Bachelor Blog: Arie Week 2

Well, I'm only five days late posting, which I'll take as a win. Between work and my baby, I have come to accept that it's unlikely that I'll get a blog posted within 24 hours of the airing, so my goal is within the week. Here's what you need to know about week two with Arie. 

There were two one-on-one dates back-to-back. The first was with Becca (not to be confused with Bekah). Honestly, this was a throwaway date to me. They spent the day "shopping" for formal wear so Becca would have something to wear that evening. Then in a "surprise twist", she got to keep all the Rachel Zoe dresses, the Jimmy Choos, and the Neil Lane earrings. So basically, their date was one giant advertisement. They did have some deeper conversation that evening and they obviously have chemistry but the real date of the week went to Krystal this week.

Krystal (the sweet fitness instructor with a heart of gold) got the second one-on-one date. Arie brought Krystal to his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona. They went to his high school, his house and then finally to meet his parents. Arie's reasoning for bringing Krystal to meet his family was that she seemed like a nice girl that would put his mom's mind at ease about the situation Arie finds himself in. They had a great date, obviously are making a great connection, Krystal will be around for a while. That being said, she was super weird with the girls and then really needy at the cocktail party. She didn't want to divulge any information from her date with Arie because she wanted to keep it between them. Okay, whatever. That's fine. But try not to be so coy. Also, when you have a rose already, maybe don't interrupt three times during the cocktail party. Let the other girls have a chance.

The group date had freaking 15 girls on it and no matter how many times I rewound the live TV, I never caught all their names. The main thing you need to know is that they did demolition derby and one girl (Annaliese) revealed her bumper car trauma from childhood (because apparently, that's a thing). She was super scared but persevered. Dumb. Also, Bibiani got a little dramatic. A preview of the future drama at the cocktail party. Arie had special moments with both Chelsea (the single mom) and Sienne (the Yale graduate) and was super mean when he started off making Chelsea think she was getting the date rose only to give it to Sienne.

The cocktail party was mostly about Krystal being crazy and Bibidi Bobbidi Bibiani losing her shit. Oh also, more special moments with Bekah, who is turning out to be another front-runner.

Out this week: Jenny (too bad, she was kind of funny), Lauren G. and Valerie

Early front-runners: Krystal and Bekah 

Happy Janu-Arie! Bachelor First Impressions

New Year, New Bachelor! Former runner-up, Arie Luyendyk Jr. from Emily Maynard’s season (5 years ago) kicked off the season with some advice from friend and former Bachelor Sean Lowe. I kind of forgot they were on the same season but looks like they’re old friends and they had some fun in the advice department. When first announced, I wasn’t at all excited about the prospect of Bachelor Arie. It seemed an odd choice. But it seems Arie is finally ready to settle down (not that he wasn’t 5 years ago with Emily, I guess) and with his new more stable career, he’s ready for a family.  In case you didn’t know, Arie is a race car driver. After Emily broke his heart he poured himself into his work and traveled a lot to be racing. Now, he’s a realtor (but still drives on occasion) so his lifestyle lends itself a little better to settling down with a family.

Apparently, the show decided that this new factoid about Arie was interesting enough to pack the cast with other real estate professionals. I’m not kidding, I can’t even count how many tried to use that as a way to “connect” on the first night. But with the groundwork laid, let’s talk about the standouts, who’s probably crazy, and what’s in store for this upcoming season.

Stand-Outs:

Caroline – up first was Caroline, one of the many realtors/real estate pros in the lineup. She seems like a good contender and if it works out, maybe she and Arie can launch their own HGTV show about real estate in whatever city they decide to settle in.

Krystal – The health/fitness coach with a heart of gold who makes and delivers meals to homeless people in her community. Super sweet and she has a story so I think she’ll be around for a while.

Becca K. – She kind of slid under the radar at first. She did have a cute first impression when she got him to get down on one knee and “propose”,  but their interaction during the cocktail party stood out to me in particular. It also looks like she’ll get one of the first dates next week.

Bekah M. – Arie seems to really like her but she seems awfully confident and a little caddy. See more in the “Who’s crazy” section.

Chelsea – A surprising villain. From her video, she seemed like a nice single mom. I do actually think she’s probably a really nice person, she just has a lot at stake and is being really aggressive. She rubbed a lot of women the wrong way and made a few statements that made her come off as a bitch, including “I deserve more time than everyone else”. But whatever impression she made on the other girls doesn’t really matter because Arie liked her enough to give her the first impression rose.

Others of note: Tia (Raven’s friend) seems like a nice girl, there are 4 Laurens and they were all in the same limo! Lauren S. seems to stand out from the Lauren group to me, Maquel, all the girls were really jealous of her – I think she’s pretty fun but young so we’ll see, I thought Amber was cute (even though her icebreaker was dumb) but alas she didn’t make the cut this week.

Who’s Crazy:

Chelsea – like I mentioned above she’s probably a lovely person but I think she’s going to be the one who becomes possessive of Arie and does everything she can to be the first to get his attention.

Jenna – her one on one time with Arie was super weird. She was all over the place! She just has a lot of energy and seems a little offbeat, could be a fun weirdy this season!

Bekah M. – Just seems really gossipy and a bit caddy. Also, I guess she’s really young and doesn’t want to tell Arie just how young she is so that should provide a little bit of drama.

What’s Coming:

Apparently, Arie is “in the driver’s seat” this season and we can expect some unexpected things this season. I think they’ll probably start traveling relatively early based on the previews we saw.

So despite my initial lackluster response to Arie, it appears this will be a season just like any other with plenty of drama. I’m looking forward to a good season!

Bachelor Blog: Finale, ATFR and all the Weirdness

Well, that was weird. Does anyone else think this season of The Bachelor was kind of disappointing? I had really high hopes for Nick. I seriously love this guy. He is funny and speaks his mind and I thought this would make for a great season. Plus, don’t we all genuinely want him to finally find love? I really hope he has and at the very least, he did not get rejected again. Let’s break it down.

Meeting the Family

Raven had already met Nick’s mom, dad, and sister, Bella, on the Wisconsin date so it she might have had an edge with the family. She definitely did with Bella. Overall, she made a great impression and as usual expressed herself very well and maturely.

Vanessa was up next and she had some more serious talks with the family. They all believed that she is truly in love with Nick, but worried that she might not be ready to get engaged at the end of all this.

All in all, I love Nick’s family. They are so sweet and I sincerely hope this is his last go at The Bachelor franchise because I don’t think they can handle another round.

Vanessa’s Final Date

Wow, Finland is definitely a great place to fall in love. It is so beautiful. And apparently, Santa lives there! After riding horses through the winter wonderland, Nick brought Vanessa to Santa’s house. Santa greeted them merrily and asked them what they were wishing for for Christmas. Then he gave them a special gift, a heart shaped wood burning of their faces with their Finish names and the symbols for love and fertility.

Afterward, Vanessa and Nick got back to the serious business of discussing their relationship as usual. I don’t blame Vanessa for having questions and apparently, she’d never watched a full season of this show before coming on so she was less prepared for the sharing her boyfriend with other women and felt like their journey toward love was less special because he had had feelings for other women while he courted her. I’ve generally liked Vanessa throughout the season but last night I became much less enchanted.

Raven’s Final Date

Remember back in Wisconsin when Raven and Nick went roller skating? Their love story came full circle last night when he took her ice skating! They always have a lot of fun together and as Raven says their relationship seems very effortless. Basically the exact opposite of Nick’s relationship with Vanessa which seems very effortful.

They had a great time, Nick said some really nice things to her and gave her solid confidence going into proposal day. She was very sure she’d be getting engaged to Nick.

The Break-Up

And then poor little Raven’s feet came out of the car first and we all knew for sure that she was about to get her heart broken. I have to say, I really did think Nick was going to choose Vanessa in the end but the last couple weeks I secretly hoped we were all wrong and that he’d end up with Raven. It was very sad watching him break up with her and he took it very hard because he’s been in her exact position twice before. Raven handled it very maturely, but I wouldn’t expect any less from her. She’s proven to be a class act this season.

The Proposal

The moment of truth. Nick was ready to propose to Vanessa but would she accept? I’m sure she had an inkling when she walked through the door because he grabbed her into a hug and started kissing her. Usually, the girl goes first and give her last pitch/profession of love but instead Nick jumped in and started to tell her when he first started to fall in love with her and how he was so happy he didn’t have to try to fight it or hide it anymore.

Vanessa reciprocated and then Nick got down on one knee (he finally made it to the knee without getting stopped in his tracks) and popped the question. Vanessa broke down while he was asking and emphatically accepted. And they seemed super happy! Yay for Nick!

After the Final Rose

This was a super awkward ATFR. First, they went away from some of the things you come to expect from these things. There was no montage of the couple’s journey to happiness, they were not forced to re-watch the proposal, they were interviewed separately before coming together, and there were virtually no Bachelor alums present in the audience to offer support or advice. It was weird.

First, Chris Harrison talked to Nick. He seemed less than ecstatic. He just said things were ‘good’ and he was ‘happy’. Then Raven came out (looking fierce!) and had a super boring chat with Nick. The good news is Raven will be joining the Bachelor in Paradise cast the summer which is awesome!

After the break, Vanessa was in the hot seat (sans Nick, I guess they asked him to go backstage again). Her conversation with Chris was less joyful than expected. She addressed that it’s been hard but they are in love and both really want to make it work. Then Nick came out and it was even more awkward. Maybe they just aren’t big on PDA but they didn’t seem very ‘cozy’ and in love. They both talked about how they are realistic but hopeful which is good but they don’t have a wedding date set because they are still getting to know each other.

One good thing is that they did figure out where they would live, and Vanessa is moving to LA to be with Nick while he participates in Dancing with the Stars. Then I imagine they’ll move wherever they want their home base to be. Nick is from Chicago but maybe they’ll decide to stay in California. Who knows?

It just didn’t seem as happy an ending as I think we were all hoping for. But I wish them well and hope that things work out!

The last super strange moments of the show were dedicated to the next Bachelorette, Rachel. Chris surprised her by making her journey start right then and there on live TV as she greeted four of the men who will be vying for her heart very soon. It was bizarre.

Rachel’s official journey begins in May and then I can’t freaking wait for Bachelor in Paradise which is fast becoming my favorite in the franchise!

So concludes this season of The Bachelor!

Bachelor Blog: Fantasy Suites & Women Telling All

Last week was a short episode so I decided to combine last week and this week into one mega blog post. As a result, we have a lot to cover! I’ll try to keep things short and sweet, so let’s just jump right in!

Cocktail Party/Elimination

At the start of last week’s episode, Nick finally let Corrine go. Poor Corrine did her best to cry and be sad, the other girls gave her obligatory pats on the back and sent her on her way. It’s wasn’t super eventful, Nick is good at letting girls down easy and most everyone he’s dumped on the show leaves heartbroken but not mad. He then went back to his remaining three women and announced they would be jet setting to Finland! Hope they’ve had enough fun in the sun on their island adventures because it’s time for silly knit caps with giant poms and parkas!

Oh, I almost forgot that stupid Andi came to visit Nick before the rose ceremony. There was really nothing substantial there, just a bunch of hype for nothing. But they did seem to clear the air and seem to be on good terms now. She awkwardly asked him if he was going to have sex with any of the women in the Fantasy Suites, and he said he wasn’t sure. She told him to go for it if it felt right, read on to see if he took her advice!

Raven’s Fantasy

First up for the overnight dates was Raven. Coming off the hometown date, Raven had regretted not telling Nick that she was in love with him. She was scared because apparently she’s never really been in love before. Her only previous serious relationship was with her ex (the one she beat the crap out of when she caught him cheating), and that relationship seems pretty dysfunctional.

After a fun date (Nick and Raven always have fun together), Raven talked to Nick about how hard it is for her to say “I love you” and why, and then she told him and it was literally one of the best professions of love ever (even Nick thought so). Raven is good with her words and Nick got a little emotional. But Raven had more insights to share. Apparently, she has only been with one previous sexual partner and she had never had an orgasm. No pressure, Nick. After that joyful tidbit, they marched off to the Fantasy Suite and that’s pretty much where last week left off.

Last night’s episode started with “the morning after” with strong implications that Raven and Nick did the deed in the Fantasy Suite. You could tell by the montage of Raven skipping through Finland having a lovely morning.

Rachel’s Fantasy

Rachel's amazing penguin onsie!

Next up was Rachel, who also had not yet revealed to Nick that she was in love with him (or falling in love with him). She struggled even more than Raven did because she was all up in her head trying to convince herself that she shouldn’t be in love, even though she thinks she is. Nick explained to her that the only way this process would work is if she trusts her heart. He asked her if she didn’t think about it what was her heart telling her, and she told him that she is falling in love with him. He was very happy to hear that and told her that he was also falling for her 100%. But here’s the rub. We already know that Rachel is the next Bachelorette, it seemed kind of strange for her to be the only one he actually verbally validated and yet we know they don’t end up together. Oh well.

After hearing Nick say that he was falling for her, Rachel got completely out of her head and trusted her heart to lead her through the rest of the process. She felt very confident in their relationship and was looking forward to meeting Nick’s family next week.

Vanessa’s Fantasy

Nick and Vanessa have had the most real conversations of any of the women. Vanessa said that she feels like they always have heavy conversations, but really that’s a good thing. They need to figure these things out now before they get engaged. For this reason, along with a few others, I think Nick will pick Vanessa in the end. He’s concerned about the challenges they’ll face regarding where to live, how involved she is with her family, etc. but he’s been testing her this whole time to see how they work things out and it seems like he really wants it to work with her.

The first part of their date was another adventure to get them out of their comfort zones (see what I mean about testing her?). They embraced Finish culture with an ice bath followed by sauna, and repeated several times. Basically, you dip yourself in freezing cold water, run to the sauna to warm up, then go back out to the freezing water again and again until you’re sick of it. Vanessa was reluctant at first but then she loved it, a lot more than Nick did. I think he was done after the second go round but they went until they could withstand the freezing water for “Ten Mississippi’s”. Then they jumped in a hot tub to relax.

They talked more about how Vanessa’s family is very traditional and how Nick is not. They also talked about their core values and things they wouldn’t be willing to compromise on. I think this whole “where will we live” thing is going to be hard for them. Both are very stubborn and want to be right. Nick doesn’t want to move to Canada but he said he would consider it, Vanessa wants to stay in Canada and hasn’t yet said she would consider leaving, even when Nick said that he hoped that wasn’t a deal breaker for her.

Vanessa ended the night by telling Nick that she was in love with him, previously she had only said she was “falling in love”, and they spent a lovely night in the Fantasy Suite. It’s easy for Vanessa to feel confident in their relationship when they are together, but as soon as he leaves she remembers that there are other women still in this and she’s starting to feel insecure because in her heart she knows that Nick is the one for her. Hopefully, that will be enough to make them want to compromise with each other.

Unsurprising Rose Ceremony

This rose ceremony had a serious lack of tension, mostly because viewers already knew who would be leaving. But none-the-less, Nick handed out his roses to Raven and Vanessa and walked Rachel out. It was yet another sad but respectful good bye and Nick told Rachel that selfishly he hopes that one day they can be friends because he really doesn’t want to lose her in his life. Don’t worry Rachel, you’re going to have dozens of men vying for your affection in a few short months!

The Women Tell All

This was one of the most annoying Women Tell All episodes ever. All the women talked at the same time, no one listened to each other, Chris Harrison even had to whistle to get their attention so they could go to a break, and it was a hot freaking mess.

The moral of the story is that everyone (viewers) loves Corrine. She got the biggest applause by far. I can’t blame them. She was kind of the best and the worst this season and I grew to like her a lot too, even though I’m super relieved Nick didn’t end up with her. I did feel bad for Taylor, it seemed like most of the women there were against her and didn’t really give her a fair chance. But I don’t really blame Corrine for not offering up an apology. What would be the point? Why make nice if it’s just for show? Those two will never be friends in real life, they should just move on.

One thing that was kind of fun was realizing that this was Nick’s very first “Tell All” episode. Even though it’s his fourth time around, he’s always been in the top two so he’s never had to go to one of these. He was clearly nervous but managed to be his charming self and smooth things over with the few women who still had lingering hurt feelings (Kristina and Danielle L.).

Nick also got the opportunity to congratulate Rachel on becoming the next Bachelorette, and it seems he’s getting his wish of staying friends.

They concluded with some great bloopers (always my favorite) and with a sneak peek of next week’s “Most dramatic finale ever”.

What’s next? 
Next week on the dramatic conclusion of the season, Raven and Vanessa will meet Nick’s family. Remember, Raven has already met some of his family back on the Wisconsin date so hopefully they will be happy to see her again. Nick and Vanessa will have some more very serious discussions about their future, and probably get engaged in the end. We’ll see though, this show has surprised me before and I really like Raven so if she ends up with Nick that’s cool too. It would be super entertaining to see Raven lose her shit on Nick after getting dumped but I just don’t think that will happen, she’s classier than that.

Until next week everyone!

Bachelor Blog: Hometown Dates (Week 8)

We started this episode with the most casual rose ceremony in the history of the show. And I’m not pulling a Chris Harrison here and trying to be dramatic, it really was super casual. After Nick let Kristina go, the other women in the house were feeling the heat, especially Corrine. As we all know, Nick is unpredictable and doesn’t always follow the “rules” or the typical “formula” for the show. But if you pay any attention to the promos the show puts out you already knew that all four of these women were getting hometown dates.

Nick came back to the house with four roses. Although Raven already had a rose that week, it had been a few days and he wanted to offer her the rose again because it’s a two-way street and he didn’t want to invite himself to any of their hometowns, he wanted them to invite him to come.

Raven

The first hometown date went to Raven in Hoxie, Arkansas. She took Nick four-wheeling and they played in the muddle puddles, you know, just your typical Arkansas leisure time. Then Raven took him to some grain silos and they were going to climb up to the top to share secrets but they were busted by the cops. Turns out the cop was Raven’s brother, but he did a decent job of scaring Nick into thinking they were in real trouble before he revealed his connection to Raven.

After getting cleaned up (they were very muddy after all), Nick and Raven went to her home and met her mom and dad, her cop brother was also there. Right off the bat, Raven’s mother announced that her dad had had a scan and was officially cancer free. This made the date very emotional. Raven was obviously very relieved and thankful for the news and also happy that she was able to share the moment with Nick. Raven has always been afraid that she would not find the same kind of love that she has seen emulated by her parents, but she feels like Nick could be that for her. She wanted to tell him that she is in love with him but she’s still a little guarded and just couldn’t spit it out at the end of the date.

Rachel

The next date went to Rachel in Texas, after all the talking about meeting her father, he wasn’t even able to come because of a work commitment. So unfortunately for Nick, he did not meet the scary dad. Don’t worry everyone, I’m sure we’ll all get to meet him next season when Rachel is The Bachelorette. The date went really well even though Rachel’s family grilled Nick about whether he could handle having an interracial relationship.

If I didn’t know that Rachel was the next Bachelorette and thus obviously doesn’t make it to the top two this season, I would really think she was a contender to win. Nick has said of both Rachel and Vanessa that he feels his most comfortable and most like himself when he’s with them.

Corrine

Heading into hometowns Nick told Corrine that he was super excited to meet Raquel (Corrine’s nanny), and she did not disappoint. But first, upon arriving in Miami for the hometown date, Corrine took Nick shopping and spent tens of thousands of dollars without blinking an eye. Including some ridiculously overpriced jeans and long sleeve shirt for Nick (although they did look really good on him, still not worth the money).

After the shopping trip, Corrine told Nick that she was in love with him before heading over to the parent's house where he met her mom, dad, sister and Raquel! Corrine told her family about how the other girls in the house had given her a hard time for having a nanny. I really think they are misusing that term. It seems like Raquel is more of a housekeeper/assistant for the family rather than an actual nanny but who cares what they call her. It wasn’t that weird, they are a wealthy family and it’s not uncommon for people to have housekeepers.

Guys, I might be crazy but I don’t really mind Corrine anymore. Sure, she’s immature and a spoiled little rich girl, but I don’t think you can question that she is legitimately into Nick and has done her best to stand out and advance their relationship. Do I think she’ll be the one in the end? No, but she’s not so bad.

The best/worst part of the time with Corrine’s parents was when Corrine’s dad told Nick that he had asked Corrine if she would mind being the breadwinner if she married Nick. Which is kind of insulting to say to Nick, like he can’t support a family? Sure, he probably can’t provide the kind of lifestyle that Corrine is used to, but it seems like her dad is going to continue employing her and providing the family credit card for her shopping habit. But that’s definitely something that Nick should consider. Does he really want to be part of a family that assumes so little of him? Also, her dad basically implied that Nick would just try to cash in on his involvement with The Bachelor franchise and that if that didn’t work out for him he wouldn’t have any money. I just thought that was kind of rude.

Vanessa

On to Montreal and the many, many introductions, Vanessa had in store for Nick. First up, they met her students. In case you don’t remember, Vanessa is a special education teacher. Her students were really sweet and very affectionate. They obviously love her a lot! The students helped Vanessa and Nick make a scrapbook of their time on the show and gave their stamp of approval. One of them told Nick that he was “the best”. It was really cute.

Because Vanessa’s parents are divorced and don’t really get along well, Nick met them separately. First was Vanessa’s mom’s side of the family. Which was freaking huge. It was Vanessa’s mom, sister, brother, grandma, grandpa, I think an aunt or two, and her two best friends. Apparently, she really wanted everyone to meet Nick. Unfortunately, this part of the date didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped. Vanessa’s mom and siblings are really worried that she will get her heart broken and are scared for her that she and Nick haven’t figured out what comes next. Where would they live? If Vanessa moved, what would she do for work? Etc. Kind of big questions, and I agree it’s weird that they haven’t talked more about it, so they really need to get this all nailed down before the end.

Vanessa left her mom’s house a little shaken but they hoped to turn things around at her dad’s house. Her dad pulled Nick aside almost immediately and when Nick asked for his blessing he didn’t give it easily. He asked Nick if he had asked the other dads the same thing, which he had and owned up to. So Nick had to do some convincing but in the end got the dad’s blessing. Then her dad turned around and told Vanessa what they talked about and she was pretty upset that Nick had asked other parents for their blessing as well. It made it seem less special that he asked her dad.

Here is my thought on the “ask the parents for their blessing” situation. I honestly don’t think he can ask only one girl's family. If he’s going to ask at all, he needs to ask them all at this point, just for production purposes. If he only asked one girl’s family, then everyone would know she was the front runner. In my opinion, they shouldn’t ask any of the parents during hometown dates. They should do what Ben did and call on the day of the engagement. That way it’s still special and he only has to ask one set of parents.

In the end, they made it seem like Vanessa was going to head to Nick’s room to confront him and potentially leave but if you watched the promos you should know that the girl that shows up at Nick’s room at the end of the episode is Andi (his first Bachelorette). I don’t think this will go anywhere. Andi’s probably just there to make an appearance so that she can keep her name press and sell more books.

I really think it will be Raven and Vanessa in the end if Vanessa can hang in there for the next week and not question everything! Not sure if it will be Corrine or Rachel going home first so we’ll just have to see what happens next week!

Until then!

Bachelor Blog: Let's Talk About The Bachelor (Week 7)

Heart to hearts with Chris Harrison.

Last week left us all a little confused, even Bachelor Nick himself. Luckily, this week there was a little more clarity on why Nick felt he needed to let Danielle L. go last week and true to his actions so far, Nick continued to follow his heart and make hard decisions this week as well.

When we left the women last time, they were in a bad place. Nick had just come in to tell them that he was questioning whether this process was going to work for him and as far as they knew he could very well up and quit. Luckily, that didn’t happen. Not that anyone really thought it would.

Nick had a nice heart-to-heart with the one-and-only Chris Harrison and realized that part of the reason he let Danielle go is because he felt like he was forcing a relationship with her, whereas he didn’t have to do that with the other women. His feels for the remaining six women were stronger than what he had with Danielle and even though he liked her a lot and wanted it to work with her, he couldn’t force it. Smart dude.

Once he realized he had freaked out everyone, he went back to the beach house and explained himself. Then he told the women it was time to put the past week behind them and move on to another island adventure on Bimini.

Let’s Go Deeper
Vanessa

Falling in love.

The first one-on-one of the week, and the first second one-on-one (that’s a confusing statement) went to Vanessa! For the first part of the date Vanessa and Nick just talked through everything that happened the previous week so they could work out their feelings and move on. They are a very mature couple. If he does end up with her at least we know they can communicate well.

Then they went snorkeling through an old shipwreck, and I found out that shipwrecks are among my husband’s greatest fears (good to know that after being together fifteen years there is still some mystery in our relationship).

Vanessa is not amused by Nick's lack of reciprocation.

On the evening portion of the date, Vanessa was itching to tell Nick that she is falling in love with him. They talked about hometown dates and how easy it is being together but after she told him she was falling for him, Vanessa got a little awkward. You see, Nick explained that he likes her a lot but he’s not going to tell any of the women that he loves them until the end. He’s done this a few times and he wants that moment to be special, like the first time being in love. I think that’s a good plan of action but Vanessa really expected him to reciprocate on the spot so she was thrown. She’s very confident in their relationship so she thought he would be way more excited to hear that she was falling in love.

If you ask me, and you’re reading my blog so you technically did, I think she overreacted and needs to be more understanding of the situation that Nick is in. Every time something happens she internalizes it and starts to question things. She just needs to trust Nick more because every time she starts to freak he calms her down.

Let’s Jump In With Both Feet First
Corrine, Kristina, Raven

Ah, the last group date of the season. Also known as the three-on-one, and always super awkward. I actually really liked Corrine on this date. Weird right? It was the first time we got to see her feeling insecure and she seemed much more likeable and real. Poor girl had to sit there and watch while Nick rubbed sunscreen all over Kristina. Then they all went swimming with sharks and Kristina got spooked so Nick comforted her and left Corrine and Raven swimming with the deadly beasts.

Corrine, eating her feelings.

On the evening portion, it looked like Corrine was going to pass out from exhaustion. Must not have gotten her afternoon nap. I get it, swimming in the ocean and being in the sun all day can wear you out! Nick talked to Kristina first, then Raven and finally Corrine. All of the interactions went well. It seemed like he has solid chemistry with Kristina but his time with Raven seemed more natural and more focused on hometown dates.

Corrine left her one-on-one time feeling much better but was knocked down a peg when Raven got the only date rose of the week, guaranteeing her a hometown date.

Let’s Ride Into the Sunset
Danielle M. 

She's into him. He's just not that into her.

Danielle was so cute when she found out she was getting a date and things got off to a great start! Nick and Danielle rode bikes around Bimini and did some site seeing. They played basketball with some local kids and had some beers. The date seemed very relaxed and comfortable. There were a few moments where they struggled to converse, though.

On the evening portion, Nick realized that as much as he really likes Danielle and the friendship they have developed, he doesn’t see a romantic future with her. So sadly, Danielle had to leave. Unfortunately, because there was no rose on this date she hadn’t even packed her things, so she had to go back to the house, pack up and tell all the girls that she was leaving. They were surprised but at this point in the show one less girl is one less girl.

Sneaky, sneaky Corrine

After Danielle left, Corrine realized that it was basically down to her and Kristina and that if their date was any indication she was on the chopping block. So she took the opportunity to sneak over to Nick’s room and get some “alone” time. I know alone time doesn’t always mean sex, but in Corrine’s brain it definitely did. She couldn’t stop telling the audience about her “vagine” (so glad we’re past that part on the show so they can stop using it in promos) and that she’s got excellent sex skills.

Luckily, Nick is a smart guy and knew that if he had sex with Corrine it was going to majorly blow up in his face. Out of respect for his other relationships he told her they needed to slow things down, and that it wasn’t a good idea for her to be in his room but not to feel bad about it. Which was mortifying for Corrine. I’m not sure if she’s ever thrown herself at someone like that and been rejected. It took a toll on her.

Let’s Get a Taste of the Local Flavor
Rachel

There’s really not a lot to say about this date. Nick took Rachel to a place that is famously tourist free on the island and they had drinks and chatted about what Nick could expect during the hometown, clearly Rachel is going to get a hometown. They talked about this earlier in the season too. I think Nick is pretty scared of Rachel’s dad. But then the date was over and she went back to the house and gushed to the other girls.

Cut to Nick having another chat with Chris Harrison.

Another one bites the dust. 

Nick knows who he needs to send home and he doesn’t want to wait until the rose ceremony, out of respect for her he doesn’t want to put her through getting all dolled up only to get her heart trampled on. So he went over to the house with all the women, and then, oh no. We found out he was going to let Kristina go. She could tell something was off when he came in and asked her to talk. She felt like he didn’t give their relationship a chance to grow, and he explained that he’s just further along in his relationships with the other women and it’s not fair to her. She deserves someone who is all in, just for her.

You would think that knowing Kristina is leaving would make Corrine relax a little but not so. She freaks the eff out. Nick is unpredictable and she knows that just because Kristina is leaving doesn’t mean she’s safe. Which technically is true. I’m not sure though, the show is trying pretty hard to make us think there is another cut before hometowns… I guess it could go either way. But regardless, Raven, Rachel, and Vanessa should all be safe.

And that’s where things left off. We’ll have to wait until next week to see what happens. But in a surprise twist, ABC announced (on Jimmy Kimmel) last night that Rachel will be the first ever black Bachelorette. Which is exciting, but uh hello??? She’s still on the show! So while she’ll make it to hometowns she’s either out next week or after fantasy suites. #spoiler

Apparently the early announcement was due to a couple factors. One: Reality Steve had already announced this weeks ago and it was leaking anyway. Two: Rachel needs to up her fan base before the launch of the season. Reportedly she has many fewer Instagram and Twitter followers than some of the other ladies this season and they want to make sure she has a solid fan base for when the show airs. Not to mention, the show is getting some good press for announcing their first black Bachelorette.

With that, I’ll leave you. Oh, wait, one last thought. Where the hell was Vanessa last night? After her one-on-one, she disappeared! All the girls were chatting between dates and she was nowhere to be found. Strange.

Until next week everyone!

P.S. Nick’s shorts game is still strong!

Bachelor Blog: Whoa. (Week 6)

This was a rough week all around for The Bachelor. Not only were the women in rare form, but Nick was all up in his head which made him question the whole experience. Some major stuff went down this week, but we’ll get to all that. First, let’s pick up where we left off.

At the end of last week, Corrine had “won” the two-on-one date against Taylor and was happily enjoying dinner with Nick until Taylor decided that she wasn’t going quietly and came back to tell Nick what was up. According to Chris Harrison, this was the most epic two-on-one in Bachelor history… I disagree. It wasn’t that surprising or epic. Have we forgotten about Olivia? Or Chad?

Taylor came in and called Corrine a liar, then she went on to tell Nick that he was being manipulated by Corrine. She didn’t do a great job of expressing what probably really needed to be said and it just came off as jealous. Nick took it all in and told her that he has a high opinion of her but that he had to go with his heart and she wasn’t the one for him. So she left and Corrine stayed.

Farewell, shark girl.

Next, we jumped into a rose ceremony because Nick was sure of who he wanted to send home and the cocktail party was canceled. Going home were Jaimi, Josephine, and Alexis (bye Alexis, you were a delight). After the goodbyes, Nick announced that the remaining 9 girls and he would be jetting off to St. Thomas!

Is it just me or is this going really, really fast? Down to 9 already?! Where has the time gone?

St. Thomas One-on-One
Kristina

Upon greeting the women in St. Thomas, Nick whisked Kristina away for the one-on-one this week. This date was really all about getting to know Kristina and her story is so heartbreaking. She was

born in Russia and lived with her mother until she was around 5 years old. Living with her mother, she had no food and remembers once eating lipstick to survive. Her mother cast her out to an orphanage and later died. Kristina spent around 7 years at the orphanage and was adopted by her American parents when she was twelve. They have four biological children and four adopted children, and she has a half-sister still in Russia. She had a hard upbringing but she’s obviously matured very much through her experience. Nick really appreciated that she could open up and respects her even more. No surprise, she got the rose.

Love’s a Beach
Rachel, Raven, Vanessa, Corrine, Danielle M., Jasmine

This group date was intended to be fun and relaxed but completely backfired when all the women got wasted and emotional. Nick started to see that it was getting really hard for all of the women there to be involved in group dates and he started to psych himself out over everything. By everything I mean, women getting fed up with the process and bailing on him (i.e. Rachel and Vanessa), women falling in love with him and him not being in the same place, losing traction on relationships, forcing things because he really wants this to work out, seriously everything. Poor guy needs a pep talk from his amazing momma about now.

The most vocal of the group was Jasmine who was straight up livid that she didn’t get a one-on-one this week. Going into the week three women had not had one-on-ones yet (Kristina, Jasmine, and Whitney). Kristina got the one-on-one, Jasmine got a group date, and Whitney was pitted against Danielle L. in ANOTHER two-on-one. So it’s not like all the women except for Jasmine were getting everything they wanted either. But she could not handle it. She was the last to get pulled away by Nick for alone time and during that time she cried and told him that she didn’t think he was giving her a chance but that she was trying to be patient because she really liked him and saw a future with him. Then she lost her damn mind and told him she wanted to choke him but realized that was crazy so she tried to play it like a sexy game. Here’s how that conversation went down:

Jasmine: I just want to put you in a choky.
Nick (scared face)
Jasmine: Hasn’t anyone ever put you in a choky before?
Nick: No
Jasmine: Do you want me to right now?
Nick: No
Jasmine: We’ll save that for later, I can be the first woman to put you in a choky.
Nick: I think you should leave.

I’m paraphrasing here but that was the gist. So yeah, Nick let Jasmine go, and not just because she went crazy. He was not feeling a strong connection with her and hearing her say that she saw a future with him made him realize he didn’t see one with her.

They didn’t show it but I guess Raven got the date rose.

ANOTHER 2-on1
Danielle L. and Whitney

What is happening here???? Only just last week I had Danielle pegged to make it into the top 3. Now I’m all kinds of confused. Why would Nick put someone he has an established relationship with against someone he’s never spent a lot of alone time with? Very strange things happening here. Luckily he did realize early on in the date that his relationships with the two women were in very different places and he sent Whitney home.

When he told Whitney he was going to let her go she asked if he really thought that Danielle was ready for a relationship. This is the first time I had heard anyone say something negative about Danielle. At the time I thought it was sour grapes. But then we got to see the other women talking back at the house about how they didn’t think Danielle was right for Nick and that he’d realize it sooner or later. Were they all just jealous and insecure this week? Or is there really something about Danielle that we haven’t seen before?

Going into the one-on-one time with Danielle, Nick really wanted to recapture the spark of their relationship and get it back on track. How did it get off track? Just last week they were so cute? What happened? Am I the only one blindsided by this? I really think that Nick just got too much in his head and started questioning things that he should have left alone until he was in a better place. But unfortunately for Danielle, he also sent her home.

What the damn hell!

I think he should have just told her that he didn’t feel comfortable giving her the rose but that he didn’t want her to leave yet, then he could have collected himself before the next rose ceremony and made a decision then. I don’t think any woman in that situation, on that night, with Nick feeling the way he was feeling stood a chance.

Sad Nick.

So Nick went to the women’s hotel room to fill them in on the situation. They already knew that he sent both Danielle L. and Whitney home, not to mention Jasmine on the group date, which leaves him with just 6 women left before they even get to a rose ceremony (which in my opinion should be canceled at this point). Nick got very emotional and told them he is terrified that he’s not going to find his person by the end of this. Then he left.

Not great.

At this point, anything could happen. Effing Corrine could win the whole damn thing because she seems to be the only one that he’s not questioning, even though he should.

Here’s who is left at this point: Rachel, Raven, Vanessa, Corrine, Danielle M., Kristina

My revised top contenders (although who even knows anymore): Rachel, Vanessa, Raven, Danielle M.(?)

Sidebar: All of Nick’s tank top and shorts combos were AMAZING. That dude knows how to rock vacation-wear.

Until next week everyone!

Bachelor Blog: "I literally can't even" and more Corrine (Week 4)

Starting right where we left off from the To Be Continued last week, Vanessa confronted Nick about his intentions and his actions with Corrine. She let him know that if he’s really looking for a wife, she’s it, and if he’s looking to screw around he might as well just let her go and she’ll give him the rose back. He assured her that he’s there to find his wife and that he doesn’t want her to leave. He thanked her for letting him know how she felt and asked her to be patient with the Corrine situation. This is a clear sign that she’ll be around for the long haul if it’s up to Nick. Asking someone to be patient while he weeds out the crazies is always a good sign.

So because of the commotion surrounding Corrine, and the fact that she bailed on the rest of the pool party to take a nap, all the girls thought Corrine would be going home but Nick (or the show producers) had something else in mind and she was the last one to get a rose at the ceremony. Which left Christen and Britney without roses (and don’t forget Dominique got sent home during the group date).

After the rose ceremony, Corrine gave a super awkward, really fake speech to everyone and it was the worst. All the girls looked incredibly pissy while she gave the speech. I don’t know how Nick could possibly miss what’s going on. Before Corrine started her speech, Nick noted that it meant a lot to him that the women in the house were getting along so well and that they were friendly. If he really means that, he needs to figure this out soon. I actually think we’re close to the end of Corrine but more on that later.

This week, Nick and ladies started their round-the-world journey for love, starting with a trip to Nick’s hometown in Wisconsin. This seems early to give his family a sneak peek at some of the girls but I think he’s hoping that his wise younger sister, Bella, will help steer him in the right direction.

Let’s just take a quick moment to appreciate Nick’s mom. I love her, every time I see her, I just can’t get enough. She’s too sweet! Not to mention his sweet dad. That guy has a great (and unfailingly supportive) family. Nick told his parents that he came in a little guarded and worried that this might not work out in the end but as the week’s progress, he’s becoming more hopeful that there is one relationship that will outshine the rest. He’s more ready than he’s ever been to settle down and wants the ladies to love his hometown because he loves it so much.

Sometimes I don’t really buy that the Bachelor/Bachelorette really loves their hometown that much but I actually think Nick does. He’s obviously very close to his family and Waukesha isn’t that far from Chicago (about 2 hours), so it’s likely he gets up to visit regularly. Especially, with such young siblings.

The Waukesha dates started out with a one-on-one immediately following Nick greeting all the women, so there was no card. Nick just stole Danielle L. away to have a fun date and left all the other girls to head back to the hotel and wait for a date card, luckily all the girls got dates this week so at least there wasn’t any reason to worry that they wouldn’t have some amount of time with him.

One-on-one date (no card)
Danielle L.

After whisking her away from the group, the couple walked around town and Nick gave her the tour of probably every spot he ever made out with someone (weird). They went to a local deli/bakery and decorated cookies with their faces. Then Nick smooshed their cookies together like paper dolls to make them kiss. I guess we know what’s on his mind around Danielle. Later they “happen” to run into one of Nick’s exes (Amber). Danielle asked her why she thinks Nick is still on the market and she said that she thinks he’s very “heart driven” and that if his heart isn’t in it 100% he won’t settle. Lucky for Nick she was complimentary, cause that could have gone a lot differently.

Nick knows that he’s had a good physical connection with Danielle from the beginning and feels like they have an “effortless connection”, but he wants to get to know her on a deeper level. Danielle told him about her parents getting divorced when she was 17 and how she has had a fear of not finding the right person. She remembers her parents being very in love when she was young and it was hard on her when they decided to get divorced but the experience matured her. She doesn’t want to rush into a marriage because she wants to find the right person, but she’s open-minded about the process on the show and didn’t research Nick before coming because she wanted to get to know him on her own.

Nick is very excited about Danielle and said that he sees a lot of potential in her as a wife. Bodes well for Danielle! After dinner, Nick has an extra surprise for Danielle, a concert where they can dance in front of everyone again. I think this must be their thing, they had to dance in front of an audience at the Backstreet Boys concert too. These moments would make for an excellent montage during the finale… just saying.

Say Cheese
Rachel, Alexis, Vanessa, Jasmine, Jaimi, Sara, Whitney, Kristina, Astrid, Taylor, Josephine, Danielle M., Corrine

“I want to be in a spa being fed a nice taco, preferably chicken.” – Corrine 

Because they are in Wisconsin, Nick thought it would be fun to get everyone (including himself) out of their element and do some dairy farm chores. Even though he’s more of a city boy, he figured this would be a good chance to see how the girls respond to dealing with getting dirty and outside of their comfort zones. And boy do they. The group fed the cow, milked the cows and even shoveled the cow poop. This was an epic amount of cow poo. That poop looked really gross. I like to think I could roll with anything but I may have gagged in that situation.

“I can’t escape the poop, it’s like everywhere I look… poop.” – Corrine (She may be a brat but she’s funny!)

After a little while of scooping poop. Corrine gave up like a little whiney baby.

They all got cleaned up and the evening portion of the date commenced with them all fresh and clean! Nick doesn’t wait for someone to steal him first and he asks Kristina to go chat. Kristina lets him know that she really wants to tell him more about where she came from and how she grew up but wants to save it for a time when they won’t get interrupted. He appreciates that and assures her she will have that chance.

The rest of the girls sat around between their times with Nick and complain about Corrine. I love how even the girls are tired of talking about her. I think it was Astrid who said, “How many more times can we have a group conversation about Corrine?”

Of course, Corrine overheard and she didn’t appreciate what the other girls are saying about her. She confronted the women and told them that she hasn’t felt welcome lately. She also said (again) that if anyone has a problem with her they should just come tell her. The problem with this is that whenever anyone does try to bring up a problem they have, Corrine gets really defensive and acts like a child before deciding she’s done with the conversation. Which is exactly what happened when Sara asked her why she thinks she’s ready to get married and if she’s really mature enough to handle what comes after the show. And then it becomes all about her taking naps. Corrine doesn’t fully answer this and asks if they can just move on. So yeah, that was a productive conversation.

That conversation happened while Vanessa was giving Nick a really cute book that her students made for him, so when she gets back to the group she tried to explain to Corrine that it wasn’t just about her taking a nap during the rose ceremony but Corrine won’t listen. She’s got a bunch of excuses for her actions.

Apparently she almost had to go to the hospital because she lost circulation in her hand while scooping poo and she had a panic attack which is why she didn’t come to rose ceremony (not true, she was happily napping). Let me just tell you that if either of these things had actually happened, we would have seen it. There is no way the producers would have let either of those things go unseen. Those things make for great TV. But Corrine felt attacked so during her time with Nick, she was going to try to get some sympathy but instead plays it like she confronted the situation and that she feels better and thinks t there won’t be any issues with the women moving forward. So basically she lied, but Nick thinks she’s being really mature. WTF.

Another interaction of note was with Rachel. She told Nick that she feels like the situation is harder for her, and Nick tells her that’s it's totally normal to feel that way and to hang in there because he really wants her to be there.

True to his word, Kristina will have more time because she’s safe with the date rose this week.

Let’s kick it
Raven

Raven is pretty cute, after realizing she would get the one-on-one she was giddy and says she sees no reason why they shouldn’t fall in love.

Nick takes Raven to Bella’s soccer practice and then they stay for her game and Raven gets to meet Nick’s parents! It’s a lot of pressure to meet someone’s parents on your first date but he knew that Raven would handle it really well.

After the game, Bella invites Nick and Raven to go roller skating, where Nick shows off his mad roller skating skills. Bella also gets a chance to sit down with Raven and chat. It was very sweet. Raven seems real down to earth, smart and funny. She fit in nicely with Nick’s family so far.

But then she let her crazy out a little on the dinner portion of the night. She prefaces her story with “I’m ashamed to say…” and then revealed how she found out her previous boyfriend was cheating on her, drove to his house, kicked down the door and proceeded to beat up the boyfriend and the girl he was sleeping with. Then she walked away, having learned a lot about herself from the situation. So, she’s got a crazy ex-girlfriend side, hopefully, she’s matured since last February when this all went down.

Luckily Nick wasn’t scared off by her crazy story and gave her a rose.

Cocktail party

The cocktail party started off on the dramatic site, the girls are all a little on edge it seems. Danielle L. stole Nick first (claiming she’s not worried about offending the girls and the she’s just going to take any opportunity she can with him). Taylor decided she wasn’t having that (since Danielle already had a rose) and stole him back right away. It seems like there are sides in the house, some people don’t really like Taylor and others agree that Corrine is the worst. It would be great it Taylor and Corrine just both went home and cancelled each other out. Josephine seems to be on Corrine’s side (or really wants to see her self-destruct) because she encourages Corrine to confront Taylor.

When Corrine talked to Taylor, she said (again) that if Taylor has a problem with her to just tell her. Taylor says that every time she tries, Corrine interrupts her but she tried again and said she has concerns about Corrine’s maturity, emotional intelligence (in regards to self-awareness), and her coping skills. Because she is counselor and can speak to this intelligently I think it intimidated Corrine so, of course, she acted out and said she didn’t appreciate Taylor treating her like an idiot, to which Taylor said she didn’t think Corrine was an idiot and then we left with another To Be Continued with Corrine saying...

“I literally can’t even.”  

Ah, maturity. If you’re looking for a mature show about finding love, The Bachelor is not for you. But lucky for me, I’m in it for the shit show and I love it. I think we’ll see this all come to a head next week with a two-on-one between Taylor and Corrine. Me thinks Taylor will win out in that scenario, although maybe they’ll both go home.

Before we go…

Why are we not seeing more of Alexis’ craziness? The very end “outtake” where she tells Nick that her two biggest fears are Nicholas Cage and aliens is too funny, I need more of this.

My favorites remain the same: Vanessa, Danielle L., Rachel, I might be questioning Raven but I think she’ll make it pretty far.

Until next week!

Bachelor Blog: Emerging Front Runners (Week 3)

 And so we continue from the cliffhanger last week…

When last we left the Bachelor, Nick was telling the girls on the group date why he let Liz go and filled them in that he slept with her at Jade and Tanner’s wedding. So instead of showing what happened, the show jumped to the next day where the women from the date tell all the rest of the house what happened. But apparently Christen got the date rose, so there’s that.

Wow, they skipped forward pretty quickly to the cocktail party before the rose ceremony. Personally, I think that Nick handled it very well. He was straight forward and honest. He talked to each of the women individually at the cocktail party, which was a good way to clear the air and move past the situation.

One interaction of note was his time with Danielle L., he was concerned about her reaction because he likes her a lot but Danielle was not worried about it and thought he handled the situation well, so no worries there.

And then there was Corrine. I don’t want to be super judgmental but that girl is really slutty. She says that she has what guys want, then why does she need to go on a reality show to find a husband? Clearly, this isn’t working for her outside of the show, unless she’s only there to be on TV which I think is likely.

Going into the rose ceremony the girls that had roses were: Corrine (she didn't even go to the ceremony, instead she went to bed), Christen, and Danielle M.

Leaving this week: Hailey, Lacey, and a blond girl I’ve never seen

 “Everybody”
Danielle L., Christen, Kristina, Whitney, Taylor, Jasmine, Corrine

Holy balls! The Backstreet Boys showed up at the mansion and the girls lost their shit. As they should. Even a tried and true NSYNC fangirl can appreciate the gloriousness of this situation. This may very well be the best thing that has ever happened on The Bachelor!

It’s pretty hilarious watching some of these girls dance. But Jasmine (who was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader) and Danielle did really well! The winner of the dance challenge was Danielle and she and Nick got to be serenaded by the Boys. It was super weird to watch them dance on stage in front of everyone, but that’s pretty typical of this show so whatever.

After the concert, Corrine grabbed Nick first again and got the validation she needed. Then she promptly took a nap, one of several naps she takes this week. At least she can’t interrupt other girls if she’s sleeping. After her nap, Corrine tells everyone about her nanny, Raquel. I love how the other girls reacted and my favorite part is when Corrine says she needs to prepare Raquel for when she has kids because she can barely take care of herself, let alone a child. Poor little Corrine misses her nanny and doesn’t like having to be a big girl. Barf.

Nick and Danielle are definitely connecting, I have a good feeling about that one. She seems like a sweet and genuine girl! Unsurprisingly, Danielle gets the group date rose!

“You make me feel like I’m floating”
Vanessa

They get to take a Zero G plane to see what it feels like to be in space. What a cool date! I would probably pee myself on that date. I hate losing my stomach and the whole time I watched that I felt like if I were in that situation, I would throw up.

Apparently, I’m not the only one. Vanessa got sick and Nick stuck by her side while she puked in the barf bag. Embarrassing, and kind of sweet. Good thing they had gum to rid themselves of vomit breath. You might think throwing up on the first date would put a damper on things but in this case, it was oddly romantic.

For dinner, Nick and Vanessa went to the top of a building for an amazing view. They talked about their families and Vanessa told him that she respects his relationship with his mom. She also told him about her grandfather who passed very recently and how she questioned coming on the show but that her family encouraged her to come. Nick told her about his past experience on the show and why he would want to do it all again. He wonders if he can trust his own emotions. He’s been in love on the show twice before and it didn’t work out, he’s scared that it won’t work out but he’s hopeful that it will. It’s really sweet and he even cries.

Vanessa is a major contender if she can stick through it and hold on to their connection.

“I’m done playing the field”
Rachel, Alexis, Astrid, Jaimi, Sara, Britney, Dominque

This group date is a track and field day. Nick wanted to see the girls embrace the day and have some fun. The challenges were fun and Bachelor themed.

Alexis’ catchphrase appears to be “Move, bitches.” She said it at the rose ceremony, and I thought it was kind of quirky and funny but then she said it again during the race and it didn’t seem like as much of a joke, she wants to win.

Rachel, Alexis and Astrid made it through to the track and field “finals”. Astrid does a good job despite having a much-unsupported chest. The slow-mo action is amazing and she pulls off a win in an upset.

After a disappointing performance during the games, Dominique is downtrodden and thinks that she’s getting overlooked, so she decides that she’ll take him first. However, Nick beats her to the punch and he steals Astrid away first thing. Rachel pulls Dominque aside because she can tell that Dominque is upset. She’s getting way too much in her head.

When Dominque finally gets her time with him, instead of making the most of it and trying to make a connection, she called Nick out for not giving her a fair chance. Based on this conversation, Nick realizes that he doesn’t have a connection with her yet and she’s not really giving him the chance to get there with her either so he felt it was best to send her home. This is the second group date of the season so far that he has sent someone home unexpectedly!

Rachel ended up getting the date rose for the night after a great one-on-one.

Pool party

It’s time for a pool party in place of the cocktail party! This happens a lot when there are still so many girls left. To make things “special” Corrine gets a bouncy house for Nick. How in the hell did she pull that off? Unfortunately, her very overt sexual advances were witnessed by the other women. Not that Corrine cares. This prompted the other ladies to seek Nick out to let him know that they have concerns about Corrine, and more importantly about his reactions to Corrine.

Is he really looking for a wife, or does he just want to mess around with girls like Corrine? This could potentially damage his stronger relationships so he really needs to think through whether he sees a future with her or if he should let her go and focus on his other relationships. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s quite ready to let her go but I honestly don’t think she’ll last much longer. This situation is just ready to implode.

In particular, Vanessa was really pissed off about the situation. She had a great one-on-one and thought she knew what he wanted. If he’s not really looking for a wife, she’d rather go home. And here we are left with another to be continued…

We’ll see what happens but I really don’t think that Vanessa will leave. Nick can smooth this out. I am excited to see shit go down between Taylor and Corrine next week though!

My favorites so far: 
Danielle L., Vanessa, Raven (we haven’t seen much of her yet but I like her more every time I see her), Rachel

Until next week everyone!