-Once inside the mansion, they gave two more women intro video packages – Parisa and Juliana. Something new they’ve never done before that I can remember, but I’m fine with it. Because honestly, when you just front load all the video packages before the women even get out of the limo, I’d say they’re forgotten or they don’t remember which woman had which video package. I think it’s easier to remember now that Juliana is the loud Italian with the big family because they showed it while she was sitting with Grant in the backyard. Or maybe that’s just me. Parisa made a Power Point presentation using AI models of herself and Grant and what their life would be like the next 10 years and it basically creeped everyone the fuck out. Couldn’t she have found better pictures to use? There’s numerous pics of Grant on the internet. The ones she chose weren’t the most flattering. Also, I know she was doing it in a joking manner, but showing him during your first convo AI images of the 3 kids you plan on having? Was Grant signaling for help during any of this exchange?
-They wanted to make it seem like they had some boffo twist coming night 1 but in reality, it was just Grant’s sister showing up at the mansion to…talk to Grant? Of course they way she was brought in and made a B-line right for him, the other women thought it was an ex of his, but then he announces it’s his sister, everyone else breathes a sigh of relief, and they show the women baby photos of Grant, maybe 1 sit down with the women, then she bolts. Can’t say they made the greatest use of her time to be honest. Maybe she was there longer but they didn’t show a lot, but they spent more time seemingly on the build up to the audience on who was walking in than they did on the payoff. I hope she got a nice appearance fee for it. Because that kind of ended up being a dud.
-Ahhhhh yes, the ol’ staple from night 1. The first impression rose comes out and some variation of this line then permeates throughout the mansion. “The atmosphere has changed now that the first impression rose has been put on the table.” Go back and watch every episode 1 since the first impression rose become a thing, and every single one will have the contestants talking about how the “mood has shifted,” “it’s real now,” “it’s a competition,” etc. Even though every single one of them knows there’s a first impression rose on night 1 that gives them immunity for the night. Adding that it also gives the recipient the first 1-on-1 of the season doesn’t really change the stakes at all since it does nothing to change your approach. They all still want it, whether it comes with getting the first 1-on-1 or not. I think Lea’s card that she couldn’t open til night 1 last year that said she had the ability to steal a 1-on-1 later in the season was a much bigger “twist” than this.
-Grant kissed a lot of women night 1. By my notes, I have him kissing Allyshia, Juliana, Litia, Zoe, and Vicky. I might have missed one or two in there. Remember the days when the lead literally kissed NO ONE on the first night, not even who got the first impression rose? I do. Then I think Arie broke the mold by tonguing down his whole cast on the first night. Ever since then it’s been game on. Now we look at it as like whatever. But yes, for those who haven’t been around a while, it was almost a clutch-the-pearls moment if a lead kissed anyone on night one because they’d literally just met. Then the dating culture in the world shifted and we’ve basically become desensitized to it. What a country!
-One thing I was looking for during the season preview is if it differed from the early one we got. It did a little. I only watched it when it aired last night so I need to re-watch again today to see if it revealed who got the episode 3 1-on-1 and who might’ve gotten another 1-on-1 in Scotland besides Juliana’s Pretty Woman date. One thing that wasn’t shown last night was Zoe’s interrupting of the other women, but the previews shows it’ll definitely happen next week at the basketball group date after party where Alli Jo calls her out for stealing Grant away 4 times. Another thing that I had in the episode-by-episode spoilers that they showed for the first time last night, was the confirmation of the rift between Carolina and Rose that happened after the R&B group date next week. First time the previews showed us that, so, good to see that gets confirmed from what I had posted. My guess it was something got lost in a game of telephone, because I highly doubt Grant told Rose, “Yeah when all the other women were up on stage tonight all I kept looking at was you.” He wouldn’t be that dumb to say something like that. I’m sure he told her he was watching her, or glancing over at her, etc. I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out next week, but I’d be shocked if it played out like Rose will claim it did and there’s a little more ambiguity to what he said. But she went and told Carolina, Carolina told Grant, and we even see him in the preview say “I never said that.” Whoo-wee. Fun times I tell ya’.
So next week the drama starts. Buckle up…
