Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 6 Recap and Thoughts

When we left off last week, Ian was insulting Kaitlyn tens ways to Sunday. This week started off with that conversation yet again, lucky us. The rest of the guys think Ian deserves some time with her, but Nick knows all and is worried that Ian may say something regrettable. Nick knows this because he had a conversation with Ian about his feelings and realizes how this will probably go down. Kaitlyn tries to hold her own against Ian and gives him somewhat of an earful, so go her! So after Ian disses and ditches, we see him be the deep and thoughtful person he has explained himself to be:

The rest of the group, having seen Ian leave, questions why guys keep leaving or keep being sent home before the rose ceremonies can happen. My answer to that is the drama is high on this season (Ian's blow up isn't even the biggest moment of drama in this episode) which means not only are guys dropping left and right, but the whole freaking format is screwed up (more on that later). So Nick, knowing what he knows about Ian, goes to comfort Kaitlyn, and blah blah go away Nick (again with mentioning movie quotes!). Shawn goes to do the same while Nick and Kaitlyn are together (probably prodded to do so by producers), sees them kissing, and gets upset. The rest of the guys are upset that they haven't gotten time with Kaitlyn and nervous it will hurt their chances at the rose ceremony. When the rose ceremony commences in front of The Alamo, Shawn B., Nick, and Ben H. already have roses. The names are called and the two that go home are Joshua and Justin. The group then learns they will be heading to Ireland and there is lots of cheering, and we see Joshua being sad. At least we'll see him soon in paradise!

Once in Dublin, Ireland, Kaitlyn arrives at the boys' suite to say that the one-on-one date starts right then, and her choice is Nick. The chilly mood in the room drops about thirty more degrees as Nick readies for his date. Shawn is especially stone-faced and even the other guys comment on how Shawn will be the most upset out of any of them that Nick was chosen. Kaitlyn and Nick walk around Dublin and we see again how afraid Kaitlyn is of birds as they run into a pack of pigeons in a park. They watch some street performers, Nick buys Kaitlyn a claddagh ring, and they visit a pub. They obviously have great physical chemistry, which persists even through their dinner at an old, ornate church (inappropriately so, IMHO). He gets the rose (duh) and here is where things really get going: Kaitlyn and Nick go back to her suite, and eventually, to her room where cameras do not follow. There are a lot of sounds, but as usual, the editing here is heavy-handed. Throughout, we get shots of Shawn and some of the other guys discussing Kaitlyn and Nick and their date, clueless as to what is going on (of course, these conversations could have happened during the day and not during Kaitlyn and Nick's private time - editing is magic after all).

We next see Kaitlyn out on her balcony the next morning and she is clearly talking to a producer, but they are filming her maybe through a window? There is something covering half of the screen, possibly a curtain (or it could have been added later). Of course we don't hear anything the producer is saying, just what Kaitlyn is saying, and it she is questioning her own actions of the previous night, wondering if it, and by "it" I think she means coitus pre-fantasy suites, has ever happened before. She goes through the reasons she feels guilty - mainly the fact that she has relationships with other guys going on in addition to Nick. Interspersed here we have Nick talking to some of the guys and Kaitlyn saying how awful it would be if he spilled the beans on their extended date, which Nick sort-of does - he says she invited him back to her suite but doesn't really elaborate. Then Joe says that Shawn also got extra time like that with Kaitlyn after the second group date. As a viewer, this was news to me because it hadn't been shown, so this revelation kind of takes Nick down a peg as he realizes he's not the only special one in the house. When the rest of the guys come in in preparation for the group date, Nick recounts his one-on-one date again, this time saying his after-date time with Kaitlyn was "intimate." The thing is, we don't actually know when he says this - if it's with the couple guys before the rest of the group gets there or after. There is no shot that shows Nick saying those things and also shows who else is in the room. All the shots are close-up on Nick, and then cut to the other guys. So he could have just told J.J. and Joe that and not the group, but editing makes it appear he was telling the whole group.

So the group date begins (J.J. and Joe have been chosen for the two-on-one date so they are left behind) and the clue was in the form of a poem that involved death. When the guys arrive at their destination, Chris Harrison tells them that Kaitlyn is dead for the day and the guys have to eulogize her while she lays (laughing) in a coffin. This is a pretty morbid date. Of course the guy who lost his mom was picked for this date (Ben Z.), so his eulogy was more heartfelt, but the rest of the guys tried to have fun with it and are pretty funny. The group then goes to the Guinness Brewery and Kaitlyn gets some time with each of the guys. The night goes pretty well with each of the guys until Kailtyn has to give out the group date rose. She gives it to Jared, and this just sets Shawn off. While Kaitlyn and Jared go get a private concert from The Cranberries (that song is still stuck in my head!), we see Shawn fuming and talking to a producer. He is miffed she picked Jared to get the extra one-on-one time (but as I said on Twitter, she can't give the roses to the same couple of guys or it would reduce the drama), and he talks about how she said he was the the one during their extra time after that second group date. Evidently, Kaitlyn dating other guys by picking them is going to drive him away and he says multiple times that he just can't do this. He ends up going to her hotel room later to talk to her because he is so bothered. While I understand his frustration, it's not a good look. At least he's consistent because he's been saying how he'd fallen for Kaitlyn night one, so he must have it pretty bad. Kaitlyn thinks he's coming to talk to her about her time with Nick, so we get shots of her in her ITM crying about how she made a mistake and then she says she can't do this anymore. And that's where the episode ends.

So we officially got rid of Ian and we lost Joshua and Justin. AND, not only do we not get the first rose ceremony in Ireland this week, we also don't get the last Dublin date! They spent so much time on Ian and then on Nick and then that last little bit on Shawn that everything else was smooshed together or left out entirely and this episode felt oddly short. While I'll give them credit that the drama has been at peak levels this season, I hate that the format is so screwed up. This week's list:

Guy I'm most disappointed/appalled by: still Ian
Funniest: Tanner (because of the funeral thing)
Guy I felt bad for: still Joshua and also Ben Z. (because of the funeral thing)
Guy I think currently has the most chemistry with Kaitlyn: Nick
Guy I wish would get more screen time: still Joe
Most surprise appearances: the producers


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Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 5 Recap and Thoughts

This week begins with Nick moving in with the group. He walks in and has to sit facing all the guys, who are giving him glares of varying severity. The glares are really priceless. They do not want him there, they have decided to not like him, but he does his best to answer their questions (sort of) and make them understand he is there for "the right reasons." He's not. We all know he's not. The other guys know it. They ask very pointed questions and Nick seems to keep himself afloat while answering them, but we know how much of a smooth talker he is, so I take everything he says with a grain of salt. Tanner, who is the resident Bachelor/ette expert, does a lot of the talking for the guys. For much of the time he's also holding an wine glass that he looks like he wants to throw at Nick. This segment here is just a feast of green-eyed monsters and it's fantastic. If facial expressions of the existing guys when faced with Nick were to be bottled as cologne, here are the names I'd give the fragrances:

1. What's that Smell? Oh Yeah, Nick. (Shawn, Joe)
2. This Smile is Totes Fake (Tanner, Joshua, Ryan)
3. This is Too Awkward (Corey, Ben H.)
4. I Wish I Had Laser Eyes So I Could Behead You Right Here (Jared, Ben Z.)
5. Not Impressed and Not Worth My Eye Roll (Ian, Jonathan, Justin)
6. Why am I Confused? (J.J.)

There is also the Please Don't Punch My Baby Face (Nick). Chris is exempt because he was not there due to still being on the date with Kaitlyn. So they guys head to the cocktail party at Citi Field. The guys seem super, super excited to be on a Major League Baseball field. J.J. calls it "a childhood dream" to be on a pro ball field, and he carries Kaitlyn as he runs around the bases. While the guys are sitting in the fancy suite area, they continue to discuss Nick and the rose situation. Tanner tells Kaitlyn about how he confronted Nick and how Nick didn't fully answer his questions. Many of the guys are shown in ITMs saying they don't like Nick, don't trust him, want him gone, or how they are frustrated at the situation. Some of them share their feelings with Kaitlyn. One that is clearly not cool with the situation is Shawn. Around the guys he doesn't say too much (at least that we see) but he expresses to Kaitlyn that her bringing in Nick has really rocked his boat. He is even physically distant with her and straight up tells her that Nick is full of s**t. Kaitlyn seems to take his distance and reaction to her decision pretty hard.

The rose ceremony takes place on the field. The guys look like they are scared out of their pants, but really they are just extremely cold. Kaitlyn gets to wear a coat and gloves but the guys are just in their suits. If you remember from last episode, Justin, Jared, and Chris all have roses already. The guys that get roses are: Ben H., Ben Z., Shawn, Tanner, Joe, Ian, J.J., Joshua, and Nick. The guys that went home are Jonathan, Corey, and Ryan. The rest of the guys are pretty upset that Nick got the last rose. Shawn won't even say his name - he calls him "the other guy."

The group heads to San Antonio for this week's dates. It's visibly warmer, which I'm sure they were all thankful for. The date card arrives and the clue is about "one step at a time" and is for Ben H. The date involves Kaitlyn and Ben H. getting dressed up in flannel and boots and they drive off in a classic pick-up truck, but we hang with the guys at the hotel for a minute. They are still awkward about Nick being there. They all seem to listen to Nick talking and their faces just say how full of crap they think he is all the time. For all of Nick's whining and discomfort last season, he at least seems more calm and confident this go-round.

Back on the one-on-one, Ben H. and Kaitlyn arrive at their destination, where they will be learning to two-step and then competing in a competition at the oldest dance hall in Texas. They learn the steps from a two-step champion, but they don't seem to pick it up that well. What we as the viewers learn: Quick-Quick-Slow-Slow. It gets repeated ad nauseam. It's even part of the song they dance to in the first round. The pair survives the initial elimination but gets tapped out during the second round. Ben H. seems pretty sweet, but he's also kind of bland, which makes him not as enjoyable to watch as some of the other guys. At dinner, Ben H. talks about how difficult it is for him to open up, but all I can think about is how much I love Kaitlyn's eyeshadow. Ben H. gets the date rose.

Back at the hotel, the guys are discussing the next date card and the consensus is that if Nick gets the second one-one-one (they will know by who is left off of the group date), the hotel might combust from the anger of the other guys. It arrives and the chosen are Justin, Jared, Ian, Chris, Tanner, Joe, J.J., Ben Z., Joshua, and Nick, meaning Shawn will get the second one-on-one date. The clue is "man in uniform" and instead of having something to do with the Battle of the Alamo (which would have been my guess), the guys have to write and perform a mariachi song while dressed in the traditional mariachi uniform. The guys are thoroughly schooled by young mariachi phenom Sebastian. He says he has won Kaitlyn's heart by serenading her, so the guys have to win her heart back with their songs.

Joe, as usual, brings the funny and has no idea what he's doing, and Sebastian questions if he has a serious side. Ian is excited to perform again and do better than on the Aladdin date. Joshua is nervous and very concerned about Nick still. The guys then come out in full mariachi garb and the performances start. Justin starts and he does pretty well with having the mariachi sound and cadence. J.J. is next and tries to play the guitar while singing and it does not work. We see Jared prancing around, and then comes Joe with his off-key but funny line, "Will you mariachi me?" and then gives her a kiss, and combining humor with smooches scores Joe a lot of points. Ian is next and we can barely understand what he's saying. He may be able to sing well, but it seems like he was afraid of making a fool of himself, which is what these dates are all about, so in not doing so, he came across as too timid and he couldn't pull the song off. In his ITM he is upset that he choked. Joshua follows and tries his best but he's not great and he knows it. Nick decides to take his serenade to the next level and takes Kaitlyn up on a balcony and sings to her there. He's terrible, but the gesture doesn't go unnoticed by Kaitlyn, not to mention he talked about his...um...yeah. It was bad but memorable. We don't get to see Chris, Tanner, or Ben Z. perform.

The cocktail party is next, and Kaitlyn is hopeful that the guys seem to be taking the Nick situation better and are trusting her more. Joshua trusts Kaitlyn enough to have her buzz his hair, but the clippers die, so only one side really gets done and it just looks pitiful. I felt bad for Joshua because he was trying to do something fun and it backfired and all the guys were laughing at him. I wanted to give him a hug. Then Nick takes his alone time with Kaitlyn and from the haircut to his "guy intuition," Joshua gets more and more bothered as the night goes along. Joshua doesn't trust Nick and when Nick returns, he tells him so. This is where the train wreck kind of starts and Nick goes into some weird spiel about how he was glad Josh Murray was on Andi's season and glad he (Nick) didn't win, which makes no sense to anyone, especially Joshua. So Joshua goes and gets some more time with Kaitlyn so he can tell her how he feels about Nick. As Joshua is explaining, he implies that all the guys don't like Nick and are upset, and Kaitlyn basically says if that is true, then the other guys have been lying to her face. Joshua realizes he's made a misstep, but I think what happened is no one was still as bothered as Joshua about the Nick situation. They were moving past it. But of course, if the guys ever did talk about Nick, they would agree with Joshua, so he thinks they are on the same page as he was. So this just all blows up in Joshua's face when Kaitlyn confronts the group and no one sticks up for Joshua or agrees with him in front of her. Part of the reason why is because when Joshua comes back from talking to Kaitlyn, he lies and says he was in an ITM. It was so horrible and painful to watch. Joshua is one of my favorites, so I'm looking forward to seeing him on Bachelor in Paradise. Then Kaitlyn decides to give out the group date rose and gives it to Nick.

The second one-on-one date starts and it's Kaitlyn and Shawn and they go kayaking down the river walk. It seems like a lot of fun and a nice day. Then they sit together and talk and Shawn lets little things slip about how he feels about her. Then he says he wants to be honest with her because Kaitlyn highly values honesty so Shawn tells her that he felt bad for Joshua because he was still upset that morning. He says he knows Joshua was coming from a good place and that the other guys on the date were probably scared to speak up, and he just wanted to let her know. Kaitlyn says she trusts him and they talk about their feelings some more and it's cute and geez, Shawn's voice is pretty honey-like.

Shawn says in his ITM that he is planning to open up to Kaitlyn. At dinner, they talk about how fast and strong their connection was and then Shawn reveals that he was in a bad accident and was in the hospital for a few months, and he gets emotional as he talks about it. He has moments where you can see him be shy and it is so cute. Then he drops the big one, "I'm falling in love with you." Squee! First we've seen it said to Kaitlyn this season I believe. Then, in true breaking all the rules fashion that has come to and will continue to define Kaitlyn's stint as Bachelorette, she tells him, "I feel the same way." Usually, that never happens until the winner is chosen, so big move there! Of course, Shawn gets the date rose. Then they go back out on the water in a canoe and fireworks go off above them.

Back at the hotel, Ian is feeling neglected. He starts talking about how women like him and all of his qualifications for being awesome (which is a bad, bad look). I really, really liked Ian in the beginning. He did seem to be a little too serious as the weeks went on, but overall, he seems like a really great catch. However, when he starts talking about what a great catch he is, that is the pinnacle of arrogance and makes him seem ridiculous. You can know that you're awesome and even say so, but don't act like your good traits override other people's feelings about you. They are entitled to their opinions, but acting like your awesomeness is a fact of human existence = nope. He even starts talking about how he'd make a great Bachelor. Nope again. And saying all the problems lie with the other party, NOPE. Then Ian says he's going to make his last stand. WTF. Just leave. Don't make a scene. Instead, Ian decides he wants to go out with guns blazing and let Kaitlyn know exactly how bad she messed up and what she's missing out on. Um, nope.

So at the cocktail party, Joshua is feeling the heat and gets emotional because of the train wreck that he was on the group date. Kaitlyn arrives and talks about how she wants trust and honesty and what she wants out of this process and out of a partner. Ian doesn't think Kaitlyn can handle the truth that she's not hot compared to his last girlfriend. Ick. We see Jared get his alone time first, and again, he gets to go back to Kaitlyn's suite. They talk and kiss and Kaitlyn says she trusts him. Then Jared says he feels like he's falling in love with her. Then we go back to more Ian listing off his impressive qualifications as a husband/bachelor and even insults the other guys. The we see Joe and Kailtyn making out on a bench and she says she enjoys kissing him. Then we're back to Ian talking about how much sex he has in his own life and how he needs to get his confidence back (doesn't really seem like he's wanting for confidence to me but whatever). Then he swoops in and finally gets his alone time with Kaitlyn and the honesty bombs begin. Basically, Ian says he is above all the "surface level stuff" and that she wasn't what he expected and he thinks she's shallow and the insults just come one after another. By the end, this was Kaitlyn's face (and I don't blame her one bit):

The episode ends there with no rose ceremony, yet again, though we know Ian is about to leave. I almost didn't care though, because I was so flabbergasted by Ian's arrogance and vile behavior. It was despicable and so disappointing because of how mush I liked him when this started. UGH!!! Only Tyra really knows how to express what I'm feeling right now:

So by the end of this week, we lost Corey, Ryan, Jonathan, and Ian will go soon. And thanks to all the drama this week, no one remembers what a d-bag J.J. is. He got lucky.

I don't have any more words, so here's my list:

Guy I'm most disappointed/appalled by: Ian
Guy I felt bad for: Joshua
Guy I hope we never have to see dance again: Ben H.
Guy I think currently has the most chemistry with Kaitlyn: Shawn B.
Guy I wish we'd gotten to know more: Ryan
Guy I wish would get more screen time: Joe


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Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 4 Recap and Thoughts

When we left off last week, Kaitlyn was on the warpath to take Clint down. We begin this week at the same point. Kaitlyn sits Clint down and they start hashing out what has gone wrong between them. I found this exchange even more confusing than the conversation with Kupah. Basically, it seems that Clint not actively pursuing Katilyn was a major set back for her, which she was getting over, until the other guys (13 of 15 guys a.k.a. everyone except J.J. and Clint) complained that Clint was different with Katilyn than he was with the group. I also noted that they complained about J.J. as well, but the focus for Kaitlyn was squarely on Clint and she seemed to either not care or not be bothered by J.J.'s involvement. So Kaitlyn makes it clear she doesn't trust Clint and is done with him.

While I've laid this all out and it seems straight-forward, I must confess that the whole situation was confusing to watch. We've just not seen enough of what's gone on in the house or Clint's interactions with the other guys (besides J.J.) for this to feel fully justified and satisfying as a viewer. There are too many unanswered questions. I'm of two minds about this: either everything the guys were saying was true and Kaitlyn's wrath was justified and there just wasn't time enough in the program to show it, or the producers wanted to use this story-line but didn't have the footage to back it up (ie: there wasn't enough footage of Clint being a d-bag or his behavior wasn't bad enough to warrant the hate and would paint the majority of guys in a bad light, which wouldn't work since Clint and J.J. are supposed to be the "villains").

After Kaitlyn tells Clint he's done, she leads him to the group to let him say goodbye. Here it gets even more confusing. The whole night it's been J.J. and Clint against the world, then the show makes it look like J.J. turns on Clint and says he should apologize. Then the two get into a super-heated argument and lots of insults and curses are thrown around. After Clint leaves, J.J. is shown crying and he smacks himself and calls himself names in an attempt to get over what just happened. J.J. and Clint's fight doesn't seem to be about what the show is trying to say that it is about (Clint's bad behavior/J.J.'s betrayal), so there are just more unanswered questions and confusion. There is also no Clint exit-ITM, which either means he wouldn't talk or production didn't get anything useable. All of this just makes me want to see what happens on the Men Tell All episode. The guys are shown later discussing what happened with Clint and J.J. and the guys are giving J.J. crap for dissing his BFF Clint.

With Clint gone, Kaitlyn is talking to the guys and apologizing for another night of drama when Chris Harrison shows up because it is rose ceremony time. Katilyn decides she needs to have a private word with Chris, so while they are gone, Ian starts taking polls about how the guys feel about their place going into the rose ceremony. I really, really liked Ian in the beginning, but the more he's shown on screen, the more he comes across as too serious and a stick in the mud. He's not as chill as I would like. When Kaitlyn and Chris come back, Kaitlyn announces that there will be no rose ceremony. She's obviously expecting the guys to be excited, and the reason they are not excited is because it means they have to spend another week with J.J., who, as I said above, they were also gunning for when they were complaining about Clint. The guys (except J.J., who is still visibly bummed) perk up when Chris Harrison reveals they will all be heading to New York City for the next week of dates. I thought it was pretty funny how the reaction to no one going home was so sour and yet going to NYC was met with cheers.

"I like you all...no one is going home this week!"

*crickets*

*crickets*

"Um, guys, why are you not cheering?"

"You guys are going to NYC!"

Yay!

So the cast arrives in NYC and everyone is excited. The first date card arrives and the chosen are: Jonathan, Justin, Ben Z., Corey, Ryan, Tanner, J.J., and Shawn. Everyone cheers when the names are called out, until they get to J.J.'s name. Lucky for J.J., he won't be the most hated guy in the house for long. The clue was "fresh" so the guys try to figure it out, and Jonathan gets pretty close with his guess about break dancing and "funky fresh." When the guys arrive at the date, they learn they are going to be part of a rap battle (we've seen how much Kaitlyn loves rap) and will be coached by rapper Doug E. Fresh, the name sake for the famous hip-hop dance The Dougie.

The guys are a bit baffled because most of them don't have a hip-hop bone in their body. Shawn even reveals that (though his hometown is listed as being in Connecticut) he lives in Nashville and is more of a country guy. (How many of these guys came from Nashville?! The number seems to keep going up.) They guys get to pick their battle opponent and they will perform on stage in front of a crowd. Shawn picks first and he goes for Justin and his 90s era hair. Corey picks J.J. and is confused as to why no one else picked J.J. considering Clint's ex-BFF is currently the least liked in the house. Ben Z. and Tanner get paired up, and Jonathan and Ryan are the last duo. The guys work on their raps and Kailtyn and Fresh try to help them.

Then it's time to battle. The guys look nervous and we get some info on J.J. - evidently he listens to Broadway show-tunes a lot. What. Even. Anyway, Doug E. Fresh goes on stage for a little introduction (the crowd is literally all white women, so we know they are here for the TV show, not the rapping), and while he's talking we see that off to the side of the stage is former Bachelor contestant Ashley I. She is sitting and speaking to none other than infamous whiner Nick V., loser of Andi's season. There are a few shots like this throughout the battle, just quick looks to see him and her sitting and watching. The first battle pair hits the stage and it's Ben Z. versus Tanner. Ben Z. goes for a little LL Cool J vibe and says Tanner, even with steroids, wouldn't look like him. Tanner fires back that Ben Z. is too big for Katilyn, except for his "tiny rocket."

Jonathan is next and is surprisingly uninspired (he calls Ryan boring). I say uninspired because of all the guys, he actually knew the words to the song Doug E. Fresh sang when he was introduced earlier. Ryan comes back with a slightly funnier joke that he feels like he's around a bunch of kids and feels like he's "on a bad episode of Kate Plus 8." Corey and J.J. are next. Corey is clearly having fun with it because he pulls is briefs out of his jeans so everyone can see them and puts on a knit cap pulled real low and is acting with some swagger. This was surprising because I would have expected him to be the stick-in-the-mud type, but he's a lot more fun than I realized. He goes for the obvious and asks where J.J.'s boyfriend Clint is (and in my opinion he had the best flow despite some stumbles). J.J. starts off kind of good (calls out Corey about working on Wall Street but being a sheep instead of a wolf) but then, in front of a crowd full of NYC women, he tells Corey (who is from NYC) to "go back to your NYC hos" and the crowd boos and J.J. is done. Shawn and Justin are last and this was my favorite because it was the funniest. Shawn goes for Justin's hair and even offers to help him one day, then he goes after Justin's career (personal trainer) and lifts up his shirt to show off his own set of impressive abs. Also, Shawn raps like he talks - slow. Justin comes back with the best rap of the night (joke-wise). He calls it "The Ryan Gosling and Matt Damon feud" which is great because it means the viewers aren't the only one who thinks of Shawn that way, then he says Shawn got the first impression rose because he was a "creepy-ass fan." I'd had the sense before that Shawn was pretty familiar with the show, so I guess that's true. He then goes for another Gosling-related barb, seen below:

So the date is over and Katilyn asks if she can go talk to Ashley I. Before I move on to the elephant in the room, I must say that Ashley I.'s makeup is different here than it was when she was on The Bachelor. Maybe less eyeliner or something? I can't put my finger on what exactly the difference is, but here she looks so much prettier than she did on Chris's season, so I'm excited to see her on Bachelor in Paradise soon. Anyway, when Kaitlyn gets over there, she sees Nick and is obviously pleased, if surprised, to see him (and meet him - everything I've read says they never met in person before he came to New York during filming). She and Nick go off to have a little conversation, and Nick says that he had to meet her and the fact that she could get engaged without him meeting her bothered him. Katilyn asks if he is going to stay and he says that is up to her. In her ITM directly after, she is so giddy at him being there, but when it comes down to deciding if he should come on the show, she gets more serious because that would put her and the other guys in a rough spot.

Nick has an ITM where he talks about liking her and wanting to stay. Kaitlyn bemoans the fact that the show is four weeks in and that he's late (basically saying the decision would have been much easier had he come around in week one or two). For the date after party, the group convenes on a boat and they guys look excited to be there but something is definitely up with Kaitlyn and they pick up on it. She tells them that another guy from an earlier season wants to come on the show and discusses why this is a tough decision for her. Tanner requests to know what the full extent of Kaitlyn's relationship was with this guy before the show, and her explanation seems satisfying and the guys don't seem too upset about it, UNTIL she reveals that the guy is Nick. Shawn instantly has SERIOUSLY? written all over his face and grills Kaitlyn on her confidence in the current guys (she says she's confident but then Corey says what everyone is thinking, shown below). There is some more back and forth and the date is all kinds of awkward and dour at this point. Kaitlyn excuses herself and the guys start talking.

I've questioned Tanner's being on the show several times (because he doesn't seem to have much personality or connection with Kaitlyn despite getting screen time) and now we find out why: he is a huge Bachelor/Bachelorette fanboy! At least, that is how he comes across. As soon as Kaitlyn is gone, he starts giving the other guys the details on what a scumbag Nick is, talking about Nick's actions on the After the Final Rose episode. While Tanner is saying all this in voice-over, we see Kaitlyn meet up with Nick on the dock. They are extremely comfortable with each other for having just met (he holds her close to him right away as they talk and she leans into him) and Kaitlyn is still conflicted but they kiss some any way. Now, despite what Kaitlyn says, I don't think she would have kissed him had she not been planning on bringing him on the show. Because if she had kissed him and didn't bring him on the show, she would have effectively been cheating on her group of guys with someone outside the show. It would be the same if one of the guys had a girl on the outside. BUT, I don't think there was ever any question as to if she was going to keep Nick around. Of course she was.

Anyway, we go back to the guys on the boat still discussing things, then we are shown the guys back at the hotel. They are talking about dates and then the next date card arrives and Jared gets the one-on-one. The guys are all excited for him, and he's excited. Jared is still clean-shaven, so yay! As a viewer, it was great to have this dramatic irony, knowing that once the rest of the guys got back, a bomb would be dropped. We go back to the boat and we get Justin giving his feelings on the whole Nick issue, and he says that one more guy isn't a threat and Justin gets the group date rose. I was actually surprised at his ease dealing with the situation. Maybe it was a put-on (though he said the same things in his ITM that he said in front of the group) but it came across sincere. Then in Tanner's ITM, he says this is the most meaningless rose in the history of the show. He's probably right.

We next are at the hotel with the date guys coming back and letting the other guys know what happened. The other guys are shocked as expected. Again, Joshua brings the funny with this gem, "Mother of God. Another dude? God." I love him. He makes me laugh every time he's on screen. Then we get Kaitlyn talking on the phone to Nick and more of her uncertainty, but she wants to talk to him in person so they make a date for after she gets her hair done. Kaitlyn goes to the salon and her hairdresser is none other than Ashley S! Ashley S. (who looks fab, by the way) isn't as crazy as she was portrayed on Chris's season (though that could just be while she's at work. We'll find out when she's on Bachelor in Paradise I guess.). So Ashley S. does spit some wisdom, which seems to confuse Kaitlyn even more about what she wants to do (but we know better). Something that is confusing: we see Ashley S. curling part of Kaitlyn's hair, but other than that she doesn't seem to be doing much. Then when Kaitlyn goes to meet Nick, Kaitlyn's hair is loose in the front with the back in a loose braid on the side. There is also a poof in the back, but it doesn't look so complicated that she'd have to get it done in a salon. I don't think this is a reflection of Ashley S.'s coif-ing skills, probably more a reflection of the producers wanting to get her in there and using the hair appointment as a ruse to do so.

So Kaitlyn meets Nick and tells him she would regret letting him go and he says he will stay for her. She is not moving him in that day, and she has to go to a date (her one-on-one with Jared), so they kiss and part. Kaitlyn meets Jared for their romantic date at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He's in a tux and she's in a gorgeous dress (I will be doing a post on her dresses later, fyi) and they get to have dinner amongst some ruins within the museum. Jared is clearly giving his all to this date, but Kaitlyn is distracted by the drama with Nick. She asks him what he thinks about the situation and he gives a very diplomatic and "I'm just here for you" kind of answer, then he makes a joke about him leaving, which makes her laugh and seems to lighten the mood enough that Kaitlyn can enjoy herself.

Back at the hotel, the guys are still discussing Nick and then the date card arrives. They are clearly relieved when Nick is not listed on the date, but the guys who haven't been on a date this week are listed (Ian, Chris, Joe, Joshua, and Ben H.). The guys are trying to move past the Nick issue. We go back to Jared and Kaitlyn's date and there are some sappy words between them, then Jared pulls out a poem and it is corny but cute because he includes humor, which is right up Kaitlyn's alley. There is kissing and then she gives him the date rose. Then they open a note from Chris Harrison that says a limo is outside and will take them somewhere if they don't want the night to end. They end up at a helicopter and get a aerial tour of the city, including getting up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty. The greatness of the date makes Kaitlyn question her decision to let Nick join (sure it does).

The following day Kaitlyn shows up at the guys' suite to tell them that Nick will not be on a date this week, but he will be moving in that night and will be part of the upcoming rose ceremony. The next time we see her she is meeting the guys for the second group date. The clue was "let's play" so she takes them to Broadway and the guys are going to be auditioning to be Kaitlyn's love interest in a bit part in the musical Aladdin (I wish we got to see how bummed J.J. was that he missed this one). We get to see the stars (Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed) sing and then the group starts learning choreography and a song. Ian does pretty well but most of the guys struggle with the dance. Chris is another contender because it is clear he is trying very hard to do well. We get to see them pop out on stage on star lifts, and that looked really cool. But then, another bomb is dropped: whoever wins the role to be on stage with Kaitlyn, that guy will be the only one continuing on the date and everyone else will return to the hotel. Next the guys have to sing "A Whole New World" to Kaitlyn, and most of the guys are not singers. Joe can't even remember the lyrics, so he makes up his own, which makes Kaitlyn laugh. Ian surprises everyone with how well he can sing, but the judges of the date (the stars and a producer or director, I'm not sure) think he wasn't connecting enough with Kaitlyn. Chris is last and he is a fan so he is ready to go and give it all he's got. He is very animated and really plays the part as well as sing decently if not perfectly, and the judges choose Chris as the winner. The rest of the guys are really disappointed but they stick around to watch Kaitlyn and Chris rehearse their very, very, very small bit part for the play. Joe, especially, is unimpressed because Kaitlyn and Chris mostly have to just stand there and smile for a handful of seconds.

We see a short clip of the guys at the hotel still discussing Nick and some rumors about him dating Andi after she and Josh broke up (pretty sure that was not true). They say that maybe his vice is Bachelorettes and that is why he keeps chasing them even though he already had his chance. There are shots of Nick pulling his luggage across New York City and him saying a chance with Kaitlyn is worth the wrath of the other guys. We remember how well he handled hate in Andi's season, don't we? (Not well, in case you didn't see it.) We return to the theater to see Kaitlyn and Chris getting dressed for their debut. Chris, like most guys, looks great with eyeliner. Despite not really having to do much on stage, they are still nervous to go out there in front of almost 2000 people. Of course, there is kissing backstage, then they are led up and out and there they are, part of the play. After, Kaitlyn and Chris go walking around New York. They go into a building and walk to the very top and are standing next to the New Year's Eve ball that drops in Times Square every year. It's pretty cool. More sappy words and kissing and Chris gets the group date rose.

And we are back to the hotel to see the guys discussing the best way to handle Nick when he arrives, which appears to be soon. Some of them want to hear what he has to say, but they all know he is a smooth talker since he has now worked his way on to two Bachelorette shows. Some just want to ignore him and others are ready to duke it out (though they were probably joking). We see Nick getting on the elevator and heading up (with a long shot of nothing but muzak and tension). He walks to the room, opens the door, goes inside, says, "What's up guys?" and THE END. No cocktail party, no rose ceremony, nothing. As a viewer, not having the rose ceremonies at the end is really frustrating and doesn't make for an enjoyable experience. I miss the format. Not having it makes the weeks blend together and I prefer clearer distinctions between one week and the next.

Note: I've removed Ryan M. since he was eliminated by production and added in Nick.

I've got to give it to the producers because the drama this season is top-notch, but messing with the format so much is annoying. This week's show had last week's elimination (Clint) and then we won't see this week's eliminations (or cocktail party) until next week. Won't that throw the whole rest of the season off as well? Yikes. Not looking forward to that. My week 4 is as follows:

Funniest: Joshua
Sweetest/Corniest: tie between Jared and Chris
Guy with hidden talents: Ian
Guy we finally know why he is still there: Tanner
Guy I wish I didn't have to hear his whining next week: Nick


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Reality TV: The Bachelorette Season 11 Week 3 Recap and Thoughts

Hey quirks! Sorry this is so late - I've been sick and then I had a house-sitting gig that I'm still at, so my regular schedule is all messed up. Anyway, let's talk about all the cray that went on in Week 3!

So the episode begins where we left off with Kupah having a meltdown after Katilyn sent him home. He's yelling and she's doing an ITM and is shocked that she suddenly hears him blowing up at producers, so she goes out there and talks to him. He calms down, but then once she's gone back inside, he proceeds to mock her. Finally, drink still in hand, Kupah gets in the provided vehicle and goes home.

Kaitlyn discusses how invested she is in the guys' feelings and then she goes and talks to the group before the rose ceremony begins. The whole Kupah situation has put a downer on the mood. The rose ceremony commences and Cory S. and Daniel go home and Katilyn is visibly upset at having to send them home.

The next morning the guys are woken up by two sumo wrestlers and a gong. Chris Harrison introduces them to champion sumo wrestlers Byamba and Yama and informs the guys that some of them are going to be learning the sport of sumo. The chosen are Clint, Chris, Tony, J.J., Joe, and Shawn. They each get the traditional sumo uniform, a mawashi, and Joe is not sure how he feels about it. However, once the mawashi-es are on, Joe lets it ALL hang out. According to our mutual contact, this is exactly how Joe was in high school, not caring if his rear-end or anything else was available for the world to see. His banter with Katilyn regarding his bobs and bits is hilarious.

The guys get some pointers and Byamba and Yama give a demonstration, then each guy gets in the ring. Clint looks ridiculous with his man-bun and seems to be taking this event way too seriously because he as a wrestling background, and the amount of ink on J.J.'s upper left arm is also ridiculous. I'm not a huge fan of tattoos to begin with (aesthetically, not morally), but J.J.'s is just straight-up awful. It kind of looks like someone threw up color all over his shoulder in an approximation of cover art for a heavy metal album for eight-year-olds.

Tony is Mr. Ridiculous #3. He also has a tattoo that covers his entire lower left leg (in fact, there is A LOT of ink on these guys, which for most of them, is surprising). In his match with Byamba, Tony is so silly in his technique he makes Byamba laugh the whole time. Then Tony goes and gives his irritated speech about not liking the violence on these dates and upsets everyone. There is a second part of the sumo date where they guys give an exhibition of their sumo skills and Tony does not attend. My favorite part was when Katilyn suited up and wrestled Byamba. He picked her up like a twig and swung her around, then let her push him out of the ring and win. It was cute. At the group date after party, Tony arrives to say that he is leaving the show. I, for one, am glad. His brand of crazy was funny at first, but then it turned annoying and wasn't worth it anymore. After, we see that Clint is not going to approach Katilyn and decides to let her come to him if she wants to talk to him, and J.J. tries to tell his bro that this is a bad idea. Shawn Gosling takes center stage and lays out his feelings for Katilyn in that deep, slow voice of his (then lays on the smooches), then Katilyn gives him the group date rose. Clint is frustrated but blaming Katilyn, not his own idiotic strategy. He says he's realizing Katilyn is probably not the girl for him, but the he talks about his relationships with the guys, namely J.J. This is leading into the (false) storyline of J.J. and Clint's more-than-bromance.

The next day, Ben Z. gets a date card from Chris Harrison. He's going on the one-on-one date with Katilyn at The Basement: A Live Escape Room Experience. The date involves them being "locked" in a room and having to solve puzzles and find clues to escape. Live animals were added to the experience by production to up the drama for the couple, and we learn that Kaitlyn is afraid of birds. There is lots of fretting and near tears. Once they are in the room, it is very creepy. There is blood, body parts, darkness, broken furniture, and someone on a bed that moves around and scares them. The worst part as a viewer is the disgusting bathroom full of snakes and the toilet full of gross, disgusting looking things that Ben Z. has to reach into to retrieve a clue. There is also a time limit of 45 minutes.

So Ben Z. stepped up and did the manly protection thing and Kaitlyn really liked it. They go to her place and have pizza and we get the honestly sad story of Ben Z.'s mother dying. Then we get the honestly strange revelation that Ben Z. hasn't cried in eleven years, which, of course, is foreshadowing the fact that he will most likely cry on this show. Overall, I like Ben. Z. He's hunky and seems nice and pretty normal. Their date ends in the hot tub. Katilyn looks great, but I'm not a fan of the swimsuit. Obviously, Ben Z. gets the rose.

The second group date card has the clue "learn to love" and the chosen guys are: Jonathan, Ben H., Joshua, Ryan, Jared, and Tanner. I don't know why Tanner is still here. They've not shown anything that makes him seem to have any real connection with Katilyn. The only person who may be worse off than Tanner is Ryan, because this group date is his first date, but I'm pretty sure he's still around because Katilyn hasn't had the time to get to know him yet. She has had that time with Tanner, but like I said, he's at the bottom of the connection list in my opinion.

The date involves the guys going to a school and teaching children sex education. I laughed through this entire segment. I've seen a lot of negative feedback about this date, but personally I loved it. It was apparent it was staged, and Kaitlyn admits in her ITM that the kids are actors, but it was hilarious to see the guys in such an awkward position and see how they tried to do their best and explain the sex ed material.

Joshua was extremely funny (he calls tampons "tampins" and talks about learning sex ed from his cows), and like Ben. Z, he's hunky and seems nice and normal, but unlike Ben Z., he's more outgoing and has a bit more personality. Jared is also amusing. He makes up a funny song about male puberty and Jared's personality continues to surprise and impress me. I know (due to an ITM) that soon he shaves the facial hair and he looks so much better without it.

Ryan is up first in front of the kids and he has to teach anatomy. He has a 3D diagram of the female anatomy and he does pretty well and makes everyone laugh. Next is Jonathan and he gets to answer questions from the kids and he can't handle it and the kids react to the different information in funny ways. We don't really see Jared do his spiel, only a quick shot of him being up there and not knowing what to say, and we only see Tanner holding a banana and a condom and a little banter between him and one of the kids. Next is Joshua, and Joshua just goes straight for the pertinent information about menstruation. Then he gets a little confused and has to be helped out by the teacher, and is turning deeper shades of red the entire time. Once back on track, he shows the kids what girls do with tampons, and then he's free and looks relieved. Last is Ben H. He is direct yet sentimental and while he explains reproduction to the kids, he relates it to his relationship with Kaitlyn (and in my Periscope of this episode I totally broke out into the reproduction song from Grease 2 - one of my fave musicals). He does very well and you can see how impressed Katilyn and even the other guys are of his performance.

Then comes the after party. Joshua gets time first, and while I love his personality, he's going slow with Katilyn and she is not the slow-going type (he has revealed before that he's never been in love and on this date he reveals he didn't get his first kiss until college). I think it's fine he's taking his time, but it may not bode well for his relationship with Katilyn as she may move on to other dudes if she doesn't get what she needs from Joshua. Next is Ben H. and he and Katilyn go on the roof for some talk, a little slow dancing, and some making out. Ben H. is a cutie but we haven't gotten to see much of his personality yet. He does talk about how he has worked with kids and he almost seems too much of the white knight type. But he greatly impresses Katilyn. Jared gets his time and they go to Katilyn's suite at the hotel where they are having the group date and there is talk and making out and Katilyn has a big smile the whole time she's with him. However, she can only give out one group date rose and she chooses Ben H., greatly disappointing Jared.

Throughout the latter part of the episode we got some short segments about J.J. and Clint's bromance. Evidently they do everything together and the rest of the guys comment on it and talk about they have isolated themselves from everyone else and are all about each other and not Katilyn. The producers get Clint to say some things about how he feels about J.J., and it's obviously not serious, but they go for the bromance anyway.

Then the rose ceremony is up, and J.J. and Clint clearly think they are better than all of the other guys. Katilyn mentions she's heard there is friction in the house, and that makes me think that some of the guys on the group date talked to Katilyn about the J.J. and Clint issue but it wasn't really shown on the episode except for the few comments in their ITMs. Clint grabs Kaitlyn and tries to reassert his position after being a doofus and losing ground on his group date. He does well in gaining affection back from Katilyn and leaves his time with her feeling even more confident. But then the more the other guys talk to Kaitlyn, the more she hears about how Clint is not genuine. I don't think they've really shown what the guys are like inside the house, aside from Clint and J.J.'s bromance, so it's difficult as a view to feel their concerns are warranted when we haven't seen any of it. In his ITMs, J.J. makes some comments where he is clearly thinking of himself as a predator and the other guys are prey. It's slightly scary but also funny because he's so ridiculous. He obviously thinks he's one of those tough guys when he's really a doughy baby.

Jared has lost the facial hair, yay! After hearing what 13 out of the 15 guys have to say about Clint, Kaitlyn goes to grab him and is going to kick him out. The episode ends, yet again, without a rose ceremony. During the credits, we get more of Joe and Joe's boys, and again it's funny. So by the end, we lost Kupah (even though he technically got let go last episode), Cory S. Daniel, Tony, and Clint is clearly on his way out.

Overall it was another funny and drama-filled episode. Unfortunately, I find it extremely annoying having the rose ceremonies at the beginning of the next week instead of at the end of the current episode. Please let this be the last one for that. My week 3 list:

Funniest: tie between Joe and Joshua
Guy that gets better with each episode: Jared
Guy I think currently has the most chemistry with Kaitlyn: Shawn
Guy I was most surprised by (in a good way): Ben H.
Guy I hope we get to know more: tie between Joe and Chris (Cupcake)
Guy with the least screen time: Ryan
Guy I wish wasn't going to be on the show next week: Nick


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