Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Bachelor in Paradise Season 2 Week 2 Highlights Recap


We begin this week just after last week's rose ceremony. Just as with last week, most of the drama that starts this episode involves the sisters Ashley I. and Lauren. Lauren is not into anyone and doesn't want to be there anymore and trying to take care of her sister is distracting Ashley I. from the reason she is there. Some of the other contestants complain that Lauren shouldn't be there because she obviously does not want anything to do with the group.

Between the sister drama, we learn that Mikey T. is still not realizing that Clare is not as into him as he is into her and that Jared is very interested in Clare as he reveals he would have given his rose to her had she not already been kept by Mikey. The next day we learn that Lauren is someone's mistress and that she is in love with the guy despite being his side-piece. Ashley I. says that Lauren really wanted to meet Joshua the welder from Kaitlyn's season, so she hopes he arrives before Lauren just gives up and gets out of dodge.

And Joshua does arrive, carrying a date card. Ashley I. jumps at him to try to get him hooked up with Lauren. However, Joshua offers the date to Tenley. J.J. evidently thought Joshua was not threat to his psuedo-relationship of less than a day with Tenley, so when he finds out Tenley is going on the date with Joshua, he is surprised, but at least he says nice things about her instead of disparaging her. However, despite how nicely J.J. might speak of Tenley, he has no problem making fun of Joshua. Tenley and Joshua have a great time during and after their date, though J.J. gets some time with Tenley and continues to be confident that he will prevail over Joshua.

Back with the sister drama, Ashley I. is upset (read: sobbing and wailing) that Lauren is bailing and going hardcore on the fact that Lauren is with a guy who won't commit to her. To me, this whole scenario explains why Lauren was so weepy at Marcus and Lacy's wedding (love/marriage is something she wants but can't have with the guy she's in love with). The rest of the cast does not care that Lauren leaves.

Joe from Kaitlyn's season is the next cast member to arrive and he has a date card as well. Everyone is talking about how funny he is and how much the guys like him, but then it gets really awkward as he just sits and stares at everyone and disagrees when the girls say the guys said he was funny. Then Joe just straight-up insults Clare which causes her to break down a bit (and gives the editors another opportunity to make it look like she's talking to another raccoon). Joe continues to act bizarre and awkward. Eventually Joe sort-of asks Juelia to go on the date with him. Juelia has a great time on the date with Joe, but we see Joe talking to a producer and he reveals that he's just trying to get a rose so he can stick around to meet Samantha.

Jared is the next to get a date card and he chooses Clare, who agrees to go on the date. This makes both Ashley I. and Mikey upset. Jared and Clare seem to have a great date (they go sailing and bungee jumping over the ocean). They seem to have chemistry and even kiss several times, which is farther than Ashley I. got with Jared, but later after they are back on the beach, they have a conversation in which Jared indicates he's just not that into Clare, so now Clare, having burnt her bridge with Mikey, doesn't know what to do.

Tenley learns from a couple of the guys that Joshua was talking about partying and doing drugs, so she goes to talk to him about that because that is not the kind of lifestyle she is interested in. Joshua tries to reassure her that that was a one-time thing but she is still conflicted about this information. Then Michael from Desiree's season shows up and he is there specifically for Tenley. He asks her on his one-on-one date and she accepts, and they have a nice, romantic dinner and seem to have a lot of fun, but Tenley now has three guys vying for her (J.J., Joshua, and Michael) and she doesn't know what to do.

Mikey is trying to stick around so he sets his sights on Juelia, but she is nearly 100% positive that she is choosing Joe. At the pre-ceremony cocktail party, she says as much, and Jonathan pulls her aside to tell her he thinks Joe is not there for the right reasons and not there for her. She gets the same thing from Mikey, which leads Juelia to go talk to Joe about it. Joe soothes Juelia's worries, but in private to a producer says a bunch of nasty things about both of the other guys.

Mikey confronts Joe and Joe pretty much lies to Mikey's face, saying that he is into Juelia and not just trying to get a rose. Joe then goes and confronts Jonathan and basically makes Jonathan feel terrible for thinking Joe was there for the wrong reasons. Jonathan considers Joe a friend and apologizes, saying he got caught up on the game and didn't mean it. Joe says he'll forgive Jonathan as long and Jonathan says to Juelia what he said to Joe in his apology. It is so messed up how manipulative Joe is! It makes me wonder how ticked off Jonathan is watching this back and now knowing that Joe was playing every single person there just so he could stay and meet Samantha.

Jared finally has a conversation with Ashely I. after all the drama with Clare. He says some vague stuff about doing what feels right in the moment and then goes for the kiss, completely surprising Ashley I., but she is down and much happier than she has been the whole show so far. Then, before the rose ceremony gets under way, Clare starts crying and gives a random speech about how she is there for love and this time is not like last year in paradise because there is more strategizing and plotting this go around and no one is really there for love. When they get to the ceremony, Jade speaks up before it starts and says she was offended by what Clare said because she and most of the people she has talked to are there for love.

Finally, the rose ceremony starts and the roses are given out as follows: Carly to Kirk, Ashley S. to Dan, Jade to Tanner, Tenley to Joshua (surprising J.J. and Michael), and before the next person is called up, Clare walks out crying and stops to talk to Chris Harrison. Clare says she doesn't feel right being there and that is where the episode ends with a To Be Continued!



Well, it stinks we don't get the full rose ceremony this week (which was one of my biggest pet peeves with Kaitlyn's season of The Bachelorette) but we don't have too long to wait to see what happens.


Thanks for visiting!

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Bachelor in Paradise Season 2 Week 1 Highlights Recap


We are finally back in paradise with a (mostly) new cast of former Bachelor/ette hopefuls who are ready for a second chance at love, or at least, a summer fling. We get four hours of BIP each week: two on Sunday, one on Monday, and the one hour After Paradise show. I'm only going to focus on the main show because I didn't much care for After Paradise. Yes, there are some outtakes and snippets not shown on the main show, but it's not worth sitting through that extra hour IMHO. Also, I'm going to try to focus on the major happenings because there is so much show each week.

So we begin the show with an intro from a rather smarmy Chris Harrison. I think he seems smarmy because he is basically on vacation here and knows as much as we do that this show is ridiculous. We get a bunch of intro videos, then the arrivals begin with Jade (Chris's season). The rest arrive as follows: Jared (Kaitlyn's season - and rocking less facial hair, which is good), Tenley (Jake's Season/Bachelor Pad), Carly (Chris's season), Jonathan (Kaitlyn's season), Tanner (Kaitlyn's season), Mikey T. (Desiree's season), Ashley I. (Chris's season - with little sister opposite-of-virgin Lauren in tow), Juelia (Chris's season), Kirk (Ali's season), Dan (Desiree's season), Jillian (Chris's season - complete with nice breast enhancements and the ever-present black box), J.J. (Kaitlyn's season), and Ashley S (Chris's season).

Right away the two hot commodities seem to be Jared and Jade. But before too much can happen, Chris Harrison arrives to talk to the group and explain that they have to couple up each week in order to stay. If the guys get the date cards one week, then the girls will be giving out the roses that week. This will reverse each week and new people will arrive throughout the show. The sisters, Ashley I. and Lauren, will be considered as one person, so as long as one of them gets a rose, both will get to stay.

Then Harrison takes the group down the beach to a little area set up with benches and it turns out it is a wedding for Lacy and Marcus, who were the couple that got engaged at the end of Bachelor in Paradise Season 1. After the cast spends a little time with the newlyweds getting advice and encouragement, they return to the house. I must interject here that the digs this season are better than the previous season. The main room and the lodging areas look nicer and they have a really great pool and hot tub. And, of course, an always-open bar.

The first night begins with everyone drinking and hanging out on the beach. The first drama we see is Lauren crying and she can't even talk, so she and Ashley I. go off to talk and try to calm Lauren down. Lauren starts calling some of the cast old and that she doesn't like anyone there, and then she decides to just go to sleep. Ashely I. says in her ITM that this is kind of what she expected from Lauren on the first night. Then she tries to go talk to Jared, but when she likes a guy, she clams up, so she just does a lot of sitting near him and not talking, and we get Ashley I.'s first tears over her inability to talk to Jared. She finally succeeds by bringing up her love of princesses, specifically Princess Jasmine. Then Jared says he's going to walk on the beach and invites Jade along, sending Ashley I. into a tailspin of anger and tears.

The next morning we see everyone rehashing who is into whom. It looks like the pairs, at least for the moment, are Carly/Kirk, Ashley S./Dan, Jade/Jared, and Juelia/Jonathan. Then Jillian comes in with a date card and it is for Ashley I. Of course her choice is Jared, but she is too nervous to ask him, so she practices repeatedly on her sister before asking him. When she does, he says yes. Jade is a little bummed because she likes Jared. On the date, Jared and Ashley I. go riding around in a dune buggy then have a picnic on the beach. They seem to enjoy each other's company and talk about Jared's potentially still existent feelings for Kaitlyn. But Ashley I. is pleased by her time with Jared and feels confident that she will get his rose.

The next date card arrives and it is for Jade. She goes off to think about who to pick. She wants to choose Jared, but he has just returned from his date with Ashley I., so she picks Tanner. Ashley I. is mondo relieved. Jade and Tanner's date consists of a private dinner in a little grotto by a river. They seem to really be into each other and talk and laugh and are just beaming at each other. They have a sweet first kiss, which leads to a bit of a make-out, then they drop their clothes (surprisingly, they were not wearing swimsuits underneath) and have a swim in the river. Back at the beach, Ashley S. is being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Dan is worried about her so he hops in with her.

So the couples are now Carly/Kirk, Jade/Tanner, Ashley I./Jared, Ashley S./Dan,  and Juelia/Jonathan, and then we get a new arrival: Clare from Juan Pablo's season and Bachelor in Paradise Season 1. She also gets a date card, but all the guys she is interested in are paired up (Tanner, Kirk, and Jared), so in her struggle to pick someone, Mikey T. kind of invites himself so she decides to go on the date with him. Their date involves tantra yoga, which involves a lot of touching. They laugh their way through it and end up in the hot tub. Mikey T. is feeling it, but Clare is not, but no matter what she says, Mikey T. is not getting the message.

The last date card arrives via Tanner and it is for Ashley S. She is back from the hospital and feeling better and she picks Dan. They go for a nice dinner and a night on the town, dancing and such, and there is kissing. They kind of consider the one-on-one as a second date, saying their first date was at the hospital. Back at the beach, Tenley is worried because everyone seems to be coupled up. She likes Jared so when she spots him alone walking on the beach, she goes to talk chat with him. Ashley I. can't stand this and butts in as soon as she can stop crying and takes some shots for courage. She opens up to him, but he doesn't exactly give her the validation she's seeking.

So the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party gets underway and J.J.'s rose is really the only one up for grabs. Jillian is confident it is hers, but Tenley talks to J.J. and they seem to make at least a tiny connection, but really J.J. is just relishing the power giving out a rose gives him. We also see an interesting conversation between Jared and Clare where Clare expresses her interest in him and he says that if his name is called and she doesn't have a rose yet, he will give her his rose. Ashley I. sees them talking and is upset (though she would definitely be more upset if she'd overheard what he'd said). Then the rose ceremony begins and the results are as follows: Tanner to Jade, Kirk to Carly, Dan to Ashley S., Jonathan to Juelia, Mikey T. to Clare, Jared to Ashley I. (and Lauren gets to stay), and J.J. to Tenley, which means Jillian goes home.




That's the first week of paradise! A lot of Ashley I. drama, but other than that, not too much craziness yet. But BIP is all about the crazy, so we'll see what happens next week!


Thanks for visiting!

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Reading Challenge Update [July 2015]


I'm staying just ahead of my Goodreads Reading Challenge and am behind on my TBR Takedown by quite a bit, so here's to hoping I can get caught up!


This Month: 9 books

The Books:
Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2) by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Mosquitoland by David Arnold
Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson
Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot
Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov
A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott


This Month: 7
Total: 29/50

The Categories/Books:
A book with more than 500 pages: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A mystery or thriller: Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot
A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
A book your mom parent loves: Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov
A book that scares you: Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson
A book more than 100 years old: A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott
A book based on or turned into a TV show: Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2) by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder


This Month: 5 TBR books
Total: 18/40

The Books:
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Speak by Lauri Halse Anderson
Twilight (The Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot
Foundation (Foundation #1) by Isaac Asimov
A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott