-explained-exit after he had the first 1-on-1 date last season, seeing someone from this franchise lose their life this young is never easy to see. I didn’t know Tyler. But the guys on Hannah’s season did and they spoke highly of him if you read that link. There are things I hear every season about contestants, some of it ends up being true, some doesn’t, and it’s my discretion on whether I choose to share it what I learned or not. Tyler’s story isn’t defined by allegations that went on behind the scenes of his season. That’s irrelevant now. A life is lost and I’d rather just choose to focus on that. Once the autopsy report comes back, maybe there will be more to talk about. But for now, another tragic passing in this franchise.
ABC is really gonna start pushing this Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart show down our throats. I mean, it’s got the “Bachelor” named attached to it AND Chris Harrison is hosting it. Let him describe it for you:
“A Star is Born” meets “Bachelor in Paradise?” Huh? Sooooo does that mean someone is gonna piss themselves on this show? There’s gonna be a crazy older drunk guy scoping out younger talent? Bad description. So basically Bachelor Nation is expanding. It’s another dating show under their umbrella (same host, same producers, same “Bachelor” name), but all these contestants have ties to the music industry. Anyway, they released the 20 cast members last week on Facebook, but just like how Hannah’s guys and Peter’s women were initially released, they were taken down after a few days. Former podcast guest Brett Vergara however has the 20 person cast on his Twitter feed you can see here:
I KNOW none of us fully know what to expect from this new Bachelor spin-off, ‘The Bachelor: Listen To Your Heart’ (which starts up on April 13th) BUT, in case you haven’t seen, here are some of the potential contestants… (THREAD) #TheBachelor
— Brett S. Vergara (@BrettSVergara) January 24, 2020
And yesterday, there was a date in Venice Beach I got a pic of:
The woman in the pic looks to be one of these 3 women: Jamie G, Rudi, or Mariana. (L to R): pic.twitter.com/g2cJIyLC9G
— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) January 28, 2020
If you watched “American Idol” a couple seasons ago, they did a whole storyline with Trevor who had a girlfriend at the time. She came to his auditions, she came to his Hollywood week, all while Katy Perry would openly hit on him and joke about it in front of her. It was all kinda…weird. He’s no longer with that girlfriend clearly. And after going over it, pretty sure that’s Rudi he’s on a date with. Really the only one of the 10 women that looks most like the one in the picture. There are no former Bachelor Nation contestants in the cast, but keep in mind, this cast is now going to be a part of Bachelor Nation, no matter if we want them to be or not. Filming started last week and there are plenty of public dates that you can sign up for as an audience member. The show will air on ABC beginning on April 13th and will end, I’m guessing, right when “Bachelorette” starts airing. These people all then become part of the mix to be cast on BIP this summer. Sure, most of your cast will still be Peter’s women and the guys on the next “Bachelorette,” but they will definitely pull a few from this show I’m sure. So be ready, as they will force feed this franchise down your throat. I’ll probably watch, and good chance I’ll just spoil the ending. But I won’t be doing weekly recaps or anything like that.
Speaking of shows from “Bachelor Nation,” I was made aware last week that producers have started poking around to former contestants gauging their interest on a “Summer Games” this summer. Makes sense, since they ran “Winter Games” during the real winter games back in 2018 opposite Arie’s season. Arie’s season only aired one episode a week, as we know, on Monday nights. “Winter Games” aired twice a week for the 2 weeks the real Winter Games aired – Feb. 13th & 15th, and Feb 20th & 22nd. So for 2 weeks, Arie aired Monday’s, and WG aired Tuesday and Thursday. The real Summer Games from Tokyo air from July 24th – Aug 9th. We don’t know the schedule yet for “Bachelorette,” but going off the past five seasons or so, that’s right around when the “Bachelorette” finale airs then BIP begins airing. So it’s too early to say how and when they’re gonna air it, or what it will air opposite of, but just keep that in mind. “Summer Games” will NOT replace BIP, don’t worry. Heard it’ll film for a couple weeks around mid-end of May, and I’m sure it’ll be no more than 4 episodes or so when it does air end of July, beginning of August.
Speaking of Arie’s season, we now have three women from his season that have gotten pregnant. His wife, Lauren, had their baby. Bekah Martinez has one child and now another on the way. And then we found out on Saturday that Jenna Cooper is now expecting:
Sooooo, does this mean her “tell all” book is being put on hold? Shocking that thing never saw the light day, I tell ya’. Jenna announced a week before this she had been in a relationship with a guy named Karl for a while, but made no mention of a pregnancy until this Saturday. In fact, went out of her way to post pictures up until this past Saturday that were clearly old photos since she had no belly in them whatsoever. Didn’t quite understand that, but hey, you do you. So congratulations are in order for Jenna.
Ashley and I want to get back to doing “He Said, She Said” podcasts every couple weeks, so if you’re interested being on the show, contact either one of us, tell us what time zone you’re in, the best time you can record, and what your story is. We were supposed to have an episode already done for 2020 but when I had to go to NY it threw everything off. So let me or Ashley know if you’re interested and we’ll see if we can schedule a time to record. Recap begins on Page 2…
dbla31
January 28, 2020 at 9:24 AM
Victoria is definitely exaggerating her relationship with Chase. She was not ready to tell Peter (or America) that what she had was a hookup. She knows that even in 2020 this would make her look trashy. And maybe she convinced herself it was something more… some women do. But no way was she his g/f.
dogmomma
January 28, 2020 at 10:07 AM
Poor Peter is looking like a complete trainwreck. He’s always upset, can’t decide on anything without being influenced, temporarily falls for any girl with a sad story in their past, and the list goes on. It’s easy to see how he probably doesn’t propose to anyone at the end. He’s made comments in interviews about how he made mistakes….. that’s been obvious since the first episode. Seems to be a lot more manipulation by producers this season…. not sure if producers are getting better at it or if the contestants are just not as bright. And all the girls yelling at the end of the episode was a little too much drama.
dbla31
January 28, 2020 at 10:17 AM
My second comment is about the Kobe tragedy and helicopters. From the moment I heard details of this crash I was thinking: JFK Jr. Fog and disorientation seem to be huge factors in this. I don’t think it will effect this franchise (nor, personally do I think it should, they do way riskier things than fly in helicopters.) I don’t believe Bachelor/ette would fly in the conditions described during Kobe’s last flight. I mean the whole point is to get the scenery shots. Could something go wrong? Of course. But I can’t see them changing a staple of the show because of these small odds. This LA Times story spells it all out: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/the-last-flight-of-kobe-bryant/ar-BBZp0ul?ocid=spartandhp
rob22
January 28, 2020 at 10:36 AM
Peter is a terrible Bachelor. While he obviously has to go along with the Producers, which will put him in the middle of some drama, there’s a way to handle it. While sending Alayah home last week may have been unfair, he has to stick with his decisions. He could have chosen to keep her. The contestants might be a bit unhappy about it, but they do know that it could be something the show wants for more drama. But when you let people back on the show & give them the rose, that’s never going to go over well. His indecisiveness has him ping ponging into a bunch of areas he need not be. So this show is a struggle. Peter comes across as a hapless doofus. And the girls? Wow. Not good. Maybe someone will emerge, and I’m sure the story will try to put a positive spin on somebody, but nobody has emerged to this point that is even slightly someone to root for.
The show is addicted to drama, but they really do have to put on a plausible love story line. Otherwise, it might as well be an episode from “Blind Date”. If you never saw that show, basically people would go out on a blind date, and then 90% of the time, come back and trash the person they just went out with. I did love Blind Date, but that’s not this show’s brand.
crushonspivey
January 28, 2020 at 10:55 AM
rob22, you nailed it. This show is addicted to drama at the expense of its supposed premise—finding real love. There are no winners this season. It is a trainwreck. And as someone who has watched nearly all seasons since this began (Started in Day 1 of the first season but missed a couple by choice), last night ranks at the top of the most cringeworthy episodes in Franchise history.
First, Peter is just in over his head with this. He is a dolt. Confirmed again by him stating that Clark Kent was born in Cleveland. And yes, he actually said that last night. MEMO TO PETER: Clark Kent is actually Superman who was born on Krypton. And t hen letting Alayah back and giving her the rose on that group date? DUDE. Are you really that dense to not see you just pissed out half your women? Including ones you actually have an interest in? One of the dumbest moves in franchise history.
And as to teh girls–this is a group of beautiful women made far less beautiful by the week due to their collective issues. I mean, wow, this group is a hot mess of emotions. Even gils you think might be normal and have it together are just emotional disasters. So much dysfunction, so many esteem issues. Victoria F actually walked into a room, went to the corner, faced it and was crying. Seriously? Then she over exaggerated her relationship with the country singer (props to Chase Rise who was super funny last night. His looks at Victoria had me laughing. He knew what was up and played it up.)
Then seeing Victoria P get caught in a lie was so awkward. And she wouldn’t admit it and tried to hied between “I know my truth” or whatever. NEWSFLASH LADIES: IF you ever utter that phrase, everyone knows it is you trying to hide behind it in an attempt to excuse your poor behavior. It is that simple.
And Aalayah, you just got back in teh house. The girls talked smack because they said you were drama. So what do you do seconds after being back? Stir the pot. Sigh. Why are some people so dumb and not able to learn from the past?
Losers last night: Peter, Victoria P, Victoria F. Aalayah.
Winners: The girls who maybe figured out this franchise is a joke and called Peter out over his poor instincts and behavior. Sadly none just bailed, so really, they are all still losers.
There is no path forward for a love story arc here anymore. The editing ruined it. Too much drama. Peter needs to end up alone.
joanne
January 28, 2020 at 11:50 AM
I agree with the comments here. Peter is one of the worst bachelors ever. He can’t make a decision and stick to it and he’s very, very easily manipulated.
I have a positive impression of Madison and that’s about it. No interest in any others at this point, and the “drama” could not be more contrived or childish.
Plus every second word from many of them is “like” which makes me want to fast forward through conversations. Who talks that way in real life?
I hope this train wreck gets better but as of now I dont get the impression most of the women really like Peter all that much and are just there to promote their brand, otherwise more than one might voluntarily leave.
atleast4characters
January 28, 2020 at 7:27 PM
Did Steve really pass over this gem of dialogue. I finally understand football: “We can’t let’em run and make a touchdown. Because if they make a touchdown then they score and then we’re at a disadvantage. Everybody understand?”
justsaying
January 29, 2020 at 7:13 AM
Listen up, Peter. Grow a pair and STICK to your guns!! Own your decisions. Tell the girls this is your decision and this is YOUR journey and not theirs. If one of them become theee Bachelorette, then, she can make her own journey and decisions. For now, it’s PETER’s friggin show.
While you’re at it, get rid of both Victorias. Both drove me up the wall.
dogmomma
January 29, 2020 at 9:57 AM
I think everyone feels the same about Peter. And so many of the girls are extremely annoying and I’m sure that’s why they are going to stick around a while. This has to be one of the most frustrating seasons to watch. I’m already sick of the manufactured drama and if it doesn’t get better, I’ll probably skip the rest of the season and just watch closer to the end.
tnlc
January 30, 2020 at 7:54 PM
Bingo. She definitely wants Peter to think she’s so desirable. Imagining Chase and she were boyfriend/ girlfriend(lol) and that SHE ended things cause of his lifestyle. She has insecure written all over her face. All 3-4 of her friends marriages she helped end are again based on her insecurity. I know she’s not the best looking girl but she should value herself a little more than looking to men to give her confidence.
Statler Without Waldorf
January 30, 2020 at 8:37 PM
Oh my gosh! “Blind Date” with Rodger Lodge or whatever that hosts name was! ? The dates were almost always at that sleazy looking private hot tub place. Similar to that dating show where people would go on a cruise together and “date”. Train wrecks all, but infinitely more believable that the Bachelor Sludge that gets shoveled at us…
ctrealitygirl
January 31, 2020 at 7:03 AM
I’ve been watching Marries At First Sight since the spring season last year and am hooked! It’s funny that RS has been knocking the show since Jamie Otis (from Ben Flajnik’s season of the Bachelor) appeared on the 1st season, and proclaiming that the premise is ridiculous and that her marriage (or any of them) would last. Well, she and her husband from the show, have been married now for almost 6 years and expecting their 3rd child! And they bring back successful couples to give their reactions/comments to current “contestants” and there are several successfully married couples. They do meet their spouses till the bride walks down the aisle and they stand at the altar. BUT…they are chosen for each other by a panel of “matchmakers”/relationship specialists, who are spot on pairing people. AND, unlike the Bachelor franchise where producers do everything they can to sabotage budding romances, MFAS is constantly giving their couples support – namely, the “experts” who matched them are on call to help them thru various crises they have and they also have periodic therapy sessions along the way. On the Bachelor/ette, couples at best sepnd a few hours together before getting engaged – maybe a couple one-on-one dates and a handful of group dates where they get minimal time with their potential fiance. On MAFS, the couples are together all day every day for 8 weeks before they have to make a decision whether to stay together. I’m really liking the show better then the Bachelor shows, and especially this season with Peter forever digging himself in hole after hole and the women acting like spoiled brats. They really need to dial down the drama in future seasons and try to focus more on the relationships developing like the old days. Right now I don’t feel there’s anyone worth rooting for in Peter’s group of women…and don’t think he’s ready to make a commitment to anyone anyway.