The Guessing Game - Updated/Mariska Hargitay

What will be on the cover of People this week? My guesses, in no particular order:

Prince Harry: Recreated the Abbey Road picture with Bon Jovi; Prince William cheered for his favorite team at a soccer game; Harry and Meghan didn't bring Archie to London; Princess Beatrice's wedding is being downscaled because of Prince Andrew's troubles
Maria Sharapova: Announced her retirement from professional tennis at
age 32
Hunter Biden: Back in the news with an article in the New York Times; dad Joe Biden scores a big win in the South Caroline primary (but I don't really think they'll put Joe Biden on the cover)
Oprah: Fell onstage:

View this post on Instagram

Empieza el show de #Oprah en L.A. con una inesperada caída que, sin embargo, no interrumpió la presentación. Afortunadamente ella está bien... el show debe continuar @oprah

A post shared by Los Angeles Times en Español (@latimesespanol) on Feb 29, 2020 at 10:58am PST

Lori Vallow: The Idaho mom whose two children are missing, she's now in jail in Hawaii
Vanessa Bryant: Upset by pictures of the crash site, taken by first responders
The new Bachelorette: The announcement will be made tomorrow morning on Good Morning, America: 

JUST ANNOUNCED: We're revealing the new @BacheloretteABC, LIVE MONDAY on @GMA! 🌹

Have questions for her? ASK in as a reply below! #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/EsNgiHvXgV

— Tony Morrison (@THETonyMorrison) February 28, 2020

So who will it be? Word on the street is that they're bringing back Clare Crawley. Who?? She came in second on Juan Pablo's season, which aired January-March, 2014. She's also been on Bachelor in Paradise and Bachelor Winter Games. (Truthfully, I barely remember her.) In a big change for the franchise, in which both the leads and the contestants have been getting younger and younger, Clare is 38, turning 39 on March 20. Are they really going to cast 25-30 men in their mid-20s? To put it a different way, are there really a whole bunch of late-30's men sitting around with nothing better to do than go on The Bachelorett? We'll see.

One more name: Pete Buttigieg. Within the last few minutes he ended his campaign for president. As a barrier-breaking candidate, and now that he's out of the race, I could see People running a story on him and his appealing husband Chasten.

Stories that appear on the new cover will be highlighted in green.

Update on Monday morning: It's Clare, age 38, soon to be 39, and I want to plead with ABC, please, please, please, don't fill the mansion with 20-something-year-old aimless men who want to be Instagram influencers. It just won't work. In an article at People.com titled "New Bachelorette Clare Crawley, 38, Says Her Age Is 'an Asset' In Search for Love," Clare says this:

“People always talk about, ‘Why would you go on the show again?'” she says. “But it’s common for people, especially my age, to go through relationships. And whether they are good or bad, you take something from them. [Each experience] has propelled me into a different level with myself.”

This time around, “I feel like my age is really an asset,” says Crawley. “I’ve gone through twists and turns and I know what I will and won’t put up with. Twenty-three-year-old Clare had no clue what I wanted. And I’m glad that wasn’t the end of my love story because I’m such a different woman now.”

When it comes to her suitors, fame-seekers need not apply.

“I get that there are a lot of perks that come along with The Bachelorette,” says Crawley. “But in the end, I want a man who I can bring home and watch TV with on a Friday night who doesn’t want to be in the spotlight.”

And ultimately, Crawley feels hopeful that this time, she’ll find The One.

“There have been plenty of times where I’m sitting alone on a Saturday night, thinking, ‘Am I ever going to find anyone?’ But I know what I want and what I’m looking for. And I’m ready to start the next part of my life.” 

Call me skeptical.  You can read more here and here.

Update #2. Apparently ABC is releasing some of the 25-year-olds, due to a "change in direction." Interesting: 

Another one of the 25 year olds that was on my list and originally told he was cast has now been removed from the show bc of his age. Casting is still happening this week. pic.twitter.com/L3hGx6PQgV

— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) March 2, 2020

Update #3 on Tuesday morning. Hillary Clinton: A new documentary premieres on Hulu this month
Chris Matthews: The MSNBC star abruptly resigned live on air after criticism about the way he treats women
Rachel Lindsay: On the Women Tell All show last night, former Bachelorette Rachel delivered a powerful statement about bullying
James Lipton: The long-time host of Inside the Actor's Studio, died at age 93

Update #4 on Wednesday morning. It's Mariska Hargitay, her third cover story in less than two years, this one tied to her work as an advocate for victims of sexual assault. The logo titled "Women Changing the World" looks new to me, and as of about 9.30 Wednesday morning, I don't see any other articles at People.com that appear to be tied to the theme. Maybe we'll see more going forward. Nothing on this cover was on the Guessing Game list, and for the second week in a row, there are no headlines about the royal family. Next week's cover should feature Bachelor Peter Weber and one, both or neither of his final two women, Madison and Hannah Ann. 

Issue dated March 16, 2020: Mariska Hargitay


Mariska's previous covers:

Issue dated June 24, 2019


Issue dated April 9, 2018



Last year at this time: Issue dated March 18, 2019

Rachel And Bryan

Finally, I found a cut-and-pasteable image of the finished version of the "Rachel and Bryan" cover, dated August 21, 2017:


And one more thing: Just a reminder that if Rachel was telling Bryan that she's in love with him and he knows he's going to win in the end, the long, agonizing conversation with Peter was just playacting for television. Rachel going through the motions until it was time for Bryan to propose; Peter trying to thread the needle of not having to actually propose while still coming across as appealing enough to get the job as the next Bachelor.

Thursday morning update: Bryan's Instagram feed has a "what you didn't see on TV" picture this morning, featuring a "Dr. Abs and Big Rach" jersey he gave Rachel during their first date in Spain (which I believe was the fantasy suite date.) He also spills the beans on another behind-the-scenes secret. Apparently Rachel ended the suspense early and let him know he would be the last man standing. Are show producers rolling their eyes this morning, preferring Bryan had been a little less honest about how things really work? My guess? Yes.  

Little fun fact that no one got to see on TV....I gave @therachlindsay several gifts throughout our journey, this one specifically during the night time portion of our first one on one date in Rioja, Spain. It holds a special place in my heart because it was the same night she told me she was IN love w/ me. It was the night I knew I was the one ❤️ #ifyoudontknowyoudontknow #weknew #thatsallthatmatters  Custom made University of Texas jersey #1 🤘🏼&🤘🏾 On back: Dr. Abs & Big Rach "I will always have your back"

A post shared by Dr. Bryan Abasolo (@thebryanabasolo) on Aug 9, 2017 at 2:22pm PDT

Original post:
Issue dated August 21, 2017: Rachel and Bryan


Rachel and her fiance Bryan are the main cover story this week, no surprise, along with a sidebar headline about runner-up Peter. Interestingly, Peter's headline isn't about him being the next Bachelor, it simply says "Why Peter is devastated now." Is Peter the next Bachelor? I still think it's his gig to lose if he wants it (and my perception is that he does,) in spite of the shade Rachel threw at him during their much, much too long conversation during the finale Monday night.

Note that this mock-up cover looks like it's "all Bachelorette" this week but there's also a final version of the cover at people.com, which includes stories about the Chris Pratt/Anna Faris break-up, Maria Sharapova, and the heroin epidemic.

Note also that last summer's "JoJo and Jordan" cover that I've posted a couple of times recently was also just a mock-up. The final version included a DWTS wedding, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, and the Chandra Levi murder case.



Last year at this time: Issue dated August 22, 2016

The Morning After

Wednesday morning update: The Insta numbers are climbing!

Peter 446,000
Bryan 288,000
Eric 78,400
Rachel 549,000

Dean, who we didn't see on Monday night's finale (except for the BIP preview,) is now up to 549,000 followers.

Original post:
I'll be blogging about The Bachelorette finale later but for now I thought I'd post the most recent Instagram posts from Peter, Bryan, Rachel and Eric, clipped just past 7.00 central time this morning:

First Peter (374,000 followers):
 

One year ago, after months of convincing by close friends, I submitted this picture to casting for 'The Bachelorette'. From the moment I got that first call back to this moment on the day of the finale, it has been the experience of a life time, filled with highs and lows, people to hold onto for a life time, and experiences I will never forget. Thank you all for being a part of it. See you tonight. #thebachelorette

A post shared by Peter J Kraus (@peterkrauswi) on Aug 7, 2017 at 10:56am PDT

Then Bryan (206,000 followers):

On cloud 9 ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ #NY #CT #DAL #MIA #✌🏼

A post shared by Dr. Bryan Abasolo (@thebryanabasolo) on Aug 7, 2017 at 10:45pm PDT

Then Rachel (784,000 followers):

NYC! While I can't share who gets the final rose tonight, you can receive your own rose from me at @lordandtaylor this Wednesday at 12PM as we celebrate them being the #BestPricedSecret ! A certain someone special will also be joining me 😉 • • • #TheBachelorette #WhoIsJerome #LordAndTaylor #ad #sponsored

A post shared by Rachel Lindsay (@therachlindsay) on Aug 7, 2017 at 11:22am PDT

And finally, Eric (66,800 followers):

When I say "It's Miracle Season"...I mean it because my miracle came true!! The process was crazy and from March 13th up until today...all I can say is "wow"! I'm so filled with joy and love but most importantly I've experienced growth!  Tune in tonight to see what happens on this wild journey to find love!  It's judgment day...are you guys ready!!?? #itsmiracleseason #ericbigger #inspiration

A post shared by Eric Bigger (@ericbigger) on Aug 7, 2017 at 1:55pm PDT

And Then There Were Three (*** Spoiler ***)

Today I learned that @britneyspears rejected @demariojackson_ from #TheBachelorette in 2008 pic.twitter.com/gvUXQKOYnw

— caleb stark (@calebstark) July 23, 2017

"My name's DeMario Jackson, I'm an up and coming actor, I wanna be like you, I want everyone to see me on TV..."

It took a while, but DeMario got his wish, sort of. He's not the next Jon Hamm but lots of people have seen him on TV. Just one more example of my belief that pretty much everyone who goes on this show now has fame, not romance, in their sights.

With that, Rosebuds, I'm back to do a (tiny little bit of) Bach'ette blogging. We're in the home stretch, with Fantasy Suite dates tonight, and I find that I don't care that much. (Note: here comes the spoiler.) Based on everything I've read at various locations around the internet, Bryan is almost certainly the "winner" of this season and is currently engaged to Rachel. Even if I hadn't read what's being said online, Bryan's one-on-one date with Rachel in Geneva made it pretty clear that he's her favorite, which was reinforced even more when she "bought" him that expensive watch. (No, Rachel didn't really buy the watch. Breitling provided it as part of a promotional deal with ABC.) The show tried to create controversy and doubt with Bryan's potential-mother-in-law-from-hell during his Hometown Date, but there's not much doubt that Bryan is the winner, with Peter coming in second. Does that mean Peter will be the next Bachelor? Almost certainly.

Although Dean only made it to 4th place, being sent home after a strange and unsettling Hometown Date, he's leading in the Instagram race, with 379,000 followers:

Bryan 11,500 --> 23,700 --> 45,800 --> 134,000
Peter 35,700 --> 62,400 --> 97,100 --> 252,000
Eric 6,438 --> 7,792 --> 13,600 --> 37,600
Jonathan 761 --> 927 -> 1,252 --> 3,525
Kenny 8,147 --> 10,000 --> 13,600 --> 22,500
Dean 18,400 --> 40,300 --> 105,000 --> 379,000
Josiah 5,433 --> 7,442 --> 10,900 --> 15,600
Blake E 6,551 --> 6816 --> 7,125 --> 7,585
Lucas/Whaboom 12,100 --> 13,200 --> 14,700 --> 17,000

These numbers show the progression from May 30 to June 6 to June 21 to this afternoon.

Dean's numbers will undoubtedly continue to grow, because after The Bachelorette, he went to Paradise:

We are excited to announce that @dean_unglert's journey to find love will continue in Paradise! #BachelorInParadise pic.twitter.com/a04U11ji7G

— Bachelor in Paradise (@BachParadise) July 18, 2017

That's all for now, Rosesbuds. (As you can tell, my heart's not really in it right now.) Fantasy Suites are tonight, next week is the Men Tell All episode and the big finale airs in two weeks on August 7. Meet me back here soon, same Bach time, same Bach channel.

A Word From Dean

Dean was eliminated last night after an uncomfortable Hometown Date with his family. I just saw his Instagram post about his dad, written two days ago and thought it was worth sharing. Note that it got over 5,700 comments.

Hometowns are 2 days away! ..and I'm asking for a favor: when I said my father was eccentric, I was not referring to his Sikh faith or the turban he wears on his head. I'm not asking you to spare his feelings (or mine) but instead to be cognizant and accepting of the millions of people that belong to the Sikh community. Although he and I are not close, I respect my father’s decision to follow his heart and pursue the life he has chosen. Let us not criticize him for his appearance or his beliefs because by doing so we are disparaging an entire faith and culture that includes millions of people. And I know we are all better than that. That is all (for now) #endrant HAPPY SATURDAY PEOPLE 💜

A post shared by Dean Unglert 🌹 (@deanie_babies) on Jul 15, 2017 at 1:04pm PDT

What A Great Picture

I am beyond honored to be sitting next to THE #channingdungey! Thank you @hollywoodreporter and @abcnetwork for this amazing experience #girlpower

A post shared by Rachel Lindsay (@therachlindsay) on Jun 21, 2017 at 6:26pm PDT

I have to share this post from Rachel's Instagram page. Rachel looks great, and my bet is that the woman she's with, Channing Dungey, was the primary driver behind Rachel's selection as the first black Bachelorette. I wrote about Ms. Dungey in my episode 1 post, read it here.

Never Mind (And Episode 4)

Wednesday afternoon update: I meant to update and include the Instagram numbers list. I copied and pasted the list from my post about episode 3, then added today's numbers. So you're seeing the progression from May 30 to June 6 to today.

Bryan 11,500 --> 23,700 --> 45,800
Peter 35,700 --> 62,400 --> 97,100
Eric 6,438 --> 7,792 --> 13,600
Jonathan 761 --> 927 -> 1,252
Kenny 8,147 --> 10,000 --> 13,600
Dean 18,400 --> 40,300 --> 105,000
Josiah 5,433 --> 7,442 --> 10,900
Blake E 6,551 --> 6816 --> 7,125
Lucas/Whaboom 12,100 --> 13,200 --> 14,700

Who's the biggest winner this week? Dean, AKA @deanie_babies, by a mile, with Peter in second place. Amazing what a good one-on-one date will do. How many followers does Rachel have? 610,000.  

Original post:

Warner Bros. says no misconduct happened on "Bachelor in Paradise" set. Production on this season is resuming w/ "changes" to show policies. pic.twitter.com/QvBYrAFKBk

— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) June 20, 2017

The Bachelor In Paradise scandal is over and it turns out there wasn't much there there. This press release from Warner Brothers makes it sound like the whole thing was much ado about nothing which makes me wonder how it became such a big deal in the first place. Did the decision-makers overreact when they closed up shop and sent everyone home? Shutting down production of a network show is a big, big deal, with a lot of money at stake, presumably not a decision to be made lightly or on a whim. On the other hand, on a show with so much drinking and hooking up, which translates to many opportunities for crossing the line, erring on the side of caution was probably the right call. (Not everyone agrees. Apparently some observers think the whole thing was a publicity stunt.)

Anyway, as of yesterday the investigation is compete, there was no finding of misconduct and the show will go on. Good news for all, high fives and hugging all around, right? Well, no, at least not for the self-proclaimed "victim." One might have thought Corinne would be relieved and happy to learn that nothing bad had happened to her, but no, she's still the victim and her attorney issued a statement saying this isn't over:

“It needs to be made crystal clear that production of Bachelor in Paradise was shut down because of multiple complaints received from BIP producers and crew members on the set,” he said in a statement. “It was not shut down due to any complaint filed by Corinne against anyone. It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros., as a result of its own internal investigation, would state that no wrong doing had occurred. Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard.”

Are there really any "new" witnesses that weren't included in the Warner Brothers investigation? It's hard to think so. Although BIP films at a resort as opposed to a brick-and-mortar studio, it's still a set, where the number of people on-set at any given time is presumably tightly controlled. And there is security. As we saw when DeMario returned to the mansion in Episode 2 of The Bach'ette, Paulie and his crew keep a close watch on the proceedings, not just to ensure everyone's safety, but also to ensure that someone with a cell phone camera doesn't sneak onto the set then send spoiler videos out into the world. It should have been very easy for investigators to make a complete list of everyone who could have seen or heard anything; it's hard to believe someone slipped through the cracks and is now speaking only to Corinne's lawyer.

The Warner Brothers statement makes a point of mentioning that an outside law firm was involved, but Corinne's lawyer's statement implies that the studio whitewashed the outcome. Here's what ABC's Legal Editor Dan Abrams said about that on Good Morning, America this morning:

"You've got to believe after they've [Warner Brothers] seen the tape and they have certainly gone through the tape with a fine-tooth comb, for them to come out and publicly say 'We don't believe there's any misconduct and the show's going to go on,' if they've seen that tape, they've reviewed that tape and what they're saying isn't true, and someone sues them later and that comes out, that would be devastating for them... I guarantee you lawyers went through... that public statement."

I'm wondering what Corinne's end goal here is. Continuing to insist she's the victim of a sexual assault, and having previously stated that she was so drunk she can't remember what happened, is just not a good look for her or her brand. It's been clear from her first appearance on Nick's season that her goal is to get famous and make money. It was also clear that she drinks too much and aggressively uses her sexuality in pursuit of her goals. (Remember the "Platinum Vagine?") She sells stuff on Instagram (780,000 followers,) she has a "Team Corn" line of clothing and she's been quoted as saying that she wants to be The Bachelorette or have her own show. Does "I was too drunk to know better" really help her get there? My advice for Corinne? Go. To. Rehab.

A few more thoughts from around Bachelor Nation:

The show will go on. As the scandal played out it appeared as though BIP was dead in the water, not just for this summer but for good. The brand was just too tarnished. Nope. They're getting the band back together and the show will air in August, although possibly not on the originally planned dates. Us magazine online says DeMario has been invited back, no word on Corinne, but my guess would be no.


photo credit: Paul Hebert/ABC

The wedding went on, too. Carly and Evan's wedding happened as planned on Saturday, with several familiar Bachelor Nation faces in attendance:

The couple was joined by numerous fellow Bachelor Nation alums, including Jade Roper (bridesmaid) and Tanner Tolbert, Wells Adams (groomsman), Whitney Bischoff and her fiancé Ricky Angel, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth, Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi, sisters Emily and Haley Ferguson, Ashley Iaconetti, and Jared Haibon. (Read the article here.) I assume the wedding will be part of what we see when Bachelor In Paradise finally airs this summer. 

There are now seven couples who met on one of the Bachelor franchise shows and eventually got married. Can you name them? (Trista & Ryan, Desiree & Chris, Ashley & JP, Sean & Catherine, Jason & Molly, Jade & Tanner, and now Carly & Evan.) In spite of the chaos surrounding BIP, and the general weirdness of the show overall, two out of the seven married couples met and got engaged on BIP. And at least so far, when Bach Nation couples get married they stay married. Not a bad track record.  

Finally, yes, there was a new episode of The Bachelorette on Monday, and yes, I was watching, more or less, but I don't have a lot to say about it. Clearly Lee is the new villain, deservedly so, and just as he did with Whaboom, ABC exec Robert Mills reassures Bachelor Nation that Lee's days on the show are numbered:

Lee's comeuppance builds slow through next week's 2 part event but when it happens...... #TheBachelorette

— Robert Mills (@Millsy11374) June 20, 2017

Did Millsy say "2 part event?" Yes he did. Next week ABC is putting two episodes of The Bach'ette out into the universe, Monday and Tuesday nights. After that there's another two-week gap, with the show taking July 3 off to celebrate the 4th of July. Will there be another juicy Bach scandal to help us pass the time while the show is missing? Probably (and hopefully) not. Meet me back here, whenever, Rosebuds, same Bach time, same Bach channel.

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. 

WhaBye

Tonite we say goodbye to one of the most irritating characters in #TheBachlorette history...

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) June 5, 2017

I assume he means Whaboom.

No, She's Not Engaged To Whaboom: Episode 2

Wednesday morning update:
A few more thoughts. While watching the episode I was struck by Rachel's comments during the first group date, which made it appear that she was disappointed in how the date was going. She said they were great guys, but the conversations were a little mundane, but "for some reason we can't turn the corner" into romance. She said she's old-fashioned, wanting a man to make the first move and that she's "not getting the romantic aspects that I need and I want."

I don't remember any lead, Bach or Bach'ette, ever being that direct about not connecting with their suitors. It's possible that Rachel is just more direct (or more honest) than past leads but I wondered if there could be another reason. I looked at the men's ages, and at 25, Dean appeared quite a bit younger than Rachel, who was 31 when the show was filmed, but ironically, it was with Dean that she felt the most romantic connection. Fred is 27 and the rest were 30-32. Could it be something else?

I debated whether or not to write about this but I'm just going to go for it. In general during the first two episodes, race and interracial dating has been a non-issue. If it was discussed up to this point the producers have chosen not to show it, but I do find myself wondering if race was one of the reasons Rachel and her guys weren't connecting. Of the eight men on the date, five were white - Dean, Jack, Jonathan, Blake and Lucas. She connected with Dean but with the other four it just wasn't happening. Jonathan (the doctor) brought a doll to their one-on-one conversation and explained that many people wipe too hard. Blake spent his time complaining about Lucas, and Lucas spent his time being Whaboom. Jack tried to flirt with her but never went in for a kiss.

It's possible there was a lot more to each of these interactions than what was shown during the episode, but still, I'm wondering. Is it also possible that these white guys just didn't know how to be romantic with a black woman? Or, and I say this respectfully and with no intent to offend, is it possible that on some level they just aren't comfortable being romantic or initiating a kiss with her? Would they have behaved differently with a white woman? There's no way to know and I'm not looking for trouble. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.

Tuesday afternoon update: I've said many times now that gaining enough followers to make money shilling products on Instagram is now one of the main reasons for going on this show. With that in mind, I'm going to keep track of the numbers for some of the key players on Rachel's season. In a post dated February 1, written during Nick's season, Rachel had 41,100 followers. Today she has 540,000. Here are the numbers for some of her suitors:

Bryan 11,500
Peter 35,700
Eric 6,438
Jonathan 761
Kenny 8,147
Dean 18,400
Josiah 5,433
Blake E 6,551
Lucas/Whaboom 12,100

Also, Sharleen Joynt has posted her recap at Flare (read it here,) including a new top four: Peter, Bryan, Dean, Josiah

Original post:

I am against spoilers but I think I owe it to #Bachelornation to let you know @TheRachLindsay isn't engaged to Whaboom #TheBachelorette

— Robert Mills (@Millsy11374) May 30, 2017

Breathe a sigh of relief, Rosebuds. ABC executive Robert Mills promises that Rachel is not engaged to Whaboom. In my post from yesterday I linked to an interesting story at The Hollywood Reporter (read it here) that lays out Lucas's history of going on reality shows, and it certainly looks like Blake is right - Whaboom isn't here for the right reasons. But wait... It was carefully not mentioned during last night's episode, but Blake was on one of those previous shows too, with Lucas. That may be the real source of their animosity, but I confess I had a perverse thought as I watched. What if Blake and Lucas are really playing an elaborate long con, secretly teaming up to create drama and tension and basking in the attention it brings. After all, the over-the-top weirdness is getting Lucas a lot of screen time, but complaining about it is getting *Blake* a lot of screen time too. Just a thought...

"Listen, I'm a pro wrestler, I know all about white dudes acting crazy." Kudos to Kenny for the quip of the night. Even though I'm so not into professional wrestling, Kenny's growing on me. He's definitely on my "could be the next Bachelor" list.

Peter and Copper go on a date with Rachel and there were lots of sparks between the two humans, but the best part of the date for me was, of course, Copper. I cringed when I saw him walking around on his injured leg but it didn't seem to be bothering him, and Peter entered into the spirit of things at the Doggie playdate. Copper also got lots of Twitter love:

Me running into Peter's arms #TheBachelorette pic.twitter.com/uDfqNoR1xa

— Michelle Collins (@michcoll) May 30, 2017

photo credit: Michael Yada/ABC

DeMario did not get a lot of Twitter love, in fact Bach Nation was dumping on him pretty hard as his sordid little story played out. We had a clue that he wasn't here for the right reasons in Episode 1, when one of Rachel's friends tried to warn her about him, but Rachel didn't listen, choosing instead to give him a chance. Big mistake Rachel. Big mistake. As usual when the show pulls a stunt like this, I see the hidden hand of producers, in making sure Lexi was able to speak to Rachel, that a camera was right there to film it all and in letting DeMario come back the next day. And Chris Harrison's blog is up at Yahoo, in which he specifically makes a point of saying that he had never met Lexi before in his life, which is a pretty good indication that he and other producers had indeed met and talked to her at length before she was ever allowed to appear on camera.

Will Rachel let DeMario come back on the show? My guess? No. Not only is she in total "take no BS" mode but the remaining men would probably break out in a riot. At this point, I don't even see DeMario on BIP. (You can read more about DeMario in an interview with Glamour magazine that was done the day before filming began. Read it here.)


photo credit: ABC

What was Kareen Abdul Jabbar doing on the Bachelor? He explains at The Hollywood Reporter:

Five months ago, I wrote an article for The Hollywood Reporter titled “How the Bachelor and Bachelorette Franchise Are Damaging Romance in America.” I said this: “As entertaining as these shows are (and they really are compelling fun), there is an insidious darkness beneath the fairy tale pabulum they are serving up.” On the plus side, I called them “entertaining” and “compelling fun.” But I also objected that “The real crime is the lack of intellectual and appearance diversity, which leaves the contestants as interchangeable as Mr. Potato Head parts.” Mostly, I complained that by limiting themselves to only one specific body and intellectual type, they were promoting a form of romance porn that created a superficial fantasy ideal that inevitably would lead to dating disappointment for viewers influenced by the shows. I also observed that African-American contestants, though always a part of the dating scrum, were predictably cut loose after an appropriately polite "we don't see color" period of time. I didn't think anyone was to blame or that there was a racist conspiracy. It was just a consistent occurrence that reflected contestants' comfort zone.

Then along came Rachel Lindsay. Making it to the semifinals of The Bachelor before Nick Viall tearfully decided (weren't all his decisions tearful?) to cut her loose, Rachel distinguished herself as intelligent, athletic, playful, witty and emotionally mature. She also happened to be black.

After my article appeared — and while Viall’s Bachelor season was being broadcast with Rachel still in the mix — the producers of The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise called me up to tell me that the upcoming Bachelorette would feature a black woman. There were three black women among the remaining contestants, and though the producers wouldn’t reveal whom it would be, clearly Rachel had been a standout. They then asked me if I would like to come on the show and run the men through some basketball drills that would reveal some of their character traits to Rachel. As a fan of the shows, I naturally agreed. (Read the article here.)

So who got roses this week and who was sent home brokenhearted? We don't know because the dreaded "To Be Continued" card popped up right as Rachel was about to speak to DeMario. Very annoying and Bach Nation was not happy on Twitter but we should all probably just get over it. I'm thinking that TBC is the new default, with every episode ending with some kind of suspense and rose ceremonies taking place at the beginning of the following week. 

In my previous post I said that Whaboom has 15 Instagram followers, but it looks like he has more than one account, or perhaps there are already some parody accounts popping up, because I found another Insta account (Lucas.Yancey) that looks like it's probably now his primary feed, and it currently has 12,000 followers. I also found an account for DeMario (demariojackson_) that has 3,569 followers. Here's his most recent post: 

Tune in tonight to see if I balled hard enough to win Rachel's heart. ❤️🏀🌹8|7c on ABC. #TheBachelor #TheBachelorette #DWantsARose #GiveDARose #TeamDemo #TeamD #RachelLovesD #FollowTheWhistle #TYBG #HiMom #DenzelTheLion #KB24 #MambaMentality

A post shared by DeMario Jackson 🌹 (@demariojackson_) on May 29, 2017 at 4:46pm PDT

He posted this Monday night, just as the show was airing, clearly trying to pretend that none of the bad stuff happened. Obviously he can't spoil a major plot point of the episode, but really, DeMario? #RachelLovesD? You're kidding, right? 

In other Bach franchise news, Ben and Lauren broke up, leaving four franchise couples who are engaged but not yet married: Kaitlyn and Shawn, JoJo and Jordan, Carly and Evan, and Nick and Vanessa. I've said that I expected Nick and Vanessa to be done by June 1, which is two days from now but at least publicly they appear to be hanging on. Stay tuned. 

Let The Journey Begin: Episode 1

Update: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Whaboom guy, aka Lucas Yancey, and Blake E have a history, having appeared on a previous reality show. Read about it here. (Yancey currently has 15 Instagram followers; Blake E (full name Blake Elarbee) has 6,451.)

Original post:
Welcome Rosebuds! We're back for the 13th season of The Bachelorette, with possibly the coolest Bach'ette ever in the person of Rachel. Thoughts:

Engaged. Rachel has broken the recent pattern and stated that, yes, she's engaged. If I remember right, back in the early days of the show the Bachelor or Bachelorette would confirm their engagement but at some point the show decided to try and create more suspense about the outcome and forced the lead to act coy. Not this time - Rachel's engaged, at least for a while, although I would says there's almost no chance she actually marries her current fiance. It's just not the nature of this beast.

Heartbroken? At the start of the show, as always, Our Host Chris Harrison recaps Rachel's journey, emphasizing how heartbroken she was when Nick sent her home. Nope, not buying it. Rachel may have slipped into the show's version of Stockholm Syndrome and convinced herself that she was in love with Nick, but I doubt it.

And no doubt Nick really liked her, but I'm now convinced that ABC was looking at Rachel as the new Bachelorette from the first moment she applied to be on the show. Again, I'm not saying that Nick didn't care for her, I'm sure he did, within the construct of the show. But I'm almost certain producers strongly suggested he give her the first impression rose and keep her on the show at least through Hometowns. The show has taken enormous heat for its lack of diversity and was almost certainly actively looking for a charismatic black woman who could be the Bachelorette. Plus, in 2016 Channing Dungey, an African American woman, was named President of ABC Entertainment Group. I've never seen it specifically stated but my bet is that Ms. Dungey wanted this to happen sooner rather than later, and voila. All of a sudden there was Rachel, a star ready to be born. She was never going to end up with Nick.

Men to watch. Every season Harrison comes out with a list of five "men to watch." Given that the season has completed filming and the outcome is known, at least to him, are there any clues in the list? I did a little googling and looked at his list of 5 from Desiree, Andi, Kaitlyn and JoJo's seasons. For Desiree and Kaitlyn's seasons, his list of 5 did not include the eventual winner. For Andi and JoJo, it did. An every-other-year pattern? List the winner in even-numbered years? For what it's worth, here's Harrison's List of 5 to watch this time around:
DeMario, Kenny, Bryan, Dean, Fred



The current issue of People, featuring Rachel in the top left corner and with a nice story inside, also has a list of five to watch:
Kenny, Bryan, Lee, Josiah, Peter

Former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky and former contestant Sharleen Joynt, writing after viewing the premiere episode, each provided their top four, meaning who they think will win:

Ali's top 4: Bryan, Josiah, Peter, Eric
Sharleen's top 4: Kenny, Bryan, Josiah, Peter

Bryan


Kenny


Josiah


Peter


Bryan, who got the first impression rose, is the only name on all four lists; Kenny, Josiah and Peter are on three out of the four. They may not necessarily end up being the final four, but I wouldn't bet against it. If Rachel is engaged to one of them, is one of the other three first in line to be the next Bachelor? Almost certainly.

Rachel's posse. I liked the gathering of girlfriends from Nick's season. Corinne, Alexis, Whitney, Raven, Jasmine, Kristina and Astrid may not have had the most insightful advice for Rachel but they seem to genuinely like her, and each other. They're probably candidates for BIP too, and a few more minutes in the spotlight can't hurt. (And FYI, Corinne now has 755,000 Instagram followers, Raven has 725,000 and Rachel has 528,000. Nick has 1.3 million)

A Bachelorette blog? In past seasons each Bachelor and Bachelorette (or a ghost writer) has written a blog at People.com. So far I haven't seen one for Rachel. Chris Harrison is still writing his blog at Yahoo but he's just phoning it in, with frothy nuggets of insight like "the first night always has some really fun moments" and "these men are here for Rachel." He also tries to make us believe this:

Rachel and Copper the dog came into The Bachelorette looking for someone they could share a life with, and we were equally determined to make that happen for her, which is why Rachel got to meet 31 men, the most in Bachelorette history! 

If this was really all about finding a husband for Rachel, we would never have seen the whaboom guy, the tickle monster and Kyle (who's 26 and got eliminated the first night.) Rachel says she's engaged so the process worked, more or less, but some of the bozos ABC trotted out Monday night are clearly there strictly for entertainment purposes.

I'm writing this on Monday afternoon just a few hours before Episode 2. According to the online episode guide, Peter gets the first one-on-one date, Kareem Abdul Jabbar shows up, some other stuff happens and "one bachelor betrays Rachel." Wow. What could that be???


photo credit: americandisposal.com

That's it for now, Rosebuds. I hope everyone's having a lovely Memorial Day week-end! Meet me back here soon, same Bach time, same Bach channel!

Pippa's Wedding (And Rachel)

Issued dated June 5, 2017: Pippa Middleton's Wedding


People goes with Pippa's wedding as the main cover story, no surprise, although Pippa herself isn't the focus. Bachelorette Rachel, who has ended the "suspense" and announced that she is indeed engaged, gets a topline tease.

Who Are These Men, Anyway?

Tomorrow the most dramatic reveal ever! #thebachelorette

A post shared by Chris Harrison (@chrisbharrison) on May 16, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT