Bachelor 23 - Potential Lead - Discussion - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

petesiepoo wrote:It'll be interesting to see how the tia/colton breakup and leaving bip next week will be handled because it feels as though his entire stint there is setting him up as possible lead. imo. I don't think MF ever puts all his eggs in one basket anymore.

wishesfireworks wrote:

GuardianAngel wrote:Raven looked horrible IMHO. She really could use some make up tips. She doesn't need all that.

What really annoyed me about Raven on Tuesday is her comment to Tia about what she would do to Colton if he hurt her, and it didn't involve spike heels.

Millions of people date and get hurt every day. It's not like he did something so horribly wrong that it justified her comment. He's going to give it a try and see where it goes. If it doesn't work out, it's not meant to be.

Do we know if they are together or not?

RS said Tia and Colton break up on the show and apparently they leave next week. RS says that even though they both comment and like each other’s instagram pictures that they’re not together.

"There's an absolute, absolute opportunity for Ben to come back and be the Bachelor," Chris told ET.com. He continued, "I would love for Ben to be the Bachelor. He is one of my very good friends. It makes it a little harder, because it's a little easier when I don't know them as well. I know that sounds weird, but going through it with a very good friend is difficult because I have less of a poker face with my friends."

Chris also floated several names from the most recent season of The Bachelorette as possibilities, as well as some fellas currently in Paradise. Basically, it’s anybody’s game at this point.

wishesfireworks wrote:I really think that Jason will be the Bach still, not sure why.

sbolduc wrote:

Frymama wrote:

Joy15 wrote:In relation to my post above,

just in :
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmujHTEnwa0/?taken-by=nat2shabby

credit goes to reddit for noticing the tag. I think this would confirm that Blake was indeed in LA for 3-4 days last week.It seems he managed  to meeting up with and helping Shabby (his handler) for her home decor. He was seen at work on Mon in Denver, so this pic would most probably from last week IMO.

Strange that i even speculated last week that this particular IG screaming an "after meeting up with Shabby golden nugget" he directly has gotten from her 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bme2n3HhHw1/?taken-by=balockaye.h

so..yeah...#BlakeforBachelor (ignore my annoying stan's voice that comes with it )

LOL...literally finished posting with questions about Shabby and how close that relationship seems when I saw this.  I have only paid attention to one other season like this, so I just don't know much history or dynamic patterns.  Is it common for the producers to get THAT close with the contestants?  I know Ashley I did with hers and I know many have become "friends", but this seems to be like big sister, little brother type relationship IMO.  He has such a soft spot for his sister, and they are so incredibly close.  The pics he has taken with Shabby almost remind me of the type of vibes in pics with sister, IMO.  Maybe I am just overanlyzing BIG TIME.....IDK

It depends on the contestant, but yes some become very close to their handler, some that come to mind Nick/Elan, Ben F/Cassie (Courtney talks about it in her book), Emily/Cassie, Elan/Arie, Tanner/Jessica, Becca/Natalie. On the other hand, some contestants absolutely hate their producer post show, Jillian was on Kaitlyn's pod and mentioned she couldn't talk to her producer for two years she was so mad at them (I think she had Cassie). Olivia also hated hers for obvious reasons.

But yes Blake and Natalie seem to be very close. Natalie even posted a pic a couple days ago thanking her husband (I think?) and Blake for helping her put up shelves in her new house. She lives in LA, so I assume it was last week when Blake was there.

Another thing that Robert Mills said in the podcast is that Blake cried almost all day the day he was dumped and the day after as well. He mentioned one of the producers was with him at dinner the day after Becca dumped him and he was just sitting there crying while eating dinner. I would assume that was Natalie with him. Ugggh broke my heart

Sprite wrote:

sbolduc wrote:

Frymama wrote:

Joy15 wrote:In relation to my post above,

just in :
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmujHTEnwa0/?taken-by=nat2shabby

credit goes to reddit for noticing the tag. I think this would confirm that Blake was indeed in LA for 3-4 days last week.It seems he managed  to meeting up with and helping Shabby (his handler) for her home decor. He was seen at work on Mon in Denver, so this pic would most probably from last week IMO.

Strange that i even speculated last week that this particular IG screaming an "after meeting up with Shabby golden nugget" he directly has gotten from her 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bme2n3HhHw1/?taken-by=balockaye.h

so..yeah...#BlakeforBachelor (ignore my annoying stan's voice that comes with it )

LOL...literally finished posting with questions about Shabby and how close that relationship seems when I saw this.  I have only paid attention to one other season like this, so I just don't know much history or dynamic patterns.  Is it common for the producers to get THAT close with the contestants?  I know Ashley I did with hers and I know many have become "friends", but this seems to be like big sister, little brother type relationship IMO.  He has such a soft spot for his sister, and they are so incredibly close.  The pics he has taken with Shabby almost remind me of the type of vibes in pics with sister, IMO.  Maybe I am just overanlyzing BIG TIME.....IDK

It depends on the contestant, but yes some become very close to their handler, some that come to mind Nick/Elan, Ben F/Cassie (Courtney talks about it in her book), Emily/Cassie, Elan/Arie, Tanner/Jessica, Becca/Natalie. On the other hand, some contestants absolutely hate their producer post show, Jillian was on Kaitlyn's pod and mentioned she couldn't talk to her producer for two years she was so mad at them (I think she had Cassie). Olivia also hated hers for obvious reasons.

But yes Blake and Natalie seem to be very close. Natalie even posted a pic a couple days ago thanking her husband (I think?) and Blake for helping her put up shelves in her new house. She lives in LA, so I assume it was last week when Blake was there.

Another thing that Robert Mills said in the podcast is that Blake cried almost all day the day he was dumped and the day after as well. He mentioned one of the producers was with him at dinner the day after Becca dumped him and he was just sitting there crying while eating dinner. I would assume that was Natalie with him. Ugggh broke my heart

Seriously? He cried for two days over a woman who he had spent a few days with...who he knew was also dating a bunch of other guys??? Really? OMG That is just too much for me. I don't want to watch a season of that.[/quote

Not sure why the post was not showing separation between @Sprite's post and my quoting it. So, I am bolding mine from the comment just above about Blake being too much....

IMO, I think people forget all the funny, light-hearted, fun, and romantic moments Blake brought to the show.....far more IMO than any of the top 4.  Yes, he overall had more intense moments, too...but he stuck around longer than Colton and Jason.  Both of them cried when she sent them home, and they had only recently told her they loved her.  Garrett cried all the time from HTD on.  I have re-watched several episodes multiple times.  If you watch back, you'll see how emotional Garrett was, too....very, very emotional and crying a lot  He cried when talking to Becca's family.  Blake was very composed IMO despite the fact that the mom said something I don't think I have ever heard:  "You will be just fine if she doesn't pick you".  That would totally freak me out and annoy me.  It would really be a bummer for me to meet the family of the woman I love and they talk about "the other guy" a lot of the time.   I think Garrett wasn't in his head as much bc I think she was giving him breadcrumbs that it was him the last couple weeks.  However, she was doing the same for Blake based on his making the comments after FS when she said "I wish there was something I could say that helped with you not worrying so much."..something along those lines.  Then, he said she had been given him all she could to feel secure.  IMO, also gave him breadcrumbs.  It really makes me frustrated that when he was in his head, and he was honest with her because she said over and over that's what she wanted....she would try to reassure him about how they were the most solid and all that jazz.  @Joy15 blew up the note in the shadow box she had given him toward the end actually that said "Don't F*** this up"  He put it in the shadow box.  The handwriting was hers, and it was signed by her..and they laughed about it when talking through the memories, and she also alluded to it on FD before saying she needed to knock on wood after he said "Nothing will...I promise nothing will."   She keeps telling him to not do that because they had been so solid, etc.....BUT your gut (despite her reassuring him and producers messing with him too I am sure) keeps telling you something isn't right all of a sudden and seems different....then, yeah.  You are going to worry about it if you love her that much.  I want every contestant to be as invested as possible.  No one can ever be TOO invested on this show IMO....that's what you want so it can actually work and not be fake and just in the bubble romance.  As far as so quickly, every single season man people say they feel things deeply very early.  Becca even mentioned that she knew he might be the one from Night 1.  Shawn Booth came into the show already in love with Kaitlyn and went for it right away.  I would much rather have a man who can be raw and vulnerable and show his emotions that deeply for me than a man who is closed off and not as passionate about a future with me. With Jason, he cried.  He came back to give her the scrapbook.  A poster said earlier that she had heard a producer say that Jason cried all day, too, but it just wasn't shown.  I think there have been some people who have been pretty emotional and in their head like Blake before but not all of that was shown.  Ben Higgins has been mocked for crying a lot, as was Jason Mesnick.  Nick cried a ton on his season a couple years ago to where he was being mocked on SM and in articles, etc.  I am not going to deny that Blake is more emotional, but I also saw in the episodes where I watched back that this was mostly in ITM's.  When he was with her, he was very positive and would joke around so much and would even say he was just going to enjoy the day and be in the moment.  He didn't show that level of emotion with her when he was in her presence.  Even his emotion after the FRC was after he had left her; he actually was very composed IMO in her presence.  We also saw Becca crying a lot this season.  Most of the leads cry and get pretty emotional, but a lot of them I think fake it somewhat IMO.  With Blake, it seemed, IMO, to be 100% real.  

Just some highlights of fun, light-hearted, funny moments, IMO

Light-hearted/funny:
Horse entrance
Ox entrance
So many moments in their first date
Joking with her about his wanting 5 kids and then talking about the names they wanted for kids 'boy names for girls"
Dancing and having so much energy and fun on Baha Men date
Betty Who concert was similar in energy and fun they had dancing and singing
Joking with her about not being able to kiss or touch her---when he buttchecked her and said she was cursed and going to hell now for sure...and joking about how they better get to the threshold quickly
Joking with her about being supersitious when she said she needed to knock on wood
The "Um yeaaah" response (face/tone) after reading FS card--one of my faves of season and ever on the show actually
Joking about how much he sweated on the FS date and then laughing when she razzed him that she made him nervous
The way they laughed and joked when looking at the shadow box

Romantic:
IMO, he was far more romantic than the other top 4 guys....I won't list all the moments that really stood out right now bc this is already a long post.  However, again, if you watched again, you would, IMO, see the way he looked at her, the way he kissed her head, held her hands, kissed her shoulder, etc.  Not to mention how romantic he was when he told her he was falling in love with her, was in love with her, Betty Who date, the shadow box.

Most importantly, IMO, I think it will be very different when he is control of his destiny.  Yes, I think he might fall for a couple women, but most leads do to an extent.  However, I don't think he'll be any more emotional really than Ben or Becca was IMO.  He won't have to worry about if he's going to get blindsided in the end and how she is feeling about other guys...he IS the guy.  He decides who he wants to pursue a future rather than hoping Becca will pursue one with him.  IMO, that's incredibly important to remember, and I have seen several other posters comment on that.   IMO, people are making way too much out of his being in his head and being emotional and sensitive.

Sprite wrote:@Frymama Check the

at the end of the quote. You are missing ].

We all see things differently. Clearly something about him speaks to you. I liked him well enough at the beginning, but as the season progressed, he just became more and more of a downer. I realize that is edited, but if he was to become the lead, it would be more of the same. I don't want a season of a whiny, crying guy who is in his head constantly. Not my cuppa.