The Crazy Continues: Episode 3

I often wonder what it feels like for contestants on this show as they watch the episodes on Monday nights. They know what took place during filming, but there's often a very large gap between what actually happened and what viewers see. The show is not just edited but heavily manipulated to create storylines and drama, and contestant after contestant over the years has come out later and said, "No, really, that's not how it happened."

With that in mind, how is Demario feeling this morning? On one hand, I feel some sympathy for him because for whatever reason, he was chosen for a "villain edit" and he came out of it looking pretty sleazy. Yes, he probably ghosted Lexi to go on the show, and yes, he really screwed up when talking to Rachel in the gym, but that could have been the end of it. Even if he did make his own way back to the mansion the following night (in an Uber, no less,) producers or security could have blocked him at the base of the driveway and sent him away with neither Rachel nor viewers ever even knowing he was there.

That didn't happen, of course. Out comes Chris Harrison, who says he'll talk to Rachel. Out comes Rachel, and my guess is that in her heart of hearts Rachel didn't really want to speak with Demario and had no intention of taking him back, but, again, producers wanted the drama. They also could have kept the remaining men in the mansion, but no, much better to send them out to the driveway to observe and comment.

On the other hand, really, Demario? "When I met you my entire life changed." That's a player's line, for sure, and I'd bet there are many, many women out there to whom he has said the same thing. Rachel didn't accept his apology and sent him on his way, banished from Bachelor Nation, never to be seen or heard from again, right?

Wrong. ABC just released the names of the first set of cast members for Bachelor In Paradise, which started filming this week-end and Demario is right in the thick of things. At least so far, he's the only man from Rachel's season but presumably more will show up eventually. Will Demario come out of BIP engaged to one of these nice ladies? Almost certainly not.

• Raven Gates of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Corinne Olympios of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Amanda Stanton of The Bachelor season 20 (Ben) and Bachelor in Paradise season 3
• Alexis Waters of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Derek Peth of The Bachelor season 12 (JoJo)
• DeMario Jackson of The Bachelorette season 13 (Rachel)
• Lacey Mark of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Kristina Schulman of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Nick “St. Nick” Benvenutti of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)
• Danielle Maltby of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Taylor Nolan of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Robby Hayes of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)
• Ben Zorn of The Bachelorette season 11 (Kaitlyn)
• Jasmine Goode of The Bachelor season 21 (Nick)
• Vinny Ventiera of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo) and Bachelor in Paradise season 3
• Alex Woytkiw of The Bachelorette season 12 (JoJo)

I'm guessing Blake E also isn't having a good day today. Did he know how ridiculous he was going to look on the show? Yes, Lucas (Whaboom) was annoying and obviously there to promote his brand, but that's his thing. Why was Blake so focused on it? As always, there's probably a lot that took place that we didn't see, but every time we did see Blake, he was talking about Lucas to the point that it looked like an obsession. We know these two have history and clearly, Blake couldn't get past it, which doomed him to go home in lockstep with Whaboom at the end of the second week. 

Their fight in the driveway after the rose ceremony was one for the ages, with the irony being that Blake's antics made him appear to be just as annoying as Whaboom. First, he broke the protocol of how to behave after Harrison says to take a moment and say your good-byes. Most contestants take their rejection calmly, walking up to the Bach or Bach'ette and giving them a hug, saying Thank You or Good Luck and trying to leave with as much dignity as possible. "Don't question or challenge the lead" appears to be an unwritten rule, or maybe it's actually written down somewhere, but regardless, Blake didn't go quietly, saying to Rachel "Honestly, I didn't expect this. It's unfortunate that I was in the same category as that drama. I know, I get it." We didn't see it but I'm guessing a producer or handler approached him at that point to quietly escort him out of the mansion. What happened next, with the two of them sniping at and mocking each other, Lucas very drunk, Blake indignantly (and self-righteously) pissed off, immediately vaulted them to the top of every "Weird Moments on The Bachelorette" list from now until the end of time. (You can see it, along with Jezebel's thoughts on the entire episode, here.)   

Finally, Blake had to sit at home and watch as Lucas got even more publicity, appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel show last night and live on Good Morning, America this morning. Will one or both of them show up in Paradise? I wouldn't bet against it. Will any of the women go on dates with either one of them? Almost certainly not. 

After all that, the rest of the episode seemed a little lame. Poor Fred was sent home after the Ellen Show appearance, the second time Rachel has called a man aside, causing the remaining men to think he's getting the rose when in fact he's getting the boot. (The first time was last week with Demario at the gym.) Rachel had the date rose in her hand the whole time, which seemed mean and unnecessary. Peter and Bryan continue to look like front-runners although Bryan stepped in it slightly during the Ellen show. He couldn't resist bragging that he was the one who had kissed Rachel, then saying another man got his "sloppy seconds." Not good, Bryan. Not good. 

The "horses on Rodeo Drive" date was so dumb I could hardly watch, culminating with one of the horses pooping on the floor of a store and I wasn't into the mud-wrestling either. There's something with Eric, some of the men are mad at him and he was screaming a lot, but, at least the way it was shown, it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Based on previews we'll see more of this next week and some of the conflict is racially-based, which may not go well. All in all, as much as I like Rachel, it's a weird season so far. More conflict than we usually see at this point, and too many men who are clearly not potential husbands for Rachel. She says she's engaged to someone, so hopefully things will settle down as the season goes on. 

Finally, how's everyone doing on Instagram, from last Tuesday until this morning? 

Bryan 11,500 --> 23,700
Peter 35,700 --> 62,400
Eric 6,438 --> 7,792
Jonathan 761 --> 927
Kenny 8,147 --> 10,000
Dean 18,400 --> 40,300
Josiah 5,433 --> 7,442
Blake E 6,551 --> 6816
Lucas/Whaboom 12,100 --> 13,200

That's it for now, Rosebuds, meet me back here next week, same Bach time, same Bach channel.