The Bachelor
And the drama continues- in Puerto Rico! Hope you brought your passports, ladies. There are 11 girls left to compete for Ben's attention and the claws are getting sharper. The first one on one date Ben has is with Nicki whom I kind of forgot about until now. They spend a nice day in San Juan getting caught in the rain and buying themselves authentic Puerto Rican clothes. 'Si, Senor' says Ben which I think translates to 'Yes, sir' Nicki gets a rose and sticks around after opening up to Ben about her previous marriage. For the group date, the nine girls that did not have one on ones were taken to a baseball diamond to play a competitive game of baseball. The team that lost would be sent home on the bus and the team that won was awarded a romantic evening with Ben on the beach. The Red Team (Kacie B. Casey S., Jamie, Courtney-see below)
won much to my chagrin. Pretty much anything that makes Courtney happy is something I'm against. Kacie B scored the rose though which made me happy since she seemed pretty genuine. Things did not go as well fr Elyse who was sent home after her one on one with Ben. Courtney then decides to take advantage of the situation and invite Ben to go skinny dipping. Ben is hesitant but he is a guy so of course he goes through with it. This kicks Courtney's behavior from very irritating to borderline intolerable. I have a feeling Courtney was one of those people that never had friends for girls and spent all her time with other peoples boyfriends. And she's proud of it. Before the rose ceremony Emily tries to warn Ben about Courtney but Ben tells Emily to "be careful" which sounds like something a guy in the mafia might say. I was certain Emily's meddling was going to get her sent home but at the end of the night it was Jennifer who did not receive a rose which surprised me. I thought she and Ben had a good relationship but maybe the sparks just weren't there which isn't anyone's fault.

Characters: 3.5 As the show continues, it seems to get more and more focused on Courtney- probably because she tends to make the most unbelievable comments. You would think that if you were on national TV you would not be so blatantly manipulative. I mean Ben is probably going to see this eventually. And what is he going to think of all her insensitive remarks about the other girls? Never mind that she seems to view him more as a prize than as a person. But, although watching her ugly little face is probably giving me a premature ulcer, it does add tension among the girls and grabs my attention.
Emotional Intensity: 3 I feel really bad for what these girls are going through. I mean I know to be on The Bachelor is their own decision but it must be really draining emotionally. I don't think I could afford to be all bright and happy even time Ben graced me with his presence. In fact I would probably be mad at him. Doesn't he know a relationship is supposed to go both ways? If a girl has to fight to spend time with you, it's not a very good basis for a long lasting relationship. Yet I feel bad when girls are sent home in tears, their hopes dashed. They gave it their all only to have Ben put in a mediocre effort at best.
Conflict: 3.5 The fact that Courtney broke the rules and took Ben skinnydipping made me absolutely furious. And she had the nerve to call Blakely a "stripper" in the same episode! I'm really surprised and disappointed Ben did not see right through her but I'm glad she pulled this stunt because it ups the stakes and shows what she is willing to do to get the guy. At least point it could be anything.
Class:2.5 There were girls who exhibited class although reality shows do have a tendency to focus on the ones who don't, like Courtney. But I would have to say that the Classiest Cast Member goes to Kacie B. just because she seems to have everything that "classy" encompasses.
Overall Rating: 12.5/20
Overall Rating: 12.5/20
16 and Pregnant
This episode we get to meet Alex, a 16 year old who got pregnant with her boyfriend of the last two years, Matt. Thankfully Alex seems more prepared than most teen mothers- she has not one, but two jobs and is weighing her options once the baby arrives. Her mother suggests adoption and says she "will not have a baby under her roof" Alex makes tentative plans to give the baby to her friends mother but once the baby, Arabella, actually arrives she makes the decision to keep it. She rents a room but quickly discovers that she cannot afford the rent on top of everything else so it's back home with her mom again (who apparently reverts on her previous ban of babies) Alex quickly discovers that returning to school isn't going to work out so she enrolls in cyberschool. So not only is she working two jobs and raising a child, but she is essentially homeschooling herself. And what is Matt's contribution? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He is probably the worst of the dads I've seen so far (well one of the worse. At least he didn't backtalk Alex's mother) However, I think smoking pot and partying while your girlfriend struggles to raise your child qualifies you as a pretty deadbeat father. Especially when he has not made one financial contribution. Of course that is tricky when he doesn't have a job. The girls in these movies really choose the wrong men to have babies with (even if it is accidentally) Maybe it should be a rule that you cannot have intimate relations with someone unless they have a job or some means of making money.If Congress ever passed that bill, we could save a lot of time and money.
Characters: 3 I really liked Alex as a main character. Talk about responsibility. She puts a lot of work into taking care of her baby. Her friends also seem very supportive- dropping by to keep her company. One friend even changed Arabella's diaper the minute she walked through the door because Alex asked her to. I'm glad Alex can rely on her friends and on her family. Her mother initially doesn't want Alex in the house if she is raising a baby but she softens (probably after seeing the cute images of her granddaughters face) I also find Alex's little brother adorable. He asks if it is against the law to keep the baby. I kind of wonder if that was scripted since he looks a little too old to ask that question. As usual the only character that got under my fingernails was Matt. Seriously, these guys need to shape up. Fast. Even without a baby I doubt they would be going anywhere in life. Maybe a job at McDonalds. Always aim high. Also doesn't his picture (above) kind of look like he is prepping for his mug shot (Actually I think he was arrested already so it's probably too late to prep)
Emotional Intensity: 3 The last few minutes of the show were especially frustrating. Alex confronted Matt about his less than helpful role in her baby's life and he basically just threw his stuff on the ground and shouted at her. Whoa, dude calm down. Realize that this is ten times harder on Alex than it is for you. I know that it must be incredibly difficult to miss out on one or two parties while you take care of your daughter but we all have our crosses to bear, don't we? Honestly the selfishness of some of these people really surprises me sometimes. It amazes how fast the girls grow up and how the guys generally like to stay locked in the role of unhelpful boyfriend.
Conflict: 2.5 For much of the episode, Alex is deciding between adoption and raising the baby herself. I don't even know how someone could begin to make such a difficult decision. I think the problem was that Alex spent several days with Arabella after she was born. After all that time with her baby, it would nearly impossible for a mother to give up her child. Mothers find it difficult to give up their children after holding their babies for only ten minutes. I don't find Alex selfish for deciding to keep the baby since she gives up everything for her child. I don't often say this but I think Arabella should maybe watch this episode once she is old enough so she can see just how much her mom loves her.
Class: 2.5 A mom sticking by her daughter. That is class- and I am referring not only to Alex but also to her mother. I going to give Alex the title of Classiest Cast Member because even though she loses her temper once in a while she has bravely shouldered alot of responsibility for someone her age. It's not going to be an easy journey but I think Alex can handle it if she stays on her path.
Overall Rating: 11/20

Emotional Intensity: 3 The last few minutes of the show were especially frustrating. Alex confronted Matt about his less than helpful role in her baby's life and he basically just threw his stuff on the ground and shouted at her. Whoa, dude calm down. Realize that this is ten times harder on Alex than it is for you. I know that it must be incredibly difficult to miss out on one or two parties while you take care of your daughter but we all have our crosses to bear, don't we? Honestly the selfishness of some of these people really surprises me sometimes. It amazes how fast the girls grow up and how the guys generally like to stay locked in the role of unhelpful boyfriend.

Class: 2.5 A mom sticking by her daughter. That is class- and I am referring not only to Alex but also to her mother. I going to give Alex the title of Classiest Cast Member because even though she loses her temper once in a while she has bravely shouldered alot of responsibility for someone her age. It's not going to be an easy journey but I think Alex can handle it if she stays on her path.
Overall Rating: 11/20
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
The episode began with Teresa rehashing her latest squabble with her brother to her husband who thoughtfully tells her to "Shut up" I don't understand why she puts up with that disrespect but she seems to have a tendency to take her frustration out on her friends. We got to see a little bit more of Teresa's family in this episode. Besides a wonderful husband she also has four daughters. The oldest, Gia, wants to get a bra since all her friends have one but everyone, including her mom, try to poke holes in that dream by pointing out that she is completely flatchested. Teresa tells us a little bit about how when she was growing up her mother never discussed puberty with her. I doubt she would be too pleased if she knew her daughter was discussing it on national television. And I felt really bad for Gia. Maybe she didn't mind being on camera but I don't understand how she could be. When I was 10, I was mortified when it came to getting my first bra. I didn't even like to journal about it let alone talk about it. What kind of mother would let the details of her 10 year old daughter's chest size (or lack of) be revealed to the entire country? Meanwhile Lauren, Caroline's daughter, is having the opposite problem. Her diet is working but not fast enough in Lauren's opinion. Lauren actually looks really pretty. I guess someone who isn't rail thin perfection thanks to a boob job or liposuction is a bit uncommon on this show. The episode also included a "Field Day" at Jacqueline's house.
For Field Day, they definitely go all out- bouncy slides, dunking booth, red and blue T-shirts for each of the teams along with bandannas. The competitions included a Tug of War, a potato sack race and a three legged race. The blue team kicked the red team's butt much to the annoyance of Gia who bursts into tears and accuses the blue team of cheating (very loudly and numerous times) Everyone nods knowingly and says its puberty. Well if I had a camera stalking me I'd probably freak out a little too. Jacqueline tries to calm Gia down by reading her a story about a sore loser which is probably the worst thing she could have done. If a child is upset, you need to wait for them to calm down before you start to reason with them. Even in my late teens I will still react negatively if I am confronted by reason at the wrong time. Gia gets very upset and wants everybody to leave her alone except for her mother (oh and the cameras can stay too) Teresa gets annoyed with Jacqueline and Caroline because she feels it was not their place to discipline her child (which I kind of understand but it's not like Teresa is actually going to do anything about it. I have a feeling Gia could kick a baby in front of Teresa and she would only role her eyes and make some excuse for her behavior) And even though Teresa and her brother finally are no longer at each other's throats, the relationship between Gia and her uncle is strained because Gia isn't old enough to know that her mom is selfish. Oh to be young and naive.
Characters: 2 I've kind of given up on Teresa's family. From the way they interact with each other I have little hope they will grow up to be anything other than carbon copies of Teresa. I still admire Melissa and the way she doesn't seem to care what anybody thinks. Caroline professes to be someone who has "no time for drama" but then why is she always talking about it? Jacqueline needs to accept the fact that Teresa can't be trusted and move on. Only Kathy seems to be the only housewife with a little bit of sense (sorry Melissa but at least Kathy wears shorts that are her size) Kathy is the one I would like for a mom and Melissa is the one I'd like for a hip aunt or older sister. I also learned that Caroline's sons aren't as bad as I thought they were. Apparently one of them took his sister to prom because she didn't have a date. That's a sweet thing to do.

Conflict: 3.5 I actually like seeing the conflicts and relationships between parents and their children rather than parents with each other. Because parents and children are supposed to fight- at least a little. But other adults really need to treat each other with respect- because they are adults! I also like when the conflict is not between two people but rather between a person and an event or a force of nature. Less tacky, more real.
Class: .5 An episode that includes what should be a private conversation between a mother and daughter isn't going to get any points from me no matter what the rest of the episode consists of, even if it was something as wholesome as field. Well as wholesome as it can get on reality TV. As for the Classiest Cast Member, I'd have to pick someone who was far removed from all the drama and that means Kathy even though she really wasn't in this episode all that much. So maybe that's the secret.
Overall Rating: 8/20
So what did you think? Was I too harsh? Was I not critical enough? Please leave a comment, subscribe to my blog and check in for more posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment