The Bachelor 20 - Ben Higgins - F1 to F4 - *Sleuthing - Spoilers* - #2

KB_Mom wrote:Again, IMO, as with most clues, Lauren's vacays with family could be interpreted either way.  She's reaching out for fam support when heartbroken.  OR  she is enjoying time with fam before her life becomes a media circus with the post FRC media tour.

Thanks for posting this. I also think it is important to question everything and I like it when posters do. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and that is what makes this board so great! Keep sleuthing! You just never know. ;)

albean99 wrote:For me the biggest reason I don't think there's a switch (changing from f1 to the f2) because they'd never hint at it in the previews if it were true. They would love nothing more than to have everyone, including RS, believe that Lauren is the f1 and then have Ben pick Jojo. JMO

I agree. Let the surprise be a surprise.

To be honest, let's think about this. Ben loves two women and right down to the final hour he's still trying to figure this out. Mind you he'd already picked out the ring but he's still so conflicted. (If there's a switch) he lets go of first girl up and she's off in the limo. Then the next girl shows up and based on his smile he's happy to see her ... But oops! Nope, you're not the one. Whip phone out and call who??!!! First girl you let go? And she's supposed to be happy and accept his proposal right then and there.

That phone call was added to the preview to indicate he called back girl in limo. Is a handler in the limo?

Last girl up is given false hope and then let go? .....Harsh
First girl let go and then hit up again....Harsh
Whole scenario ...,,Harsh

If Ben did this.... (Fill in the blank)

I hope that didn't happen and that Ben was confident in his decision for the sake of all involved.

^^^^^Except that this is a silly, over-the-top dramatic TV show.   TPTB are definitely not afraid of being too "harsh."

Chris H. has said nothing about a switch.  Anyway it is fun to speculate.

Has the tweet by Fleiss that stated Ben does a reverse Womack, with the question of does he stick the landing, been discussed?

clueless wrote:Has the tweet by Fleiss that stated Ben does a reverse Womack, with the question of does he stick the landing, been discussed?

Forgot all about that. What could it mean???

^^^I think he just meant that Brad chose neither final 2 women, and Ben chooses both or falls in love with both. The sticking of the landing reference, imo, is Fleiss asking "will he end up with someone or not."

clueless wrote:Has the tweet by Fleiss that stated Ben does a reverse Womack, with the question of does he stick the landing, been discussed?

Brad 1 did not pick anyone. In reverse Ben is "conflicted" by two. What will be the outcome.

Something interesting maybe:

Kaitlyn's finale preview:


Ben's finale preview:


At the start of the season, I mentioned something that an old sleuther who was teaching edit analysis said--that the show recycles themes or tropes or conflicts or plot twists in twos with the second attempt having the opposite outcome. For example, during Jill's season, they introduced the plot twist of a contestant returning by having Ed leave. When he returned, Jill welcomed him back. In the next season, Ali returned to Jake after leaving the show, and he did not welcome her back. In Chris' season, they hinted at him maybe having pre-FS sex (I watched the preview and not the season.). From the board, it sounds like that didn't happen, but on Kaitlyn's season, it did. On Kait's season, we had a previous season contestant return (that's happened since Ben F's season) and he made it to F2; this season, Becca didn't make it beyond F5.

In the previews of Ben and Kait's seasons, they are almost identical. She's saying the same thing that Ben is saying in his preview about being in love with two people. Shawn is questioning things just like Lauren is and Nick seems concerned too about the other connection but more confident; JoJo, however, is terrified. Are we in for an exact replica of Kait's season or will Ben's outcome be different?

This show drives me crazy!

P.S. Bean, I sorta agree with you about them not showing us a whiplash ending. I watched Des' finale preview, not full season preview, and you wouldn't necessarily gather that she was going to walk away with Chris. It seemed much more likely that she was leaving the show with no one.

Saying goodbye just doesn't feel right could be about the F1 without there being a switch, i.e .explaining why he chose her in an ITM: because saying goodbye to her just didn't feel right (whereas with the F2 girl, it was hard to say goodbye but felt like the right thing).

Ben has said in recent interviews that there was no switch, and the woman he chose was the one he couldn't say goodbye to. So yeah, I just don't see his F1 being someone he already rejected (and technically would've already said goodbye to), then asked to come back. JMO

Thanks guys. I just really came out of lurkdom because I'm thoroughly confused. I don't want Lauren to get hurt but I don't hate neither dislike Jojo. I just feel that Ben and Lauren have a better chance as a couple because of their very similar Christian and family values. I've read an article that Ben does not seem to be a Christian role model and I've read here that Lauren seems to like to party and drink. I'm not one to judge because I'm a sinner myself.  They're not saints but that core value seems to be there.

Anyway, I think the reverse Womack is Ben sending both home but asks one of them back. Fleiss has also referred to it as Besnick. So I'm not sure. This might be a Brad / Jason combo.  

I think if Ben sends them home and asks one of them back, he'll be slaughtered. Seems really harsh but after watching most of 20 seasons of Bachelor and 12 of Bachelorette, this show has managed to slaughter a well-liked lead by the end of the season. Very few have come out unscathed.

This season is so hard. I need my life and sleep back!!

SarahD wrote:I did see the potential flip of the car but what if they just erased Ben's left side pocket for confusion?

I'm really confused and Mike Fleiss, the engineer of confusion, is at his best this season because I've never been this in doubt about my chosen F1 before.  I do hope it is Lauren but the things that fester doubt in my mind are:

- Lauren has been traveling to far away places with her family. She seems to be drawing support from her fam. This is he biggest red flag for me because I find it strange that if you're the F1 coming off from the TV show and trying to make it in the real world with the guy who put you through hell and back, I would think you won't go to such places that are so far away for long periods of time without your guy.  There's a very somber feel to her IG while very upbeat in Jojo's.

- I can't fit the phrase "saying goodbye to her doesn't feel right and it's the biggest mistake I have made" except if a switch indeed happens

- The reference to Mesnick is so palpable that makes it hard to ignore and believe it's only about the emotional meltdown. Maybe not to the extent of waiting for the AFTR for the switch but it happens during that FRC. They even seated Ben next to Jason at Jade and Tanner's wedding!

- The very emotional and heartfelt ILY to Jojo that we haven't seen yet. If that was said during the LCD, I can't see him proposing to Lauren in a few days.

- In the goodbye preview, I would have expected Ben's head bent lower if he's saying goodbye to Jojo because she's way shorter than him even with heels on.

Sorry to encourage doubt in those that are confident in Lauren being F1. I really hope I am wrong. I am an eternal pessimist so I don't end up being disappointed when something goes wrong but pleasantly surprised if things go my way!

I have another question - has it been sleuthed that the woman he called is Lauren becauseit sounds like her. I just don't know for what reason would he call her.

On her HTD Lauren's family said that's the longest they had not talked to her or seen her and mentioned how much they miss her because they see her so often.

She and her sister both work for airlines and have the ability to travel pretty easily, so it makes sense that being together or her visiting them somewhere or another is a pretty easy/feasible/no big deal thing for them and that it works well for their close family.

So I don't see anything strange about it at all.

Plus, it's not like the F1 can do SHVs all the time with the Bach/ette, so she couldn't be with Ben constantly as it is.
And while she and Ben can pull off SHVs, it's not like he could be part of the family trips very easily as that's too risky, IMO.

Also, I know that when I was close to getting married, I actually did more with my family than I had in the time prior just because it was the some of the last times we were going to be able to do some things as an 'original' family unit. It had nothing to do with not wanting to be with the person I was going to marry or not wanting him to be a part of it, but more like closing a chapter on an era in our family's life.

Given how close Lauren's family have all expressed being - even moreso than my family is/was it seems - I could see them wanting to take advantage of some family time before they're no longer doing so as the 'original' Bushnell family, as well as making up for time they didn't get to spend together while she was filming, and knowing Ben can't be with them right now anyway, and things will be hectic in the immediate time following the ending of the show, etc.

So I don't really find it very noteworthy at all, just something that seems to actually really fit what seems to be the 'culture' of their family. But that may just be me.