The Bachelor 20 - Ben Higgins - General Discussion - *Sleuthing - Spoilers* #3

JBF wrote:

GuardianAngel wrote:These people are not so bad when you comparing them to other crazy show's out there. I caught one last night, Fit to Fat to Fit. WTH? the trainer gains weight, like 40 -50 - 60 pounds so he can train someone who is over weight, understand what they go through, and loose weight with them. Now that's messed up IMO.

Or June what's her name, the Tierra and whatever show, I don't watch any of them but there are a lot more worse ones than this franchise IMO.

I know what you mean. Granted, some of the performers such as Donald and Sarah at least had previous experience on other shows like The Apprentice on NBC and Palin's Alaska on the Discovery Channel. Overall they have their acting skills better toned than other contestants such as Ted, Marco, Mike Huckaboo-boo, Carly, Jeb! and Doctor Carson. Personally, I would rather re-watch a marathon airing of Jake Pavelka's season along with his tit-for-tat with Vienna on Harrison's couch followed by their ongoing saga on Bachelor Pad all over again than listen to Mike Huckaboo-boo have another of his "stock" hissy fits over cross-dressers using the wrong bathroom. The editors of the show keep repeating the same joke over and over even though it isn't particularly amusing. I did, however, like the tit-for-tats between Donald and his rivals Jeb! and Ted. Not the greatest TV, but it had its moments. Bet the show will get better once we see how the entire cast reacts to either Bernie or Hillary succeeding Barack in the White House.

Oh... wait a minute. Are we talking about the same Reality TV shows?

You're in luck! That's number 20 of the most memorable Bachelor events. I posted it somewhere around here. I think in the epi 5 thread. Which reminds me, I need to see what number 19 is. Every day there will be a new one!

Correction: Bachelor 20 Anniversary thread. BRB with the link.

ETA: https://www.bachandbachettefans.net/t3320p36-the-bachelor-20-anniversary-special-february-14th-sleuthing-spoilers#909412

I am a little scared, lexforlife, that the TV viewers watching THAT reality show are taking it WAY more seriously than we educated folks take the Bachelor franchise. Also I do not intend to get all "political" here... everybody reading this will vote for whatever "party" they support... but the line between Reality TV and even our nation's political process has gotten pretty thin. I completely lost it back in September or whenever when Trump threatened not to show up at either a CNN or Fox News debate and everybody had to "negotiate" because the networks needed him for ratings.

Hopefully somebody here can bring us back to the topic of Ben's season. It is easy to go off course here!!!



Ooooohhhhh.... I can not help myself. Bad! Bad! Bad!  

Yet this video is too funny NOT to include in any discussion about The Bachelor OR politics. Did some of what she says here get spoken before on either Ben's or Chris Soules' season?

Did anyone else see the "fake occupation" pictures listed on the Bachelor's Facebook page yesterday? There was about 10 cartoons depicting free spirits, pantsapreneurs, etc. One of the cartoons however, was a dental hygienist. Dental hygiene is a difficult occupation, and it's insulting the Bachelor would make fun of those in the industry. This was definitely not a good move by ABC/TPTB and many people are boycotting them. Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/TheBachelor/photos/pb.34951293052.-2207520000.1454039739./10153312519773053/?type=3&theater

JBF wrote:

GuardianAngel wrote:These people are not so bad when you comparing them to other crazy show's out there. I caught one last night, Fit to Fat to Fit. WTH? the trainer gains weight, like 40 -50 - 60 pounds so he can train someone who is over weight, understand what they go through, and loose weight with them. Now that's messed up IMO.

Or June what's her name, the Tierra and whatever show, I don't watch any of them but there are a lot more worse ones than this franchise IMO.

I know what you mean. Granted, some of the performers such as Donald and Sarah at least had previous experience on other shows like The Apprentice on NBC and Palin's Alaska on the Discovery Channel. Overall they have their acting skills better toned than other contestants such as Ted, Marco, Mike Huckaboo-boo, Carly, Jeb! and Doctor Carson. Personally, I would rather re-watch a marathon airing of Jake Pavelka's season along with his tit-for-tat with Vienna on Harrison's couch followed by their ongoing saga on Bachelor Pad all over again than listen to Mike Huckaboo-boo have another of his "stock" hissy fits over cross-dressers using the wrong bathroom. The editors of the show keep repeating the same joke over and over even though it isn't particularly amusing. I did, however, like the tit-for-tats between Donald and his rivals Jeb! and Ted. Not the greatest TV, but it had its moments. Bet the show will get better once we see how the entire cast reacts to either Bernie or Hillary succeeding Barack in the White House.

Oh... wait a minute. Are we talking about the same Reality TV shows?

Oh this had me laughing so much @JBF! So good and so true!

Interestingly, on Juliet Litman's podcast interview with Ben last week she asked him if he would run for politics and he seemed quite favorable to the idea and went along with it. She even said that if he ran she bets he will win. It was pretty funny and cute, especially since Ben was called Mr President by her and others when he was seen as the top contender for the lead. It gets even funnier when Lauren B said in her ABC Bio if she could be anyone it would be First Lady.

I think most go on the show for a lark or adventure and not necessarily for fame. One of my co-workers thought seriously about going on and was asked to do a video. She thought it would be fun to be in the former cast "club" but luckily for her, she didn't and is now happily married with a child. That was around the casting for Ben F's season.

Yawn... I dunno. Should I continue with this show any more?

I guess my problem with this season is a case of "been there, seen that".

It is not exactly Ben's fault. He is probably being told what to say for the cameras. The storyboard staff had index cards from the Ben Flajnik, Sean Lowe and other seasonal "files" and had all of the characters "cookie cuttered" for their edits.

The BIG event of this episode was Jubilee getting dumped on the group date. It happened completely out of nowhere with limited warning, but... again... so many of her scenes with Ben had a lot of lop and chop anyway. It is fair to say she was more into him than he was into her, although I do think she was part of his initial top two... with Lauren Bee... and he juggled the two for a little bit before making his decision by week four or five. Usually by this time, you can sense where the wind is blowing. I did not "buy" Ben's claim that Jubilee was the one "pulling back". He just needed an excuse to beak up with her and look like it isn't his fault. This is starting to bug me about Ben. He is never wrong about anything. Just the ladies.

Ben and Lauren Bee hardly "wow" me with their scenes, but since he lacks any real interest in the other ladies, she really is the ONLY contender I can see at this point.

Jo-Jo is the show's shrink and is playing the "runner up" role much like Lindsay did on Sean's season. Totally "friends with benefits" here. No romance.

Olivia is the "villainess" but she is all talk and no action... and apparently has bad breath too? Poor Emily needed to speed-dial her sister during cocktails, sobbing away about Olivia... but what is the point? He wants to keep Olivia around simply to "turn off" and distract the remaining ladies. In this regard, she functions much like Sean's Tierra. (In fact, Ben's actual lines regarding Olivia in this episode are EXACTLY the same as Sean's of Tierra... practically word for word!!)

Regarding the solo dates...

I get Amanda confused with Tenley. Similar talk and mannerisms. Tenley didn't have kids though.

Ugh! I am tired of the hot air balloon dates at this stage. However, I did find her back-story interesting. Her hubbie (if they were married... I am not sure) was more into fooling around than playing Daddy. Wonder if he had an Ashley Madison account?

I felt he had a trifle more "heat" with Schoolteacher Lauren H., although the model walk was pointless... except to get her (like the ladies learning Spanish on their group date) "out of her comfort zone". (Ugh! I hate the repetition of that line over and over this season.) During her discussion of her past breakup, Ben actually looked like he was ready to doze off. I almost did too because of Ben... not so much her. She actually has twice as much energy than he does.

"To be continued... "

Oh you know he will keep Olivia next week. Otherwise they have no ratings.

We know he keeps Olivia despite the to be continued cliffhanger, because next epi she gets the 2 on 1 with her arch enemy Emily -it's been in previews.

Boy how I would have loved to see him take back GDR from Olivia, but oh well, TPTB wanted her reaction to getting a 2 on 1- still no 1 on 1, then getting dumped in the middle of nowhere

I am glad you folks don't think I am too rough on Benny Boy. I mean... he is not a professional actor. Also... while I may not feel "gooey" over him and Lauren, there is still more "goo" to see on screen between those two than there is with anybody else.

I look at him with Olivia and I... just don't get it. I have to agree with Emily that she sounds fake. She is a very funny lady with funny things to say, but I seriously doubt she views Ben as her future husband. It is as if she auditioning for Bachelor In Paradise or something.

JBF, I love reading your thoughts! I'm totally having the "been there, seen that" vibe with this season too. I also agree with you that Ben isn't great at accepting blame and responsibility. He's just a bit too image-conscious, which is probably why he wasn't a fave of mind on Kaitlyn's season.

I get the same vibe now about Ben's season... that it is a mishmosh of Sean, CS, and Jason's season (different things) and makes me think of when Ben met with CS, Jason, and Sean at the beginning first episode.

Because it seems like they are playing with all three of those seasons and putting them into Ben's. Ben kissing all the girls goes along with CS (which he told Ben to do) and Olivia being the Britt FIR meltdown girl. Add in MF tweeting about his fave season being Jason Mesnick and then the whole Bachelor Live thing about "being in love with two women" blah blah blah and it is just is trying SO hard to make it seem like another Mesnick will happen (which it won't, imo, other than some crying or whatever to make it seem like that). And then Sean, the one who didn't have FD sex and touted as the best Bach lead of the franchise and then "Perfect Ben"and so on....

Thanks JBF!! Your recap had me laughing out loud!

You know... I thought this episode dragged after Jubilee left, but there are "little things" that have me curious.

For one thing, Harrison is obsessed with Jason Mesnick in his after shows this season. Mighty curious why. We saw more footage from his season rehashed than the others.

Did I hear this correctly or did Ben tell Jo-Jo that he would never "blindside" her?

Isn't that what he does with ALL of the women apart from his F1? Jo-Jo even counted how many ladies were left... which I also found rather strange.

Something seems fishy here... but we need to think about this more.