Thursday, September 8, 2016

Bachelor in Paradise 3x10 and 3x11: Three Weddings and a Breakup [Contributors: Alisa, Rebecca, Chelsea, Rae, Patti Murin]


It's the finale of Bachelor in Paradise! Three couples got engaged, and one couple broke up in preparation of becoming the next Bachelor. For the last time this season, see what Alisa, Rebecca, Chelsea, Rae, and special guest Patti Murin thought of each of the couples and their stint in paradise.

Evan and Carly


Alisa: On the one hand, Evan’s proposal was sweetly adorable. On the other hand, he is SUCH a creeper I cannot get behind the whole Cevan phenomenon. It’s hard to know for sure because obviously Bachelor in Paradise is heavily edited so maybe he is just a really great guy who’s just a bit weird. And Carly’s a bit weird too, so maybe that’s why the whole thing works. But I have a big problem with the fact that at the beginning, Carly told Evan no REPEATEDLY and he just kept pursuing her. On the After Paradise episode, they were laughing about how Carly secretly liked his persistence and how her lack of interest made him push harder. I have such a problem with that attitude. The vast majority of girls actually mean no when they say it, and having this couple on national television perpetuating the opposite is harmful. But much happiness to them and all that.

Rebecca: I agree completely with Alisa! It gave me a weird vibe that Carly kept saying no to Evan and he wouldn’t let up. It almost makes me feel like Carly is settling. And it also doesn’t sound like the healthiest start to a relationship. But they both seem genuinely happy and that’s all that matters. My love for Carly kind of balances out my distaste for Evan, so I wish them the best. I do have to admit that he’s grown on me, however, just because of how happy he seems to make Carly. You can tell he genuinely cares about her and I respect that — and at least he recognizes the creepiness of his facial hair. (But, Tanner congratulating Evan for getting out of the friendzone... yikes.)

Chelsea: I need to see the outtakes of Evan and Carly because I still do not understand what she sees in him. I know these shows have insane editing and can work magic in manipulating and making these people into characters, but still. You have to make him have some upsides instead of being this weirdo “nice guy” that got the girl. We have to be missing part of this fairytale.

Patti: I agree with everything above! And really excellent point, Alisa, about the whole “no means yes” philosophy. It’s pretty disrespectful, unless they had way more of a connection from the beginning than we got to see in the final edit. But she was so grossed out by their first date that I find it hard to believe that she liked him at all! I am also NOT a fan of couples getting engaged before introducing their partner to their freaking children. Granted, I don’t have kids, so I may not know what I’m talking about, but it seems an incredibly selfish and immature thing to do. What if they hate Carly? What if she’s terrible with kids? What if they hate Evan for bringing her in so suddenly and insensitively? Now you’ve got an evil stepmother situation on your hands. Also, Evan is creepy. Period.

Rae: I hate Evan so much. It may be irrational, but I really cannot handle his creepy nice guy thing, or the fact that he faked an injury to get Carly's attention. I just don't get it. Also — and this isn't his fault — but it's weird the show frames Amanda as this single mom so into kids and then completely ignores that Evan has kids, too. Do we know anything about Evan's kids? How old they are? What they are into? I have no idea.

Lace and Grant


Alisa: So, shockingly, I actually think Lace and Grant are the most stable out of all the newly engaged couples. Which isn’t saying much. But Grant is very even-keeled which seems to be exactly what Lace needs. I think Lace has a lot of self-esteem issues and she’s clearly been hurt before. With Grant, she’s found someone who let’s her express her fears and just listens and reassures her. He’s super patient and understanding and that’s a great thing. Plus, they clearly have great chemistry.

Rebecca: Okay, I LOVE them? I really liked Grant on The Bachelorette and didn’t have much of an opinion of Lace going into this. I didn’t take her seriously and thought she was just going to be there to party, especially when she got together with Chad at the beginning. I would have never expected the two of them to get together, like EVER, but somehow they work? They balance each other out well, they also look great together.

I especially liked watching the two of them on the After Paradise segment. Her comment about his hose had me cracking up, and she seems so much happy and confident now than she was on Bachelor in Paradise, which I think she can partly attribute to Grant. The way they look at each other is beautiful, and they’re one of my favorite couples in the Bachelor franchise. I REALLY hope they make it — can you image how immaculate their children would be?

Chelsea: I've been saying all season how insane it is that these two are the most stable couple. I had a soft spot for Lace in Ben’s season. It was obvious she had some self-esteem issues that she needed to work through. She and Grant just fit. He takes the time to understand and dig deep into her layers, and it's surprisingly beautiful. I'm so proud of how far Lace has come, and just from an inclusive perspective, how wonderful is it that a man of color got this far on a reality show and got to be the charming leading man. I'm rooting for these two kids.

Patti: I really like them! And he must really love her if he can look past her behavior with Chad from the first night. I do think he really sees something in her, and saw it from the very beginning. He was willing to stick with her as she fought through all of her self-doubts and insecurities, and it seems like he’s still in it to win it. Lace seems calmer already! They were awesome on After Paradise, and I really have high hopes for them.

Rae: They are 100% my favorite couple, and I actually cheered at the TV when Grant got down on one knee. Grace forever! Everything above sums up my feelings, but they are definitely the least creepy couple of this season and by far the most fun.

Nick and Jen


Alisa: Oh, Nick. The Bachelor franchise announcing Nick as the new Bachelor last week really ruined any sort of investment Bachelor Nation had in Nick and Jen. Obviously he was gonna break up with her. But you wouldn’t know it from the way they were acting after their fantasy suite date. They were all lovey-dovey and invested. Which makes me think the producers approached Nick the morning after that date and were like “heyyyy, so you could try things out with Jen who’s great and all, or you could try things out with 25 women instead. Thoughts?” And really, what guy is gonna turn that down? I think Jen and Nick would have been really great together if Nick could have gotten over his fears and insecurities. But Jen is awesome and she’s gonna end up better off in the end. Plus, with the dress she wore on After Paradise, I’d say she’s exacted her revenge for getting dumped on national television.

Rebecca: Oooh Alisa, good point about producers potentially asking Nick if he’d rather be the Bachelor or try things with Jen. I was actually listening to the radio on my way to work and Luke (from JoJo’s season) was a guest. He said The Bachelor was deciding between him and Chase for the next season and they eventually landed on Luke. They called him and told him he was going to be the next Bachelor, had him sign a contract which made him refuse interviews/appearances/etc. They asked him to buy a plane ticket to arrive in L.A. on Monday night so he could be there Tuesday for the live announcement on After Paradise. Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. they called him and said they were going in a “different direction.” And they didn’t pay him for the time he spent under contract. Luke doesn’t even have a place to live right now because he rented out his house since he didn’t think he’d be living there during filming. Poor guy.

TL;DR Luke was supposed to be the bachelor and got screwed over.

Anyway, back to Nick and Jen: they wouldn’t have lasted anyway. The were together for like two weeks and a proposal would have been moving way too quickly.

Chelsea: Here's the thing: I like Luke fine enough, but Nick is better TV. That sucks for him that he had this yanked away, but he's an adult and will be fine. A proposal from Nick to Jen wouldn't have made sense, but also, Jen is normal and cool. She would've been an interesting Bachelorette but on the flip side, she's too good and sane for this franchise. I would've liked to see more of them if she had been on the show earlier and they would've had to built the Nick/Amanda/Josh story.

Patti: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. That’s all.

Rae: Look, Nick reminds me exactly of my worst ex-boyfriend AND he kept Luke from becoming the Bachelor, and I will never forgive him for any of that. I have a lot of questions about him becoming the Bachelor, but at least we know he'll definitely propose. If I were a contestant on his season, I would not be able to take him seriously. He wants to marry everything! Jen seems great, and I'm so glad she is heading toward better things.

Amanda and Josh


Alisa: Ugh. I just can’t with these two. Amanda is an absolute sweetheart, and I worry she’s going to end up broken-hearted — or worse. Josh is one scary dude. I do truly believe he loves Amanda but having an abusive personality doesn’t preclude you from loving the person you abuse. I just hope she realizes his true nature before her or her girls get in too deep.

Rebecca: No. Just no. My least favorite couple. Amanda deserves better. I believe Josh does love Amanda, but it’s a toxic kind of love. He comes across as controlling, manipulative, and having a really bad temper. I hope Amanda gets out before it’s too late.

Chelsea: I can't with Josh. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Amanda to drop him. He might have true feelings of her but his controlling tendencies and temper are worrisome. Amanda was my favorite on Ben’s season, but Josh really ruined my enjoyment of her on this show. Here's to hoping that he treats her and the kids right.

Patti: I actually have a friend in real life who is a lot like Josh, minus the whole “someone wrote a book about how emotionally abusive” he is. He’s passionate and fiery and sometimes things that he says can come across the wrong way, but it’s all out of love. So I’m HOPING against all hopes that this is the case with Josh. I have to say, my heart melted when I saw the family photo of him and Amanda with her daughters. However, I will be the first to say “I TOLD YOU SO” when things go sour with them. I just hope no one is really damaged in the process.

Rae: I agree. Josh seems way too controlling and potentially abusive, and I have to think if someone writes a book about the terrible things you did — and multiple people warn your current girlfriend about you — there's probably some truth there. I feel like Amanda is so sweet and trusting and, because of that, he chose her as his perfect victim. He might also really love her, but as Alisa said, that doesn't preclude being a terrible person. I hope we're all wrong and they end up happily and healthily ever after, but the flags are looking red to me.

Thank you all for reading and journeying with us this season on Bachelor in Paradise! Sound off in the comments below about your favorite/least favorite pairings from Paradise.

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