Американский Холостяк #20 Ben Higgins

barish

Хэйли:

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

barish

продолжаю анонс очередного выпуска:
A high stakes group date pits three women against one another, with the rose winner automatically getting a hometown date.
The one group date of the week produces the only date rose – and the only woman guaranteed a hometown date. Amanda, Becca and Caila spend a fun-filled day with Ben on a farm.

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

barish

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

barish

After spending some quality time with each woman, Ben offers his rose, and that lucky lady is taken to a special surprise dinner, and later, to a carnival filled with local well-wishers.

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

barish

Emily gets a huge surprise when her date with Ben includes a visit to his parents.

Emily is simultaneously thrilled and nervous when she learns that she will meet Ben’s parents. The couple spends the afternoon with the two most important people in Ben’s life. Will Emily make a good first impression and will this give her an advantage over the other women?
In one of the most emotionally charged rose ceremonies of the season, Ben is faced with the toughest decision he has had to make so far. The shocking results leave the four women who will move on to take Ben home to meet their families.

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

Sharleen
Episode 6
LAST WEEK'S ROSE CEREMONY
We pick up from last week's cliffhanger, where Emily has told Ben that Olivia's a bully and Ben wants to hear Olivia's side of the story. I find it interesting that Ben seems incapable of filing this information away for later research but has to know exactly what's up RIGHT THIS SECOND. (We later find he does the same with Lauren B.)
The following wasn't revealed last week, but it seems Ben asked almost every woman specifically about Olivia...

In my mind this changes things slightly. If three women—in this case, Emily, Amanda, and Jennifer were shown—separately come to him with the same opinion, that's pretty powerful. But if the women are prompted and thus feel "safe" to speak their mind, it doesn't carry the same weight in my mind.

It obviously matters a lot to him that the women get along and a rumor, whether true or not, seems to affect him more than most Bachelors of seasons past.

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

barish

How Olivia handled this conversation was crucial in my mind. She could have taken the high road, which would be to take at least partial responsibility and say she knows she rubs others the wrong way but is working on that. Instead, she plays the victim and says a string of things that maybe show just WHY she rubs women the wrong way...

Olivia is clearly a smart lady (I still can't get over her age) so I feel like she should know how this comes off. I'm sure watching it back was an eye-opener for her. Here's the thing: I know exactly how she feels. During filming, there were days where I felt like a real conversation couldn't be found if my life depended on it. But other days, I bonded big time with girls, we learned about each other, and talked about plenty of "smart" stuff. And while I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, I can paint my nails and style my hair 'til the cows come home. My point is, the two aren't mutually exclusive, and this "reason" Olivia gives for not meshing with others is a cop-out.

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

barish

One last thing about this Rose Ceremony. You can tell Jennifer was well-liked by the girls’ reactions to her departure...

Jennifer was one of those girls who simply didn't get much airtime because a) she wasn't a major frontrunner with Ben, and b) she didn't cause any drama. But the fact that the ladies were all teary-eyed to see her go makes me wish we'd seen more of her.

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

barish

THE BAHAMAS
The first date card arrives and shockingly, since Olivia, Emily, and Leah haven’t yet received a one-on-one date, the chosen lady is Caila (who received the first one-on-one of the season). There’s a very subtle editing fail here, as the conversation that follows makes no sense.
One might think Olivia would be the most upset about this, but after the last Rose Ceremony she seems to be laying particularly low. But you know who is pissed?

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

barish

CAILA'S ONE-ON-ONE
Right off the bat, Ben shows his insatiable desire to know about house drama...

... and then for the entire daytime part of the date, Caila and Ben do incredibly fun-looking things like deep-sea fishing and jumping into the water...

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

barish

... while dramatic, orchestrated, minor-key trauma music plays:

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

barish

I feel like the evening portion of Caila's date was heavily edited because I found it very hard to follow. First, Ben points out that Caila smiles a lot and he guesses she smiles through tough times. She says yes. Ben then asks, in a relationship, how exactly she would react if she or her partner were struggling. He asks if she'd still smile through it or if she'd "actually, you know, feel it." Frankly, I found the question kind of insulting, like he took exactly what he has always said he likes about her—the fact that she's always smiling and bubbly—and used it against her for the sake of having a "deeper" conversation.
Caila rightfully gets a bit defensive, and says she knows she's supposed to be "vulnerable". (To which Ben shouts, "No!") Then Ben says, "What I need from you is, are you ready or not? Do you really think I could be someone for you or not?" This and the original question are not even remotely the same. Caila clarifies by speaking in a language full of GFs (Greatest Fears, a term used so much it has earned its own abbreviation)...

Honestly, at first what she said came off a bit arrogant to me. I couldn't help but think, there are 10 women remaining and she's claiming to be afraid of breaking his heart? After marinating with it for awhile, though, I've decided I really like the notion. Not really because of either GF (I do have my doubts about either of those being their actual GFs) but more from the perspective that Caila isn't required to play the role of the one who gets her heart broken at the end of all this. There's something refreshing about that, like she may not know where she stands but she's confident in what she has to offer. Caring about him doesn't solely involve "falling in love" with him, but can also include worrying about hurting him. So while this conversation felt like a maze, the pot of gold at the end was worth it.

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

barish

GROUP DATE
As the weeks wear on, the Group Date activities tend to get cooler and cooler. (On my season, it was this week where we got to go "zorbing" down hills in New Zealand.) Feeding the pigs on Paradise Island is right up there in my books. What a unique experience! Leah asks a very valid question...

... and in general this date is hysterically funny...

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

barish

Back at the house, Emily is permitted to call her sister Haley with a producer's phone. (Which is SUCH a luxury, by the way. I know Haley was already on the show so the call was likely considered "relevant", but I'm still jealous.) The call turns into a voiceover while we see Olivia meandering down the beach...

... which is textbook B-roll. (Trust me: No contestant is allowed to go off down the beach on her own.)

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

barish

Ben spends a presumably long time with Lauren B, causing annoyance among the other women, particularly since it appears to be within plain view. But when you're ROCKING A SLEEPING PIGLET IN YOUR ARMS things can't be all bad...

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

barish

When explaining why the situation's as weird as it is, Voice-Of-Reason Jojo comes to the rescue...

THIS. This is precisely what makes The Bachelor so compelling. The contestants are cast as much for their looks as their personality. (I've mentioned before that a huge chunk of applicants are eliminated from the get-go based on looks alone.) And just by virtue of being attractive women, they are not accustomed to vying for attention from men. This is not something that should be held against them in any way, it's just how society values young, attractive women. (In other words, hate the game, not the players.) So to me, this is one of the major factors that make this show a social experiment—in addition to the actual feelings felt and the bubble in which they all live—and is up near the top on the "fascinating television" scale. I think this might also be a factor as to why I, as a viewer, prefer The Bachelor to The Bachelorette. It's not that I don't enjoy watching a woman at the helm; it's that a house full of confident men (who are used to doing the pursuing) are as a whole less intriguing to watch than a house full of confident women (who are used to being pursued).

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

barish

Leah confronts Ben about not having received a one-on-one, and Ben's response bugs me ever so slightly...

Don't get me wrong; in this episode, the rabbit hole down which Leah so willingly falls is inexcusable. But here she is, basically asking him where she stands, and he turns it around on her with an argument that really isn't true. As someone who has been on both, I assure you the time you have on a Group Date does NOT compare to a one-on-one, and it's a lot to ask of a contestant that they be forthcoming and make time. (Plus, if you do, you risk irritating others, à la Olivia.) The thing is, obviously Ben just isn't that into Leah. So, he should have just been honest and said he felt more strongly about others. I'm not saying he should have sent her home right here and now, but Leah's not to blame. YET.

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

barish

In the evening, there seems to be one lone room in which to have one-on-one time (usually there are at least two). Because of this, it amused me greatly how, in his one-on-one time with them, Ben went to such lengths to make each woman feel special, when every conversation and kiss shared was on the exact same sofa...

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