Bachelor 19 - Chris Soules - General Discussion - *Spoilers*

BuckeyeGal06 wrote:EW is getting in on the Farm humor...

https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/17/36/07/42/bachel11.jpg

MiaHawk wrote:The "farmer" label has been squarely afixed by TPTB.

 My personal interpretation of Arie's comment is this:
Arie has been trotted out 3 seasons now as a potential lead and each time passed over.  Put yourself in his shoes for a moment.  It's got to be frustrating if he really wants TB and at minimum very annoying to be used to drum up conversation and excitement for this franchise.  So, if Arie feels any bitterness it is most likely aimed at TPTB and not Chris.  IMO, the "have fun on the farm" comment was meant to steal some of TPTB's thunder when they made the announcement.  Arie was essentially spoiling their surprise.  It wasn't meant as a dig on Chris or his profession, IMO.  Arie, for all the crap that is thrown his way, is one of the more gracious people to have suvived this franchise.  

You have to realize that if Farmer Chris is the persona that TPTB are selling, that people, including Arie and viewers, are also going to call him Farmer Chris.  The intention behind that moniker for most Arie fans, if I may speak as one, is not to put down the agricultural profession of the rural lifestyle.  But to imagine that TPTB are not going to use and abuse those demographics for their own entertainment and to exploit them, to me, is silly.  They do it every season. They use and exploit people, professions, persinality flaws, etc.  I said it weeks ago, the urban elitists are going to mock middle America via this season. My advice to Chris fans is to start growing a thicker skin because you may not like what you see.

LindaPete wrote:I sincerely hope you all remember how boring you think farmers are the next time you are hungry! As someone who works in the United States' largest industry (yes, over 300 careers in agriculture and over 21% of the nation's workforce are employed in agriculture) I'm rather offended that several of you think that being a farmer is a negative or boring thing. Is that  all that defines Chris? I doubt others would define me only in those parameters.

Which profession shall we drag through the mud next? Remember how boring the Prince was, or Jake the pilot? Let's talk a bit more about the person and not the profession.

GuardianAngel wrote:

LindaPete wrote:I sincerely hope you all remember how boring you think farmers are the next time you are hungry! As someone who works in the United States' largest industry (yes, over 300 careers in agriculture and over 21% of the nation's workforce are employed in agriculture) I'm rather offended that several of you think that being a farmer is a negative or boring thing. Is that  all that defines Chris? I doubt others would define me only in those parameters.

Which profession shall we drag through the mud next? Remember how boring the Prince was, or Jake the pilot? Let's talk a bit more about the person and not the profession.

I have to add my about Chris the farmer. I always support my local farmers because I know how hard and long hours they work. We are fortunate in my area, that we can drive 20-25 minutes to various farms. They are at the local markets every Saturday as well. I'm the one who returns the bushels after canning tomatoes, and tell them to keep the dollar you get for each bushel if your return them.

For me, I can't say Chris is boring, because I don't know him. TPTB didn't showcase him like they normally do when they have their eyes set on a potential bachelor. If we look back at all the previous bachelors, they all had a broken heart, they all had some sort of horrible drama that drove them to become the next bachelor because they wanted to find true love. Chris didn't have any of that which resulted in the viewers not knowing him. They hardly showed the real Chris and kept advertising him as "the farmer". Andi's comment "go farmer" I'm sure was part of the advertising campaign. So I don't think anyone can associate boring to being a farmer but rather what we saw on our screen, which wasn't much.

He appears to be very popular on SM and I just heard comments on the radio program I'm streaming out of Toronto supporting him. As I do for every lead, I wish them well, I hope they don't get run over by the big bus, and I hope they find their true love.

In the meantime, we will sleuth it out!!!

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JBF wrote:

chloep wrote:

tigertiz wrote:
Precisely.   Thank you.  And in further proof of America's excited reaction to the news, there has been a total of about a dozen posts about the big Good Morning America announcement - in all of the Bach 19 threads in this subforum.  And there hasnt even been a single post in his fan thread here.   Unreal.   I dont know what they were thinking when they cast him.  
#morons

There is a realm outside of this forum. FB and Twitter are going insane. His announcement received like 21,000 likes in 40mins. Chris led EVERY (wish) poll on every other (big)site....
They made the right choice for the show, the most marketable one. Arie's fans may be more involved and invested in Arie, but Chris appeals to the casual viewers more, (and those casual viewers make up the majority...)
I don't know really know who Chris is as a person. I don't know whether he'll make a good Bachelor. (Even if he does, there is no guarantee that TPTB won't mess it up with their manipulative poop and that horrible editing.) But I'll give him a chance.

I started this post in response to something Kashathediva stated above, but you did cut to the chase here... especially in regards to average TV viewers who don't focus much on spoilers and sleuthing like we little geeks do.

We all watch this show with different eyes, so there is really no point debating how "boring" Chris is. None of us view him as THE perfect choice for the lead any more than we have with other leads.

Obviously Chris did not wow the socks off of this forum. Part of it was because the spoilers were everywhere and only a few were questioning them thanks to the Nick Video. Therefore, a huge chunk of the "focal range" on this forum was about the Josh/Andi relationship versus Nick's "competitive" edit. Marcus was the "cute one" like Kiptyn on Jillian's season. Post-ATFR, there was much debate about Nick's sex statement regarding the fantasy suite.

As a result, Chris fell to the wayside... not so because of limited screentime or because he had any less "chemistry" with Andi than the other top contestants, but because only a select few on this forum were really paying much attention to him.

This reminds me... had Marcus/Lacy not been spoiled as a couple on BIP, would many be "aw"-ing and "oooh"-ing about them here, since their limited screentime footage (not M&L themselves) involves a lot of "we have a connection" talk and not much discussion about life after BIP or... much "hot" passion either apart from a few beach scenes? Spoilers can be SO powerful in the way they influence how we watch this show. If we know a certain contestant gets "bumped off" before final two, we may simply rule him/her out as a non-issue.

We learned the following about Chris... and, yeah, I will toss a little "opinion" here too.

1.) In "Meet Chris S.", he stated that his "pool" of prospects in rural Iowa is not great... and he really wants marriage. This sets up the "why" of him being on the show... even if it is a lame reason for many. Remember that Trista had no logical reason to be on Alex's season or be the Bachelorette herself, but I recall a line she said to Harrison at the start of hers (paraphrasing): " I am ready for ABC to try to play match maker for me". Yeah... I believed that gal had fallen off a turnip truck when she said that, but... hey! At least I couldn't accuse her of only doing it for fame and money. (Although that million dollar wedding wasn't refused.)

2.) He was committed for several years and proposed to a girl before, but it wasn't in his "gut" and he was thinking with his head rather than his heart. This was discussed in detail on his Santa Anita date. Of course, Andi also used that logic as an excuse to dump him. "My heart and head don't match."

3.) A married-for-55-years couple at Santa Anita gave him and Andi some relationship advice about "sometimes you just know" that will work to his advantage on his season... as to why he chooses person A over person B.

4.) Although the Rap Sheet of his youth was discussed on the messageboards and not on TV, the editors made it clear that his past is his past. In Brussels, he was commenting on not having the energy of his youth in his thirties. He was also the "gentleman" who made Andi get over Craig's drunken exploits in the group date preceding his... a date, I might add, that her F1 Josh attended and did NOT get the same praise from her about "putting me back on track after wondering if these guys were here for love".

5.) The secret admirer letters were not too-too cheezy... at least when we got through the edits of them and were able to read them word by word. He is a romantic at heart, despite his no nonsense "what you see is what you get" persona. AND these were not really discussed BY him  (as in the case of Nick and Marcus discussing theirs on screen... not that there was anything wrong with that)... that is, until Venice when he was finally revealed. The guy is pretty humble, regardless of his many faults. (By the way, those foggy flashback scenes of a guy writing weren't all Chris. They had some actor beefing up the "role" because production thought it was too good of a "storyline".)

6.) In his PI sessions, you didn't hear too much "canned" talk apart from that awful Cloud 9 reference. He was pretty original in his comments. Both Chris' strength... and weakness... is that he says what he thinks and doesn't sugarcoat or worry about others' responses. This leads me to his confrontations with two other contestants covered in #7 and #8 below...

7.) Although it was not covered on TV, we know he and Nick are OK with each other post show thanks twitter photos of them hanging out in Chicago and a rather extensive interview that Mike Fleiss had him do in June that explained how Nick's "evil" behavior was mostly a result of the "situation we are in". He also commented that "at the time" he did not consider Nick right for Andi, but saw how their relationship was on TV and was seeing things differently. (Just paraphasing here because I don't recall the exact wording.) He also never stated on screen anything about Nick that he didn't say to him directly, including his "jack ass" moves in episode #6 and "strategizing" in episode #7. Nick's response to Chris was that he simply got a "verbal lashing" and quickly moved on from it as if it didn't matter.

8.) Regarding Chris vs. JJ on MTA: this was strictly about JJ trashtalking about other contestants, including Chris, behind his back. The usually mild-mannered Brian was twice as angry with JJ in that setting. This was ALL the conflict was about on Men Tell All... and the possibility that Andrew (whom no TV viewer ever saw as completely "innocent" anyway) may have not had a fair "trial" over what he may have or may have not said regarding hostess phone numbers and "blackies". Surprisingly (or maybe not since Chris doesn't hold grudges), he spoke favorably of JJ in the same pre-MTA interview that also discussed Nick. (Yeah... I know. I know!! Mike Fleiss was also pushing him to "steamclean" his image in preparation for the Bachelor role too. Can you see my tongue nestled in my cheek as I post this? *slurp!*)

When Chris gave his "sourgrapes" speech to JJ in Venice, he was technically defending Brian more than criticizing JJ. (Of course, both Brian and Cody are Chris' most vocal fans.)

9.) On his hometown, we learned a LOT about Chris:

Both on the hometown with the tractors and on "Meet Chris S." showing him indoors as well as out, we pretty much saw "what he does"... and it is quite a bit. Not to nitpick here, but did we see all that much with the other top four guys on their hometowns? Yes, Josh played baseball... which is more entertaining than seeing him beside a computer or on a phone. Yes, Marcus took Andi to a disco... and in his car. Yes, Nick was downright hilarious at the flea market and brewery that I kept re-watching his hometown and chuckling each time. Yet Chris' had more of that "any question you have about me, I'll show you" vibe about it.

His family interaction was very extensive... including their "fun" side. Mom gave that speech that a woman doesn't have to sacrifice EVERYTHING to adapt to his lifestyle. She can do anything she wants in this modern age (although every relationship involves compromise).

We even saw the INSIDE of his home, not just his parents'... a rarity for this franchise.

10.) Harrison's view of him back in May's "Ones to watch" really was NOT showcased all that much ON SCREEN:

I think people are going to very much fall in love with this guy. He's a small-town farmer from Iowa, fourth-generation land baron. If you say he's just a farmer, you're missing it. He's a millionaire. Very good-looking guy. He really wants to find a wife and live the American dream.

ironcat wrote:
How exactly was Sean highlighted on Emily's season?  I have little recollection of any major personality development or horrible drama there.

ironcat wrote:

GuardianAngel wrote:

LindaPete wrote:I sincerely hope you all remember how boring you think farmers are the next time you are hungry! As someone who works in the United States' largest industry (yes, over 300 careers in agriculture and over 21% of the nation's workforce are employed in agriculture) I'm rather offended that several of you think that being a farmer is a negative or boring thing. Is that  all that defines Chris? I doubt others would define me only in those parameters.

Which profession shall we drag through the mud next? Remember how boring the Prince was, or Jake the pilot? Let's talk a bit more about the person and not the profession.

I have to add my about Chris the farmer. I always support my local farmers because I know how hard and long hours they work. We are fortunate in my area, that we can drive 20-25 minutes to various farms. They are at the local markets every Saturday as well. I'm the one who returns the bushels after canning tomatoes, and tell them to keep the dollar you get for each bushel if your return them.

For me, I can't say Chris is boring, because I don't know him. TPTB didn't showcase him like they normally do when they have their eyes set on a potential bachelor. If we look back at all the previous bachelors, they all had a broken heart, they all had some sort of horrible drama that drove them to become the next bachelor because they wanted to find true love. Chris didn't have any of that which resulted in the viewers not knowing him. They hardly showed the real Chris and kept advertising him as "the farmer". Andi's comment "go farmer" I'm sure was part of the advertising campaign. So I don't think anyone can associate boring to being a farmer but rather what we saw on our screen, which wasn't much.

He appears to be very popular on SM and I just heard comments on the radio program I'm streaming out of Toronto supporting him. As I do for every lead, I wish them well, I hope they don't get run over by the big bus, and I hope they find their true love.

In the meantime, we will sleuth it out!!!

New topics will be created though out the day. If anyone has a particular topic they would like to request, please post your comments in About Our Site - Otherwise the usual topics will be created!

About Our Site

How exactly was Sean highlighted on Emily's season?  I have little recollection of any major personality development or horrible drama there.

umngirl wrote:^He wasn't that highlighted but he was ghenloveable F3. We saw he was good with kids, got along great with all the other guys, looked great shirtless (thanks to Wendy the Ab Whisperer for the push-ups), had no problem kissing girls up against a wall, and was "heartbroken" at the end of it when he was sent home. His threads here had much, much more info about him and his actual personality that wasn't really shown that season.

ironcat wrote:

umngirl wrote:^He wasn't that highlighted but he was ghenloveable F3. We saw he was good with kids, got along great with all the other guys, looked great shirtless (thanks to Wendy the Ab Whisperer for the push-ups), had no problem kissing girls up against a wall, and was "heartbroken" at the end of it when he was sent home. His threads here had much, much more info about him and his actual personality that wasn't really shown that season.

Honestly, I don't see a big difference between the things you mentioned, and similar kinds of things we learned about Chris on the show.  I actually think Sean came across as more bland than Chris, as Chris was shown to take a leadership/counseling type of role in the house with the other guys.  And in real life, Chris is WAY more successful apparently than Sean was at the time he was cast.