Американский Холостяк #19 Chris Soules

barish

Finding out the next day that the cocktail party was canceled in favor of a pool party was awesome.
<center></center>But it wasn't a party for everyone. I honestly couldn't tell if Ashley I. was laughing or crying when we were talking.
<center></center>I did feel bad that Jillian didn't give her the chance to talk to me, because I wanted to talk to her, but that whole laugh/cry thing is very confusing to us men. When I laugh, I laugh. When I cry, I cry. There's no middle ground! I also had no idea that the girls were spying on Jillian and me while we were in the hot tub. That was definitely awkward to watch.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

The rose ceremony came way too quickly. It's really hard saying goodbye to these great women, and I was sad to see Tracy, Amber and Trina go. But having Jimmy Kimmel around certainly lightened the mood, and we all had a really hard time keeping a straight face when he came in to announce the final rose of the evening.
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Jimmy definitely made the week unforgettable. And amazing.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

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</center>One last thing – a lot of people have questioned why I kept Ashley S. around the previous week, but as you saw this week, she's not always acting crazy; she can also be a totally sweet and cool girl, and I wanted to keep getting to know her better. And of course she's beautiful. No debate there.


Thank you so much for reading, and you'll definitely want to tune in next week to see what happens when I take a group of girls out of the glamour of the mansion for some down and dirty camping. Let's just say that things get in-tents. Get it? Seriously, it gets a little crazy. Hey you, guy whose job is just to throw black bars on stuff – get ready for more overtime!

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Поскольку этот выпуск был необычным, во первых, Джимми Киммел, во вторых, импровизация на свидании, то хочу скопировать, что об этом говорит Крис Харрисон в своем блоге, может кому то то, как и мне, это тоже будет интересно.
Yes, The Bachelor turned into an AMAZING comedy this week (that'll cost me a dollar). Hey, maybe after thirteen years of Emmy snubs in the reality category, this year we should apply in the comedy category. Jimmy Kimmel has been a huge fan and champion of The Bachelor since day one. He's had many of us on his show for years, and I know he's watched every single season. I've gotten to know Jimmy over the years and I just want to say that off-camera he is a great guy — he's just as funny, self-deprecating, and spot-on as he is on camera. So when his folks pitched us the idea of him coming over and taking my spot this week, we all thought it would be a great idea and a thrill for everyone on the show.

When I shoot my morning stuff with Chris and the ladies the night after a rose ceremony, we've only had a couple hours of sleep so usually there's very few of us there — everybody else is grabbing what little sleep they can before returning to work. But the funny thing is, the morning Jimmy was there just about everybody suddenly "had" to be at work. When I arrived on the famous driveway in front of the mansion that morning, there were already about 10 producers and handlers gushing over him. It was a sight to see.
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__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

The idea of waking Chris up the way we did was completely Jimmy's. That morning we were discussing ideas and Jimmy said, "Hey, give me a cup of coffee and let me just walk in and do my thing." You have to understand Chris truly had no idea, and may have been asleep for all of two hours, so he was completely out of it as you could see. There are some surreal moments when you are the Bachelor, and waking up with Jimmy Kimmel standing over you with your morning coffee is definitely one of them.

I wasn't sure what the girls' reaction would be when I brought Jimmy into the house, but it was complete and utter joy.
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__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

The first date Jimmy set up was incredibly clever, because everybody assumed with Jimmy involved the date would be over-the-top awesome. They apparently don't know Jimmy very well. He pulled the rug out from under Kaitlyn and Chris pretty well by sending them to Costco to do some shopping. For years now people on social media have said to me, "Why don't you ever just do what normal people do?" Well, here ya go: Costco. Chris and Kaitlyn really embraced this simple date and had a blast laughing their way through it all. It meant a lot to Chris that Kaitlyn went with every curve and embraced it and made it a great day.
<center></center>The dinner party was back at Chris's place. I don't know about you, but there was so much laughing and smiling I found myself just laughing and smiling along with them for no reason. They enjoyed each other so much it was contagious. Jimmy eventually came along that night and was his usual hilarious self. He had all of us rolling the entire night. I feel like Jimmy is my alter ego — he got to say and do all the things I've wanted to say and do over the last decade. At the end of the day, Kaitlyn got the rose, Jimmy got chicken wings, and everybody was happy.
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__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

<center></center>The group date was also a Jimmy Kimmel creation. It kind of reminded me of the race we put the girls through on Sean's season. Jimmy created a farm-themed competition that included such gems as chugging fresh, warm goat's milk (even writing this makes me almost gag) and wrestling a greased pig. Jimmy clearly has no clue that other than shucking corn, Chris absolutely does none of this on his farm — but I'm pretty sure he doesn't care because it was funny.
<center></center>The girls really got competitive and went after this race; Jillian wasn't even slowed down at all by the censor's black bar across her butt. In the end Carly, who we haven't seen much of, grabbed the pig and won the race. The night portion of this date was interesting because the kissing bandit was back. Chris has been very open with his affection for all the women; there has been a lot of kissing this season and especially on this date. The interesting thing is the girl who wouldn't kiss him, Becca, really grabbed his attention and got the rose. Hmmm, is there a lesson in here somewhere?

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Whitney is another girl that hasn't gotten a lot of time with Chris. She got the one on one date to the vineyard, which quickly turned into a wedding crashing date. We did an OK job of showing this, but you should know this was not planned and it was not our idea at all. None of this was set up by our producers and we didn't know those people at the wedding. Whitney is really the one who came up with the idea. The more she and Chris joked about it, the more they wanted to do it. Finally as you saw one of our producers said, "Hey if y'all want to do this, then go do it."
We were pretty close to the house so we drove them back to change and dress up so they could crash the reception, which was in the same place as you saw the wedding. Whitney grabbed some prop out of Chris's house and wrapped it as a wedding gift to the couple. The truly entertaining thing was the closer they got to actually crashing the wedding, the more nervous Chris and Whitney got. It was one of those things that sounded funny and cool, but when you're actually about to truly crash a wedding, you're nervous as hell.
I have to give massive props to our crew that night. With just a few cameras and the cover of darkness, they hid from a distance and somehow covered the wedding as best they could without being seen. As Chris mentioned, a producer or two also snuck in and shot some video on their phones as if they were family or friends just capturing the moments. It was genius on-the-fly television producing that was so well done it looked planned, but I promise you it wasn't. Towards the end I think people started recognizing Chris, but for most of the night they just blended in and had a blast at Nick and Shannon's wedding. I don't know Nick and Shannon but I hope to meet them soon. We are going to do our best to get them to the Women Tell All so we can officially meet this couple. I want to wish them the best and say congrats — and sorry we ate so much of your wedding cake.
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__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

<center></center>After a shower with Jimmy Kimmel and some workout time to pop the abs, it was time for Chris to join the ladies for a pool party. The party started out on an incredibly emotional note as Juelia told Chris about her past and how her husband committed suicide. If nothing else comes from this moment on the show, I'm glad we could once again help shine a light on an issue that is far too often swept under the rug in our society. Juelia is an incredibly strong woman and I'm grateful she shared her story on our show.
The rest of the party was pretty much a feeding frenzy on Chris's face as girl after girl went in for the kiss. I think he may have actually wanted to talk to Britt this time but couldn't get a word out.

The women are being really aggressive this season, going after what they want and assuming this is the way to get Chris's attention and a rose. I have to say it appears in most cases to be working. Chris certainly doesn't seem to mind.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

<center></center>That night at the rose ceremony we had a little more fun with Jimmy before it was time for him to take a moment and say his goodbyes. Having Jimmy around this week was a blast for everybody in front of and behind the camera. I was with ABC a year before Jimmy got his big late-night break. I'll never forget being at an ABC dinner at the Super Bowl in San Diego when they announced Jimmy as the network's first late-night star. He's a great guy who's worked his butt off to be the success that he is. I consider us very lucky to be able to count him as a proud member of Bachelor Nation. Next week, I get my job back — and I promise that it's going to be AMAZING.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Шарлин:
There’s no question in my mind that last night’s episode of The Bachelor was the best of all time. Jimmy Kimmel, guys. JIMMY KIMMEL. He came, he relentlessly mocked the series, and the show responded by playing along and laughing at itself. He called the ladies “sister wives,” mentioned the “sweet, sweet love-making” of the legendary Fantasy Suites, and made them put a dollar in a jar for every “amazing” uttered (God, yes).
<center></center>The whole thing was hilarious and fun and made me think for a fleeting moment that I walked into that casting call one year too early.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

It would be impossible to discuss last night’s episode without addressing all the kissing. By Episode 3, Chris has kissed eight women—which I’m pretty sure is a record for this early on. However, I do not equate many makeouts with the guy being a dirtbag, though many seem to. In fact, call me crazy, but I see Chris’s high kiss count as a sign of his gentlemanliness rather than his douchebaggery. Let me explain: in almost every kissing instance, the girl made the move. Chris was the recipient and, in my eyes, likely saved many a fragile ego by not deflecting their advances. The circumstances are highly competitive and there’s a lot of pressure to make a move, so how would you feel if you finally found the courage to plant one on him only to be refused, on national television no less?

Don’t get me wrong; I think if there’s no real chemistry there, his refusing could be gentlemanly in its own right. All I’m saying is he’s not an A-hole for kissing—correction: for being kissed by—so many women. Especially when the point of the show is for him to find his fit.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

My frontrunners this week are…

1. Kaitlyn, 29: The best part of the episode was easily Kaitlyn and Chris’s one-on-one to Costco. I honestly thought it looked like so much fun (I LOVE Costco), and I could do with all dates being activities as “mundane” as this. Kaitlyn really gets it. She’s smart and quick without ever coming off condescending or like a smartass. She can hold her own in the spotlight but doesn’t seem to seek it out or need it. Humour is a powerful tool, and this girl wields it like a master. I love her ITMs, too; she’s snarky while never being truly mean. This is an art. It’s official, then: if Chris doesn’t want Kaitlyn, I call dibs.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

2. Whitney, 29: What I love about Whitney is the fact that she stands out only when Chris (and the camera) come to her. This is a very good thing. You never see her cannonballing into the pool for attention or aggressively vying for extra time with him. They kiss only when it’s natural—at the end of a full-day date—and notably, when he kisses her. I just think Whitney is such a lady, and Chris clearly thinks so, too.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

3. Britt, 27: At this point Britt is already a fixture. As I said last week, she has a star power that just draws you to her. That said, while I love watching her onscreen, I still (still!) feel like her moments with Chris are the slightest bit affected. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Anyhow, I suspect Britt is going to get a one-on-one any day now, so further research can and will be done…

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

4. Becca, 25: Kudos to the girl who doesn’t feel obliged to kiss. Becca hasn’t gotten a ton of screen time, but she’s been a subtle fixture throughout. Chris seems genuinely into her, and I buy their chemistry. I get dark-horse potential from Becca.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Шарлин:
I found I had a hard time making fun of this episode because
a) the two girls with one-on-ones were legitimately great, and
b) with Jimmy Kimmel on hand, the show essentially made fun of itself for 2 hours. I gave this week my best shot!

"The fact of the matter is, God named him the Bachelor and his divine mission is to... is to have a lot of sex, I guess." —Jimmy Kimmel, God's gift to this show

There were a lot of excellent Chris-isms this week, first and foremost his recognition of and reaction to Jimmy Kimmel's appearance. You can tell he had NO idea this was coming and he looks straight at a producer. These real moments are the best.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

KAITLYN'S ONE-ON-ONE

I'm just going to come out and say it: I was jealous of this date. Given the choice of any Bachelor date over all the seasons, this is the one I would have wanted. My one-on-ones were certainly cool, but the mere thought of roaming around Costco with what's basically a perpetual "Get out of Jail free" card makes me giddy.

Plus, Kaitlyn and Chris are SO cute together:


I enjoyed his ultra-focused face as he earnestly engulfed her in the Jumbo Fun Ball.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

In the evening, Chris says, "My lifestyle is not glamorous" with lipstick already on his mouth despite there having been no kiss shown yet...

...to which Kaitlyn responds, "That's what I actually like about you." Chris' touched expression is adorable, but lo and behold, it was apparently pre-kiss...Kind of makes you wonder what the above expression was really in reaction to.

Jimmy Kimmel crashes their date and hilariously addresses the Fantasy Suites. I do have to agree with Kaitlyn; if you go on this show and end up "winning", you can't really hold it against the Bachelor that he made "sweet, sweet, sweet love" (Kimmel's words, not mine) to the other women in the final 3. I'm aware I'm particularly liberal-minded when it comes to this stuff.

I'm not condoning sleeping with three different people three nights in a row, particularly on national television (which is super messed up when you think about it). But you know the (again, messed up) premise of the show when signing up. And remember, you don't have to do anything you don't want to and a night in the Fantasy Suite doesn't necessarily mean sex.

The best was when Kaitlyn said she would deserve a hall pass thereafter. Excellent comeback.

Jimmy then demonstrates how astute he is... and on the whole there's plenty of mockery of the very show they're all on. Funniest one-on-one in Bachelor history.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

GROUP DATE

The girls are made to compete in a "Hoe-down Throw-down", a (frankly fun-looking) competition involving shucking corn, hunting for eggs, milking goats, manure-shoveling, and greased piglet-wrestling. We knew a farm-themed activity had to be around the corner so this didn't come as any surprise.

Some have argued that the women "demeaned" themselves by running around doing this, but I found it all tongue-in-cheek and amusing; unlike on last week's group date, they had their clothes, and this activity is exactly the sort of thing they'd have men do on the Bachelorette. (I know, I know: Two wrongs don't make a right. But if you take issue with this, maybe this series isn't for you.) Besides, how is this any different than any Survivor Immunity Challenge? My point: I pick my feminism battles and if this bothered you, you probably shouldn't be watching reality TV.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Mackenzie picks a battle of her own with Jillian's now infamously tiny shorts: "Jillian's shorts! The cows like it... That's what they're mooing at; her ass."

On the day that she herself wore:

Pot, meet Kettle.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

The evening portion was downright painful to watch. It was basically all the non-frontrunners putting heavy moves on Chris, a concept which you know by now I couldn't possibly disapprove of any more.

In their one-on-one time, Carly educates Chris, "you're a man and I am a woman", and moves in for a kiss.

Amber suggests they slow-dance without music—
Fun Fact #1: No joke, I know a girl from another season who was pressured to suggest this exact same thing. (You read right: Slow-dancing without music.) It never aired which makes me wonder how many times it's been suggested.
—which looks every bit as awkward as it sounds. Jillian aggressively makes out with Chris as well.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Mackenzie, poor picker of battles, asks Chris why he's kissing all the girls.

He responds, verbatim:
"Well, I, you know, it's (sighs), it's a good question. I'm, uh, yeah, I don't know. I guess it's, um, (clears throat) honestly, kissing is something that is, something I think part of a relationship, getting to know someone. It's, I guess I don't feel it's right if I don't just be who I am and put myself out there."
His eloquent explanation suffices, I think?

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Becca's approach is decidedly different: She has an actual conversation with Chris and instead of kissing him, says something I couldn't agree more with: I don't want to do something I wouldn't do normally.

HALLELUJAH. This was pretty much my mantra while I was on the show. I remember at one point I was being reticent (once again) about emoting BIG about something. In an ITM, a producer asked me, "But don't you want to look back and feel you made the most of this experience?" and I responded, "Yes, but it's more important that I look back and recognize myself."

Chris unsurprisingly awards Becca the date rose and it appears Crazy Eyes Ashley S reacts unfavorably...

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

WHITNEY'S ONE-ON-ONE

What was cool about this date is that I do believe the whole "wedding crash" thing wasn't planned. Of course they'd need to get all the guests (whose faces are shown) to sign releases, but I do think the original idea was unplanned. First of all, Whitney's date card from Jimmy Kimmel mentioned "No whining", a riddle that never got solved. Second, they showed Whitney and Chris asking and looking over at producers, along with all the shaky camerawork. I do love it when they show even the tiniest glimpse of the behind-the-scenes. If nothing else, this shows once again how close the cameras and producers are during your intimate conversations.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)