What a shit show. Yes, I said that. The Bachelorette is a shit show. And I am both loving and hating it. I feel like there is a lot of drama missing and I am wondering who we can get it back.
The thing with shows like this is that they are overproduced normally, but this time – as soon as Clare left the show, they must have fired the producer that was actually doing their job.
But we’re breaking down our thoughts on last weeks episode before tonights finale.
We’re finally here. Hometown dates. What did you think of the various on-site “dates” and Tayshia’s meetings with the family? Did you learn anything new about any of the contestants?
Erin: I learned that we all dodge bullets in life and that avoiding being on The Bachelorette is one of those bullets. But I also learned that I need more drama. Like, a lot more drama. I kinda miss Clare and that is saying something.
Lizzie: Weirdly enough, we’ve reached this stage without as much drama as the early part of the season had, and also ….the family meetings were all kinda chill, and despite attempts at editing them to make them feel more dramatic, that just didn’t work. So this wasn’t ZOMG THE MOST DRAMATIC ROSE CEREMONY EVER, which I appreciated. But also …we’re gonna get some drama at the end, right?
I know I’m contradicting myself, but …this is The Bachelorette, isn’t it?
Jessica: This was the least dramatic family meetings ever, and I’m so okay with that. I love all four of her final guys, and all of their families were great. It was also fun to see the guys plan dates for Tayshia based on their hometowns.
Grace: I don’t think I necessarily learned anything new, but I do think it reaffirmed my love for all of them as it showed just how close they are with their families. Seeing how Ben was with his sister gave me all the feels, along with how Zac, Ivan and Brendan were with their loved ones.
Jade: Since they’d booted the insufferable bachelors from the show, I enjoyed seeing everyone with their families – though it did make the knowledge that more would be sent home after a little more secondhand cringeworthy. I guess you’ve never known Bachelorette heartache until you’ve had your heart stomped after telling everyone you’re closest to how in love you are!
Tayshia sent a few of the guys home this week, starting with Riley (and Blake, who was surprisingly still around). What did you think of Riley’s send-off? Was it fair of her to send him off the way she did?
Erin: I am not shocked over Riley, cause boy cemented his fate last week. He had to have known this was coming. And I think she was in the right, cause dude was too hung up on her. She was actually helping the both of them by sending him home.
Lizzie: What’s fairness in a reality show? Does it exist? I think not. Only good TV exists, and this was the best thing for that regard. And sure, I’d feel a little bad for Riley – but he did sign up to be on The Bachelorette, so he had to have known something like this was possible?
Also, isn’t it actually better, in the long run, that she didn’t string him along if she was sure he wasn’t the one for her?
Jessica: I knew Riley would be going home, but I wish she had just waited until the rose ceremony. It was just one more night, and he would at least been prepared. I felt bad for him because he had no idea he was going to go home right then.
Grace: Okay, so I understand that Tayshia knew Riley wasn’t “the one” and so she wanted to send him home right away. However, she really couldn’t wait until the rose ceremony the next day? I feel like Riley was having a nice night and then was blindsided within an instant. I think she should have just waited until the rose ceremony and let the guy have one final night of peace.
Jade: I guess I get it, in that it makes sense, if you know someone isn’t The One, to not prolong the torture. But that still kind of hurt. I do have to commend him for handling it as well as a person could – and better than I probably would have done. Particularly in his encore appearance on Men Tell All. I wasn’t necessarily rooting for him and Tayshia, but I do find myself genuinely hoping he finds the love he’s looking for one day. Which is not something I can say of all the men who’ve been on the show this season.
Best and worst part of the Men Tell All? And is Yosef the human embodiment of 2020, or is he just the worst person on the planet?
Lizzie: THIS WAS BORING. BOOOOOOOOORING. The Men Tell All is supposed to be dramatic, come on. You guys could have done so much better. Was there a good part? Eh …but the worst part was definitely Yosef, who is without a doubt the most annoying dude we’ve had on this show in a few seasons. He’s like, Juan Pablo post-show levels of annoying.
Erin: I wanted more. I wanted something more. And why are we giving Yosef any attention. Dude is scum. He’s the worst kind of human. He acts like he has ingrown penis hair energy and needs medical help to get that ingrown hair causing him pain plucked out.
Jessica: I honestly didn’t like this Men Tell All. It just felt like rehashing of the same issues and drama (Noah and Bennett). And Yosef is definitely the worst. I could have done without a men tell all this year. The only somewhat interesting part was Ed talking about his time at Chris Harrison’s place.
Grace: Honestly, the second I heard Yosef was going to take the hot seat, I left to take a shower. I’m trying to purge any reminder that Clare was the bachelorette from my mind, and so I really didn’t need to see Yosef go off again. Additionally, I think it was a mistake for ABC to give this guy a platform once again. Someone with that much disregard for another person should not be able to preach it again to millions of people.
Jade: I was still smarting a little for Riley, so I was glad to see that he seems to have processed what happened with Tayshia in as healthy a way as I think a person could. That was great to see. But is there really any question that the worst part of the Men Tell All segment was Yosef and everything that came out of his mouth? Though you gotta hand it to him for being so determined to being a trash human being that he wouldn’t even take the LOUD hint he was handed that he should attempt an iota of redemption. It takes something special to be worse than Noah and the Lizard Man from Planet X – I mean Bennett. But, you know, I think Yosef managed it.
We suspected that Tayshia would break our boy Ben into tiny pieces. What did you think of Tayshia sending him home? Do you think she was right to demand more of him while she showed him out the door?
Erin: I think that she was a little too demanding and she has shown that she doesn’t like to compromise. For her it’s about what she wants, when she wants it. I also get that the point of this show is to find love and he wasn’t in love with her. But she also has to realize that love is about more than just what she wants. And I do know that part of it was the production and they are assholes for treating him badly and setting her up to force his hand.
Lizzie: I mean, no, I don’t think she was right, but this is pretty much what this show does, isn’t it? The whole setup of it demands intimacy, quickly, and if you don’t get on with the program, you go. It’s staged, there’s no spontaneity possible. And considering how many people have gone on to break up with their chosen one and date someone else from the season, I’d say that’s a mistake. But it’s also …reality TV. So I guess I shouldn’t get too deep here. She wasn’t right to demand it, but it wasn’t really her demand, more the show’s demand, if that makes sense.
Jessica: Ben was my favorite, but I knew he was going home after he didn’t say he loved her. I get it though. They’ve only known each other for a little while. I was so mad at Tayshia though when she told him not to shut down. You’re breaking up with him! You don’t get to tell him how to feel! And shutting down and keeping things inside is a coping mechanism for some guys. I really like Ben so I hope he shows up on Bachelor in Paradise.
Grace: I think Ben sort of dug his own grave. We see this constantly in the franchise — guys who are incapable of expressing how they feel and so they get sent home before ever admitting their true feelings. It’s sad and I feel awful for Ben, but what more could Tayshia do? All the other guys have at least said they’re falling in love. I do think it was unfair for Tayshia to ask Ben to open up while she broke up with him. To say he wasn’t feeling emotions wasn’t okay — you just broke up with him and he’s processing it. Give him a break.
Jade: I loved Ben quite a bit, and I feel bad for him and how it all went down. Not just because he missed his moment, but Tayshia telling him not to shut her out after curb stomping his heart…what did she think he was going to do? Get on his knees and tell her that he’ll text her hourly updates of his feelings, just to make sure she feels better about the fact she didn’t choose him? Come on, girl. He needs to make sure to open himself up to someone if he wants to find love in the future. Not opening himself up to the person who just crushed his heart is a really reasonable decision to make.
We’re down to the final 3. Who are you rooting for? Are you hoping to see any of the rejected contestants as future Bachelors?
Erin: None. I’d go home single.
Lizzie: I’d choose Zac. So I’m pretty sure she’s not going to choose Zac, which means I hope we get him as a future Bachelor. Because Zac has proven to be a really chill guy, and he had some of the best conversations with Tayshia that weren’t, you know, basically staged.
Jessica: I like all of the guys (I think this is the first time ever) so I would be okay with any of them winning. If I had to pick a favorite, I guess I would choose Zac. I would love to see any of the final 3 (and Ben) as the Bachelor or on Bachelor in Paradise.
Grace: All these guys are great so I’m not really rooting for anyone. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say it’s Zac. But like I said, I wouldn’t be mad if she ended up with any of these guys because this is the best final three we’ve ever seen.
Jade: I think the last three all seem like pretty decent guys. I probably lean a little harder for Zac and/or Ivan than Brendan, but that’s not because Brendan’s a bad guy. I just haven’t found him quite as memorable as the other two, for some reason. Any of the remaining three (or, really, even Ben or Riley) might make for interesting Bachelors in the future.
