Bachelor Pad 2 Finale
Bachelor Pad, Winner(s) Named
Oh, Bachelor Pad. I honestly don't know why I watch you. Perhaps it's the gapping hole in my life that I feel during late summer television programming. I know that I should fill that time with campfires, an outdoor activity, or quality time with my hubby, but no… my addiction to television clearly outweighs my logical mind. I should go to rehab. But I won't. And even though I know that Bachelor Pad is a waste of time, I also know that come next summer, I'll most likely be tuning in again. For shame.
We catch up with the final 4 couples as Harrison tells them of their final challenge. They'll have to perform a 50 second Cirque de Soleil-esque routine while suspended in the air. The winner gets the roses and the big decision of who to take to the final 2 couples with them. The ones that do the worst will be automatically sent packing.
Judges for this are the only "successful" Bachelor/Bachelorettes. Trista, Jason & Ali. (Ali "had to be" carried to her judging post by her fiancé Roberto due to a "leg injury") They'll be judging the final 4 couples routines based on technical ability, showmanship, effort and couple chemistry.
Everyone seems to have some issues with either the fear or choreography… then we get the routines.
Michelle & Graham are up first and they know they're going to suck. So Michelle informs us that the one thing they do have going for them is chemistry… so they kiss before and after the routine so that the judges can pick up on it.
Ella & Kirk are next and Ella's petrified that she'll fall and die leaving her son alone. With thoughts like that, it was no wonder she could barely perform the routine.
Vienna & Kasey are up next, and of course, are over-confident in their ability. They do a pretty good job technically, but their "chemistry" felt forced and not genuine.
Holly & Mike perform last and they were completely in sync with each other and they did some somersaulting and tricks away from the wall that no other couple did. And just in case we didn't know, we had to listen to Judge Jason ask if they were a couple. No, they're not.
I think Trista thought she was auditioning to be the new American Idol judge (she took it far too seriously) before they announced that…
MIKE & HOLLY WIN THE SAFETY ROSES!
Trista then deems…
VIENNA & KASEY SAFE!
Then she has to announce which couple would be eliminated…
ELLA & KIRK ARE ELIMINATED!
MICHELLE & GRAHAM ARE SAFE!
MICHELLE & GRAHAM ARE SAFE!
Ella cried her eyes out and felt she let Kirk down, along with herself and her son. I'm not sure she would have been picked to go into the final 2 couples anyway… so…
Now, it was up to Holly & Mike to decide between Vienna & Kasey or Michelle & Graham. They spoke to Viennsey first, and although Vienna didn't want Kasey to be overly-intense, he was. Although they had a good argument: "no one likes us, so we don't have a very good chance to win".
So while Mike & Holly spoke to Michelle & Graham, Vienna scolded Kasey for being too intense. Kasey then went outside to pout. These two are far too immature for their ages, no? But it seemed like Mike & Holly took the bait, because they told Michelle & Graham that they were playing a game and if they wanted the money, they couldn't bring them to the final. This, in turn, upset Graham who thought Mike was a true friend and it hurt him to think that a true friend would pick money over friendship…
ROSE CEREMONY
Mike & Holly played off the selfish (choose Vienna & Kasey) vs. the selfless (choose Graham & Michelle) before making their final choice.
P.S. What the heck was Holly wearing?! The blue silk barely covered her bits! And it seemed more appropriate as a nightie than on-camera wear.
They chose the "Selfless" route and chose their friends Michelle & Graham, which means
VIENNA & KASEY ARE ELIMINATED!
They seemed shocked, but in relative good spirits until the rejecto-limo door shut on them. Then Vienna became a crying mess.
Then, it was time for the…
REUNION / WINNER'S ANNOUNCEMENT
All the losers of the season were back, and Harrison makes quick time going straight for the Jackie's jugular. He asks Jackie & Ames what happened to the couple that had the most romantic moment in Bachelor Pad history…
They're already broken up. Jackie poured her heart out telling everyone she had no idea what happened and that it seemed like it went from perfect to over in seconds. She told Ames she wanted to know why and pleaded with him to tell her (as she told everyone that she cried for a week straight not getting out of bed and has been heartbroken for months.) Ames couldn't even look at her. All he could say was that he thought she was the one, but after spending condensed time with her right after they left in the limo, he knew they were "very different people" and had to end it "sooner rather than later". It just seemed rather odd, and I'm just as confused as Jackie (and Erica). Why can't someone just come out and say whatever it is… like "I saw you pick your nose, and that's a deal breaker for me" or "I'm gay"… you know, whatever.
Then it turns into the Jake vs. Vienna show. Jake acts as if he's saddened that Vienna couldn't genuinely accept his "olive branch" and toots that he only did Bachelor Pad to get closure with her and apologize.
NO… he came on the show to hopefully restore his "nice guy" reputation. And it looks as if he succeeded, since the crowd (and Erica) overwhelmingly backed him during this segment. But, I'm still not buying it.
Vienna tried to deny she was mean to Jake in the house, and it was all the edit. I call Bullsh!t! She knows darn-well that she didn't want anything to do with Jake and did everything she could to get him out of the house. These two both really want to be seen as the victim in their relationship, but to me it seems like they were both predators. Vienna's just as fake as he is. And it disgusts me.
Kasey actually stepped up and genuinely apologized to Jake for his words and actions against him. They hug it out much to Vienna's disgust.
After that, it was Kasey's turn on the hot-seat. Way to make (me and) Rated R feel like a total d!ck, but retaliating after Rated R called him Kermit the Frog by confessing he has a speech impediment. Burn. Dude, I apologize for making fun of your voice, but not when I made fun of your singing… you still shouldn't do that.
Poor Kasey pretty much dissolves into tears about how he was portrayed on the show. Between the fights with Vienna, how manipulative/cocky he was, and how mean he was with Jake, Kasey felt like the game destroyed him. I thought the breakdown was completely genuine, but I'm glad it happened, because I don't think he'll be the same person ever again (unless he actually marries Vienna).
Blake takes the hot-seat next to go over his relationships in the house. I think it's pretty clear he "played" the wrong girl in the house. Melissa said it herself "Clearly, I do not do well on reality TV"… she can't quite decipher the "reality TV" from "reality", and Blake used her, flat out… he just didn't expect such a backlash from it, which is the definition of Melissa on TV.
But, then the conversation turned to his relationship with Holly… where do they stand now? He's madly in love with her and they talk every day… Next up for them? She's moving to South Carolina to move in together… Anything else?! Oh, yeah, here's a clip:
Blake & Holly are on top of a mountain having a picnic… and Blake proposes with a Neil Lane Diamond ring (that the Bachelor Franchise obviously footed the bill for!)…
Holly says YES…
PUKE. How long do I give this relationship? Eh. So, what was Mike's reaction? Well, we'd have to wait, because the Final 2 Couples are still backstage and cannot hear/see what's going on…
Then the…
FINAL 2 COUPLES TAKE THE STAGE
And Harrison cuts straight to the chase… Holly needs to tell Mike the "good news"…
Mike knew that Holly & Blake were together and getting serious. He even knew she was moving to SC to be with him… but they didn't tell him that… they're engaged.
OUCH. CRUEL.
The smirk on Blake's face… UGH… I wanted to slap it off for Mike.
Mike asked for a glass of water or a commercial break, but that wouldn't make good TV. He tries to joke about how he should have been notified prior. But he's much more mature than I would have been because he ultimately says "I really do want Holly to be happy… She said yes, so, you know, she's in love and happy and that's a beautiful thing. That's what I wanted for her… you know, for the rest of her life"
Blake half-apologizes to him for the way he found out (but you know on the inside he's mocking him with "I got her, I got her").
Next Michelle & Graham show that they are very much a couple (however, long distance) and that he helped her through a very rough time, the passing of her father from stage 4 colon cancer.
So then it was time for the Losers to "grill" the Final 2 before casting their votes. The main topics were:
Does Holly deserve the money, when it was all her partner's work?
Does Graham & Michelle deserve the money, when they "floated"?
Who should the award? Graham & Michelle are saying they'll put some of the money to charity, while Mike & Holly will put the money to healing a broken heart and planning a wedding (respectively).
Basically, I think Michelle shot herself in the foot. She told them not to give her a sympathy vote. Then she basically said that no one "deserves" this money because this is a ridiculous reality television show (Okay she didn't say that last part, but she clearly implied it.) It's true, but she shouldn't have said it if she really wanted to money.
The votes came down and…
MIKE & HOLLY ARE THE WINNERS!
They now had the choice: KEEP or SHARE.
If they both choose SHARE, they share the $250,000.
If one of them chooses KEEP, they get to keep the $250,000 for themselves.
If they both choose KEEP, they get nothing and everyone else get's an equal share of the $250,000.
While they were escorted by big, burly dudes to another room, the rest of the cast speculated. They mostly believed the two would share the money, but a number of them said they wouldn't be surprised if Mike decided to choose KEEP after hearing of Holly & Blake's engagement (and wouldn't blame him for doing it either).
Holly and Mike come back out to reveal their choices:
HOLLY CHOSE SHARE… MIKE CHOSE SHARE!
HOLLY & MIKE WIN $250,000!
HOLLY & MIKE WIN $250,000!
The last segment was dedicated to the New Bachelor!
It's Ben Flajnik, runner-up from the last season of Bachelorette (Ashley). I actually am looking forward to watching his "journey" because I think he'll make a good Bachelor. I think he's a sincere and genuine guy and he came off as completely real during his stint on the Bachelorette. But, I'm also glad it doesn't start until Jan. 2012, because after a Spring & Summer full of roses, I need a break.
Until January Rose-Lovers!
