Bachelor 23 - Colton Underwood - Episode Jan 21st - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

Norcalgal wrote:Was so surprised how ordinary Demi looked without makeup and with the glasses.

I thought the same!

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

Colton seems very likeable with a good heart but I don't like him as the Bachelor. He is one of the more normal people on this season and the rest of the cast seems like high school. I have a 23 year old daughter and she and her friends, who are very normal to me, seem light years ahead of this group of girls in maturity (can't really call them women). It feels like the demographic of the cast is slipping into high school level drama. That Demi is just boring and her Corrine persona is so boring. I find the pagaent drama ridiculous. I am not sure that MF wants to retain his audience, or start catering to teens as the fanbase?

Welcome to The Morning After, where Sharleen Joynt recaps last night's The Bachelor episode!
https://www.facebook.com/FLARE/videos/2408896586008731/?notif_id=1548177951156919¬if_t=live_video_explicit

https://www.flare.com/bachelor/the-bachelor-season-23-episode-3-review/

sparkler wrote:Colton seems very likeable with a good heart but I don't like him as the Bachelor. He is one of the more normal people on this season and the rest of the cast seems like high school. I have a 23 year old daughter and she and her friends, who are very normal to me, seem light years ahead of this group of girls in maturity (can't really call them women). It feels like the demographic of the cast is slipping into high school level drama. That Demi is just boring and her Corrine persona is so boring. I find the pagaent drama ridiculous. I am not sure that MF wants to retain his audience, or start catering to teens as the fanbase?

I was curious so: 

Wiki

IMO the edit is focusing on what entertains or creates buzz. 
Some of the 23-25 yr olds could be similar in maturity to what Jojo, Caila, or Amanda were when they were on Ben’s season. The edit is intentionally drawing attention to age IMO. I don’t recall age even being discussed during Ben’s season.

I thought Jojo was a great Bette. Never gave her age any thought. I also thought Rachel was great. Both were dynamic which I think represents women well.
I really dislike the show whenever it edits in a way that appears to try to provoke the drawing of lines among women.

The problem with this franchise IMHO is even the ones who don't even know sleuthing exists are talking about the same "stuff" different day. My non spoiled  no sleuthing friends just knew there was going to be the same old tattle tale one against the other when the pageant queen's were announced. The also knew there would be a helicopter ride. It's becoming to scripted even for the non spoiled non sleuther viewer.

I don't mind Colton at all. It isn't his fault their are shoving the virginity down our throats. I find it annoying and uninteresting. To me it shouldn't matter at all. To me having sex doesn't make you a pro in dating or being a caring loving person. But it really is the same old same old. They cast to fit their script to fit their drama which becomes eye rolling.

I have seen many under 25, over the years that were mature with a good head on their shoulder's, Caila is one of them. I think it all depends on the maturity level as opposed to age. There are older contestants that were just as immature as some of the younger ones IMHO.

One of my takeaways this week was how difficult it can be to discuss differences in age and life experience in a rational manner.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got happened years ago at my (then) "glam" job in New York City. My business had a high-profile client who was about 70 years of age, and he got invited to all the best parties. He had a youthful and exuberant outlook on life. I asked him what his secret was, and he replied, "Cultivate friends of all ages." He was right about that. At this point in my life, I have friends who are substantilly older than I am, and friends who are substantially younger. They all give me varying perspectives, and they all enrich my life.

Yet age continues to be an ongoing theme this season, and I'm finding it tiresome. For instance, I've really been enjoying Elyse, and I found her 1-on-1 with Colton charming. But even Elyse couldn't resist bringing up the age difference with Colton, mentioning (IIRC) that mid-20s guys are generally not into kids. You have the "cougar club" and the spat between Demi and Tracy. Enough already!

Speaking of Elyse, if you had asked me right after the episode, she would have been my top pick for Bachelorette. Yes, it's not going to happen for [reasons,] but I can still have my preferences. Then I saw this:

https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/bachelor-contestant-elyse-dehlboms-criminal-record-see-her-mugshot/

Did you ever see a prettier mugshot? If I ever get booked by the police I want to look even half that good. Having said that, I want to cut the woman some slack, because goodness knows, I've been pulled over a few times in my life. I'm just saying that if you have been convicted of a DUI, that is your wakeup call, and maybe you shouldn't let your registration lapse after that? My view of Elyse's maturity level just took a bit of a nosedive. I still like her though.

And then we come to the Caelynn/Hannah B. feud. I will note that at least in this episode, Hannah B. got the ball rolling in that regard. I felt that Caelynn's initial response was mild enough, in that she talked about a falling out between the two of them, and that in her opinion Hannah B. didn't handle competition well. Fine. I'm not going to quibble with that, it's a reasonable and inoffensive response. But then the name-calling started. Personally if I were Colton, I would not have let this continue without specifics. If you are going to tell me that someone is deceitful and manipulative, then I want concrete examples of why you feel that way. If I were him, I would have sent both of them home, but then we wouldn't have a TV show, now would we?

My take -- I don't think that either woman went into the Miss USA pageant with particularly high expectations from those on the pageant circuit. But obviously for Caelynn, that changed during the course of the competition. Her star was on the rise. I've read comments on a couple of blogs that the scoring system for Miss USA has changed so that traditional factors (looks, hair, swimsuit, evening gown) count somewhat less and a contestant's "story," her resume (education, career, etc.,) her interviews and questions, count more. From one blog -- "[Former Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey] basically summed up what most of pageant analysts believe. She went on by saying that it seems everyone at Miss USA must have a story..."

http://missosology.org/featured/42617-miss-usa-2017-3/  
(I'm including this link for reference, but recommend that you don't click on it as there is a virus-y looking popup on the page.)

So my thinking is that Caelynn's rather compelling story about being a sexual abuse survivor may have drawn some questioning and resentment from a few other contestants who didn't understand why she moved up in the ranks so quickly. As for Hannah B., I will assume for the sake of argument that she didn't resent Caelynn's good fortune, but managed to implode on her own. We saw in the day portion of her 1-on-1 with Colton that she puts up a façade to protect her vulnerabilities. I could definitely see her snapping under the pressure of a national pageant. And as for Caelynn, I could see her not wanting to do a lot of emotional hand-holding while she herself was competing. So I think that Caelynn's simple explanation of there being a falling out between the two, and that Hannah B. doesn't handle competition well, is probably close to the truth of it. They grew apart. It happens.  

Like some other Bach fans, I am starting to wonder if Caelynn is a bit of an opportunist. She (perhaps) blew off Hannah, she blew off her state pageant, and she allegedly blew off a friend in L.A. At this point, I don't think there's enough information for me to make a call. I will note that being a bit of an opportunist doesn't make you a horrible human being. But neither does it make you particularly admirable.

Hannah G. for Bachelorette? I think the guys would go nuts for her. Time will tell.

Favorite line of the evening (from Demi) -- "I don't want to be another one of those ho-ho-hoes."  

@Amethyst  great points! 
What I find most tiring about the beauty queen plot line is that it’s not uncommon for people to fall out of friendship. It is specific to the people involved. Basically it doesn’t factor, in my mind, when considering whether a person will be a good match for a guy. Sh*t happens. Agree that Colton not digging for specifics was a faux pas.

What I find entertaining about the paegent girl storyline is how a paegent parallels the Bach - beautiful women competing for the same outcome with similar reasons for being there.

Great sharing on embracing relationships with age diversity. Totally agree it is a high value practice.

@Amethyst So much to like in your post! First, thanks for sharing that invaluable piece of advice -- so true. My ah-ha moment was years ago when I was interviewing for a consultant job in SF - I would be crafting branding and messaging for C-level executives. I was asked to share an experience where I learned so much and I discovered that this opportunity was basically a kiss-azz job with a big paycheck. Said no thank you and have since stuck by "honesty is the best policy" - for me, at least. There are diplomatic ways to be honest and I feel I am.

Funny that you can brought up all the pagaent stuff and background on how judging has changed as at face-value, I see Hannah B being the prettier of the two girls. But her beauty may be skin deep, especially if she tries to project a perfect persona. I've always felt it would be a curse to be extraordinarily pretty as expectations rise so much and it can give a false impression of untouchable for those of us who live real life.

Regardless of what went down between Caelynn and Hannah B, good manners and graciousness never go out of style - especially on a TV show where you are so vulnerable. I really hold the producers accountable for this mess we are seeing on our TV and feel for both the girls. But the editing is making it look as if Hannah B has that 'b' standing for the B word.

GuardianAngel wrote:The problem with this franchise IMHO is even the ones who don't even know sleuthing exists are talking about the same "stuff" different day. My non spoiled  no sleuthing friends just knew there was going to be the same old tattle tale one against the other when the pageant queen's were announced. The also knew there would be a helicopter ride. It's becoming to scripted even for the non spoiled non sleuther viewer.

I don't mind Colton at all. It isn't his fault their are shoving the virginity down our throats. I find it annoying and uninteresting. To me it shouldn't matter at all. To me having sex doesn't make you a pro in dating or being a caring loving person. But it really is the same old same old. They cast to fit their script to fit their drama which becomes eye rolling.

I have seen many under 25, over the years that were mature with a good head on their shoulder's, Caila is one of them. I think it all depends on the maturity level as opposed to age. There are older contestants that were just as immature as some of the younger ones IMHO.

Drama, age is just a part of the it, just as the competition also. Long as this show is airing, drama will be it's focus.

:rotfl:I love the toddler and tiara and mgm pics!!! So funny