StoryCorps

A few weeks ago I watched this animated short (below) thanks to a link on my favorite blog, Pop Candy. If you haven’t seen it I recommend watching -- but be warned, you might want to have a Kleenex nearby!

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

This inspired me to learn more about the StoryCorps Project. A description of StoryCorps from their own website: “StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. To gather the stories, StoryCorps provides a facility, recording equipment and a facilitator; then waits for people to invite loved ones, friends, grandparents to sit down for a 40-minute session. A copy of the tape is filed in the Library of Congress, and parts have aired on NPR.”

In 2007 the founder complied several of these stories into a book called Listening is an Act of Love. I read this book in approximately 7 days – it’s a fast read since its several very short stories grouped together by theme. I can honestly say I thought every story in the book was interesting in some way. There are a few that have stuck with me so much so that I still find myself occasionally thinking about these people I don’t even know.

The essence of what drew me into StoryCorps was the idea of hearing people’s stories. The founder of StoryCorps stated, “I realized how many people among us feel completely invisible, believe their lives don't matter, and fear they'll someday be forgotten.”

This statement makes me sad but it's also convicting. When Jesus was on earth He spent time loving people through talking to them. When I think about the people in my life - from family and friends to acquaintances and neighbors; I'm ashamed to say there are many stories I don't know. I’m usually too consumed with the thought of time or worried I might offend someone by asking something too personal.

There’s another animated short (embedded below) on the subject of the decrease of the human voice in society – which I think might be a byproduct of our ‘busy’ lives; preventing us from actually speaking to one another.

The Human Voice from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

In my 30th year I want to worry less about the ‘what if’ and instead be bolder about asking people questions and truly listening to their story. If you’re interested, more animated shorts can be found here.

30 for 30

If you’re still reading this blog it’s likely because you are either related to me or you have ample time between the hours of 8 and 5 to surf the web. My blogging came to a two month halt after Rrroberto won Ali’s heart for many reasons:

1) I was hiding under a rock to avoid the insanity that was The Bachelor Pad

2) I was cheering on Tim Gunn’s choice words for Gretchen

3) I was busy making my pros and cons list to ABC’s choice for the “new” bachelor

4) I was contemplating what would happen if Lucky Strike left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce

5) I was grieving over the breakup of Ed & Jillian

Okay so maybe only 4 of those 5 are truthful…everyone knew Ed and Jillian would never make it. There were red flags all over his short shorts.

I never intended this little blog of breeziness to be a dedicated Bachelor franchise blog, it just kind of happened. And I can’t really take credit for it because ‘crazy’ is easy material to write about. But since the “new” bachelor doesn’t start until January I thought I’d take the rest of the year and get back to the breeziness that is this random blog.

What inspired this? Well in 30 days I will be 30 (insert gasp here). Someone asked me yesterday if there was anything I wanted to do before I turn the big 3-0. As I thought about it I became really thankful for this past decade because I’ve been incredibly blessed. I graduated college, moved across the country, traveled to incredible places, and accomplished many goals within the past 10 years.

With only 30 days left I thought it would be fun to try to accomplish a few more small goals. One that comes to mind is to write a complete “piece”. Writing has always been an interest of mine but like many projects in life it’s one of those things that I start but never really finish. I have lots of half written essays and short stories that I’ve just lost interest in. So one goal is to write something (I’m not defining what it will be) and complete it by November 3rd. These will be small goals as I only have 30 days to complete them, but consider that goal #1.

In an effort to keep up with the writing I’ve decided my second goal will be to write 30 blog posts in 30 days. I like this goal because I’m a big theme person so I’m stealing the ESPN documentary series title and calling it my own personal 30 for 30. (if you’re not a theme person I can hear your eyes rolling). I recognize the cheese-factor may be high but I think that’s allowed because I’m still a 20-something. I’m sure I’ll be more sophisticated in the next decade, right!?

I have no idea what these 30 posts will be about. They may be a sentence or they may be a novel. (scratch that-- they will definitely not be novel length). They may be serious or seriously ridiculous. I’m making no promises that they’ll be interesting as time will be limited and my goal is to just write and not over-analyze content.

So...30 for 30: day one…check!

And Then There Was One

…or “última posición de hombre” if you’re in the mood to speak simple Spanish phrases like the Fedotowsky family!

Clearly photo-shopped picture courtesy of ABC website

Well we finally made it to the end of Ali’s journey. I think we can all agree that the most shocking thing about this season has been Ali’s terrible dark roots – well that and the fact that she managed to narrow it down to two seemingly normal and attractive men. You gotta give her some credit on that one although she did have some help narrowing down the field thanks in part to her Canadian “friend” Jessie, and Frank’s self-withdraw, and Kasey’s red flag waving in the form of a tattoo.

Since this is the season finale it means there are many routine things that must take place. The first of which is the obligatory flashback through the season – Ali delivers a long monologue about how great Rrroberto and Chris are as we are forced to relive some of her fashion don’ts. After the flashback we see Ali sporting a bikini top and white pants and realize the fashion don’ts will continue on in this episode.

Rrroberto Habla Espanol
First up to meet the parents is Rrroberto. Ali greets him wearing strapless dress and tells him in a very high pitched voice that he looks “soooo handsome.” She takes him inside to meet her mom Beth, Dad Alex, sister Raya, and brother…did he have a name? Right off we see that all other members of Ali’s family have brunette hair – that’s weird because Ali is totally a natural blonde, right?

Ali tells the story of how Rrroberto wooed her with his Spanish speaking and salsa dancing skills. During lunch Ali’s brother asks Rrroberto about his favorite baseball team – Ali knows this answer so she pipes up excitedly, “Tampa Blue Rays!” Rrroberto smiles and corrects her – Tampa Bay Rays...no blue. So Ali has a way to go in learning baseball…

Raya and unnamed brother take Rrroberto outside to get to know him better. I’m a little distracted by Raya’s pronunciation of “Roberto” as “Rrrraberto”…I can’t help but think she must have had a high school Spanish teacher that also highly emphasized rolling R’s. Dallas satellite watching party members Jeni and Kate note that the Unnamed Brother does not appear to be 21 years-old and thus must have been drinking illegally on TV. This might explain his awkward behavior and blank expression.

Meanwhile Ali continues talking with her parents inside. She tells them, “I’m kind of hyper you know, but he brings me down.” Her dad deadpans, “Join the club.” I’m not sure if Dad was trying to imply that he is a hyper person – if so I’m calling your bluff Alex! I’m pretty sure he didn’t have any inflection of voice throughout the entire episode.

Next up Mom Beth took Rrroberto outside, she is beyond thrilled that Ali is happy – thrilled to the point of tears. Also she wants to hold Rrroberto’s hand a lot. At the end of the conversation Mom pulls out her high school Spanish and tells Rrroberto, “Creo que su corazón es puro“ or something like that which she thinks means “I believe your heart is pure”. Kate at the satellite party gives points to Rrroberto for politely replying with a simple “Gracias” instead of what he was really thinking, “…Que?”

Finally it’s time for the Father and potential son-in-law chat. As Dad and Rrroberto make their way outside the satellite watch party makes the sharp observation that Dad is sporting the Doc Martin sandals he must have acquired in 1993.
Of course the beach look is complete with his short sleeve button down Hawaiian themed shirt that he picked up at the hotel gift shop on ABC’s tab. Rrroberto tells Dad he loves Ali and would like to ask for his blessing should he choose to propose to her. After some awkward silence Dad cracks a timid smile and says Rrroberto seems like an okay guy so blessing is granted.

The whole family comes together again and Rrroberto teaches Mom to salsa dance as Ali teachers her dad. Ali says she’s normally the one dancing in her family while everyone else laughs and or watches. She’s glad she won’t have to have a dance party of 1 anymore…for her sake so am I.

Chris is Wicked Awesome
Chris strolls up to Ali with about the top 5 buttons on his white long sleeve shirt unbuttoned and a fruit basket in tow as a gift for the family. If the fruit basket doesn’t woo them over I guess he’s hoping his abs will. Emily at the watch party guesses that the fruit basket was actually in his hotel room and he figured it would be a perfect re-gift. Ali greets Chris wearing a green button down shirt and shorts with her hair in a messy braid. Sarah at the watch party astutely notes that Ali always seems to dress more casual around Chris than she does with Rrroberto. Interesting…

Ali introduces Chris to the family and tells them he’s from Massachusetts which received cheers all around. They talk about all the other connections they have…Chris’ mom was a nurse, and Beth is a nurse; Chris’ dad was born in Montreal and Alex was born in Montreal; Chris’ dad was a teacher and Raya is a teacher; Chris likes to laugh and the family likes to laugh; Chris has teeth and the family all have teeth – clearly this is a match!

Raya and unnamed brother take Chris outside to get to know their potential future brother-in-law better and to talk about wicked awesome things like the Red Sox, Boston Baked Beans, and Ben Affleck. Meanwhile Mom and Ali have a chat about her situation. We see that Mom has taken a cue from Ali’s hair accessories and is sporting a flower in her pony tail. Hopefully she won’t get angry and dramatically throw it down. Mom is glad she’s not in Ali’s shoes having to choose between these two awesome guys. I think she may have also asked for the phone number of whichever guy will be rejected.

Chris and Dad step outside to have “the talk” and again we see that Dad is really enjoying all these tropical themed outfits that he never gets to wear in Massachusetts. Chris asks for Dad’s blessing should he decide to propose and Dad says that since Chris is “family orientated” he gives the blessing.

Then the whole family puts on their swimsuits to go for a swim. Mom appears to be wearing some spandex pants as she holds her nose and jumps in. Ali and Chris have some alone time and then he says he doesn’t want to leave and she just smiles. Chris says goodbye and then looks back at her about 10 times as he walks across the bridge. Adorable.

Family Debriefing
Ali asks her family for their opinion on her two suitors – it appears that dad was more taken with Rrroberto while Sister and Brother are wicked awesome Chris fans. Mom would be happy as a clam with either one. Good talk family!

Rrroberto Seals the Deal
Ali walks down the dock to greet Rrroberto – Emily at the watch party wonders aloud how many shirts Ali is wearing. Julie explains that the top one must be a paint smock. Rrroberto and Ali hop on a jet ski and Ali tells us, “I love getting on machines that go really fast.”

They ride the jet skip up to a school of sting rays and decide to exit the machine that can quickly take them away from the stinging animals and instead play among them. While Ali somehow feels protected with Rrroberto nearby however, I’m thinking Rrroberto needs to take a page from Kasey’s book on guarding and protecting hearts because Ali’s was literally in danger. As Kate at the satellite watching party stated, “Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter should have come to mind. Maybe that's what makes this ending different from any others and the ‘most dramatic rose ceremony ever’...the bachelorette dies by sting ray attack.”

Rrroberto & Ali survive playing with sting rays and end up on a beach by themselves. They talk about how they could be anywhere as long as they are together and it starts to rain. They talk about how romantic and awesome the rain is and then they make out in the rain while standing in the water.

After the beach day fun Rrroberto prepares for their final date night at his place. He sets out some tapas and puts the gift he got for Ali that the ABC Intern wrapped for him on the bed. Ali walks to his room wearing a jumpsuit romper number – clearly channeling her inner Beyonce in an effort to remind him that if he likes it he better put a ring on it.

They eat the appetizers and talk about how incredible the rain was. Then she opens her present - a homemade picture frame with their first picture taken together in the human heart shaped lagoon. On the back of the frame Rrroberto has written some sort of Spanish poem and signed it “Mucho Amour, Roberto”. Rrrroberto pours out his heart and tells Ali he loves her. To which Ali replies with nervous laughter. She has become a smitten kitten and tells him her heart is exploding out of her chest. Ali tells us that she knows she should leave seeing as she has a date with Chris the next day but she “can’t.” Rrroberto is of course okay with her staying and with that we have Clue #1 that this will not end well for Chris.

Bambi Dies
Chris tells us he is super pumped for his final date with Ali and can’t wait to spend the day with her. Cue abrupt knock on the door. Chris opens to the door and Ali immediately hugs him so that he doesn’t have a chance to kiss her. Clue #2…

Then Ali starts talking a mile a minute about how stressful her day has been and how she’s been thinking a lot and we all know that can’t be an easy thing for her to do often. She tells Chris she doesn’t know where to start but has to tell him something. He tells her, “It’s okay, you can say it” and it’s clear from his face that he has an idea of what’s coming.

Ali starts with, “I’m at the point where I have 2 guys and I don’t know what to do.” At this effort to get people to sympathize with her, the dumper, instead of the dumpee someone (who will remain nameless) at the watching party yelled out, “B*$#@!” Ali continues and tells him that she’s in love with someone else and doesn’t want to put him through the final rose ceremony tomorrow when she already knows that he’s not the one for her.

The instrumental version of Listen to Your Heart plays in the background for dramatic effect as we see Chris process what Ali has just told him. Unnamed male #2 texts, “This is like watching someone shoot Bambi.” Chris thanks Ali for being honest and not making him go through tomorrow. He wishes her well and then they walk to the door. Ali whimpers and asks, “Can I have a hug?” before leaving and then tells him to, “Hang in there, okay?” at which point I think the entire watch party yelled out “B(#$&!”

Ali walks down to the beach and tells us she didn’t want to put Chris through tomorrow knowing she is 100% in love with Rrroberto. But she also reminds us that she’s taking a risk leaving only Rrroberto for her. Such a rebel narrowing it down to only one guy to date!

Chris walks out to his deck and pulls half of a “Mesnick” as he leans on the railing and contemplates what just happened. He walks around the deck and then in the distance sees a perfect rainbow. Since his mom told him to look for her in rainbows he’s struck by the timing of the rainbow and believes his mom is telling him she’s proud of him for putting himself out there for love. Unnamed male #2 sent this video which is apparently "all the rage" on the internet these days. It doesn’t really align with the sentiment of Chris’ rainbow but is absolutely hilarious and somehow fitting nonetheless.

Chris packs his things and heads down to the boat to be sent back to cold Cape Cod. Carrie at the watch party notes that Frank brought more luggage to Tahiti for his one day excursion than Chris had for his multiple day journey. Aimee reminds her that Frank had pack all those party cardi’s in his wardrobe.

Last Man Standing
It’s a new day and Ali is still confident in her choice to pick just one guy. She sips coffee in her hot pink v-neck and white pants which she knows will look great on camera against the bright blue water.

Meanwhile Neil Lane pays a visit to Rrroberto with his magical silver briefcase of free diamonds. As Rrroberto looks over the rings he discusses his feelings about Ali with Neil. I know – right!? Who does Neil think he is stepping all up on Chris Harrison’s rightful job of relationship sensei?? Rrroberto makes a ring selection and the Chris Harrison wannabe commends him on his confidence.

Next we had to endure the getting ready for the final rose ceremony scenes of Rrroberto tying his tie and Ali holding up her dress in the mirror, etc., etc. Rrroberto emerges from his hotel room looking pretty sharp in his suit and he’s directed down to a boat. You know he had to be cursing ABC for making him ride a boat in a suit in the heat. Don’t they know about his sweating problem? Apparently not because once he reached the destination Chris Harrison greeted him and then told him Ali was at the top of the stairs.

He makes it to the top of the hundreds of stairs and sees Ali in all her Barbie gold dress glory. He walks down to Ali and tells her, “My heart is pounding right now.” She assumes it’s because he’s so excited to be there but we all know it’s because he has a sweating issue and just scaled a mountain in a suit. Rrroberto tells her she’s the one for him and that he loves her. Ali is finally able to tell him that she loves him too and also reveals that he’s the only man proposing to her today. He looks flattered and then gets down on one knee and presents her the Neil Lane diamond (funded by ABC). She says yes and then…cue the Lion King music!! We’re treated to a clip montage of their journey together – oh look there’s Ali in that hideous black dress, oh and there they are in spandex at the Lion King, and then of course the baseball uniforms.

After the clip montage we come back to the rose ceremony podium where Ali extends the final rose to Rrroberto and asks, “¿usted aceptará esto se levantó?” He assumes her broken Spanish translates to ‘will you accept this rose’ and replies with an emphatic, “Si!”

Can You Feel the Love Tonight plays louder in the background as we see the happy couple twirling around. Emily at the watch party says, “I just feel the roots” referring to Ali’s desperate need for a good hair coloring. I think that sums up the season well…

I confess I only half watched the ATFR special since we had our bracket competition awards going on…congratulations to Lauren, Amy, and Maria the winners of the coveted rose trophies:


However I think the gist of the ATFR was:
1) Frank didn’t show up
2) Ali loves a dress with sequins
3) Chris L. is still super cute and extremely mature in how he handled the rejection
4) Ali and Rrroberto are still together and in love and are moving to San Diego
5) Seriously how many free things does ABC give these people – a trip to Catalina Island on top of all the other places they went?!

With that we have another season of this crazy yet somehow highly addictive reality dating competition TV show in the books! Final recaps from Chris Harrison and the hilarious ihategreenbeans.com can be found here and here. You can watch Ali & Roberto's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel last night here (it confirms my theory on Ali and sequins).

Thanks for reading along this season and special thanks to all the watch party and satellite watch party attendees for your always hilarious commentary. See you next season for the new most dramatic journey of love ever!

Life Lessons

The “Men Tell All” episode is historically anticlimactic. However for some reason that doesn’t stop me from getting my hopes up every season for a fun-filled two hours of shocking revelations, surprise guests, and of course dramatic confrontations. Instead it’s always two long hours of clips we’ve seen multiple times already this season, mini confrontations that are settled in 2 minutes, and scenes for the finale that we’ve seen 32 times. So because nothing really exciting happened last night (in my opinion) today’s recap will be in the form of a Top 10 List.

“Top 10 Lessons Learned from The Bachelorette: Season 6”
One of the most watched seasons according to Chris Harrison, to which the watch party replied, "...Really?"

10. If Chris Harrison Was Not Our Host This Show Would Be Nothing.
Our Host Chris Harrison is definitely one of the highlights of the Men Tell All and last night was no different. How he keeps a straight face while hosting this show I’ll never know.

9. If You Wear Sequins on TV You Will Sparkle
Ali chose to wear a completely sequined dress with a sequin headband and sparkly earrings during her recap discussion with Chris Harrison. “Very blingy” as Julie at the watch party described. Then at the end of the show she came out with more sequins on…but that outfit will be discussed in another lesson.

8. If You Do Something Silly During Your Time on the Show You’ll Get Extra Time During the Blooper Reel!
Last night we got to watch unseen footage including:
• Rrroberto pointing the champagne bottle at Ali as he uncorked the bottle resulting in a “near death” experience for her as he put it
• Frank’s dad giving a toast using only prepositional phrases while the rest of the family kept a straight face until it was over and they all revealed it was a joke
• Ali putting on a astronaut helmet at the museum with Kasey (which apparently she had forgotten about…her foggy memory probably had nothing to do with her alcohol consumption)
• Rrroberto & Ali being interrupted by animal noises on their date
• Chris N. nicknamed “The Phantom” because of his appearing and disappearing throughout the show

7. If You Can Barely Pull Off a Celebrity Look-Alike Then Wear Clothes the Celebrity Wore in Their Hit Movies to Enhance Your Similarity.
For the love of all that is good why does the Weatherman insist on wearing always wearing a jacket?!? Really Jonathan, is it that cold in the studio!? And he doesn’t just choose any jacket but jackets that immediately imply some sort of 80’s reference. Last night it was a brown leather bomber jacket a la Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

6. If you Play Your Cards Right You Can Exit The Bachelorette With a Spiffy New Nickname.
Chris N. aka “the Phantom” got more camera time last night than he did on the whole season. Apparently that wasn’t just editing though – he really did wander off on his own for much of the show. But proving that he does in fact have a personality he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a black t-shirt with “The Phantom” printed across mocking Justin’s “Rated-R” t-shirt reveal on the first night. Where was that personality all season? Maybe he picked up a personality while spray tanning? He’s very orange now…

5. If You Feel Guilty about Breaking Up with 22 Men then Upon Seeing All of Them Again, Wear an Unflattering Dress and Don’t Do Your Hair.
When Ali came out to talk to the guys again she chose yet another sequin dress althougth this one was a bit unflattering as the watch party observed. She also apparently closed her eyes and stuck several bobby pins in her hair and then called it an up-do. Julie at the watch party thought she might be growing dreads under the rat’s nest. When Ali was on stage Kirk told her, “I came here to fall in love and move forward with you…” and Emily finished is sentence with, “…but now that I see that hair and dress I think thank goodness that didn’t work out.” Very accurate I think.

4. If You Come Across as Crazy During Your Time on The Bachelorette it’s Best to Just Embrace it.
All the guys called Kasey crazy but then also said they love him because that’s just who he is – a legitimately crazy person that makes each of them feel more normal. His craziness was highlighted as he sang another original song for Ali when she came out on stage. That took guts for sure, I guess that’s something.

3. If You Want to Extend Your 15 minutes of Fame to 30 Minutes Find out How to Appear on Multiple Seasons.
Jessie, Ali’s “friend” from The Bachelor season with Jake, also came out to talk about how she met Rated-R’s girlfriend and heard about how the original girlfriend learned there was yet another girlfriend in the picture. (follow that?) Jessie wasn’t just going to sit on this juicy information that would secure her place in the franchise that is The Bachelor/Bachelorette so she explained how she contacted a producer and “the call” was made to inform “her friend” Ali. I’m sure this is just the beginning of Jessie’s long and fruitful Reality TV career.

2. If Going on The Bahcelorette Made You Realize You Want a Career in Reality TV But You’re Too Old for The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Don’t worry, Now You Can Star on The Bachelor Pad!
More extended scenes were shown for The Bachelor Pad which I’m just not sure I can bring myself to watch. Is there anyone on the show that doesn’t cry or makeout at some point? I think that’s what the whole show is about, right?

1. If You Are Not THE Named Bachelor or Bachelorette You Will Be Chastised for Dating More Than One Person Simultaneously.
At least 30 minutes of the show was devoted to bashing Rated-R. After seeing a clip montage of him being confronted and escaping through the bushes again we heard from all the guys about how Justin is a cuss and he cussin’ didn’t deserve to be there and how cussin’ selfish could he be? Another 30 minutes was devoted to Frank and his selfishness. Ali stated regarding Frank, “For him to come to this point and do this is so selfish.” Emily pointed out that Ali did the same thing to Jake last season but for work instead of a man. I guess that’s different…somehow.

See you next week for the dramatic season finale! For more recap fun check out Chris Harrison’s blog and the hilarious www.ihategreenbeans.com

Frank Tanked

The Official Bachelor/Bachelorette Wall of Shame inducts it’s newest member to the club today…Frank the Tank. Frank joins this infamous club due to his breaking up with Ali when everyone knows Ali is the one who is supposed to have the honor of Dump-er, not Dump-ee, this season. While it could be argued that Frank’s actions are better than fellow Wall of Shame member Jason Mesnick since he at least broke up with Ali BEFORE proposing to her, the committee believes that Frank is a fully qualified member since he went on a reality TV dating competition show while still harboring feelings for his Ex. (…and yes the committee knows there are people out there who believe just going on a reality TV dating competition show at all makes someone qualified for the Wall of Shame; however the committee does not believe this…see examples of Reid and Chris L.).

I start to get irritated at this point of the Bachelor/Bachelorette season because 2 hours is definitely too long for the show at this point. With only 3 guys left we’re forced to watch “flashbacks” of their journey on the show for the first 20 minutes. So the episode begins with Chris L. reflecting on his time with Ali – well he’s either doing that or thinking about what he’s going to eat for lunch. He’s nodding his head as he looks out at the landscape so we really have no idea what he’s thinking about.

Then we move to Rrroberto’s flashback – he ponders his time with Ali as he packs for Tahiti. He conveniently happens upon a Lion King soundtrack CD under some clothes on this bed and chuckles as he remembers when he wore spandex in front of thousands of people. All packed, Rrroberto then lies down on his bed and looks up at the ceiling while holding a baseball…of course. Male #2 at the watching party (a long time watcher, first time watch party attendee) commented that he never sits around with sports equipment pondering life so we must believe that ABC instructed Rrroberto to hold the baseball to remind us once again that he used to play Minor League baseball.

Finally we move to Frank – cue the dramatic background music. Frank tells us he came here to fall in love but feelings for his ex-girlfriend Nicole have still been brewing. He decides he must go to Chicago to confront Nicole and see if the feelings truly do exist. (Translation: he must go make out with Nicole because that’s how you know if you really have feelings, right?) In angst he tells us, “It’s killing me that I have feelings for two girls.” Emily at the watch party tells him that Ali can empathize with his feelings.

Awkward Conversation 101
Frank walks the streets of Chicago with his hands in the pockets of his Rock & Republic jeans. His stomach is at his feet and his heart is in his throat. He walks into Nicole’s building and the watching party questions if this is a college dorm. Nicole opens the door and immediately the watching party estimates her age to be approximately 22 years-old so it’s quite possible that she does in fact still live in a dorm room. Or they met at The Gap.

Frank reiterates the importance of this moment to us saying, “A lifetime of love is coming to a head.” Cue collective eye-roll from the watching party. They sit down on the couch (okay maybe it’s too nice for a dorm room – campus apartment??) and begin the most awkward conversation ever. Frank tells Nicole he’s spent the last “long while” (translation: approximately 4 weeks) fighting for Ali. Then he pauses to let that sink in…awkward silence. He continues by telling her while he’s been jet-setting around the world with Ali she has still been on his mind. Again awkward way too long dramatic pause. He reiterates the amazing time that he’s had with Ali and that he’s grown closer to her but felt like he needed to confront these nagging feelings for Nicole before continuing with Ali. Looong pause again…more awkwardness…more staring. I’m sure Nicole was thrilled to hear about his romantic adventures with this Ali person.

Nicole tells him that it makes her sick to think that she could be getting closer to someone other than her. She’s angry that he’s had this whole other life without her. Cue another long pause… then finally she slightly alters Jerry Maguire’s line and says, “I never thought someone could complete someone else but I really don’t feel complete without you.” Then they make out on the couch and the reunion is complete.

Frank tells Nicole that he has to go find Ali and break up with her. It’s going to take a lot of courage and strength and he’s scared. Nicole talks baby-talk to him and he is comforted. He’s also comforted by the free trip to Tahiti. Watch party member Male #2 sums up the whole conversation best by saying “That took a long time to not say very much.”

Taha’a
Ali is super excited to be on the island of Taha’a and is glad that she finally pronounced the island name right after hours of practice with the crew. She will now smugly correct anyone who mispronounces the name. But first she’s going to work on her swimming skills in her teeny tiny pink bikini. She jumps off the dock and swims around for a while and then steals a move from free willy as she flips her head dramatically back. Again collective eye-roll…

Rrroberto Perspires
Rrroberto unpacks in his room while wearing a light gray t-shirt that unfortunately displays his sweat quite clearly. He seems to be profusely sweating specifically in the arm pit and cleavage area. Well surely he’ll change his shirt before his date, right? Wrong – Ali knocks on the door and he happily embraces her in a sweaty hug.

They head out of the hut and around the corner to find a helicopter waiting for them (of course). They fly around the islands and Rrroberto’s sweating doesn’t seem to be getting any better. They look down and point out a lagoon in the shape of a heart. The watching party concludes it must be in the shape of an actual human heart and not the kind that you draw because it looks nothing like a typical drawn heart.

They land at the human heart lagoon and Ali reveals that she’s wearing a mismatched bikini for some reason. Is that in style? I can’t imagine it is so I’m forced to believe she got dressed in the dark. They frolic in the sand and water. Rrroberto picks Ali up and runs into the water with her but eventually just sets her down because as he quickly learns the water around the land is very shallow.

At dinner Ali has chosen to wear some sort of metallic Grecian number that seems to have quite a bit of fabric missing. Rrroberto is sweating in a long sleeve button down shirt and pants. Not the best packing job, Rrroberto. As they talk during dinner Rrroberto confesses his feelings for Ali but I am distracted by what was actually said because it’s very clear that Ali has applied glitter to her arms and chest.

The “forgo your individual room for the fantasy couple suite card” is presented and Rrroberto tries to act genuinely shocked at what the card is. He thinks they should accept the offer and (shocker) she does as well. They walk through shallow water to get to the fantasy suite/hut and the watching party questions how the camera crew will leave. It’s concluded there must be a small motor boat outside the hut in the water that the crew will eventually leave in. The camera fades to the water and with that we made it through forego card date #1.

Chris is Charming
Chris L. runs up to Ali on the boardwalk and the two hug. They head out on a boat for the day and talk about how great her visit with his family was or something like that – again I’m distracted but this time by the matching long shell necklaces they are both wearing. Ali tells Chris they’re going to a beach but the boat can’t dock there for some reason so they jump of the boat in dramatic fashion. Chris tries to swim/tread water as Ali hangs on him.

They make it to the beach and pick up oysters looking for pearls. They freak out upon finding the first one and skeptical me who’s watched maybe one too many of these seasons immediately thinks that the producers planted pearls in the oysters. Carrie at the watching party comes up with the brilliant idea that if Chris proposes he should put the ring in a oyster shell…genius!

Chris & Ali change for dinner and then walk out in shallow water to get to where the food is. Chris thinks it’s so cool they are walking through water to this hut; Ali’s over it since she just walked out there last night with Rrroberto. After dinner Ali tells Chris that she has a card for him from Chris Harrison. Chris L. says, “He’s not going to jump up in scuba gear and scare me?” To which I respond I wish!!

Chris and Ali decide to forgo their individual rooms for the fantasy couple suite (shocker) and the camera fades to the moon as they make out by the pool.

Sad Flower, Sad Girl
Frank walks down the boardwalk of Tahiti with his luggage in tow. The watching party notes he sure does have a lot of luggage to only be there for a few hours just to break up with Ali. It’s concluded that he must be flying to another island to meet the love of his life Nicole after he dumps this bachelorette chick. Or that Nicole is hiding in his room.

He has dreamed of coming to Tahiti for years, but not under these circumstances. He’s torn up about what he has to do so naturally he wants to talk to ABC’s resident counselor and friend next door, Our Host Chris Harrison. He opens the door to his hut to find Our Host smiling and ready to counsel one of this many pupils.

Frank tells Chris everything and Chris responds as though it is all brand new information to him. He tells Frank, “This is huge…how do you think she will react?” Frank questions the authenticity of Chris’ counseling degree since that is not a helpful question at all. Frank responds that he has “no idea” how Ali will react. I’m thinking he had to have at least a tiny notion of what her reaction would be. Counselor Chris continues his stellar pep talk and tells Frank that, “You're not a bad guy, but think about how you're leaving Ali. She's going to be in emotional turmoil over this heading into the most important week in her life.''

Frank decides he’s pepped up enough and tells Chris he’ll handle it from here. Ali bounces along in her off the shoulder 80’s style cover-up and tells us how happy she is to go sailing with Frank today. She knocks on the door and throws her arms around Frank as he stands there and tries not to throw-up. Male #2 at the watch party notes, “She’s not what you would call perceptive.”

Frank tells Ali, “We need to talk; I have to tell you something.” Strike 1 – the phrase no one wants to hear. They sit down as he begins talking about what a great connection they HAD and how he WAS so attracted to her from the beginning. Strike 2 – the use of past tense verbs. He continues by saying, “But (strike 3 the use of the word ‘but’) the whole time I’ve still had feelings for my ex-girlfriend.” And with that – 3 strikes, Ali’s out!

Ali looks confused and sad…she begins crying but is trying to hold it together. She remembers how pitiful her meltdown in the hall of the hotel was last season with Jake. She vowed not to have a “sit and sob” session this season. Frank continues on about how he had to go to Chicago to see Nicole and he realizes that he’s in love with Nicole, not Ali. Ali’s flower begins to wilt:

Then she rips the flower from her hair and throws it on the ground. Frank totally ruined her perfect Malibu Barbie outfit. They sit in silence and cry together. Then Ali moves from shock to anger as she tells Frank, “I gave up everything to be here! My job AND my apartment – everything!” Frank goes on the defensive and says, “So did I.” Ali swings at the perfect set up and responds with, “Apparently not everything.” Zing!

She throws her flip flops on the ground and then tells him she needs to process this so he can leave now. They hug goodbye and actually embrace for quite some time. She walks away from him onto the beach where she can resist no longer and finally sits down in the sand and sobs. Our host comes to the rescue and sits down next to Ali, reassuring her that this is going to be excellent TV.

Frank walks back down the boardwalk to the boat with his matching luggage set and reminds us yet again that he is in love with Nicole and it took coming on a reality tv show to realize it. He stands in the back of the boat as it leaves the place he always wanted to visit.

Everybody Gets a Rose!
Ali is wearing an unfortunate tie-dyed muumuu dress that can’t be helping her self-confidence at all as she looks at the 5x7 photos of Chris, Rrroberto and Frank. She picks Frank’s picture up and the watching party knows what’s next…after looking at the picture Ali then puts it back down on the shelf face-down. Chris Harrison comes in and they sit down for a deliberation counseling session.

Our Host asks her if she is upset because Frank left or because of how he left. She says it’s a little of both and that she now feels weak and unsure since they rug was totally pulled out from under her. Chris Harrison tells her he thinks it’s still important to have a rose ceremony because they still have about 10 minutes left to fill in this show that they insist on lasting 2 hours. She agrees because she still wants to make sure that Rrroberto and Chris will accept the roses.

Chris L. and Rrroberto ride up to the ceremony on separate boats. Chris Harrison tells them that Frank is not coming and he lets Ali explain why. Ali comes out in the still unfortunate muumuu and gives a vague description of why Frank left. “Frank had to take care of some things back home so he left to do that and I know he’s not for me. It is what it is.” She could have been a little more convincing on her happiness over the two remaining suitors instead of her sadness over the one that left but Rrroberto and Chris didn’t seem to care. She hands the first rose to Chris L. (wicked awesome!) and the second rose to Rrroberto (“Sweat-a-saurs Rex” as Amy P. at the watch party accurately nicknamed him)

Ali announces that they’ll be going to Bora Bora next where her family is waiting to meet them both and is already excited to be cashing in on this reality tv stuff with a free vacation!

Next week is the Men Tell All and I admit I’m excited about it – I think there’s great potential with tattoo Kasey, the weatherman, funny Craig, and crazy Craig all returning! Plus I’m sure there will be plenty of scenes for the upcoming Bachelor Pad show…can.not.wait! Be sure to check out Chris Harrison’s blog here and as always for more recap fun I highly encourage reading the hilarious ihategreenbeans.com. And finally this article on PopWatch debates whether Chris L. should be the next bachelor if Ali doesn’t pick him…I know some members of the watching party will be nominated as contestants if so!

A Few Good Men

We’re down to four men which means – Hometown Dates! I admit this is usually my favorite episode of the season. Bringing families in allows for all kinds of new characters...


Rrroberto – Tampa, Florida
Rrroberto grew up and played baseball in college or on a minor league team or something like that in Tampa – not Charleston where he currently lives. There was some debate at the watching party as I think we missed his history in Tampa. They run and greet each other and the watching party notes how “cute” it is that they ironically are wearing matching plaid Hollister shirts.

After Rrroberto is done picking up Ali multiple times he leads her to the fence of a baseball field and she acts like she has no idea what they’ll be doing. When he actually opens the fence to reveal the baseball diamond she thinks it’s a sign that he’s ready to give her a diamond ring.

He gives her a jersey with her name and his baseball number on it; again she mistakes the jersey for a marriage proposal and tells us, “I love having a jersey with Roberto's number on it. It makes me proud. I'm like a proud wife.” I’m guessing Ali’s not aware of the phrase, “putting the cart before the horse”

Rrroberto changes into his minor league baseball uniform and she LOVES it. Ali thinks there’s nothing hotter than a guy in a baseball uniform. I personally think baseball uniforms aren’t particularly flattering – anyone on my side?

They throw the ball around and it appears that Ali is somewhat athletic although as the watching party points out, it could have been several takes to get the few shots that she actually made contact with the ball.

Rrroberto then tells Ali he has a gift for her – he pulls out his laminated minor league baseball card and hands it to Ali. She swoons and tells him he’s “smokin’ hot”. He smiles knowingly. She tells us, “I never thought I’d date a guy with his own baseball card.” Let that be a lesson for the kids -- your dreams can come true if you decide to participate in a reality tv dating competition show.

Rrroberto and Ali head to his parents house to meet the family. We meet his dad Rrroberto Sr., his mom Olga, his sister Olga and his brother-in-law Peter. Yep – 2 Roberto’s and 2 Olga’s. I guess Ali is okay with naming their children Roberto and Olga. They family eats dinner and asks Ali what she noticed first about Rrroberto. Instead of being honest and saying his smokin’ hot looks she says something about how he helped with her nerves.

Rrroberto Sr. takes Rrroberto Jr. outside with Peter (the name outcast) and points out that it’s very easy to fall in love when you have just come from Portugal. Finally – someone with some common sense about this show! He wants to make sure that she makes him happy because he is a big prize. (not a big “price” which half of the watching party thought was said)

Senor Rrroberto takes Ali into the room with the trophy shrine to Junior. Then he conducts a job interview with her. “What are your life goals?” he asks. She responds with, “I’d like to own a business one day. I want to have a successful career.” Big Rrroberto tells her that little Rrroberto’s career may take him to other places, he wants to know which career would come first. Ali hits a home run and says the family would come first – whatever is best for little little Rrroberto and Olga. Big Rrroberto is won over and gives his blessing on the impending marriage that has a 25% chance of happening at this point.

Meanwhile, Rrroberto Junior’s mother Olga tells him that if he’s happy with Ali he should “propose her.” Then they speak Spanish and I am impressed. To close the visit the family and Ali all gather in the living room and salsa dance the night away.

Chris - Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Chris is on the beach with his adorable black lab “Jenny” when Ali pulls up in the Tahoe. She runs over to greet Chris and reaches down to greet Jenny who’s running toward her. Unfortunately for Ali she is rejected as Jenny runs right past her toward the Tahoe.

Chris and Ali walk along the beach – Ali in her high heel leather boots; make that two pairs of boots that Ali has destroyed on her Bachelor/Bachelorette stint. Then they head back to Chris’ parents house and look at pictures around the house of his family. It’s clear this is going to be a very emotional hometown date.

They sit in rocking chairs on the porch and pretend it’s the end of the work day. Chris says he needs a beer and Ali responds with, “Oh I have one in my purse”. Apparently Ali’s imaginary job encourages a BYOB work environment. Then Chris gets serious and tells her he wouldn’t be bringing her back to meet his family if he didn’t like her and was sure they would like him. I’m starting to think that Chris is too real for reality TV.

Ali and Chris walk into the house to wait for the rest of the family to arrive. When Chris’ dad Ed walks he says, “Gee Whiz” upon seeing Ali. And with that Ed wins the title of “most endearing dad on the hometown dates.” The rest of the family comes in – Chris’ brother Mark, his wife Meagan and his brother Eric with his fiancée Sara.

Ali and Chris present the family with the wine they bought in Portugal. The sisters-in-law point out that Ali is wearing the Dennis bracelet. They both have Dennis bracelet’s as well and also have the one that Chris’ mom used to have. The family motto “Love is the only reality” is engraved on his mom’s. Julie at the watching party immediately decides what her next facebook status update will be…and let’s be honest – what her life motto will be as well.

The family eats dinner together and laughs a lot. They ask what first drew Ali to Chris and she says the fact that he’s from Massachusetts. Very romantic. After dinner the sisters-in-law take Ali outside for a chat. They’re both brunettes so they’re not sure about this blonde fitting in until the see her dark roots that have yet to be touched up – then they see who she really is and decide she’ll fit right in.

Then Chris’ dad Ed gets to talk to Ali alone and the whole conversation confirmed that Chris’ family is definitely too real to be on this reality TV show. Chris and his dad have a moment outside to talk about what his mom might have thought of Ali. The whole hometown date was honestly the best one I’ve seen on this show. And by ‘best’ I mean most normal. And by normal I realize the bar for normalcy on this show is very low.

The family says tearful goodbyes to each other and Ed says, “You could just stay...” to which Chris replies, “Don’t worry – we’ll be back soon.” Ali, if you mess this one up I’m pretty sure America will turn against you.

Kirk – Green Bay, Wisconsin
Ali runs to greet Kirk and yells “Kirkeeeee!” Not sure when that nickname started but I’m hoping for Kirk’s sake it doesn’t stick. The first stop on this hometown date is with Kirk’s dad Pete, his stepmom and adopted sister (who’s names I do not remember). Kirk & Ali walk into the house and several observations are made immediately, “Wow – plates – a lot of plates” said Emily at our watching party (referring to the large number of chotcki plates lining the walls of the living room). The satellite watching party in Dallas noted that Kirk’s dad is a dead-ringer for Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico:
Good call satellite watching party!

They all sit and chat in the living room and then Uncle Rico says, “Hey Ali, would you like to see my basement?” And with that Kirk’s dad wins the title of “creepiest sentence ever stated on TV”. Ali nervously consents and heads down the stairs with Uncle Rico to find…lots of dead animals on the walls. Her expression is priceless. It’s a mix of shock, horror and confusion. Uncle Rico tells Ali he’s a taxidermist so he stuffs dead animals for a living. Ali tells us she likes animals, but likes them to be alive.

She asks how many of these things he’s done and he guesstimates about a thousand. Her eyes grow wider. He points out the different types of animals on the walls – buffalo, deer, fish – and even a caribou foot with red eyes that he attached to create his own animal. Neat-o. Ali then gets a look in the freezer which she tells us is full of, “'frozen dead animals along with the family’s frozen snacks like popsicles and other frozen treats.”

Ali and Uncle Rico move to another part of the basement or another room – it’s unclear. What is clear is the camera shot of a mold of a squirrel holding an acorn behind Ali’s shoulder. Uncle Rico reminds Ali that Kirk hasn’t brought many women home, the watching party understands why. Ali rises to the occasion though and looks past the dead animals (literally) to have a good conversation with Uncle Rico.

Next up Ali is meeting Kirk’s mom, grandma Arlene, and sister. The first thing the watching party notices is that Jessie (the girl from last season who is also friends with Rated-R’s girlfriend) has inspired Kirk’s mom to try the bump-it.

The girls and Kirk have a nice dinner and compliment Arlene on her cooking. Afterward Ali and Kirk’s mom talk about all that Kirk went through with his illness. His mom pulls a very tattered Livestrong bracelet out of her pocket and explains that she started wearing it when Kirk got sick and never took it off. The day that Kirk left to go to the Bachelorette his mom woke up to find that the bracelet had broken off during her sleep. She thought it was a sign that this was a new beginning – a new chapter for Kirk.

Kirk tells us he’s 1,000% on board with Ali and has totally fallen for her. I think since ABC showed us how on board Kirk is it means this is the end of Kirk.

Frank – Chicago, Illinois
Frank strolls along the streets of Chicago in his super sweet party cardi with an unfortunate white scoop neck t-shirt underneath. No wait – is that a stretchy white tank top? Whatever it is it’s showing off Frank’s man cleavage so the watching party naturally had to pause the DVR to debate what he was wearing under the cardigan. By the end of the date it was concluded that it was a tank top. And it was also concluded it was a poor choice.

Anyway – so Ali sees Frank and starts running toward him. He does more of a jog toward her. Red Flag #1. They tour Chicago by boat and take more obligatory pictures of themselves. Frank is visibly stressed out about something – when Ali questions him he complains again that this “process is messing with his head.” He tells her, “I mean I could think we're great and then you send me home tomorrow." I’m confused- how did Frank not know the premise of this show before he signed up?

As the satellite watching party noted – Frank played the “mind games” card last week; apparently he knows it works because then Ali tries to convince him to just remember she likes him and he likes her too. Emily at the watch party suggests the book “He’s Just Not That Into You” might be a helpful read.

After the boat ride and counseling session, Frank and Ali head to his parents house where we meet dad Hank, mom Debbie, sister Becky, and brother-in-law Chris. As the family eats dinner, Debbie comments that Ali and Frank have “the look” which is of course important for successful relationships. They ask Ali how many other hometowns she’s been on and she replies with, “I saved the best for last.” Frank winces a nervous smile…man this girl has some blinders on…

Debbie spends some time talking to Ali after dinner and they both agree that she fits right in. Meanwhile inside Frank, Becky and Chris have moved to a Chinese restaurant. Oh wait – no, that’s just a different part of the living room that looks like a Chinese restaurant. Frank then tells Hank that it’s hard for him to “deal with all the elements”. Hank may or may not realize the elements include some other girl that apparently we won’t get the full story on this week.

Frank walks Ali out to the car and she clings to him as she reminds him how much she likes him. He looks off in the distance as someone from the second floor looks out the window down on them. Was it Debbie? Becky? Or the other woman!?!

Deliberation with Our Host
Ali exits the limo in a light pink prom dress with roses all over the front. Roses on the front Ali, really!? Don’t you think that’s a tad cliché? Our host goes through a recap of the hometown dates with Ali. Basically we learn:

Rrroberto: She thought she didn’t deserve him at first, now realizes he just wants to find love and a family too. Plus he looks smokin’ hot in a baseball uniform. And it doesn’t hurt that he has his own baseball card.

Chris: They took a big step forward this week but Ali wonders if it’s too late

Kirk: Ali is confident that he wants to be with her, she is not confident that he’s best for her

Frank: She admits they can be off and on at times but really likes him when they’re on…and when he’s not complaining about mind games.

Ali begins getting choked up at the thought of sending one of the men home. Our Host tells her again she must eliminate one of them; they can’t end the show with her dating all four men despite her pleas.

The Saddest Rose Ceremony Ever
Ali enters the rose ceremony looking very distressed:

They guys are looking pretty nice – Frank has chosen to wear some sort of hoody/jacket combination but the tank top is gone so I’m not complaining. Rrroberto is sporting the loose tie again.

She tells the guys that she doesn’t want to do this but as Our Host has reminded her she is under contract to break up with one of them tonight. After a deep breath she hands roses to:

Rrroberto – Did you see he had his own baseball card?

Chris – Smart move Ali, you’re safe with America for now

Frank – Thanks to the previews we know what’s coming next week…drama!

Our Host tried his best to shine spotlights on the waving red flags above Frank but alas, it was Kirk who eventually had to take a moment and say his goodbyes. Kirk walks Ali out and it’s really sad…he is very classy and tells her how disappointed he is because he really put himself out there. Ali asks for a hug then says goodbye. Julie at the watching party tells Kirk’s mom to tape the Livestrong bracelet back on…

After regaining composure she goes back in to the house and tells the guys that they’re off to Tahiti next week! Scenes again show Frank telling Ali something and Ali sobbing...I’m kind of sick of that scene and it hasn’t even happened yet.

Check out Our Host’s blog here for a deleted scene from Chris’ hometown date and of course www.ihategreenbeans.com for more recap fun! See you next week for the ugly crying fest!

5th of July Fireworks (Brought to you by Jake & Vienna)

The Break-Up Special started very tranquil. Our Host Chris Harrison came out and explained while The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise has produced many successful couples (including the golden couple who are happily married with kids) it has also produced some vicious breakups, not the least of which we are about to witness.

Jake came out and told Chris he wanted to fight for the relationship but it got to a point where he empathized with REO Speedwagon because he’d forgotten what he started fighting for. Except kind of the opposite because he couldn’t remember why he wanted to be with Vienna in the first place, that’s why he quit fighting. And he was sad to stop fighting for the relationship as you can see from his sad face here:
Vienna joined Jake and Our Host and told Chris what she’d already told Kevin from Entertainment Tonight as well as several tabloids – that Jake didn’t pay any attention to her at home and he had a bit of a temper. Jake then told Vienna, “I’m so mad at you – I’m so disgusted with you right now.” And then the fireworks started! A back and forth of accusations and insults began. With that – I present my top 10 quotes from the slugfest:

Vienna: “Can we get a polyOgraph test here!? Does anyone have one of those machines?”

Our Host: “Clearly this was going to hell in a hand basket in a hurry.”

Jake: “Just let me know when you’re done, then I’ll start”

Our Host: “Was Dancing with the Stars a bad thing?”

Our Host (to Vienna): “So after this interview will you disappear?”

Jake: “I didn’t ring this bell Chris, but I’m forced to be here because it’s been rung.”

Vienna: “How can you get sick of someone in 6 months?”

Vienna (while interrupting Jake): “What’s undermine – what is that, can you give an example?”

Vienna: “I’ve never even picked up a tape measure- I don’t know what a tape measure is”

Our Host: “We don’t really care about the dog.”

Vienna eventually stormed off and quit the interview. Emily at the watching party thinks the whole thing was staged but I’m not so sure. I think what really happened is this…back when Jillian was the Bachelorette an aspiring actor named Jake Pavelka applied to be on the show because any TV time is good TV time right? He told producers he would rat out evil Wes in exchange for the title of the next Bachelor – thus even more TV time. He went through the motions on The Bachelor but knew all along he had to pick the most controversial contestant to further his 15 minutes of fame. So he picked Vienna who I think actually liked him for some reason and who I believe was genuine about who she was with him the whole time -- bless her heart. So after he picked controversial Vienna he got the Dancing with the Stars gig and kept Vienna around long enough to make it believable and then agreed to this break-up special to get more TV time and to highlight Vienna’s craziness.

That’s what I believe happened however I have no evidence to support my theory. Regardless, I've come to the conclusion that both Jake and Vienna are crazy…as is anyone who signs up for this show. But then you gotta love them, right - because what else would we watch!?!