Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Bachelor 20x08 Roundtable Discussion: There's No Place Like Home [Contributors: Rae Nudson, Alisa Williams, Chelsea]


This week on The Bachelor, Ben meets angry brothers, a protective sister, and a toymaker dad. Amanda’s kids were the cutest, but not cute enough to make Ben keep her around. Check in with Rae, Alisa, and Cheslea as we learn that none of us have great expectations for Ben's romantic future.

What hometown date would you have liked to go on? Which one would you definitely not want to go on?

Rae: Lauren B.’s date looked super fun to me, but full disclosure, I am planning on going to Portland on vacation next month. But Lauren and Ben had fun activities planned that showed him a fun city, and that whisky library looked awesome. Ben seems to have the most fun with Lauren, too, and it’s hard not to picture them as the heart eyes emoji when they are around each other.

Did Jojo and Ben even have a date, or was their date supposed to be Jojo getting a letter from her ex? Unlike Ben, I do not think it was a good sign that Jojo called her ex to tell him she is done with him — I think he would have gotten the message when his phone did not ring. Contact with the ex is a red flag, Ben! Proceed with caution. Jojo had the worst date by far, in my opinion, and her brothers were exhausting. I am very over the idea that women need men to be their protectors and keepers against potential suitors, and Jojo’s brothers clearly enjoyed sticking their noses into her business and acting as if they were macho men (gross).

My real question, though, is how did the producers get to Jojo’s ex? They have really stepped up their game from last season.

Alisa: Lauren B.’s date was the only one that looked remotely fun to me. I’ve wanted to visit Portland for a long time, and this hometown date was a great advertisement for the city. I also appreciate that Lauren broke out the flannel for their stroll around hipster mecca. Ben certainly seemed to have the most fun on this date, which is probably a good sign of things to come. It also helped that Lauren’s family seemed pretty awesome and like they’d be a fun group to do a family board game night with or something else equally normal.

Jojo’s date was obviously a disaster from start to finish. I agree with Rae that I’m not sure there actually WAS a date at all. Between her crying about her ex and then crying about her mean brothers, it was a complete trainwreck. Jojo’s mom swigging wine straight from the bottle halfway through the home visit pretty much summed up my feelings on the whole day.

Chelsea: Lauren’s date is exactly what I would want to do on a date. I love food trucks and whiskey, and it’s just a good way for them to spend real time together. And her family meshed very well with him. Amanda’s also was a great way for Ben to meet her kids and just a very sweet date. He did a great job with the kids and her family.

Jojo’s date was a mess, and I loved it. Her brothers were great, and I loved how they grilled Ben. I am shocked that he ended up keeping her after all the messes that came up, but she does seem like a good fit for him. Caila also had a really good date but nothing exciting to me. She would make a great Bachelorette.

Were you surprised when Ben eliminated Amanda?

Rae: A little because I thought he might have held on to her for one more week to ease the sting of him not wanting to have a family right away. I guess I am not surprised Ben did not eliminate Caila and wants to spend the fantasy suite with a “sex panther” (gross). And I knew he had strong feelings for Lauren and Jojo, so it seems like Amanda really was the weakest link.

Alisa: I was genuinely shocked that Ben eliminated Amanda this week. I mean, I was pretty confident she wouldn’t make it to the final rose and fancy engagement ring, but I thought he’d at least wait until next week to cut her! Keeping Jojo instead of Amanda just reinforced my low opinion of Ben and his lack of judgment and decision-making skills. Jojo is clearly not over her ex and her brothers are a nightmare. But it’s probably better Ben realized he’s not ready to be a stepdad now instead of stringing Amanda and her daughters along for longer than he has already.

Chelsea: I was quite surprised that she was eliminated this week. I was thinking maybe she’d make it to third place and that possibly Jojo would be eliminated. It is good that he’s not stringing her along and he knows he’s not ready to be a father. I guess Ben is more ready to deal with a tough family than being a father. I would love if Amanda would be the next Bachelorette. She’s my favorite person this season but I don’t think she was the best for Ben. Ben is really boring and doesn’t seem to know what he wants.

Any predictions for the rest of the season?

Rae: Jojo’s date did not go nearly as well as Caila’s so I guess we’ll have to see what happens next week. It looks like all the girls finally get over their hesitance of saying “I love you,” and honestly I am dying to see Ben proclaim love to two women at once. If I were one of those women, I would be royally peeved to know the same time he was saying that to me, he was saying it to someone else. I still think Lauren B. will be the the one, but if I were her I’d think twice before saying yes to a proposal if my boo was in love with someone else at the same time.

Alisa: Lauren B. will obviously be in the final two but at this point, I can’t figure out if Caila or Jojo will be joining her. I spent the better part of the season wanting Caila to be the next Bachelorette, but her personality is grating on me now. At the same time, I’ve never liked Jojo and the only way I’d watch a full season of her as the Bachelorette is if Chad showed up mid-season with another dozen roses and sappy missive. As for who Ben will actually end up with in the end, I think he’ll end up alone and it’ll be revealed in After the Final Rose that falling in love with two women was indeed a poor strategy and he wasn’t able to make it work with either of them. Poor perpetually single and unlovable Ben. Life is so hard.

Chelsea: I think Ben will bring Lauren B. and Jojo to the finals, but I agree with Alisa that Ben will ultimately end up alone. Honestly, all these girls are far more entertaining without him, and Ben doesn’t seem ready to commit to anybody. I don’t hate any of the girls, but even though Jojo is annoying, it seems like she could win this. I’m probably wrong, but oh well. I could see Amanda, Lauren B., or Caila being one of the Bachelorettes, but I can’t see Jojo.

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