Bachelor Season 21 Episode 1 - WE'RE BACK!!!
Note: The only spoilers below have to do with this episode only. I do not read anything that will give away the ending. I have not even watched the season preview so that I don't get biased.
 |
| This is Nick |
Full disclosure - I've been a fan of Nick Viall from the very outset when he said that he was skeptical of the whole Bachelorette process. He's always seemed aware that he was on a tv show and yet still dove in head first, so I still find it surprising that so many people hate him so much.
For those of you who don't know our Bachelor, Nick is (was?) a software sales rep. After a messy break-up with his fiancée, one of Nick's friends signed him up for the Bachelorette. He was selected for Andi Dorfman's season (Season 10 in 2014) and despite his early reluctance to treat any of it as real, he fell hard for her. Nick's aloofness with the other male contestants on the show rubbed many the wrong way and led to accusations that he was putting on an act that they felt Andi fell for. In the morning of the final day (when Nick was planning to propose), Andi came to his room and broke things off with him because she
 |
| Nick and Andi... the innocent years |
Unable to cope with the break-up, Nick had made attempts to communicate with Andi during the airing of the show that were rebuffed. At the "After The Final Rose" show, Nick had a chance to talk to with her and asked "If you didn't love me, I'm not sure why you made love with me?" People who didn't like Nick decried what they felt was slut shaming behavior while his defenders attributed the admission to the hurt feelings of a man who was truly broken-hearted who was truly looking for answers and was told that this would be his only opportunity to talk to her about it.
Bear with me, but look at it from Nick's perspective. He went from expecting to pick out an engagement ring to being dumped. And then went four months without any contact whatsoever... no chance for him to get closure. Being an over-thinker like Nick, I can imagine that he watched and re-watched every episode from the season, examining them for some indication as to where things went wrong. On the airing of the final episode, Nick was in the studio watching for the first time when Andi declared to Josh (moments after breaking up with Nick), "it was you from the start. It was always you." There was nothing wrong with Nick and Andi's relationship, she just was more into Josh. Given all of these events, I am not surprised that Nick needed some validation from Andi that what they had was real.
The fun doesn't end there... in a further twist Josh and Andi broke up several months after the airing of the Bachelorette. While Josh's jealousy and emotional abusiveness were the actual causes of their split, Josh saw Nick to be the reason they split. Everyone says that it was Nick's bedroom confession that made Josh jealous, but I think it was that Josh saw the chemistry between Nick and Andi and realized that she was much more into Nick than she initially let on. (Josh claimed that he didn't watch any of The Bachelorette, but that sounds like a lie that a jealous man would make.)
 |
| Nick and Kaitlyn... villainous times |
In 2015, Nick ended up finding and joining up with the already-in-progress taping of Kaitlyn Bristowe's season (Season 11). Much to the chagrin of the other male contestants, Kaitlyn allowed Nick to join the show in progress. Their physical chemistry was undeniable and the other men reacted poorly to his arrival. Nick kept his distance from them which reinforced the aloofness with which he carried himself in the previous season. Once again, a sex scandal occurred - in this case they had sex after a one-on-one date. Kaitlyn felt obligated to tell the other male contestants. Once again, Nick made it to the final two and this time made it to the proposal where he professed his love only to be stopped as he was about to get down on one knee. Devastated (but not as bad as before), Nick was sent home a second time.
 |
| Nick and Amanda... pre Josh |
 |
| Nick and Jen |
Redemption... In the summer of 2016, we watched Nick join the cast of Bachelor In Paradise 3. While I have still not seen the full show (I got stalled due to work and wanting to update this blog), it was apparent that the format played to his strengths. The women on the show felt comfortable and safe around him. In almost every group shot, Nick has at least one woman sitting with him - an indication of trust and relaxed interactions... he's not giving the creepy vibe and he's actually able to engage in conversation with them. The men on the show also felt comfortable with him and found him to be a normal guy and a voice of reason. What probably won everyone over was the way that Nick handled himself when his former rival, Josh, joined the cast an blatantly went after the woman with whom Nick had already kindled a relationship (Amanda).
Anyway, that's Nick. He's the Bachelor. I like him and will likely defend him all the way up until the final episode when he does what EVERY bachelor and bachelorette seems to do and picks the contestant who he/she finds to be more physically attractive over the one with whom there is more of a sustainable connection. (With the exception of Jojo who got rid of Luke one round too early.)
But enough of that... we're on a new season of The Bachelor where
After watching the first episodes, here are my predictions for the season:
The Hometown Visits
These are the four women who will introduce Nick to their families. They have to be Danielle L (came out of the limo first, but we aren't sold on her), Rachel (First Impression Rose, my favorite), Vanessa (Evelyn's favorite), and Danielle M (can't have too many Danielles).
I'm sure we'll talk about them more in future posts.
Villains Gotta Vill
No season of the Bachelor/ette would be complete without a villain or two. The Chad may have broken the mold last season, but I see a bit of potential here:
 |
| Liz (the Doula) |
Liz (the Doula) - already has some history with Nick (they "met" when she was a bridesmaid for Tanner and Jade's wedding) and doesn't seem to be shy about talking about it. In her blog, former Bachelor favorite Sharleen Joynt presented an interesting point about whether or not Liz and Nick had sex after the wedding. We're made to think that they did, but it isn't crystal clear (read her post for this, but also because she does a great job of blogging on the Bachelor).
Corinne - she butted into time between Nick and Vanessa to make sure to kiss Nick first. She seems to be easily pliable by the producers and doesn't mind stirring things up. The other women are going to hate her. Plus she's very pretty.
Raven - I'm already not a fan of hers. Plus she has that perfect combination of not giving a fuck and thinking she's much tougher than the other women there to give her enough confidence that she can say and do whatever she wants without any real repercussions.
Drunk Girl
It's not always the first night, but there's always someone who can't hold their alcohol: Victoria (Juan Pablo's season), Tara (Chris's season), Lace (Ben's season), Craig (Andi's season), Ryan (Kaitlyn's season), and Daniel (Jojo's season). Alexis (the sharkdolphin) looked a little sauced to me, but I wouldn't call her the drunk girl yet. She managed to keep it together enough. BUT, I have my top candidates for drunk girl:
Alexis - at 23, she's one of the younger contestants AND she seems a little intimidated by all the other women there AND she seemed like she had a lot to drink the first night.
Liz (Doula) - I can see her being on a group date, not being able to cope with all the drama, and just hitting the bar HARD.
 |
| Kristina |
Kristina (24) - Also on the young side. She was having a bit of a meltdown on the first night. I wouldn't normally peg a Russian to be the drunk one, but she's a Russian living in Lexington, so you never know.
Josephine (24) - Also also on the young side. She seemed to be a little bit on the wild side, and I could see her drinking to over-compensate.
First Date Card
Who will get the first one-on-one date. The lead always seems to wait on their top choices for dates two through six, so the first date is kind of a wild card... it's someone who piques the lead's interest, but not TOO much. Previous winners were: Clare (Juan Pablo's, ended up runner up); Megan (Chris's, top 7), Caila (Ben's, top 3); Eric (Andi's, top 12); Clint (Kaitlyn's, top 15); Derek (Jojo's, top 7).
 |
| Nick and Sarah... I think there's something there |
Sarah - she was really cute and I loved how Nick told her to just be herself and not be what she thought she needed to be. I also really like her energy.
Corinne - she initiated the first kiss with Nick. However, at 24, she's a bit young and I could see that Nick might want to take her on a first date to see if there's substance there. (Andree's reaction to her was "She's so pretty!! She sounds fake.")
Danielle M - super sweet woman who we LOVE.
Elizabeth - she seemed very nervous at first. She was the second out of the limo, so SOMETHING needs to happen with her.
Other Predictions and Other Thoughts:
 |
| Warriors Girl - Jasmine G |
DRAMA - Jasmine G and Liz. We spoke about Liz already. Jasmine G is the Warriors girl who is seeming to have a hard time with the format. She said in her personal camera time that she never chases a guy. Well, she'll have to do that now.
Over/Under on times mentioning that Christen is a virgin: 144.5. For fuck's sake, who gives a shit if someone is a virgin or not? If you're going to be a virgin on the show, do it like Becca and downplay it... not like Ashley I where it's your sole identity.
Everyone's Friend - Taylor, Elizabeth and/or Danielle M. They just have the look and demeanor of good listeners.
Biting Commentary... we hope - Vanessa, Taylor, Astrid, and Dominique seem like they're going to give us good personal camera time quotes.
 |
| I'll give you this rose if you admit you're a shark... I'm a shardolphin. |
The Shark/Dolphin debate was FANTASTIC. For those who missed it, Alexis is a dolphin lover and intended to arrive in a dolphin suit (dolphinately). BUT her suit had sharp teeth, a triangular nose, AND GILLS. It was a shark suit, but she kept insisting it was a dolphin. Nick couldn't let it go and kept trying to get Alexis to confess that it was a shark suit... all the way up to the point when he gave her a rose.
Why can't we get each of the women's entry out of the limo? Is that really too much to ask? They're giving up months of their lives, give them 2 minutes of fame without playing carnival music. So what if we never see them again? Or make the first night 3 hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment