Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Bali Hai

One more thing: I love this picture from Jade's Twitter feed.

Embedded image permalink

Update: I feel like I need to clarify what I wrote about Kaitlyn's departure after the fantasy suite dates. The buzz about her as the next Bachelorette has been building as the episodes air, but obviously, the fantasy suite dates and rose ceremony were filmed back in November. The producers may have been looking at her as a potential Bachelorette once Chris determined that she wouldn't be his final pick, and that may have influenced the decision to send her home at that point, but there was no way to know, at that time, what public reaction to her would be.

Original Post
Image result for The Bachelor in Bali

How beautiful was Bali? And what a contrast to boring Iowa. Granted, they filmed in Iowa in November and it's probably more colorful in the middle of summer, but still. Wasn't it fun to see all the beautiful colors, the flowers, the animals, the ocean, etc.? I've written before that the other contestants almost certainly feel some disappointment that their travels only included New Mexico (not a foreign country,) South Dakota and Iowa. Even the final rose ceremony, which will be shown in two weeks, was filmed back in Iowa in the middle of November. Dreary!

To her apparent shock, Kaitlyn was sent home this week, leaving Whitney and Becca as the final two. Along with many other observers in Bachelor Nation, I've come to believe that Whitney is almost certainly the eventual winner of this thing and I'd go so far as to say that Chris probably didn't care one way or the other who was sent home after the Fantasy Suite dates and who is rejected at the final rose ceremony. My bet is producers opted to keep Becca because the whole "virgin" thing appears to add some drama to his final decision. There's also increasing buzz around Kaitlyn to be the next Bachelorette, and if that's the case, she needed to leave the show before the final episode. As Reality Steve frequently explains, the Bach'ette filming schedule, which starts just a day or two after the Finale airs, almost certainly precludes using the runner-up as the next Bach'ette. Even in the not-really-real world of dating on this show, it's not credible that the runner-up would be shown leaving heartbroken and in tears during the final episode then joyfully be introduced as The Bach'ette on the After The Final Rose show the same night. I'm still rooting for Britt, but her star seems to be fading.

I don't know very much about Bali and I'd been wondering how, exactly, you get there from Iowa. It's not an easy trip, as Chris Harrison explains. I also like the tidbit about how at this point in the show they all travel separately:

The travel from Iowa was no joke. We had to make our way to Los Angeles, and then we caught a short little flight over to Hong Kong. After a nice layover in Hong Kong we connected over to the Island of Bali. The trip was long and not so exotic, but once we arrived to the island it was all worthwhile. We were based out of the beautiful Mulia Resort right on the beach in Denpasar, Bali.

Just a little behind-the-scenes information for you: Once we get to hometowns the show is no longer about the women being together and going on group dates. At this point we just want Chris and the ladies to concentrate on each other and nothing else. To help this effort, everybody travels separately at different times, and the women don't see each other until the rose ceremony.

Have you ever wondered how to get cast on the show? Kevin Murray, a writer at the We Love Dates blog, came close to being cast for Desirée's season. He shared his journey through the casting process and hint, it's not for the faint of heart. Read it here

The new Dancing With The Stars cast was announced yesterday, except for a surprise name to be added later. Is it Bachelor Chris? Probably. They did the same thing with Sean Lowe two years ago, announcing his name after the final episode of The Bach aired. Apparently DWTS producers looked at Juan Pab last year too, but by the time the show was over he was so unpopular, and he and the network were so sick of each other, that he didn't get the job. 


And speaking of getting the job, is Kaitlyn really the next Bach'ette? It's looking that way, although producers want to gauge reaction to the Women Tell All show before making their final decision. They want someone who can generate good ratings (which apparently Andi didn't) and they're also hiring an employee. They need someone they can work with, who will be professional and cooperative and dependable (which apparently Juan Pablo wasn't.) As a potential dating partner for 25 men, I perceive Britt to be more attractive and appealing than Kaitlyn, but we'll see. 

That's all for now, rosebuds. I'm not usually very interested in the Women Tell All show but this year it should be a doozy. The Ashleys! Kelsey! Carly! Britt! In his Yahoo blog Chris Harrison promises the gang's all there. Meet me back here next week, same Bach time, same Bach channel! 

No comments: