Bachelorette 13 - Rachel Lindsay - Episodes - Discussion - **NO SPOILERS** - *SLEUTHING* DISCUSSION

Staying unspoiled too, I think Peter F1. Thanks for replying

I haven't posted at all this season, but am also staying happily unspoiled. Peter is my favorite, but I'm not sure if I want him to be F1 or if I want to see him be the next Bachelor.
I also like Dean, not for Rachel, but because he's sweet and totally lights up the screen with his beautiful eyes and smile.

@Lievta

I could see her choosing either Peter or Bryan, since she definitely likes both a lot. I would be surprised if either Dean or Eric is F1, although something could happen unexpectedly in an upcoming episode.

Bryan has more of a Next Bachelor "feel" to me. In the seasonal promo, there is a lot more Bryan up front and exposed than Peter. At age 37, Bryan may be more ready to settle down than the younger Bachelors they normally cast. (No, I don't know anything about his tabloid life and how many girlfriends he has off camera. I am just going by how he appears on screen.)

I only got to watching portions of episode 1 today. Yeah... I am THAT behind and out of it this season. Surprised that Peter was first out of the limos like Jordan in JoJo's season.

I always go crazy over the way they edit key lines of hers over guys' faces. When she enters the mansion in episode 1, she gets them to all say "no regrets" and we see Bryan saying it out loud. If he is the loser at the end of this, he may repeat the same thing in the "hot seat" and Chris Harrison could ask him if he would be willing to "try, try again" (as the lead).

Hate to quote my own post, but...

JBF wrote:While most of their first date is a snoozefest, I did stay awake long enough to notice their use of that music again here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv7DK7l9OOM Now... they need to stop using that music to keep picking my brain, being the same used before here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FZ4WiKdERM and at the 12:54 spot here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x130xb4 and at the 7:10 spot here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWMfbzPEBCg and at the 11:15 spot here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH1fEhK9wuU and so many other seasons, although not necessarily confined JUST to the F1 guys in Bachelorette seasons. Also they do skip it on some seasons. Only a trifle extract was used with Kaitlyn and Sean and Jillie Bean and Eddie.

... after watching some of episode 2, I noticed that they played a little of that same tune with Dean getting his group rose. It is just much briefer than with Peter, but she comments that he is the only one on that group date who turns her on. Sadly his sequence, complete with a kiss by a SUV, is merely a "warm up" to the grand fireworks spectacular in Peter's date that follows.

Epi 9 Preview SCs are up

I haven't seen many episodes as fully as I should, including the last one. Did manage a sampling of each hometown date online.

Ooooh-kay. A couple observations...

Just not seeing "IT" with Eric. I think she had a stronger connection with Dean. Would everybody here be mad at me if I rule him out of the running? I know he is a nice guy and all, but there is an overall lack of "gooey" in Rachel's expressions with him that you can see with Peter and Bryan. Maybe she picks him and this season is one big gotcha?

Regarding Bryan, either he has been hit by the love beam or he's putting on a good performance. As she says, she believes him 100% that he is in love with her. (When Peter says he may be the only guy who did not say ILY and his chances aren't great on hometown, his way of saying it is, like, "whatever". Put more emotion into it, Peter!) Yeah... Bryan could be the one and this is all great with happy ever after and all that. Yet if he gets rejected, I wonder if even Chris Harrison will have tears streaming down his face. The editors may be pushing this romance here too strongly on us all. That Switzerland date had such loud slushy orchestration that I almost went deaf.

Awww... but she says "hi baby!" when they greet in Miami.

Greatly, greatly disappointed there were no dogs on Peter's hometown. He got them on his two solo dates. Hmmm... may not be a good match here for our smitten kitten if he doesn't have a canine companion too.

Two or three times I have heard her use the phrase "go with my gut" in clips with Peter, including promo footage with the use of "gut" over Peter shots. This makes me think the whole "is he not ready for marriage" thing a whole bunch of hooey. If he's the one, her "gut" took over. "My gut made me pick the guy I think is least ready to propose!!!!"

I especially find it ridiculous how she harps on and on about this throughout the hometown date when, earlier in Switzerland, she says "I know he would not have accepted the rose that I gave him if he didn't see a future with me... he didn't see me as his wife. That feels good because I see a future with Peter too. Peter's hometown could become my hometown." (Excuse me... I thought you wanted HIM to move to Dallas?) In between all of her "concerns" about Peter wanting to avoid the ball and chain, she croons "I melted when I saw the way Peter was with his niece. I loved that and can tell how amazing how great of a father he will be and how great of a husband he will be."

Can I just say, JBF, that I love the way you write? Great! "I love the way you write!" Always funny, yet very astute!

Awww thanks. Hope I don't come across as too mocking. I mean... this is only a silly reality TV train wreck and everybody will survive it. At least I hope.

I watched some more of the hometowns. Again, I was disappointed a little on Eric's. Nothing against him. He seems like a very nice guy. Yet she and Mom spent more time discussing how she was doing as The Bachelorette rather than about their relationship. Although she says she is definitely "falling for Eric", when she discusses how he "cares about" her, she merely says "I appreciate it". Oh... OK.

I have the feeling if Eric is in the top two, he is merely the boy friend, while either Peter or Bryan is dumped at F3 because he is competition for the other.

After watching the full Bryan hometown... hmmmm.

He could... be F1. She is awfully gooey in her talk of him. I was surprised at how emotional and teary eyed she is. This means one of two things: Bryan IS the one she wants and she is more emotionally committed to him than the others... or she is just emotionally caught up in the moment.

One common misconception we all make is that the lead picks their favorite from Day 1 and strings everybody else for the ride. Maybe that was the case in some seasons, but the more common situation is that the lead genuinely is emotionally confused throughout The Journey. At this stage, she is probably waffling back and forth between Bryan and Peter. If I were to guess who is F1 just on the hometown interaction, I would say Bryan. Yet I have been bamboozled with so many hometowns before. Even Prince Farming Chris was a lot more gooey with F3 Kaitlyn than with Whitney, although we were probably just being distracted with all of the "little soldiers" talk and the pooch doing his mounting routine. Re-watching Peter's hometown AFTER Bryan's, she now comes off... kinda cool. I didn't realize on first viewing how hyper critical she is of him. "I just don't want a boyfriend at the end of this, but my fear is that is all that I will get from him. I don't know if he will get there in the time that this journey allows." Ouch!

I dunno... I just have to watch and see now.

Rachel and Eric Helicopter


Rachel and Peter Vineyard


Rachel’s Thoughts


Eric Says I love You


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I am guessing that I am alone here... with my imaginary friend Herbie? Oh well. Might as well entertain myself.

OK... trying to line up our final three's potential. I am still struggling to figure out the outcome of THIS season.

Eric

Could he be the future Mister Lindsay?

If F1, he will be a surprise choice, but quite often big things happen in the last stretch. He might pull it off.

I am still sticking mostly to the show on an episode by episode basis, but I did venture a little outside my little back yard and sampled a few public interviews, including Jimmy Kimmel's. Of course, we can't go by whom Jimmy picked (not Eric) since he sometimes purposely picks the wrong one. He jokingly picked Brook for Desiree, then Desiree giggled at him and Jimmy giggled back. Yet I did find a possible pro-Eric "clue" in another interview, The Insider, that I will plop in his basket. She said her final pick was a "late bloomer" who didn't exactly wow her out of the limo right away. This rules out both Bryan, who got the first impression rose, and Peter, who got the first solo date and a steamy hot tub session in episode five.

Rachel: "I really like Eric and, every time I am around him, it gets stronger and stronger. I am definitely falling for Eric."

... or may wind up in Harrison's Hot Seat instead?

His hometown, according to Rachel, was all about "their eyes will be on me". What about "us"? Overall, that hometown felt like a promotional for a potential Eric as Bachelor season, with much background material on how he has progressed in his life. Also Rachel spent too much time discussing on camera with Aunt Verna about "being the Bachelorette" rather than their relationship.

No conflict or struggle, apart from his personal back story, is odd. With Bryan, there is minor challenge of his sincerity and, with Peter, great challenges that Rachel won't stop fussing over. Yet a lack of obstacles suggests he is less of a "typical" F1 contestant than the other two.

Could go either way

Body language is a bit off. They are very nice together and clearly enjoy each other though. The best relationships do start at the friend level and things could heat up gradually.

It is interesting that both Eric and Bryan tell a parent they think "Rachel is the one", while Peter still has his walls up.

Regardless of the outcome, Eric will survive fine. His toast on hometown: "I've been running from love my whole life. Now that I have grown and I have evolved, I understand it and I am not running any more." Also "love changes everybody. It has allowed me to open up as a man to my family, to myself and to Rachel".


Bryan

Could he be the future Mister Lindsay?

If F1, he is the "hot out of the gate" and "love at first sight" candidate. "He just took it upon himself to take me in his arms and I was not ready for it, did not want to kiss anybody tonight, but did I love it? I enjoyed it!"

Also at hometown, the heat is sizzling in volcanic eruptions: "Miami is just screaming Bryan. It is hot. It is steamy. There's something sexy about it. Sometimes it speaks to you in Spanish."

First impression rose also went to a previous F1 guy, Roberto with a not too-too different background.

Their first 1 on 1 resembled Ali/Roberto, Jillie/Ed, Jake/Vienna and others with a fear-of-heights situation. "Bryan is making me feel I can do anything".

Her body language has been consistent. She is literally ALL over him. Her facial expressions are quite "gooey", especially on the hometown date.

"I do believe Bryan when he tells me he is falling in love with me a hundred percent". This being their first solo date. Bryan doesn't let the grass grow under his feet. In Switzerland, she says "every time I am with Bryan, he shows me a different side to him... and the more I am around him, the more I get to know him and the harder I fall for him." Also "He has a lot of the characteristics I am looking for in a husband."

His hometown, however, knocked the ball out of the park. "Hearing Bryan say he was in love with me (what? He didn't before?) was like... above and beyond. Yes, my head is spinning. I am in a bit of a whirlwind right now. I am letting myself feel all the feels and it feels good."

... or may wind up in Harrison's Hot Seat instead?

On the premiere show he is showcased when the guys all toast with her "no regrets", a potential sign that he may have to remind himself those two words later.

On Ellen's show group date, the moment he found out Will kissed her as well as him, he joked "he got my sloppy seconds". Ellen to Bryan: "You shouldn't have said that".

All of the "hot" chemistry resembles Rachel's previous relationship with Nick and we saw how that ended. Likewise, he warns Rachel in Switzerland of his previous relationship echoing theirs: "It was passionate. It was hot and heavy in a short amount of time... and, you know, it was a situation where we had (visited?) a wedding in Colombia and we had built up so much momentum. Even though it was early in the relationship, I invited her (home). Looking back at it, it may have been too much too early..."

Mommy has some concerning dialogue with sonny boy that could potentially cause problems in the future: "You have gone out with so many girls and you go to a show and fall in love with the girl of the show? I am shocked, completely shocked. You have the opportunity to meet so many girls." (And he will again if he becomes Next Bachelor.) Then again, she is much more positive in later scenes and is hopeful Rachel will take care of her boy.

Could go either way

On Ellen's show date, she asks "Never have I ever thought about having sex with Rachel". Bryan jokes "you have to be honest" as he holds up the paddle reading "I have". Peter holds up the paddle reading "I have never".

Some of his rival guys (including Peter) question his smooth behavior. However that didn't stop Jordan from becoming F1.

Although it didn't hurt Courtney's chances with the first Bachelor Ben, we do have a repeat of the "Is he too good to be true?" backed by plenty of fairy tale talk. "He's devastatingly handsome. He's 37. Great job. Well educated and so sweet and sincere in how he handles me. I don't get it. I don't understand how he's still single and that's the part that scares me. He's such a catch. He is such an amazing person. I don't get it... and there may be absolutely nothing wrong with him. 'Cause right now, there isn't."

She bought him a watch in Switzerland. Now... if this was personal with their names on it or something like Desiree's postcard poem to Prince Siegfried, this would be a definite F1 sign. However, the fact that abc.com shows an extra scene if him flaunting it a little to the other guys makes it less personal. Also one could argue that this is also his parting gift for sweet sorrow later.

All F1s have an obstacle that continues straight through the finale. Bryan's involves his sincerity. However Rachel got over this BEFORE hometowns even if her sister has questions later. "I didn't believe how charming he was. I didn't believe it was that sincere, but through time his actions, his words and just the feeling I get, he has totally proven me wrong." Another, his past girl friend issue with the family, also seemed resolved rather too quickly.

Again, it is interesting that both Eric and Bryan tell a parent they think "Rachel is the one", while Peter still has his walls up.


Peter

Could he be the future Mister Lindsay?

If F1, he is a "slow burn" that requires some walls torn down first, although not exactly the "late bloomer" as with Eric.

Got to meet her child Copper on his first date. In Spain, they shop for baby clothes and discuss marriage... per previews.

Both he and Rachel have seen relationship therapists, so at least they both know what they want.

Receives the Trista/Ryan Guitar Rift (a frequent F1 sign although F4 Dean also got it briefly... just as F4 Zack did along with F1 Chris in Desie's season). Key monologue spoken during this: "It is so rare that I get butterflies and, when I am with Peter, I get butterflies... not because of how handsome he is. It just feels so good. I am such a smitten kitten over Peter. Choosing Peter for this 1 on 1 was me going with my gut and my gut did not fail me. I feel that we connect in the right ways with each other... and I can't stop smiling about it." Also "I don't want to jump the gun and get ahead of myself but I see a lot of potential with Peter and I am so excited to see where this is going to go."

Although she is constantly stressing about whether he will propose or not (unlike Bryan and Eric who apparently give her no doubts even though she hardly mentions the possibility with them), this is a common F1 theme in past seasons. Every season requires an "obstacle" for the couple. She also says "he is worth the risk", a suggestion that she may take the... drink!... leap of faith. Yet if he is the last one arriving at FRC, there will be a LOT of nervous suspense.

In Switzerland: "I know he would not have accepted the rose that I gave him if he didn't see a future with me and if he didn't see me as his wife. That feels good, because I see a future with Peter too. Peter's hometown could become my hometown."

Other lines through the season:
"Peter is someone who always takes me by surprise. The organic nature of our relationship and how it flows so easily... (splice) It gives me hope and it is so great to be around someone like that."
"I never have to question where I stand with Peter."
"He is so genuine, he is so attentive to me and he gets me. He can read me and understand me more than any other person here on this journey and that brings a smile to my face."

... or may wind up in Harrison's Hot Seat instead?

Matching teeth. There may be too much "character" for both to handle.

So far, we have yet to get a F1 who gets the first solo date. He was also first out of the limos, but Jordan already broke that curse.

Her body language is less intense than with Bryan. Apart from the hot tub scene, they are often a certain distance apart on camera. Her voice-overs are often quite ominous in tone.

She was surprisingly aloof and hypercritical in the hometown date. Was this the reality or just the way they edited it (to throw us off the relationship and cast a lot of doubt)?

Accuses him for putting up walls. He tells his mother that he still has walls up and is not sure when they will come down with Rachel. Rachel is concerned that he is "too reserved" when talking to his mother.

He did not say ILY like Eric and Bryan early on and that may work against him. However many F1s don't say it until Fantasy Date time or the finale.

She says she has fallen for both Eric and Bryan, but not Peter. Still just a smitten kitten with Peter. However the Ice Princess says she melted when he played with his niece. (See below)

Could go either way

Had a hot tub session in episode 5, but not just F1s get these. Let's not forget Juan Pablo and Clare Bear's antics in the big ocean.

Got a promotion for Next Bachelor unless she plans to keep him for herself: "I melted when I saw the way Peter was with his niece. I loved that and can tell how amazing how great of a father he will be and how great of a husband he will be."

"My fear is that he may not be ready proposing, marriage as concerned". Yeah, but don't all Bachelorettes say this of their F1 guys?

On Switzerland date: "his honesty scares me. He's somebody I can see a future with. What if he's the one standing at the end and he doesn't want to get down on one knee? That's scary and I don't know what to do." Yes you do. Dump him! Then you won't be scared any more.

"If Peter is not ready to propose to me, it is a risk I am taking." Life is full of risks. Dump him. Dump him!!!!

"I just don't want a boyfriend at the end of this, but my fear is that is all that I will get from him. I don't know if he will get there in the time this journey allows." Then why did you buy Bryan a watch instead if you are so concerned about Peter's sense of time?

Ladybug82 wrote:
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Rachel is starting to give me a Jillian "vibe" in how harsh she behaves towards Peter, demanding that he promises that she will get a marriage proposal much as Jillian demanded the same from her F3 Reid. Her behavior with both Eric and Bryan is "whatever", as Jillian behaved with Kippy and Ed. Makes me think she isn't as obsessed with "marriage" as she pretends to be and will be perfectly fine with "we will just see how this relationship goes". However she needs excuses to dump people.