The Bachelor Brad, Take 2, Episode 4
The Bachelor, Brad Womack 2011 (Mondays at 8PM on ABC)
Is it just me, or is the Bachelor Production team stepping up the evil? I'm starting to think they're working for the man downstairs, and it's oddly intoxicating to witness.
Let me explain... Doesn't it seem like every solo date is the bachelorette's worst nightmare? It's like they set up dates just for that purpose.
It's like Brad says, hey I want to take Emily out on a one-on-one... and the production team is like, hey her husband died in a small plane crash, let's put her on "the small plane to the vineyard" date.
Now obviously, that's the most evil one so far (until, that is, next week's Nascar-inspired group date that they have Emily go on...) But if you need more examples, I'll give you one for each of the solo dates thus far in order of their evilness (most to least).
The second and third most evil dates have been this week, in which the Bachelor Production team set up both Chantal AND Michelle on dates with thier biggest fears taking main stage. Chantal and her fear of drowning in deep water gets sent to "helmet dive in the Pacific Ocean" date and Michelle with her fear of heights gets sent to "repel down a LA sky-scraper" date. They both conquer their fears, and feel closer to Brad afterwards...
Then we have the 3 least evil dates, but still kind of creep-tastic. We have Ashley S. who should have never had to sing on national television (it was really, really awful), let alone sing a song that seemingly meant so much to her and her now deceased dad go on the "record a 90's ballad date".
We have Ashley H. who's date starts out like a bad horror movie (that's from her own words!), when Brad takes her in a dress and heels to walk in the pitch black woods. Now, of course, it didn't end like a bad horror movie... they had a carnival all to themselves, but still...
And lastly, Jackie got the "Pretty Woman" treatment on her date, but really do you want to be compared to a hooker while dating a guy... I sure wouldn't.
Right?! Totally EVIL! Okay... but let's get to this week shall we?
We have 3 dates again, 2 solos and 1 group, with a few girls being left out.
Michelle, of course, is demanding a solo date. She even willing to mysteriously gets a black eye in the middle of the night for a sympathy date. But she loses out on the first solo date, which goes to Chantal.
Brad comes to pick her up, and the two get whisked away in the first helicopter ride of the season. They head to Catalina and Brad takes her on a boat to do a helmet dive...
She's deadly afraid of deep water and drowning, and initially doesn't want to do it. She freaks a bit, but manages to stay composed, telling herself she "HAS TO" do this to show Brad that she's "willing to do what it takes" for him. (I've actually done a helmet dive, and it's really a lot of fun!)
She's able to do it and the two hold hands under the water... AWE...
Photo Credit - ABC
After conquering her fear, they head off to beach bed for some snuggle-action.
Photo Credit - ABC
They talk about her divorce and the fact that they both want to get married and have kids. She apologizes for slapping him. Brad tells us that when he's with her it feels like he's dating for real, and can see himself with her in real life. I see it too. They have great chemistry, and it's not all romance, it's fun and quirky and life-like. It starts raining, she gets the rose, and they take their make-out to a covered cabana...
Photo Credit - ABC
Back at the Bachelorette Dorm, the second date card has arrived and it's the group date. Michelle's relieved she's not on it, and then threatens that if she doesn't get the last solo date of the week, Brad will have a black eye too. (She's like a Bachelor Editor's dream...)
SO, the Ashleys, Stacey, Lindsay, Britt, Meghan, Alli, Lisa and Jackie pile into a stretch hummer and meet Brad over at the LoveLine's radio studio, where Brad is hoping the girls will feel safe enough to really open up. Brad talks to Dr. Drew and Mike by himself for a bit, while the girls look on (they couldn't hear him)...
Photo Credit - ABC
The girls come in, and Dr. Drew starts asking the "hard questions". Brad tells them he's never cheated, but has been cheated on... and Dr. Drew asks they ladies if any of them have cheated. The only one to fess up is Stacey, who blamed her college drinking days. Then the girls start in on Brad... Britt, however, used her mic time to tell him she's interested in him and wants to spend more than 10 minutes with him... He eats it up.
Photo Credit - ABC
The "After-Party" at the Bachelor pad turns awkward... All the girls realize that getting one-on-one time with Brad is important, and there's not much time to do it... Poor Alli gets bamboozled again, this time by Ashley S... Britt gets some substantial time with Brad, but instead of talking and getting to know each other better, they just make-out the whole time.
While this is going on the downward spiral of Ashley H. is happening. She's feeling lost in the shuffle after their first solo date, and can't stand that all these ladies are getting time with him over her...
Photo Credit - ABC
She comes in at the tail-end of Britt's make-out session with Brad, and sits down to tell him that she feels like pulling away because of his time with the other girls. I think she had a bit too much to drink here... and it makes her look crazy...
Brad, sort of understands, and considers giving her the rose in order to help her feel more confident that he wants her around. When he goes to hand it out in the hot tub though, she groans "This is awkward"... which definitely made it more awkward when Brad stops, and asks her to explain herself. She, of course, clams up... and Brad decides to pull Britt out of the tub and give her the rose instead.
Back at the Bachelorette Dorm, Michelle finally gets her wish... a solo date. But I love how Chantal pushes her buttons by bringing up the fact that her date card doesn't have the word "love" in it, like all the other cards did. Chantal is becoming my clear favorite.
The next day, Brad comes in to take Michelle on her special day, but first has to talk to Ashley H. about her behavior the previous night. This does NOT sit well with Michelle, as she puts on her best fake smile (that didn't convince anyone...)
Photo Credit - ABC
While Ashley H. is telling Brad she's insecure about the relationships he's building with the other girls, and that she has a defense mechanism of saying she doesn't care, and that it's hard for her to deal with the emotions, yada yada...
Michelle's inside cursing her for stealing time from her day. And again, Chantal speaks up with exactly what I was thinking and calls Michelle out for being a hypocrite. Michelle stole Brad away when she was having an emotional issue during the first group date... it's basically the same thing now.
Photo Credit - ABC
By then, Brad convinced Ashley that it's worth it to stick around, and that he really likes her... He comes in, and Michelle all by yanks him out of the house.
They take a ride up to the Bachelor pad, before being whisked away on the 2nd helicopter ride of the season.
Photo Credit - ABC
This time, they touch down on the top of an LA sky-scraper, which doesn't please Michelle. She shortly realizes what they're date composes of... a repel down to the pool below. She FREAKS, legitimately, crying and shaking... She has to be almost pushed off the ledge before they make their way down the glass building. Once they get the hang of it, Brad makes his move... and they kiss mid-way down.
Photo Credit - ABC
The reach the bottom and can't keep their hands off each other. The rest of the date includes some swimming and making out. The biggest conversation highlights are talking about Michelle's daughter as well as Michelle's saying she doesn't see Brad with any of the other girls... She gets the rose and tells us that none of the girls can even compare with the bond her and Brad have now... then she does this...
Photo Credit - ABC
COCKTAIL PARTY
So Brad, rightfully, decides to pull aside the ladies that didn't get dates this week. He starts off with Shawntel, who now have a "thing" together... where she counts to three and than leaps into his arms and it ends in a kiss, much like last week's group date during the end of their action-adventure movie.
He talks to a few more ladies... but let's be honest, who remembers, when after that he pulls Emily out, picks up a basket and takes her out front. He wants to recreate their vineyard date, and it leaves all the other girls going crazy. I'm with the crazy girls, because doing something so "special" for one girl on cocktail night means something, no matter how he wants to slice it. And Emily says something that stuck out to me, "I hope I'm worth all this" or "I hope I can live up to all this"... I think Brad has it bad for a girl that's just not that into him...
Photo Credit - ABC
This, leaves on girl in particular crying... Chantal, who thought she had something really special with him on their solo date and feels "punched in the stomach" and as if she's being dumb.
Photo Credit - ABC
She gets to talk to Brad and tells him that it was hard to see him do that for Emily, and that she fears that she's not as "unstable" or "meek" enough for him (he tends to like that)... He tells her that he likes her because she's not like anyone he's ever dated and then they're all smiles and jokes.
Photo Credit - ABC
He also talks to Ashley H... again. And gives her the confidence to make it through "a time"...
Photo Credit - ABC
ROSE CEREMONY
Alright, so Chantal, Britt and Michelle all have roses.
Photo Credit - ABC
There's 8 to hand out, and 11 girls left...
Ashley S., Alli, Emily, Shawntel, Lisa, Jackie, Marissa all get roses.
So it's down to the final rose... Ashley H. gets it. Leaving Lindsay, Stacey and Meghan to get their rides in the rejecto limo. (I was 3-3!)
Photo Credit - ABC
For the most part their exit interviews were well-composed. Meghan, who we first saw get some alone time with Brad during the Cocktail Party, but was more the therapist of the ladies inside the house... pretty much ran out of the house. I think it was pretty clear, Brad and Meghan didn't have much chemistry.
Then it was Stacey, who seemingly got the boot for fessing up to cheating, or at least that's how they edited it this episode. She took it well, hoping that she'll find Mr. Right soon, because she's "sick of dating".
Then there was Lindsay, the girl I couldn't see Brad with at all, got teary-eyed as she told the cameras she thinks her dad will be proud of her. Really, you went on a dating show on national television... will he be proud you weren't a skank? I guess.
So now there's 11 girls left and they're heading on the road... first stop VEGAS. Dates seem to include Cirque du Soleil and Nascar... plus much more crying... Please don't forget to check out my rankings of the ladies here.
