Episode 6
“If it was right, it’d be a lot easier than it has been between the two of us.”
—Sydney dropping a #truth bomb, not only with this show but also in terms of real-life relationships
LAST WEEK, CONT’D
Episode 6 picks up with everyone heading into Episode 5’s Rose Ceremony, where it’s obvious to all that Onyeka and Nicole have dug their own graves and will likely be the two sent home. First, Nicole’s tears here support my thoughts from last week that she is crumbling in this environment….
I know her tears suggest her wanting to stay, but when I see uncontrollable tears like this, especially this early (meaning we’re not down to wire yet), I can’t help but think it’s in her best interest (for her sanity) that she leave.
The ladies head to Vietnam where Hannah G finally gets her very own 1-on-1 date card. Of course, many ladies still haven’t had their own date yet and I’m sure wanted one, but it was still amusing how the scene was edited to make it seem as though they were all openly grumpy about Hannah G getting it. First, note Sydney’s laugh when Hannah G’s name is just called, yet her (and all of their) dour expression(s) a moment later…
Now listen to the same scene…
Clearly, the ladies were supportive of Hannah G getting this date, even cheering for her. The frowny faces could have been (and clearly were) taken from somewhere else. They’re “bored” faces used as “unhappy” faces, very likely from whatever forced Girl Chat conversation transpired before the date card even arrived.
HANNAH G’S 1-ON-1
I really like Hannah G. She’s sweet and steers clear of drama, and I think the ladies’ positive reaction to her getting a 1-on-1 date, especially as far in as Episode 6, says a LOT. (In other words, she’s well-liked.) That said, this date BUGGED me, edit-wise. Why, oh why does this show think we care more about watching hot-and-heavy make-out seshes than actual conversations? It felt like a too-soon repeat of Cassie’s 1-on-1 (except not quite as uncomfortable as I had the foresight to watch it in the comfort of my Vancouver rental instead of in public this time). This was bothersome to me especially since we saw a Girl Chat where Caelynn insinuated there wasn’t much to Hannah G beyond her looks (I SO wish Caelynn hadn’t gone there but don’t forget how prompted those back-at-the-hotel Girl Chats are). Hannah G’s entire date was pretty much summed up by how attractive Colton finds her, and therefore she was never really given the redemption I feel she deserved. (Of course, the two do touch on and bond over both having divorced parents, but I still felt this was underdeveloped.)
In the evening, the focus is once again on their chemistry, even as Hannah G and Colton rehash their day. But notice Hannah G’s hand under her chin as she asks Colton what his favorite part of the day was….
It’s obvious “What was your favorite part?” was taken from somewhere else (and even could have been on a different topic altogether). Meanwhile, her hand position is the same for all of the shower discussion. They could have recapped many aspects of their day, yet the only thing shown to us as being their “favorite part”, of course, was making out in the shower. 🤦🏻♀️
Back at the hotel, Heather reads the Group Date card. I truly LOL’ed at Demi’s response to having her name called, meaning she wouldn’t be getting a 1-on-1 date in Vietnam…
She’s clearly half-joking, but what I appreciate here is the FRANKNESS. I would much rather a contestant just express an honest "damn it!” reaction like this and have it shown, rather than having reactions edited (as with the date card reading above) to make it SEEM like they’re all bitter when they’re actually not.
Back on Hannah G’s date, something she said stood out to me…
I’m pretty sure I’ve pointed out before how huge a takeaway this was for me. It’s not that we don’t all spend time thinking about ourselves in our real lives (I actually think it’s a bit of an epidemic at the moment, truthfully). But, it’s rare that you spend AS MUCH time thinking and talking about yourself, with people who seem to really care about you and are invested in your feelings, as you do on this show. I’ve likened it to near-24/7 therapy for several weeks, even months. It’s both hugely informative and, in some ways, addictive.
I’m not lumping Hannah G in with this observation, by the way, I’m just going on a tangent. An overwhelming commonality I’ve found with fellow Bachelor alums is an element of self-absorption. It’s as though the more interested people become in you, the more interesting you feel you are. (Never mind the lack of talent, effort, or real accomplishment to support it.) Obviously, acquiring hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers almost overnight and them suddenly caring about you and your every move doesn’t help. You’ve just come off spending a long time being encouraged to talk about yourself all day, every day. You can see how it could bleed into your real life and spark a narcissism that may have been dormant before. I’m not claiming to have not fallen victim to this, either. I may have shared this before, but when I first left the show and got back together with my ex, I remember him gently telling me how wrapped up in myself I’d become. It was a 🤯 moment. I was horribly ashamed and actively made a change. I refused to let myself become THAT person and am thankful to have had him and his honesty.
GROUP DATE
The Group Date entails the ladies learning Vietnamese martial arts moves and then, naturally, having them physically fight each other for no good reason. And despite this show’s respectable budget, production apparently didn’t deem it necessary to spring for a judges panel table that actually fit…
I couldn’t resist.
I couldn’t help but laugh when the host of The Bachelor: Vietnam commentated on the Vovinam battles in Vietnamese while poor Chris Harrison could only gamely nod along with an unconvincing I-can-completely-understand-what-you’re-saying face…
The evening portion of this Group Date felt like it went on FOREVER. Seriously, I usually wish for more concrete 1-on-1 time between Colton and the ladies but this date had me thinking I should be careful what I ask for. Something that did stick out to me and that I did appreciate, however, was the conversation had between Tayshia and Colton. What was interesting was how it began; it almost felt like Colton sought Tayshia out to onload on her. Like, it felt like her needed a shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent to. But I LOVED how Tayshia had the strength, especially given Colton’s position of “power” as the lead, to lay down the law on reciprocation in their relationship…
This kind of ties into what I said above, where it can sometimes feel like people (not only Bachelor alums!) are all too willing to succumb to extreme self-absorption and let you play interviewer/shoulder-to-cry-on/therapist, perhaps because you naturally fill that role socially and are naturally curious about others (the way I strongly suspect Tayshia is). Tayshia stating the above is a BIG DEAL to me, not only because it’s something I wish I had the strength to do in a lot of real-life relationships, but also because I think it’s very telling as to what Colton may (or may not) provide. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed that he’s wrapped up in himself (it would actually be amazing if he’s not, given how the experience he’s in is custom-tailored to feed that tendency), but it’s certainly a clue.
Later, with Sydney, I thought it was a pretty big deal to hear the lead himself say…
It’s a reminder of how, at the end of the day, even he is just a cog in a well-oiled, rigidly structured machine.
After Demi’s 1-on-1 time, there’s a moment where we’re shown more of her cute friendship with Hannah B. What stuck out to me here was how, even though the natural place to sit here would be in between Cassie and Caelynn (or even in between Heather and Katie), Cassie MOVES ASIDE so these two can sit next to each other…
KIRPA’S 1-ON-1
Kirpa’s lovely. She oozes normalcy. I’ve liked her since Night One but it’s been easy to lose track of her since up until this episode she’s been very nearly axed from the show entirely. In that sense, it’s hard to take 1-on-1s like this too seriously, since we KNOW she’s got to be leaving next week. Based on airtime alone, it’s highly unlikely Kirpa’s beating out Caelynn, Cassie, Hannah G, or Tayshia for a Hometown. Their relationship just feels like it has too far to go, making dates like this feel a bit tedious in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, Kirpa’s freaking adorable and I’m glad we got this over nothing at all. A moment that stood out to me here was when Colton told her she has “calm confidence” (yay, adjectives not pertaining to looks!), making their relationship stronger, and she responded with…
During filming, you’re obviously not privy to the lead’s 1-on-1 time with other ladies and you’re not hearing what he says about each of you. So, with your producer whispering in your ear that the two of you share something special, and feeling like the time you do spend together (especially on those over-the-top 1-on-1 dates) is momentous and magical, it’s easy to lose touch with reality. I loved the way Kirpa simply pointed this out.
After Kirpa’s date, Demi visits Colton’s suite to tell him how she feels. I know ALL OF YOU had to have noticed this frankenbitten voiceover…
“Hopefully, after tonight, Colton / won’t be / a virgin / anymore.”
This pretty much sums up Demi’s edit on this show: a vaguely villainous wild child, keen on deflowering Colton. (Of course, though, I realize there are elements to Demi’s edit that show she’s also well-liked by producers.) But seriously, can you imagine what it’s like to watch yourself on TV and hear your own voice say a sentence like that, when you know for a fact you’ve never said those words in that order?
As Colton shuts Demi down, we see yet another side to her, and this is the very thing I love about watching her: She continues to SURPRISE us. Like, we’ve seen the more brash and bold sides of her, but that would become one-note without any vulnerability to balance it out. I’ve mentioned before that it feels like Demi is hardened, very likely by her family situation, and we really see evidence of that here. You can see her realize she’s about to cry, and her immediate instinct is to stifle and conceal what she obviously perceives as weakness…
Say what you want about Demi, but if she was on this show to perform, this would have been a great opportunity to milk it and do so. I for one will miss my weekly does of her sharp humor and candor. You’ll be missed, Demi!
ROSE CEREMONY
I expressed my disappointment and disbelief at Katie being sent home over at Flare so I’ll avoid rehashing it too much here. I just sucks when someone—someone we’ve seen a reasonable amount of and gotten to know a tiny bit—expresses their greatest fear in the whole process as being misunderstood, and then not getting any resolution to that storyline. What I mean is, Colton’s sending Katie home right after that conversation (they had no other conversation after that since there was no Rose Ceremony Cocktail Party) felt like the very definition of him misunderstanding her.
At any rate, we got a terrific DOUBLE Direct-Look-Into-Camera™ out of Katie’s departure…
What followed was strange. Colton rapidly began unraveling, freaking out to his producer. Meanwhile, we heard Tayshia telling Kirpa (seemingly within earshot of the other ladies), “Let’s take this thing. Watch it’s us two at the end”…
… to the tune of uncharacteristically villainous music. It was all a bit sudden and weird. In general, I’ve come to believe the opposite of what’s shown in previews, and honestly, I just don’t want to dissect this yet without more information.
As always, my frontrunners and first impression takeaways can be found over at Flare!
THE FASHION
Requests
Hannah B’s Black Halo “Isabella” jumpsuit (in French Rose—it also comes in black) sells HERE.
Heather’s Forever 21 ribbed one-shoulder crop top (in Ivory) sells HERE.
This romper is the definition of fun and flirty. It’s feminine, not trying too hard, and just so pretty. Hannah G’s Lulus “Dondi” floral romper sells HERE.
Next up is Demi with her fun Group Date workout gear…
I always love practical, functional clothing made fun, and these two pieces fit that bill. Demi’s sports bra and leggings are both by Fabletics. Her “Zoe” high impact sports bra sells HERE. At first I thought her leggings were the Alo “Goddess” leggings (which I’ve been coveting) but it turns out they’re a wallet-friendlier dupe—they’re the “Cashel” foldover powerform leggings and they sell HERE.
I have a tie for Best Dressed runner-up. First is Sydney with her departure dress…
This dress instantly caught my eye, and given how many requests I got for it, it evidently caught yours as well. It’s unique and interesting and unabashedly sexy. (Seriously, I wish I had the balls—and booty—to wear this!) Sydney looked like a million bucks in it. I’m afraid Sydney’s Reverse “Champagne” maxi dress is sold out (HERE). The closest alternative I could find is actually a sort of hybrid of Sydney’s dress (the silhouette) and Hannah G’s dress (the color, above), HERE. I also found an option isn’t as revealing in the back but is thus more wearable, HERE.
My other runner-up is Katie with her Group Date Cocktail Party romper…
I knew I loved this piece when I caught myself straining for more shots of Katie just so I could see more of this romper. Katie was easily the season’s romper queen and this was her swan song! I love the asymmetry and the sumptuous fabric. The color looks like a million bucks on her. I think I would have preferred her hair back for this, given the one shoulder neckline, but she still looked gorgeous. Katie’s Robert Rodriguez one shoulder silk romper is older and sadly no longer available, but I did find one selling HERE.
Finally, Best Dressed goes to Kirpa with her 1-on-1 date jumpsuit…
YES. This jumpsuit is sexy and striking. It has a badass, powerful feel to it, and while it’s mostly on the safe side, it still makes a bold statement. My only wish is that she’d worn her hair up in a slick updo or a big, tousled ponytail. Her hair was worn the same way during the day with a casual romper, so the contrast would have been nice, especially given the dressiness of this look. Nonetheless, she looked fabulous. Kirpa’s Chiara Boni “Rebecca” jumpsuit sells HERE and HERE, but given the high price point, is thankfully available for rent as well, HERE.
Worst Dressed
It’s Friday at 10pm and Andy gets here any second after we’ve been apart for a month. Nothing stood out to me on first watch, and you’d better believe I’m not digging up a Worst Dressed right now. #sorrynotsorry
Until next week, fellow pandas!
