The Bachelorette: Week 3, Parts 1 & 2
June 7, 2016 8:40 PM - Season 12, Episode 4 - Subscribe

Chadgate continues. JoJo & Chase share a hot yoga one-on-one. Some weird sex improv show group date. JoJo & James swing dance. Chadgate continues. Pool party! Rose ceremony. Everyone picks up and travels to the exotic location of... rural Pennsylvania. Chadgate continues. JoJo & Luke have a mushing and hot tub one-on-one. Football group date with extra blood! Two-on-one with Chad & Alex. Chadgate continues.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has terrible taste in television programming. What did you think of these latest episodes? Who's your front runner(s)? What type of steroids is Chad on? Was is fair that Jordan was both teams' qb? Why did Alex wear those goofy pants on the two-on-one? Did she send the right guys home? Where and when exactly did my life officially go off track that I am posting on the internet about this ridiculous show?
posted by bologna on wry (22 comments total)
 
I'm just glad there's more than one man I can swoon over this season. Jordan. Luke. Chase. Derek (who I'm pretty sure is Jon Krasinski's brunette twin). Even Wells, Evan and Vinny I still like...
posted by bologna on wry at 8:52 PM on June 7, 2016


You are a terrible person and you should feel terrible.

I watched it too. I will watch Project Runway and The Bachelorette allllll day and night, with no shame. Well maybe just a little shame.

So how the hell much do you think ABC got paid to whisk everyone away to that terribly exotic locale? I noticed at least two commercials for it, and many product shots of all kinds during the show. I live in PA and have never heard of it, and probably will never hear of it again.

I think James Taylor is a cutie, he has a very genuine smile.

Chad's roid rage is out of control. I kind of feel sorry for him and hope he gets therapy, since it seems the only way he knows how to communicate is with anger. He is also incapable of assigning any guilt to himself; everything that happens is someone else's fault. Also....has he ever heard of Leg Day? Sheesh.

There are so many guys who seem so insincere. Jordan, especially. Ugh.
posted by the webmistress at 8:59 PM on June 7, 2016 [1 favorite]


The scenes from the next ep (in 2 weeks!) looked straight up horror-movie, Fear style.

Some really good one-liners from Chad, though.
"Life isn't all blueberries and paper planes"
"Have a glass of milk and chill out" "I don't like milk." "You should, Milk's delicious."
"If you have a better way (to handle problems than threatening to beat everyone up), I'd love to hear it."
I will also miss the cool shots of him eating meat at random times.

I like Luke, although he does look a bit serial-killer ish. Wells is a sweetie who I can see making it far. A few still who I can't really tell apart, but who may end up being promising. Jordan is too pretty and I don't think they will end up together (although you know she likes him a lot, based on her reaction to when Alex told her that Chad had threatened him; she didn't seem to care much when it was just Evan). I don't think James Taylor is going anywhere, he is too saccharine for JoJo.

Oh! And I was sad for both Ali and Christian, who seemed like stand-up dudes. It was pretty easy to tell that JoJo wasn't that physically attracted to them, though. Hopefully one or both come back on BIP.
posted by likeatoaster at 5:56 AM on June 8, 2016 [1 favorite]


the webmistress - Interesting that you see Jordan as insincere! How come? I love that you LIVE IN PA and have never even heard of that resort/town. That's hilarious. Yeah, they must have paid a pretty penny for that sponsorship. I agree about Chad - while it's entertaining television, the guy has massive anger and insecurity issues and I hope he can realize it and seek help for himself.

likeatoaster - Chad's one-liner about "If you have a better way..." was epic! His utter lack of self-awareness and healthy conflict resolution is mind-boggling? I'm not sure I care that Ali or Christian make an appearance on BIP, I feel like they were as meh and forgettable as most of the other guys.



I always wonder about the casting process for the show. It's obvious the show embraces drama, so if they can cast a few loose cannons all the better. How much do you think they know about the contestants' personality and temperament before filming? I can't imagine it would take more than a 10 minute conversation with Chad to scratch the surface of that bubbling, seething anger. So if they know, and further they know it will play out terribly on the show, their calculated exploitation makes me ashamed I tune in. Meh.
posted by bologna on wry at 8:07 AM on June 8, 2016


I think JoJo nailed it when she said she had misgivings about Jordan being "too smooth". He is just too good to be true. I get major player vibes from him.

Has there ever been another season of this show where almost every guy is already falling in love with the bachelorette? I mean...I have heard "I'm starting to fall in love" or "I have real feelings" from almost every man there. JoJo is a very empathetic, intelligent woman with good conversational skills. I think she might be my favorite bachelorette yet.

Yeah I definitely think they cast people in certain roles. Chad is the bad guy for sure. Every season has one. What is so noticeably different about Chad versus the previous baddies is that he seems to be unaware of his issues or worse yet, thinks the way he deals with things is completely normal. And he can try to spin it now any way he wants to, but he is not acting.
posted by the webmistress at 9:24 AM on June 8, 2016 [1 favorite]


"The pig is in the castle."
posted by drezdn at 1:03 PM on June 8, 2016 [1 favorite]


And don't forget: "Let's pretend you're Hitler..." "Let's *not* pretend I'm Hitler."

I would never, ever want to meet Chad in real life, but just when you think he's nothing but a roided-up meathead, he throws out some gems that make for some fine trashy TV. And Daniel has turned out to be much more of a fun oddball than night one led me to believe.
posted by pitrified at 9:22 PM on June 8, 2016 [1 favorite]


I so want to know how much control the producers have over who stays and goes. JoJo's interest in Chad's "sensitive side" seemed pretty dubious given how much bad behavior was displayed in front of/directed at her (also, hon, if a guy is a dick to you in the first two weeks, dump him. He's not going to get any better.)

I also wonder how much legal liability the producers have if things go seriously pearshaped with this guy.
posted by athenasbanquet at 10:18 AM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


I also wonder how much legal liability the producers have if things go seriously pearshaped with this guy.

I mean, they're clearly letting him rage out. They're filming him as he wanders through the woods back to the men's lodge (or whatever it is), instead of whisking him away to Loser Island.

It occurs to me that the stuff in the previews might be two unrelated things. We saw Chad being all serial killer in the woods, maybe he thought it'd be funny to do that considering how afraid everyone is of him. And JoJo crying might be over finding some terrible thing out about Jordan. I dunno. As a teaser it felt all a little too on-the-nose.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:24 PM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


It's hard to tell from editing, but it seems like they may be actively facilitating it. Either they went up in a helicopter and flew in circles to a spot half a mile from the lodge ("wilderness") or they actively flew him back into proximity to the lodge and then let him tromp the last quarter-mile back so they could film it.
posted by athenasbanquet at 12:57 PM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


I think they definitely have control over who stays. The loose cannons are kept around for weeks after they've worn out their welcome because of the buzz they create. The look on JoJo's face when she handed Chad a rose at the last ceremony....ugh. She was not happy at all. And she had to take Evan aside and give him a rose so he wouldn't walk out during the rose ceremony. Because she knew she had to give Chad the rose.

I find it really unpleasant that they knowingly keep around a guy who has threatened other people in the house. He should have been removed at the first mention of violence. The fact that they not only let him stay, but seemed to encourage it, is worrying. None of the other men should have had to be bullied like that or fear for their safety. To broadcast him threatening Jordan that he was going to find out where he lived is just wrong. Not cool at all, ABC.
posted by the webmistress at 1:24 PM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


I totally agree that they definitely have a say in who stays and who goes. I always wonder how they get the lead to follow the plan. Is it with truth or deception? Which scenario below, you think?

PRODUCER: So, listen, JoJo, this Chad guy is kind of going off the rails and we're interested in seeing where it goes. I mean, I get it, maybe you're not feeling him, but when it comes down to it you're not really feeling X either, right? So how about we give Chad the rose and X goes home, sound good?

JOJO: Got it. Yeah, this will definitely have viewers tuning in, can't disagree there! I know if I were at home I'd be watching! X would have gone home next time anyway. Sure, sounds like a plan.

- or -

PRODUCER: So how are you feeling about Chad? Man, poor guy must be seriously reeling over his mom's death, can't imagine how difficult that must be for him. Maybe he's just being misunderstood by the guys, or just having a tough time communicating. Perhaps giving him some additional time to adjust and get comfortable in this environment is a good idea, no?

JOJO: Yeah maybe you're right, I do see a sweet side of him when we're just one-on-one. Maybe I just need to give him the benefit of the doubt. I suppose if it's between Chad and X I could keep Chad a bit longer and see how it goes.
posted by bologna on wry at 4:58 PM on June 9, 2016


I really want to believe that these leads are savvy enough to be in on it, but man, who really knows. Too bad the non-disclosure agreement they surely sign with blood when cast (or when hired, if working for the show) is so tightly written, else we could get the scoop from former contestants or crew.

I WANT BEHIND THE CURTAIN!
posted by bologna on wry at 5:03 PM on June 9, 2016


In her blog post about the second episode, former Bachelorette Kaitlyn claimed to be totally in on it:

"I remember keeping Tony and loving it. People thought I was nuts, but I was like, “oh man this guy is gonna make good TV”."

I think Ali Fedotowsky has made similar claims, especially when there were a bunch of guys left, that she would have her top 8 or 10 and then basically let the producers fill in the rest.
posted by pitrified at 5:19 PM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Thanks, pitrified! Did not know that. Very interesting!
posted by bologna on wry at 5:55 PM on June 9, 2016


I really want to believe that these leads are savvy enough to be in on it, but man, who really knows. Too bad the non-disclosure agreement they surely sign with blood when cast (or when hired, if working for the show) is so tightly written, else we could get the scoop from former contestants or crew.

I WANT BEHIND THE CURTAIN!


You need to watch UnReal on Lifetime (They have the first season on Hulu). One of the creators was a producer on The Bachelor for 9 seasons. Of course it is exaggerated and over the top, but I figure she knows how it really works, and uses that as her starting point.
posted by antimony at 7:35 PM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


You need to watch UnReal on Lifetime (They have the first season on Hulu). One of the creators was a producer on The Bachelor for 9 seasons. Of course it is exaggerated and over the top, but I figure she knows how it really works, and uses that as her starting point.

I literally just signed up for Hulu so I could watch UnReal and the Bachelorette in tandem. It's delicious.
posted by ApathyGirl at 3:27 PM on June 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


A little late to the party here, but I'm sad Chad is gone. Get past the silly violent stuff (which I'm pretty sure is prompted by the producers anyway, more on that later), and he's actually a pretty normal-sounding guy. A lot of the stuff he said sounds weird on the show, but that's because the show is weird. In normal life, he has a point. It's weird to have 20 other dudes be chasing after the same girl you are. It's normal to be unhappy about that. It's weird for those other dudes to profess their love and write songs about a girl 20 minutes after meeting her. It's not unusual to want to get to know a person before declaring that you want to marry them. It's kind of weird to stand up in front of strangers and perform a story about your private sexual past. None of this stuff is really that outlandish. It just seems that way in the context of a ridiculous show, and because it's coming from the mouth of a guy being portrayed as a cartoon villain.

My theory is that the producers chose to portray him as such because he is such a voice of reason. The show depends on a suspension of disbelief. Everybody is supposed to believe that the Bachelorette is the most desirable woman imaginable, and that anyone who is selected to be on the show immediately falls in love enough to put up with the conceits of the show. When a contestant doesn't play by those rules, the producers get upset. Since they're the ones who edit the show, they have the last word. For example, the previews a couple of weeks ago that show Evan's nose bleeding and JoJo yelling "you're bleeding!", then cutting to Chad scowling. As it turns out, Chad wasn't even present at that nosebleed scene, but they want you to infer that Chad beat Evan up. It's pure BS. That's why I wouldn't be surprised if the producers were instructing him to make threats. I don't believe anything that happens on this show.

Also, I really got a kick out of his meat consumption at the cocktail party. That was sublime.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:58 PM on June 13, 2016 [2 favorites]


antimony - thanks so much for the heads up, I'd actually never heard of UNreal until you mentioned it. I checked it out, briefly, it looks really well done! I'm looking forward to diving in!

kevinbelt - really well said, and I can't say I wholly disagree. The entire premise of the show is effing ridiculous, and it does require the suspension of disbelief, you're 10,000% right.

But here's the rub with me about Chad. The Bachelor has now been on, what, 19 seasons? And The Bachelorette is currently in its 12th go-round? Anyone who is contemplating becoming a participant on the show can't feign ignorance at the formulaic absurdity. I mean, seriously, he was mad about having to go on a group date? Uhh. That ESPN BachelorNation spin-around-ten-times-then-try-to-propose-marriage-without-falling-over challenge was just a BIT TOO REAL for him so he decided to get all in a snit about not being ready to profess his love? Hmm. He couldn't notch down the taking-of-himself-way-too-fucking-seriously-at-all-times enough for a two-minute sex improv show jokey ha-ha story? Lighten up.

I mean, sure, it's not normal. The scenarios and challenges are beyond forced. It's even a little embarrassing; uncomfortable. But that's the show. And if he had watched even a passing 30 minutes of any previous season he would have known that.

And not only that but even if he IS trying to make a point that the whole premise is ludicrous, why does he have to be such a dickhead to the other guys? His shitty attitude and even worse hair-trigger-anger completely moots his quite valid criticism of the show.
posted by bologna on wry at 9:57 AM on June 14, 2016


Oh don't get me wrong. I don't think he's necessarily sincere. I think it's an act. He saw it as a way to distinguish himself from the other guys. It's a pretty good gambit: one of the lessons you can learn from watching previous seasons is that talking about the show is a good way to get screen time. No different than Nick B. wearing a Santa suit for his first night.
posted by kevinbelt at 10:23 AM on June 14, 2016


Well that's for sure. I wonder though if this is the kind of screen time he was after? Perhaps he was! Perhaps I'm not evil-villainy enough to understand the motives behind it?
posted by bologna on wry at 12:40 PM on June 14, 2016


Perhaps I'm not evil-villainy enough to understand the motives behind it?
While the plan to give him a spinoff is still on the drawing board, Chad’s fans can still catch him on the small screen very soon. The 28-year-old real estate agent is going to be a part of the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise, which is set to premiere August 2 on ABC.
Reality spin-off fame and fortune.
posted by Room 641-A at 3:05 AM on July 10, 2016


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