Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 2 Recap and Thoughts


It's going to be difficult only getting one episode of this a week, especially if they cut them off pre-rose ceremony like they did this week!

So with Katilyn officially the Bachelorette, Chris Harrison has a short sit-down with her to talk about a few things, including her many lip-locks that occurred during that first cocktail party. I personally have no problem with Kaitlyn kissing any and all of the contestants if she feels like it, so no judgement here!


Then it was on to the mansion where the dudes are being dudes and still talking about Britt. Which brings us away from the guys and to Britt in her hotel room, crying on the phone to her mom. Brady then knocks on the door and surprises her. She invites him in, gets a hug, and they presumably sit and chat. We don't know because we're whisked away again to the mansion where Chris Harrison gives the guys the details on the dates for the week: two group dates and a one-on-one.

The guys picked for the first group date are Daniel, Justin, Jared, Corey, Tanner, Kupah, Ben H., and Ben Z. The hint in the date card is about a ring, which turns out to be a boxing ring. At first, the date is pretty good. Laila Ali is the special guest and every one gets to work on boxing skills and talk to Katilyn intermittently.


Kaitlyn looks super-cute in her boxing outfit and she clearly has chemistry with some of the guys. There are lots of laughs, until Kaitlyn admits she forgot Kupah was even on the date because he's so into the boxing and never approaches her to talk. Then Laila Ali drops the bomb that the guys are going to go head-to-head in the ring. They get changed and then are paired up in a single-elimination tournament. It's clear in a few of the pairs who will win. Ben Z. is a beast and it shows. Kupah is another one everyone expects to succeed. Fitness trainer Justin looks like he could handle himself. Some of the others, not so much.

Kaitlyn admits she is nervous and asks the guys not to hurt each other. Starting off the first round is Ben Z. against Daniel. The guys don't start soft or slow - they go after it right away. Ben Z. has Daniel running around the ring until it is called in favor of Ben Z. Next is Corey versus Justin. Justin seems like he'd be the clear winner, but Corey goes fast and hard at him, and though they don't show it, Corey wins. Next is Ben H. against Jared, and surprisingly Jared is feisty and gets Ben H. down and out fast. Then it's Tanner versus Kupah, and Chris Harrison jokes that he's bet a Hyundai on Kupah. Tanner tries but the towel is thrown in favor of Kupah pretty quickly.



The second round starts with Ben Z. taking on Corey, which is decided in Ben Z.'s favor after a few well-placed, hard hits. Next is Jared versus Kupah, which seems like a no-brainer, but feisty Jared hammers at Kupah until he goes down. The main event is Jared against Ben Z. It's not exactly an even fight, and Jared tries hard to do what he did in his previous matches, but he gets a hard hit to the head and goes down. Katilyn feels bad that he got hurt. The medics check Jared out and it is determined he should to to the hospital, so he misses the rest of the group date.

Katilyn keeps Jared in the back of her mind, but she has other guys to worry about, so she takes some time with Ben Z. first since he won. Kaitlyn is already attracted to him but they make a connection over cooking and the tragic loss of his mom at a young age. Justin gets some time and he talks about his son, which makes Katilyn talk about how she wants a family. There is something off about Justin for me that I can't put my finger on. Maybe once we see more of his personality, that will go away (or that aspect I'm picking up on will be revealed). It's clear that Katilyn has more chemistry with some of the guys than she does others. I think she puts herself out there in conversations and is very much looking for the guys that reciprocate. Some of them either don't pick up what she's putting down or they just don't respond in kind (I think of Katilyn as being pretty free with her words and her body language, especially when she's into a guy).

While Katilyn is talking to Daniel, she gets a note telling her to come downstairs, sender unknown. She goes outside and finds that it is Jared. He can't join the party, but on the way back to the mansion he was allowed to stop by and go for a walk with her so he doesn't completely miss out. He kisses her and she was into it. The more screen time Jared gets, the more I like him. He is attractive once you get past the scruff and wolf-like features, but I'm worried that he is more into her than she is/will be into him. Maybe he'll be on Bachelor in Paradise? Here's hoping!


Inside again, Ben Z. gets the group date rose and the first rose of the episode. Meanwhile, back at the mansion, we get a taste of J.J. He's extremely confident that he will get the one-on-one date, but it goes to Clint. J.J. is "so bummed, so bummed" yet he's also not worried at all and is certain he will get a rose. Ick. The hint in the date card was about taking Katilyn's breath away, and it turns out the date is an underwater photo shoot. Katilyn wants to see if she and Clint have real chemistry, and also she was impressed by his drawing of Chris Harrison riding a dinosaur.

Before the shoot, they get dressed in fancy clothes and then do some get-in-the-mood yoga, reminiscent of poor Carly's sex guru date with Farmer Chris. The photo shoot looks like a lot of fun and the pictures are pretty cool. Katilyn has trouble not holding her nose, though my question is how are the able to open their eyes? Anyway, the chemistry is definitely there and Katilyn gets her first ever underwater first kiss. Then there is more making out at the side of the pool. After, on a roof overlooking the city, is a romantic dinner, more conversation, and more kissing. Katilyn is continually impressed with Clint (he doesn't say much but when he does it seems to be the right things). He gets the date rose and second rose of the episode.


Meanwhile, back at the mansion, we get our first glimpse of the crazy that is Tony the Healer. When he talks, it's like he's riding a word wave the never ends, and only a little of it makes sense. He even says Britt when he means to say Katilyn and doesn't recover from the blunder. Then the second group date card arrives and J.J., Jonathan, Joshua, Chris, Ian, Joe, and Tony are listed for the date, which means Cory (no 'e'), Ryan B. and Shawn B. don't get a date this week.

The hint in the date card is "stand up" so the guys figure out that the date may involve stand-up comedy. They are right and arrive to find Katilyn with the episode's second special guest, Amy Schumer. I love Amy Schumer. This segment is my favorite part of the whole night by far. Amy spits some truth out of the gate while talking to Katilyn and then the guys arrive. J.J. keeps saying he will get the group date rose, and I get more and more annoyed with him each time his face is on the screen.

The guys are stoked that Amy Schumer is there until they are told they will be the show that night. But Amy brought help: Nikki Glaser, Rachel Feinstein, and Bridget Everett. The guys and the mentors go work on the routines. It doesn't look good for the guys, though Cupcake Chris seems to have some natural humor that I appreciate. The best part, though, is when J.J. is with Amy Schumer and he is trying so hard, and then he reveals his true self, saying, "Sometimes I feel like I'm too smart for, like, 90% of the audience..." and you can see Amy just judging this guy and it is hilarious. In response to this she says, "I wanna make you feel better. You're not." and it totally goes over his head. She says something similar a little later and he's not even paying attention to her (trying to work on his "comedy"), which brings me to my favorite shot of the night, seen below, followed by Amy, in her ITM, calling J.J. a turd.


The Bachelorette Amateur Night commences and first up is Ian. I was afraid he was going to bomb (he was afraid as well) but he has a really good joke about sweating like Juan Pablo at the Women Tell All episode. Joshua is next and he gets self-deprecating by making fun of his job title, then turns it around into a dirty joke, which Katilyn loves, of course. We see Jonathan for a split second, and his open is very much like what you see most comedians do, and he 's smooth about it, but we don't actually see any comedy from him. Next is Cupcake Chris, and he was impressive, even through his obvious nerves, turning his lack of stand-up skills into a big joke, which everyone loved, and earned him a big hug from Katilyn.

Train-wreck Tony follows Chris. Tony just word vomited all over the audience, being very sincere which most people there did not understand wasn't an act or a joke, so there were a lot of twitters until the audience realized he was serious (and seriously not funny). He goes into what amounts to a motivational speech and also admits that's he's drunk. At one point the crowd is laughing at his ineptitude and he gets confused and just ends it by welcoming the next contestant. J.J. is next and he is better than Tony and uses Tony's crazy to make some jokes that work. Last is Joe, who makes a really good joke about his accent. Overall, it was pretty fun to watch (except for Tony), and the group heads off for the next part of the date.

Katilyn gets some time with Joshua first, and he continues being funny by talking about his dogs. He just seems like a really down-to-earth guy, and he's a hunk, so Katilyn is definitely feeling him. J.J. is talking to the guys and gets Tony going on whatever he is saying about him and Katilyn and who is there for whom and whatnot. This leads to my second most favorite moment of the night - the look on Joe's face as he has to sit next to Tony and listen to the crazy babble (seen below). To me, Joe's face is saying, "Someone get me some more moonshine before I dropkick this dingbat." Tony continues his ridiculousness once he gets some time with Katilyn, and while he's talking all about their connection in his ITM, her face while she is with him is not what I'd call connected. More confused than anything, and a little bit of, "I can't believe this s***."


Then J.J. gets his time with Katilyn and he talks about his daughter, which Katilyn is into, but I still just want to wipe his face off the screen. He pulls her in for a kiss, and at this point, I'm definitely sure that Katilyn gives a lot of credit to the guys that go in for the kiss. She likes funny and she likes physical. When Joe takes Katilyn outside, he doesn't waste any time and they start making out, then he's all cute and southern about it, which just seems to attract Katilyn even more. He then admits that he didn't event talk to Britt and if Katilyn had been sent home, Joe would have pulled a Brady and pursued her anyway. The group reconvenes and the group date rose gets picked up and Katilyn starts going through what she likes about each guy. She lands on J.J. and gives him the third rose of the episode. I (along with most viewers, I'm sure) were not happy, and J.J. just makes it worse by being a smug d-bag about it.

Going into the cocktail party, everyone is nervous, except those guys with roses (Ben Z., Clint, and J.J.). In Tanner's ITM he says the group decided to let the guys who didn't get a date this week get the first alone time with Katilyn. But when she comes in, J.J. grabs her right away, pissing off literally everyone. The other guys are certain J.J. is a snake and he makes it clear to Katilyn that he's not there for the boys, and literally says "sorry, not sorry" when he goes back inside. Kupah is very upset and gets right in J.J.'s face. Instead of feeling intimidated or sorry, J.J. just lets all of the guys' ill-will pump up his smug aura.


The next conversation we get to see is Ian and he tells Katilyn his story, which is sad but also hopeful since he worked back from his injuries to be able to run again. He also goes in for the kiss and seems to make a genuine connection with Katilyn. Inside, Kupah continues to rant and Tony shows his less peaceful side, which is kind of funny because even mad, Tony is as intense as ever. Clint seems to find J.J.'s antics amusing, but he's sitting pretty with a rose so that is probably why he doesn't care.

Then we're back to Kupah, who's worried he's filling the minority quota (which, let's be honest, this show is TERRIBLE with diversity, so I can see why he'd worry about that). But when he goes to talk with Katilyn, the situation just implodes. He questions if he's made an impression because she hasn't paid him much attention but she counters with that he wasn't noticing her because he didn't go talk to her on the group date. But he continues to air grievances, including that he doesn't want to be there because "he looks good on the roster of men." And from there Katilyn is pretty much over it. But he keeps talking and putting his foot in his mouth and she says she felt a connection until that moment. But Kupah keeps trying (badly), and if you want to see Katilyn's "I"m not buying this." face, look below.


The conversation ends when Katilyn says she needs some time to think about what's he's said. But Kupah goes straight to some of the other guys talking about his time with Katilyn, and Katilyn can totally hear everything. She gets peeved and goes over to the group, saying Kupah doesn't have a quiet voice and that he's clearly upset and she wants to talk to him. Kupah is laughing as she leads him away, but when she says she's going to let him go, he's stunned. Then he argues with her, going over and over about how hot she is, but she stands her ground and he refuses to listen to her. He tells her good luck before she goes inside, but then during her ITM she can hear him yelling at the producers (which that is also on tape for his ITM). The last thing we see is Kaitlyn running outside.

So no rose ceremony, but wait! We're not done yet! As the credits play, we see Britt and Brady talking about their connection and how they've hung out for a week. We see them kiss and laugh and, really, I'm over it. They do look cute and I'm sure we'll keep getting updates like this (at least they don't take up actual episode time).


Overall, it was an eventful episode, but I hope they don't keep putting off the rose ceremonies like they did tonight. My week 2 list is as follows:

Funniest: tie between Chris and Joshua
Biggest hunk: tie between Ben Z. and Joshua
Guy I think currently has the most chemistry with Kaitlyn: Clint
Guy I was most surprised by (in a good way): Jared
Guy I'm fine never seeing again: tie between J.J., Tony, and Kupah
Guy with the least screen time: Cory
Letter of the alphabet most abused by this show: J (seven contestants with 'J' names)


Thanks for visiting!

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Lend Me Your Earbuds! [1]


Hey quirks! I plan to do this feature whenever the mood strikes me, and it could be about music, podcasts, or even audio books! Today I want to tell you about a couple podcasts I enjoy listening to on a regular basis about books and reading. I hope you check them out!


Literary Disco
LD is hosted by three writers/bookish individuals: Tod Goldberg, Julia Pistell, and Rider Strong (yes, that Rider Strong). They play fun and often hilarious games, talk about books on their shelves, and read and discuss a book each episode. Through LD I've learned about a lot of books I'd never heard of before and I love listening to these three banter.





Books on the Nightstand is hosted by Ann Kingman and Michael Kindness, both book lovers and publishing industry professionals. They discuss different topics and themes each episode, answer listener questions, recommend titles, talk about new book releases and current events in the book world.






Thanks for visiting!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 1 Recap and Thoughts


The first two nights of The Bachelorette gave us two gorgeous ladies, lots of men, a drunken idiot, tears, and cheers.

I'm going to skip over the beginning of the show, which gave background on Kaitlyn and Britt and then some of the guys. The introductions out of the limos weren't mind-blowing overall, though there were a few standouts. A couple rode up in crazy vehicles: Chris (Nashville, Dentist) came up in a cupcake car and Shawn E. (Ontario, Amateur Sex Coach) rolled up in a "carpool" and was soaking wet. The ladies thought both were hilarious. Not so hilarious (or it was, but in a bad way) was Tony (Saint Louis, Healer) giving each girl the exact same spiel with them standing within earshot of each other. Mostly, the intros were just awkward. My favorite was Ian (San Diego, Executive Recruiter). He walked right up to Kaitlyn, told her he was there for her and he was going to make sure she stayed. Directness FTW!


Inside, the guys speculated about the ladies and many lightly chose sides. When the ladies joined them, the drinks and conversation flowed quickly, and it didn't take long before the bachelorettes were being pulled away for one-on-one time. Ian, again, stepped up to the plate and got Kaitlyn first, and Justin (Naperville, Fitness Trainer) got Britt.

What little snippets of Ian we got from interviews and his conversations with Kaitlyn only continued to impress me. He seems serious about finding love and a good guy to boot. We got some of his back story at the beginning of the show, so I think he not only has a great chance, but will be a great choice.


There were lots of little connections being made, lots of bubbly conversation and laughter, and lots of the ladies talking about her nervous and excited they were. When we cut to the guys chatting, the talk is continuous about which lady each one prefers. Corey (New York, Investment Banker) even threw out some strategy, debating if it was wiser to vote for the lady you liked best, or to vote for the one that liked you best. This made me question his intentions, or, he could just have not had a preference and was therefore doing the next most logical thing - figuring out how to stay in the game. Creepy John Travolta a.k.a. Josh (Chicago, Law Student/Exotic Dancer) even commented on how Corey's thought process was "pure strategy" while stroking his stubble.

We get a sweet moment with Joe (Columbia, Insurance Agent) where Kaitlyn repeated where he was from (Kentucky) and he says, "Yes, ma'am," and Kaitlyn flips out over how cute it was. Then Chris Harrison gets everyone's attention and says the voting room to decide who will be THE bachelorette is open, and Tony the Healer doesn't even wait for Host Chris to finish. He jumps up, walks to the voting room, and puts his rose into Britt's box (after being weird and placing his hands on both boxes and saying, "...I felt like the energy coming from the chest with Britt's name on it was pulsating.").


Then the ladies make mad dashes to talk to any and all men who they haven't gotten to talk to yet. Kaitlyn then has a talk with Joe that seems to go well and he, while being open-minded toward Britt, has essentially settled on Kaitlyn. More awkward moments arise and the guys keep discussing who should be The Bachelorette amongst themselves and start truly taking sides and even attempting to sway the others if the can. One of the guys, Jared a.k.a. Love Man (Warwick, Restaurant Manager) breaks down the situation for the guys by saying that when he was with one lady, she was it, then he talked to the other, and his mind changed, and that ultimately he didn't decided until he walked into the voting room. Votes continued to get cast, though most aren't shown.

Amidst all of this Ryan M. (Kansas City, Junkyard Specialist) gets drunk, gets undressed, gets wet, gets into confrontations with other dudes, slaps Kaitlyn on the rear, calls the ladies "hoes", throws his vote rose against a wall, asks why he isn't raping one of the other dudes right then, and is eventually approached by a really big bouncer dude. When he is told that Chris Harrison wants to talk to him, he responds, "Chris Hansen?" who is the host of To Catch a Predator, which is probably a more appropriate show for Ryan M. to be on than The Bachelorette.


After Ryan M. was booted, Tanner (Kansas City, Auto Finance Manager) is pretty sure he's going to vote for Kaitlyn, but he wants to be sure so he goes to talk to Britt. Britt almost immediately calls him out on having given her tissues during his intro (in reference to her crying on The Bachelor), and it was awkward. In the next shot, Tanner is gung ho on Kaitlyn. No clue why (/sarcasm).

We next see a nice interaction between Kaitlyn and Shawn B. (Windsor Locks, Personal Trainer) and Shawn B. is a lot cuter than in his bio photo and very smooth (I took to calling him Shawn Gosling on Twitter because he favors the Canadian actor, but is more the Hey Girl meme version of Gosling in my opinion). Meanwhile, Britt has a sweet conversation with Brady (Nashville, Singer-songwriter) where they discuss spirituality, then it's back to the guys going back and forth about the ladies.


Night one ends with the cliffhanger of Chris Harrison counting the votes then walking out to let the ladies know the results. Night two picks up right there, with Host Chris telling Britt (in an intentionally roundabout way) that she is not going to be The Bachelorette. Surprisingly Britt holds it together well until she gets into the limo, but she is shocked that she is going home.

In the same roundabout way, Host Chris tells Kaitlyn that she is The Bachelorette, and she is overwhelmed with excitement and happiness, then immediately stressed again when Chris says there will be a rose ceremony. After talking to the guys as a group, Kaitlyn continues getting to know the men.


Kaitlyn talks with Joshua (Kuna, Industrial Welder) who gives her a metal rose that he made. Soon after, the First Impression Rose is brought out. A quick succession of conversations is shown and then the worries begin about if those that voted for Britt will have a shot with Kaitlyn. To up their odds, many of them try to get one-on-one time with Kaitlyn. Jared a.k.a. Love Man decided to be upfront with Kaitlyn about his vote and she appreciated his honesty. However, the conversation makes Kaitlyn question if the guys that voted for Britt are in any way happy that Kaitlyn is The Bachelorette. Brady talks about his mixed feelings about staying and his disappointment that Britt didn't get chosen.

J.J. (Denver, Former Investment Banker) had originally been there for Kaitlyn, but after not getting to talk with her and making a connection with Britt, he is now concerned about getting to know Kaitlyn. When Kaitlyn tells him that him having a three-year-old daughter would make her take him more seriously than some of the others, he's right back on board with Kaitlyn. Chris the Dentist gets time next and jumps right to praising Kaitlyn, makes a joke or two, and then goes in for a kiss, the first of the night.


Katilyn continues to get more comfortable talking to the guys. She has another conversation with Joe and Shawn B., and probably with Clint (Chicago, Architectural Engineer), but the next shot we get shows Katiltyn going inside to get the First Impression Rose and stealing Shawn B. away. They go outside and she gives him the First Impression Rose and Kaitlyn gets her second kiss of the night.

Then we're taken right to the rose ceremony. Lots of the guys are nervous, some because they aren't sure where they stand, others because they voted for Britt and are hoping either Kaitlyn doesn't know or won't count it against them. The ones that voted for Katilyn are hoping they get to stay and the Britt-voters get sent home. Katilyn begins handing out roses. Shawn B. already has one, so her first Rose Ceremony rose goes to Chris the Dentist. Next is Ben H. (Denver, Software Salesman), J.J., Joe, Kupah (Boston, Entrepreneur), Daniel (Nashville, Fashion Designer), Ryan B. (Wellington, Realtor), Joshua, and Tony. Before Kaitlyn can continue, Brady interrupts the ceremony and asks to speak to her. They talk and Brady confesses that his heart is with Britt and he is excusing himself from the competition to find Britt, and Chris Harrison promises to help him out.


Kaitlyn is fine with his leaving because she appreciates his honesty and doesn't want someone to stay that isn't there for her. She explains Brady's decision to the rest of the guys then continues on handing out roses. Clint receives the next rose, then Corey, Jonathan (Detroit, Automotive Specialist), Cory (Pearland, Residential Developer), Ben Z. (San Jose, Entrepreneur), Tanner, Ian, Justin, and then there is only one more rose. Kaitlyn picks Jared, which means David (Orlando, Real Estate Agent), Bradley (Atlanta, International Auto Shipper), Shawn E., and Josh were sent home.

The night started with two ladies and twenty-five men, and ended with one bachelorette and nineteen guys moving on to the next week. There was a big teaser at the end of the episode, but I don't even want to go into it. Looks like this season may be the most dramatic/craziest one yet.


So what did I think of the guys? I've made a little list:

Guy I hope stays a long while: Ian
Guy I was most surprised by (in a good way): Chris
Guy I think currently has the most chemistry with Kaitlyn: Shawn B.
Guy I wish we'd gotten to know more: David
Guy I could really do without: Tony


What did you think of The Bachelorette premier?
Let me know and thanks for visiting!




Monday, May 18, 2015

Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Thoughts and Cast Rundown


I was a kid when the first season of The Bachelor took reality TV by storm. Of course my family tuned in to see what all the fuss was about, but it didn't keep our attention long. Now, many seasons and spin-offs later, I'm watching it again. It started with a small dalliance with Bachelorette Desiree (season 9), and then I totally skipped the expectation-crushing Juan Pablo (The Bachelor season 18), and then I was head-over-heels for Georgia peach Andi (season 10) and Prince Farming Chris (season 19), and I even loved all the drama of Bachelor in Paradise.

For The Bachelorette Season 11, they've chosen two ladies: Kaitlyn and Britt. During season 19 of The Bachelor, I wasn't sure about Kaitlyn, until her down-to-earth humor and quirkiness won me over. You could also see the change in her as she fell for Chris, which was nice, and ultimately heartbreaking, to watch.

   

Britt, on the other hand, I liked immediately. She was beautiful, had an immediate connection with Chris, and seemed to be sweet. Over time and thanks no doubt to the producers, she became less appealing. What sealed the deal for me was on The Women Tell All episode when she didn't do herself any favors in the way she acted with Chris.

So now, two bachelorettes? When I heard this, my initial thought was that I didn't like Britt, so I didn't want to see her on the screen. However, I thought that if they kept both ladies for the whole process, it might be fun to watch them fight over the group of men and see the men struggle to decide who they liked better. But the fact that they are voting off one of the ladies on the first night pretty much makes the drama of two bachelorettes non-existent. Basically, it's a waste of a gimmick. My choice has always been Kaitlyn, even before the ladies' names were announced, and I've visited Reality Steve so I know who stays and who goes (don't click that link if you don't want spoilers!).

On to this season's dudes! I'm going to judge each guy based off of his picture (which is usually not great due to awkwardness/bad photo-shopping/yearbook-level backgrounds) and the bio information provided, but I won't be mentioning every bit of info. To see more of the contestants' bios, visit ABC or check out the hilarious breakdown on The Right Reasons.

Ben H.
Looks-wise, Ben H. has a nice Jesse Bradford vibe going. His answers on his bio are pretty good - decent movie selections (The Sandlot, Crash, 500 Days of Summer), an actual important human being to have lunch with (Nelson Mandela), and mentioned Batman as his aspirational superhero (a good if safe choice). His answer about marriage is unfortunately a little hardcore: "It is a total sacrifice. Marriage is about a commitment to another person and total sacrifice to fulfill that commitment." He's not wrong, but it's a little heavy on the serious nature of commitment - marriage can be fun too!


Ben Z.
Ben Z. could be the long-lost brother of Chris Evans. He looks nice, but his movie choices are a little dude-bro for me (Gladiator, Gone in 60 Seconds, Wedding Crashers). Nothing really stands out in his bio as super-interesting so he may be a little thin on personality, but I do like the last thing he says about marriage: "I want to find someone who I can share my life with and have a blast doing it."


Bradley
On first glance, I get a frat boy vibe off of Bradley and his mention of university and being an All-American tennis player only make me lean more that way. His movie choices are a little puzzling but not terrible (Wolf of Wall Street, Will Ferrell movies, Rainman), but his choice of Tom Brady as who he'd want to be for a day -- and why -- are a little squick. But his biggest date fear ("Someone who can't handle or understand my sarcasm.") and his marriage answer ("...who will gladly handle my flaws for the rest of my life.") makes me think he has flaws that lead to him feeling "misunderstood" and for which a girl or two have dropped him.


Brady
Brady reminds me of Keith Urban (probably the chin, stubble, and clothes) which is funny because he lives in Nashville and is a musician. I like that he likes Coldplay, but I've never heard of the other two artists mentioned. His answers in general are thoughtful but safe in a way that makes him less interesting, which makes me think he just looks like a rocker while actually being a Christian Contemporary artist (for the record, I have no idea what he sings).


Chris
Chris looks a little too perfect, kind of like a dude version of a Stepford wife. His answers are a little like that as well - not too crazy and not too safe. He's already been on national TV and in his underwear no less, but he chose Superman as the superhero he would like to be, which is boring. Funny how he didn't pick a Superman movie for his all-time favorite movies.


Clint
Not a fan of Clint's hair, though his face is good. His movie answers are very bro (Gladiator, Good Will Hunting, Tommy Boy), as is choosing Chuck Norris "for obvious reasons" as who he would like to be for a day. His answer about his dad is sweet, but detailed in such a way as to seem almost calculated.


Corey
Corey (with an 'e') definitely feels older than thirty from his answers and photo (that t-shirt does not look natural on him), and he looks like the Wall Street type (he is an investment banker) which instantly makes me not want to trust him. From his movie selections I get that he likes violence and male drama (Last of the Mohicans, Good Will Hunting, The Departed), and his answer to what superpower he would want makes me think he's read Twilight and wants to be a vampire. Also, he called the Dali Lama "an enlightened cat." I would not be surprised if it is revealed that he is bisexual or gay (or actually a vampire).


Cory
Cory (without an 'e') looks like J.J. from Andi's season, and (though I never thought I'd say this) I think J.J. is cuter. Cory's personality seems really, really thin. It feels like he picked Along Came Polly because he thought it would be a movie chicks like and didn't want to seem too dude-bro (he also chose Rudy and The Goonies, making me think he should have just gone for a Sean Astin three-peat and picked Lord of the Rings as well). His answer are also super short and a touch odd, and not in a good way.


Daniel
Well, hello there Wil Wheaton...erm, I mean Daniel. Daniel is from Nashville and a fashion designer which is...interesting. I really like his answer about his most outrageous act ("Biked across America from Virginia to Oregon.") and the most romantic present he has ever received ("Support and love. Buying stuff is easy."), but then he loses me when he uses the term "baller" to describe the life of the Prince of Monaco.


David
I think David is cute, and while his movie answers are predictable (300, Fight Club, Inception), they aren't awful. I like his answer about marriage and who he admires most ("My younger sister because she knows exactly what she wants to do with her life and she has such a great passion for it."). I also like that he has a plan for his business and likes to travel. But his answer for who he'd like to have lunch with ruins the whole thing: "Brad Pitt, so he can tell me some of his crazy stories and teach me a thing or two about charming women."



Ian
Ian looks nice but also like he could be tough (he did chose Taken as a favorite movie). His answers are short but mostly I like them, especially his biggest date fear ("Someone that can't hold a conversation"), though I wouldn't say Richard Branson is a guy to admire so much as envy.


Jared
Jared is definitely a werewolf in his spare time, and I'm basing that on his facial structure, teeth, eyebrows, and hair. I'm not crazy about his movie choices (The Social Network; Crazy, Stupid, Love; Superman [1978]), and his lack of fears about dating makes me think he's an outgoing, confident (maybe too confident?) guy. His greatest achievement feels a little thin and braggy, and you should only want to be the president if you want to age five times faster than normal. I do like his answer about who he admires most: "My father because he is the most genuine, kind, hardworking man I've ever met."



JJ
JJ looks kind of nice and also like he could be a Wilson brother. He's a former investment banker, which make me wonder what he's up to now. I dislike his movie choices as a group (A River Runs Through It, Dumb and Dumber, Rocky), and his answer about his biggest date fear ("Wasting my time and money on someone who was just using me for dinner"), favorite actor (Robert Downey Jr.), and the fact that he bets money on college football (oh, and that he was an investment banker) makes me believe he is all about the dough, which is great if he's generous, but I think he's probably more of a Scrooge.



Joe
Oh, Joe. Joe seems like a sweet guy (and I actually know someone that went to school with him), but his hair is not doing him any favors. I've seen other pictures of him where he's cute, so hopefully that will come across better on screen. Otherwise, I like most of his answers, especially about his greatest achievement (though I wouldn't call it an achievement so much as a good thing), and who he'd like to have lunch with ("It would be with my grandmother who just passed away this last December. Just because I miss her.").




Jonathan
Jonathan is a cutie but his answers make me think he can be a smooth talker and not all that genuine (his job is basically to be a glorified car salesman). He picks Superman as the superhero he'd want to be, which is totally boring and makes no sense to me. Then he picks Warren Buffet as who he'd want to have lunch with, to "have him mentor me and let me in on wealth secrets." Sounds like Jonathan's first priority is all green.


Josh
Josh is giving off heavy vibe of creepy John Travolta, and it does not work for me. His occupation is hilarious (law student/exotic dancer), and his movie choices, as a group, make no sense (Mystic River, Selma, Wolf of Wall Street). His other answers sound pretty lawyer-ly, but they are not interesting.


Joshua
I think Joshua is cute and he reminds me of Prince Harry but if he were a farmer and not British royalty. His movie choices are dude-bro unfortunately (Dumb and Dumber, Tommy Boy, The Hangover), and his biggest date fear is just weird. I like his greatest achievement ("Summitting Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.") and who he'd like to have lunch with ("Tom Hanks"), but his answer about what superhero he would want to be is SO WRONG: "The Invisible Man -- what guy wouldn't want to be in a room full of women to listen to them talk to try to understand them better." First, The Invisible Man was not a superhero in any sense of the word (no, I'm not counting The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as superheroes). In fact, he was a terrible person! Second, there is no way that I believe that if Joshua were to be invisible, he'd want to be in a room full of women "to listen to them talk to try to understand them better." I'm calling SHENANIGANS on that one.


Justin
Justin has a nice if boyish face, and his movie selections (Limitless, Goodfellas, The Big Lebowski) are different from the most of the others though not too surprising. The rest of his answers, however, are not what I'd call articulate. When asked if he fancies himself a romantic, he says, "I do. I like to show someone how special they are to me. Romance has many vehicles to express how special someone is." They are all like that, slightly repetitive and stilted, which leads me to believe this fitness trainer is mostly brawn.


Kupah
Kupah not only has a great name, but is attractive to boot (and looks like the offspring of LL Cool J and Pitbull). He also seems like a cool dude, but his answers look a lot like internet speak instead of written responses, which is fine, just odd. He'd like to lunch with Mark Wahlberg, which is great because he's a cool dude too, but his best answer is about who he admires most: "My mother. Single parent, lack of resources and education, and she raised two awesome, law-abiding citizens."


Ryan B.
Ryan B. definitely reminds me of Andrew Rannells, and he has a nice, if safe, look about him. He has an interesting set of favorite movies (Braveheart, Sliding Doors, Top Gun) that makes me think he may be older than thirty-two. His most outrageous act is pretty awesome ("Rode my bike from Florida to California for a dog rescue.") but I don't want to even touch his most embarrassing moment: "Meant to send a pic to my girlfriend and accidentally tweeted it."



Ryan M.
Ryan M. is good looking guy, but his answers are some of the best of the bunch. His movie selections are great and different (Shawshank Redemption, Michael Clayton, Raising Arizona), and his biggest date fear is pretty much what mine would be: "The person being terrible." His weakest answer is probably the one about if he considers himself a romantic, but his best ones are what superhero he'd want to be ("Wolverine. He is awesome-looking, ripped, has attitude, and doesn't take any crap.") and who he admires most: "My father and my brother. They are different from each other but they are the definition of what being a good man should be."


Shawn B.
If someone pieced together bits of Michael Phelps (nose), Chris Evans (eyes and smile), and Ryan Gosling (face shape and hair), you'd get Shawn B. I like his look but not his taste in music (I'm not a big country fan, though I do like some One Direction songs), and his biggest date fear is a little blah. Both his greatest achievement answer ("Owning an 1888 farm house and completely fixing/rehabbing it with my father.") and what superhero he'd want to be ("The Hulk. My two-year-old nephew is obsessed with the Hulk. I would love to surprise visit him and yell "HULK, SMASH!"") are pretty cute. I think he tried to continue the cuteness by saying he'd want to be his dog for a day, but it's more weird than anything.


Shawn E.
From the get-go, Shawn E. is just a No for me. He lists his job as Amateur Sex Coach. What even is that? Does he coach people on how to make porn? If not porn and for actual couples, how does that work without him being right there when the doing it goes down? His answers seem good on the surface, but they all tinge to the sappy and feel new age-y as well. At least he knows what he doesn't want to be when it comes to marriage: "I will not be a statistic!"


Tanner
Tanner seems to be a fairly normal dude. He likes country, which is not my thing, and his answers are all short and kind of basic. The best thing he says is about his most outrageous act: "Besides trying out for The Bachelorette? Maybe skydiving?" I appreciate funny.


Tony
Tony is another whose hair is not doing him any favors. Otherwise he seems to have a nice face, but his job, healer, is just WTF. His movie choices are interesting (Into the Wild, Beetlejuice, A Christmas Story) except that I hate A Christmas Story. He sounds like the new age-y healer type with his answer about who he admires most ("My mother. She loves more easily and completely than anyone I've ever met. Her strength to balance and assist all established the foundation for my success.") but takes a left turn into dude-bro-ville with what superhero he'd want to be: "Tony Stark/Iron Man -- he is humble yet arrogant, fights crime, and is hella rich."


And there we have it! Tune in later this week to see my thoughts on the first episode and thanks for reading!