Американский Холостяк #20 Ben Higgins

barish

Many of you tweeted and commented to me that Leah did not, in fact, say Lauren B's name when she confronted Ben, and that it was spliced in. I'm inclined to agree, particularly since she would have just said "she" thereafter, not "this person":

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

barish

Then, when Lauren B tearfully tells Leah what happened...

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

barish

This is very telling. You can see that the only woman any of them suspect of having said anything is Leah. This is confirmed later with...

I'm irked that this came so out of left field. WHY is Lauren B not surprised it was Leah? How come all the ladies clearly only suspected her out of the 6 of them? So much airtime has been dedicated to Olivia-isms that there has been no way to see this coming. IRKED, I SAY.

So, do I think Leah actually said Lauren B's name to Ben at this particular cocktail party? No. But it doesn't matter. Based on what she did say and the fact that she does say it later on, she may as well have.

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

barish

Oh, and:


Farewell, Leah. I look forward to your WTA defense!

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

barish

TWO-ON-ONE DATE
THAT WEATHER. Talk about adding insult to the injury of having to go on a two-on-one in the first place...
This date felt rushed and like Ben didn't want to be there at all (I can't blame him). We've known it's been over between him and Olivia for some time now, and his reluctant pecks are further proof:

When Ben later sent her home for not being able to reciprocate her feelings, I had to wonder why he couldn't have done it in this moment.

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

barish

Emily appears to have an aversion to hair ties.
I had to laugh when Ben said he'd been told Emily was a committed person who had a lot of love to give... by HER MOM. He said, "She recognized that about you." Good grief, I should HOPE so.

We all noticed how Ben felt the need to bring the rose to break up with Olivia...
This seems like an obvious producer decision, since it naturally shoots Olivia's confidence through the roof only to pull the rug out from under her. However, Ben specified on his blog (which I don't normally read but a commenter on my Flare recap referred me to—thank you, Sara J!) that bringing the rose was of his own doing and he feels bad about it:
"One thing I feel really badly about was that I picked up the rose when I went to go talk to Olivia. In all honesty, I'm not really sure why I did that. There were so many other things on my mind that it must've just been instinct as I knew I was making my decision and I usually pick up the rose when I do that on other dates."
I call bullshit. There's plenty of time where Ben seems to consider what he's doing, and he seems almost reluctant to grab that rose. I originally suspected he was instructed by his producer to do this and I maintain that even after reading his blog.
Oh, and of course, Ben gives Emily the rose in plain view of Olivia, making me wonder for the millionth time why I watch this show:

I felt awful for Olivia. I know I've been an Olivia defender all season, but whether you loved or hated her, you had to feel for her as she was made to stand alone, stranded on an island while getting pummeled with rain. 2-on-1 dates are always my least favorite part of every season and this one was no exception.

ROSE CEREMONY
No surprises here. I don't think anyone thought Ben would send Lauren B home, but it was still sad to see Lauren H go. Lauren H, we'll miss you and your retainer! ♥

__________________
“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

https://twitter.com/jordynhtaylor

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

barish

The Bachelor ‏@BachelorABC
Around here we call those "The Right Reasons." #TheBachelor

__________________
“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

https://twitter.com/jordynhtaylor

__________________
“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 Bachelor ‏@BachelorABC
She's always been Team Ben but now... #TheBachelor

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

barish

The Bachelor ‏@BachelorABC
It does have a nice ring to it doesn't it? #TheBachelor

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

barish

Kristen Baldwin ‏@KristenGBaldwin
Accent Table of Doom! Second time this season! Life is good! #TheBachelor

__________________
“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

Good Morning America ‏@GMA · 4m4 minutes ago
Looks like JoJo is getting ready to watch some #TGIT!
@BachelorABC #TheBachelor

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