Bachelorette Rachel: A Dirty Dog Gets Dismissed, White Dudes Are Kinda Buggin'

Greetings, fellow residents of Bachelor Nation!  How was your Memorial Day weekend? I hope that you all enjoyed long weekends, remembered the fallen troops who gave their lives for us (Memorial Day weekend is about more than just the premier of official white jeans season! Though I LOVE white jeans season), and ate/drank a bit too much.

Speaking of drinking too much, on Monday night we enjoyed episode 2 of Rachel's season as The Bachelorette and there was definitely drunken drama!  The line of the night goes to loving father/professional wrestler Kenny, who said, "these white dudes are kind buggin' right now" and all of Bachelor Nation cheered.

If you prefer to HEAR two Bachelor Nation lifers chat about this episode, listen to The Fantasy Suite, my and Dava Krause's amazing Bach podcast here.

But to start at the beginning...

The episode opens with Rachel waking up after the "first night" (which lasts roughly 16 hours) and playing with her dog Copper (who has a mysterious leg injury THAT IS NEVER explained! Will we EVER know the truth about CopperGATE?) while the guys perform their legally mandated "RACHEL!" group scream off the Bachelor Mansion upstairs deck.

Chris Harrison maps out the week for them: 2 group dates and a 1:1 date, roses up for grabs on all dates, don't fuck it up.

The first date is about how Rachel is looking for husband material (I LOVE her attitude in all of this--she KNOWS she's a catch and aint afraid to say it!) and the guys invited are Dean (white guy with blinding teeth, 25), Jack (white guy who seems allergic to ties and personality), Jonathan (white boy tickle monster BOOOO), Blake (white dude sorta redhead drummer guy who I do NOT like), Iggy (husky Asian guy who is HOT but maybe not that interesting?), Kenny (black guy Vegas wrestler who is a CONTENDER for sure), Fred (black guy, hometown hottie), and Lucas (white guy who feels like a character from The Chapelle Show who is "The Whitest, Corniest White Guy Of All Time").

They head out to a grassy field where Rachel is BBQing in a sundress.  The crew enjoys a bunch of Moscow Mules (SO hot right now!), a playful football game, and Blake establishes that he knows "the real Lucas" and that "the one person who could ruin this for him is me" (which I think is quite generous, Blake. Surely Lucas's horrendous personality and inability to chill out could serve to ruin this for himself, ya know?).  Blake never says it outright, but I read online that Lucas and Blake were both on WE TV's "Ex Isle"--a reality TV show in which exes live on a deserted island after a 3 hour tour or something?  Really, who cares--but HOW PATHETIC is it that TWO dudes from a LAME reality TV show on a completely unpopular network (sorry "WE TV" but legit who are you?) are reunited on a DIFFERENT reality TV show?  THIS is truly what's wrong with our country.

The second part of this group date is the Husband Material Challenge, a set of stations that each guy must master, and that course is overseen by Bachelor Nation residents Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis! Oh man I bet this is an episode of The Bachelorette that Demi Moore WON'T be watching.  The stations are dad duties: changing a dirty diaper, strapping the baby into a Baby Bjorn and wearing it, vacuuming, clogging a drain, finding a diamond ring, setting a table, picking up flowers.  Ashton and Mila supervise and at the end, things come down to Kenny vs. Lucas.  You can tell that EVERYONE is rooting for Kenny, but somehow Lucas wins it all (well, not really "somehow" so much as he nearly drowns his baby and then clotheslines Kenny).  Rachel puts a "winner" medal around his neck, but unlike the winner of most other challenges in other seasons, Rachel and Lucas don't get any alone time, which made me laugh.  He won't be around long.

I must say, I am not and have never been a big Ashton Kutcher fan.  I know that he charmed America during his turn on "That 70's Show" and the sociopaths who enjoy prank shows LOVED his show "Punk'd" (wherein wealthy people were lead to believe that bad things had happened to them for up to 15 minutes of anxiety then they had a big reveal that HA HA HA this is just professional jagoff Ashton Kutcher messing with you! Fear not, rich celebrity, your Miata convertible was NOT filled with horse dung--it's fine! You're still rich! You will ALWAYS be fine! Economic insecurity, police brutality, being crushed underfoot by the inherent violence of capitalism--those things will NEVER harm you!! Hahahhaha isn't that great TV programming?). ALAS, I gained a small iota of affection for Mr. Kutcher during this episode, ONLY because he flatly REFUSED to understand or enjoy or go along with "Wahboom" and for that, I respect him.

Meanwhile, back at the house singer/songwriter Lee is extremely tiresome and Will has noticed!

At the group date after party Rachel rocks a VERY low cut black dress with zipper edging down the front V neck and a zipper horizontally up the leg.  She's also sporting a red lip and looks fierce.  To be polite, Rachel pulls Lucas aside first (since he won, so she probably HAD to) and he reads her a moronic poem that concludes with him mis-using the word "entail."  While Lucas is away, Blake tells the other guys on the group date that he knows Lucas from a "previous encounter" (is that what they call a previous reality TV show nowadays because it sounds like they hooked up) and that Lucas is NOT here for Rachel, he just wants to be on TV, and he has been peddling this weird "Wahboom" garbage for 3 years. None of this surprises ANY of the guys.

Rachel gets 1:1 time with each guy and Jack acts like a pussy, Jonathan spends all their solo time talking about diaper changing (why no more tickling, Tickle Monster?), Iggy makes boring conversation, Fred insists that he has matured, and Blake informs Rachel that Lucas is full of shit and not here for the right reasons. Dean, the 25-year-old who I have been mocking for his teeth size/brightness, turns out to be pretty playful and charismatic, and he and Rachel get along great. Blake and Lucas nearly come to blows, which inspires Kenny to walk off in search of Rachel because...

Rachel and Kenny have a fantastic conversation and share a sweet kiss, but the date rose goes to Dean who then makes the STRONGEST move in Bachelorette history and WALKS HER TO THE CAR! I know it seems small and obvious which is why it is SO STUNNING that no one has thought of this before! I mean, no one has, right, my fellow Bach heads?  It was SO suave! Yes yes yes, Dean-o--talk my hand, walk me to the car, lead me in, then tap on the door.  GOOD LORD I SUDDENLY LOVE DEAN!! WTF????

The next day, Peter (white guy, facial scruff, dark hair) and Rachel have a 1:1 date (well, 1:1 + dog) in Palm Springs, CA, one of my FAVORITE places in the world.  I spent my 35th birthday at the Ace Hotel + Swim Club resort in Palm Springs and I love that place so much.  They attend "Bark Fest" which is like a Coachella for dogs (but with less drugs).

That evening over "dinner" (drinks served at a table with plates that will never be used), Peter and Rachel talk about their shared gap toothed smiles (that conversation was a dentist's dream as far as free promotion) and the fact that they have BOTH seen therapists.  Ha! That made me laugh.  He seemed anxious to share this tidbit and he even called it a "relationship therapist" which felt like a weird way for him to qualify his need to get some counseling.  Dude, let it rip!  Everybody's in therapy! Aint no shame! Rachel gives Peter a kiss and a rose and they watch some fireworks. In keeping with the animal date theme, Rachel says she's a "smitten kitten for Peter" which is SO cute! Rachel can do no wrong! She's just so damn charming and lovely!

The next day is the "SWISH" group date and the gang is Will (pretty forgettable), Jamey (white guy who has said nothing except that he thinks he has a good face and hair), Diggy (YES! Handsome black guy from Chicago, rad glasses), Alex (white guy with accent who likes to hang out with his parents and with strips of raw meat), Adam (white guy who is cute but will never live down the creepy doll thing), Lee (singer/songwriter/nightmare), Matt (white guy from CT who arrived in a penguin suit and seems bland), Eric (black guy who arrived in a tan suit and seems intense), Josiah (black guy, lawyer, cute), and DeMario (black guy, lil intense).

The crew assembles at a gym where Rachel is rocking an effortless Sporty Spice look (love it) and DeMario is laying it on THICK.  Then outta nowhere, who arrives but hit actor featured in AIRPLANE!, Kareem Abdul Jabbar (who apparently also spent some time playing hoops before he BROKE THROUGH as a brilliant comedic actor).  Kareem is hugely likeable and trots out some inspirational tidbits about how teamwork is important in life and in love yadda yadda yadda.  The guys work on some drills under the watchful eyes of Rachel and Kareem and we spot a budding romance between Rachel and DeMario, so YOU KNOW something bad is about to happen.



The dudes split up into 2 teams (purple vs. white) and have a super mini basketball game in front of a "packed house" (apparently the new definition of "packed house" is when 3 out of 5 sections of dinky high school bleachers are full).  One team wins and another team loses (who cares which is which, ya know? Such is life. You must go through winter to appreciate spring, you must suffer some injustices to appreciate good things, there is a season to everything, yes I am turning into a hippie dippy weirdo between these parenthesis) and post-game, the teams retire to the locker room while Rachel takes selfies with fans.

One girl sits Rachel down and drops a bombshell--her name is Lexi she's wearing an unflattering, white girl flesh toned shirt (WHY DO THEY DO THIS?) and a SCRUNCHIE on her wrist (did anyone else notice that?), but she didn't stop Rachel for fashion advice (though she should), she stopped her to share the news that she and DeMario dated for SEVEN MONTHS until he GHOSTED her to go on The Bachelorette.  DeMario never dumped her, never communicated what was going on--he simply ditched town and then Lexi and her beloved scrunchie saw him on TV in After the Final Rose. Wooooooow.  Rachel immediately gets DeMario from the locker room and he walks into the gym probably thinking that he's getting a rose then he sees Lexi and says "ohhhhh!!" as if he recognizes her, then changes course and says "who's this?" Oh fuuuuck you, DeMario.  THEN, as if he can't make himself look any worse, in response to Lexi's insistence that he still has the keys to her apartment, he was in her bed mere weeks before he went on the show, he says "SHE IS PSYCHO."

NOPE.
No.
No.
No, DeMario.

Calling a woman "psycho" is the favorite move of low key misogynists who are trying to pull a fast one on a woman, but want HER to seem like the irrational, crazy, problem one.  And people are finally calling it for what it is--manipulation, gaslighting, and a trick used to make a woman feel afraid to point it out when a man is treating her like shit.  The fantastic parody Women's Magazine website Reductress has one of my favorite takes on this:

I'm Sorry I Was Being So Crazy While You Were Treating Me Like Shit.  

Rachel gives them both time to talk, but DeMario has NO leg to stand on.  DeMario claims that this situation is "personal life stuff" which pisses off Rachel because THIS--THIS RIGHT HERE--THIS SHOW, THIS is HER personal life stuff.  She remains calm and asks DeMario a few questions to try and make sense of the situation, then she looks at the texts on Lexi's phone (at Lexi's urging).  Rachel simply asks DeMario, WHY did you cut off communication? Why didn't you simply TELL Lexi what you were doing or where you were going?

Then Rachel says something that I would like to have painted on my friggin' accent wall so that I review it every morning, "I'm not there to be played, I'm not here to be made a joke of" and I was screaming YESSS GIRL!  She closes with, "I'm really going to need for you to get the F out" and she walks off.  Now THAT is how it's done, my friends.  If it SEEMS sorta fishy and weird, IT IS, so trust your gut and WALK AWAY from ANY dude who seems dishonest or opportunistic ESPECIALLY if he refers to his ex-GF as a "psycho."

At the afterparty, Rachel looks gorgeous in a gunmetal, silk, sparkly slip dress and most of the guys work hard to make her feel safe, that she can trust them, and that she is protected, but Josiah does it the most and the best and is rewarded with a rose.

The next day it's RAINING and the weather matches the somber mood in the house, which Iggy phrases by saying "there's a theoretical cloud over the house."  Ummm buddy, actually there's probably a REAL cloud over the house but perhaps you mean there is ALSO a METAPHORICAL cloud over the house.  Good Lord where do these people learn to talk so dumb?

The men get ready for a rose ceremony and Rachel arrives in her best dress yet--black, floor length, sleeveless with KILLER gold edging on the arms/neckline, plus a gorgeous gold belt.  It's like a 70s disco dream and you KNOW how I love my 70s style clothing.  She chats excitedly with Bryan (chiropractor who got First Impression Rose last week) and is slowly getting her groove back after the DeMario drama when who shows up in the Bachelor Manse drive way but DEMARIO!!  Goodness gracious can anyone simply leave this show with their tail between their legs, or must they ALL return in order to save face, only to make things even worse?

A security staffer greets DeMario and brings Chris Harrison down to the driveway so that he and DeMario can talk.  Chris Harrison goes up to the house to fill Rachel in on what is happening and a few guys overhear, so THEY head down the driveway also.

We were left with a dramatic "TO BE CONTINUED" so we'll have to wait and find out what happens next week but I am PRAYING for a giant, street brawl that's DeMario versus Everyone.

See you next week, friends!

Bachelorette Rachel: Boundaries, BYO-Cock Block, Wahboom

Greetings, my fellow Bachelor heads!!

Last night was the season premiere of Rachel Lindsay’s season as our intrepid Bachelorette and it did NOT disappoint!  Oh my goodness, it had everything: tons of drinks, men who lack boundaries, regrettable clothing/costume choices, and great hair (on Rachel ONLY). 

Before we dive in, a few quick things: immediately after the episode, my lovely neighbor Dava Krause and I recorded an episode of our hit podcast The Fantasty Suite, so if you want to HEAR our hot takes on Night One, then take a listen right here.  If you wish to read my personal hot takes, then keep going here.  If you want to do both, HAVE AT IT!

In the interest of not making myself go insane, I’m not going to list all arrivals and then the entire rose ceremony.  It’s just too much and there were just SO many dark suits (much easier to judge dresses, ya know?) so I’ll do a general recap, then share the Rose Ceremony dudes (and, of course, the losers). 

OK so the episode kicked off with Rachel—America’s first black Bachelorette—having photos taken and adjusting to life in the public eye.  We watched a montage of her “journey” (10 points! I used “journey” in recap numero uno!) from last season—receiving the first impression rose from Nick Viall, canoodling with him throughout their season, and finally, being sent home in a pool of runny mascara and silver eyeshadow.  Oh sweet girl—you’re too good for that lame-o.  Then we see a shot of Rachel back in action rocking a FIERCE 70s style jumper on After the Final Rose, where she meets her first 4 suitors from this season!  Rachel rolls up to her private residence for the season in a sleek, black sports car (or a fancy Mazda? I couldn’t quite tell what it was?) with her dog Copper (SO CUTE! Also I LOVE that she arrived with her dog) and they settle in.  She pops back to the Bachelor mansion to get some dating advice from A CREW OF GIRLS WHO ALL GOT REJECTED LAST SEASON, ALSO!! YESS-what a great resource, no?? 

NO!!!  

Literally NO.  

Nonetheless, Raven, Corinne, Jasmine, Dolphin girl, 2 interchangeable brunettes, and Kristina encourage Rachel to “let yourself fall” and they all get misty eyed. 

But there’s no time for misty eyes, ladies—Rachel needs to get ready for the big “first night” that lasts 16 hours! 

Rachel looks stunning in a sparkly, white, textured, floor length gown that’s sleeveless and has a really cool design on the back.  She has on dangly earrings, hair down, fantastic make-up—she’s ready to rock.  The guys arrive and there are some good entrances (hotties, dudes who just act cool and normal, silly jokes), some bad entrances (an Urkel impression, really? Also a dude in a penguin suit, Blake the “aspiring drummer” who arrives with a marching band and apparently he isn’t only “aspiring,” he is also DOING it), and some terrible entrances.  

Yes, when I say terrible entrances I’m talking about Jonathan the TICKLE MONSTER. 

NO NO NO! I know that he was probably attempting to be playful when he told Rachel to close her eyes and put out her hand but he does not KNOW this woman and when she trusted him and played along, he GRABBED her by the waist and really forcefully “tickled” her. No way, bro.  I’m sorry, but that was just too much too soon. I literally don’t even TOUCH a person without asking them.  

The final arrival is Lucas whose job/nickname/hobby/lifestyle (?) is WAHBOOM (whatever that is/means) and GOOD LORD this guy is tiresome.  That “Wahboom” thing gets old before he can even scream the second syllable and the whole display (which is him thrashing his head around while screaming “WAHBOOM” and shaking) feels like watching a guy who was SUPER POPULAR at the boy-girl parties in 6^th grade and then after that everyone just found him annoying and he stopped being popular but lacks the self-awareness and self-reflection to understand why.  I legit LOATHE this guy. 

OK so we head into the house and it’s standard Night One fare: dudes interrupting one another in a desperate attempt to get some face time with their would-be love match; dudes drinking too much and talking smack; dudes trotting out lame mini date activities that they desperately pray will make them memorable/appear to have a personality.  While Rachel has 1:1 time outside, Lucas (aka Wahboom and GOOD LORD it gives me dumb chills to even type out that lame word) “entertains” (freaks out) a few guys by asking them what level of Wahboom they would like.  Way to engage them in your lameness, Lucas. They pick an 11 (good call, boys—this one goes to 11) and Lucas obliges them, doing his signature move cranked up so hard that he literally falls backward off a couch during he “wind up” (that is, the “WAAAH” part), then when he pops back up from the couch to land the “BOOM” part, everyone has already lost interest and turned their back to him. That was delicious to witness. 

Oh speaking of creepy shit, we must discuss Adam Junior.  Adam, an ostensibly handsome guy who works as a real estate agent, arrived at the house with a freaky doll thing that he calls Adam Junior.  Adam Junior doesn’t look like Adam and he’s not a ventriloquist doll (not that THAT would make it okay) or even a children’s doll.  Adam Junior is a strange doll that has a facial features drawn on its face surface (words elude me in attempting to describe this bizarre thing), he wears a suit and has a wig (gross—something about that wig REALLY made me feel yucky).  He resembles those weird dolls that you’d see in a chintzy Italian restaurant that caters to large families—like those animatronic things that they dress up as carolers during the holiday season.  Rachel hates it and so do I!  Adam, why are you bringing your own cock block?

Adam Jr's family

Rachel gives the First Impression Rose to Bryan, a 37-year-old chiropractor from Florida (so he probably got his medical license at the mall) who speaks Spanish and is a straight shooter. He was a little too suave for me (I like ‘em SIMPLE as hell), but he’s a sexy dude who knows what he wants, which is nice. Bryan and Rachel make out HARD a few times on night one. 

Finally it’s sunrise and I'm feeing like, woa, whose ass do I gotta kiss to get a rose ceremony around here?  OK, Rachel makes her selections:

-Peter – handsome, dark haired white guy who is 30, from Wisconsin, was first out of the limo. I loved his plaid suit jacket—a bold choice, cool guy.

-Will – handsome black guy with a purple tie, did the Urkel impression when he arrived.

-Jack – 31, lawyer, white guy, dark hair from Dallas TX. I didn’t love his entrance (Rachel said “I’ll see you inside” and he said, “you better” which just reeks of The Game to me). 

-Jamey – Santa Monica CA white guy who made a remark that he has great hair and is very handsome. No thank you. Also, as they say “you aint all that.”

-Iggy – husky Chicago guy who looks part Asian and has great taste in shoes. He’s a cutie, but didn’t make much of an impression.

-Eric – personal trainer from LA, tan suit, black guy who carries himself a little bit strangely, I think. Anybody else feel like his shoulders were up the whole episode?

-DeMario – 30, Executive Recruiter from CA who met Rachel on After the Final Rose and is a strong contender for good reason.

-Jonathan – white guy “tickle monster” (you mean, just MONSTER?) who needs to learn some boundaries and get sent home soon.

-Bryce – white guy firefighter whose face/jawline are extremely strange

-Alex – white guy whose family we met earlier in the episode as they BBQs some type of meat. He has a bit of an accent—Greek, Russian? He’s super handsome, but the vacuum bit was lame.

-Kenny – 35, professional wrestler from Las Vegas, black man who has made a GREAT impression and seems like a solid dude. He has a 10-year-old daughter and I’m expecting big things from him this season.

-Dean – 25-year-old white guy who lives in LA and is literally nothing more than some voluminous hair and oversized, white teeth.  I am NOT loving it.

-Matt – white dude, dark hair, CT construction guy who rolled up in a penguin suit. Meh.

-Anthony – rocked a light suit jacket, 26, black guy, seems to carry himself in a very serious fashion, which I can dig. Seems like a slow burn and I like it.

-Brady – white guy, male model, 29, arrived with a block of ice and a sledgehammer. He seems like a bore and a half. 

-Josiah – black guy whose outfit was my favorite (grey suit jacket with black lapels—LOVE that style) who is also an attorney (loved his joke “see ya later, litigator’) and earlier we learned that when Josiah was 7, his older brother hung himself because of bullying.   After that tragedy (Josiah literally found him), Josiah lashed out, got into trouble, then at age 12 turned his life around after a judge spoke to him. Oh man what a tearjerker. I’m excited to get to know Josiah more this season, but I hope that his ENTIRE identity on the show doesn’t become that childhood trauma—I’m sure he has a LOT to give!

-Lee – white guy with BIG hair who is a singer/songwriter (I’m sorry but I hate him already) who entered singing and strumming his guitar (ugh) and I’d bet is here for the WRONG REASONS!!! No record deal for you!!

-Diggy – yes yes yes! Handsome black guy out of Chicago who owns 575 pairs of sneakers and has GREAT taste. I love his gingham shirt and pink bow tie! Hoping he sticks around for a while.

-Fred – yes yes yes! Fred is my favorite. Dark skinned black guy out of Dallas TX who, we learned, was a 3^rd grader at the same school where Rachel was an 8^th grader and she was his camp counselor! I think the hometown connection is cute, but will Rachel’s memories of Fred as a snot-nosed, 10-year-old troublemaker prevent a love connection? We’ll see!

-Adam – white guy who arrived with a DOLL.  Come on, man.  Rachel hilariously calls his name and clarifies, “just Adam.” 

-Blake E. – white guy with reddish hair who arrived drumming. Buh. I don’t like this guy—his initial interview was ALL about sex which is just too much too soon. I hope that this little drummer boy ba-rump-pa-pum-pums his way outta the Bachelorette manse soon.

We’re down to the final rose and she has a lot of guys left—Mohit the handsome Indian start-up guy from San Fran, Milton, another Blake, Jedediah who arrived quoting scripture (not a joke)—who scores that coveted final spot?

-Lucas aka Wahboom.  Oh Rachel, why, girl?  I’ll tell you why: producers want more bizarre footage.  Ugh.  In typical Lucas style, when she says his name he absolutely wilds out, shrieking “WAHBOOM” as the other guys roll their eyes and/or try to choke back tears at the fact that they are being sent home and this bozo got a rose. 

A handful of guys leave and by the time they are stumbling out of the mansion it’s legit MID-DAY.  Goodness gracious.   These are first night departures, so in the Bachelorette history books, they are mere footnotes and I can’t use up my brain space with them. 

Then ABC serves up some preview of what we’ll see from Rachel and The Boyz this season and there are LOTS of fur coast (I hope faux fur so that my vegan friends don’t get too upset), a few shots of Anthony (slow burn), Dean (nothing but teeth), Fred (hot childhood friend), Jack (pushy lawyer guy) and some BRAWLS between Lee (definitely here to become a country superstar—barf) and Eric (aka tan suit, shoulders up). I think I spotted a 2-on-1 date featuring Kenny (wrestler) and Lee (how is he a thing?), plus we get a visit from an IRATE EX-GIRLFRIEND! All of the ingredients for a fantastic season are here!!!

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In the words of American’s first black President, I’m holding onto HOPE and in the words of America’s first black Bachelorette, let’s keep it real, keep it 100, and have fun! No regrets! Here we go!

Super short video

Hello!

I bear a striking resemblance to Real Housewife of New York, Sonja Morgan, so I made a video about it!  Check it out:

Album Recording Postponed

Due to the recent small fire at Union Hall, my album recording is postponed.  I'll keep you informed of when we reschedule it!

Bachelor Nick V. Finale, After Final Rose, Hell Let's Just Start Rachel's Season

Lovebugs!

Monday night was the finale of Nick Viall's tenure as Bachelor Nation's "nice guy" who perpetually finishes last and I, for one, couldn't be happier to see him go.  I mean, find love, Nick--sure--great--but also PLEASE let somebody else get some face time on my favorite TV franchise, OK?

The episode kicked off with our intrepid Bachelor Nick roaming the Arctic tundras of Finland all alone, wondering if his "desperate search for love" (Chris Harrison's words) would result in an engagement or instead a broken heart.

I was pretty annoyed by the whole "maybe Nick will end up alone AGAIN!" possibility that the show kept on pushing because, I don't know, NOTHING in the season made me think that. But I suppose that every season they HAVE to find some angle to keep us on our toes.

Nick and the gang are in Rovaniemi, Finland for this the FINAL WEEK (sorta like FINALS WEEK in school and I hope you studied for the KISS TEST, ladies!).  Nick's family has flown up there (they must be SO TIRED of all this by now)--his sweet mom Mary (who seems like a gemstone, or as Raven calls her, "a jewel"), his dad Chris, an assortment of siblings (blonde, brunette, bearded, Bella) and they are all living embodiments of the Great White song "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."



Raven is the first up and she has already met Bella (and they're BFFs, it seems) and the parents (at Bella's soccer game in Wisconsin) so she's got an advantage.  Raven makes a good impression, but I couldn't help but wonder if her confidence and excitement made her seem a bit too casual about the potential of an engagement and a marriage.  Raven doesn't seem worried about Nick and Vanessa's relationship at all, saying that "this year is going to be filled with events because now I have all these family members" and at that moment, I was like, oh Rav-Rav--you're going back to run your boutique and slide around mud pits in Hoxie, aren't you?  Comments like that are just TOO MUCH and if there's one thing my lifelong membership to Bachelor Nation has taught me, it's that the girls who SEEMS to be in the lead is NEVER the girl who wins.  Could also be a cool metaphor for life right there.

Vanessa is up next and she rocks a light grey jacket and straddles Nick on sight. Hope the family wasn't watching through the window, Canada Goose!  They all sit down for chit chat and Vanessa serves up their first date puking story like a stiff actor on Letterman's couch but it falls FLAT.  Ouch.  It was like watching a bad standup comedian just sorta EAT SHIT up there, then stare off and almost cry.  Very odd.

Vanessa spends the 1:1 conversation being the heavy and asking Nick's mom what happens if they aren't ready for marriage (errrrmmm well Neil Lane won't give you a free blood diamond, so you may just want to SAY you are ready and see what happens?) then weeping with Nick's dad.  Overall it felt SO DAMN EMOTIONAL and I thought, perhaps it was to Vanessa's detriment, but now I'm thinking that maybe it was good because it made Vanessa seem adult and serious about marriage (in contrast to Raven, perhaps).

Back in the studio, Chris Harrison takes a casual poll of the Bachelor Nation residents in attendance--will Nick end up with Raven, Vanessa, or [lotsa laughs on this one] ALONE!??!? HONK!

Finally it's time for final, final dates and Vanessa is up first.  She meets Nick in the woods (what is this, every romantic encounter in my high school career?) and they walk over to a hut,  knock on the door, and are greeted by SANTA!!! Vanessa freaks out as if she's a child who doesn't understand where Christmas gifts ACTUALLY come from and Nick seems to find it cute (they deserve each other). The trio hangs out in Santa's weird hovel before Nick and Vanessa split off for Weep-Fest 2016 (or 2017?).

That night as they spend their final moments together, Nick and Vanessa overthink the definition of romance, talk about whether this all should be easy or hard, and Nick says "there are no guarantees" then Vanessa cries as they kiss.  HOT DATE, GUYS!! Nick attempts to reassure Vanessa, saying "when I've been with you, I've only thought of you" which is a phrase with a pretty big loophole, my friend.  As much as I think that Vanessa has morphed into a sentient wet blanket these past few weeks, I'll admit that I might behave that way, too.  I mean, it's a silly reality TV dating show but your heart is TRULY out there, if you're playing in good faith.

The next day is Raven's final date, so cue up the worst song that ever came outta the 1990s, "Kiss Me" by one hit wonder band (rightfully so) Sixpence None the Richer. Good Lord just the NAME of that band gives me horrific dumb chills. Like, what are you DOING with that band name? Why can't you follow the 90s template, combine 2 nouns (Silver Chair, Green Day, Pearl Jam), and stop being a cheesedick?  Anyher--Nick and Raven pull out some pairs skating moves (despite her TIGHT jeans) and frolick around the pond having SO MUCH FUN, which makes Bachelor Nation think: he'll go with FUN over heavy weeping, right?  WRONG!  But hold on a minute.  Oh yes, Nick walks up with 2 puppies and Raven makes a joke about their children being as cute as these puppies. Oh girl--you keep making these comments and reminding me that you're 24 years old and have never had a major HEARTBREAK that would prevent you from so much as guessing about something that might happen TWO WEEKS from now (just me? Been burned? Too many times? Incapable of love? Doubt everyone?).

That night Nick and Raven snuggle by a fire and Raven shares her feelings very thoughtfully and candidly, saying that she knows that she's ready to marry Nick and it will be easy to say yes when he proposes.  Nick responds, "more than anyone--I never worried about you" which is a polite way of saying "YOU ARE ALL UP ON MY CRANK AND I KNOW IT, APPRECIATE IT." Nick then speaks in vague circles about how he's confident in them (or something) and departs, leaving Raven feeling SURE that she will be proposed to tomorrow.

The next day, Nick roams the woods of Lapland WITHOUT A JACKET ON (my mother would KILL him) and then retires to his cabin (aka the Bear's Lodge, which sounds like a place where they stock "my type") when he hears a knock at the door and who is it but his old pal Neil Lane, going door-to-door peddling diamonds in the woods of Finland.  Nick selects a rock and laments that he must dump a girl.  Such is life, Mr. Viall.  Such is life.

Meanwhile the ladies are getting ready and they both pick fantastic looks.  Raven rocks a sparkly white/grey textured gown with light shoes and her gorgeous, dark hair swept to one side (I LOVE the one side sweep and recommend it for anyone trying to make their hair appeal more full.)  Vanessa looks gorgeous in a sequined black gown with side cut outs (not easy to pull off), black pumps, bold lip, and a super chic short fur coat.

As any Bachelor Fan knows, the first girl to arrive is the girl whose world is about to be ROCKED and not in a good way.  Whose little toes do we see first?

RAVEN!!!

Aww sweet sweet daughter of Hoxie, your world is about to be rocked.  Raven is escorted from the car down a snowy red carpet by Chris Harrison (earning that MONEY) and into the house, where she joins Nick and starts in on a monologue that the producers obviously told her to simply launch into.  Poor thing.  Nick can barely look her in the face and is hardly holding it together as she shares her feelings. Soon it's Nick's turn and he reflects on all the fun they have had, how much he loves her, but says that he's not "in" love with her and his heart is somewhere else.  Raven handles this rejection with such grace--simply listening and sorta smiling.  Props to her for having a poker face.  They tearfully hug goodbye and she hops in the car.  Next Stop: PARADISE!  Well not really, but during After the Final Rose we learn that Raven is indeed going to Bachelor In Paradise, which rules!

Up next is Vanessa and her voice overs are very dramatic (maybe taken from MUCH earlier in the season?)--she wonders if Nick can handle the pressure of having to BE engaged, if he can compromise (ummm girl can YOU?), and if she is going to hurt Nick (huh?).  She walks in and Nick grabs her, picks her up (his FAVORITE move), then they sorta fingertip touch hold hands (barf) as he says that he started to fall in love with her at the 2nd rose ceremony (ya hear that, Corinne?) and how so much of him being here is about his past, but "when I look at you all I see is the future." Goodness gracious are those lyrics off a Justin Timberlake single?

Vanessa shares that she was initially doubtful and she wondered if he would even notice her, but then says "instead, you have notice every part of me" which sounds strangely sexual and creepy. She mentions that she can be a little "emotional, a little crazy, and tend to overthink things" (way to list off your faults right after a guy finally admits he's into you). Nick gets down on one knee to propose and, contrary to almost everything Vanessa has said previous to this, she DOUBLES OVER in tears and emotionally, immediately accepts his proposal.  They make out and quite LITERALLY ride off on a sleigh into the Finnish wilderness, but not before Vanessa says, "let's do it, literally" just to be sure that we all know THEY FUCKIN'.

Then we have After The Final Rose and I'm sorry but that portion of the Finale Extravaganza is always a snooze fest to me.  The person who was rejected is obligated to look better than he or she has EVER looked in LIFE (and Raven delivers), the happy couple has to show that they are SO HAPPY (Nick and Vanessa do NOT deliver, I don't think--there was SO much talk of how damn HARD relationships are and I just feel like, THIS early on it's a daily struggle?), and Chris Harrison has to plug a few other things (the Vegas twins doing some lame spin off TV show on a D list network, Bachelor In Paradise, probably other things that I would have noticed if I weren't busy undercooking a pizza then overcooking a pizza).

The close of After The Final Rose is our girl Rachel who I am SO EXCITED about!  Rachel is our next Bachelorette (and first ever black Bachelorette) and her looks is a 70s dreamscape: 70s-style pantsuit romper thing that shows off her cleavage and has sleeves with slits to show off her arms, plus AMAZING sparkly rings on both hands.  She talks about trusting the process and taking the journey (because she's obligated to hit those talking points, no doubt) then, in a historic move in Bachelor Franchise history, Chris Harrison starts her season then and there!  I HATED THIS!! NO NO NO NO NO!! Rachel deserves better than this!  Some stage hands pop out with a giant backdrop of the Bachelor mansion (sucks to be the 50 people seated behind that backdrop) and 4 random guys come out, one by one, as if hopping out of limos on Night 1.  No no no.  No thank you.  Rachel is, at first, like, "no I'm not ready" but they just keep pushing and I DO NOT like it.  But if I must judge, I'll say that DeMario (first guy) is a gemstone, Blake (2nd guy) should be sent home immediately, Dean (3rd guy) immediately makes a racial joke which was fine, but I just found a little distasteful (and I'm a fucking professional comedian), and Eric (4th guy) didn't rock my socks although his little dance at the end was very cute.

And that's that!!  What did you think, dear readers?  Were you happy with Nick's decision?  Are you fired up for Rachel's season (starting in May) and for Bachelor In Paradise??

If you're rather listen than read (too late), listen to Dava Krause and I dish all the dirt on this episode on our podcast, The Fantasy Suite.  

Thanks so much for reading this season! See you in a few months--same time, same blogspot! xo

Bachelor Nick V. Fantasy Suite Part 2, Women Tell All

On Monday night, Bachelor Nation slogged through 3 hours of Bach and barely made it out alive. There were tears, bold lipstick choices, and at least one orgasm.

We left off last week with Raven and Nick heading into the Fuck Hut--I mean, Fantasy Suite--where they could hump down while watching the Northern Lights. Finland really DOES have it all!  This episode kicked off the next morning, with Raven saying that "Nick is really good at what he does" (software sales? being a repeated romantic reject? licking genitals?) so "I'm pretty satisfied today," then she proceeded to skip around Lapland, giving high fives to passers by and making snow angels to celebrate her orgasm.  Hey, to each her own.  This reminded me of a hilarious scene from 500 Days of Summer:  

Up next is Rachel and she is looking cute in snowbird style--red flannel shirt, red hat, jacket, boots. She runs to Nick and gives him a big hug and straddle (the only way I will greet ANYONE from here on out), then they go cross country skiing (the worst "sport" in the world), feed reindeer, and cruise on a sled. As they sit by a fire and drink tea (or hot booze?) Rachel explains that she struggles with being open to this experience and her fear of rejection, and assures Nick that he's a rarity--a genuine good guy (or something) to which Nick jokes that "I may be white, but I'm still a minority" which cracked me up but seemed to piss off some people on Twitter.

That night Rachel rocks a belly top, winter weather be damned (girl after my own heart), plus a striped sweater and black pants. She and Nick have a great conversation about following your heart and letting yourself fall in love, which prompts Rachel to tell him that she's falling in love with him. Nick responds, "I'm falling for you 100%" which is weird to hear when you KNOW THAT HE SENDS HER HOME IN MERE DAYS.  They make out HARD then open the Fantasy Suite card in which Chris Harrison implores them to explore each other sexually and offers them an old school skeleton key.  They head upstairs (so skeleton key was just a prop?), hop on a bed, and, presumably, have a night of sweet, sweet lovemaking.

The next morning Rachel is ALL IN and feels very confident while looking cute as a button in her sleeper suit (or were those pajamas? same thing?).  Nick has gotta jet and body check another lady, so he says goodbye.

We see Vanessa roaming the woods in a Canada Goose jacket (so much controversy about those jackets lately!), boots, and a hat thinking about how her hometown date "didn't go as well as hoped" (that's a nice way to put it) and that it left her with questions ("can anyone ever handle my HUGE, very loud, very intense family?").  Nick found their hometown date to be "a little on the serious side" which is another great way of admitting that this isn't fun anymore and perhaps his relationship with Vanessa has run its course.  They dress up in American Gladiator style blue swimsuits and spend their date submerging themselves in a frigid ice bath outdoors (WHY?) then running back into the hut to flail around. I thought that how that type of thing worked was that you immerse yourself in cold water, then hot water, then cold water, and so on--am I wrong? When did it become: scamper to an ice bath and shriek then sprint back into a hut and curl up in a ball on a wooden bench? Is this a new thing?  Finally they end up together in the hot tub (where they SHOULD have spent the entire damn date) where they discuss family. Nick says hers is very "traditional" and has many "big personalities" but claims to like that or maybe no? I literally couldn't understand what his point was, while Vanessa admits that she has CORE VALUES that she won't compromise on (what those specific values ARE, I couldn't tell, beyond weekly Sunday lunch with her family) YET she also thinks that Nick needs to learn how to compromise.  Huh?  Yikes!  Any way you slice it, this didn't go well.

The "If We Were In the Real World We Would Just Stop Hanging Out at This Point" tour continues that evening over drinks by a fire, where Nick essentially sings the Star Spangled Banner to Canadienne Vanessa. I'm sorry, but if you can't even begin to have the conversation of where you might live, I don't think you're going to make it.  Nick wonders if they are perhaps too similar, which doesn't seem like the real issue here, but probably a good smoke screen for "I'm just not that into you."  Vanessa says that Nick makes her feel like "the only person in the world who exists" which is a strange thing to say to ANOTHER person, but whatever. Generally, their interaction feels like a contract negotiation and I can't tell if that bodes well for Raven ultimately, or if the producers are tricking us into seeing Vanessa and Nick as a nonstarter.

Actual picture of Vanessa (ironic that their 1st date was floating in zero gravity!)

They rip open the card from Chris Harrison encouraging them to test drive it before they buy it, head out to the Fantasy Suite, and get to business.  The next morning we see shots of them cuddling and Vanessa says "I love you" in a way that is VERY natural, considering that they each member of this couple probably refuses to move cities for the other.

Soon it's rose ceremony time and the ladies are ready and dressed in black.  Rachel's dress has a dramatic, beaded neckline and back straps; Vanessa is in a mermaid cut dress (my fave) and looks gorgeous, Raven wears a black cocktail dress with a keyhole cleavage cut-out and it shows a LOTTA boob.  Wow.

Nick arrives and gives a semi-weepy monologue then hands roses to Raven, then Vanessa.  So sweet Rachel is going home, as we expected to happen WEEKS ago.

Rachel and Nick both cry and have some great hugs and conversation about what happened and it's actually not THAT hard to watch, since we know she has better things coming her way next season.  To be completely honest and corny, seeing her crying as she left and then seeing her in Women Tell All looking gorgeous and gearing up for HER season gave me a lot of hope.  I may be trying to get over a certain guy right now and pained by thoughts of him, but in a few months I'll be in my own metaphorical one shoulder dress feeling confident, looking great, and having a studio audience applaud me.

The Women Tell All was a 2 hour episode that really could have been a little over 30 minutes, if I had my druthers.  We watched Chris and Nick "surprise" Bachelor viewing parties all over southern California then headed back into the studio to see 19 rejects one last time.  Who was there?

-Jaimie - cute pink dress but later in the show her cleavage was background when Kristina was talking and it was a lil awkward.
-Liz - aka The Girl Who Humped Nick Pre-Show, But Also Digs Wells for Poors. I loved her red dress and red lip--great look, even if her strange pro-sex speech was pretty corny.
-Elizabeth - LITERALLY WHO?? She's very pretty (maybe overdid it a lil bit on the under-eye concealer, though) and I LOVE her bold, fuscia lip but everything she said just made me feel like I was listening to The Who's hit song "WHO ARE YOU"???
-Josephine - I had forgotten what a sorta sad wanna-be sidekick she was to Corinne, but she reminded Bachelor Nation. I LOVE the dark lip trend, but when you combine black lips and white-ish hair AND a mustard colored crushed velvet dress, you are playing with FIRE. No thank you.

If I knew how to make a gif, you could see that Josephine was rolling her eyes here.
Can we agree that the whiteish hair/black lip combo is just TOO intense??? 

-Lacey - NYC gal who didn't leave much of an impression, but seemed to want to do SOMETHING in this episode. Now her hair is light brown, which was meh. Also her dress was a snooze and a half in an unflattering color.  I'm sorry.
-Christen - LOVED that red dress with cool neckline, her question to Nick was sweet.
-Alexis - Dolphin Girl bein' Dolphin Girl with NJ state issued hoops and a plain black top.
-Dominique - sparkly top--I like it, but also she seems confused as to how love works. You like what you like, ya know?
-Astrid - in a cute fuscia dress but her hair/personality made me take a quick nap.
-Hailey - white separates, looking good, chiming in a LOT, whatever.
-Taylor - STILL has yet to figure out how to pull together a flattering look for herself.  During the episode Taylor begged Corinne to apologize for, essentially, making her look bad/unprofessional, but I'm sorry girl--you did that to yourself.  Her montage was PAINFUL to watch--wow.
-Sarah Smiley - cute, patterned romper thing with lace up neckline. Super cute.
-Jasmine G. - loved that bold pink dress, eye make-up was a lil heavy.
-Danielle L. - black patterned dress wasn't the most flattering and she seemed STILL UPSET over Nick. Wow. May I recommend "Start Where You Are" by Pema Chodron? For real.
-Corinne - holy clip in hair extensions, Batman! She looks good and during her time in the hot seat, she actually came off really well then handed out cheesy pasta. Way to stick the landing, girl.
-Whitney - aka Astrid in a black dress. Chimed in with some gems a few times.
-Danielle M. - she has gone from a golden blonde to an ashy blonde and I LIKE it. She wore a bold, white romper thing with low cut chest and I admire her strong choice in outfit.
-Kristina - looking beautiful in a red dress with high neck.

They joke around, discuss whether Corinne was the unfriendly know-it-all in the house or Taylor was (my money is on Taylor), and Liz strategically tries to make her one night stand with Nick pre-season into a feminist issue of slut shaming (which it wasn't--I think some girls were weirded out by that situation only because it seemed to give Liz a leg up--pun intended--from the start).  They form a pro-napping political party, there is SO MUCH EYE ROLLING, they all agree that they were all hyperventilating and having anxiety attacks ALL the time in the house (mmmK--I have a feeling none of you know what those things are), and Kristina helps make everyone else seem petty by talking about orphan life as a stepping stone to possible sexual slavery.

Nick comes out and sort of apologizes to a few of the women for simply not having chemistry with them (that's always the weirdest part to me) then Rachel comes out and talks about her excitement about being the first black bachelorette in franchise history.  She put it so well--she doesn't want that fact to be the FOCUS of her season, but she does want to acknowledge it.  Perfect.  I cannot WAIT for her season.

But first, we gotta see who wins Nick's heart for the next 6-8 weeks: Raven (fun, young, American) or Vanessa (seemingly not quite as fun anymore, adult, established, Canadian).  If history serves, Nick will pick fun over adult and besides, it's probably easier for Nick to break up with Raven during Dancing With the Stars than it would be to dump Vanessa.  Am I being too cynical?  Stay tuned!

Also, listen to the latest episode of The Fantasy Suite where Dava Krause and I dish on this episode and last.  All that here (ep 8): https://soundcloud.com/thefantasysuite