*No Spoilers* The Bachelor - General Discussion

JPab was a hit tonight! He made all the right decisions. He let go of all the girls that had issues to resolve, specially the girl whose fiance broke up with a few month ago. Girl friend needs her heart healed before taking on such a major commitment. And the massage therapist! What a freak!! Smart move JPblo!! Put on your sit belts, this will be an exciting one!!!

Oh… what the heck. I’ll dump a “little” recap here. Not sure how many posts I’ll manage this season.

Maybe we can add a “non spoiler” Edit Thread for both the Spoiled and Un-spoiled. It would be fun to once again Guess F1 by what we see on screen… since that is how a cluster of us realized Reality Steve goofed by the time episode #5 aired.

Not that we can “expect” any one kind of outcome. Jason Mesnick was a single dad looking for L-U-V just like Juan Pabloooo… and his season had a good surprise at the end. It tickles me how many of his old video clips have suddenly vanished from youtube during the last few months. “Copyright” reasons no doubt are the cause. Yet enough other seasons are well represented there. Uh hmmm. I just wonder what The Fleismeister is up to.

At least Juan Pablooo’s family reminded him how much they wuv him… just in case “All Of America” has something else to say.

First up…

The pre-show "countdown special" on Sunday night... a few odds and ends that stood out.

First: the Gia tribute. It was well done. It did acknowledge the tragedy of the situation (with her mom speaking) but didn't dwell on it. Basically the "in memoriam" was much like those done at Oscar time and on the TCM network for beloved stars like Joan Fontane and Peter O'Toole. Much emphasis was on how many she touched. Even in one video montage, Vienna looked happy with her… and that was no easy feat.

If Juan did choose somebody, I have a good "vibe" she was shown during the interview process. I can't specify what makes me think that, apart from the fact that they would want viewers "teased" by watching Juan with his family and doing a bit of pre-show testing of the candidates on their own to determine which lady looks like a "good fit".

Poor Elise… not sure what the producers think of her. Chris Harrison acted like he was visiting the Bates Motel to give her a rose of invitation. She is a sweet gal and her house quite average looking.

I have no idea why Juan’s sister announcing her pregnancy had to be aired for "all of America" to hear about, but I guess this family has no qualms about showcasing such things. Then again, maybe the editors included it because it relates to this season’s storyline. (So far, only Clare is “on the nest”… and we are under the impression it was just a limo gag.) All-telling Juan was quite happy to give us details upon details about his daughter’s birth, naming the hospital and almost supplying the sonogram. No mention of her mom’s part in the delivery, but he did make up for it on Monday’s show discussing his good relationship with her that simply-didn’t-work-out-longterm.

OK… on to the main show Monday night…

One thing I find most amusing about watching Juan and his “advisor” Sean Lowe together is how completely different in a Mutt-and-Jeff way they look with the TV volume turned off. Juan is like my all time favorite El señor Sol, Ryan Park. His face is like silly putty. Sean sports the poker face and expresses mostly with his hands. Those limbs go everywhere when he speaks... like Moe Howard.

I thought it was interesting that he said Catherine wasn’t on his radar the first few weeks of his season. I didn’t buy it, but the editors including that half-fib must be important in some storyline sort of way relating to Juan. Maybe the opposite is true?

Ladies Bio Time: For two seasons in a row (Sean, Desiree), the F1 contestant was not included in these. Yet the four seasons preceeding them did include the future F1. Will the pendulum swing the other way this time? Let’s seeeee...
1.) Chelsie from Columbus, Ohio – loves kids, dandelions and sunflowers
2.) Renee from Sarasota, Florida- our other Mommy besides Cassandra (showcased in Chris Harrison’s “ones to watch”)
3.) Andi – Atlanta district attorney who will be our Mike the G-Man this season, I guess
4.) Amy J. just wants a man willing to be oiled all over by her
5.) Nikki works with babies. Reminds me a little of Trista Sutter showcasing her pediatrics skills when she was Bachelorette
6.) Lauren H. gives us her sad sad story of getting jilted. Things get sadder as the evening progresses.
7.) Valerie loves to compete and poke other ladies’ eyeballs out. Exactly why they cast her.
8.) Lacy owns a nursing home and has that Special Family. Might get dumped for being “over qualified” for our Venezuelan-New York born soccer player.
9.) Clare has the Miss My Daddy Story (DVD made for her future hubbie) and clocks in the most screentime in the promos... so you know she either makes it far or hogs up the most camera space on the few episodes she’s on.

Limos... edited very differently as usual. (Clare was technically first out)
1.) Amy gets that stock guitar rift most first-outers get
2.) Cassandra sports the hypnotic eyes and the crickets chirp in unison. Isn’t she one of the mommies?
3.) Christie in her glitter
4.) Christine... a less glittery blonde
5.) Nikki gets the “no more limos” line out of him
6.) Kat in her ravishing red
7.) Chantel... pretty average entrance, a sign she will get stuck in the background of this season
8.) Victoria ready to teach him Portuguese
9.) The Hippy... Lucy. You know he will keep her simply because of the producers.
10.) Danielle – huge head of hair. Nice Type B personality... Miss Mellow
11.) Lauren logs a piano. Wouldn’t a skateboard be easier?
12.) Chelsie gets a nice F1-ish entrance but the music is too fast-tempo. Also talks too much for slightly poky Juan.
13.) Cowgirl Valerie
14.) Elise The Fan... “we have so many things in common!”
15.) Ashley... another glittery one, but giving him a glitter star like her elementary school pupils
16.) Clare arrives “knocked up”
17.) Alli remembered his soccer ball, but he simply kicks it away after she leaves!
18.) Amy J. Is the first of three who learned some Spanish
19.) Renee is the first to discuss her mommyhood
20.) Lauren H. will give most her performance later in the evening
21.) Maggie the Southern Belle who wants to hook Juan like a big mouth bass
22.) Doggie gives Juan the “cold shoulder”. Owner Kelly is friendlier, but quite often the pet’s parent is not too different than their “child”...
23.) Lacy... like half the ladies tonight, shown legs first. Already poppin’ the pills.
24.) Alexis also has her trusty Spanish dictionary handy. Since I never bothered checking Reality Steve’s spoilers, I just assumed she lasted a couple episodes. Now all of the “Alexies” I keep seeing in the promos must be some other brunette he spared.
25.) Kylie sports the red-hair. Poor girl gets a workout at the rose ceremony
26.) Sharleen the International Opera Singer whom Chris Harrison has a huge crush on and probably told Juan to give an impression rose to
27.) Andi arrives “last but not least” and poor Juan chirps “Oh my gosh! How am I gonna do this?”

It seemed like the editors tried to get as many sitdown times in this episode as possible. Usually we just see roughly a third of the contestants sit with the lead. Some shown, of course, just got a second or two aired, but they made an effort to show Juan as the busy beaver making his full rounds. Even Lauren H. fussing constantly about her time got quite a lengthy session aired.

I guess I should get Lauren out of the way even though her scene occurred later. Obviously the editors had more fun last season with the magician getting Desiree to disappear and Jonathan waiting in his fantasy suite with his “love tank not depleted for years and steadily building”, since they tried to make Lauren seem slightly crazy when she was merely too talkative and too needy of other ladies’ advice.

Nikki was first shown and got the key Juan line of “you be yourself” right after he entered the room. Regardless of how far she goes this season, her “story” must be important since they also gave her the choice “Here’s Juan Pablo” face shot during the rose ceremony. Her sitdown is typical Girl Meets Boy “What do you want to know about me?”. Fortunately they got her out of the way for the loonier crop.

Renee talked Parent Talk with Juan and I couldn’t stop staring at the lipstick on his face, wondering who the culprit was who planted it there. It might not have been Renee, since these two don’t generate much “heat” on screen.

Obviously Juan is uncomfortable with The Hippy and the Message Therapist, but Harrison demanded he keep the former so that the editors have something to keep blurring and bleeping as the season progresses... and Lucy is all over the place in the promos as “comedy relief”.

Chelsie with Juan was hilarious as she muffed his hair and added her glasses in an effort to transform him into Reid Rosenthal.

I thought Elsie/Elise’s discussion of “love at first sight” was interesting, since he later gives Sharleen the first impression rose despite her not feeling that... and also on account of what Sean said earlier about Catherine not being on his radar at first. Something tells me that, while Elise may not be “the one” (and Juan only looked moderately interested in her), something about her “story” relates to “final one” in some way.

Kylie dreamed about him (but he didn’t her since he dumped her later after almost-choosing-her-by-mistake at the rose ceremony). Danielle was more interesting to look at than listen to (but a nice girl anyway), Alexis wants kids right away and Andi the attorney (shown with a straight face in her intro bio) got the Sexy Salsa score they often use for mud baths. Juan was giggling up a storm with her much like Drew and his “butterflies” last season.

Then there was Sharleen whom the editors wasted a good Proposal Guitar Rift on... the same one traditionally used with F1 contestants (along with one or two others in a given season). This means that Sharleen has a shot for that coveted title... or at least the chance to be Juan’s counterpart to Jason’s Melissa. Yet playing that score so early in episode #1?!? That is worse than Tony getting it in episode #3 of Emily’s season simply by talking about his son. What made the music feel even more wasted was how she kept saying she didn’t feel “it” with Juan but accepted the first impression rose anyway. Nikki appropriately stated that it “sucks” (our most popular curse word this season going by the promos).

Rose ceremony order (and watch me miss one here): Clare, Nikki, Renee, Andi, Alli, Chantel-with-an-E, Lauren-ess, Kelly and her pooch, Cassandra, Chelsie, Kat (with poor Kylie mixed up and too hopeful... Juan favored Kelly’s pooch over her), Victoria, Christy, Lucy (picked at gun point during his not-shown sitdown with Mr. Harrison), Elise and Amy L.

The promos again left out a third part. We are stuck with Juan blubbering and hightailing out of his confession room. No previews of final rose ceremony or fantasy dates that stand out. What gives?

Oh... that’s right. Fleissmeister has something-something percolating on the back burner this season.

Thanks for the interesting (as usual) recap JBF.

Just wondering, are you spoiled and have kept bias out of this recap or can we read-between-the-lines lol ?

ETA : Did Chris get more than a few seconds of 1on1 time with Des during episode1 ? I can't remember.

JBF wrote:Oh… what the heck. I’ll dump a “little” recap here. Not sure how many posts I’ll manage this season.

Maybe we can add a “non spoiler” Edit Thread for both the Spoiled and Un-spoiled. It would be fun to once again Guess F1 by what we see on screen… since that is how a cluster of us realized Reality Steve goofed by the time episode #5 aired.

Not that we can “expect” any one kind of outcome. Jason Mesnick was a single dad looking for L-U-V just like Juan Pabloooo… and his season had a good surprise at the end. It tickles me how many of his old video clips have suddenly vanished from youtube during the last few months. “Copyright” reasons no doubt are the cause. Yet enough other seasons are well represented there. Uh hmmm. I just wonder what The Fleismeister is up to.

At least Juan Pablooo’s family reminded him how much they wuv him… just in case “All Of America” has something else to say.

First up…

The pre-show "countdown special" on Sunday night... a few odds and ends that stood out.

First: the Gia tribute. It was well done. It did acknowledge the tragedy of the situation (with her mom speaking) but didn't dwell on it. Basically the "in memoriam" was much like those done at Oscar time and on the TCM network for beloved stars like Joan Fontane and Peter O'Toole. Much emphasis was on how many she touched. Even in one video montage, Vienna looked happy with her… and that was no easy feat.

If Juan did choose somebody, I have a good "vibe" she was shown during the interview process. I can't specify what makes me think that, apart from the fact that they would want viewers "teased" by watching Juan with his family and doing a bit of pre-show testing of the candidates on their own to determine which lady looks like a "good fit".

Poor Elise… not sure what the producers think of her. Chris Harrison acted like he was visiting the Bates Motel to give her a rose of invitation. She is a sweet gal and her house quite average looking.

I have no idea why Juan’s sister announcing her pregnancy had to be aired for "all of America" to hear about, but I guess this family has no qualms about showcasing such things. Then again, maybe the editors included it because it relates to this season’s storyline. (So far, only Clare is “on the nest”… and we are under the impression it was just a limo gag.) All-telling Juan was quite happy to give us details upon details about his daughter’s birth, naming the hospital and almost supplying the sonogram. No mention of her mom’s part in the delivery, but he did make up for it on Monday’s show discussing his good relationship with her that simply-didn’t-work-out-longterm.

OK… on to the main show Monday night…

One thing I find most amusing about watching Juan and his “advisor” Sean Lowe together is how completely different in a Mutt-and-Jeff way they look with the TV volume turned off. Juan is like my all time favorite El señor Sol, Ryan Park. His face is like silly putty. Sean sports the poker face and expresses mostly with his hands. Those limbs go everywhere when he speaks... like Moe Howard.

I thought it was interesting that he said Catherine wasn’t on his radar the first few weeks of his season. I didn’t buy it, but the editors including that half-fib must be important in some storyline sort of way relating to Juan. Maybe the opposite is true?

Ladies Bio Time: For two seasons in a row (Sean, Desiree), the F1 contestant was not included in these. Yet the four seasons preceeding them did include the future F1. Will the pendulum swing the other way this time? Let’s seeeee...
1.) Chelsie from Columbus, Ohio – loves kids, dandelions and sunflowers
2.) Renee from Sarasota, Florida- our other Mommy besides Cassandra (showcased in Chris Harrison’s “ones to watch”)
3.) Andi – Atlanta district attorney who will be our Mike the G-Man this season, I guess
4.) Amy J. just wants a man willing to be oiled all over by her
5.) Nikki works with babies. Reminds me a little of Trista Sutter showcasing her pediatrics skills when she was Bachelorette
6.) Lauren H. gives us her sad sad story of getting jilted. Things get sadder as the evening progresses.
7.) Valerie loves to compete and poke other ladies’ eyeballs out. Exactly why they cast her.
8.) Lacy owns a nursing home and has that Special Family. Might get dumped for being “over qualified” for our Venezuelan-New York born soccer player.
9.) Clare has the Miss My Daddy Story (DVD made for her future hubbie) and clocks in the most screentime in the promos... so you know she either makes it far or hogs up the most camera space on the few episodes she’s on.

Limos... edited very differently as usual. (Clare was technically first out)
1.) Amy gets that stock guitar rift most first-outers get
2.) Cassandra sports the hypnotic eyes and the crickets chirp in unison. Isn’t she one of the mommies?
3.) Christie in her glitter
4.) Christine... a less glittery blonde
5.) Nikki gets the “no more limos” line out of him
6.) Kat in her ravishing red
7.) Chantel... pretty average entrance, a sign she will get stuck in the background of this season
8.) Victoria ready to teach him Portuguese
9.) The Hippy... Lucy. You know he will keep her simply because of the producers.
10.) Danielle – huge head of hair. Nice Type B personality... Miss Mellow
11.) Lauren logs a piano. Wouldn’t a skateboard be easier?
12.) Chelsie gets a nice F1-ish entrance but the music is too fast-tempo. Also talks too much for slightly poky Juan.
13.) Cowgirl Valerie
14.) Elise The Fan... “we have so many things in common!”
15.) Ashley... another glittery one, but giving him a glitter star like her elementary school pupils
16.) Clare arrives “knocked up”
17.) Alli remembered his soccer ball, but he simply kicks it away after she leaves!
18.) Amy J. Is the first of three who learned some Spanish
19.) Renee is the first to discuss her mommyhood
20.) Lauren H. will give most her performance later in the evening
21.) Maggie the Southern Belle who wants to hook Juan like a big mouth bass
22.) Doggie gives Juan the “cold shoulder”. Owner Kelly is friendlier, but quite often the pet’s parent is not too different than their “child”...
23.) Lacy... like half the ladies tonight, shown legs first. Already poppin’ the pills.
24.) Alexis also has her trusty Spanish dictionary handy. Since I never bothered checking Reality Steve’s spoilers, I just assumed she lasted a couple episodes. Now all of the “Alexies” I keep seeing in the promos must be some other brunette he spared.
25.) Kylie sports the red-hair. Poor girl gets a workout at the rose ceremony
26.) Sharleen the International Opera Singer whom Chris Harrison has a huge crush on and probably told Juan to give an impression rose to
27.) Andi arrives “last but not least” and poor Juan chirps “Oh my gosh! How am I gonna do this?”

It seemed like the editors tried to get as many sitdown times in this episode as possible. Usually we just see roughly a third of the contestants sit with the lead. Some shown, of course, just got a second or two aired, but they made an effort to show Juan as the busy beaver making his full rounds. Even Lauren H. fussing constantly about her time got quite a lengthy session aired.

I guess I should get Lauren out of the way even though her scene occurred later. Obviously the editors had more fun last season with the magician getting Desiree to disappear and Jonathan waiting in his fantasy suite with his “love tank not depleted for years and steadily building”, since they tried to make Lauren seem slightly crazy when she was merely too talkative and too needy of other ladies’ advice.

Nikki was first shown and got the key Juan line of “you be yourself” right after he entered the room. Regardless of how far she goes this season, her “story” must be important since they also gave her the choice “Here’s Juan Pablo” face shot during the rose ceremony. Her sitdown is typical Girl Meets Boy “What do you want to know about me?”. Fortunately they got her out of the way for the loonier crop.

Renee talked Parent Talk with Juan and I couldn’t stop staring at the lipstick on his face, wondering who the culprit was who planted it there. It might not have been Renee, since these two don’t generate much “heat” on screen.

Obviously Juan is uncomfortable with The Hippy and the Message Therapist, but Harrison demanded he keep the former so that the editors have something to keep blurring and bleeping as the season progresses... and Lucy is all over the place in the promos as “comedy relief”.

Chelsie with Juan was hilarious as she muffed his hair and added her glasses in an effort to transform him into Reid Rosenthal.

I thought Elsie/Elise’s discussion of “love at first sight” was interesting, since he later gives Sharleen the first impression rose despite her not feeling that... and also on account of what Sean said earlier about Catherine not being on his radar at first. Something tells me that, while Elise may not be “the one” (and Juan only looked moderately interested in her), something about her “story” relates to “final one” in some way.

Kylie dreamed about him (but he didn’t her since he dumped her later after almost-choosing-her-by-mistake at the rose ceremony). Danielle was more interesting to look at than listen to (but a nice girl anyway), Alexis wants kids right away and Andi the attorney (shown with a straight face in her intro bio) got the Sexy Salsa score they often use for mud baths. Juan was giggling up a storm with her much like Drew and his “butterflies” last season.

Then there was Sharleen whom the editors wasted a good Proposal Guitar Rift on... the same one traditionally used with F1 contestants (along with one or two others in a given season). This means that Sharleen has a shot for that coveted title... or at least the chance to be Juan’s counterpart to Jason’s Melissa. Yet playing that score so early in episode #1?!? That is worse than Tony getting it in episode #3 of Emily’s season simply by talking about his son. What made the music feel even more wasted was how she kept saying she didn’t feel “it” with Juan but accepted the first impression rose anyway. Nikki appropriately stated that it “sucks” (our most popular curse word this season going by the promos).

Rose ceremony order (and watch me miss one here): Clare, Nikki, Renee, Andi, Alli, Chantel-with-an-E, Lauren-ess, Kelly and her pooch, Cassandra, Chelsie, Kat (with poor Kylie mixed up and too hopeful... Juan favored Kelly’s pooch over her), Victoria, Christy, Lucy (picked at gun point during his not-shown sitdown with Mr. Harrison), Elise and Amy L.

The promos again left out a third part. We are stuck with Juan blubbering and hightailing out of his confession room. No previews of final rose ceremony or fantasy dates that stand out. What gives?

Oh... that’s right. Fleissmeister has something-something percolating on the back burner this season.

JBF, Thanks for that recap.
One more thing I noticed about Juan Pablo is that he is a great listener, which means he has great radars. I am so digging JPb!

Juan is a great listener and, for somebody planning to stay out of The Drama, sure gets wrapped up in it by trying to be "fair" with each of the ladies.

I'll probably stick to recapping, but for fun... and to amuse nd4reality above...

Here’s a feeble stab at...

The Edit so far... in a nutshell. Going by Episode #1 and the promos ONLY.

Juan’s season in HIS words (with Sean aiding him with his “theme”): “This adventure is gonna be something unforgettable”… oooooh boy!

Juan’s father tells him to keep an “open mind” in the Countdown pre-show special.
Sean Lowe tells him to keep an “open mind”, claiming Catherine wasn’t on his radar at first.

This means that Juan was likely coaxed to play his lead role as “narrow minded” at the very start of this season, then gradually widen his horizons… *chuckle chuckle*

Key promo line showing that he will attempt to be “open minded”: “I look ahead and I see something special”

We also have the usual “secondary storyline” that we are all familiar with season after season:
Juan says to Danielle “I don’t want people to be showing me something that they’re not. I just don’t like that.”

Every season has its human “façades”. Remember Ashley’s season? We had Jeff sporting a mask so that he could “see through” others wearing less conspicuous masks. Once he took it off, Willie Holman had his meltdown at the comedy roast, Bentley hightailed out, JP “broke the entertainment center” on his first date and Ashley couldn’t stop sobbing to Mister Harrison at the next rose ceremony about her missing “husband in the room”… all in episode #3!!!!

Juan has informed us that “I’m not here to make a fool of myself”… but why shouldn’t he? Every other lead has! Part of the contract, y’know. Sean Lowe may be The Perfect Guy With The Perfect Abs but that doesn’t mean he was immune to Tierra. How many episodes did she stay?

“Third storyline” of sorts: Sean tells Juan that he shouldn’t kiss in front of others. Uh hmmm. Riiiiiiigggghhht. In the promo, Sharleen says “I don’t think they are looking at us” when ready to kiss Juan, but has that expression on her face that she knows somebody is. Much like the way both Emily and Arie casually glanced to be sure Ryan Bowers was peeping... and Ben and Desiree eager to get caught in the Bentley. Ladies at the soccer field all say they see kissing... and we “assume” Juan is one of the kissers. The make out scenes during the nighttime surf seem to attract a trio on the beach. Then again, Ben Flajnik’s promo suggested ALL the ladies saw him and Courtney skinnydipping and we know that is NOT how it played in the actual episode.

At some point in the season, going by the promos, Juan is ready to give up. Why? “I would rather pick nobody than have my daughter not be proud of her dad”. Juan says he wants what’s best for his daughter repeatedly, but is a little wishy washy about “finding love”. Obviously it is not just about making HER happy. This is a key problem addressed in Jason Mesnick’s and Emily Maynard’s seasons as well.

Individual contestant edits so far, all subject to change as we progress into episode #2:

Alli
There really wasn’t enough of her to determine her “role” this season. Heck, she could be The Hidden F1 for all we know.

Key scene of interest: When she presented a soccer ball to him, he simply kicked it out of his way. That was a peculiar thing to show. Like others focusing on their Spanish delivery to impress him, there is the possibility that she may be searching in the wrong areas of Juan’s “world” in order to get his affection.

Amy
The first out the limos per edit (but not reality) means she is an important “character”. However there was so little of her on the premiere show with so much focus on the eliminated Amy the massage specialist.

Andi
The district attorney who may be quite vocal on screen despite her somewhat easy going manner. Even comments some issues with “sharing”, which means she may be involved in at least SOME of the drama.

Gets the salsa “sexy” music in her sitdown with Juan, showcasing his strong physical attraction towards her. So far we have yet to see the next level of their relationship.

Both she and Juan say the same line “I love my job” in this episode, although she adds that it isn’t the only thing “that defines me”.

Although her story is hard to determine yet, I suspect she goes far. In any case, Juan has a couple passionate makeout sessions in the promo with brunettes.

Cassandra
Like Renee (see below), a Mother. However… unlike Renee, only Chris Harrison has pointed this out in his “ones to watch”. She has yet to reveal this… like Brad waited a bit in Desiree’s season.

The editors inserted a silly “crickets chirp” when they first meet out of the limo, suggesting either: “love at first sight” and both are speechless or... Cassandra and Juan only have parenthood in common and struggle a bit with conversations. Chris Harrison teases that Juan discovers her to be quite shy, but very fascinating.

Not much else shown in episode #1, but she gets plenty of coverage in the promos.

Chelsie
The science teacher… and a very talkative blonde bombshell. Like I said, I loved how she dressed Juan up to look like fan favorite Reid with the glasses.

One of several learning Spanish, an added plus in winning the affections of Juan and his family. However, he already told Lauren H. that it isn’t all that important to know Spanish in order to woo him.

She may be a little too “analytical” for Juan’s tastes, but I’ll bet she will provide us with plenty of entertainment. Poor gal DOES get caught up in the drama if the promos are to be believed: “These are crazy girls. They are the reason I am crying.”

Christy
Oof! Not much to go on her. She is Glitter Girl as far as I can tell at this stage.

One key voice-byte I mentioned earlier that got repeated from preview to show was Chris Harrison discussing the first impression rose and her disappointed face highlighted over the line “you know what to do with it”. To me it was a sign of Juan potentially not getting to know her well enough.

Clare
Her father story and his special DVD for her future husband are important. Of course, viewers will be curious if Juan gets to watch it. (Juan was seen with his own daddy quite abit in the Countdown special.) One key question: Just as Juan is too focused on his daughter and not enough on himself at the start of this season, is she too focused on what she thinks her father would have wanted?

Arriving “pregnant” is a nice gag to show she has a sense of humor. (Jake’s F2 Tenley made a cute joke like that on his season.) However, the fact that her limo arrival (first out) was changed suggests that the gag has little relation to her storyline. Nonetheless “pregnancy” and babies are discussed quite a bit this season (i.e. Juan’s sister announces hers). Regardless how far she goes this season, her limo arrival position was changed to the key #16 spot a few (but not all obviously) past F1s have had. Not that we should use that as a “sign” until we see more “signs” in the edit.

Shown in the promos a lot; suggesting a long, complicated, story arc. With a group, she is too focused on what others are doing (a possible “red flag”). She has a brief confrontation with Nikki (?) at some point (being called “crazy”), but it doesn’t appear to be that much of a fight a.k.a. AshLee/Tierra proportions. Many shots in the promo show Juan talking to her directly: “This is the real deal” after she comments on the exotic location. He also compromises with her: “I’m just trying to be as fair as possible”.

Curiously, despite how much on screen time she gets on episode #1 and in the promos, Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t include her in his “list” during Juan’s interview. This could mean either Juan would rather not discuss her post show or the opposite... she isn’t mentioned in case he might react too positively.

Danielle
Most important scene showcased in all the promos is Juan discussing with her about his dislike of people pretending to be something they are not. Since she is patiently listening to him in that scene, she is probably not often guilty of that fault.

A good “friend” of Juan on this show for the early episodes. So far, little indication of top status or major storyline, though.

Elise
Billed by Harrison as the fan of Juan… always a “red flag” set up to great disappointment.

Her sitdown with Juan was very important in that they discussed “love at first sight”… a significant ideal that might resurface again in the seasonal discussions.

Kat
Nice down-to-earth gal, but vastly under-represented in the promos, suggesting an early departure. The goof up with Kylie in the rose ceremony is not a good sign.

Kelly and Molly
Like Ben last season, she introduced her child first. Granted, Molly wasn’t her “biological” child, but even Ben was often questioned if his son was really his.

Best line in promo: “We have a bomb to drop”. Juan comments that it is hard for him to see that happen, but with a half grin. Oh I bet he finds Kelly quite entertaining.

Nikki
Key “frontrunner” possibility like Clare: Occupation as a pediatrician relates to Juan’s lengthy discussion about his daughter’s birth.

She is also a key contestant shown getting the interview process in the Countdown special, a potential sign that viewers should notice her at this early stage.

Key line in her bio: “I want that head over heels, in love, can't get enough of each other feeling.” This sets up a huge challenge for her: will she find it with Juan and be his F1? Or will he find it with her, but she not with him… like Sharleen? (See notes on Sharleen) Sometimes you reach that state, but not overnight.

Receives two vitally important Juan quotes in premiere show:
1.) “you be yourself” (see “secondary storyline” above). Nikki appropriately states in her first sit-down “What all do you want to know about me?”
2.) Gets the “Here’s Juan Pablo” line many past F1s received (along with some dumpees too) at the rose ceremony.

In the promos, Juan says he sees his daughter’s future over a shot horseback riding with a blonde who resembles Nikki (but not sure if it her). Also in promos, he says “this is perfect” kissing a blonde who looks like her.

Possible “red flag”: among those ladies shown legs out first in her limo arrival like Melissa in Jason’s season... and Ben's Courtney. Clare was shown head first like Molly in Jason’s. (Both received F1-ish entrances.) They made the instant attraction quite obvious with Juan suggesting “no more limos”.

Lauren S.
One key trait ties her to Sharleen: her musical talent with the piano.

Otherwise, she’s one of the “hidden” ladies who doesn’t seem to make much impact apart from succeeding to the next round over another Lauren who got a lot of screentime in the premiere.

Lucy
The Hippy. Lovely slightly Looney-Tune-ish Lucy.

C’mon! We know why she will last a couple episodes. Loves to get naked per Harrison’s “ones to watch”. Acts feisty. I guess she represents Nikki’s “can’t get enough” feeling at its most carnal. She may be the “rawhide” opposite of Sharleen, who maintains the cool exterior.

At least Juan shouldn’t worry about her being something she is not. ANYTHING you want to see, she will be glad to show you.

Renee
Like Cassandra, a Mother… see above. Juan is a Father. It is obvious why she is here. Same as Tony/Doug on Emily’s and Stephanie on Jason’s season. “Therapy” to help Juan decide if “what’s good for the child” is always more important than “what’s good for you”. Specifically states in her bio: “My number one love in my life is my son”.

Unlike Cassandra, we saw quite a bit more interaction between Juan and her in episode #1. They have the conversation comfort down.

Sharleen
“She will break his heart like Brooks did to Desiree” posted one tweeter online.
Needless to say, I am among the minority who was not 100% “sold” on all that boo-hoo in Antigua last season… and, NO, I refuse to discuss any of THAT here. Yet this does make me question whether any Juan meltdown involving Sharleen will happen before or after his nighttime make-out sessions with somebody with much lighter hair than Sharleen on the beach. After all, we were once informed in a press clip that Ali spent an entire day in her Tahiti hotel sobbing at the ceiling nonstop after Frankie left, as if Robbbbberto was nonexistent… and Chris Harrison insisted that production had to shut down the day Bentley left because Ashley refused to continue. How she was able to cope with both that and JP “breaking the entertainment center” just hours later is an unsolved mystery yet to be explained.

But this is not a place to make jokes. It is totally out of line. Sharleen is a great opera singer. Great opera is full of tragedy. This seasonal promo is just one tragedy after another and she is smack middle of it all.

The fact that she is not feeling “IT” with Juan despite the first impression rose is an interesting parallel/contrast to Nikki seeking to be “head over heels in love”. One thing is for certain: Sharleen is clearly not “head over heels” here… even with the grand Proposal Guitar Rift playing on the soundtrack and Juan saying she has “mundo”. Is he that blind?!?! As Nikki says, “this sucks”. For her part, Sharleen says “it makes me sick”… having to “ruin this whole experience for everybody”.

Victoria
She wasn’t eliminated yet? Oh… I dunno. Maybe she is like Catherine… not on Juan’s radar yet.

Just checking in! I have stayed away from the boards and am going to try to watch spoiler free for awhile. I didn't get to watch last night and am just starting now. Will post on the Episode 1 page after watching tonight with impressions.

As this is the first season watching unspoiled in a long time, is there special rules as to what sleuthing we can and cannot employ? ie. assumptions on past editing tricks, etc

LibbyBell wrote:Just wanted to check in and say I'm looking forward to another season starting. Although I wasn't really hoping TB would be Juan Pablo, I hope everything went well for him. I'm looking forward to meeting the girls and seeing  their interactions. I'm going to try to watch the show totally unspoiled again this season. I'm also looking forward to the specials in January -- including Sean and Catherine's wedding! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year; I wish you all well!

Whoa! Sean and Catherine are getting married? Have I ever been out of the loop.

DMBFan wrote:

LibbyBell wrote:Just wanted to check in and say I'm looking forward to another season starting. Although I wasn't really hoping TB would be Juan Pablo, I hope everything went well for him. I'm looking forward to meeting the girls and seeing  their interactions. I'm going to try to watch the show totally unspoiled again this season. I'm also looking forward to the specials in January -- including Sean and Catherine's wedding! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year; I wish you all well!

Whoa! Sean and Catherine are getting married?  Have I ever been out of the loop.

I'm the same way. I have much to catch up on but am scared to venture too much on the board since I'm trying to remain unspoiled. However in somewhat related news, Tenley and Kiptyn are dating again. So cute !

nd4reality wrote:

DMBFan wrote:

LibbyBell wrote:Just wanted to check in and say I'm looking forward to another season starting. Although I wasn't really hoping TB would be Juan Pablo, I hope everything went well for him. I'm looking forward to meeting the girls and seeing  their interactions. I'm going to try to watch the show totally unspoiled again this season. I'm also looking forward to the specials in January -- including Sean and Catherine's wedding! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year; I wish you all well!

Whoa! Sean and Catherine are getting married?  Have I ever been out of the loop.

I'm the same way. I have much to catch up on but am scared to venture too much on the board since I'm trying to remain unspoiled. However in somewhat related news, Tenley and Kiptyn are dating again. So cute !

Awww! I like them together. I'm glad.

So HAPPY to see you and JBF going unspoiled this season too. Will be so weird. I haven't even read a single article or seen a single preview. So much fun.

JBF..Love reading your take on the edit and all!

DMBFan wrote:

LibbyBell wrote:Just wanted to check in and say I'm looking forward to another season starting. Although I wasn't really hoping TB would be Juan Pablo, I hope everything went well for him. I'm looking forward to meeting the girls and seeing  their interactions. I'm going to try to watch the show totally unspoiled again this season. I'm also looking forward to the specials in January -- including Sean and Catherine's wedding! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year; I wish you all well!

Whoa! Sean and Catherine are getting married?  Have I ever been out of the loop.

Their wedding is being aired live on January 26th. They announced the date back in October and have been planning/filming stuff for it ever since. Their section doesn't have spoilers for JuanPa's season, just the latest on them and be warned, it moves quick over there.

Thanks for the thumbs up, hotmomma. I do worry though... that I am getting too jaded and cynical of this show. I need to go back to the blackboard and write 100 times "This show is real and unscripted", "This show is real and unscripted", "This show is real and unscripted", "This show is real and unscripted"...

DMBFan wrote:As this is the first season watching unspoiled in a long time, is there special rules as to what sleuthing we can and cannot employ?  ie. assumptions on past editing tricks, etc

Why not? Make all the "assumptions" you like. Every season uses a similar set of cookie cutters.
Insert Ben's skinnydip scene here.
Insert Sean's "blindside" moment in that spot.
Make sure Juan is as eager as Jake to end his interview on screen.
Have him act like Brad playing comforter to each sobbing gal furious he isn't giving her equal attention.
What is still remaining is Jason's cry over the bannister, but we still have the mid-season promos... and After The Final Rose... for that.

Now Juan shaking his champagne bottle in the promo as one lady chirps he's "husband material" is... is... is... well, unique and different. Don't get me started on the Freudian implications though.